For a good part of his life, Seventh-day Adventist Welton da Silva, 73, did the work of literature evangelism in Rio de Janeiro. On one of his canvassing visits, he met Luciana dos Santos, who is now a child care worker. By selling Adventist literature, Welton changed Luciana's life.
Ten years ago, Luciana acquired magazines Our Little Friend, for children, and Life and Health. She liked the magazines so much, she started to purchase books that talked about health and education, as well as more children's materials. Over the years, Luciana put into practice everything she learned from the books received from Welton's hands. She studied about a healthy lifestyle and Sabbath-keeping, which became important topics for her life.
Just over six months ago, after having gone through a painful divorce, Luciana fell ill. She moved to the city of Mantena, east of Minas Gerais, thanks to her aunt's help. There, Luciana became better acquainted with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its local congregation.
The decision
Leandro da Conceição, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor there, noted that Luciana already followed and taught the principles of the word of God in her home. "She told me how much she already lived the principles of the church and signaled the desire to renew life and vows with God through baptism," he said.
In early July, to the delight of her children and her aunt, Luciana was baptized in the Central Adventist Church in Mantena. She declared her gratitude to God for the way her life has changed, and for having learned such important truths in these books.
"These readings transformed me, improved me, taught me a lot about how to educate my children because I didn't have a reference point [before],” she said.
A ministry
Colporteur Welton said he feels fulfilled and happy by the seed of hope planted in Luciana's life in the past, which later transformed her life. He remains committed to serving God through his literature ministry. “God put me in [this]. I always say that I will only stop canvassing when I can no longer walk or talk,” he said.
Like Luciana, other people are also reached through the ministry of Colportagem. Pastor Paulo Américo, Adventist Church Publications leader for eastern Minas Gerais, the canvasser is able to step in and leave a message of hope where, often, a pastor might not be initially welcome.
"The most beautiful thing about this is that, in heaven, we will have many surprises from people who were the result of this work 10, 20, 30 years ago," Américo said.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site