Bagel can also talk

▲Sisters cherish food and happily choose bagels for their own use or as gifts.

Pastor Xu Dengqi, who was born in a rural area in western Taiwan, returned to Taiwan to teach after four and a half years of drinking foreign ink. He then crossed the ocean again and returned to the United States, where he pastored the Palm Beach Chinese Christian Church in the south. His genuine diligence and simplicity are like the hoe used by farmers, always hoeing out a fertile field on the available land.

About four years ago, the church pastored by Pastor Xu was building a church and needed to rent a church temporarily. When he was at the old church, the pastor attached great importance to the Love Feast fellowship after Sunday worship. However, the deacons assessed that there were no kitchens, no tables, no extra funds and other practical difficulties, and they would face the situation of canceling the Love Feast.

At this time, God opened a door and allowed Pastor Xu to pick up bagels from the factory and bring them back to the church every week. Everyone ate and took them and had a great time. Even though we no longer go to get bagels for some reason, during that time everyone established a pattern of dividing labor and preparing snacks to enhance mutual communication, which has never stopped to this day. The bagel ministry is considered a complete success, just like the days when the Israelites were eating manna. When the brothers and sisters were waiting for the church to be built and had no place of their own to worship and fellowship, they truly tasted the thoughtfulness of God the Father.

Cherish and make good use of the abundance God has given you

Speaking of that Sunday, the day before the church was about to announce that there would no longer be a love feast, a sister Zhang from another church asked Pastor Xu to come to her home to discuss the matter. Before the pastor left, Sister Zhang handed over a large bag containing nearly a hundred preservative-free, firm, large bagels with different flavors and asked, "Can the church use them?"

It turned out that the bagel factory run by her friend discarded nearly four to five hundred bagels every week. Any bagels that were unqualified in shape or color were immediately rejected and became garbage. The employees responsible for disposal grew up in poverty-stricken Haiti and know full well that the surplus swept away by rich countries is actually the delicacy that poor countries covet. He lovingly placed the bagels in the freezer and tried his best to find the best possible destination for these unfortunate bagels.

"Isn't this what God has prepared?" The pastor was excited! Firstly, there is no cost, and secondly, it is easy to prepare bagels in a place where renting is restricted. What makes him most happy is that it can continue the opportunity for brothers and sisters to communicate and enhance friendship after gathering. Why not? He immediately agreed.

With the bagels in hand, the brothers and sisters were inspired and took turns making several side dishes and snacks to accompany the meal. Later, creative meals such as dried bagels and bagel buns also appeared. After a while, everyone was not only full, but also able to take a few stored grains home, or distribute them to neighbors, or take them to other states for breakfast at camper reunions, or follow travelers as far away as Taiwan. Everyone was very happy.

Sister Zhang helped pick up bagels for her. After several times, the pastor agreed with her to go to the factory to pick them up himself to avoid causing her more trouble. The pastor made friends with the Haitian employee, who was also a brother in the Lord. He was very pleased to see that the bagels in his hands were in their proper place and he no longer wasted the food given by God. And Pastor Xu often praised and thanked him, carrying several big bags of bagels for the brothers and sisters to enjoy a full meal. Even the workers in his brother’s company and several missionary families shared the blessing. God’s work is always extremely beautiful!

▲Pastor Xu Dengqi, who cherishes kindness and repays kindness, is willing to convey the abundant physical and mental food given by God.

Share and deliver physical and mental food

Pastor Xu’s pastoral position is also God’s wonderful grace. He provides the pastor with gardening work in his brother’s company. He is responsible for communicating with customers and purchasing flowers and trees. During this period, there are always many opportunities to preach the gospel to all kinds of people. Pastor Xu's ambition is: "No matter what you do, preaching should always be your first priority in life." He often takes the opportunity to remind wealthy old people who come to the south to spend the winter to care about eternal life. As a pastor, I gained more trust from my clients and even confided my inner difficulties to him.

The pastor does not change his nature. He always helps this family and that family after get off work, and brings another kind of service. There are often customers who have ripe oranges, grapefruits and other fruits at home that need to be removed. Their concept is that an orchard is different from a garden. The fruits in the garden are for appreciation, and they must be picked as soon as they are ripe. They cannot be left to rot on the ground, grow insects, emit odor, and damage the landscape. If you want to enjoy fruits in the future, you would rather go to the store and spend money to buy them. At this time, the pastor's skills and enthusiasm come in handy again. Sometimes he works alone, and sometimes he leads a group of brothers to "go straight into someone's courtyard." He not only serves his "neighbors" (see Luke 10:27-37), but also Truckloads of fruit can be distributed to members for enjoyment.

Pastor Xu’s family was not wealthy when he was young, and he often thought that he had few gifts. But the heart that has tasted the grace of the Lord has a special feeling for the priceless "grace" received for free; with the determination to repay the debt of the gospel and the determination to cherish the kindness and repay the kindness, it never wants to fall behind others. When he sees others discarding things that are still useful, he will happily stand up and act as a mediator. People often ask him, how can you be so energetic and happy when you are so busy both working and serving? He always smiled naively and replied humbly: "God's blessings can be found everywhere. Everything is because of the Lord and everything is for the Lord. How can you not always be happy if you are grateful for everything?"

Chinese people quite appreciate the virtue of not wasting. Several elderly people from China have never forgotten the service of bagels and fruits. As a result, they softened their hearts, listened to it, and accepted the gospel.

If God wants to use it, bagel can also speak.

Americans waste an average of 1 pound of food every day.

In the United States, the amount of food thrown out from snack shops, supermarkets, restaurants, restaurants, etc. is staggering. According to a May 2008 New York Times report, an estimated 96.4 billion pounds, or 27%, of food enters landfills each year without ever being used. Among them, fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, cereals, and artificial sweeteners account for two-thirds. Let us pray that the Lord will give the churches creative ideas to make good use of these supplies to help more people in need receive God’s salvation and abundant blessings.

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Faith is true, a missionary, a preacher, and a teacher’s wife. I enjoy being a wife and mother, and I enjoy seeing people love the Lord wholeheartedly.