Morning worship can be life-changing and far-reaching. Just ask Noemi Roman, the seventh and eighth grade teacher at VHM Adventist Elementary in Santa Cruz.

“I have an interesting class. Five of the 15 are Adventists,” she explains.

Her students loved reading through Messiah, a contemporary adaption of Desire of Ages, last year. Now, reading Christ’s Object Lessons each morning, Roman could see her students growing spiritually as they were digging deeper into God’s Word.

So when fellow teacher Ken Shoeben suggested her seventh- and eighth-graders preach a two-week evangelistic series for their parents and community, Roman was interested.

“Anything that helps them grow spiritually, I want to do,” Roman says. “I tell the kids I’m happy you are getting an education and you are planning on going to college. But ultimately, I want to see you in heaven.”

The students took on the challenge. Each student selected his or her own topic. They memorized sermons and created PowerPoint presentations in preparation for the Feb. 15 opening night. The students also advertized, inviting their parents, relatives and friends. They also passed out flyers in the neighborhood.

“I was scared that there was going to be a lot of people," eighth-grader Kirsten Dunn says. "But when I got there, it didn’t really matter cause I was speaking for God!” Now a passionate recruiter for sharing God’s Word, she enthusiastically explains, “It wasn’t hard. All I had to do was read and press a button. I mean seriously, how hard can that be!”

Ashley Pervorse appreciated the encouragement she received from others. “People told me how brave I was, and that gave me a lot of courage,” she says. “I was able to tell others why God loves us and what He did for us. And I learned a lot of stuff I didn’t know, and it's pretty cool.”

“I love to see my students on fire and willing to spread the gospel,” Roman says. “If they can do it, anyone can be evangelists. They are showing us [adults] we can do anything,” Roman says.

Her students agree. “This made me look at things differently. I recommend this because it's a powerful experience,” says Sammuel Shepard.

“I realized speaking to people about God is a lot easier than I thought it would be,” explains Kyler Potter.

This experience has opened up a whole new world for Taylore Lobo. “It helped me see that younger kids can speak about the gospel. I always thought only adults could preach.”

The parents are thrilled. “Puts chills down my body,” Roman says. “They tell me, ‘We love it! We want our children to learn about God.’ Every day I see the changes in my students. People don’t realize how important Adventist education is!”