A few weeks ago, author and speaker Kelly Minter returned from our 7th Annual Jungle Pastors’ Conference on the Amazon River. Below is an excerpt from her blog on one of the amazing stories she experienced while among the faithful men and women God has called to serve the people of the Amazon.
Read the full blog here.Â
A Hungry Faith
One Sunday a few years ago, they ran out of food. The high waters of the river left their pantry bare, their crops saturated, and their fishing attempts futile. Over the sound of their four childrenâs growling stomachs, Pastor Manuel made the decision that they would still go to church even though they were all so hungry.
Michelle interjected at this point in the story, âI couldnât believe he was taking us to church when all I wanted him to do was stay home and figure out how we could feed our familyâ. I appreciated her honesty. Manuel smiled at her tenderly and without judgment as she recounted her side of the story.
After the church service ended, another pastor asked Manuel if he could minister at a church down river later that day. Michelle recalled thinking, Iâll kill him if he says yes. Weâre hungry and he canât be off ministering when we need food! Even as they shared this story, Manuel was a little sheepish when he admitted that he had agreed to go. He assured his wife in the moment, âThe Lord will take care of us. I know it. We just need to be faithfulâ. Manuel and his family got in their canoe and headed toward their home. He planned to drop them off and then continue onto serve in the other church.
At this point in the story, both Manuel and Michelleâs faces started to beam. Manuel explained that while they were on the way to their house a three-foot long fish shot out of the water and landed in their boat. Michelle said she was screaming trying to capture it because it was thrashing all over the place, and they were afraid it was going to flip out of the boat.
I wanted to make sure I understood. âSo a fish jumped in your boat but you werenât fishing?â
âRight!â they exclaimed. âWe werenât fishing! We were just heading home, and this enormous fish flew out of the water and into our boat. It fed our family for a week!â
I didnât know whether to laugh or cry. I think I did both simultaneously. Iâd never heard of such a thing. When I asked them what kind of fish it was, they told me it was an arowana fish. Later, I visited the Manaus fish market and discovered the arowana is a delicacy. Of course it is! I suppose that if God is going to go to all the trouble to have a fish jump out of the water, He might as well make it an expensive one.
A Fish Out of Water
A friend of mine recently said, âIf youâve never experienced the wilderness, youâve never tasted mannaâ. I suppose the same is true in the Amazon: if youâve never been hungry and utterly dependent on the Lord, youâve probably never had a God-fish come flying into your boat.
At the end of their story, I sat in awe, utterly marveling at the provision and timing of God. I wondered what a bite of fish straight from the Lordâs hand tastes like. I wondered if Manuel and Michelle worshipped when they sat down to eat. Although I donât envy their hardships, I do envy the way theyâre experiencing Jesus in their day-to-day lives.
Spending time with these jungle pastors is so good for me. It reminds me that God is not only at work in the Amazon. Heâs at work here. In your life and my life. The question is, how dependent on Him are we? How faithful in our obedience? How prayerful? How expectant?
I donât know what your need is right now, but after hearing Manuel and Michelleâs story of the arowana fish, I keep thinking⊠thereâs more where that came from. God is not limited. He can send manna from heaven, rain down quail, and shoot a fish out of the water and into your canoe. He is able.
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