We were all up late, preparing for this year’s AWA evangelistic series being held April 22-28 in San Vicente, Palawan. Laura was involved with getting all the craft supplies together for the kids. We would be holding meetings at four different sites with four different pastors from the States. Reaching the kids at the meetings is just as important as reaching the adults sitting inside the church. We wanted to make sure that we had a good program for them. We guessed that there would be about 20 kids at each site, but we decided to make copies and get supplies for 30, just to make sure there would be enough to go around.
Laura packed all the supplies into four bags for the teachers at each site. Raylene Espinosa ran around town buying glue, scissors and other supplies that would be needed. Friday afternoon the men and children all headed out to San Vicente to get ready for the meetings that would be starting on Sunday. Laura and Raylene stayed home so that they could still hold Sabbath School in our village with plans to join everyone on Sunday. It was good that they stayed behind because seven new kids came to church that day! Sabbath afternoon they received messages from the guys that, after visiting the sites of the meetings, two sites would have 30 children, but that one site would have 100 and another 200 children!!!! That was a problem. An awesome problem, but they’d have to get to work quick to compensate for the larger numbers.
Early Sunday morning, Laura and Raylene were on a public van traveling to the city. Everyone was praying for them, that they would be able to get all the supplies they needed, and get up to San Vicente; about three hours away, in time for the meetings. The main people of the office at the printer’s shop were gone because it was Sunday. A girl working there tried to get the printer to work, but was having difficulties with it. Laura tried to remain calm in the small, hot office as the girl kept going to the copier, opening the paper tray, straightening out the paper, and trying again to print. Laura could see that the problem was that the printer wasn’t “seeing” the computer. Raylene patiently waited outside, praying, then set out to the stores to try and buy more of the needed supplies.
Finally, another office worker was able to come and fix the problem. Praise God! After everything was boxed up and ready, they headed to the main terminal to catch a van. Just as they pulled into the terminal, the van they needed, fully loaded was pulling out! They decided to take a private van and, by God’s grace, they arrived just in time to make the first night’s meetings. Whew! God blessed the week with 43 baptisms and many children were impacted as well. GOD is truly GOOD, all the time. Thank you all for your prayers and support.
The van driver complained of feeling sleepy. Raylene was sitting up front, and so started chatting with him to keep him awake. She found out that he used to go to church, but hadn’t been in several years and his marriage was on the rocks. Raylene invited him to come to the meetings and he said he would! Because we had to go from site to site every night, we don’t know if he ended up going or not, but we all hope and pray that at least it got him thinking.
Sometimes it can be so easy to get frustrated when things don’t go your way; printers that don’t work, your ride leaving just as you pull in, and the hundreds of other stresses they had that day.
Fortunately “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” Romans 8:28. The verse doesn’t
promise that everything works out to be fun, or convenient, but it is all GOOD with GOD! We praise God for all the opportunities to touch others along the way and thank you for your support and prayers.
Edgar and Raylene Espinosa
