When Heaven Orchestrates the Impossible.
The journey of ministry can often feel like a perplexing search for traction, where we feel lost, directionless, and unsure if we are going anywhere at all.
Yet in God’s timing, often when we least expect it, we stumble into connections and opportunities that only He could orchestrate.
I imagine Paul felt that same frustration in Acts 16 when the Holy Spirit prevented him from preaching in Asia. As one door closed, another opened through a vision that redirected him to Macedonia, a step that became the birthplace of his ministry in Philippi.
We take steps that feel like stabs in the dark. We move forward only to slide back. Small wins may seem insignificant compared to the breakthrough we long for. And in the middle of it all, we wrestle to make sense of what God is doing.
But we would never be anywhere near His calling if we had not taken a step in the first place. God’s setup is often hidden inside the simple obedience of His Ekklesia moving forward.
As co-founder of Better Together Hawaii, a nonprofit focused on supporting foster and adoptive families, along with providing suicide-prevention training, and as a pastor at Hope Chapel Mililani overseeing outreach, Terence Chow has gone through many seasons of wilderness. Yet lately, he has experienced an acceleration of God’s favor through unexpected connections.
If you know of an adoptive or foster family in need of support, please contact Terence & Chiyomi Chow at (808) 258-7711.
Full Story: Connections Only God Could Make
About 10 years ago, Terence began struggling as a parent of adopted children. He had stepped into God’s calling with grateful obedience, yet often found himself crying out, “God, I didn’t sign up for this.”
Those challenges led Terence and Chiyomi to birth Better Together Hawaii, with a calling to support foster and adoptive families walking similar roads.
But as families moved away, and after their board chose not to sign an anti-discrimination policy that conflicted with their core biblical convictions, they lost access to the State’s database. Overnight, it felt like the lights went out. They entered a season of obscurity, unsure of how to move forward.
Yet God uses our setbacks for His setups.
On a July 2025 morning, of all places, while on a catamaran tour off the coast, Terence met a family who had adopted. In minutes, they found themselves sharing stories and struggles. That single connection became a catalyst. Through it, doors opened to minister to multiple families, and their Together Groups in support of foster and adoptive families were reborn.
Since then, God has consistently brought more families in need across their path, reviving the vision He had planted in them. The restart came through a connection only God could make.
When the Storm Opened a Door
While wearing a different “hat” as the pastor overseeing outreach at Hope Chapel Mililani, Terence’s focus shifted dramatically when the recent Kona Low storms hit Oahu. Like many, the church responded with compassion and action.
They received grant funds to support relief efforts, yet were not sure where to begin since the families they knew were largely unaffected. They went out a few times on their own, but those early attempts felt scattered and did not seem to take root.
A couple weeks later, God sent a copy machine repairman who knew of a person living out of a box truck at Otake Camp in Waialua, Oahu.
His name was Mark. As someone whose home was one of three swept away by Kaukonahua Stream, Mark spends his evenings helping neighbors rebuild at no charge. After visiting the area, Hope Chapel Mililani sent a team to support him.
Soon after, a friend told Terence about a single mom with two children, one of whom is autistic, who needed help.
When he called her, he learned she was Mark’s neighbor, and her home was the first to be swept away. Then another friend asked if they could help a kupuna, Aunty Grace, who was sleeping in her vehicle because of the floods. She, too, turned out to be Mark’s neighbor.
Three unrelated sources, none aware of each other, all pointed to the same community God was highlighting. These were connections only He could make.
Beyond Events: Discipling Communities
In making a difference, we naturally look to helping at events or responding to specific needs. But God calls us to see beyond that — to disciple cities and nations.
When we engage whole communities, our efforts grow from a reaction into an ongoing response to His Great Commission.
Having been given the keys to Otake Camp, God continues to present opportunities to bless, pray, meet felt needs, and proclaim the gospel there. On a recent visit, Aunty Grace prayed to receive Jesus.
When God continues to orchestrate the way He does, our obedience brings about overflow in a world He so loves.
