Doors, doors and more
doors.
Doing outreach for God
involves lots of doors – mostly closed doors. We always pray that God will show
us how to get inside those closed doors to share Jesus with those inside.
Here at PAFCOE, our
students have been finding that the health message really opens doors! These
are doors that would otherwise stay tightly closed. One student said, “I was so
inspired by the very people I did not expect would be interested in our health
survey. Two people came to do the health survey and after they were done, many,
many people started coming to us and began asking what we were doing and they
were so interested, even though it was raining very heavily. Health really is
the key into someone’s heart!”
Last week, the students
learned how to do health surveys and found them to be very successful. Then, if
they find someone who is sick, they offer to do simple natural treatments on
them to help them get better. These treatments are usually very effective and a
great blessing to the ones receiving them – and also to the one giving it, too!
One student said this:
“This week, we got to
do 2 treatments on our ‘patients.’ It’s so inspiring to see people smile and
have happy hearts because someone cared for them! Their smiles lifted my heart
and I am also gladdened. Indeed there is joy in serving others!”
Sometimes all it takes
is to get the right person interested and the rest will follow, as is the case
with this student:
“Our inspiring
experience this week is that we went out doing health surveys and hardly anyone
was interested. We tried and tried to show them the benefits of the health
survey, but they just weren’t interested. Finally we surveyed one man and he
enjoyed it a great deal! Then he offered that we do the health survey on each
of his family members (10 in all). Then he went to his neighbors and told them
that they should participate in this really great survey. We were so inspired
that God used him to help reach people that we couldn’t without him!”
At another place, our
students found they were the center of attraction! Here’s what one said:
“I see God’s love in
our outreach this week in the hearts of the people we are working for. I could
not imagine that these people will really accept our health survey offer to them,
but God had already prepared the people of this place where we went. We are
like sugar that attracts millions of ants. The people came flocking around us
and were so excited to see what we were doing. We had only one blood pressure
cuff, but we used it on so many people and they were so happy to learn more
about health!”
Though everyone was
busy treating the sick out in the community, some of the treatments had to be
given to the students and staff because they were sick, too! One student said,
“This week, it was Sunday and I was not feeling well. I felt so cold and was
full of aches. When the outreach came in the afternoon, my mind was in a turmoil.
I didn’t want to go out. The rain was pouring and it added to the reason of why
I didn’t want to go out. I fought with myself for awhile. Then I decided to go
out for outreach anyways. And that day, God gave us another interest to work
with! What a blessing! I’m so glad I went out!”
Another student said,
“I’ve seen God’s love to my classmates who showed their love and care not only
for me but for so many others. Many of us were sick this week and I have seen
how so many of the classmates willingly offered to help the others get well.
Truly God’s love can still be seen through His children. Others volunteered to
do hydrotherapy on those who were sick instead of doing their assignments. They
were so thoughtful!”
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| Student demonstrating how to do the hot foot bath. |
And of course, every
week we struggle with having so much rain that it makes it difficult to go out
on outreach. One student said, “I was so worried this week when we had a new
outreach territory and the rain was coming. As we were conducting our health
surveys, I could see the rain really was coming. My companions and I prayed
that the rain will stop so that we can finish our outreach and make it back to
the classroom in the evening without getting too wet. The rain slowed down and
we ran fast to the jeepney and praise God we didn’t get wet that day!”
And sometimes God sends
people to help encourage us along the way! One student said this: “It has
really been an inspiring week! One day a man opened the door to us and
amazingly enough, he congratulated us and said, ‘Continue the good work.
Continue reaching people!’ Later on that day, another lady said, ‘Reach more
people and reach those who never heard of God’s love.’ We never expected that
such random people will encourage us, but they did! It was just what we needed
because we were very cold and soaked from the heavy rain. God is so good!”
Yes, friends, the
health message really does reach those who would not be interested any other
way!
Health is the key to all those closed doors!
Use health and see what
doors God will open for you, too!
