An Opposer of CHE is TRANSFORMED!
While visiting the home office, Rhodora Mendoza, Area Coordinator for the Philippines, shared an interesting story with us. When we are doing God’s work, and then experience opposition or sabotage, it is a call for us to hold firm and continue without giving up. It is God who has called us to His mission field and ministry. He will turn things around, so that His kingdom will continue to grow.
As Rhodora reflected about her time back home, she shared many stories with us about the CHE program and its impact. In response to one of our questions, she told us a very interesting story about a village called Igdalaqui, in Antique (pronounced – ‘an-ti-gae) province of the Philippines. An older woman in the village, Maria (not her real name), would often be called upon by the villagers to pray on their behalf whenever they faced problems. Maria is a Catechist connected with the Catholic church.
When Pastor Fred and the facilitators from MAI entered the village and launched the CHE program with the local leaders, Maria felt threatened. However, she stayed quietly in the shadows with her own strategy to counter the CHE program. As the CHE volunteers finished each home visit, Maria would visit the family too, and tell them to disregard everything that they had heard from the CHE volunteers. This kept going on until the CHE volunteers noticed that people in the village were avoiding them. Things had gotten so bad, that the CHE workers came to think that the village of Idalaqui was a lost cause and were ready to “shake the dust from their feet” and leave their work in the village.
Then one day, as Maria was lighting her petromax lamp, it burst into flames. She sustained severe burn injuries and ended up in the hospital. As soon as the CHE facilitators heard about this, they went to the hospital and prayed for Maria. The love, care and concern that she received made Maria repent for her attitude and behavior. In fact, she was so moved that she surrendered her life to the Lord. When she returned home from the hospital, she was a transformed person and stopped disrupting the CHE program in her village. The program soon grew, developed and became a blessing to many.
In writing to the Galatian church, the Apostle Paul says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
We hope that you will be encouraged by this story of how your support is working to extend the kingdom of God. Everywhere that the Lord leads Medical Ambassadors, we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Your partnership of prayer and financial support is a reminder of God’s faithfulness.
