As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, the doors of many businesses closed, from gyms, retail stores and restaurants to schools and houses of worship. This crisis, however, has widely opened what I consider to be “doors of opportunity.”
I was born and raised in New Jersey as a Seventh-day Adventist, and attended church every Sabbath. My family was involved in every church activity and religion was embedded into our lives through the Bible, home worship, church worship and prayer.
For this year’s spring evangelism series, Carlos Torres, the Personal Ministries director for the New Jersey Conference, and a team of 16 young adults, led the “Encuentros de Fe y Esperanza” (Encounters of Faith and Hope) program—a study of Jesus in the gospels and a doctrinal bridge to the Seventh-day Adventist message.
Earlier this year, Lake Nelson Adventist Academy held a spiritual retreat for the high school students, intended to revitalize them spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally.
[My brother] shouldn’t be with us today is what a doctor told me this morning, said Carmina Portillo, a member from the New Jersey Conference. “There is no reason he should be here, but he is because God defies science. He defies medicine.”
