Channels of God’s Blessings

Ten years ago, I traveled to the Philippines for the first time in pursuit of the question of how God sustains His people for His mission. I grew up in a small town in Central Illinois and later found myself living in Chicago doing urban mission. After six years of ministry on Chicago’s west side working at a homeless shelter, a few churches, a Christian high school, a hospital and an intentional Christian Community, I was burned out and wanted answers for how to continue doing urban ministry long-term.

In my seeking, the Lord brought me to a group in the Philippines called Companion With the Poor (CWTP) and provided the answer to my question: Simply be a channel of God’s blessings. Nothing more. Nothing less. The group that I stumbled upon, CWTP, is a group of 70 Filipino missionaries. They are a remarkable group of people who everyday serve as God’s hands and feet to the poorest of the poor throughout the Philippines. And their mission is simple – being channels of God’s blessings among the poor.

So many of my fellow Companions in the Philippines have very little in terms of their income/salary and material possessions. Many live on only $100 – $200 per month. But despite this, I have found that many of them will give more than half of their monthly income away to others in need. One time, a fellow Companion gave away 50% of his monthly salary within two hours of receiving it – all to one of his churchmates who was in the hospital because of dengue fever. When I confronted him on it, saying he should budget his money over the whole month, he questioned how I spend my monthly allowance. In that moment I was convicted by his example of love, faith and generosity. I wasn’t giving anywhere near the 50% that he had given away in a matter of hours.

This story, and many more, remind me that our generosity is intended to be a channel in which God’s blessings flow to others. We are given blessings (financial, material, spiritual, political, etc.) in order that we can be a blessing to those around us. This is best done in communities like CWTP or our church communities since others around us can sharpen us to be more generous each day. During the ten years of serving alongside the ministry and becoming a Companion With the Poor myself, I have witnessed the many ways God has used my generosity as a channel of his blessings and how God has channeled others’ generosity to bless me! I know I have a long way to go, but I feel like the Lord was on to something when He brought me to Manila and introduced me to this community that spreads the Good News of Jesus every day both through word and deed!

Bio:

Paul Rollet is a global servant serving in the Philippines with Companion With the Poor (companionwiththepoor.org) and International Ministries. He is an ordained pastor with the American Baptist Churches, USA, and holds a doctorate in Transformational Leadership from Bakke Graduate University. Paul is also married to Queenie, who also serves with CWTP and is a pastor at her local church. Paul and Queenie live in Montalban, Rizal (part of Metro-Manila) with a dog and two cats, and love serving as God’s hands and feet in the Philippines alongside the Body of Christ in the Philippines and around the world.