God’s Mysterious Ways: Provisions

 
The warm and vibrant display of the season colors welcomed us when we first arrived in America in the beginning of fall 1994. I’ve always admired the autumn colors even as seeing them only in the movies, magazines, post cards and greeting cards. But to actually see and be immersed in it was simply a breathtaking experience. With fascination and wonder I watched the changing of colors everyday on that fall season as I walked to school. The scenery was made even more dramatic as the afternoon sun intensifies the brightness of the fall colors, which makes for the condition “crispy autumn.” I witnessed the progression of colors from different hues of green to various shades of red, yellow, orange, pink and purple and the whole color spectrum- a phenomenon that does not occur in the Philippines where I came from. 

God had brought us to this colorful new world. God’s work of art is far more superior than any other masterpiece of the greatest human artist. God’s hands never stop working!

Would our lives be as colorful and vibrant as our new environment? How will God’s hands move in our lives in the next four years? These were my questions as we started our new lives in the United States.

Without any shade of doubt, the Lord painted new colors to many aspects of our lives and His mighty hands moved in mysterious ways to bless, protect, comfort and provide for us during  our four years of residence in the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky.  The following attest to God’s great work.

God Put Us in a Cocoon

Wilmore is a quaint little town north of Lexington, Kentucky. It is home to Asbury College where a great revival happened in 1970. Revival took place as a 50-minute student chapel service lasted for 185 hours-24 hours a day. The spirit of revival was felt far and wide and for a long time. The peace, quiet and comfort that we experienced in Wilmore, I believe, were remnants of that revival. No wonder, people refer to Wilmore as “a place ten miles away from any known sin.! This is one of the few places in America where there is a cross on its water tower visible for everyone to see and a welcome sign that says “Jesus Loves.” Wilmore is also home to Asbury Theological Seminary where the Lord brought us for education and training for ministry. Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky is a place I called a cocoon where God sheltered and provided for us while shaping and preparing us for His work. Asbury Seminary provided a very conducive environment for academic pursuit and spiritual formation.

God Prepared Us for Ministry

Foundation to our seminary education was the study of the Biblical languages, Greek and Hebrew. Our professor told us that learning the Bible in its original language is like watching television-black and white is transformed to colored when the Bible is understood in the context and meaning of the language it was originally written. And that’s actually our experience. One becomes a better preacher and teacher of the Word for understanding Greek and Hebrew. The education we received at Asbury equipped  and prepared us for ministry.  It was a great privilege to learn from Wesleyan Holiness thinkers such as Dr. David Thompson, Dr. Joe Dongell, Dr. Allan Coppedge, Dr. Robert Coleman and many others. 

The apostle Paul advised the young pastor Timothy to be diligent and “study  to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.” God had positioned us strategically in a place so quiet and peaceful whose people were so loving and caring so that diligence in our study could be achieved.

 
God Transformed Us

 Being immersed in the word of God was life transforming. One cannot read and study the Bible without being changed by it. While studying the book of Mark, my wife was convicted of her lack of faith and for doubting God’s faithfulness. As a result she was freed from worries and learned to fully trust God. The knowledge we acquired in studying had impacted and transformed our lives in many ways.

God Gave Us a Big Family

Being away from home, we were separated from our blood relatives. But God had expanded and extended our family. The day we arrived in Wilmore, I was very surprised to see a white man wearing a barong (Philippine native shirt) crossing the street. He turned out to be Bro Bob Bickert, missionary to the Philippines when I was a teenager. Bob and and his wife Kay Bickert became our close family in Kentucky. They introduced us to many churches in the southern states. We were adopted by some of these Wesleyan congregations who gave us financial support while studying at the seminary. We also found a local congregation, the Stonewall Wesleyan Church where we worshipped and served. The academic community also embraced and cared for us. The Wesleyan Seminary Foundation managed by Steve Willingham supported us from the day we arrived until the day we left Wilmore. All of the above groups of people and individuals became our big supportive, loving family away from home.

