2 . . 0 . . 1 . . 2

For the Chinese scattered all across the globe, New Years are celebrated twice a year (Roman and Lunar calendars). This gives us another chance to improve on our new year’s resolutions (if the first one fails). Yet, for most of us, by the time the Chinese new year comes, we probably have already forgotten about any resolutions that we have made, and just resolve to “buffet” our way through the festivities!

As Filipinos with ancestors from China, this Chinese New Year celebration (Feb 10) gave our family a chance to look back and reflect upon what God has done for us in the year that has just passed.

2012 has been a tough year for our family.

Grandpa Jotham with Hannah

Join us as we rewind back in time ... In March of 2012, with barely two months before our planned trip back to the Philippines, we received the sad news that Aileen’s dad went home to be with the Lord. So, the quick Spring break trip (Mar 10 – 20) and the longer summer trip (May 14 – July 31) back home was not the same as we were missing someone we were looking forward to be with.

Neil's Fall Semester (Aug – Dec 2012) has been a tough second semester in the doctoral program, as he had to take three classes and also prepare for the French exam. As the semester barely started, Aileen noticed a small mass bulging through her left finger. After a neighbor who was a medical doctor saw Aileen’s finger, he warned to have it checked immediately. So, we rushed to look for a hand surgeon to have it examined. The doctor said it was a ganglion cyst and relieved our fears that it was benign.

Noah packing his Christmas shoebox

Another news we received (Oct 2012) was that Aileen was pregnant with our third child. We were so excited … thinking, planning, and preparing. Even our kids were ecstatic and longing for the baby to come out soon. However, by November 2012 (on the 12th week) in a doctor’s visit, the OB-GYN found out that our baby’s heart has stopped beating (for a few weeks already). As we came to grips with this tragic news, our hearts were broken and our souls were crushed realizing how sad it is to lose someone we have never seen but have grown to love.

Costume Parade at DTS

Just when we thought that the tough situations were over, Neil failed his French exam. This was crucial for for him cause as an international student, unless he passes this exam, he could not enroll for third semester. In midst of the grieving and heartaches, Neil spent the Christmas break studying and translating through French journals. By the year-end (Dec 31), he retook the French exam and by God’s grace, he passed!

Death, Cyst, Miscarriage, Failure … one by one, they came to us in different forms, yet through it all, God’s Word has been our strength,

“… for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10).

Indeed, we are weak and we will never be strong apart from Him cause it is in midst of our weakest moments that we discover Him most as the strength of our hearts, and the anchor of our souls!

Neil, Noah, Hannah & Aileen

Is our Rich God the God of the Poor?

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’” (Matt 19:21)

Sin to Confess

This rich young ruler was given the special privilege to leave everything behind and to come and follow Jesus. Yet, he could not leave his great possessions, neither could he sell all of them and give them away to the poor! Can’t we have both riches and follow Christ at the same time? Is it necessarily wrong to have possessions and still be able to follow Jesus? I think the question of who owns our hearts is the main issue. The rich young ruler had to make a choice between his possessions and following Christ. Well, he left Christ and went back to his possessions. Think about this ... Who is the Lord of your life? Are your possessions and bank account more valuable to you than the Lord Jesus Christ?

Promise to Claim

Whatever you have given generously out of obedience and love for the Lord will one day come back to you as your treasure in heaven. What you have given away is never actually lost. It’s called an investment, which you are laying up in heaven. When you value God’s kingdom on earth and sacrifice generously to give for the Lord, God gives it back to you someday, as you will have treasure in heaven. Such a wonderful promise from the Lord! As much as giving is not easy, and some people consider it a loss, yet, in God’s perspective, you receive double blessings when you give! “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). You are blessed in your inner self, when you give to the Lord. Also, you will be blessed in heaven someday! We don’t know exactly what kind of treasure we will receive in heaven, but the value is definitely eternal!

Example to Follow

The Lord Jesus was infinitely rich in heaven, yet for our sake, He left His glorious kingdom to become poor so that by His poverty, we might become rich (1Cor 8:9)! What a perfect model He has shown us! In one sense, we have to realize that anyone who chooses to respond to His call of giving up everything, and following and serving Him, also chooses to follow Him in His footsteps of poverty. It doesn’t mean though that one will live as desperately as a poor, and be totally destitute and hungry. On the other hand, He promised to provide for all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus! Yet, to follow Christ is to abandon a devotion to riches, and to embrace simplicity of life for His glory and honor. Or simply put, it is to abandon love for money, but choosing to love Him above all else.

Command to Obey

Christ never calls everyone to sell all their possessions, to give them all to the poor, and to follow Him. He told the rich young ruler that if he wanted to be perfect, on top of obeying the Law, he can give up everything, and follow Christ. He was given this one time opportunity to become part of His team of disciples, and to join Him in ministry. Not all are given such a wonderful privilege! Yet, sad to say, he rejected the offer. If a similar offer is given to you, how will you respond?

