We Are Thankful: Adult Mission Story for August 9, 2025

By Andrew McChesney

Siyabonga means “we are thankful” in Siyabonga’s native language of Siswati. Siyabonga has much to be thankful for — particularly the fact that his mom summoned him for a chat at 8 o’clock one night.

Mom had just returned from work as a manager at a financial company in Eswatini (a country also known as Swaziland) in southern Africa.

“Come to my bedroom,” Mom said. “I want to talk to you about something.”

Siyabonga wondered what she wanted. He went to her bedroom.

“I have found a place, and I think it is the right place for you,” Mom said.

Then Siyabonga understood what Mom wanted to talk about. He was looking for a place to study.

Mom said she had asked a friend at work for advice on a university. The friend had recommended Solusi University in Zimbabwe, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) away.

Siyabonga was willing to go. He told Mom, “Let’s try it out and see.”

On his first weekend at Solusi, he was surprised to see that people went to church on Saturday. “Why do you go to church on Saturday?” he asked.

“This is how Adventists do things,” said one student.

“Adventists go to church on Saturdays,” said another. “They don’t go on Sundays.”

Siyabonga wasn’t used to going to church on any day of the week. But he went.

As the days passed, he had another surprise. Prayer seemed to permeate the campus. Teachers prayed before classes. Students gathered every day of the week for prayer-filled worship services. He saw that students also prayed before meals in the large university dining hall, which was expanded with the help of a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in 2015. People seemed to pray before doing everything.

This was not how things were done where Siyabonga lived. He had never experienced anything like this before. But he liked it. He felt motivated. He felt empowered. He felt closer to God.

Then Siyabonga began to feel bad about the bad things that he had done in his life. He felt guilt. He felt sorrow. He humbled himself before God and asked for forgiveness.

Siyabonga had thought about baptism before coming to Solusi, but he had put it off, worried that he might be making a wrong decision. As he repented of his sins and put his faith in Jesus, he longed to give his heart to Jesus in baptism.

He called Mom to tell her about his desire.

She was delighted.

“Go for it!” she said. “It’s the right decision.”

Dad said the same thing.

His parents didn’t mind that he worshiped on a different day.

“We’re worshiping the same God,” Dad said.

The water was cold when Siyabonga stepped into the baptismal tank at the Solusi university church. But he forgot about the chill when the pastor dipped him under the water. He sensed that God had forgiven him and that he was a new person.

It was only two months since he had arrived at the university.

Today, Siyabonga is studying English and communication. He hopes to work in marketing or journalism one day. He loves to pray and read the Bible.

Siyabonga means “we are thankful” in his native language of Siswati, and he truly is thankful. He is thankful that his mom advised him to study at Solusi University.

“Going to church frequently changed me,” he said. “It brought me closer to God. Solusi is a good place to get closer to God.”

Part of a 2015 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering helped expand the dining hall at Solusi University, allowing it to serve students like Siyabonga better. Just as the blessing of that offering is still being felt at the university today, your contribution to this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath projects can also have a long-lasting impact on Zimbabwe and beyond with God’s blessing. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 27.