The Obelisk of Buenos Aires nestles a large part of Argentina's public life. It is the obligatory fulcrum point for the most joyful celebrations (such as the Argentina national football team winning its third World Cup) and the most complicated social protests, with pickets and street blockades due to economic and social unrest (as it happens almost daily).

It was precisely in this place where the administrators, leaders, and employees of most of the Adventist institutions in Buenos Aires met on Monday morning, March 27, 2023, to distribute missionary books. Thus, almost 150 people from the Argentina Union, Buenos Aires Conference, Belgrano Adventist Clinic, South American Publishing House Association (ACES), and Granix Foods went out with enthusiasm and faith (after singing, praying, and meditating on God’s Word) to distribute 3,000 copies of The Great Controversy and almost 1,000 missionary magazines for children.

"Today, we will cover 25 distribution centers around the Obelisk, a very challenging area for the Gospel here in the City of Buenos Aires. We believe it will be a very blessed impact, said Pastor Elbio Silvero, president of the Buenos Aires Conference. “This is a complicated place, and we have very positive expectations. The book generates interest. This is a preview of what will be the distribution on Saturday, April 1, here in Buenos Aires. All the pastoral districts are mobilized to distribute this precious material; the church is involved and mobilized."

Wearing blue T-shirts depicting the event, everyone walked through the heart of downtown Buenos Aires with bags of books in hand. Subway stations, corners, stores, and various streets, including the popular Florida Street, were the main distribution points. And although some people rejected the offer, many others accepted it with pleasure. Several people even approached on their own to ask for the printed material.

"The world needs to study the Bible"

In the middle of this big city, and with the rush and stress of a Monday morning, those involved in the distribution managed to dialogue with people about the message of the book.

"I am Catholic, and I know we think differently, but I believe that both religions have a heavenly vision, which goes beyond the earthly. I think what the world needs most is a lot of study of the Word of God. Society is in a very bad way," commented Maria Elena, who was going for a consultation with a health professional because she was going through a bad time due to the death of her parents. "I know the Adventists from the university and the sanatorium in Entre Rios," she added as she was leaving, but not before wishing many blessings to all those involved in Hope Impact.

In turn, standing and contemplating the Obelisk, with The Great Controversy in her hand, Claudia said she believes that at the end of the world, the good guys will do well and the bad guys are destroying the planet. "I will read the book carefully. Thank you for giving it to me," she said.

"We do everything with a lot of love and prayer"

For ACES staff, Hope Impact is a very meaningful project. Going out to distribute a book that is printed to the tune of millions of copies (and has such a relevant message) is a mixture of commitment and satisfaction.

At ACES, the book goes through all the stages, from translation and editing to design and layout, printing, binding, and, finally, distribution. For this reason, a group of almost 50 employees also participated in Hope Impact at the Obelisk.

"It is a very meaningful experience. Together with my colleagues, we are grateful to be able to be part of this missionary task. We long to give the books to the people who need them and that Jesus may come soon. Today, we sow, and we hope that it will bear fruit,” remarked Eloy Kosciukiewicz, ACES press operator. “We are not pastors, nor do we preach, but we have the privilege of being the ones who print the missionary book. It is a great responsibility, and we do it with all seriousness. And now we are here distributing the book to the people. Today, many people will know that Christ is coming soon and will put an end to this disastrous world. There is hope."

In turn, Osvaldo Ramos, head of design at ACES (who, after 50 years of service, is about to retire, so this will be his last Hope Impact as a worker at the Adventist publishing house), said, "Laying out and designing the missionary book is very special. We do it with a lot of love and prayer. We do this with all our products, but we recognize that this one is very special and will have a transcendent impact on many people. This is what we like the most. We are not evangelists, but we are trained to design and communicate with it. Visual communication helps to deliver the message. And today, going out on the street to hand out this book is rewarding. To be face to face with the person we are praying for and to give it to them in our hands is wonderful.”

What about those who work at putting the books in the boxes and sending them to the administrative headquarters and churches? "Thank God, we did very well delivering the book. People were happy to receive this material,” said Ariel Vargas, an ACES logistics employee. “Of course, there are many who did not accept it and walked [away] in a hurry. The strategic point of distribution was very good. I work in the distribution part and put the boxes together, and now we have this great privilege to be part of this task. It does me a lot of good, and I know that the book will do a lot of people a lot of good."

Beyond all this, The Great Controversy generates stories and testimonies everywhere. Such is the case of Pastor Walter Steger, who edited this book. "For me, it was something very special," he said, "because the book itself is part of my family's history. My great-grandparents knew the truth thanks to this book."

Finally, Pastor Steger highlighted the great challenge of working with this material. "Editing this book with the non-Adventist public in mind required a lot of effort, since we tried to express the truths as clearly as possible. We did a special job of cross-checking with the condensed English version and also with the full version. It was an arduous and meticulous work, but very gratifying," he concluded.

The missionary book is already in the hands of millions of people at this moment. And God, as an effective, silent preacher, will do His part in due time. It remains necessary to continue distributing hope and being an active part of the mission to carry the Adventist message to this generation.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.