It is never too late for one to accept Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior. This living testimony comes from the Indian Ocean Union Conference (IOUC), a union in the Southern Africa-Indian Division. As part of the church’s strategic plan, “I Will Go,” the church members are leaving no stone unturned in sharing the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. So far, the results of this noble project include church members going out and reaching out to their families, neighbors, and communities in sharing the love and the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As a result of the impact in this great island nation of Madagascar, a 100-year-old woman by the name Mrs. Makoa gave her life to Jesus and was baptized on October 8, 2022. This centenarian and great-grandmother, from the rural community of Ampahana, Antalaha, in the northern parts of Madagascar, was practicing witchcraft before her conversion. She was greatly feared by the community because of the many evil things she was practicing. Passionate about evangelism, her granddaughter Soatiana started to do Bible studies with her grandmother, and the rest is history, as the Scriptures say: “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15, KJV). 

While Mrs. Makoa cannot walk anymore because of her old age, this did not deter her from her desire to enter the baptismal waters. Just like the story of the healing of the paralytic man in Capernaum by Jesus, who was carried to the roof and lowered by his friends to be healed, the church members did the same by carrying her into the river. 

Mrs. Makoa is extremely happy she was baptized and has since accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We give God the glory for this miracle story in our division.

The original article was published on the South Africa-Indian Ocean Division’s Echo Adventist news website.