They were ready to help. Ready to serve. Ready to give whatever they had to give.
Their deep desire to help would push them through the waiting, the redirection, and the change of plans. And those years of surrendering to God’s plan, even when they didn’t know what it was, would give them the foundation and the conviction they needed when they finally got their yes.
In Part 2, we get into what that life actually looked like from the inside. Those early years in the Philippines. A pregnant wife navigating a foreign country alone. New language, new customs, new purpose. And why two people who, given the chance to do it all over again, would answer the same way they always have.
If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, press pause and listen to it now.
Episode Timestamps
01:48 Writing to the Secretary of Defense: How God Opened the Door
02:46 “Don’t Limit Yourself. Let God Limit You.”
04:26 Selling the Scuba Gear: The Exact Amount He Needed
05:10 Popcorn for Dinner, Parking Lots, and None of It Mattered
06:43 Hawaii Testing: 1982 and Not Yet
08:32 Sell Everything. Quit the Job. We’re Going.
09:39 The Burning Obsession That Wouldn’t Quit
11:30 “It Was a Lot Harder Than I Thought”: Sandy on Jacksonville
12:00 Midnight Shifts and “How Do I Love Him So Much?”
18:14 The First Worship Service in the Philippines: A Temple Dedication
18:44 “What About Me?”: Sandy on Always Picking Up Her Life
19:49 “It’s More Than Just Supporting Him. That’s My Role.”
20:50 “Sandy as Minister’s Wife Is One of the Greatest Blessings God Has Given Me”
22:15 Arriving in the Philippines: The Heat, the Traffic, and the Mall
25:15 “Will She Survive?”: What Bob Was Really Thinking on That Plane
26:05 “Shame on Me for Underestimating Her Capacity to Adapt”
27:15 Ramen on Rice, Walking to School, No Money for the Trike
37:10 The Taxi: A Wife in Labor, a Husband Who Had to Stay
37:47 “What Was He to Do? There Was Nothing He Could Do.”
38:03 “You Will Always Be Number Two”: What the Minister’s Wives Told Sandy
40:36 “Give Yourself Completely. No Strings Attached.”
41:57 God Is Not a Trickster: The Challenges That Were Really Preparation
46:07 The Hardest Part: Learning to Minister in a Language That Wasn’t His
47:54 Prayers Before Visiting the Brethren in Shanty Homes
50:30 “I Don’t Know Where the Words Came From. They Just Came Out.”
52:00 Sandy’s Family Prayers: Filtering Water Through T-Shirts
54:10 Three Years in the Philippines: In a Nutshell
55:14 Bible Studies With Water Up to Their Knees
57:00 Ordination Day: Sandy Watching From the Wing
59:05 “God Is Finally Saying Yes”
01:05:56 45 Years in Ministry, Most of It in the Media
01:06:48 From One Congregation in Africa to Countries Across the World
01:08:35 The Gibson Les Paul Guitar and God Always Making a Way
01:13:06 “Everybody Has Choices Every Single Day. Be Alert.”
01:13:53 Sandy’s Advice to Young Ministers’ Wives
01:21:36 “He Belongs to the Brethren. I Get Them at the End of the Day.”
01:22:36 “I Want to Do It Again. All of It. We’ve Been Blessed.”
01:23:53 Bob’s Advice to Young Ministers: Answer Your Phone. Never Ghost Anybody.
01:27:03 “It Was Like Outside of Yourself. But It Becomes Yourself.”
01:27:41 “Could You Have Imagined Doing Anything Else?”
01:30:26 What Do You Love Most About Each Other?
Brother Bob and Sister Sandy Pellien didn’t just surrender once. They surrendered everything, repeatedly, across continents, across assignments, and they are still going.
From a car sinking underwater in Guam, to a taxi in the Philippines, to over 40 years of assignments across the world, their answers has always been the same. And it’s the answer we can all learn from.
Whatever God asks of us, whatever change is waiting, whatever the cost, whatever uncertainty it may bring us in the moment, we take a moment to smile and say, “okay God, let’s go.”
Thank you for joining us for this season of Making Changes. To listen to all of the episodes from this season, visit incmedia.org/making-changes, the INC Media app, or find us anywhere you listen to podcasts. Thank you for listening. And may your change uplift you.
Connect with the Making Changes Host on Instagram: @aliwgarciapablo Rate and review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow the show on Instagram. Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes
Mentioned in the episode:
- Making Changes Season 4 https://incmedia.org/making-changes/
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Connect with the Making Changes Host
Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts
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Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes
