Tiny Human and Thank You's

Sorry folks for the lack of blogging recently! Here is my excuse:

I know, precious right! 

Parenthood. Love it! 

So. Blessed. 

Our little family has been blessed beyond anything we could have ever imagined. 

When we decided to adopt Elsie we had no clue how we were going to handle it financially. After all, we didn't have 9 months to prepare and save. 

It has been incredible to witness the providing hand of our Lord! He has used family, friends and even strangers to provide all our needs and even some of our wants as we welcome Elsie Anne into our life.

 THANK YOU to everyone who has allowed God to use you to provide for us as we transition into parenthood. We are feeling the LOVE. 

There is no doubt in my mind that this little girl is going to do great things for the Kingdom, she is only 2 months old and she has already been a great witness of who the Lord is!  

2 years

Celebrating our 2 year anniversary of moving to Cebu!! 

In the last two years we have ....

lived in 2 different houses

traveled to 4 different islands 

worked with a great homeless family ministry 

opened a center for street children

worked with 40+ street children 

built amazing relationships and community

had 1 great weekend vacation

taught 16 classes at Cebu Bible College 

had 3 pretty awesome visitors from the States 

celebrated year 2 and year 3 of marriage 

been abundantly blessed by God through our generous supporters

welcomed our first child into the world

Of course a lot more has happened but those are just some highlights 

 

In the next year we hope to ...

send 4 of the Jesan Center kids to school

teach 3 more classes at CBC

be part of more community 

enjoy the wonders of watching a child grow 

 

Ronald writes

It is quite magnificent to experience life situations where God takes you out of your ordinary routine and lets you see His work, while at the same time not realizing that He is in fact working not only with the people you encounter but also with you.  This past weekend, I got to experience one of those as I went to a laid back and very welcoming place in Negros (an island west of Cebu).

I, along with three others, went to Negros to speak at an annual gathering of the Church of Christ youth.  After a long (about 8 hours drive and an hour on a boat) journey on Dec. 27th, we arrived at the humble but very accommodating home of one of the Cebu Bible College students whose family lives in the area.  They were very kind, offering us some very tasty meals (of course, “tasty” is a relative term) and giving us lodging throughout our entire stay.  In addition to the tasty meals, we also got to savor some of the stuff that only the province can provide—such as swimming and playing on a clean, fresh, and crystal clear creek, enjoying the fresh air, getting to see the moon and the stars clearly at night, and being able to hear again the sound of the crickets in the dark.

This marvelous experience was far from over as many of the youth gathered together at a resort on the 28^th.  Although the rural area may seem to be struggling financially, the hearts of those young ones were beaming with passion and desire to become better disciples.  One could easily see that God was preparing a very bright future for them, intending to make them a brilliant light on that island.  The theme for their gathering was “Walking in God’s Light.”  Ironically, I sort of felt that there was no need for me to speak to them about becoming a light because I could see that they already were a brilliant light.  Nevertheless, they seemed to be encouraged with what I delivered.  During the gathering, they played a lot of games, did a number of team building activities, sang together, prayed for everyone, and encouraged their fellow Christians.

Going back to Cebu, I was mesmerized with the experience.  Throughout my Christian upbringing, I saw a lot of bickering and fighting concerning the “true doctrine” of the church.  I saw a lot of negativity among many of those whom people looked up to for spiritual guidance.  However on the contrary, the youth at Negros had displayed what those staunch brethren in the past had failed to learn—that is, encouraging one another instead of putting others down.  They lived out the true essence of Christianity.  This reminded me of what Jesus showed to the staunch Jewish leaders of His day.

As I mentioned above, God seemed to be working more on me than He was with those folks I delivered my message to.  Primarily, He was giving me a glimpse that darkness has not conquered every corner of this world because there are those who have set their brilliant light on a hill in order to shine God to others.  The young people at Negros have displayed a kind of light that draws others to God.  Also, God was teaching me that the near future doesn’t look as bad.  There are plenty of young sprouts who are willing to be used for God’s glory… and they are on fire.

Community -- Caidy gets honest Part 2

A few months ago I wrote about how my transition to Cebu has been a rough one. You can read about that here.

With much joy I am please to announce God has been faithful and is daily bringing me to new communities! I guess I just needed to be honest with myself and with you all about how much I was truly struggling with it all. 

The power of confession is incredible. The power of genuine pray is even more incredible. 

I was down on my knees pleading with God, "If this is where you want me then you will have to send me a great community to be a part of because I am ready to leave!" 

Through this whole experience I have been reminded of how great our God is! He is faithful and will not give us more than we can bear. I gave it all to him; somehow I was able to let go of the pain and give it all to God ... and don't ask me how I did it because I haven't a clue. 

