Happy to be Used!

“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18, NASB.

After a natural disaster destroyed most of the businesses in a Last Frontier city of the Pacific Rim, the business leaders asked relief workers to build a dormitory for their daughters. Before the businesses were destroyed the daughters would come in from the village and stay in the apartments above the shops. They would work at the family business while they attended university. With the shops gone, the daughters had no place to stay.

With relief funds, a dormitory for women was built. At the opening of the dormitory the mayor and provincial government officials attended along with several of the business leaders. The display of wealth at the opening was discouraging to Celeste,* the Pacific Rim worker who had overseen the building of the dorm. She thought, “These business owners had plenty of money to build this dorm. They just saw the opportunity to get the Westerner to pay for it.”

Later, as she shared with other believers that she felt sick about being used by the business owners, one brother said, “Yes, Celeste, they used you. And because they used you, you now have access to their daughters to teach them God’s word and to influence them while they are studying at the university. If they hadn’t used you, would you have had similar access to so many influential families?”

Celeste hadn’t thought of that, and for the first time since the opening ceremony at the dorm, she was happy to be used!

*Name changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

God will draw many of the women staying at this new dorm into a saving relationship with Jesus.

Believers working at the dorm will have many opportunities to influence the influencers of the entire province.

God will continually take things meant for evil and turn them to the good of His Kingdom.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.