Warning: This is a long one, but it’s worth reading to the end! 😉
One thing we’ve had to adjust to on the race is living in community as a married couple. It has its challenges, but overall, it’s been great so far! We have so much love for our squad and our team, and being surrounded by so much love, encouragement, and laughter is blessing us and our marriage beyond measure! We are also so grateful that our leadership encourages us to be intentional about getting away at least once a week to have time alone with each other.
So, last Friday night, we did just that! Justin and I had an opportunity to sneak away for a few hours for a date night, and to be honest, after a long week and morning of ministry, we were not feeling it. We were exhausted. We sat at the edge of our bed after lunch, looked at each other in exhaustion, and I asked, “What if we just sleep for our alone time?” He responded with, “I’d be just fine with that.”
But, we knew we needed to be intentional with this time together, and enjoy one another’s company. So, we mustered up every ounce of energy we had and ordered a Grab to come pick us up. After three failed attempts with drivers cancelling on us, we almost threw in the towel and said we would just rest and have dinner with the squad. No big deal. But, just as we were about to give it up, another driver accepted us and actually didn’t cancel the pick up. So, we were off to a night of walking around a night market and eating at California Pizza Kitchen! Yum!
After dinner, we went to an ice cream shop, got dessert, and noticed it was getting late, so we decided to head back. While Justin was trying to get a Grab, I was sitting on the stairs outside in front of the market. A young boy walked by, looked at me, stopped, and held up an arm full of garlands. He pointed to me and back to what he was selling, as if he was asking if I would like to buy some. I smiled, shook my head, and said, “No thank you”. He forced a smile back and understandingly nodded, and walked away.
I continued to watch him as he walked away, because I felt like something was wrong with him. He appeared to be very discouraged as he walked with his head down and shoulders slumped. I watched as he found a spot on the steps about 20 feet from me. He sat down, leaned back against the wall, threw his face up to the sky, exhaled deeply, and almost looked as if he was asking God, “Why?”.
Obviously, this is the moment that my heart didn’t just feel like something was wrong with him, but it knew. My heart began to pound because I knew that I had to go talk to him and make sure that he was okay. I believe this urgent feeling that I had to go talk to this boy had to be from God. Because normally, I never continue watching someone after I tell them I am not interested in buying what they are selling. Like most people, I awkwardly looked away as quickly as possible, determined to not make eye contact again. But this time was different. I sat there and fought the internal battle that I have come to know all too well. That battle when you know that you are supposed to do something, and you just really aren’t feeling it… which also leads me to believe that this had to be God, not just me being a softy.
Justin came and sat next to me and said, “Our grab will be here in five minutes.” I felt an urgency rise up in me, and I knew that if I was going to talk to him, I had to do it right then. I responded with, “Okay, well I’ve got to go talk to this kid.” Justin looked confused as I got up and walked over to the boy, but soon followed my lead. I sat next to him, and the conversation that took place over the next five minutes, was one that could have only been set up by God.
It turns out that Chester, who is thirteen, had been out all day trying to sell sampaguita garlands, which he spent many hours making. A sampaguita is a flower. It is a sweet-smelling flower that can be used for perfumes and tea, but is more commonly used in the Philippines as adornments, garlands, crowns, and even offerings in the church. Being the national flower of the Philippines, it symbolizes purity, simplicity, and humility. It is usually being sold outside churches and on the streets by children who are less fortunate, and have to help provide for their families.
After being out all day long, it was 9:00 at night, and Chester still had over 30 garlands to sell. As his flowers wilted and as the people in the market dwindled, he was losing hope. We’ve learned that if children are out selling things for income, they won’t go home until they sell the very last one because they don’t want to disappoint their families. So as you can imagine, Chester knew he still had a long night ahead of him. He was tired, he was discouraged, and as we spoke with him, his eyes welled up with tears.
Justin and I asked if we could pray for him, and he said yes. We asked if there was anything specific that he would like prayer for. He immediately said, “My dad”. It turns out that Chesters father is very sick. This is why he has to be out working for his family instead of enjoying being a kid. We prayed with him, and as Justin was praying, I opened my eyes, and looked down at the garlands, and immediately heard, “Buy all of them”.
