“ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD” (Part 2)
As the story continues, IT Trainers and missionaries Pastor Tony and Sis Diosy Mendoza were comfortable staying in Australia, and they were happy serving in the church there. However, as they sought God for His will, He impressed in their hearts to go to China. They didn’t know anyone in China, and back then it was unknown, and too many of the images they had of it were that of a backward land.
Therefore, the couple asked the Lord to confirm, and He gave them several confirmations. God supernaturally arranged a meeting between Pastor Tony and his future employer in Beijing, China when he was still in Sydney! When he helped an Australian Salvation Army worker, she gave him a China Missions pocketbook! When they joined a bible study, an Indian brother spoke a prophecy from the Lord that they were going to a country in which the language is very foreign. They knew in their hearts that they should go to China. Pastor Tony’s scholarship was about to end in a few weeks, and their Australian pastor offered to help them with immigration so they could stay and minister in Australia, but God had shown them otherwise. They knew in their hearts that they should go to China.
Just in case they will have to return to Australia, Pastor Tony applied to one of the schools there. But then the principal of the school told him that he has a Chinese friend who needs an English teacher. Pastor Tony and the Beijing-based employer agreed to make him work with him in his educational management company as a phonics teacher and a curriculum and instructional materials writer. God answered the couple’s prayers and that was when Pastor Tony agreed to take on the job in China. Another favor of God was that his Beijing employer-provided free airfare and accommodation to Pastor Tony and his family. Hallelujah! It was indeed the Lord who prepared everything for them!
They went to China and saw that the place was very beautiful. They served the Lord not only in the international church but also in the Philippine Embassy in Beijing. More Filipinos were attending the church and they started to have their fellowship. Everything was working out well for them but a respiratory disease, SARS, broke out. The school where Pastor Tony worked had to close because of the spreading of the disease. But then the Lord had greater plans for Pastor Tony and his family. He was transferred to one of the top schools which is the International School of Beijing. They don’t accept Filipino teachers, but the Lord opened the doors for him to get into that school. By the grace of God, things were working out for them but then again after some time, God called them to go to Shenzhen, a city in the southeastern part of China. Once again, they had to leave what was comfortable and familiar to them.
Since Shenzhen is close to Hong Kong, the couple would attend the church in Hong Kong because they knew someone who was a pastor in one of the churches there. Every weekend they would go to Hong Kong by train for three hours and return on the same day which was exhausting. As they kept visiting Hong Kong, they could feel that they should do something there. Pastor Tony and Sis Diosy's hearts desired to serve in Hong Kong so they inquired of the Lord and sought His will in their lives.
Their pastor friend was used by God for Pastor Tony to work in a local school in Hong Kong. He worked for three years there when he decided to apply as a native English teacher. He saw how God opened doors of opportunities for him and by faith, he prayed that he could get that position even though it was out of policy since the school never hired Filipinos as native English teachers in Hong Kong. He was interviewed, wrote an essay, and did all the assessment tests in God’s favor. Pastor Tony was the first Filipino who became a native English teacher in Hong Kong. His colleagues even asked how he picked up his American accent and he told them that he learned it from shows and movies he watched. Pastor Tony believed that it was the Lord who enabled him, so he got the job. Praise God!
As Pastor Tony taught as a native English teacher, the Lord also used him and Sis Diosy to open a training society for helping the Overseas Filipino Workers to improve their English for call center work, their public speaking skills, and their growth and leadership quotient. Soon after, they also tended to the OFW’s spiritual needs. They had Bible study groups then as the number of people attending increased, they started a church called Empowerment Centre International which they later prophetically named “ECI House of Answered Prayers for All Nations”. It was truly amazing how the Lord used Pastor Tony and Sis Diosy to touch the lives of people around them!
Pastor Tony and Sis Diosy are tentmakers doing the work of the Lord. They have been in Hong Kong since 2014 and they are now residents there. Their journey of faith continues as they honor God and seek His will in their lives. They have seen how God made the impossible possible!
So remember, instead of looking at the impossible in front of you, trust that God is good – He cares for you and has a wonderful plan in your difficult situation. Keep reading God’s Word and be obedient to what He tells you to do. And when you step out in faith, believe that He will provide exactly what you need at that moment.
It is possible to have strong faith in tough times! So, let your “impossible” meet God ... and watch what He will do in response.
Psalm 34: 7
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
(Written by: Venus Jablo)
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