Knowledge about God

Have you ever thought why Christ considers perfection as total abandonment of all possessions, giving up all rights and ownership to all of one’s possessions, and giving them all up to the poor? In one way, this may reveal the heart of God. He reveals His love for the poor and needy. Isn’t it an irony that perfection, from God’s perspective, is to become poor yourself? Isn’t it also coincidental that Christ aligned Himself and His life on earth with the poor (i.e., He had nowhere to lay His head, He became poor, etc.)? When you and I reach the point that we are totally helpless, utterly possession-less, we then can be totally dependent on Him for everything. As a result, we can truly walk by faith, and trust Him for each and every single moment in life. He is near those who are broken hearted (Ps 34:18) and perhaps, also to those who are totally "broke" for He Himself was despised, and forsaken – totally crushed, so that through Him, we might become whole!

Life Application:

Can we dedicate and submit all that we possess under His Lordship and total ownership?

Total Recall

The Recall...

Fresh as it was in my memories, it happened like it was just yesterday ... It was the last week of March, sometime seventeen years ago in 1993 ... I was in my second month then, as an On-The-Job (OJT) Trainee of Nestle Philippines, and also in my final year as an engineering student of De La Salle University - Manila.

During lunch break, I was having a relaxing conversation with the Milks Division Manager.  He asked me a probing question, “Neil, do you want to work here, after you graduate?” ... Without hesitation, I said, “Of course, sir! This is my dream company....”

Surprisingly, he commented, “Keep up your good performance! The chief engineer has been mentioning about you during managers meeting.” I was speechless ... but deep down in my heart, I was rejoicing…

What Call?!

Immediately the week after, I took a week off from training in the factory, to join our church’s family conference. We were watching the Jesus Film, when the Lord asked Peter to throw the nets into the other side of the sea. Peter hesitated, but said, “We worked hard all night and caught nothing, but because you say so ...” He threw the nets and behold, tons and tons of fish jumped into the nets!

God spoke to my heart and said, “Neil, do you want to get rich?” In my heart I realized that if the Lord performed the same miracle everyday to fishermen, like Peter, they can be instant millionaires! Yet the Lord told Peter, “Come follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” In my heart, I wondered ... “Is God calling me to ‘literally’ follow Him and be one of the ‘fishers of men’?” Perhaps not ... and hopefully not...

Call Waiting...

During the bonfire that night, I had a conversation with my pastor. He challenged me to submit my future to the Lord and let Him decide what He wants me to be ... whether it be as an engineer or as a missionary or as a pastor... Looking back, it dawned on me that it ought to be God’s call. Yet, deep in my heart, I still don’t want to relinquish my dreams...

I knew the invitation from God was clear, “Come, follow Me.” Yet, my response was, “Let me first...”  just like the disciple who rejected God’s call. I was waiting for God’s validation, but God was waiting for my confirmation ... to His call! I proceeded to my room, and at about 1:03AM of April 3, 1993, I knelt before the Lord ... submitting to Him my heart, my life and my future. Sure enough, I said “yes” to His call and as I stood up, God gave me a firm conviction of His call. 

Refreshing as it is to recall His call for my life, I pray that we all may discern intently, respond promptly, follow immediately, and fulfill His call for each of our lives!

“And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, NET)

My Four Months of FALL

My FALL has just ended ...

The past four months has been one of the most mentally rigorous and physically straineous moments of my life. Yet, I enjoyed the FALL ... The truth was, I had a very fruitful and rewarding FALL semester at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS)!

A lot of people all over the world have never experienced four seasons. Here in the US, the FALL Season officially kicked off 21st of September. As for DTS, the Fall semester started earlier, to be exact, on the 24th of August. In retrospect, this is my family’s first FALL in the US and we did experienced a lot of FALLS ...

Time FALLS back ...

Starting the 1st of November, we subtracted an hour from our clocks as the daylight saving time officially ended. This means, if during summer, the sun sets at about 8:30pm, this time, it started to get darker outside by 5:45pm.

On November 1st, I was scheduled to pick an uncle in the airport. Thank God I browsed the net before leaving the house, saw the change in US time mode and got confirmation from American friends about the time shift. This was something new for us which we have never experienced back home.

Teaching FALLS back ...

From November 14th to 29th, we had two weeks of school break. The first week of the break was intended as Reading Week. However, since I was not able to spend much time with my family during school days, I decided to bring them to Florida. We celebrated Aileen’s birthday (Nov 17) in Disney World and she got free entrance in Magic Kingdom with Disney’s birthday promo! Hannah also got in for free cause she was less than three years old. Believe it or not, I drove a total of about 2,500 miles (about 4,000 km) with stop overs in Mississipi and Atlanta on the way to Florida and New Orleans on the way back to Dallas! The second week of school break was Thanksgiving Break. We had fun eating our first turkey on Thanksgiving Day (Nov 26).

