Cristiane Xavier, 36, lives in the city of Rio Grande, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. She is married to lawyer Alan Borio Xavier and has two children: Mateus, 16, and Isaque, 14. Some time ago, the family suffered the loss of a niece, who died in a car accident, and as a result, the couple's eldest son, Mateus, developed night terrors--described by Mayo Clinic as “episodes of screaming, intense fear, and flailing while still asleep.”1

As a result, nights became more difficult for Cristiane and Alan because they could not find a solution to this problem. At one of the family gatherings, Mateus began experiencing a night terror episode. A relative suggested they take him to the local house of a certain religious denomination, claiming that the niece who had died was trying to communicate with the boy.

Cristiane felt deeply that she should not do this. But the young mother needed to help her son in some way. Then she remembered two uncles who, in her childhood, used to read the Bible and shared insights about the book at family gatherings. It was a good memory which brought her peace, so she decided to start doing her own Bible studies.

“I was doing a lot of research on the internet, looking for videos and preaching,” Cristiane recalls. “And then I would check the Bible to see what I heard was true.”

Daily, she searched the internet for "how to be a good Christian mother,” and every night she studied the Bible with her two children.

Change

A month later, Mateus was healed--there were no more crises during the night. This motivated Cristiane to continue studying Scripture with more emphasis. Time passed and she had already read the Bible completely through three times. Sharing her knowledge and discoveries with her children and husband became routine, but Alan was reluctant. He did not care about his wife's interest, and showed none of his own. That was when Cristiane started praying for her spouse. She wanted him to also feel the need to learn more about Christ.

Alan saw the Bible as an oracle. He opened it every day to any page and said that whatever he read was God speaking to him. Cristiane did not agree, because she believed that the Bible was a book that needed to be studied. For months, when Alan opened the Bible, the book of Job always appeared. Because it was “coincidence,” curiosity won and he finally decided to read more. He was not content to read only the book of Job, however, and began to study other biblical books in detail, as well.

The family became closer and Cristiane felt the need to find a church to attend. They visited some, but always found something that didn't match the Bible, so they continued on to the next one.

Meeting at the bus station

One day, at the bus station on a business trip to Santa Catarina, Alan met a man named Ademar. On the bus, they began talking about the Bible, and Alan was amazed at Ademar’s knowledge.

“We still wonder today whether he was really a person or an angel,” Cristiane says. “He knew a lot about the Bible in great detail. Alan came home really touched, talking about the Sabbath and the return of Jesus.”

Ademar suggested to Alan that their family watch Novo Tempo TV and also suggested some specific study guides for them. When Alan returned home from his trip, he was eager to get to know the Adventist Church--the church Ademar attended. Cristiane supported her husband and started looking for an Adventist church closer to their home.

After much searching, Cristiane found an Adventist church's Facebook page, and the family first went to a Sunday night service. The reception of the members made all the difference and the family left with many positive expectations.

Cristiane recalls, “When we left the church, Mateus smiled and said he liked it. Isaac, who tends to be more emotional, said: 'Mother, I loved it, I managed to pray; in the other churches we went to, I never did!' My husband already advised that we had to return next Saturday. We walked back to the house and in those 15 minutes of walking, with the words of my family, God told my heart that we had found his church.”

The following Saturday morning, the Xavier family returned to the Vila da Quinta Adventist Church, which is part of the Praia do Cassino district, and continued to attend services for more than three months. One day, Pastor Valdir Brandt, responsible for the congregation, made an appeal to the family, and on June 17, 2017, the four were baptized.

“It was a very special moment,” comments Brandt. “Our pastoral family felt great joy at having participated in this conversion and in the baptism of that family. They are very dear people, very dedicated people in the work of God. The boys are very involved. It is a family that is truly a gift from God.”

Currently, the family remains involved in various areas of the church. Cristiane is the director of Youth Ministry, a teacher at the Sabbath School, a chaplain at the Clube de Desbravadores, and helps in Women’s Ministry. Alan is an elder, serves in the treasury and stewardship departments, and is a teacher at Sabbath School in an adult class. Mateus is the leader of sound design and aids in communication and with the Pathfinder Club. Isaac is a deacon, secretary of the youth Sabbath School, participates in Reception Ministry, and helps in the Adventurers Club.

“Kneeling, praying, changing concepts, changing thoughts, attitudes, these are all transformations that Jesus promoted in our lives,” Alan concludes. “We are very happy to have had this time of mercy and forgiveness from God so that we could change our way of life.”

1 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-terrors/symptoms-causes/syc-20353524

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site