Teresa was well known in her community in western Bulgaria as a witch. She worked magic, casting spells and removing spells. She told people’s fortunes and predicted their future. People respected her for the power she had.

Teresa
Courtesy GC Office of Adventist Mission

Teresa’s little granddaughter, Sara, came to visit. How Teresa loved her! On Sabbath Sara asked her grandmother to take her to church. Teresa was surprised, but she found the church, which met in an old cafe in town, and took Sara.

A church member saw Teresa and Sara in church and offered Sara a child’s Bible storybook. Every evening Sara asked her grandmother to read from the Bible storybook.

Sara loved to sing songs about Jesus as she played or helped her grandmother around the house. Teresa often stopped to listen. Teresa realized that this Jesus who her granddaughter loved was Someone special. She decided to return to the church to learn more.

Teresa started attending church regularly, even after Sara returned home to Italy. Teresa smoked heavily and felt powerless to quit. One day she stood during testimony time and said, If you people want me in this church, you need to pray that God will help me get rid of my tobacco habit. I can’t make it through a church without a smoke.

The church members stopped to pray for her and promised to continue praying. Later that day Teresa felt nauseated. She began vomiting. OK, God, she thought, I guess that this is Your way to get the poison out. She continued vomiting for several hours. When the nausea passed, she never felt the urge to smoke again.

As Teresa became better acquainted with God, she destroyed her witchcraft materials, her charms, and her herbs. When her former clients called to ask her to remove a curse or to curse someone, Teresa told them she no longer dealt in witchcraft. Then she offered to pray to God for them instead. Several of her clients agreed, and some called back to tell her that her prayers had been answered. A few even visited the church.

Teresa knows that she has found a greater power than witchcraft. God saved her, took away her witchcraft, and gave her the ability to read and write so she can share what she is learning with those who haven’t yet heard.

Teresa is thankful that believers around the world gave a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to help the believers in her town build a church. When it’s finished, many more people will come and learn about God’s great power and love.

Teresa shares her faith in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

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