Unexpected Sabbath Rest : Adult Mission Story for August 2, 2025

By Andrew McChesney

When Tracy enrolled at the Seventh-day Adventist university in Zimbabwe, she planned to spend her Saturdays studying or relaxing.

Tracy didn’t know much about Adventists. She was just excited to be at Solusi University and to be away from home for the first time in her life. Looking at the four years of studies ahead, she told herself that she might — just might — go to the university church one time before she graduated.

Tracy moved into her dormitory on a Friday afternoon.

That evening, her new roommate invited her to go to church for sundown vespers.

Tracy hadn’t started classes yet, so she didn’t have any homework to do.

“That’s fine,” she said. “I’ll go and see what happens.”

At 6 p.m., the two young women went to vespers at the university church.

It was a new experience for Tracy. The songs were new. No one danced or clapped their hands like in her family’s church. The worship experience wasn’t bad; it was just different.

On Saturday morning, when Tracy woke up, her roommate said that they should go to church again.

The two walked together to the university church.

Tracy enjoyed the music and the sermon. Everyone seemed to be welcoming and happy. She didn’t feel new or out of place. She felt like part of the group already.

That evening, her roommate said they should go to church again, this time for another sundown vespers.

Tracy went with a smile, remembering that she had planned to go to the church only once — maybe — in her four years at Solusi University. Now she was going for the third time in two days.

Classes started the following week, and Tracy dived into her accounting studies.

She made new friends.

She enjoyed the food served in the large dining hall, which was expanded with the help of a 2015 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering.

When the next Friday evening arrived, she found herself back at church instead of doing homework or relaxing in her dorm room.

As the weeks passed, Tracy changed her mind about her Saturday plans. She had thought that she would need to study or relax in her room on Saturdays. But she didn’t need special time to relax on Saturdays because everyone was resting. She also liked going to church. As for her homework, she wasn’t worried about her grades in the least. University classes ran from Monday to Thursday, so she had plenty of time to do her homework on Fridays and Sundays without needing to set aside extra time on Saturdays.

Then the university had a week of spiritual emphasis. A pastor came to speak from Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. When he made an appeal, Tracy gave her heart to Jesus and later was baptized.

The Bible became Tracy’s favorite textbook, and she loved to study it and to share it with others. She remembered friends who had gone to other universities in Zimbabwe. Before arriving at Solusi, she had asked them for advice about studying at a university. They had told her that they needed to study or relax on Saturdays and Sundays so they rarely went to church. As a result, Tracy had arrived at Solusi thinking that she would need to study or relax on Saturdays and Sundays and wouldn’t have time for church. But now she realized that church was an essential part of her university experience.

Tracy began telling her friends about her experience. “You need to go to church,” she said. “God will take care of your studies and make sure that you have sufficient rest.”

Her friends were astonished and promised to try to go to church more often.

Tracy now plans to invite them to visit the Adventist church.

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