No Chicken Left Behind

by Wil Chevalier 

Herman and Flor Manolo were two of our first converts when we arrived in Manila in the early eighties. Flor was our house helper, and Herman was unemployed at the time, so we hired him to do various tasks for us. Eventually, he became our office manager. We were there for the birth of three of their four boys, one of whom is now a pastor in Barangay Valencia, the squatter area where we all used to live. Herman and Flor now own a farm located in Unison, Quezon Province, a four-to-five-hour drive from Manila. One of Herman’s brothers, Brando, is a caretaker at the farm while Herman does ministry for Guidelines in Manila.

One night in December of 2011, Brando was awakened by the sounds of squawking chickens. He grabbed a flashlight and went out to the pen where a boa constrictor had wrapped itself around one of the laying hens. He instinctively grabbed the snake by the neck, prompting the tail of the snake to wrap around Brando’s leg. He managed to wrestle the snake to the ground and then cried out for help. One of the farm workers came with a long bolo knife and killed the snake.

Brando loved the chickens on Herman’s farm. I am amazed by what he was willing to do to rescue a chicken entrusted to his care, and I see a spiritual application to this true story.

Consider this quote found in the updated edition of Streams in the Desert: "Evil never surrenders its grasp without a tremendous fight. We never arrive at any spiritual inheritance through the enjoyment of a picnic, but always through the fierce conflicts of the battlefield."

According to Ephesians 6, our battle is a spiritual one, and the serpent [Satan] in this battle cannot be defeated with a carnal weapon like a bolo. My prayer is that God will renew my passion for reaching people within my sphere of influence who are without Christ. For example, in the Philippines, an estimated 95% of the population of 98.39 million is without Christ. Throughout the world, there are 159 million orphans and 100 million street children, most of whom have never heard the gospel or received any type of compassionate care.

Therefore, let us pray that our church ministry, mission, and organization will grow to reach more people for Christ, disciple them, and care for those most in need.

“ . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Colossians 1:27-29).