Now, I like to be mindful when I say that I have heard from God. Because I never want to say that He has said something, that He indeed did not say. But, scripture teaches us, that if we have accepted Christ as our Lord, then the Holy Spirit lives and dwells in us here on earth. He leads us, guides us, and can speak to us in many different ways; like through scripture, prayer, songs, other people, etc. And then there’s the “still small voice” that people talk about. It’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it honestly. So let me first say that I have never heard the audible voice of God. For me, the voice of God is like a thought going through my mind paired with a feeling that I can’t really explain. After several years of walking with God and praying, I’ve learned what His voice sounds like, and I have learned how to recognize it apart from my own. There are times when it is hard to distinguish whether it’s Him or me, but.. then there are moments, like this moment, that you know it’s God. Because why would my mind say “Buy all of them” when I had no use for 30 plus garlands?! And why would I want to spend money on that?
I wouldn’t.
As soon as Justin finished praying, our grab driver pulled up. Justin looked Chester in the eyes, put his hand on his shoulders and said, “Chester, God loves you, and He is mindful of you! May God bless you, buddy!” and proceeded to give him 20 Peso’s to buy 3 of the garlands to help him out.
Now, here I was facing another internal battle. Would I speak up and obey the four words I heard? Or, would I take the easy way out and do what I wanted? The decision wasn’t a hard one to make, because I knew that I didn’t come to the other side of the world to say no to God, or to Chester. So as soon as we were about to run to catch our grab, I looked at Justin and blurted out, “We have to buy all of them!”. He looked at me like I had lost my mind because on one hand we were about to miss our ride home, and on the other I had no idea how much this would cost us.
But, without me even having to say anything else, it’s as if Justin knew that this wasn’t me. So he quickly got on board, and asked Chester how much it would be if we bought all of them. Chester looked shocked, and fumbled over his words for a moment as he quickly counted what he had left and tried to do the math. He eventually said, “160 Pesos”. Justin and I looked at each other and said, “That’s it?” That’s only a little over three dollars in U.S. currency.
Justin handed Chester 220 pesos and told him to keep the change. As Chester stood there in shock at this “unexpected blessing,” we told him goodbye and ran off to catch our grab that was actually beginning to pull off as we ran up. Talk about perfect timing.
So why did all of this happen? Well, I don’t know for sure, but I have some guesses.
Maybe God was showing Chester that he wasn’t forgotten or invisible.
Maybe He wants Chester to know that He is mindful of him and his situation.
Maybe God was showing Chester that He can provide all of his needs.
Maybe He just wanted to send Chester home to his family after a long day of hard work.
Maybe it was all of the above, or maybe not. I don’t know.
All I know is that I am grateful that God works in mysterious ways that I can’t really understand.
I am grateful that the Lord helped us to push past our exhaustion to go out that night.
I am grateful that our fourth, and what would have been our final attempt to get a taxi, was successful.
I am grateful that we happened to end up at the market where we met Chester.
I am grateful that I chose to listen, even when I didn’t feel like it.
I am grateful that God cares so much about Chester, that He went to the extremes of sending two people all the way from America to sow a small seed of love into His life.
I am grateful that God gives His children unexpected blessings at just the right time.
I am grateful that Chester didn’t give up, go home, and miss his blessing.
Maybe you and I are a lot like Chester sometimes too…
Wandering around aimlessly, wondering if anyone sees us. Feeling tired, lonely, hopeless, forgotten, and just ready to give up.
But, just like God sees Chester right where He is… He sees you right where you’re at too.
You are not invisible. You are not forgotten. He is mindful of you, and your situation.
He’s willing to go to the extremes to get your attention.
And if you keep pressing, keep pushing, and don’t give up…
He is bound to reveal Himself to you in the unexpected.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read.
-Tess
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
We are currently 95.04% funded! Praise Him! But, we are still $1,725 away from being fully funded. God has provided $33,075 in just 7 months, so we are not doubting His ability to provide the rest by April. If you feel led to partner with us, and want to help us stay on the field to serve communities around the world, share the gospel, and impact lives, then you can head over to our home page where you can give. We couldn’t do what we are doing without you all, so thank you!
