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![[David Gates]](../images/david.jpg)
SUBJECT: A Call to Sacrifice
AUTHOR: David Gates, his wife Becky, and three of their five children - Katrina, Carlos, and Kristopher, work together in a medical aviation program in the jungles of Guyana, South America.
DATE: September 28, 1998
Dear Family,
"It is not what you give, but what you have left", said the preacher on the radio as I drove down to Miami en route to Guyana. Dan Peek, an electronics engineer, and I were taking down satellite receivers for Net98 (NeXt Millennium Seminar) and some equipment for the proposed new TV broadcast station in Kamarang.
Our 3-week agenda was very heavy. Dan was to clear the satellite dishes from customs and install them at two of our churches in Georgetown where they were to remain until after Net98. I, in turn, was to use the plane to provide medical and development support to our 8 villages, as well as coordinate the opening of our new industrial secondary school in Paruima, the Davis Indian Industrial College.
Leaving Dan doing the laborious custom's paperwork, I began a heavy flight schedule moving patients, fuel and oil for construction, and school board members. The villagers were so happy to see the plane again, especially at Phillippi where during my 3-week absence, they had 8 persons die from malaria. The new stocks of fuel and oil put all our 4 chainsaws back at work full-time in cutting lumber for the Paruima school and Kamarang TV station building. The work done during my 3-week absence encouraged me greatly. Our first school building was finished and the main structure for the second was already put up. In Kamarang, all the lumber necessary to complete the new TV station building was in place, necessitating only the date to begin construction.
With funds on hand, I paid the wood cutters their wages for July, but did not have enough to cover August wages. I assured the men that before I left, I would settle for August and part of September. Having seen God's intervening hand so often before, I did not doubt that sufficient funds would come in to meet my promise. However, as my departure date approached, I grew somewhat apprehensive over the fact that donations were nowhere close to the amount needed just to break even. In summary, I was needing about $1,500 to pay August and partial September wages; another $1,000 for the aircraft fuel bill; $1,500 for roofing and construction materials for the TV station, and $1,000 for our second Net98 satellite receiver. It was Thursday, and we only had $1,000. Friday was the last banking day, and our departure was Sunday night.
With my back to the wall, I took the $1,000 on Thursday morning and flew into the interior for the weekend. I did not intend to return to town until Sunday. During that two-hour flight into Kaikan, I kept wondering how God was planning send me another $3-4,000 within 24 hours. Even an additional $2,000 would resolve the immediate wages and materials problem and give me a few more days to pay the fuel and satellite receiver bill in town.
The absolute absurdity of the situation almost made me laugh, except I couldn't. I was flying 200 miles deep into the jungle with $1,000 and expecting God to send me another $3-4,000 by tomorrow. Where I was going there was no bank...no flights scheduled to come in...and certainly no human possibility of getting several thousand more in cash. The 'extremity' of the situation surely had to be God's opportunity.
After I landed in Kaikan, a miner approached me with a desperate need to fly to Georgetown. I promised to try to get him to Kamarang where he could catch a commercial flight. "I certainly am not planning on flying back to Georgetown tomorrow!", I stated emphatically, "However, I will give you the best I can, and that is a trip to Kamarang in the morning when I go." That night my Amerindian assistant, Claude, and I talked about the financial difficulty we were in and prayed together about it, asking for another miracle. We slept well Thursday night.
At 4:30 am on Friday morning, I awoke and spent some time in prayer. I once again placed our financial need before the Lord. I reminded the Lord that "the laborer is worthy of his hire", and that I couldn't ask them to dedicate their full time to cutting lumber without giving them a way to feed their families. Either I would need to pay them, or I needed to free them to go work on their farms.
"Use the money you have," God impressed my mind. "What money do I have?" I asked. "You have a check from the sale of your notebook computer. Use that," the impression continued. Our newest volunteer teacher, Pam Nickel, had arrived without a notebook computer, and had asked me to buy one for her like mine with funds from the sale of her car. Instead of taking my computer back to the US and returning with two notebooks, I proposed that she buy mine, and then I would simply purchase another one for myself. Pam had happily agreed. For over 15 years I had bought and sold my notebook computers, and had been very careful to utilize them solely for computer replacement only. I use my notebook for email, reports, digital images, web page development, finance records, etc. I knew I couldn't live without a computer! Now God appeared to be threatening my assumption.
