The Loaves and The Fish

Our God is so full of unexpected plans and blessings! 

I recently shared the story of God leading me to sponsor a sweet girl in Honduras named Melania.  I tried to resist and convince God that sponsoring the one child I already had was plenty.  I told Him I wasn’t equipped to do more.  I shared with you how He made room in my heart and got me used to the idea of sponsoring both of those beautiful girls.  Like God has been telling me over and over again and even confirming through others: when you show that you are faithful in the little things, He will assign more to you.  Whether that be blessings, ministry, or anything else…be faithful with the little that you have been given, and it will show that you can be trusted with more.  Not always in your way or your timing, but your dedication will not be ignored.

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much." -Luke 16:10

This morning, I logged on to my World Vision child sponsorship account to find a new little face staring back at me!  I literally jumped back from my computer screen when I saw what I thought must be a mistake- knowing that I had only agreed to sponsoring Sulmi and Melania.  My first reaction was that something was wrong and they had assigned a child to the wrong sponsor’s account.  I was about to pick up the phone and call the organization when I noticed the child’s name- Aura Roseli. 

Aura Roseli isn’t just a beautiful name; it is a name I know well.  It is a name mentioned in all of my Sulmi’s letters.  Aura Roseli is my Sulmi’s sister!  Then it hit me- this was the sister who I sent in an inquiry about sponsoring over six months ago when I first found out she existed and never got a reply!  This was the sister who I had to lay in God’s hands and tell Him to do as He wished when I hadn’t received responses from World Vision about sponsoring her.  This was the child who I have been praying for since last summer and longing to actually see- the child who I'd decided probably already had a sponsor- the child who I had come to the conclusion wouldn’t be mine.  But there she was...

This wasn’t a mistake.  She was really mine.  She had really been assigned to my account without my knowledge.  Two weeks ago, I was the sponsor of just one little girl, like the majority of my friends are.  That alone was great and I was perfectly happy with one.  Now, all of a sudden, God had blessed me with the ministry of sponsoring 3 girls- sponsoring 3 girls on a very unpredictable income, having just turned 19!  If God hadn’t just done that work in my heart with Melania two weeks ago, I’m sure that thought would have caused at least minor panic on my part.  After seeing His provision so clearly with Melania though, and after being assigned this child that I had no control over, I couldn’t possibly doubt that He would take care of this, too.  I calmly opened my bank account and re-budgeted my money.  I was amazed to find that I not only had enough to cover all three sponsorships the whole way through the end of the year without cutting anything out of my budget, but also enough extra to send birthday gifts to all 3 girls!  It’s like the loaves and the fish really. In the bible, when there wasn't enough food to go around, Jesus used the five loaves of bread and two fish He was given to work with, and continued to break and multiply it until it fed over 5,000 people with some food left over. Jesus continues to break us, multiply us, and spread us out to more places and people and ministries than we knew we were capable of. Not only that, but like the story in the bible, there is still some left over!  It’s so beautiful! 

I am so amazed at His work that I can’t even entertain the pathetic thoughts that the enemy has tried to put in my head about it- that the money will run out, that people will think I'm crazy (as if everything Jesus ever did wasn’t crazy to those who didn’t understand), that Sulmi won’t feel as special if I sponsor both her and her sister….  As the enemy continues to throw these thoughts my way, I am reminded of Him who led this all to happen.  I am reminded that He is fully capable.  Not only this, but I am reminded that if He has this part of my life so under control, He is equally capable with the rest of it.  I would be a fool to ever worry again after seeing these plans come to pass.

One of my best friends jokingly said to me today, "You always said you wanted to have like...27,000 kids.  I bet you never expected God to do it like this!"  And you know, that is so true.  I remember just a few months ago, God showed me this verse:

"...I am doing something in your days- you would not believe if you were told." -Habakuk 1:5

And He's right.  I couldn't have planned it better myself.