Still...a small voice

LOAVES & FISHES

Aren't these the most beautiful loaves of bread and baskets of fish?

I know what you're thinking.......8 posts and she's already lost her mind. Well, that's not too far from the truth....I mean the part about losing my mind.

Seriously, to me these are loaves and fishes. They may look like backpacks and blankets but they are a true sign of God's faithfulness, same as that famous lunch of "bread and sushi"

Here's the story.......I have 7 family members who will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Guatemala. They are going as short-term missionaries, taking time to give of themselves to meet the needs of others. Well, as you know from previous posts... I am all about that.

So, I was sitting here in my humble abode and I was spending some alone time with God, and I felt compelled to do something for the people of Guatemala. I really felt a tug on my heart to give a monetary donation.  We are not wealthy people, and it is not always easy to give, especially financially, especially this time of the year. Regardless, I dropped a note and a small check into a card and sent it off to my family who would be going on the trip.

I didn't give it much thought, until I received this photo as a text message. At first, I had no idea what it was. The message said "Call me" So guess what I did, I called my aunt. Turns out that this is a picture  of 16 backpacks, 15 blankets, 20 cooking utensils ( while in Guatemala they are going to be installing stoves for some families), and 8 reusable shopping bags. 

OK.....cool? Not sure why she was so excited until she told me. These items were what she had purchased with the check I had sent to her. She had decided to take the money and to buy the things that the people of this country would need. She wanted me to "see" what my gift was going to do for those people.

What I really saw, was how faithful our God is. He took the small gift that I had given and He multiplied it, over and over.

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people...Luke9:16

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.....Luke 9:17 The most amazing words in these 2 verses..."He blessed them". God performed a miracle right there in the midst of the multitudes. He took the lunch of a young boy and he blessed it and multiplied it. Because that young man gave with an open hand and an open heart, the masses were fed that day, both physically and spiritually. Did I mention how much $$ I actually gave in that check?? How much do you think that it took to purchase enough items to bless 59 people??? $100...... Yep that's it. I wrote a check for $100, I sent it off and I forgot all about it. The Lord took that small amount and he multiplied it. He took my meager donation and used it to bless the multitudes. To begin, 59 people of Guatemala will receive a gift from the American Missionaries, but then I believe that there will be a "ripple effect". Each of those recipients will tell other's about the blessings and so on...and so on. I am in awe of how God can take a little and make it more than enough. In that story, we notice that God not only feeds the masses, there's 12 basketfuls of leftovers....Haha I love this, He doesn't just provide enough, He even provides leftovers!! I am keeping this photo on my phone, it's a reminder to me that He can do so much with so little. Whether you are giving your time. your talents or your finances, keep this thought in mind. No matter how insignificant you may feel your gift is, when it is given with an open hand and an open heart, it will be blessed by God......there will even be leftovers!!!!! Now, go back and take a look at the photo, do you see the bread and fish? Amazed and In Awe, Shelly