Our beginnings… We begin our mission blog with a compilation of stories of our early years as a mission organization. These stories molded us into who we are now as a mission organization. All stories were God focused and actual experiences of our pioneering missionaries on the field. They were firsthand narratives describing how each Filipino missionaries witnessed the mighty works of our living God in full display. They saw and tasted the miracles of God in response to their prayers which provided for their needs. They were supernaturally brought to situations that were beyond comprehension and given amazing opportunities to minister to the lost and needy people of each nation. The stories will best explain how our poor missionaries were able to sustain their stay in the mission field for long periods of time and see their ministries flourish throughout the years that passed. All their testimonies converge to a single truth - God is actively at work in the lives of people who responds in complete faith to His call.
They saw the Mighty hand of God and they could not contain in their hearts the joy it has brought to their lives, In this blog site, you’ll read the exciting God Sighting stories shared from the hearts of missionaries who truly encountered our living God in the mission field.
GOD SIGHTING STORY # 4 (CLASSICS)
The Affirmation
Posted by itphilip@itphilippines.org on 07/25/2014 (Story happened Year 2002)
“I hope that God will affirm His call in my life.”
Dr. Edgar was well liked by his church mates, young and old alike. A pediatrician by profession, Dr. Edgar looked after almost all the children as well as the older folks in his church. His dedication in helping his brethren made him a candidate for the “living saint award.” His playful yet committed attitude became his famous trademark. He was well liked to the point where nobody could ever imagine that he would ever consider leaving the church. He doesn’t have to, yet he had to it for he has received the call of God in his life to serve as a missionary. Dr. Edgar’s desire to give up his medical practice in the Philippines to be a missionary was indeed difficult to understand. His chosen field was much harder to figure out. Yet, it was not his choice but God’s. So, when he received the call for missions, he said YES to the Lord to serve in the land of Vietnam. He was convinced of God’s call, but it seemed that many were not as convinced. No one could blame them. He was such a nice guy to be dabbling in serious mission work. It was so unlike him. There were concerns and serious doubts on some people’s mind regarding the whole mission plan of Dr. Edgar. It had reached his knowledge and eventually made him feel insecure in his mission’s call. If he couldn’t convince the very people closest to his heart, then who else will believe him?
The answer was not a long way off.
One Sunday morning, he saw his name on the church bulletin along with the names of other missionaries. Beside his name was a designated financial support that caught his attention. It may not be a substantial amount but for him, it was worth more than the figure it represented. It was not only a sign from the Lord, but it was also an affirmation of the call of God in his life. He cried in praises and thanksgiving to the Lord that morning. At last, he received his peace to go… as a missionary.
The Lord was not yet through, though. He was about to do something that would change the hearts even of the most skeptic. He will provide for Dr. Edgar in a spectacular fashion… in God’s supernatural way.
About 60 kilometers south of Manila lived an accomplished doctor who was the head of a local hospital in Los Banos, Laguna. One day, he received a newsletter from Dr. Edgar, a fellow medical practitioner whom he met a long time ago. It came together with a host of other solicitation letters. They all went straight to the trash can and were not even given any consideration. That night that doctor had a dream. He saw the Lord and heard him speaking to him. The Lord made it clear that He wanted him to give Dr. Edgar financial support. The doctor woke up with the command of God still ringing in his mind so clearly. He searched through the trash can for Dr. Edgar’s newsletter to get the International Teams address. He then rushed to Manila and met with the IT people there. He narrated the dream to them after which he handed to them an envelope with a sizable amount of cash for and in support of the ministry of this missionary of God - Dr. Edgar. On the hallway of International Teams, he confided to the Regional Director of IT that he was not actually a born-again Christian, but he has the fear of God in his heart. He then requested that he be invited to the activities of International Teams so he would sense more the presence of God through the missionaries, like Dr. Edgar. The story spread around like wildfire, convincing everybody that it was God affirming His call to Dr. Edgar all right.
The story was then relayed to Dr. Edgar by phone. No one was able to see his reaction, but everybody knew that he shed tears of joy and thanksgiving. For who can ever witness the power of God and not be moved by it?
A few weeks later, Dr. Edgar has set foot on the land of Vietnam … living out GOD’S CALL in his life and enjoying it completely.
GOD will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him!
*Next Story: THE FAT VIETNAMESE POLICEMAN
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