I have two stories to tell that join up at the end.
Story Number 1
My Mum sent me a box of goodies from home recently. Now Korea has a rule that if the value of the box is over US$150 you will be charged duty. So Mum carefully made sure that the box was not worth more than that.
I got notice that my box was being inspected by customs on a Monday and by the Wednesday of the same week I was informed that I would be charged approximately $50. I called and discovered that when they calculate the value of the box they include the cost of postage. That seems incredible unfair to me, but there is nothing that I could do about it. So I paid the fee and my box was delivered later in the week.
And I am now enjoying the goodies :-) Thank you Mum.
Story Number 2
On the same Monday as the story above a friend messaged me and said that they had agreed to help someone on Monday and something had come up and they were unable to do it. Would I be willing to go and do it for them. Now the task was to stand at a school gate and hand out leaflets to the students as they left school for the day. I hate, hate, hate handing out stuff. I always feel like I'm forcing people to take something they don't want. So I said "NO, I don't want to do it."
But then I started thinking about Jesus says that if someone asks us to go one mile we should go two, or if they ask for our cloak we should give them our coat too. And I knew that this was something I had to do. Sometimes to be the person I want to be I have to do things I don't want to. Anyway I messaged my friend back and said "Yes, ok I'll do it." And I prayed that God would change my heart, and He did.
Now the handing out stuff was on Wednesday - the same Wednesday I was being charged for the box from my Mum. I went to the school and it turned out that what we were handing out was these really cute fans which had whistles in the handles and the advertising was a sticker stuck on the fan. The kids actually wanted them, they were lining up and asking for them.
Stories Joining Up
The lady paid me. I had not expected that, I was just doing it as a favour. And after I took out the tithe from what she gave me, the amount was almost the exact amount that I was charged for my box.
God is Good.
