The Seventh-day Adventist Women's Ministry of the Southwest Angola Union, an administrative territory of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, celebrated its 30th anniversary through a spiritual retreat in the municipality of Gangula from October 1-4, 2025.

This year's celebration gained a missionary focus by highlighting the testimony of Henriqueta Eugénio, a retired nurse who built 12 churches at her own expense in the surrounding areas of the Cunhinga municipality, Bié province.

A Journey of Faith

Born into an evangelical home in Ombala, Ngumbe, as the daughter of the great chief of Ombala, Eugénio encountered the Adventist message in 1984. After four years in baptismal classes, she was baptized by the late Adventist pastor Herculano José in 1988 in the city of Kuito.

However, her life soon faced adversity, Eugénio shares. She had to leave Kuito due to civil conflict that began in Angola after the 1992 general election, thus leading her to take refuge in her husband's village. Later, they were forced to leave when her father-in-law refused to have an Adventist nearby. For several days, the family lived on their farm until deciding to return to her native village of Ngumbe.

Evangelism Through Service

Driven by her duty to share the message Eugénio had learned during her religious instruction, she began sharing about the Bible with others, she says.

The first person to accept Jesus through her efforts was her brother, Lucas, a former Bible critic. Observing the results of her disciple-making efforts, she realized she needed to take a bigger step—building churches to serve new believers.

When asked about her success, she recalled that as a nurse and former owner of a pharmacy and grain mill, she assisted people in hospitals with medications when they couldn't afford them. On Fridays, she would grind corn for free for those without resources. She also covered funeral expenses for those without means.

Sacrificial Giving

Eventually, Eugénio donated two motorcycles to the cause. She recounts how two church leaders, who were critical members at one of the churches she had built, came to say they would be absent for a time because they needed to work in the Malanje province to buy motorcycles. Thinking of the loss this would be to the church—as they were the only ones who could read—she withdrew 150,000 kwanzas (about US$164) and bought two motorcycles, each costing 75,000 kwanzas (about US$82).

With her husband's advice, she arranged for the brothers to pay for the motorcycles by working the land she had purchased some time before.

Lasting Impact

As a result of gestures like these, Eugénio now counts more than 1,000 people who have been led to Christ and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. With the help of one of her children, she continues assisting some of these congregations in building permanent churches.

Eugénio is the mother of sons and daughters who are employed and active in the church, she shares. She feels fulfilled by her evangelistic work and notes that it has even taken her outside the country.

"The method of Christ that I have employed has been a catalyst for pioneering this territory with a strong evangelistic presence," she says.

Adventist leaders of the region request prayers for Eugénio as she continues to serve her church and local community in sharing biblical messages and building churches.

The original article was provided by the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division.