A Timeless Channel Of Blessings

Sunset at Ko Olina Beach Resort - Oahu, Hawaii

Farewell, my brother-in-Christ.

Upon checking my email today, I learned that my friend, an American missionary to the Philippines, recently passed away on February 16th. He suffered from a brain tumor. He is survived by his wife, a Filipina; she is very gracious and has the sweetest smile. They also have children whom I got the opportunity to briefly meet on another trip that followed years later.

I had met the young missionary couple in 2006 during their visit to Hawaii. It was just like yesterday; he seemed quite healthy back then.

Just before their arrival in Hawaii, our Pastor had announced that a missionary couple will be visiting the island for a few days and might need a place to stay. Somehow, God moved my heart with regards to the potential need.

At the time, I was in the process of purchasing a condo for my parents so that they would have a place to stay during their extended visits. Well, the property had already been in escrow when our Pastor had made the announcement about the missionary couple. It was only a matter of days until closing.

I prayed. Specifically, I remember asking if God would enable the seller to let me have the keys a few days early so that the missionaries would have a place to stay. Miraculously, the seller agreed! On top of that, he even offered to give me extra credit towards my closing costs since he didn't have the time to do the minor repairs that I had asked to be done prior to closing. Our church also offered to help with the repairs!

In the end, the missionary couple didn't get to stay in my condo. They were able to keep their original lodging arrangements.

So, essentially, God had just used my willingness to help His missionaries as a vehicle to bless me with closing cost credit!

What's even more amazing? The amount of the credit that he had given me matched another amount that I had prayed for earlier that year--a special offering for our church building fund. God had placed a specific amount in my heart during that time--one that I could not personally afford especially since I had just exhausted my resources on purchasing a condo. I remember trusting that God would make a way, somehow, especially since He was the One Who had placed the burden in my heart in the first place...and He sure did! I just needed to be willing and available without really being able (at least, not on my own).

I was totally not expecting His blessing to arrive in this non-traditional manner! Incredible, to say the least!

"What was the church building fund for?" you may ask.

Our church had been in the process of looking for a new building as a result of the landlord making a sudden decision to end the lease. The property values in the area had skyrocketed and big-name tenants had started moving in next to our church. With hopes of getting astronomically higher lease payments, the landlord had grown adamant about speeding up our church's departure.

Fast forward to the present...

• The old church property remains vacant to this day (I think I even saw some graffiti all over it...it looks abandoned and neglected). The landlord was never able to find a high-paying tenant--not to mention, property values have plummeted since then.
• On the other hand, our church had found (and purchased) a new building at a much lower price than it had originally bargained for! God had intervened by hindering our church from purchasing the same building just a few years earlier.
• I no longer own the condo (since I could no longer afford to maintain it and would probably never consider purchasing a condo again); and now, the missionary is no longer with us.

Seven years from the time that I had met the missionary couple, I continue to tell these stories and thank God that He had allowed me to share even but a small part of His missionary's life. Through them, I was able to see God's greatness.

This makes me ponder: "Are others able to see God's greatness through me even long after I have departed?"

People and things may pass away yet God's blessings remain. I humbly ask God to use me as His channel of many blessings, just as He has done in the life of His missionary.