"Sister Lota, Sister Lota . . ." It was Alex our neighbor calling my mom from our front yard. I went out to meet him and saw that he was carrying a pot. "My mom cooked pancit (stir-fried noodles) and would like you to have some of it." I was so surprised and touched because it was not a small pot. Its contents may last up to three meals, I thought excitedly.
Pancit plus more
Before Alex came, we had just finished saying grace over one big bowl of garlic fried rice. That was supposed to be lunch and any left unconsumed would be part of dinner made up of steamed rice and soy sauce. We never did have that thanks to the Ulep's delicious pancit.
No one knew that our family was in a season of financial difficulty and that the only food in the pantry were condiments. Our refrigerator was empty except for bottles of water, leftovers, and more condiments from fast food restaurants. After paying all the bills, we were left with rice just enough to cook for the next three meals. We were in transition going through the process of leaving the military base where we lived, because Papa had retired from the Army and our house was going to be occupied by another family soon.
As Alex handed the pot he said, "We recently harvested rice in the province and mom would like you to have some, too." I thanked him profusely as I held the pot. A few moments later he came back with half a sack of rice - our supply for the entire month!
The Ulep family were our neighbors at the Army housing area. We've had prayer times and Bible studies together where Mrs. Ulep and Mama became true sisters in the Lord. I am still stirred when I remember how God used them to bless us again and again. You see, there were other times when they would send us merienda (snacks) which would turn out to be main meals for us.
Through them, God showed us that trusting Him was not in vain. God said in the Bible that He would never let us go begging for bread. By believing that, we reaped joy in experiencing His everyday miracles.
The Ulep family's kindness toward us was God expressing His love through His children. On that particular day, it was more than a pot of pancit but it was God's love in a pot.
It's been decades now and though most of them have gone on into heaven, Alex and I are in touch and I'm so happy for the blessed life he lives with his wife and kids.
Love comes
I was in a Zoom meeting this weekend and was reminded of God's omnipresent love. There is absolutely no escaping it - all the more so because we who are His children, called by His name and on account of Jesus Christ, carry His Holy Spirit within us.
If God is love, then His Spirit which is love resides in us. Wherever we go, we bring the love of God and His salvation through His Son Jesus. Whether at a church meeting, sports event, party, mall, cinema, restaurant, school, home, on a plane, ship, train, or bus, the love of God is present because of us, His children. Currently, 2.4 billion Christians are scattered on the earth and are enveloping it with His love. Mind-blowing!
Every act that we do is His love manifested through us. In our case, God's love came by way of Mrs. Ulep's potful of delicious pancit and different types of merienda. How about you? Perhaps, it's a cup of coffee, a kind word, a pat on the back, or a smile. Remember, whatever you do, it's His love working through you. God's love comes wherever you are.
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