HE SETS THE TIME AND OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE
HE SETS THE TIME AND OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE
By: Paul Lai
Translator: Agnes K Y Tai
Mrs. Lai and I took a flight to France over ten years ago. The outbound trip was very smooth, but due to a hurricane on the return leg, we had to stop at a place near Portland, USA to wait out the storm before getting a connection to Vancouver. The flight we’d arrived on was a small US airline and they provided us with accommodation and a simple meal. We waited for quite a long time without any certainty of when the next flight connection would be able to be scheduled and so we ended up having to stay at Portland for one to two days, awaiting a smaller airplane to take us back to Vancouver.
As we were waiting the first evening, we thought of a young brother from Portland by the last name of Leung that we were previously acquainted with and so we attempted to look him up in the local Yellow Pages. Since this stopover was not in our plans, we didn’t carry too much hope. But amazingly we found brother Leung’s phone number! When we called him, he himself picked the phone up! I thought it would simply be a greeting between friends within the Body of Christ but to my surprise brother Leung told me that he was also trying to contact me through various means, including seeking out Truth Monthly to no avail. Since the Pastor of brother Leung’s church had to go to China for a short mission that would span several months, he hoped that I could stand in for three months. I was convinced this was no coincidence but the loving arrangement of Father God. Father God let our trip be hindered, but by so doing He led me to have the opportunity to work and serve Him.
(Due to the condition of Mrs. Lai’s health, we could not be away for a continuous three month period, so I went for a month first and then went back to Vancouver to bring my wife to Portland again. Compared to others, we needed several more hours to drive from Vancouver to Portland, because my wife required stopping on the way for some rest.)
Brother Leung was working for an organization that served overseas Chinese at Portland and helped a good number of people. By God’s plan, during my three months’ service at Portland, I had a chance to preach the Gospel to a cancer patient by the last name Choy (Choi). When he heard the Good News he believed right away and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord.
After leaving Portland, I learned that brother Choy requested his wife to read the Bible to him, and this brother Choy passed away around half a year later. I learned that his son is now preparing to be a Pastor and studying theology, thanks to the Lord! Mrs. Choy is ministering at the church zealously as well. While my wife and I were in Portland, brother Choy allowed us to stay at his deceased mother’s home. At that time I was visiting patients frequently and preaching the Gospel to them.
This interruption of our plans turned out to be a Divine arrangement by Our Lord: He ordered the circumstances into place by His timing, allowing me the opportunity to serve!