Aspiring Artist’s Gift

By Sachiko Obara

My 14-year-old son, Eichiro, had a special plan for his summer vacation in Japan. He loved to draw, and he decided to save money to purchase a professional tablet and software that he could use to create his art.

Eichiro did careful preliminary online research to find out which tablet would be the best for him, and he even went to the store with his father to see it in person. At the same time, he eagerly looked for ways to earn money, even asking me to pay him for doing simple household chores.

Image © Pacific Press

After some time, he saved up 55,000 Japanese yen (U.S.$500), and he ordered the tablet online. “It will arrive soon!” he excitedly told me. Every three hours, he went online to check the delivery status.

A few days later, the package arrived. Eichiro carefully opened it, checked the tablet’s functions, and began to paint. For the next three days, he was like a professional artist holed up in a studio. Then he emerged from his room and made an astonishing announcement. “I’m thinking about giving the tablet away,” he said. He had seen a video, produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan, about a project to create a comic-book version of Ellen G. White’s The Great Controversy. In the video, he had seen a young Adventist artist starting to work on the project with an old tablet.

“If I could get her to use my tablet, I think it would help her to get more work done,” Eichiro said. “I’m asking God whether this is His will.”

At his insistence, I contacted the person in charge of the project and was put in touch with the young artist. It turned out that she needed a tablet just like Eichiro’s. But when she heard that Eichiro had worked so hard for it, she hesitated. So, I told her that Eichiro had made the decision with much prayer. “I’ll accept the tablet gratefully,” she said.

I believe that the Holy Spirit touched my son’s heart in a powerful way. Before buying the tablet, his only thoughts were about how to earn more money. But as the Holy Spirit worked, his focus shifted from self to God and His mission work. I’m very happy that my son heard God’s calling and was able to contribute to His work. Let’s all seek to obey God just as honestly when He calls us to fulfill the mission of proclaiming Jesus’ soon coming to the world.

This mission story illustrates the following components of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: Spiritual Growth Objective No. 6, “To increase accession, retention, reclamation, and participation of children, youth, and young adults,” and Spiritual Growth Objective No. 7, “To help youth and young adults place God first and exemplify a biblical worldview.” Read more: IWillGo2020[dot]org.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Further Thought:

 The heavenly record book of remembrance also notes the financial faithfulness of God’s family members. “The recording angel makes a faithful record of every offering dedicated to God and put into the treasury, and also of the final result of the means thus bestowed.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

The eye of God takes cognizance of every farthing devoted to His cause, and of the willingness or reluctance of the giver. The motive in giving is also chronicled. Those self-sacrificing, consecrated ones who render back to God the things that are His, as He requires of them, will be rewarded according to their works. Even though the means thus consecrated be misapplied, so that it does not accomplish the object which the donor had in view, — the glory of God and the salvation of souls, — those who made the sacrifice in sincerity of soul, with an eye single to the glory of God, will not lose their reward.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 518.

“God desires people to pray and to plan for the advancement of his work. But, like Cornelius, we are to unite praying with giving. Our prayers and our alms are to come up before God as a memorial. Faith without works is dead; and without a living faith it is impossible to please God. While we pray, we are to give all we possibly can, both of our labor and our means, for the fulfillment of our prayers. If we act out our faith, we shall not be forgotten by God. He marks every deed of love and self-denial. He will open ways whereby we may show our faith by our works.” — Ellen G. White, Atlantic Union Gleaner, June 17, 1903.

Discussion Questions:

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