Rice pudding for missions!

“Rice pudding for missions, buy your rice pudding” cried Mrs. Adíela Obando, janitor of the Renacer Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the streets of a poor neighborhood in Cali, Colombia. She had experienced the redeeming love of her Savior and her life changed radically in every way. She now lived a new life serving in the ministries of the church with distinction and worthy to be imitated.

In addition to her changed life, she was committed to the mission work of Cauca Valley Presbytery. She led mission projects, supported Boyce and Beth Wallace as missionaries, worked in women’s ministry, and encouraged pastors.

People in her poor neighborhood heard her voice loud and clear offering rice pudding, sweets, and other products for missions. They came to buy them and asked: What are your missions? She replied: “Our church has works in different parts of Colombia and in several countries of the world, and with these sales we support the sending of more missionaries, we help social projects, and the establishment of new churches.”

What a challenge and what a great example! A simple strategy that made known to many people the importance of missions and contributing to them. She alone came to collect more than $1,500 dollars for missions each year. For a poor neighborhood in Cali, that amount was a great deal of money.

Do we understand? If at least ten people from every Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the world would imitate the example that this faithful servant of the Lord has set for so many years, the offerings for missions would multiply greatly. The Stott-Wallace Missionary Offering would have sufficient resources to sustain and send even more missionaries into the world.

As a pastor and missionary, I call on women, men, young people, and children in our churches to take varied, constant, generous, and committed actions in benefit of Cumberland Presbyterian missions in the world.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.