Today I was blessed to be in a class taught by Sis. Marietta Fuentes. Her husband is the bishop of Chili, and her lesson was about impacting our own little world.
It was a very good lesson, but not the point of this post. What I want to speak to are her opening remarks.
Sis. Fuentes told of an incident many years ago involving Bishop L.A. Parent.
One must first understand that the Apostolic Church of Auburn Hill, MI, (Pontiac) has always been a mission minded church and it stems from the visionary leadership through the years, beginning with Bishop L.A. Parent to the present.
It was with this heart for missions that Bishop found himself in Brazil. While there, he had a dream about Chili, a place he had never been before. In the dream, he was baptizing many Chileans in Jesus Name.
He asked the elder in Brazil if he knew any ministers in Chili, and he said he knew three non-Apostolic.
Bishop and the elder made the journey to Chili where they came in contact with a man who would later be the FIL of Sis. Fuentes. He was AoG, however, not fully comprehending what it was all about.
Bishop Parent preached to him through the interpreter, and the elder Funetes wanted to be baptized In Jesus Name.
When they took him to the pool for baptism, Bishop Parent began to weep, and said that this was the exact pool he had been shown in the dream.
Today there are an estimated 280 churches in Chili under the unbrella of the Apostolic Church of Pontiac.
As I sat there this morning, I began to ponder this...what if Bishop had brushed it aside as "just a dream" and not responded?! Surely God would have spoken to another, but how can we know that for sure?!
How does one know what is just a good and edifying dream about baptism and when it is God directing our steps?!
What happens to unfulfilled dreams and visions and to those to whom they are given?!
Gives me pause as I wonder how many have ended up ship wreck because they did not, could not, or would not heed the call or because they allowed self will to get in the way.
Is this too heavy for a Sunday afternoon?!
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