12 July 2012 St. Albans, United Kingdom [Janos Kovacs-Biro, tedNEWS] During the first week of July 2012 Adventist young people assessed the needs of the inhabitants of the Polish town Podkowa Lesna. They found out where people are and what type of needs they have. After prayerful consideration and using their creativity, the Adventist youth responded to some compelling needs.
The first group, realising that in the summer heat of 35oC they would really need to get some advice related to their health, combined this approach with some health checks. This group was checking blood pressure and body fat, and gave advice to people about how to live a healthier life. One local medical doctor wanted to try the health check, and she was delighted by the professionalism offered and pointed other people in their direction.
Another group went into the local park where there was a lake. During the extreme heat there were lots of mosquitos in the park and the forest nearby. Adventist youth offered people mosquito repellent to make a more pleasant crossing of the park. Many people smiled and thanked God because of this simple, but very useful act of kindness.
The third group served in the train station. In the heat, people were in need of cool drinks and refreshments. This group of young people prepared cups of water and small slices of watermelon for the travellers. In one instance some young people decided to ride on the trains and serve the travellers and this resulted in many smiling faces. Many locals felt that at last, something really nice was happening in their town.
A fourth group based their ministry on the need of servicing bicycles. One of the group members was a cycling country champion, so he started servicing bicycles and giving useful advice to young and old, engaging in conversation with all who came to this station. During their hours of service there were people constantly coming with their bikes. Many people were so happy to find out that the nice young people were Seventh-day Adventists, who finally stepped out into the town making themselves visible and useful to all, rather than living inside the four walls of their institution.
There were times when queues developed at the service stations. While taking part in these ministries, many conversations developed, and the Adventist young people could testify naturally about who they were serving others, thus pointing to Jesus Christ and His love. Lots of conversations and interests were developed which will be followed by more acts of service, listening and then Bible studies.
These young people were studying in the Relay Youth course run by the Institute of Youth Evangelism of the Trans-European Division led by Paul Tompkins. The aims of the Relay course are to train young people in the core teachings of the Bible, Discipleship and Youth Outreach in order to be more effective in reaching out to people, and making a lasting positive impact on their community. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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