It was quite a warm, sunny day in London—a strange thing for a city so notorious for its cool days and gloomy, overcast skies. The stack of seven books I held in my left arm seemed to get heavier by the hour, and so I decided to switch arms before moving on to the next door. Although it was only nearing 1 o’clock in the early afternoon, I could feel the heat (and slight discouragement) already beginning to dampen my enthusiasm and energy. So far I had made no sales, had received zero donations, and had heard one too many “not interested,” or had simply received no reply after knocking and ringing the bell at several doors. Nonetheless, I turned my steps towards the next door and, after whispering a quick prayer, rang the doorbell and waited. At that time, I had three special prayers which I kept repeating to the Lord in my mind. The first one was that I wanted to sell exactly two books before having to return for lunch, which was only about 30 minutes from then. The second request was that I wanted to sell a Great Controversy since up until that point, throughout the canvassing project, I had sold nearly every other book except The Great Controversy—a book that I believe every human being should read. Lastly, I was also feeling quite thirsty and knew I would appreciate a glass of cold water, yet felt shy to actually ask someone.

With those three requests present in my mind, I stood there and stared at the door in front of me. It wasn’t long till I heard footsteps approaching; my pulse quickened, and I swallowed several times. A middle-aged woman who appeared to be from some area in the Middle East opened the door as far as the chain-door-lock would allow and peered at me through the opening with curious eyes and a straight face. I swallowed again and gave her my best smile before politely saying,“Hello, how are you doing today”? After her response, I noticed that she was making no move towards removing the chain lock or opening the door, so I proceeded to ask her if she had a quick minute. At first she gave me a blunt “no,” and I felt sure this would be another rejection; however, after a quick pause she asked me, “Why? What do you want?” The expression on her face as well as her demeanor made me feel as though it would be a waste of time to even bother continuing with the canvass. But something prompted me to go ahead anyway, and so I did. After explaining that I was a student working on a special project and after she glanced at the books in my hand, she closed the door for a moment to remove the chain-door-lock and then opened the door all the way. This was definitely an encouraging sign, so I continued the canvass and began showing her the books, starting with Plants That Heal. When I came to The Great Controversy I said another small, quick prayer in my mind and gave it my absolute best. I went on about what a wonderful and inspiring book it was and how it was personally one of my favorites. As she flipped through the pages, I enthusiastically commented on everything positive I could think about the book. After a short while, she mentioned to me how she was currently reading a book called The Great Delusion, after which she added that the title—The Great Controversy—appealed to her since it appeared to be of somewhat the same nature as the book she was presently reading. With that statement I was even more encouraged and added a few more positive remarks about The Great Controversy. When I finally did stop “rambling,” she pondered for a few moments while I held my breath and, after one last look at The Great Controversy, she asked, “How much for both?—Plants That Heal and The Great Controversy?” I told her the amount, and she kindly excused herself to go bring the money, after which I placed both books in her hands and also slipped in a free Steps to Christ. I smiled widely (I couldn’t help it), thanked her, wished her a good day, and was preparing to turn around and start towards the sidewalk when she sweetly asked me if I would like a glass of water, since it was a bit warm out. I’m sure you know what my response was, and after gulping down a large glass of cool water, I gave her another big thank-you and headed for the sidewalk, feeling as though I was going to burst inside. I remember having to just stand there on the side of the street to take a deep breath and thank God for His undeserved goodness. He had answered all three of my prayers at ONE door! At that point all my energy and enthusiasm came back, and I had a spring in my step. I was encouraged beyond words to know that I had undeniable proof that God was indeed with me. He was beside me and listening to and answering my prayers. Indeed, what a wonderful God we serve; all His promises are true!

“Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you” (Jeremiah 29:12).