April-June Newsletter

                                SHALOM!!

The past three months was a roller coaster of emotions for me (and my family). But still HE remains faithful through it all. HE remains as a Father, comforter, friend and provider.
I was praying last year to be able to go and have a mission exposure in Northern Luzon. But April this year is a month of answered prayer and first time experiences. I praise GOD for HE has provided my needs to be able to go to Tabuk, Kalinga (10 hours bus trip from Manila) and had a work exposure in Abundant Grace Maternity Center (extension ministry of Mercy Maternity Center) and was able to visit a ButBut tribal village in Bugnay (3 hours bus trip from Tabuk) for 4 days.
 

I had a lot of  experiences specially that this is my first time going to a place where I don’t understand the dialect at all. But I was able to communicate (through Tagalog, which is the widely spoken dialect of the North but most of it was through sign language) and learned a little of Ilocano and ButBut dialect. Though we’re in the same country Philippines, but our nation has a lot of tribal dialects. Going up north was an amazing experience for me as a preparation for future plans. It was my first time eating their tribal dishes, hiking up and down the hills for three days (for an hour or more ) in a row just to be at the river banks and different places near the village, and riding on the roof of a bus from Tabuk to Bugnay and vice versa for 4 hours. Besides, I met a lot of new friends.  

I was amazed by how people lived simply in Bugnay as I was reared up and spent all my years in a metropolis. Yet GOD provided all their needs. It’s amazing how they give such importance to the thoughts and pieces of advice of their elders and how families (and extended families) helped each other to live.
 

After 2 weeks in Kalinga, we (me and Amber) visited a missionary friend who is working at Shiprah Birthing Center in Tikling, Taytay, Rizal (2hrs away from Manila). I was able to see different settings of assisting mothers in giving birth and visited the orphanage which is run by the same missionary organization operating the birthing center. It was an encouraging ministry to see babies and pregnant unwed mothers in difficult situations be saved and cared by people of GOD.
 

GOD has provided ALL my needs with this exposure both in character building, health and finances. GOD taught me how to deal with people of different culture and understand their way of living. HE has sustained me with good health and taught me to persever especially those long hikes under the heat. HE was my encourager! I appreciated life more than before. I was encouraged and thank GOD for everything HE has given me and allowed to experience for the past 23 years of my life.
 

Thank you very much for praying with me during this exposure. I appreciate your prayers, financial help and encouragements during this exposure.

Mama sobbing at the 
riverside.

I arrived Davao from Manila on April 30, just in time to celebrate my birthday on May 1 and my little brother¡¦s (Derek) birthday on May 3. I had no premonition or any alert that he'll go HOME to HEAVEN the next day. :(
 

I was having a bad day on May 4 due to heavy rain that caused me to arrive at the clinic late for my shift. I came back home around 3pm and was knocking at our door, wondering why my parents weren't there and noticed a police and 911 patrol car near my grandmother's house. Eventually when one of our neighbors noticed that I still don't know what happened, had the courage to tell me that my parents were at the river and that my little brother is still missing after being reported by friends of his drowning. Upon hearing it, I dropped all my things and rushed to the river, prayed while running to the site, making myself calm and assuring that the news was not true or my brother was rescued already and alive.
 

But as I was rushing to the site I saw Mama going up the dike, sobbing and following the flow of the river through the dike. Seeing her sobbing caused me to think that Derek is still missing. I wanted to shout, but GOD's spirit made me pray and refused to think negative thoughts that were coming into my mind. After the rescue team left and we¡¦re back at our house already, Papa decided to go back to the site where Derek fell. We spent the time singing warfare praise and worship songs. We prayed and declared victory over the evil spirits the residents here are so afraid of.
 

The next day was so hopeless. It is no wonder that none of us ever had a sleep and felt that a part of us is missing. We unsuccessfully requested the rescue team to make a follow up search of the river and riverbanks. My family felt helpless and hopeless at that time but so blessed with prayers from the community of believers. Our neighbors gave their helping hands during the 24_ hour search. They rented rubber tubes to look for my brother alongside the riverbanks. But before they did that they did a ritual without permission from us, they threw coins to the river accordingly ¡§to buy back¡¨ my brother from the evil spirits (stronghold) of the river. Their unsuccessful effort lasted till early evening. Our family continued to pray, restless physically but putting all our worries to HIM alone.
 

Our last family picture
together as 6.

The third day of waiting and further search came. My co-workers at the clinic helped me and contacted the coast guard while one of my aunts initially contacted the military for follow-up search operation. But GOD is so amazing! My Mom was restless and couldn't sleep that night until dawn. She was praying, crying and asking GOD for help to find Derek. By 6 a.m., my Grandma came insisting to my parents to give her my brother's pillow to be used for ritual again but they refused to do so and that made her so angry towards us because of our faith. After the lapse of few minutes, she came back telling us that a commercial radio station reported that a cadaver was found floating near Bankerohan bridge (almost close to Davao gulf). So we rushed to the place and kept praying to GOD that it was not my brother and that he is still alive.
 

We came to the place shocked with the physical appearance of the body. The body doesn't look like my brother, though the hands and feet appeared to be his. We kept on denying that it was him. As more and more people came and gathered around us, we decided to bring the cadaver to the funeral parlor and identify it there.

At the funeral home, we tried to look for a vital body mark, his scar on the right leg just below the knee as a result of an inch-long wound caused by an incision of a broken floor tile while playfully attending a kid birthday party. The scar shattered our attempt to deny any longer that he was my little brother Derek.
 

We’re all brokenhearted as we unceasingly sob of his physical separation from us. But still GOD is so good. He comforted us. Relatives, friends and a community of believers came all the way from distant places to manifest their support for us. GOD provided all our needs during the wake and internment. GOD still never left nor forsaken our family. He made us realize that He is wise, wiser than the combined wisdom of the six billion people on earth. No one can ever thwart His plans and purposes for each person to come to pass (Job 42:2). All the days ordained for each one are written in His book before one of them came to be (Ps.139:16). Be still, and know that I am God, says the Lord (Ps.46:10).
 

What pleases God most was that we were able to know a lot of our neighbors and Derek’s playmates. Because of what happened, we were able to share the Gospel to them and many received Christ as their Lord and Savior.
 

Though we missed the family’s apple of the eye (Derek), but GOD never missed to comfort us . To God alone be all the glory!!!!