Nevada-Utah has run youth canvassing programs (door-to-door book-selling) for the last several summers. As a result of the past two summer programs, the following six young people decided to give their lives to God in full-time service. Here, they share some canvassing experiences.

Seth Neria, 23, Reno, Nev.

Canvassing is no ordinary summer camp or job. It has challenged me to overcome fears that I never knew I had. Many people think the challenge is to muster enough confidence to knock on that first door and talk to a stranger, but it is the spiritual challenge that lingers throughout the days and weeks.

By the end of a 10-week program, most people have lifted up thousands of prayers, realized their own self-centeredness, and concluded that they have less of Jesus than they ever imagined. Some come out with a whole new view on life, especially concerning their future.

When I went into the work, I was planning to go to Walla Walla College to study engineering. When I finished, I realized I wanted to do ministry as a life work. It is a work that challenges the physical, mental and moral powers. Growth in these areas is unavoidable; you either grow or choose to quit the program. I thank God for directing me into a canvassing program. I will never be the same.

Amy Gerber, 18, San Bruno, Calif.

As my eyes were opened, I realized how much I misunderstood God and committed myself to understanding Him more. I found that God takes you from your state of nothingness, and if you are willing to work with Him, He makes you into everything that He has always wanted you to be. It has helped me see that He has called me to work for Him, which has given me purpose. And I have decided to dedicate myself to His work until He comes again.

Sarah Hopper, 19, Delta Junction, Alaska

For three consecutive years, not just summers, I have been canvassing. I keep doing it because working for God is something that becomes a passion when you see the message being accepted. I have probably talked to at least 20,000 people, and when I think of how many of them will be in heaven, it gives me the desire to do it more.

Some may think this work is old-fashioned, but what makes this ministry different and more effective than other ministries is that every person gets an opportunity to learn about Jesus through the books we carry, or if they allow me, I share with them personally. Many people will never go to church, listen to Christian radio or attend a spiritual seminar, but they will buy a spiritual book if someone will take the time to knock on their door and give them an opportunity to.

Jesus cannot come until every person has heard about Him, and since I want Jesus to come, I’m thankful for a ministry that allows me a chance to reach more than 100 people a day.

Sachi Kleiman, 18, Redding, Calif.

The best part of canvassing to me is being able to know that I touched someone’s life in a way that I would have never been able to. For example, you wouldn’t have a conversation in a grocery store the way that you do through having books as an opening wedge to share the gospel with them.

Heidi Bryant, 17, Wichita, Kansas

In Utah this summer, I ran into many LDS [Latter-day Saints] people. One such experience left me changed for life. I canvassed Jeff for close to a half an hour, not getting anywhere with selling him a book, but I did walk away with a more thorough knowledge of LDS beliefs.

The very next day, I needed every piece of that information to relate with a man at a door. We had a deep theological discussion about LDS beliefs in relation to The Great Controversy. Tension rose between us. I could feel the war between Christ and Satan as he handed the book back. I struggled with what to say until God impressed me to challenge him to accept the book as words of truth. With that, he miraculously bought the book.

God had not only given me the knowledge beforehand, but the words to say in the right time. This experience helped me grasp that, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this world” (Ephesians 6:12).

Jared McNiel, 20, Tulsa, Okla.

God led me into the canvassing work primarily to refine my character. He led me here so that I could behold the great controversy, the war between good and evil, in the lives of the people I have met at doors. In seeing this, I’ve learned that there is a battle raging over my own soul, and has driven me to have a deeper, more intimate, and personal walk with Christ.

Canvassing has taken me from a veracious downward spiral into the world, shown me my own wretchedness, and pointed me upward to Christ. Although hard sometimes, canvassing is the most blessed work, and the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

It is not everyday that you get to see people, a Satanist in one case, accept a book about Christ, or see people break down and cry in front of you, and then you get share the gospel with them. If you feel that your life is worthless, that you have no purpose, that Christianity makes no sense, or that your walk with Jesus is not as it should be, try canvassing. God will use it to open your eyes. He will completely and utterly change you, inside and out.

Having a canvassing program has been valuable to Adventist youth, providing them with an opportunity to gain a deeper and richer Christian experience, while putting thousands of truth-filled books into homes around the community. For every 10 dollars the program has, youth canvassers disperse 15 message-filled books.

For more information, contact Nevada Utah Literature Ministries, P.O. Box 10730, Reno, NV 89510.