The Vallejo Central Seventh-day Adventist Church recently had its best turnout for Vacation Bible School in 30 years. A total of 93 children attended, 47 of whom came from outside of the church community. For this church, VBS has been a key instrument for telling children about Jesus.

Mauro Reyes, one of the church elders of Vallejo, is largely responsible for bringing many of the community children to VBS. Owner of an independent auto repair shop situated in the heart of town, Reyes has the opportunity to interact with the neighborhood children who visit his business.

“I consider my time with the kids as part of my ministry,” said Reyes. “A lot of the kids come to my shop, so I just talk with them and sometimes feed them.”

Due to Reyes’ honesty in his business dealings and soft-spoken manner, parents readily trusted him with their children. In turn, they unhesitatingly gave him permission to take their kids to VBS.

Rene Rodriguez was one of those kids. Rodriguez first came to Reyes’ shop with his dad to have the car repaired. He subsequently asked Reyes for a job and was hired as a “helper.” After establishing a relationship with Reyes, Rodriguez attended VBS in 2003 at the Vallejo Central church. Eventually, Rodriguez accepted an invitation to attend the Vallejo church. From that point forward, Rodriguez accompanied Reyes weekly and became a regular member of the juniors and Pathfinders of the Vallejo Central church.

Reyes naturally introduced Rodriguez to the Vallejo Soul Winning Action Team (VSWAT) meetings, a soul winning group formed by members of the Filipino Sabbath school class. Rodriguez attended Filipino camp meeting and the Pathfinder “Faith on Fire” camporee in Oshkosh, Wis. He joined a baptismal class and was baptized on Sept. 19.

“I just want to say that I love the Lord, Mauro [Reyes] and everyone in this church and also my parents,” said Rodriguez at his baptism. “The Lord has blessed me with a lot, and I love and owe the whole world to Him. That’s why I am committing my life to Him.”

Just a year ago, Rodriguez was a child who had never before stepped into a church. Now, Rodriguez is filled with the love of Jesus. He has already made plans to study for the ministry with Reyes as his spiritual guardian.

God continues to open doors for young Rodriguez. Recently, Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy granted him a special scholarship that will allow him to enter the eighth grade. Furthermore, his mother and younger brother have also started attending the Vallejo Central church.