FOLLOWING GOD’S CALL IS A RISK WORTH TAKING (Part 1)
For so many people, not knowing what the future brings scares them. Hence, they stay where they are to feel secure. However, when God calls you to “go” you know that He promised to be with you all the days of your life. So, the question is, are you willing to “go” when He asks you? After all, your purpose is accompanied by His blessings. Take that step of faith and doors of opportunities would be opened for you. Following God’s call is a risk worth taking.
One of the IT missionaries, Sister Corazon “Cora” Tupino, was called by God to go to Cambodia with her family. It was incredibly challenging back then for they didn’t know what would happen to them as a family when they decided to leave everything behind and go to an unfamiliar country. She, her husband, and their five children went to Cambodia bringing only God’s promises with them. But it was a risk they had to take so that God could fulfill His purpose in their lives.
Sis Cora was invited to the Access 1 Training of International Teams Philippines, a mission-sending organization. At first, she had no interest in going on missions and was content with the local ministry she was a part of. When she was invited by her pastor and his wife who were then IT mobilizers, she came because she thought there was no harm in listening to the seminar. As she listened to the preaching, she found herself crying. God spoke to her that she has to go on missions. She was crying and trying to make excuses or any way out of this calling. Sis Cora was pregnant with their 5th child, making it more difficult to decide whether she should go on missions. However, the burden that God gave in her heart was so heavy that she could no longer ignore it.
Sis Cora’s husband was a seaman, so he was mostly away. When she called him and told him about missions, she was surprised to hear her husband’s story. Something happened while her husband was working, and he was crying a lot. She initially thought maybe he felt homesick, but it seemed to be something else.
When Sis Cora’s husband came home, they prayed together for God’s guidance on whether they should pursue going on missions. Their relatives were discouraging them to go on missions because it sounded impractical. After days of praying, an idea dawned on them. Sis Cora’s husband would go to Cambodia to spy out on the land. He went to Cambodia as a volunteer. In one of the provinces in Cambodia, the Lord opened the door for a ministry in a Bible School under the leadership of Korean missionaries. He stayed there for a year while he was seeking God’s will for his family.
After staying in Cambodia for a year, Sis Cora’s husband wasn’t sure how things were going to unfold but he was certain that God has called them to go to Cambodia. Her husband went home, and they started to raise funds as they decided to go as a family as soon as they can. Her husband returned to work only for the reason of earning some money for missions. He took a seven-month contract on board to save money for their passports, airfares, homeschooling materials, and everything they needed to go to Cambodia.
With no assurance whether Sis Cora and her husband could find a living, they all went to Cambodia in 2006. They only had $300 as their pocket money and they had to pay rent for a small apartment they were staying in. They had to spend $240 on their accommodation and all they had left was $60. With five children to feed, three meals a day, and no job, their situation seemed bleak. They didn’t know what would happen to them in the upcoming days, weeks, or months. But they have faith. They prayed and held on to God’s promises that He would provide for them.
They have made a new acquaintance with someone new in faith in Christ and that person was so encouraged with their testimony. She couldn’t believe that they all went to Cambodia to do missions. She is single and she finds it even difficult to live in other countries, but Sis Cora and her family dared to step out of their comfort zone. She admired their faith, so she wanted to bless them. She was used by God to pay for their rent and other necessities, weekly food supplies, and even their basic needs. Their needs had been sustained and the blessings didn’t stop there. God continues to shower the abundance of heaven on Sis Cora’s family.
This is a story of a family who had just $300 as pocket money and didn’t have security as to how they would go about it when they went to Cambodia. All they had was God’s promise and it was more than enough. It fueled their faith to step into the unknown. This is just the beginning and something of great magnitude is going to happen.
God is always true to His word. He is most pleased when His children trust Him with all their hearts. You just have to believe that God is going to be with you as you follow the path He has for you. He is someone whom we can rely on and His love for us overflows. There’s no one like Him. All we need is God in this life. Praise be to the God who created you and me for He watches over us and keeps us!
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.
(Written by: Venus Jablo)