I somehow let God guide me to the community(s) He wanted me to be in. 

BEST DECISION EVER! 

Since then, and I'm talking literally a week after that prayer, God has abundently blessed me (and Ronald) with multiple communities. 

Once a week I get together with these gwapa ladies. We share a meal and talk about all the awesome things God is doing in our lives! These ladies constantly encourage me to keep serving our incredible King! 

Ronald and I also get to spend time with these smiling faces once a week. This is a diverse group of people and we LOVE them! We are challenged, encouraged and loved by these people. So blessed to be part of this community. 

One time a month we get together with some other young couple friends! We share a meal together, catch up and talk about what has been going on in each others ministries. God is good and is doing great things through these people! (note: these are old pictures .. but these are the faces I am talking about) 

And, of course, the community of kids at the Jesan Center is always a blessing! The kids are a constant reminder of how we should be in Christ... just like children. 

I certainly can't forget these other faces who brighten my weeks! 

I dont have pictures of all the people God is blessing my life with but He sure is active in making certain I am blessed by community. 

Thank you all for your prayers! 

Love and Peace.

-Caidy 

Change

Work at the Jesan Center has gotten increasingly difficult. 

But we know that it’s only because of the good work that God is doing there! 

In late October when the Center was on a one week break,  three of the four kids we tutor were taken to a local orphanage by nuns that do a Bible study with all the kids once a week. 

Although we were sad to not have the girls with us at the Center any longer we are happy that they are now away from that dangers of street living. 

At the orphanage the girls are fed three meals a day and have a safe place to sleep. They will be put in school in June but until then they enjoy helping the "Madres" prepare meals and take care of the facilities.  We visit the girls once a month and they seem content being there. It is our prayer that God would continue to provide for and protect them. 

Since the girls left,  their little brother is the only one in the tutor program at the center. He is a bright little boy who has a lot of spunk! He craves one on one attention and is loving that he doesn't have to share his time with Ronald and me. 

In January we will be adding two new kids to the tutor program in hopes to end the cycle of poverty in their lives. 

Please pray with us as we go through these changes at the Jesan Center and as we continue to learn about the ministry God has so richly blessed us with. 

Love and Peace. 

best part of last week  ... 

Jayson loves his Kuya Ronald! 

side note: please take note of the all jean up in front... also kinda made my day. hehe.

Joy of teaching college

Do you believe in Jesus because of the resurrection?

Do you believe in the resurrection because of Jesus?

Both statements above may seem similar to many; but to some, they carry a subtle nuance that used to distinguish scholars (or those who consider themselves scholarly) concerning their leftists or rightist theological standpoint.  I’m talking about the Conservative-Liberal polarity of the early 20th century church.  It blows my mind how 20th century followers of Christ strongly flank to either side, claiming to be in the right, and malign ex-brethren when the leader Himself (and His disciples—the first church, of course) never considered this as a ground for excommunication.  This past Friday, I, along with my students in Church History II class, briefly revisited the sore wound that had left theological scars to many divided churches.

Before the class began, I divided the class into two, expecting a toasty but friendly debate in the succeeding however many minutes.  I instructed everybody to take a side on the issue and try to convince the others to join their camp.  The first statement claims to believe in Jesus because of the irrefutable proof of the resurrection; hence, since the resurrection happened, one can believe that whatever Jesus said (such as, that He is the Son of God) is true.  On the flip side however, if the resurrection did not happen, Jesus had not been the Messiah that would save us from our sins.  This is the stance of the Conservatives/Fundamentalists who absolutely defend the authority of the Scriptures.

The other side of the argument (Liberals) claims that one can believe in the resurrection because Jesus performed it.  Whether the resurrection happened or not, the Liberals would continue to believe in Jesus; their faith doesn’t depend on the accuracy of the resurrection.  They have their conviction as such because Jesus said so.  Moreover, the center of their theology lies in the ethics and morality that Jesus taught instead of His atoning sacrifice.

 As expected, the class got into a heated debate, using arguments that resound that of many famous (or infamous) scholars.  At the end of the class, we, just as many theological warriors, are also stumped.  It all boils down to: “I believe this because I choose to believe.”  Nobody wins; but everybody loses due to the consequent division.

 Many of you perhaps know the debate more than me.  Maybe you are well-versed with arguments for and against such positions (perhaps you can enlighten me with a private message); but my goal as a teacher is to open the minds of my students.  And seeing my students struggle with their faith in order that they may form it into their own (as opposed to a spoon-fed faith) is one of the many reasons why I like my job.



--Ronald