When God has $100
By Jane Bosman (Pastor Peter’s sister)
What happens when 10 women, with $10 each, get together and seriously give that $100 to God? When our Ten For Him group met for the first time, I know what I did NOT want…I did NOT want to be picked first. It’s so much easier when you can first see what other people do, how God directs them. When my name got picked I can honestly say that deep inside I was feeling a bit of panic. I tend to be a bit of a hermit over the winter, hibernating in my home and taking care of grandkids, as needed. Lately, there’s been a bit of travel, as well, so how am I going to find someone that God wants me to bless. Am I going to trip over them in a grocery store? Do I need to get out more, visit some restaurants, hit some highways and byways, change my ways…how in the world is God going to show me who to bless? Then I remembered that God is God and I’m only me and if I just ask, all I need to do is sit back and watch God do something…I didn’t know what, but that’s what I chose to do. And He did something…boy did he ever do something.
The week previous to our Ten for Him meeting, Jack had been requested to pick up a set of bunk beds and deliver them to a single mom. That’s all we knew, except that it was something that Kaylee arranged. Jack asked if I would come along and help with the bunk beds. He felt we could do it on our own and would not need to ask anyone to help us. We delivered the bunk beds to the fourth floor of THE WRONG BUILDING, realized our error and found the right place and that’s where we met Graciela and her little son, Alexander. Communication was a little tricky because of a language barrier, so we simply delivered the beds, and Jack set them up. I smiled and talked with Alexander a little, admired the pair of little birds they had, said goodbye and went home. I remember thinking that maybe this single mom is someone I could bless, maybe I could buy some Christmas gifts for her and her little son but I didn’t know anything about her or her needs. The next day, I received an invitation to join Kaylee’s Facebook Page, Crossing Borders. I messaged her (told her she could not discuss my request with her mom since Liz was in our group) explained my need/ability to bless someone with $100 and did she think Graciela would make a good recipient. Her response was: “This is awesome! I think Graciela would be a great candidate. As you know (I didn’t), she is in the process of being reunited with her children.” This is her story: Graciela arrived at our office on February 14, 2011. Her story begins as a victim of extortion, recipient of multiple death threats by corrupt and criminal persons in Guatemala, as well as a victim of marital abuse for over 7 years. She was forced to flee her home in Guatemala, leaving 3 of her 4 children behind in the care of her mother. What led her to our office was a journey of fear and tremendous courage.
She made a refugee claim in Canada and was accepted on December 19, 2012. Finally, a glimmer of hope after countless years of despair. As she called home to share this news with her family, she was informed that her mother, and main caregiver to her children, had passed away. The children had been split up amongst the family as no one could afford to care for all of them. Grieving the loss of her mother and fearing for the emotional instability of her children, Graciela once again was overcome with a sense of hopelessness.
Upon arriving to Canada, there is nothing more Graciela has wanted, than to be reunited with her children. After almost four years of separation, the children have finally been accepted to come! All the paper work is in and the children have received their visa's to travel! The only thing holding them back from being reunited before Christmas is the cost of 2 tickets from Guatemala to Canada with escort services to ensure the children's safety.
Kaylee said, “She does not currently have enough, so this money could go to that.” I love enthusiasm, but seriously? Did God really just want me to put $100 into a pot that would eventually, hopefully, grow to enough to send two kids from Guatemala to Canada? I didn’t think so but that didn’t mean I couldn’t talk to my husband and his partners about sponsoring these kids to come home, maybe even in time for Christmas. Long story short, 18 year old Jonathan and 17 year old Estafani are coming to Canada and being reunited with their Mom, in time for Christmas!!
OK, but I still have my $100…now what do I do? Back to the Christmas present idea. Talked to Kaylee again and ask her what are some needs. Well, these kids are coming from Guatemala. Winter coats and boots would be a good start. Yikes! Two winter coats and two pairs of boots…will $100 cover that? As it happened, I received an invitation on Facebook to a Community Sale from someone who is moving to Guatemala to do missions work. They have 8 kids and a lot of stuff, including winter wear, etc, everything needs to go and they are needing to raise funds for their trip. I messaged her and after finding out Jonathan and Estafani’s sizes, asked her if she might have some boots and or winter coats/clothing that would fit them. She invited me to come and see what there was and she would set some stuff aside for me. Well, that was Monday, Dec 1st. I was so excited all day because I just knew God was going to do something awesome. I was not wrong! After Gloria and I went through what she had set aside and I told her the whole story of how God’s $100 brought me, literally, to my knees on her living room floor looking at bins and bins of clothing, she shared her initial response to my request. She told her husband that the request must be a God thing because the sizing that I asked for was the only sizing she had held on to and hadn’t sorted through and sent out to the sale. She was not going to request any money from me but just allow me to do what I could. So, what did the $100 do? I left Gloria’s house with my car so full, there was no room for more. I have four bins of beautiful girls winter clothing, a large suitcase stuffed full of boys winter clothing, I have a box full of books, I have board games that are in brand new condition that are going to be wrapped up for Christmas. I have two winter coats, with snow pants and boots and at the very end, she handed me a gift bag with Party Lite gifts so that Graciela would have a Christmas gift, as well. I am overwhelmed, humbled and in awe at what God was able to do with $100. Talk about multiplication! Sometimes, $100 does not seem to be a lot of money and won’t go very far. I have just been taught that in my hands, that’s probably true. But give that same $100 to God and allow Him to do something with it? That is what I call Spiritual Math…now you know why I stood on the verse Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever AMEN”
Just an added note, on Dec. 15, 2014 Jack and I had the privilege of going to the Toronto Airport with Graciela, Alexander and Kaylee to pick up Jonathan and Estafani. Merry Christmas!!
