JourneyOnline
JOURNEY READERS are probably familiar with the stories from the Acts of the Apostles in which God speaks to those who will listen, telling Philip to go along the Gaza road, Ananias to go to Saul, Cornelius to fetch Simon Peter and Peter not to hesitate but to go to the Centurion’s house.
If there is a prophetic gift inhearing God’s spirit what follows is a story about the corresponding service; the responsibility to obey.
Peter Dyba lives in Aspley and has spent some of his faith journey in the company of the Geebung Uniting Church’s men’s group.
His seventy years have included early married life in Mount Isa and raising his family in Brisbane.
He has travelled back and forth to Kenya working with orphanages and Christian education projects.
Some time ago an Anglican minister called to suggest Mr Dyba accompany a mission team to Kenya.
He sensed God saying, “Yes, but go via India, arriving on 20 June and stay five days.
I will show you where to stay and who you are to meet.”
Amazingly Mr Dyba did as he was told.
On his third day in India he did not want to go back to sitting in the same café, but he went anyway, as told, only to find a
man sitting in ‘his’ seat.
The man was Jonathon Kerrigan, a missionary volunteer from Dublin.
He was in the same city as Peter for one day only, on his way home.
Upon introducing himself the visitor asked why Mr Dyba was there.
“I’ve come to see you,” he said and asked what was troubling the young Irishman.
Mr Kerrigan poured out his heart, telling of the struggles to establish an orphanage with the Hearts in Motion organisation in Chennai (Madras).
Land purchased in 2007 had been landlocked as local opponents purchased surrounding land to halt the project.
Waiting in Ireland was his pregnant wife, a home in need of repair and unemployment.
Mr Dyba prayed with Mr Kerrigan and offered advice from his own experiences.
Today Hearts in Motion provides a safe and loving environment for many children from the streets and slums of Chennai as they grow and reintegrate in the community and Mr Kerrigan is running a youth ministry in Dublin.
Mr Dyba flew on to Kenya to link up with his own mission team working with orphans in the western provincial town of
Bungoma.
One weekend, when the rest of the team were headed for Nairobi and the enthronement of the new Archbishop, Mr
Dyba sensed God telling him to take a walk toward the airport: “I will send someone to meet you”.
He encountered a young man who had just been robbed of everything except his Bible and a couple of scripture leaflets.
He was a preacher headed back to nearby Uganda.
Mr Dyba helped him financially but, more importantly, they discussed the life of faith.
The young man thought faith was “doing things for God”.
Mr Dyba explained that as ‘work’, but said faithful living came from grace; hearing God and responding obediently in love.
Perhaps like Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, Mr Dyba has no firm knowledge of what became of the African man after he went home.
Further down that same road a man approached Mr Dyba saying, “You are a man of God, please come and pray for my household, my church, school and orphanage.”
He wanted no money.
His niece had just died, his six children were hungry and his ministry seemed barren.
Mr Dyba obeyed God and went to pray with this stranger.
Months later, in February this year, Mr Dyba was praying when he was instructed to try to find out what had happened.
Through the local pastor in Bungoma he learned that the once ragged man received a vision of a business and now
has a milk run that provides for his family.
He is an effective minister in that local church. Mr Dyba continues to listen for God’s voice.
Photo : Lil and Peter Dyba with church members in Kenya. Photo courtesy of Peter Dyba