"Now hold it right there, God. Surely you know the importance that a computer holds in my work. Surely you can't possibly imply that I should use my computer money for wages, and then leave me without a computer. In fact, unless you clearly 'prove' to me that this is what you want me to do, I cannot use those 'sacred' funds for anything else other than the re-purchase of a computer." The thought crossed my mind, "How can you expect others to sacrifice to send you funds, when you yourself are not willing to give until it hurts?" This was followed by a string of Bible promises..."Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.", "For my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus.", "He who has called you is able, and He will do it.", "For she hath given all that she hath.", "For God loveth a cheerful giver." I was also reminded that "God has a thousand ways to provide for our needs of which we know nothing."
OK, I was convinced. God wanted me to use the computer funds to pay the bills. It wouldn't be completely sufficient, but would at least meet the most urgent needs. I was going to have to trust the future purchase of a computer to God. If He wanted me to have one, then He would get me one somehow. I felt like Abraham being asked to sacrifice his own son. Once I made the decision to give, I felt at peace about it but was feeling quite low as I immediately made plans to fly to Georgetown to the bank. I sent word for the miner to quickly come up to the runway for the flight to town. The miner was overjoyed to find out that he would be in town in a few hours. After our landing at Ogle airport in town, he confessed that he had prayed last night for the first time in a long time, asking God to somehow provide a way for him to get to town. I reminded him that God had indeed heard his prayer and had sent me back to town, in spite of my desire not to. I prayed with him and gave him Morneau's booklet "Incredible Answers to Prayer". My feelings of loss, were being replaced by joy as I realized that God had clearly reinforced my decision to obey by showing me that I had been part of an answer to prayer. My joy was accompanied by a feeling of near certainty that my obedience had opened the door for God to move on other hearts to make similar sacrifices on behalf of the work in Guyana.
I cashed the check at the bank, picked up a few construction supplies, and hurried back to the airport in order to get back earlier enough to make a few flights before Sabbath. The little boy from Kako with the face tumor and his father were waiting on me at the airport. They had been undergoing testing in Trinidad and after nearly 2 months, were anxious to return home for a few days. I loaded the plane with fuel, fastened in the passengers, and then remembered that I had not gotten my email yet. I took the notebook computer (since it was still in my possession) to the air taxi office, hooked up to the telephone line and downloaded my email. I was in a hurry, but took the time to scan the subject lines of the 18 messages that came in. One entitled "Funds", caught my attention and I read it briefly. "Son, your mother and I felt impressed by God last night regarding the urgency of the work being done in Guyana, and that we should move sacrificially to supply the needs of God's work there. We have written a check for $4,000 which will be deposited immediately in your Guyana account."
It had happened again! God had intervened to provide for his work, this time not by putting money in my briefcase, but by moving on my heart and on the hearts of my parents to put "all on the altar." I knew my parents didn't have an extra $4,000 sitting around in spare cash. They had taken cash they needed and given it in sacrifice as I had done with the computer funds. I was filled with a certainty that God's hand was directing our whole operation. I felt so blessed to have had been entrusted with the call to sacrifice, and of having obeyed. The joy I received from giving I knew was also the same reward for my parents, and I knew that they too would receive God's blessings, "pressed down, shaken together, and running over." Giving leads to more receiving, which leads to even more giving. That is how God multiplies the good and resources as He works through his children. Am I the most blessed by the $4,000 I received? No, I feel the most blessed because God trusted me enough to ask me to give that which I most needed. And without a doubt He will still provide what I need and give me the "desires of my heart."
As Jesus' return draws near and all earthly support is removed, what a blessing it will be to be able to encourage others with the absolute certainty that God IS able, and WILL provide for his own. NOW is the time that God's work around the world needs our resources. I for one will have NO regrets as to where my energies and resources have been invested. I thank God for having given us the privilege of working completely by faith, and for the encouraging influence it has been to others around the world. Have fyou too made that total commitment to God? If not, why not do it now? You have nothing to loose (except fear) and everything to gain.
Joyfully your brother in Christ's Service,
David Gates
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"Our Heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for our needs of which
we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service
and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish and a plain path
before their feet." Desire of Ages p. 330
Old German Proverb: "Start weaving, God will supply the thread."
The measure of the power of a man is the measure of his total surrender to God.
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You may send E-mail to David at:
gates@andrews.edu or
GAMAS@solutions2000.net