A Lesson on Faith

When we left our jobs as engineers in the Sultanate of Oman, some of our friends and relatives thought that it was unwise to leave our thriving careers and a life of abundance. 

They had good reasons for thinking such. After all we had good paying jobs that provided us with very good benefits. Where can you find a salary with zero deduction and tax free? In addition, our living expenses were paid for by generous allowances that include housing, utilities, and transportation. No worries about health and dental care, they were all covered without us paying any insurance premium. And to top them all, we had two months yearly paid vacation leave and free air line tickets to and from the Philippines.

 Those were the provisions that we left to answer the call to Christian ministry. It was not easy to leave that comfortable living but the call to ministry was strong and irresistible.

 We came to America in 1994 as seminary students with no proper employment and no income! We found ourselves working part-time on-campus while doing our masters studies. I worked as a dish washer at the student cafeteria and my wife as a library aid earning minimum wage. I couldn’t blame my wife for worrying for our family especially when she got pregnant with our third child. “If we were still in Oman, I wouldn’t worry like this.” She told me as we retired to bed one night, as if to blame me for taking her away from comfortable living in Oman. I assured her that the Lord will undertake for us. 

We were seminary students at Asbury Theological Seminary at that time. During the first year of our studies we were classmates in the exegesis of the book of Mark. One day after class, I saw her rushed out of the classroom and walked briskly home to our apartment. And before I could catch up with her, I was stopped by a classmate who inquired about an assignment. 

When I got home I found her kneeling and praying by the bedside, crying. “Lord please forgive me for worrying and not trusting you enough. Like the disciples, I too was short of memory, forgetting so easily your faithfulness and your generous provisions in the past. Help me Lord to trust you fully.” 

 After praying she related to me what happened that day. “While listening to our lecturer, Dr. David Thompson, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my worries and doubts. I felt warmness from my head to toe like I’ve never experienced before. I cannot control my tears. I wanted to be alone and pray and so I rushed home.I felt convicted for my lack of faith, for worrying about money and for doubting God’s faithfulness.”

The disciples were  witnesses and participants of the feeding of the five thousand (Mark chapter 6) and four thousand (Mark chapter 8). They  gathered twelve and seven baskets of leftover respectively. 

After the event of the day, Jesus took them to the other side of the lake. While sailing, the disciples blamed each other for forgetting to bring bread. They forgot that the one who performed the miracle was with them. They forgot what Jesus was capable of doing. So Jesus asked them “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see and understand? ”

“I was like one of those disciples. I lacked faith. I easily forget what Jesus could do. But now God has given me an assurance that He will supply all our needs. I need not worry anymore.” My wife said with calmness in her voice and a bright smile on her face.

The next day when we attended a chapel service, the seminary president, Dr. Maxie Dunnam’s message to the students reinforced the lesson on having faith when he said: 

“God will not take you to a place where He will not sustain you with His grace.” 

That exactly what happened to us in our four years masters studies. God supplied our every need. God gave us more than what we hoped for. Within the four years of living in Wilmore Kentucky God provided for us in mysterious ways. (An article on this topic will be shared in the offing.) We both finished our studies without incurring any student loan. I graduated with a Master of Divinity degree and my wife Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary. Actually, I could earnestly say that of all the years that we’ve lived in America, those four years of living in Wilmore Kentucky were the most comfortable and peaceful times. We cherish those times when, as if God placed us in a cocoon of safety, abundance, peace and quiet, so that He can prepare us for the hard work of ministry that ensued. We are now pastoring a church that we planted in the suburb of Chicago called Lord of the Nations Church.