Security Guard Impacted by Soquel Camp Meeting
Pastor Oleg Lotca and the prayer team had the chance to invite camp meeting attendees across Soquel’s campground to pray three times during the day using a shofar. One day during the week, one of the security guards who helped attend the front gate of the camp approached Lotca and said, “I need to tell you this. Every time you blow the shofar, I feel closer to God than I have ever felt before. It does something to my heart, and I feel God’s presence.”
Another day, when up on the hill preparing to sound the shofar, Lotca was again approached by the same security guard. The man began sharing about his past religious experience. He told how, as a trained Catholic priest, he had studied philosophy and theology for 17 years. He spent time in monasteries and visited the Vatican.
Their lengthy conversation then turned to his observation of Seventh-day Adventists. “Here, I have seen a totally different view of Adventists than what I have heard. I see people who are sincerely looking for a closer connection to God,” he said.
Lotca invited the man to attend a sermon on Friday after completing his shift. The man accepted , and the two were able to sit together as they listened to Gary Blanchard’s presentation. The man now has a copy of The Great Controversy and has subscribed to Hope Through Prophecy on YouTube.
“It was a powerful experience,” Lotca shares. “We see how camp meetings can be a blessing in many ways to many different people. It was definitely a blessing to me.”
Lotca also shares that the daily 6am prayer time with Jerry Page and Gem Castor was a blessing. Between 40-65 participants attended the early morning prayer time and shared that it was the highlight of their camp meeting experience.
An Unusual Prayer Leads to Bible Studies and Baptisms
Bible studies happen by inviting people to your church, by reaching out with literature evangelism, and by community involvement. But sometimes God brings us together with people in ways that surprise us and show His leading and directing in our lives.
Antonio Huerta, vice president of Ministries for the Central California Conference, prayed with his wife one night in January 2024 and asked God for something unusual. He asked God to give them something exciting to do. “I kind of giggled, and he said, ‘I guess we're bored,’ and so we ended our prayer,” said Leticia Huerta, Antonio’s wife.
The next day, Sunday, they were relaxing. It was cold outside, so they decided to take a drive. They drove through downtown Fresno, looking to see if there was any festival happening that might be interesting. There was nothing happening, so they stopped to decide what to do.
“Looking to the side of the road I saw a girl sitting on a bench. She was trying to cover herself,” said Leticia. The woman was sitting next to the train station reading a book and trying to escape the cold. Leticia told Antonio, “You know what, Antonio, a voice is telling me that girl doesn't belong there.” Most of us see homeless people in need almost daily, but something stood out to her about this woman.
They stopped and approached the woman. They talked to her and learned that she needed warm clothes and food, so they bought food for her at a nearby store. But then she asked if they’d be willing to help all eight of them. “They're all my friends,” she explained, “and they're out there asking people to help out.” It turned out that the group had recently arrived from Venezuela to escape the ongoing conflict in the country. They were dropped off in Fresno and were still trying to find food and warmth.
“We all have a lot of stuff — shirts, blankets, luggage. We loaded the trunk of our car and headed back to the train station,” said Antonio. “And there they were, seven young men and this one young lady. We brought the food out, gave it to them, and as we handed it over to them they said, ‘Thank you, thank you!’ And then they said, ‘The nights are very cold. Can you help us out?’”
The Huertas contacted some of their friends from the nearby churches and explained the situation. This led to Maria, a member of the Fresno Hispanic Church, reaching out to Antonio and volunteering to host all eight of them at her house. She said, “Pastor, I know what you’re looking for. I can help those people out. Send them over to my house.”
Six months later, Maria is still hosting them at her home. But not only has this group been blessed with the gift of lodging, food, and clothing, they have been blessed in other incredible ways as well. They have been assisted with their immigration paperwork, with getting much-needed medical treatment, and with finding employment.
