“And He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men'" (Matt. 4:19).
David started attending Dillingham Adventist Church about two years ago, coming from the Moravian Church. With each Sabbath, he realized the Adventist Church was the church with the end-time message. It was a challenge as many of his family are leaders in the Moravian Church, and he had many friends in the Moravian Church who at first didn’t understand how he could change his beliefs.
Though not baptized, David accepted Adventist beliefs but struggled with keeping the Sabbath. He is a commercial fisherman, which means he works when the fish are “running,” including on the Sabbath. Last summer, David decided to not fish on the Sabbath.
The first Friday before sunset, David and his daughter took the nets in and headed to shore. His fellow fishermen thought he was crazy. They asked him how he could quit at a time when the fish were in peak numbers, but David stood firm. He prayed that God would provide for his family as they honored the Sabbath.
Throughout the summer, as David and his family attended church on Sabbath, his fellow fishermen experienced rough seas and slow catches on those days. They told David that Saturdays were slow days and they didn’t catch much. All that changed as Sunday came around and fishing picked up again and the seas calmed.
As the fishing season gears up this summer, David will be honoring God each Sabbath as he witnesses to other fishermen that he serves the master Fisherman: Jesus.
Reprinted from AMA 2022 Annual Report from Alaska Conference
North Pacific Union ministerial department, Native Ministries Northwest, actively serves 23 churches with a combined membership of more than 1,500 Native believers. Its reach extends from the California border up the west coast of Canada to Barrow, Alaska.
