smoking the gospels

Gambarambi sat on the roadside near his home in Zimbabwe, talking with friends and smoking his hand-rolled cigarettes.  A Bible translator wanted to give a copy of the New Testament in the local language to Gamabarmbi.  Gambarambi just laughed and said it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to give him a Bible.  He would just tear the perfectly thin pages out and use them to roll more cigarettes.

This presented a quandary for the translator. He knew Gambarambi needed to read about Jesus, but he didn’t want the New Testament turned into cigarettes. As he prayed about it, he came up with an idea.

The translator told Gambarambi that he could use the pages of the New Testament for cigarettes, but only after reading each page.  Recognizing a free source for quality cigarette paper, Gambarambi readily agreed.

Fifteen years later, at a United Bible Society Meeting in Zimbabwe, Gambarmabi stood up to speak.  As he looked over the audience, he spotted the translator who had given him free cigarette paper. 

Gambarambi told the audience about the agreement he had made with the translator. He said, 

“I smoked Matthew, 

I smoked Mark, 

I smoked Luke, 

and I smoked John 

until I got to John 3:16 

and then I could smoke no more!”

Now, instead of smoking the Gospel, 

Gambarambi is preaching the Gospel.

*Taken from a story at https://www.facebook.com/WycliffeDiscover?fref=nf 

The unfolding of Your words gives light; 

Psalm 119:130

udto udto

A few years ago, while cleaning our house in the Philippines, I found a little snake in the living room behind our couch.  It was about 6 inches long, and very skinny.  I was pretty sure that it was harmless, but we captured it in a jar, and Michael carried it up to the office to ask the Filipino staff what kind of snake it was.   

 “Udto udto,” they told him; 

"it’s so poisonous, if it bites you, you won’t last 'til lunch."  

We learned later that they said the same thing about every snake anyone ever encountered there.  They were lovingly encouraging us to not take any chances with any snake.   

Let's encourage each other to not take any chances with any sinful thoughts, no matter how harmless they seem.  Thoughts of discontent, fear, ungratefulness or bitterness can become equally poisonous to our faith, and they must be taken captive, replaced with thoughts and words of thanksgiving, praise and trust!

  …we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ

 2 Cor 10:5

 

eyes at the window

One afternoon early last year, as I brushed my hair in preparation for a meeting at the office,  I sensed something was not quite right.  I turned around to find,  two feet away through the always-open window, an unfamiliar old Filipina woman watching me, her eyes pressed up to the window screen.  

photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thelightningman/5609066984/

She was on her way to visit my neighbor just behind our home, and she saw nothing strange in stopping to watch me brush my hair.  She was, after all, intensely interested in who I was and how I lived.

We talked for a few minutes, and as she left, I found myself wondering,  

“Are my eyes on Christ in that kind of focused way? 

 Do I long that much to know Him?   

Do I take any opportunity I can to gaze on Him, 

and focus on His Words?”  

Hebrews 12 tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”  What better way to grow our faith than by peering closely into the window of the Word, observing the life of Christ, seeing His promises to us, hearing His commands and His warnings?

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

Heb.  2:1

better than diamonds

Isko wakes while it's dark, and paddles out to sea 

where he gathers his morning catch of fish to sell at the market.  

On top of his basket of fresh fish, 

Isko places a packet, 

meticulously wrapped in plastic 

to protect it from the oils and smells of his catch.  

After laying out his wares in the market area, he sits back to wait for customers.  

And as he waits, he unwraps his packet, 

revealing a newly completed New Testament in Isko's native language 

which he eagerly reads during lulls in business. 

 "It's more precious than diamonds," Isko says.

 More to be desired are they than gold, 

even much fine gold

Psalm 19:10

*Isko is from the "E" people of S.E. Asia 

all fear is gone

Today I sat in the chair as my new dentist cleaned my teeth.

Yes, in these parts the dentist does that job.

As I sat, I realized how tense I had become; 

my fists were clenched, and even my toes felt taut.

It was then that my dentist began to sing out, 

 her voice muffled just a bit behind her mask:

"Because He lives,

I can face tomorrow,

because He lives,

all fear is gone..."

As she continued to sing,

I smiled somewhere between the suction tube and the clamps stretching my mouth wide,

that God had inspired my Filipina dentist to remind me

right there in the chair, to relax and trust Him.

Have you ever been surprised by the tools God has used to remind you to trust?

once upon a time it all came true...

Once upon a time...

there was a little six-year old girl

in a loving Filipino family who wanted to go to school.

Far away, on the other side of the world, 

there was a young American family 

of a daddy, a mommy, and two 3-year old girls.

They wanted to share God's love.

Through Compassion International,

that little Filipino girl's dream

and that little family's love

came together,

and Abegail started school.

One day, ten years later,

God sent that very same family,

now with two 13-year old girls

and a 9-year old boy,

across the world to work

at the opposite end of the very same country 

where 16-year old Abegail still went to school.

After many years of hard work,

dedicated study, and God's goodness,

Abegail graduated this month from college, 

with a 2-year degree in Information and Communication Technology.

And today we met for the very first time,
 this very same family, and this very same Abegail,

to celebrate God's love

that made all of this

come true.

at the airport with Abegail, her father, and the Compassion program director

We headed to the beach, a quiet spot to get to know one another.

Three beautiful young ladies

The trip was a series of firsts for Abegail;
her first time to fly in an airplane,
 first time to take a boat ride,
first time to hold a starfish,
and first time to meet Americans.

Abegail's first time to snorkel

Abegail is beautiful, inside and out.
When she expressed thanks to us for partnering with her
to get an education, she gave the credit to God -
right where it all belongs.

Compassion International has not only worked to minister to Abegail's material needs,
but more importantly to her spirit,
guiding her toward a knowledge of God and His Word,
and she's quick to acknowledge His goodness in her life.

lunch together on the beach

What a fun and wonderful day it was! Thanks be to God for such an incredible privilege.

 God bless and keep you, Abegail,
all the days of your life.

at dinner together at the end of our day, when Abegail presented us with a box of photos of her and her family

Would you like to have an amazing true story of your own?
Consider partnering with Compassion to sponsor
a little child who has the potential to become a young woman or man of God...
you never know how God might work!