 When our youngest child Gilary was born in 1996, the church and the academic community supplied us with food everyday for a good one month. We did not run out of diapers and baby clothes for the supplies given to us by our big family filled up a whole closet.

When my mother (Inang) died in 1997, I could not afford to go home for her funeral. I remember staring at a large world map hanging on the wall of the seminary hallway realizing how far away I was from my dead mother. I wished I could go home but I had no money for the trip. With tears streaming from my eyes, I ran my fingers on the map of the Philippines to the continent of America, telling myself, “I’m sorry Inang I cannot come home to burry you.” And then, I felt a hand gripped my shoulder. When I turned to look, I saw my classmate Valerie crying with me. She gave me a hug and said. “Gil, get ready because we are sending you home.” That night she came to our apartment and handed me an envelope filled with money. The seminary  students passed the hat and came up with money more than I needed to buy a two way ticket. I used the rest of the money to purchase Tagalog hymn books which we donated to Cabanatuan Wesleyan Church during my mother’s funeral service. My big American family embraced,comforted and supported us again.

God Was There Even as We Play

 One summer, our family was very excited to see some places north of Kentucky. We set out to drive the 1100 miles shoreline of Lake Michigan. Our plan was to camp out at night wherever our drive would take us. First stop was Door County in Wisconsin. What a treat watching the 4th of July fireworks done at a Marina. The glow of the fireworks was intensified as the lake waters reflected the bright and colorful glare of the fireworks. At night we pitched our tent at a nearby campground. Before we retired for the night, our children thanked the Lord for the good day and prayed for the rest of our trip around the Great Lakes. The last leg of our trip took us to Traverse City Michigan, the home of the National Cherry Festival. The day was filled with excitement, fun and play that exhausted our energy. We were too tired to pitch our tent, so we decided to look for a cheap hotel accommodation. It turned out that all hotels within 25-mile radius were all booked due to the Cherry Festival. While driving around Traverse City, I made an announcement to my family. “Guys you pray that we might find a place to rest for the night.” My wife Edith, my daughter Gilda and my son Gilson prayed one after the other. As soon as they said amen, we found ourselves driving by the Bayview Wesleyan Church. It was almost 10 pm but the lights were still on in the sanctuary. I parked and went inside the church where I found a family doing some work. I introduced myself and upon hearing that we were Wesleyans and attending Asbury Seminary they quickly responded. They were the Fox family, mom and dad and two children. Mrs. Fox took the phone book and made a call. After hanging up she told us to hurry before the last room in a local hotel is filled up. She gave us the directions how to get there. “I might as well take you to the place. Follow me.” Offered Bro. Fox. We drove behind him. When we got to the hotel to register and check in, Bro Fox came with us. “I just want to make sure you’re all settled for the night.” He said. When we secured our place, Bro Fox wrote a check and paid for our room. Before he left, we all thanked him and gave him hugs, then he came closer to me and slipped something in my shirt pocket then quickly left. When we got to our room, the first thing we did was to pray and thank God for His great provisions. He did not only give us a place to stay, He also gave us $100.00 through Bro Fox, a complete stranger but our brother in the Lord nonetheless. We prayed for the Fox family and the whole Bayview Wesleyan Church! 

God Moved People’s Hearts and Hands

When we arrived home from our vacation trip. My wife checked the mail box. Again, my family was driven to our knees to thank God for providing us through His mysterious work. There were letters and checks in the mail from Central Wesleyan Church, in Holland, Michigan and Daniels Wesleyan Church in West Virginia, both pledging their prayers and financial support until we finished our seminary studies.

 God touched not only churches to help us, even families and individuals.  Nancy Ellwood, our sister in the Lord, took and introduced us to her elderly parents, the Jarboe’s. The sweet, loving Jarboes insisted that we accept their love gift. It was hard for us to accept gifts from the elderlies, but the Lord gave us humility and grace to accept and be grateful. My wife cried being touched by their genuine generosity. There were many others who God touched to bless our family and we’re very grateful.

Indeed, our lives were painted with vivid colors, done by no other than the hands of of our Heavenly Father. Praise be to God! (Next Issue: God’s Mysterious Ways: Protection)