Five Loaves and Two Fish

Five Loaves and Two Fish

In the last two months or so we have heard three sermons on “The Feeding of the Five Thousand”. I began to ponder what the Lord is trying to tell us. Why is He bringing us back to that so often? Is it just that going through the Gospels seems to be the “in thing” right now? Somehow, I think not. So what is it?

We are in the US for just seven weeks – not long enough to lease a car (get a phone line, cell phone plan, or internet service, either). Paul rented an Enterprise economy car for 23 days, reserving it on-line. We were up-graded twice when we picked it up. Nice car, plenty of room, satellite radio.

Paul was within 30 minutes of renting a car for five days in Seattle when one of our US colleagues offered us one of their cars. It was comfortable and roomy.

Now we are back in So Cal for 18 days. Once again Paul reserved an economy car on Orbitz. He fretted that it would be too small for our needs. After repeated comments from him, I reminded him that we are nearly always up-graded at the rental office and that God knows just what we need. We prayed together.

Off to Hertz we went Friday morning. Economy car. Didn’t have any. The Corolla could only be rented 3 days at a time. Hmmm. How about “that Mustang”. I about gulped. One of us mentioned that we needed to fit our luggage into it. “Oh. Well, let’s see…How about a Subaru Outback? I have one of those.”

Today as Paul and I loaded the crippled lawn mower into the back of the Outback we both commented how God certainly knew exactly what we needed!

I thought back to the sermons. Little boy has an economy lunch. Jesus fed 5000 men plus women and children. We had an economy car reserved – three times – and God gave us so much more.

Why the sermons? What’s ahead? I only know that God is our “Provider” and we are anticipating His meeting every need – with leftovers! His call to us is to trust Him and be faithful with all that He provides. Please pray for us.

Pastor Nestor

Pastor Nestor stayed after class one Friday to report on his medical condition - kidney stones. We have been helping with the costs. Then he told us he was planning to preach on life-dominating sin. He shared some of what was happening in his church that led him to this decision. We had a time of prayer together before he left. We received the following texts (edited from cell phone spelling!)

Ptr Paul, Good PM. I have a wonderful testimony... I preached last Sunday the issue of life-dominating sin. 30 persons got repented and recommitted themselves to the Lord when I made a challenge for an altar call. Tears are flowing and joy of grace was heard when they shout Hallelujah!
The wonderful thing is my wife and I discuss it Saturday night, we repent before God that night. We felt God’s favor by that night. Therefore it was also same favor that the church received last Sunday.
Thank you so much that when I pray for a minister’s life enhancement, God provide Life Discipleship program and thank God that both of you with Sis Patty were sent by God to become part of life and ministry.

Please pray for this gentle man. Pray that he may continue to lead his people into the ways of God, obedient to all that Jesus commanded us - Matt 28:20

Urging of God

Paul and I went to Starbucks this Saturday morning – a venti hot tea, our Bibles, and my laptop went together to make a full morning. After a wonderful time discussing the Word together we began to work on a presentation. I noticed a very attractive and nicely dressed young woman waiting to pick up her beverage. I chuckled because the price tags we still on the underside of her heels, very visible and detracting from the back view. My thought? I should tell her. No! That wouldn’t be right!

Later, she was waiting for the restroom and again I saw those tags – one on each shoe. Again, tell her. No, Patty! That’s not appropriate! She sat near us to wait and the urge was so strong that I got up and went over. She was very thankful and embarrassed, taking them right off.

Then it happened. She wanted to talk. She was raised Catholic as most Filipinos are. However, she has recently begun going to both Greenhills Christian Fellowship and Christ Commission Fellowship with Christian friends. She has read the book of John. I shared how God says in Hebrews 11 that first we must believe that God exists and second that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. I then explained that until we begin to really seek God, we cannot understand all that the Bible says because it is the Holy Spirit of God who teaches us. She admitted that she is confused by what Brown wrote the Davinci Code and is interested in a Bible study with me! We exchanged cell phone numbers. I promised I would pray for her and about when we could meet.

I did not realize it was the Holy Spirit bringing us together! What if I had hidden behind my embarrassment at telling her about her shoes or the fear of embarrassing her? I have certainly embarrassed my family by doing things like that before!

The Manuals are HERE!!

Flood Relief

Isaiah 43:2 – 3a – “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you, when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord you God.”

Paul and I are so blessed to have so many friends praying for us and for our daughter Pami as we work here in the Philippines at this time! We are seeing the hand of God at work.

My Facebook name is Patty Spencer Ellis. I am posting updates there.

We have had two good meetings with our pastors. The first was organizational and 12 area coordinators were selected. They have been busy contacting the other Life-Discipleship pastors in their areas to see what their personal needs are. The second meeting was held to get the reports.

