It’s Sunday morning in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro and I’m waiting for someone to pick me up and bring me to the church that I will preach in today. Yesterday was the reason we’re here. We had a whole day student rally and Chi Alpha campaign for Oriental Mindoro. The rally was great. There were 100+ students present, mostly high school students. We introduced Chi Alpha to them that had never been heard before, except for a few oldies who said they were a part of Chi Alpha in the University Belt back in the 60s! We taught the students how to share the gospel and the importance of evangelism and discipleship. In the afternoon, we sent them out in the community for one hour hands-on evangelism exposure. They came back with 59 salvations made! Praise God for this. It’s amazing how God can move in a heart of a student and young person. These prayers that have been made I know have made impact for eternity. I have seen the power of prayer and the power of God in response to prayer.
Going to Oriental Mindoro was a struggle between me and God, though not a heavy one. Perhaps because it’s because the humanity in me that wants to know the plan before stepping into it. There were challenges, financially and by location. I thought the event was going to be in the capital city Calapan, but a few hours before I leave for Manila, I was informed that the event was going to be held in Mansalay which according to Wikipedia was a 3rd-class municipality. I told myself, surely this is not the educational hub of this province. Then there is my hesitation to leave because I’m parting again with my wife. As we grow closer together, the harder it is to part.
The day before we left, I was able to catch via live streaming the youth service of US General Council in Phoenix. The speaker was a missionary to a restricted location in Thailand. He told one story that really caught my attention and felt it was God speaking to me. He told about a time when he was a missionary in India, when God spoke to him to reach the highest inhabited village in the Himalayas. It was an exciting assignment for him. So he packed everything that he could give to these people, reading materials and Book of Hopes, one heavy load. And made a five day trek upward. But when he reached the highest inhabited village, he was disappointed to see that there were only four houses! But not only that, seeming to add insult to injury, they learned that the people cannot read! In his mind, he had a lot of questions to God, of bringing him there. But God spoke to him saying, “I love these people, and I want everyone to have a chance at hearing the gospel.”
That struck a chord in my heart. Here am I questioning God for sending me to this place. God made it clear. Everybody deserves a chance at salvation. Every soul is important, every student not a lesser value than those in the cities.
Slowly God’s sovereignty begins unfolding. The missionary at the council said, “God doesn’t give you the whole plan, because you can’t handle it!” And it was on a positive note, that when we know how much God has in store for His children, of how God will use His children yielded to Him in our lifetimes, we might breakdown in such awesomeness. He wants us to trust Him, always.
So I learned that they held the event in this place because this place has the biggest concentration of AG churches. And despite the heavy rains the previous day and hours before the event, God sent the young people. Students who are eager to learn and be used by God.
The trip was also a communion with God—with His creation, the mountains, trees and the beach … and with His people. These people are abundant in resources in another kind. They fed us well with the fruits of the sea (fish and crabs), let us sleep in their own beds, and extended graciousness beyond average, a superb country hospitality, and grace extended through the Spirit that dwells in them.
Lesson learned. Everyone deserves a chance to hear the gospel. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise … He is patient … not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
The Mind of the Melancholeric Man: Musings on Life and Ministry by Patrick Tan