Temperature FALLS back ...

The temperature during summer in Dallas went up to a high of 110 Fahrenheit (43 C). During this season, it dropped to as low as 0 Celcius. Last 2nd of December, snow started to drizzle down Dallas! We went out during the break time of our morning class and felt snow FALLING down on us! However, as much as we wanted for snow to stay all day, it stopped dropping after only about 1 hour. Some say that it snows in Dallas once in every two years. We were delighted that we saw a glimpse of the snow!

Tests FALL one by one ...

The last three weeks of class from 30th of November up to 18th of December were the toughest in my schedule as I had to finish reading requirements, research papers, book reviews and other major requirements. I had three final exams on separate days that ended on December 17.

The only thing that never FELL ...

As a family, our first FALL in the US has been a very memorable experience! Perhaps, the best news we got during the FALL was the ultrasound result of Aileen that Hannah will be having a baby brother!

Through it all, we were constantly reminded that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Indeed, as all else are FALLING, only Jesus Christ never FAILS. His faithfulness is always new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). His love is always deep, wide and high (Ephesians 3:18). He never ceases praying for each one of us non-stop daily (Hebrews 7:25). Truly, Jesus never fails!

As we run the race of the Christian life, let us daily take heed to hear God’s call, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t FALL!” (1Corinthians 10:12). Perhaps, this is a great season for us to reflect on our relationship with the Christ of Christmas. May we all face a new seaon with a revived intimacy with the Christ of Christmas and a rejuvinated walk with God in the new year 2010!

The Joys of Life in Dallas

“… Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

Seventy Two … that is exactly the number of days our family has been residing in Dallas, Texas (as of end of September)! We are missing home a lot (!) … our family, our church, our friends, our favorite Filipino food … Jo’s Chicken Inato, Kare Kare, Palabok, Zagu … the simpler days and Philippines in general.

Our hearts are broken with the tragic news of the fatal storm “Ondoy” that has transformed Manila into a sea of floating dead bodies. It is disheartening to hear about 250 lives lost and with about 350,000 people displaced and homeless. This is probably one of the worse disasters that have hit Manila in its history!

We are glad our families back home are safe … thankful that our friends in Manila are all intact. Yet, we are a bit concerned and worried as another storm has entered Philippines and that the rainy season is not yet over. May our Lord be merciful upon our nation! May this be a wake-up call among believers that each life counts and each soul needs the direction to the Way, the Truth and the Life! (John 14:6)

In midst of the mourning and sadness in Manila, I face daily my own moments of struggle, as my mind gets twisted left and right with the simultaneous study of Greek and Hebrew languages, plus tons of readings, papers to write, daily quizzes to review and exams to anticipate as a student of Dallas Seminary. The Lord directed my attention to this passage … “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-4, The Message) God used this passage to turn my mourning into joy. Truly, I count it a great blessing, distinct privilege and tremendous joy to know God and His Word deeper!

Few Sundays ago, my family and I, together with another couple, drove up about 30 miles up north to Frisco, Texas to visit Stonebriar Community Church. We worshiped with about 2,000 other believers and listened intently, with fullness of joy, as Dr. Charles Swindoll expounded on God’s Word. His message was a timely message … “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2Timothy 2:15, NASB) It was a great blessing to hear this man of God, who has been used by God globally to proclaim His message of truth to a broken world.

While I am intently focused on studying, Tuesday mornings for Aileen is a joyful time of learning as she attends the women’s Bible study at a nearby church. Wednesday mornings is fun time for her and Hannah as they stroll along towards Luke’s Closet, to get free food, clothes and household items. Wednesday nights is AWANA night for Hannah as she learns God’s Word from Teacher Gloria at Dallas First Baptist Church. On Friday mornings, Aileen enjoys fellowship and Bible Study with her SWING (Seminary Wives in Nurture Group). At weekends, we bring Hannah to swim at Baylor Fitness and joyfully watch her have fun with her floater and swim with other kids in the indoor “kiddie” pool.

Finally, the best is yet to come … Aileen has been tested “positive” … by a pregnancy test kit! Yes, Aileen is dizzy with morning sickness and vomiting a lot and joyfully adjusting and trying to remember her last pregnancy. Pray for Aileen as she is already about 8 weeks pregnant. We are excited that Hannah is soon going to be an “A-chi” (meaning, older sister)!

As we trace back each step that we have taken thus far in our life in Dallas, we hear an echoing out of God’s Word to us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:4) We pray for you that the joy of the Lord likewise abound in your life. Let us celebrate and feast on Him daily and rejoice in the Lord for all the surprises and excitement that He unfolds into our lives!

