A Fireplace, a Dream, and a Special Gift

By Dan Serb

When I was a child, I lived in a small village called Cincşor in what was known as Transylvania, or Romania. Life there was not always easy. Sometimes there wasn’t much to go around, and very often the electricity would suddenly go out. But those dark nights became some of my favorite memories.

When the lights went off, my family would gather around the fireplace. The fire crackled and glowed, lighting up the room. That’s when my grandfather would begin to tell stories.

To me, my grandfather was a hero of faith. He told us stories from the Bible and stories about missionaries—brave people who traveled to faraway places to tell others about God. My cousins and I listened closely, wrapped in the warmth of the fire and his faith.

When it was time for bed, my imagination took off. I dreamed about Africa, with wide deserts and amazing animals. I dreamed about deep jungles and people who had never heard about Jesus. I wondered, Could God ever use someone like me?

Before my grandfather died, he gave me something very special. It was a bundle of old Signs of the Times magazines from long ago—before my parents were even born!

These magazines had survived a house fire many years earlier. Some of the pages were yellow and fragile, and the edges were dark and burned. But the stories inside were still alive. They were filled with pictures of faraway places and stories about people who trusted God and followed Him wherever He led.

I read those magazines again and again. They helped me see that faith is strong—even stronger than fire—and that God’s stories can keep going, no matter what. That bundle of magazines wasn’t just something to read. It was a gift of faith, passed from my grandfather to me.

Many years later, when I was grown up and studying to be a pastor, my friend Sebastian and I heard about a place called Namibia, in Africa. The church was asking for volunteers to help a group of people called the San, who lived in the desert. We didn’t know much about the desert. We didn’t know how hot it would be or how hard life there could be. But we felt God calling us. We said “yes.”

When we arrived, everything felt confusing. We didn’t speak the language, and the people didn’t know us. At first they were afraid and kept their distance. Sebastian and I felt discouraged and prayed, “God, please help us.”

Then one day a young man named Erastus knocked on our door. He spoke English and knew the local languages, too. God had
sent the right helper at just the right time.

Slowly things began to change. We learned that in the desert, people don’t rush. One Bible study we planned for noon didn’t start until much later in the day! At first I was frustrated, but then I learned something important: people matter more than clocks. By the end of six weeks God did something amazing. Thirty-two people chose to follow Jesus. It wasn’t because we were perfect—it was because God was working in their hearts.

God continued to lead us to many places around the world. Everywhere we went we saw the same truth: God’s love reaches everywhere. When I look back, I see how God was guiding me all along—from listening to stories by a fireplace, to reading magazines that survived a fire, to sharing God’s love in faraway places.

My grandfather didn’t give me money or land. He gave me something better. He gave me faith—and the reminder that God can use anyone who is willing to listen and say “yes.” Maybe one day God will use your story, too.

Adapted for young readers from a story by Dan Serb in the February 2026 issue of Adventist Review.