Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

by Rolando de los Ríos
Spring season campaigns of Florida Conference Evangelist Rolando de los Ríos were a time of refreshing. Efforts put forth in small group ministry by the Fort Myers, Naples, and Melbourne Spanish Churches were crowned by three public reaping meetings with a harvest of 36 baptisms.
Since the beginning of the year, Idalberto Torres, pastor of Fort Myers and Naples Spanish Churches, and David Labrador, pastor of Melbourne Spanish Church, concentrated their efforts on encouraging leaders of small groups to prepare people for spring reaping meetings. The success of these endeavors was a perfect example of how God can use His people in working together for a common goal.
Pastor Torres and his wife, Amarilys, led by example in organizing a small group at their residence in Lehigh Acres. As a result, members of their group were baptized, and it is hoped that, eventually, a new church will be born in that area. In Naples, where the local congregation has no church of its own, the candidates were baptized in the Gulf shore waters.
In the same way, Pastor Labrador and the church in Melbourne enjoyed an unforgettable experience. During the harvest week when Pastor de los Ríos made the altar calls, some came forward who attended church for years without making a decision for Christ. Such was the case of José Agressott whose wife, Cecilia, and son, Joey, had been praying 30 years for his conversion. Joey, a paraplegic since birth, watched with joy as his father and sister, Patricia, descended into the waters to become part of the body of Christ.