Inside Story: ‘Crying Happy Tears’ – European Division
‘Crying Happy Tears’
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission
Larissa Madeline Van Bommel, a university student from Canada, was having a bad day in Germany. First, she got lost. Wandering around for a while, she entered an empty church outside Frankfurt. She had struggled with her faith since her mother had died, and she hadn’t prayed or visited a church in two years.
Hope Center
“I decided to take a seat and ended up praying and pouring my heart out and crying and crying”, she said. “I asked God for a sign that He is actually out there”.
Drying her tears, Larissa managed to find the train station — but then got confused and accidentally disembarked from the train in Bensheim instead of Bensheim-Auerbach. The next train wouldn’t come for some time that evening.
Tired and thirsty, Larissa hunted for water to drink. No vending machines were in sight, and all the shops seemed to be closed.
Some distance from the train station, Larissa spotted a bottle of water and several cups on a table outside a building. Desperately thirsty, she peered into the building’s window, saw young people eating around a kitchen table, and boldly walked in the front door. “May I buy a glass of water?” she asked.
The people promptly invited Larissa to join them for the meal.
Larissa had stumbled across a Seventh-day Adventist community center called HopeCenter, a place where people attend educational and religious seminars, participate in healthy cooking classes, or simply relax on a comfortable sofa and enjoy free WiFi. HopeCenters are the brainchild of Stimme der Hoffung (Voice of Hope), the German affiliate of the Adventist Church’s Hope Channel, and the first two centers opened in Germany in 2017. Plans are in the works to open at least 14 more HopeCenters.
After sitting down to eat, Larissa noticed a “HopeCenter” sign in the window and asked about it. Her new acquaintances explained that they were Christians and that their Adventist church had opened the HopeCenter as a place to mingle and make friends. Abruptly, Larissa remembered her prayer for God to prove His existence. “I immediately started crying and told them how just a couple hours ago I had begged God for a sign, and I knew this was it”, Larissa said.
The astonished Adventists praised God.
“You will never know how much your kindness touched me”, Larissa, now a student in the Netherlands, wrote in a post on HopeCenter’s Facebook page. “God bless you, and may many others be blessed by your kindness”.
She added: “The HopeCenter is an incredibly beautiful idea and should be spread throughout Germany, as well as Canada, and the rest of the world. Thanks to you, I’m crying happy tears now”.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
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What a fellowship, what a joy divine leaning on the everlasting arms.
What a beautiful story about an answered prayer.
Does God still answer prayers for his people in 2020? Does God still works on behalf of his people? Does God still speaks to his people in 2020, or speaking to his people is something of the past? Does God still understands and is interesting in our day to day duties I.e no money for food, to pay mortgage, rent, being free from diseases, chronic disease, loosing our jobs, unemployment, divorce, etc, etc.
Song writer says CH # 181. Does Jesus cares when my heart is pained, Too deeply for mirth and song; As the burdens press, and the cares distress, And the way grows weary and long? What is our answer?
We are in uncertain times.
Let’s say in the 19th or 20th centuries. Does God still speaking to his people?
Rev 12:11 talks about how Christians overcame and will overcome and love not their lives unto the death.
When we look at our beloved John, he was the last of the disciples to die. I say to people no one will die unless the Lord sees it fit to withdraw their guardian angel. No one should put ourselves in harms way to prove God, but we should do everything we can to protect ourselves from harm. Then if something happens we know we have prayed, put ourselves before God and waited for guidance or we were doing the mundane things in according to his words.
How can we as Christians give our testimonies to others so we can build each other’s faith in Jesus in these uncertain times.
It had been for sometime (years) that the Lord had opened some doors for me and my families. Something similar to Joseph. I didn’t knew why but I kept asking the Lord why? why? Sometimes people says when they pray God gave them everything they needed, this was true for me. Now I am seeing why. When the Lord speaks to me, or led me in a certain path I tried my best to obey although many times I didn’t like it but I trusted him.
Does Jesus care when I’ve said goodbye To the dearest on earth to me, And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks. Is it aught to Him? Does he see?
Do we truly believe he sees, hears and feels.
Thanks, Lyn.
You have touched a heart today. May God bless you.