Recently a friend sent me a story written by the late Rev. Dr. Gordon Targerson, a pastor in Worcester, Massachusetts, who was crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship some years ago. He noticed on several occasions, a man sitting in a deck chair reading a Bible! One day, Rev. Dr. Targerson sat down beside him and said, "Forgive my curiosity. I’m a pastor. I notice you are a faithful Bible reader. I’d like to meet you."
After introductions, the man said, "I am Filipino. I was born into a good Catholic home. I went to the United States as a young man to study in one of your fine universities, intending to become a lawyer. On my first day on campus, a student dropped by to visit. He welcomed me and offered to help in any way he could. Then he asked me where I went to church. I told him I was a Catholic. He explained that the Catholic church was quite a distance away; but, he sat down and drew me a map. I thanked him and he left.
"On the following Sunday morning, it was raining. I decided to just skip church; but, then, there was a knock on my door. There stood my new friend and he was holding two (2) umbrellas. He said that he worried that I might not be able to read his map. So, he said he would escort me to the Catholic Church. I hurriedly dressed, thinking all the while what an unusually thoughtful person he was. I wondered what church he belonged to.
"As we walked along, I asked him about his church. He said that his church was just around the corner. So, I suggested that we go to his church this Sunday; and, then to mine the following Sunday. He agreed. However, somehow I felt so much at home in his church that I never got around to finding mine. After four years, I felt that Almighty God was leading me into the ordained ministry; rather than, the law! I went to Drew University Seminary and was ordained a Methodist minister. Then, I returned to the Philippines to serve in a Methodist parish. My name is Valencia - Bishop Valencia - Bishop of the Methodist Church in the Philippines."
Who is the hero of this story? It is the anonymous young man with "Twin Umbrellas." Thank God for these anonymous persons, who go the extra mile to be a friend to someone, and who share their "umbrellas" when there is wet weather, threatening to keep someone from the place he or she needs to be. Remember Andrew, one of Jesus disciples. We do not read that he became a great leader, like his brother, Simon Peter. But we do read that Andrew, after he found Jesus, went and found his own brother, Simon, and invited Simon to go with him to meet Jesus.
After introductions, the man said, "I am Filipino. I was born into a good Catholic home. I went to the United States as a young man to study in one of your fine universities, intending to become a lawyer. On my first day on campus, a student dropped by to visit. He welcomed me and offered to help in any way he could. Then he asked me where I went to church. I told him I was a Catholic. He explained that the Catholic church was quite a distance away; but, he sat down and drew me a map. I thanked him and he left.
"On the following Sunday morning, it was raining. I decided to just skip church; but, then, there was a knock on my door. There stood my new friend and he was holding two (2) umbrellas. He said that he worried that I might not be able to read his map. So, he said he would escort me to the Catholic Church. I hurriedly dressed, thinking all the while what an unusually thoughtful person he was. I wondered what church he belonged to.
"As we walked along, I asked him about his church. He said that his church was just around the corner. So, I suggested that we go to his church this Sunday; and, then to mine the following Sunday. He agreed. However, somehow I felt so much at home in his church that I never got around to finding mine. After four years, I felt that Almighty God was leading me into the ordained ministry; rather than, the law! I went to Drew University Seminary and was ordained a Methodist minister. Then, I returned to the Philippines to serve in a Methodist parish. My name is Valencia - Bishop Valencia - Bishop of the Methodist Church in the Philippines."
Who is the hero of this story? It is the anonymous young man with "Twin Umbrellas." Thank God for these anonymous persons, who go the extra mile to be a friend to someone, and who share their "umbrellas" when there is wet weather, threatening to keep someone from the place he or she needs to be. Remember Andrew, one of Jesus disciples. We do not read that he became a great leader, like his brother, Simon Peter. But we do read that Andrew, after he found Jesus, went and found his own brother, Simon, and invited Simon to go with him to meet Jesus.
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