Let me begin by saying that I don’t share this to boast or seek recognition. In fact, I’ve hesitated to share this for some time because I don’t want it to be perceived in the wrong light. A couple of years ago, I received a friend request on Facebook from someone in the Philippines. Now, I never accept requests from anyone outside of the US, so I’m not sure what prompted me to accept this one time, but I did. I also can’t explain why I eventually decided to send money to someone I didn’t know in another country, but I did it nonetheless. At this point, you may have already lost faith in me as a responsible human being… but hear me out.

The person who sent me the friend request is named Ruel Malubay. Ruel lives in Digos, Davao Del Sur, Philippines, with his family. Digos is a small mountain village in the jungle, about 30 miles from the nearest town. For work, Ruel drives his three-wheeled motorcycle into the city every day and works as a cab driver.

Now, you may be wondering what led me to send money to this man. Honestly, I’ve tried to recall the exact reason, but I simply can’t explain it. To the best of my memory, Ruel asked me one day, through a direct message, if I could send some money to help repair the “shack” where he held a makeshift church for a few villagers. Surprisingly, I agreed.

It wasn’t a large amount, but it was enough for him to fix the roof and paint the “shack”. Since then, I’ve sat back and watched God work. I’ve witnessed more and more villagers in a remote jungle town on the other side of the world embrace Christianity, all with occasional contributions close to what many of us might spend on a fancy dinner.

Over the past two years, I’ve marveled as Ruel, armed with just a few hand tools, has built two new churches. An incredible feat to watch and an unimaginable amount of labor. Excavating tons (literally) of earth with shovels and a five gallon bucket. (He didn’t even have a wheelbarrow until I sent him a few dollars to buy one). Keep in mind- there are no excavators, no dump trucks. No concrete mixers. Everything is done by hand. The second church is located in Lungag, another village about 30 miles away through dense jungle. Ruel travels to both locations every Sunday to preach. He has to be mindful of his time as not to get caught in the dark because the “bandits” are out after dark. He lives what most of us would consider an exceptionally difficult life but he doesn’t see it that way. Every day is a blessing to him even when faced with death, sickness, lack of work, a broken motorcycle. To him God is in control, Always.

I share this story not for praise or acknowledgment for sending a minimal amount of money to him, but because I am truly amazed by how God works. He can inspire someone like me, who struggles to even share the gospel, to bless a man on the opposite side of the globe who is truly dedicated and trusting in Him. Ruel embodies genuine faith. He lives his Christianity in a way that most of us cannot or do not. With every breath he takes, he puts God first, and God is using him in incredible ways. HIS church is growing and more and more people are coming to Christ in a remote jungle because he allows himself to be a conduit for God to flow through as He sees fit.

It’s unfortunate that many of us in America have become so consumed with daily life that we lose sight of what truly matters focusing on our own ambitions, distracted by the most mundane of things, complaining about everything from politics to potholes. Ruel reminds me that there’s still a lot of good in this world if we take time to slow down and look for it, every once in a while, God will reveal it to us.

God forgive us. Lord thank you for being You!