By Jane Bosman (Pastor Peter’s sister)
What happens when 10 women, with $10 each, get together and seriously give that $100 to God? When our Ten For Him group met for the first time, I know what I did NOT want…I did NOT want to be picked first. It’s so much easier when you can first see what other people do, how God directs them. When my name got picked I can honestly say that deep inside I was feeling a bit of panic. I tend to be a bit of a hermit over the winter, hibernating in my home and taking care of grandkids, as needed. Lately, there’s been a bit of travel, as well, so how am I going to find someone that God wants me to bless. Am I going to trip over them in a grocery store? Do I need to get out more, visit some restaurants, hit some highways and byways, change my ways…how in the world is God going to show me who to bless? Then I remembered that God is God and I’m only me and if I just ask, all I need to do is sit back and watch God do something…I didn’t know what, but that’s what I chose to do. And He did something…boy did he ever do something.
The week previous to our Ten for Him meeting, Jack had been requested to pick up a set of bunk beds and deliver them to a single mom. That’s all we knew, except that it was something that Kaylee arranged. Jack asked if I would come along and help with the bunk beds. He felt we could do it on our own and would not need to ask anyone to help us. We delivered the bunk beds to the fourth floor of THE WRONG BUILDING, realized our error and found the right place and that’s where we met Graciela and her little son, Alexander. Communication was a little tricky because of a language barrier, so we simply delivered the beds, and Jack set them up. I smiled and talked with Alexander a little, admired the pair of little birds they had, said goodbye and went home. I remember thinking that maybe this single mom is someone I could bless, maybe I could buy some Christmas gifts for her and her little son but I didn’t know anything about her or her needs. The next day, I received an invitation to join Kaylee’s Facebook Page, Crossing Borders. I messaged her (told her she could not discuss my request with her mom since Liz was in our group) explained my need/ability to bless someone with $100 and did she think Graciela would make a good recipient. Her response was: “This is awesome! I think Graciela would be a great candidate. As you know (I didn’t), she is in the process of being reunited with her children.” This is her story: Graciela arrived at our office on February 14, 2011. Her story begins as a victim of extortion, recipient of multiple death threats by corrupt and criminal persons in Guatemala, as well as a victim of marital abuse for over 7 years. She was forced to flee her home in Guatemala, leaving 3 of her 4 children behind in the care of her mother. What led her to our office was a journey of fear and tremendous courage.
She made a refugee claim in Canada and was accepted on December 19, 2012. Finally, a glimmer of hope after countless years of despair. As she called home to share this news with her family, she was informed that her mother, and main caregiver to her children, had passed away. The children had been split up amongst the family as no one could afford to care for all of them. Grieving the loss of her mother and fearing for the emotional instability of her children, Graciela once again was overcome with a sense of hopelessness.
Upon arriving to Canada, there is nothing more Graciela has wanted, than to be reunited with her children. After almost four years of separation, the children have finally been accepted to come! All the paper work is in and the children have received their visa's to travel! The only thing holding them back from being reunited before Christmas is the cost of 2 tickets from Guatemala to Canada with escort services to ensure the children's safety.
Kaylee said, “She does not currently have enough, so this money could go to that.” I love enthusiasm, but seriously? Did God really just want me to put $100 into a pot that would eventually, hopefully, grow to enough to send two kids from Guatemala to Canada? I didn’t think so but that didn’t mean I couldn’t talk to my husband and his partners about sponsoring these kids to come home, maybe even in time for Christmas. Long story short, 18 year old Jonathan and 17 year old Estafani are coming to Canada and being reunited with their Mom, in time for Christmas!!
OK, but I still have my $100…now what do I do? Back to the Christmas present idea. Talked to Kaylee again and ask her what are some needs. Well, these kids are coming from Guatemala. Winter coats and boots would be a good start. Yikes! Two winter coats and two pairs of boots…will $100 cover that? As it happened, I received an invitation on Facebook to a Community Sale from someone who is moving to Guatemala to do missions work. They have 8 kids and a lot of stuff, including winter wear, etc, everything needs to go and they are needing to raise funds for their trip. I messaged her and after finding out Jonathan and Estafani’s sizes, asked her if she might have some boots and or winter coats/clothing that would fit them. She invited me to come and see what there was and she would set some stuff aside for me. Well, that was Monday, Dec 1st. I was so excited all day because I just knew God was going to do something awesome. I was not wrong! After Gloria and I went through what she had set aside and I told her the whole story of how God’s $100 brought me, literally, to my knees on her living room floor looking at bins and bins of clothing, she shared her initial response to my request. She told her husband that the request must be a God thing because the sizing that I asked for was the only sizing she had held on to and hadn’t sorted through and sent out to the sale. She was not going to request any money from me but just allow me to do what I could. So, what did the $100 do? I left Gloria’s house with my car so full, there was no room for more. I have four bins of beautiful girls winter clothing, a large suitcase stuffed full of boys winter clothing, I have a box full of books, I have board games that are in brand new condition that are going to be wrapped up for Christmas. I have two winter coats, with snow pants and boots and at the very end, she handed me a gift bag with Party Lite gifts so that Graciela would have a Christmas gift, as well. I am overwhelmed, humbled and in awe at what God was able to do with $100. Talk about multiplication! Sometimes, $100 does not seem to be a lot of money and won’t go very far. I have just been taught that in my hands, that’s probably true. But give that same $100 to God and allow Him to do something with it? That is what I call Spiritual Math…now you know why I stood on the verse Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever AMEN”
Just an added note, on Dec. 15, 2014 Jack and I had the privilege of going to the Toronto Airport with Graciela, Alexander and Kaylee to pick up Jonathan and Estafani. Merry Christmas!!
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