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Jarrod Stackelroth: Imagine being 16 years
old with nothing but a worn pair of boots,

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a Bible in your hand, and the conviction
that God is calling you to preach.

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No car, no microphone,
no paycheck waiting.

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Just muddy roads, long walks,
and a burning message you

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can't keep to yourself.

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That's what the first Young
Adventist missionaries did.

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And their courage carried the
gospel across countries and

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eventually across continents.

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After the great disappointment
of 1844, most people assumed

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the movement would die.

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Many walked away from their faith,
but a small group stayed and they

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didn't just recover, they expanded.

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They believed Jesus was still coming and
that he had given them a message to share.

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. There were no cars, no microphones,
no smartphones, no hotels waiting

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with clean sheets and free breakfast.

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Just fields, mud, horse drawn
wagons, . And the quiet conviction that

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the world needed to hear the truth.

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Let's start with John Norton.

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Loughborough.

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He was just 16 years old when he
started preaching, not in cathedrals

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or crowded auditoriums, but under
trees, on porches and in open fields.

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He often worked in exchange for
a meal or a dry place to sleep.

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He'd traveled through the American
Midwest with worn shoes and a strong

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voice preaching about the Sabbath, the
sanctuary, and the soon return of Christ.

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Loughborough wasn't in
it for fame or comfort.

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He once said, I would preach if I had to
walk to the edge of my shoes every day.

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Then there was John Nevins Andrews
another young leader, known for his

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deep study and his clear writing.

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At just 20 years old, he helped shape
Adventist theology on topics like the

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Sabbath and the Heavenly Sanctuary.

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He didn't just believe he researched.

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He'd copy entire chapters of scripture
by hand just to study them more closely.

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But Andrews didn't stop at books.

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In 1874, he became the first
official overseas missionary for

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the Adventist Church sailing with
his two children to Switzerland.

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They lived, simply slept on the floor,
ate what they could afford, and printed

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truth in a second language because the
gospel didn't belong to one country.

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When asked what he needed for the
trip, Andrews reportedly said,

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I am willing to go with nothing
but my Bible, and he meant it.

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These weren't isolated stories
across the US and beyond.

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Young Adventist missionaries traveled
on horseback or foot holding camp

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meetings, printing leaflets, knocking
on doors, and opening small churches.

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They studied by Lanin, light, slept in
barns, baptized people in freezing rivers.

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Sometimes they were mocked.

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Ignored or went hungry, but they
kept going because to them Jesus

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was coming soon and no sacrifice
was too big to make that known.

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It's tempting to think that mission
only happens when everything is in

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place, when there's enough money,
enough training, the right building, the

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right timing, but those early Adventist
missionaries had almost nothing.

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And God used every step they took.

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They didn't wait for
the perfect conditions.

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They just said yes and moved.

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Today the world looks different,
but the core truth remains.

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God is still looking for people willing
to walk the extra mile, still calling

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young hearts to rise, still opening
doors where his message can be heard.

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You don't need to be an expert.

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You don't need perfect
boots or perfect words.

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You just need the courage to keep going.

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Episode six.

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Teenage Trailblazers

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Read by Jared Stack Roth.