“Also, my wife and I committed ourselves to giving Bible studies to this group twice a week,” said Antonio. “And three months ago, six of them gave their lives to Jesus Christ through baptism! Not only that, but I'm happy to report that they have become witnesses for God. They're inviting friends and coworkers to this Bible study group. Sometimes we get more than 20 young people studying the Bible. Four of their friends have already expressed their desire to get baptized.”
Jose expressed his gratitude for the help the church family has given to his group. “I’m very happy to be part of this family, and we praise God because He led us. I am happy and I praise God!”
Another member of the group added, “We’re happy to be part of this family and we praise God because we study the Bible with Pastor Huerta. We know He is the way, the truth, and the life.”
Antonio said his prayer is that God will guide us to win souls in our communities. “May God empower each one of us to share God's love, to share God's compassion, and to win many souls for His kingdom. We praise the Lord for that. When you ask God for something exciting to happen, believe me He'll give it to you!”
Giving to God’s Bank in Heaven
God calls us to give. This means different things to different people, but tithing is one central piece of it. When you give your tithe to the church, it helps many people in your own conference — supporting their churches, schools, community outreach, and more. It also comes back to your local church. But what if you are inspired to give more than just your tithe? What if you are inspired to support the people around you by paying for their schooling?
For many, this sounds like an unrealistic idea. But the people who are most generous are often not the people who have too much money and don’t know what to do with it. They are the normal people who attend your church, and you never know they are giving so faithfully.
Lorrain Viehmann, member of the Watsonville Adventist Church, has seen the power of giving since she started tithing during her first jobs at 10 years old. She began babysitting while also helping her dad on his cotton farm, and she paid tithe on everything she earned. “The reason I love to give is because I like to help, and that is something my parents strongly instilled in me. Look for others who need help,” she says. “I remember as a child going with my dad. He would take the old pickup into the bakery and get all of the day-old bread and go to the farmers and get produce. This was back in the ‘50s and ‘60s.” They would then take this food to the local labor camps, where people stayed in shacks on the edge of town.
“My dad would get on the back of the pickup and he had me get up there, and we would tell the people, ‘There's free food. Come and get it.’ And these people would come out of their little shacks — nothing but two by four boards, just a place to lay down instead of being on the hard ground.”
Viehmann would help her family pick cotton, and she received 3 cents per pound. “My mother made a sack for me that I could put over my shoulder, and when I had that full I’d haul it up to the wagon and weigh it and dump it. When I got paid by my dad, he’d lay out the money and say, ‘This is how much you have. How much are you to give?’ I was taught at a very early age to pay tithe.”
At 35 years old, though, she came to a point where she wasn’t certain what she believed. “In my mind I was wondering, Is this really where I want to be in life? Do I believe this? I was baptized at 11, but I didn’t know for sure. And that went on for a few years. I never left the church. I just kept it between me and God. And God smacked me and woke me up. I would not want any other place to be.”
These experiences led her to be faithful in continuing to give, especially in supporting Christian education. She was able to help two of her grandchildren pay for their education at Monterey Bay Academy, Southern Adventist University, and Walla Walla University, investing in their future. Another grandson will be starting at MBA this year. “I strongly, deeply, believe in Christian education, That is where our children belong,” she explains.
She continues to give to the students attending Adventist schools, but at times this is difficult. Recently, she told God that there were three children she wanted to help attend Monterey Bay Academy, but she didn’t have the money. “I had been talking to God. I said, I have three kids that I know need some help to get in here next year.”
Only a week or two later, Viehmann was given an award at MBA for $3,000. “I went the next day to the principal and I said, ‘You know I don’t need anything. I’m not going to go anywhere.’ I told him, ‘These are the three kids. I want it put on their account so they can come next year.’”
Her suggestions for anyone who is considering increasing their giving — or maybe giving for the first time — are to be faithful with your giving, test God, and trust Him. “I just look at it like I'm putting my money in God's bank in heaven and hopefully one of those dollars will help give somebody a little bit of information about our maker, and they will choose to join Him.”
