NelsonNews Recently a friend sent me this story, an excellent illustration of how God so often works in our lives, so far above what we can even ask

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Recently a friend sent me this story, an excellent illustration of how God so often works in our lives, so far above what we can even ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20):

A few years ago, a king in the Middle East invited a pro golfer to play golf with him. A private jet was dispatched to fly the golfer to the Middle Eastern country. The golfer was treated like royalty, wined and dined etc. The golfer enjoyed every minute of it. When he prepared to leave and return to the US, the King told the golfer that he wanted to give him a gift. The golfer responded by saying that he had been a most gracious host. The king insisted asking the golfer what he might like. He collected golf clubs so the golfer suggested a golf club. On the flight back the golfer wondered what about the golf club – would it have jewels, or what? Two months passed and nothing. Then a special delivery letter arrived with the deed to an 18-hole "golf club."

In his heart a man plans his course (no pun intended), but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9. God gives us dreams and ambitions, but ultimately He guides us into doing it in His way. Since New Life Centre Church started in about 2002, holding services in a rented, abandoned government fish factory building, we have seen God work this way 4 distinct times.

God Provides Land. The New Life Centre Church ministry needed its own land and building for worship and other ministries. A man had 3 acres in a prime location but the price was far beyond our ability to pay. The church grew and a school for orphans was begun, all in the old fish factory. After a few years, God provided the funds through a gift, and we were able to buy those 3 acres, and later on a fourth.

God Moves Mountains. The man who sold the land to New Life Centre Church was a dishonest man. He had offered the pastor a nice, flat piece of land, but when the paperwork was finished, it turned out that he’d sold him the adjoining 3 acres, which was rough and hilly, unusable for our plans. The pastor did not resist, and we put up a temporary church building at the north end, on the only flat part of the land. After another year or so, a highway renovation project was begun to rebuild the badly degenerated highway to Sudan, which passes through our area. The road project needed a certain type of soil to build the new roadbeds for this project. The hills on our church land were that exact type of soil, so the company bought that soil from us, effectively leveling our church land at no cost to us.

God Fixes our Road. The road to our church from the highway was a typical rutted, unmaintained, dirt road. It was best accessed by four-wheel-drive. But when a government official started building himself a new house behind us, the government came in and rebuilt the road to his house – which happens to pass right by our church! So we got a brand new, smooth road to our land and church at no cost.

God Provides Electricity. We need electricity on the church land for income generation projects we have planned. But the cost was exorbitant. Recently the same neighbor began making plans to run a power line up to his new house. The location of his land means the power line would have to cross land owned by other people to get to him, and everyone he’d approached had either said no, or wanted money from him. Then he approached our pastor, who by now was living in a small 3-room house on the church land with his wife and 7 children. He asked to put 2 electric poles on the north end of the land, next to the road to his house, and near our “parsonage.” The pastor said, Sure, why not? And he thought nothing more about it. But a short time later, the government man called him and said, Get your house wired, I’m putting electricity in it for you! The poles and the electricity to the house effectively give us electricity to the church land for 90% less than we would have had to pay otherwise!

An addendum to this 4th miracle would be the manner in which the household wiring expenses were met. About 6 months ago the pastor had started a small piggery project with a sow and her 5 piglets. He was able to sell the 5 piglets for the cost of putting in the wiring, with some left over. The miracle part of this story was that a month ago someone had tried and failed to steal the pigs. Then only a few weeks ago, the price of pig food had escalated so high prior to the maize harvest that people were giving away their starving pigs. The pastor’s wife cooked up cassava, which was growing in their garden, and the pastor went around to local restaurants and asked for their leftovers each evening, and thus they saved their pigs. Then just one night before they sold the pigs to be able to get electricity in their house, a neighbor poisoned 9 pigs and numerous dogs in the village. But the pastor’s pigs were spared.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of The Holy Spirit. Romans15: 13

MARGARET NELSON

Uganda, East Africa

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