Knocking on Doors: A Rainy Day Testimony

Paper and water don’t mix well, especially for a Youth Rush canvasser who carries at least five books on their arm as they traverse from door to door.

However, just because there is a rainstorm does not mean that canvassers take a break from soul-winning. Instead of working neighborhoods, canvassers cleverly choose to work in apartment buildings, where they and their precious books are sheltered from becoming soggy.

On one such rainy day, Juan Mendez, who was canvassing in Warren, Michigan, had been placed in an apartment complex and so far, the day had been slow. “I wasn’t meeting a lot of people,” he says, and so he began “praying for opportunities to meet people and connect with them.”

A few doors later, Mendez met a young woman, and the two exchanged what he calls a “very straightforward conversation.” The woman mentioned that her mother was looking for a church in the area, so Mendez shared information about the local Adventist church. She did not have money for books, except for a small sharing book, Steps to Jesus, which Mendez left with her.

As he was turning to go, the woman blurted out, “I think this is a sign from God!” Shocked, Mendez turned back around. He had not felt that their conversation had been extraordinary.

“My mom has been telling me that God has been knocking at the door of my heart and I need to let him in,” the woman shared, “and now here you are, knocking at my literal door. Now I’m thinking that she was right and that God sent you here as a sign that I need to get right with Him again.”

“It was shocking,” Mendez recalls, “because it hadn’t seemed like I had done anything significant, yet the whole time God had been using me to convict her.”

The experience didn’t stop there. Just three doors later, Mendez found himself in a conversation with a slightly older woman who wanted Peace Above the Storm or Steps to Christ. “I just started reading my Bible again,” the woman shared, “I think God sent you to encourage me to keep reading the Bible.”

Mendez shared that he liked to read Peace Above the Storm alongside the Bible and showed the woman the numerous Scripture verses within the text of the book. “She was amazed,” Mendez says.

These two experiences, just three doors apart, completely changed Mendez’s day. “I had been having a rough day,” Mendez said. The day ended up being one of his lowest days of the summer, with only two books going out into the community, but to Mendez, the day was a success.

“It was a stark reminder,” he says, “that even when I don’t see God using me, God is still using me. Even when I don’t see it, I am still having an impact, even if they don’t tell me!” Mendez references 2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

“These two ladies,” he continues, “they heard God pleading through me, and they told me so. Many other people don’t tell me that, but it encouraged me that they still hear God pleading through me.”

This was Mendez’s third summer participating in Michigan’s Youth Rush program. He, along with 38 other young people spread across three programs, ministered to the areas surrounding Detroit and Southside, Indiana. During his time spent in Youth Rush programs, Mendez has witnessed canvassing make a tangible definite impact for the gospel. “I’ve seen people make decisions to follow Jesus. I’ve seen people’s excitement in discovering the truth—that keeps me coming back! [We are] fulfilling the Great Commission!”

Mendez, who grew up in Ann Arbor, is 19 years old and will transition to Southern Adventist University to pursue a degree in theology. After, he plans to dedicate his life to pastoral ministry because during his time in the canvassing programs, he “found a deep spiritual fulfillment in the canvassing work,” and wants to continue to dedicate his life to reaching others.

The Youth Rush canvassing program has not only impacted thousands across Michigan, but it has also impacted its participants. Some, like Mendez, find they are called into ministry. Others leave the program with a strong sense of mission and purpose to their day-to-day lives. All leave with a strong network of like-minded, mission-focused friends. “There’s a strong sense of purpose, mission, and unity in a canvassing program,” says Mendez. This sense of purpose and mission is what leads the young people to reach so souls for the kingdom.

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At the time of writing, the Youth Rush 2024 summer program had distributed just over 5,000 pieces of literature, including over 300 copies of The Great Controversy. This literature count does not include free GLOW literature, which is distributed to every person with whom the Youth Rush students come in contact. Over 197 contacts, including 97 Personal Bible Studies, have been collected by students in the field.