Water Buffalo in a Covered Corral in Northern Brazil
Clenildo’s story starts here. Please note that I have changed a few names and identifiers, but the story remains true.
Chapter 2: Providence in a Cheese Pot
The Gift That Changed Our Direction
Three hours up the Louie River, two waterways opened before Pastor Clenildoās team like a question mark written in water. Which way to go? They chose the right-hand forkāonly to discover later it was the wrong one.
At the end of that channel, they found a bustling buffalo ranch. In the center stood a great steaming pot, curds rising and falling like white clouds in a steamy sky. The owner explained the cheese was already sold, but then paused, smiling: āBring me a container. Iāll share some from this new batch.ā
As he ladled out the creamy curds, he asked why they had come. āWeāre here to evangelize,ā they replied. āWeāre starting with the last man on the GuadanĆ” River.ā
The rancherās face softened. āOn your way back, come evangelize me, too. Iād like that. And by the way, you took the wrong fork. The GuadanĆ” is back the other way.ā
They left with four kilos of cheese, clear direction, and the knowledge that even mistakes can be divine appointments.
Sometimes Godās providence looks like getting lost. Sometimes His provision comes through a cheese pot. And sometimes the very person who redirects our steps becomes part of the mission.
(…to be continued).
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
“A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
Reflection
My momās cousin, Jake Barwich, carried a tragedy that saved his whole family. As a child in Russia, he ran into a wheat field with white-blonde hair and was run over by harvesters, losing both legs. Later, when the authorities finally allowed āthe sick, the old, and the handicappedā to emigrate, Jakeās condition opened the door for his mother and siblings to escape to freedom. They eventually settled in the Fraser Valley, not far from my immigrant family. Many of their relatives who stayed behind perishedāor were swallowed up by the gulags, the Soviet labor camps of Siberia. Jake’s mother often told their family, āSometimes the cross we bear becomes the bridge over which we walk to freedom.ā
What if God was just as intentional when Clenildoās canoe turned up the wrong fork, only to meet a man hungry for salvation? What if He was just as deliberate in Jakeās suffering, turning a devastating accident into the salvation of his family?
If that is true, and I believe it is, then whatever happens to you today, you donāt need to fear. You can rejoice, knowing that God is weaving your steps into His good purpose. Some answers may take years, and others you may never see this side of eternity. But you can still wake each morning with this truth: āToday will be a good dayābecause my Father walks with me, and He knows the way.ā
References
Jeske, Anneliese (Barwich); 2010, All Roads Lead To Home
Deanna’s Journey to Healing
So far, Deanna is staying the course. She underwent a MUGA heart test this week, during which dye was used to measure her heartās pumping strength. We donāt yet know the results.
Thank you for your prayers.
Prayer Requests
A fresh sense of Godās presence with us through thick and thin.
For increased church planting, raising up healthy communities that serve Jesus and their neighbors.
Complete healing for Deanna.
Correction: Uncle Henry only came once to work with us in Brazil. I thought it was twice, but I now remember we travelled in different directions on the same trip.
“Lucy and the big girls, at church.”
Lucy might be thinking, āThereās a lot I donāt understand, but this much I know: It will all work out fine in the end.ā
“May your heart be bursting with overflowing well-being this week.”
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