During the pandemic the manager at the Gatorade plant in Orlando generously donated thousands of bottles of Gatorade to some ministries to use for our outreach.
All we had to do was unload the large pallets from the warehouse, load them in our trucks, and deliver them ourselves. How coincidental and providential that 50 years ago I was the night shift forklift operator at the Standard Packaging Plant in Elgin, IL. During the winter snows we used to tie banding wire to the forklift and ski in the parking lot! I love forklifts!
“…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” I Cor. 15:58
Since everything that is offered, or labor done in His name never goes out void, I always say yes when people offer something. Being a missionary taught me that God often provides before we even recognize the need! In this case, Gatorade offered is Gatorade accepted!
My teammate and provider this time is the amazing Doyle Hadden. Sixty-two years ago, Airman 1st Class Doyle Hadden flew an F-101 reconnaissance jet over Havana during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Remember the air raid drills in school where we had to duck under our desks?
After President Kennedy convinced Russian President Nakita Khrushchev to turn his ships around with his missiles America looked to outer space for inspiration. Pilot Doyle was reassigned to the NASA astronaut program at Cape Canaveral.
Doyle trained the original seven astronauts on T-38 jets and roomed with space bound Wally Schirra and John “Jack” Swigert.
Wally led Doyle to Christ while flying a T-38 in training. Jack Swigert gave his Apollo flight patch to Doyle as a friend. (I suggest watching the movie, “Apollo 13” for Jack’s trip to the moon.)
One of the exciting perks of missionary life is witnessing God’s providential hand providing all kinds of things to use for His purposes. In the Philippines I once was gifted a 42 ft sailboat with inboard engines that slept six comfortable and no idea why God gave it to me.
Several months later a new missionary from New Zealand appeared at my door looking for ministry to do but did not play basketball or ride a unicycle! I asked about his life and found out he was a sailor for New Zealand in the America Cup Races! I gave him the sailboat and the Jesus Film, and he sailed to islands doing evangelism and taught students how to sail. He stayed for twenty years and was as happy on that boat as I am on the golf course!
“…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. “ Isaiah 55:11
Sometimes God provides before we ask. And when we offer it back to Him it never comes back void. What a promise!
And all that Gatorade? It’s all been given out to ministries working for the Lord!
Because of Christ,
Tom Randall and Karen Randall
Praise and Prayer:
Karen and I are grateful to be recovering from our latest round of Covid. We have had lots of time to just slow down and rest which we are so grateful for. We have had friends praying and many offers of help. God has been gracious! Maybe we should have kept some of that Gatorade for ourselves! ●:”-
