25 February 2025| St. Albans, UK [Mark Finley with tedNEWS]
During the Dublin City of Hope series—a three-year Irish Mission initiative (2013-2015) aimed at connecting with the people of Dublin—many lives were transformed, and the church grew both deep and wide. Among the stories from that time is one of a remarkable journey to faith. Mark Finley, the lead evangelist for the series, shared the story of a “Bus Ride with Destiny,” recounting how Giorgia Maghelli came to faith. Ten years later, tedNEWS retells this story, including a video update from the autumn 2024 Annual Council of the General Conference, where Maghelli was invited to share her story, with an update of her ‘after Dublin’ experience.
When Giorgia Maghelli studied at St. Andrews University, Scotland, for a degree in religious art, she dismissed religion. She said, “Religion is not for me, as it’s filled with myths and fables.” At the end of her class in art history, she went to her major professor who asked, “What did you most get out of this class?” In response she said, “What I most got out of this class is that to believe in God is quite foolish, you have to be quite ignorant, as Christianity and religion is a fable foisted on the masses to control people. It’s really about a power struggle.”
The professor responded, “That’s exactly what we intended to have you come out of the class with, that was our intent, because you can’t have any confidence in the teachings of Christianity.” As she left that discussion, a light dawned in her mind: “Why would you have to try to destroy something like faith and religion if it were unreal, and does not make intellectual sense? Surely you would just totally ignore it?”
A Holy Spirit Prompt?
The professor’s comment was the seed God put into her mind.
She returned to Italy, where she was living, and began exploring spirituality and the New Age movement. Her mother had been listening to an Adventist sermon on the internet and recommended it to her daughter. Knowing it was an Adventist preacher, it kind of lodged in this young woman’s head. It made some sense but didn’t impress her and didn’t change her life.
Returning one weekend to Edinburgh for a wedding due to take place on Saturday afternoon, she decided to do some shopping in the morning. To get to the shopping centre, she got on a bus. She got on the wrong bus (the wrong bus for her—but the right bus for God). The fellow sitting next to her had a Bible in his hand. He was an African young adult going to a Scottish church; she was Irish. They got talking and she enquired as to where he was going. “I’m going to the Seventh-day Adventist church,” he replied.
Bingo!
“God is Love”
She remembered that internet sermon, and said to the young man, “I’m going with you, and I’ve got to explore this thing called religion. What’s that book you’ve got in your hand?”
“Patriarchs and Prophets. You can have the book,” he replied.
She took that book in her hand and read the first paragraph. “God is love.” It described God’s created world, the origin of evil, and the magnificence of creation. “I don’t know who this woman Ellen White is, but she must have been inspired; her writing blows me away,” she said.
As she read that first paragraph, she was moved to tears—secular, postmodern, godless, but longing in her heart to know Christ, longing to be filled spiritually. She was searching for something, even though she did not know what she was searching for, because postmodern men and women have a hole in their hearts. As Augustine said, “Lord, our hearts will never find rest until they find rest in you!”
Giorgia found that trying to fill up an empty self with self is foolish because you never fill self with self; you only fill self with God. After she read the chapter of Patriarchs and Prophets, her heart was touched. She began seeking.
Dublin 2014
I was teaching Sabbath School in the Dublin Ranelagh church when Giorgia and her mother Mary walked into the Sabbath School class, and began to attend our meetings. Both have since been baptised! I thank God for my African brother in Edinburgh who gave his Irish sister a book.
I thank God for British and Irish men and women who are giving our literature to their friends, neighbours and working associates, because it makes all the difference in the world.
Featured image: Courtesy of Adventist News Network
Photos: Shutterstock
