There are no accidents. Everything is designed by God.
I honestly didn’t know what I was thinking when I asked Mom to take me with her to a mission trip to Escalante, Negros Occidental. It was my sem-break and my most awaited time since classes started. I looked forward to sleeping late and waking up with nothing to do and just hanging out, resting, not thinking about work and probably plan a beach getaway. But God had a different plan for me.
Escalante, as I have researched on prior to the trip, is an epitome of what a real Farmville is like. Sugar cane plantations, dirt roads, goats and cows have nothing in common with me and I wasn’t sure how I could survive seven days outside Facebook and HBO. When the trip started with a cancelled flight and a four hour wait for the next available plane, I knew it will be the longest week of my life.
However, my perspective did a 180° turn as soon as day one of the scheduled 3-day seminar on Followership started. I came to Escalante prepared to do powerpoints, man the EasyWorship application and take pictures to document the event. What I didn’t know is that God prepared my heart to be humbled and blessed by what I saw and heard. I was in awe at how God’s hand moved in the simple lives of Escalante’s church workers. While I go to a 4-storey fully air-conditioned church building that’s carpeted, has dozens of function rooms, a cafeteria, a huge parking lot and a bookstore, these people worship God in a small cement structure raised in front of a farm field, with the smell of pigs and cow dung in the air; a heat stroke waiting to happen because of its steel roof and not even one electric fan in sight. But the heart of the people of Escalate, the heart that sings praises to God, the heart that is hungry for God’s Word, the heart that selflessly serves God and His people is just so overwhelmingly beautiful that I am afraid my words won’t give justice to how I describe the experience. It’s just so amazing that it brings me to tears up to now. And the group I came with overwhelmed me just the same. These were ordinary people – business men, housewives, students – who did not go through any formal theological school. They were just touched by God and is consumed with the love for the Father that they had the burning desire in their hearts to reach out to God’s people in Escalante and equip them for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. I know people won’t believe us when we say that the teachings they brought to Escalante was not taken from any bestseller book or spoken by any big time Christian crusader. The 10 Characteristics of Jesus that was discussed in the seminar were impressed by God to them through time, through their small group meetings and daily devotions. They compiled these ideas, assigned it to each member, and by mere life testimony ended up with something that will change the lives of many.
The mission trip did not just end with the seminar. We also visited other towns in Escalante for outreach and to tell them about God’s love and why Jesus was sent to die. Now this was where the hardcore mission experience started for me. Never in my entire life have I thought that riding at the back of a roofless pickup truck-like multicab in the rain, with mud sputtering all over my clothes will be so enjoyable. And it was only because of why I was doing it. It wasn’t for adventure nor the thrill of an open road trip. I knew I was doing it and enjoyed doing it because it was the only way to reach the inner towns of Escalante. It was for us to go to small shanties in the deep parts of town and speak blessing and words of encouragement to families of fishermen and farmers. It was to let them know how much God loves them and how they can have an abundant life through Jesus. It was overwhelming how warm they’ve accepted us and how open their hearts were to hearing the good news. God truly moved in those places and I know that He will let the seed that was planted to grow tremendously. I know that God will change the lives of those people for His glory.
And as for me – well, my sem-break turned out just the way God planned it: I slept late praying for Escalante and the works we were to do, I woke up with nothing to do but honor God through serving other people, I was hanging out with 12 different individuals being used by God to advance His Kingdom, I rested in God’s arms knowing that He is working in our lives and I never thought about work at home rather I worked for God.. and I even got my beach getaway as a bonus treat. God truly loves me.
There are no accidents. Everything is designed by God.