WHEN GOD OPENED THE RICHES OF HEAVEN
Brother Jerald Sinsay had experienced an awesome miracle in his life. It was a once-in-a-lifetime miracle he never expected in the early days of his mission trips. After his mission trip to Malaysia, he never wanted to go back to his mundane life. He wanted to do more and experience more as he went to other countries. An International Teams conference in Jakarta, Indonesia was held in 2015 and he wanted to be a part of it. He didn’t have any money on him at that time, but he badly wanted to go. He told Pastor Gani, IT Executive Director, that he wanted to go and in the back of his mind, he thought maybe Pastor Gani could pay for his plane ticket. When Pastor Gani realized what Brother Jerald was trying to imply, he explained to him that IT missionaries don’t rely on people but only on God. It was a great challenge of faith for Brother Jerald to go when he was broke. He decided to go, so when there was an airfare promotion, he requested Sister Kathy, IT accounting staff, to book his ticket. However, he didn’t have any cash to pay for it. He’s got 24 hours to pay for the ticket he booked, or it would be canceled. On that day, he got the money to pay for his plane ticket. Praise God! Brother Jerald was so relieved. But there’s another thing that made him so nervous as the departure date is just around the corner. He still didn’t have any finances for his accommodation and pocket money. He couldn’t book a hotel or a hostel in Jakarta, Indonesia. “Where am I going to stay for 11 days?” He was having cold sweats thinking about how he would make it in Indonesia for 11 days without any money. But as Brother Jerald heard encouragement from Pastor Gani’s preaching, it empowered him to move forward. There’s always a voice that says, “Go! God will provide”. It was the day of his flight to Indonesia and his money was just enough to pay the travel tax. When he arrived at the airport in Jakarta, one of the IT team leaders asked the participants whether they have or haven’t booked any accommodation. Brother Jerald raised his hand and was grouped with the other participants who didn’t have accommodation yet. To his surprise, there’s a provided accommodation for them. It wasn’t just in a simple house, but it was in a mansion. It was so fancy that it seemed like a dream for him. There he was, worrying about where to stay but God did exceedingly better than what Brother Jerald expected. The conference was for three days, and they were welcome to stay at the mansion. Now all he had to think about was where to eat, but the owner of the mansion also had their food delivered to them for three days for free. Brother Jerald was astonished at how things worked out well and all his needs were met. After the conference, he has 9 days left before his flight back to Manila. Once again those who had the same flight back were grouped. Brother Jerald and the two Filipino pastors were in one group and the man who accommodated them for 9 days was an Indonesian Pastor. He used to be a radical believer of a different religion, killing Christians in the past, but God totally changed his life and dedicated his life to serving the Lord. Brother Jerald thought they might simply stay in the Indonesian pastor’s house and just probably minister to his family. The next day, Brother Jerald and the two Filipino pastors were invited by the Indonesian pastor to go somewhere. They were brought to a TV station, one of the biggest in Indonesia. Apparently, the Indonesian pastor is well-known in Jakarta. He was very bold in preaching and the president of the TV station supported his cause. They were welcomed and served when they arrived at the TV station, and they met the President of that station. He could not imagine that he was meeting and having coffee with the President of the biggest TV station in another nation! It feels like a dream! After meeting with the president of the TV station, they toured around the TV station, and it was an unforgettable experience for them. It was bright and early the next day, and they headed out again. They went to the largest mosque in Jakarta, and they were able to get inside, thanks to the Indonesian pastor. They were the first Filipinos to enter that mosque. Of course, they concealed the fact that they are missionaries. They got the chance to pray for that place as they were toured around. They also got to meet the high officials who are running that certain mosque. It was an unbelievable experience again! A few days have passed, and they get to learn more about Indonesia through the pastor who is hosting them. Then one Sunday morning, Brother Jerald and his group were introduced to the entire congregation during the fellowship. They also prepared a special song number for the congregation. As they sang the first song “How Great is Our God” people started coming up to them and shaking their hands, but it was no ordinary handshake. In every handshake, there are Indonesian bills handed to them. Their pockets became full of money! After the church service, they were called into the office of the church and were told that the church wanted to give that day’s tithes and offerings to the three of them! They couldn’t believe what just happened! Praise God, praise God who is mighty! Their hearts were filled with praise and joy. They also learned that they are blessed to be a blessing. Before they left Indonesia, they also blessed the Indonesian pastor who hosted them during their stay in Indonesia. As Brother Jerald looked back, he remembered having a lot of problems, especially the lack of money before his trip but now he is so astonished by the things God did for him. Now, it is carved in his heart and mind that all he needs to do is follow God and He will take care of everything. His trip to Indonesia was considered the biggest ‘giant’ of his life. But after he defeated that giant, Brother Jerald became unstoppable. For around five years, he has traveled to dozens of countries even though he doesn’t have a lot of money. But with his great faith, he trusts that God will take care of everything. God opened the riches of heaven and blessed Brother Jerald exceedingly! How great is our God who pours his endless blessings on His children!
Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
(Written by: Venus Jablo)
Comments