Nine-year-old David Lucas Dolete Druga had many questions.
“Where do people come from?” he asked Father. “Why are we here? Why do you say that God created us but Teacher says we evolved from monkeys?”
Father had taught David that God created people, but the boy was hearing other ideas at public school in Spain’s capital, Madrid.
Father was happy when the family left Madrid so he could study to become a pastor at Sagunto Adventist College in Sagunto, located 240 miles (385 kilometers) to the east and near the Mediterranean Sea. On the campus of Sagunto Adventist College was an elementary school where David could learn about Creation from the Bible.
But a month before the school year started, Father learned that there was no space for David in the fourth-grade class. Many parents had already put the names of their children on a waiting list for the fourth grade, and David was way down at No. 13 on the list.
“Let’s pray about it,” Father said.
At evening family worship, Father, Mother, and David prayed that David would somehow be allowed to attend the Adventist school. They prayed every day for a month. But then the school principal told Father the bad news.
“We don’t have a place for David,” he said. “You’ll have to take him somewhere else. We are sorry.”
David enrolled in public school.
But the family didn’t give up. During family worship, Father, Mother, and David kept praying that the boy would be able to go to the Adventist school. A month passed. Then two months passed.
Mother stopped praying about the school. Father also stopped praying.
“God must have a plan for David at the public school,” Father said. “Maybe David needs to be a good witness to his classmates.”
David, however, kept praying. Every evening worship, he thanked God for Father and Mother and finished his prayer by saying, “God, if you want me to attend the Adventist school, please give me a place in the fourth-grade class.”
Father was worried. He didn’t want David to be disappointed.
“Don’t rush God,” he told the boy. “God doesn’t always answer us the way that we want.”
But David kept praying. Another month passed.
Four months into the school year, Father received the unexpected news that a fourth grader had left the Adventist school. He rushed to the principal’s office to ask whether David could join the class.
“David is welcome at the school,” the principal said. “But don’t get too excited. You have to get permission from the city education office to transfer David from the public school to the Adventist school. At this time of the school year, it is very hard to get permission to transfer between schools.”
Father and Mother decided to try anyway, but they drove to the city education office with little faith. Forty minutes later, they were holding the transfer paper in their hand.
Father and Mother couldn’t believe it. As the left the city education office, they stopped to praise God in prayer.
“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” Father prayed, reciting the prayer of David in Psalms 8:4. “You gave us all of this even with our little faith. You have showed us that You are powerful and can help anyone, even people with little faith. You provide all things.”
David was at home when Father and Mother arrived.
“Look at this,” Father said, holding out the transfer paper. “This is how powerful God is. This is how He answered your prayer.”
A huge smile filled David’s face and jumped all around the house with joy.
“Let’s pray again,” Father said. “Let’s give thanks to God.”
David bowed his head and prayed.
“Thank you, Jesus, because You listened to my prayer,” he said. “Help me to enjoy this school.”
Opening his eyes, he turned to Father. “Do you want to play soccer with me?” he asked.v