When Heidi left Australia for a year of volunteer teaching in the Ogikubo Adventist English School in Japan, she thought it would be a great experience. She didn't know it would be priceless! Asuka came to her Bible class in Ogikubo and announced that she was going to spend a year in Australia and wanted to learn about Christianity to better understand the culture there. By the time Asuka left for Australia, she was attending every possible Bible class and also Sabbath School and church services. When they parted, Heidi thought that was the end of the story. But when Heidi returned home to Australia a year later, she found Asuka had become a part of the Adventist community and was taking more Bible studies from the local pastor. The day before Asuka was to return to Japan, a Sabbath, Heidi got to witness her friend publicly declare her love for God and her baptism. Says Heidi, "so many times God brings people across our paths and after a brief encounter, He takes them elsewhere and we never know what happens in their lives..." This time, Heidi not only saw the beginning, but also the happy ending--and the new beginning!
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