NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND CONFERENCE
A Young Man’s Dream Comes True and a Prayer Is Answered
ave you ever had a
dream that you prayed
would come true someday?
Ever since Andrew Marple
was a young man in El
Paso, Texas, he dreamed of
becoming a school teacher
someday. He took courses
through the local college
while working as a manager
of a local restaurant.
Then one day, he and his
family talked about moving
out of El Paso because the
city was getting increasingly
violent. They wanted to find
a safe place and have a fresh
start away from the influ-
ence of drugs which were
becoming more rampant.
In the meantime, Mayra,
his wife, went to Wisconsin
to visit her uncle, Elijah,
who had grown up a
Catholic and then became
a Seventh-day Adventist.
Andrew and Mayra were
both raised Catholic, but
when her uncle read Mayra
the Ten Commandments,
she couldn't believe what
she had just heard! She said,
“What? Let me see that. It
can’t be right!” She realized
the Ten Commandments
were written differently in
her Catholic Bible. No more
was she going to follow her
old Bible, and she shared all
of this with Andrew. They
both saw this was the truth
and resolved to follow what
God had written.
One day Andrew shared
with his high school friends,
Mark and Missy, who live
in Augusta, Maine, how his
family wanted to move out of
the city. The couple offered
their downstairs apartment
to Andrew’s family until they
could find their own place.
That was a definite answer
to prayer. It didn’t take any
convincing, and they were
ready to move.
Andrew took a job at
Central Maine Power in
Augusta and was doing well
there. However, it wasn’t the
job he had always dreamed
ol. Mayra wanted to find a
local Seventh-day Adventist
Church. She drove to the
church in Augusta for two
consecutive Saturdays, but
found the church was closed
with a note on the door
stating that church would
resume after camp meeting.
Her uncle explained camp
meeting to her and suggest-
ed she try again. One day
she went by the church and
met a lady sweeping the
porch who was very wel-
coming. Now for the rest of
this beautiful story.
Andrew, Mayra, and the
two children from Mayra’s
previous marriage, Evolet
and Eli, all took Bible studies
and were baptized together.
They had always wanted
a church wedding, and
the Augusta church gave
them a beautiful one with
a lovely reception that was
live-streamed to their fam-
ilies in Mexico, Texas, and
Wisconsin. They have found
a perfect home in Waterville,
near Riverview Memorial
School, where Evolet and Eli
are attending.
They recently learned
that the current principal,
Pierre Ortiz, was moving
out of state. Now it was
time to pray. The Augusta
and Norridgewock churches
had both been praying for
someone to replace Ortiz.
Andrew applied for the
job, and then he prayed.
His dream has now come
true. Never give up on your
dream! God is always willing
16 Atlantic Union GLEANER | September 2023
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Andrew Marple starts the new school year as the teacher and principal of the Riverview
Memorial School.
— Sue Wallen and Martin Miller,
to help us because He loves
communication team, Augusta church
us so much.
atlanticuniongleaner.org