I'm always amazed at the way the Lord brings relief to us in ways we can never anticipate and from sources we would never expect. This is from August 18, 2008.
As I mentioned recently, I was absent from Sunday worship in Houston for six consecutive weeks in July and August. As I left our Chinese assembly for the last time in June before going to Honduras, my good brothers and sisters stuffed money in my hands to take with me to Central America. We had already cut the checks for the two orphanages we support so I just took the cash with me. At Las Palmas Refuge, I gave the cash ($57 US) to my dear friend, the wonderful and beautiful Shelly Hedgepath, and asked her to put it to its best use. (Shelly and her husband, Chad, moved to Honduras a year ago to work full time with Mission Lazarus, the group that coordinates many efforts near Choluteca. Shelly and Chad are also the only holdovers from my first trip to Honduras in 1998.) The next day, Shelly told me her plans for the money. There was a teacher in a Christian school in the area whose husband deserted her, leaving this sister-in-Christ with $800 worth of debt and three boys to take care of. Shelly asked me if it were acceptable to pay down the woman's debt. I was in complete agreement with her choice of recipient. Shelly knows best.
If I had to guess, I would bet the lady in Honduras had been praying hard to the Lord for relief in her time of need. I would also guess $800 worth of debt in her situation with her earning potential might translate to $35,000 if the debt were mine. Do you think she knew part of her relief would come from the United States, from Asian brothers and sisters, none of whom speak Spanish and some of whom don't speak English? The Lord knew in his infinite wisdom. He provides for us in ways we can't envision or imagine. I told that story in our worship last Sunday and I know our Chinese Christians feel like they made a difference. They did. They had no idea of how their gift would be employed but they left that up to God. He has a pretty good distribution system. He even let me lend a hand.
Applicable quote of the day:“Do you not know that God entrusted you with that money (all above what buys necessities for your families) to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to help the stranger, the widow, the fatherless; and, indeed, as far as it will go, to relieve the wants of all mankind? How can you, how dare you, defraud the Lord, by applying it to any other purpose?”
― John Wesley
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
1 comment:
One thing I have learned over the years that God is working everywhere if we can just step aside and let him work and not try to take control.
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