153 Fish

Last week a wonderful group of believers from Lake Havasu, Arizona went with me to do a series of medical clinics in north-central Thailand.  We had been planning the trip for months, and then we were hit with a run of last minute changes just as we were getting ready to leave.  The church folks from Havasu handled the changes beautifully, but they were just as hard to take for our local Thai church planters as they were for our team.  Despite the changes, however, we  were able to do just as we had desired to do – we held mobile clinics and did English programs in 5 different villages and shared the Gospel with over 900 people.  After one great day of sharing the Gospel at the medical clinic and through the English activities, we worshipped the Lord together – the American team from Havasu, my Thai team from Bangkla, and local believers from the areas near the clinic site.  After several shared their testimonies of seeing God move in the hearts of the people that day, the local Thai church planter (we’ll call him Pastor Q) encouraged us with his testimony of how the Lord had chosen to bless him that day.  He said that the whole week prior to the clinic had been a strain.  Virtually every detail of our time with him had to be changed.  But the Lord encouraged him with the story of Jesus commanding the disciples to throw their nets on the other side of the boat.  Pastor Q said that he was encouraged to read that when the disciples fished on the other side of the boat – when they changed the plans that they had made, God blessed them with 153 large fish.  This story encouraged him all week long.  He said that as he busily made the necessary changes he kept being encouraged by the thought of the disciple’s 153 large fish that came as a result of their willingness to live with change.  Our day with him in an effort to reach his community for Christ was a blessing.  His neighbors came and many were moved to seek to know more about the God who made the world.  Finally, as the day ended, he  went to our registration table to see how many people had come to see the doctor and hear the Gospel that day.  We had seen 153.  Exactly 153 people.  God wanted to encourage Pastor Q – and us – that the changes did not thwart His purposes, but rather accomplished His purposes, and that the fruit of our efforts came as a result of His blessings on our faithfulness to His great Task.