Needs are great. Pastor Dan still has a foot of water in their home. He needs a kerosene stove so they can cook. Many other pastors in his area need similar help. His daughter made a video that is posted on my Facebook.

The typhoon death toll is over 600 and rising from disease. Pastor Rey’s son is critically ill with a flood-water-borne disease. I heard of two others today, one with kidney involvement already. I could go on.

300 bags of canned fish, powdered milk, bottled water and rice along with five big boxes of flipflops went out on Sunday afternoon at the church of one of our pastors. We have given out several very nice used study Bibles sent from churches in the US.

We ordered $2000 in relief – sleeping mats to get them off wet mattresses, tarps or cardboard, cooking pots and cups, plates, etc for 50 families. We will also have 20 single burner stoves. Delivery will be delayed until Tuesday because some items have sold out.

Pami has ordered medicines and supplies for basic medical needs resulting from the flood and remaining water. She has four doctors and another nurse to go to a needy shantytown near us Thursday. Two local pastors have set two sites up and will do the spiritual follow up. She has 9 more clinics planned before she returns to her hospital job in the US the 27th. She still needs doctors for next week and would appreciate your prayers. www.pamirn.blogspot.com

Classes are resuming this week. We appreciate your prayers for our stamina. Paul has picked up some kind of illness and can sing low bass right now. He feels good, however.

In the middle of all this, the 1000 manuals we have been praying for arrived at noon today! Duty free, too! It is a time for celebration!

How would you respond if you were waiting to cross the street and a motorcycle hit you?

Fely, the lady who cooks all the food for the three discipleship groups and helps me with the household needs, was on her way home from work Monday night when just that happened. She sent me a text from the x-ray department of the hospital, but I was already asleep in bed!

Three pastors were already at our home when I read her message the next morning. Oh, no! Is she OK? The pastors, Paul, and I prayed for her. I quickly thanked the Lord that the salad was already made. “I can cook the rice. We will scratch the main dish because the recipe is in Fely’s head plus, Fely was going to the market on the way to work to buy the ingredients! Let’s see. KFC? Jollibee chicken? Hmmm.”

I ran up the stairs to get Styrofoam trays so we wouldn’t have to do dishes for the mid-morning snack and then I heard something absolutely unbelievable! Fely was at our house! With the marketing done! Wait a minute. She was hit by a motorcycle last night!

As the day progressed the story came out. So did her bruises.

The motorcycle was coming fast, skirting to the right around a vehicle as they commonly do. (Yes, drivers have to be very watchful for those two-wheeled menaces.) He hit Fely’s left side, knocking her to the ground so hard that she rolled several yards down the street! The good thing is that Fely had the left over rice from the week before and landed on the it – a lovely cushion!

The amazing thing is that the driver stayed put and has taken responsibility for the accident. All expenses (US$22 for the ER and the x-rays!) will be deducted from his salary. Knowing that, I instructed Fely to accept the company's payment for the hospital expenses, but to give that money to the young driver as she shared Christ’s forgiveness and concern for him. He knew it was from me, Fely’s employer. He will not accept the money, but he did promise to attend Fely’s church.

I have encouraged Fely to take time off and rest. She has not missed a day of work! She won’t even leave an hour early!

Back to my question: How would you respond if you were waiting to cross the street and a motorcycle hit you?

With a Grateful Heart - The story of GG

Here in the Philippines, a pastor’s wife is regarded as a pastora even though she may never preach. She is considered to be in ministry full-time and her church has very high expectations for her involvement in the church – even if she has a full-time job (often as a teacher) to support the family.

One of the wives in Batch 2 was just such a wife. GG is a full-time pastor’s wife, full-time mother of three, and full-time seasoned schoolteacher. She is the pastor’s wife who just “showed up” and stated, “I need this class!” She didn’t miss any classes, her homework was completed, and she readily shared in class.

GG and her husband recently came to visit us and shared the following amazing story:

First semester had just finished when, due to mismanagement of funds, the school laid her off. She came to class the very next week. After studying about half the lessons, GG and her husband began teaching the material in their church and seeing the real growth they had been asking the Lord for. We finished the classes the end of April and one week later the school called to ask if she could report to work immediately!

GG and her husband believe the Life Discipleship class was a divine appointment. Because she was unemployed and her husband’s income is very small, she received assistance with her travel expenses each week. Before they left the day of their visit, they gave us an envelope containing enough money to cover 13 weeks of her transportation money and the instructions that this money was to be used to pay someone else’s travel expenses!

Transportation subsidies for the current 25 pastors/wives amount to nearly $100/week! If you, too, would like to help a pastor or his wife pay their transportation to class every week, please visit www.actionintl.org/index.php?page=contact_us. Please also make a comment on this page so we can be sure to use your gift for this purpose.