Home away from Home

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household," (Ephesians 2:19)

All throughout our lives on earth, we have always considered Philippines as our country, residence and home. For the past four years of our marriage, our apartment along the busy high-way that leads to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) has been our place of rest and humble abode.

Few months ago, the Lord surprised and awed us by blessing us with scholarship to study at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). So, we began preparations to temporarily leave home. This bitter sweet experience has been quite a difficult moment for us as we bid “goodbyes” to family, church and friends.

After a very tiring move out of all our belongings, we rushed to fly out of Manila nearly past the midnight of July 21st, and safely moved in to our new apartment at Swiss Tower, just across the DTS campus. With about barely a month before the DTS Fall Semester began, we had the wonderful opportunity of meeting new friends from all over the world.

This semester at DTS has merged in about 20 new international students and about 200 new students from all over USA. The entire student population at the Dallas campus numbers close to about 1,300 students, inclusive of about 150 international students. Another 500 students are enrolled on-line & in other satellite campuses. Interestingly, DTS graduates are ministering to about 191 countries all over the world. We praise God for leading us to our new home for the next year and a half!

My DTS classes began August 24th as I engaged in about six subjects (Greek, Hebrew, Teaching in Christian Higher Education, Soteriology, Introduction to New Testament and Cultural Orientation). Outside class, a Filipino friend and I go to Baylor Fitness about twice a week (DTS students get free access to the world-class facilities of Baylor Fitness through a generous sponsor). As for Aileen and Hannah, they have been busily exploring Swiss Tower, meeting new friends, swimming at the pool and playing with other kids at the playroom.

As we are adjusting to a new life in DTS, we also faced some challenging tests. Hannah got sick with on and off high fever for about a week. Just after getting well, she fell off the chair and got a lump at the back of her head. We brought her to the hospital and the doctor checked her up. She underwent a scan on her head and we thanked God that the result has shown totally no problem worth worrying. Our family realized that we will be facing more trials ahead bundled with blessings!

We thank God for granting us ministry partners like you who continue to uphold us in prayers. We sure do love to hear from you and pray for you as well! As we face all the hustles and bustles of life in our new home, the Lord taught us that He is the most important part of our family. We ought to weave our lives here as a family with Him, as our Heavenly Father, in the center. Truly, our lives are in His hands and may He continue to fulfill His purpose and plans for us that we may each day live solely for His glory and honor!

Better than Amazing Race

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Today, "The Amazing Race" is one of the best watched reality TV shows, all over the world. For our family, we had our own Amazing Race experience. However, our race lasted for about two full years to complete! Listen to our story...

Last June 2007, the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to be a part of the Global Proclamation Academy (GPA), which is a once in a lifetime experience given among selected young pastoral leaders to attend a short-term, in-depth pastoral training. With the initiative of the Ramesh Richard Evangelism and Church Health (RREACH), 26 of us (pastors coming from 26 different countries) attended the 3 weeks intensive training. GPA delegates were blessed with classes taught by top seminary professors from all across the USA (Robert Coleman, Howard Hendricks, Norman Geisler, Charles Ryrie and so much more)! GPA classes were held in the campus of the Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS).

When I returned to the Philippines July of 2007, I felt refreshed with the training and sensed that I had renewed vigor to serve the Lord. I realized that it was about time for me to take further studies (as I finished my Master of Divinity last 1998). After much discussion with my wife, we began praying for God's leading to study in DTS. By September of 2007, I took the step of faith in applying on-line to be a student of DTS. The following year, sometime April of 2008, I received news that DTS has accepted me into the Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) program.

However, because I was not given scholarship, my wife and I decided to postpone our plans for further studies by another year. On December 2008, I reapplied for scholarship at DTS. With much prayers, personally and from friends and church mates, and by the grace and goodness of our Heavenly Father, I was granted full scholarship last March 2009, through the International Leaders Scholarship Program (ILSP) of DTS.

Our next step as a family was to apply for US Student Visa. There were two challenges that we faced. First, when we scheduled our Visa Interview at the US Embassy in Manila, our I-20 Forms, papers confirming that I am a student of DTS, was still on its way through air mail. Second, my wife's birth certificate was still on hold by the National Statistics Office. The reason for the delay of release is a bit complicated. My wife was born in Cebu, about 350 miles away from Manila. Aileen's family decided to change their surname when Aileen was growing up. NSO needed the Cebu Judge's letter of finality that her surname has already been changed. As we waited for the Judge's letter from Cebu and also the I-20 forms from DTS, we realized that we needed God's grace once again.

I went to the Quezon City Postal Office about noon time of April 24, 2009. A staff gave me several listings of all the letters that arrived in their office for the past few weeks. I checked out the list one by one, but could not find the letter from DTS. The staff then informed me that if I want, I can go up to the second floor and look for the postman assigned to send letters to my home. I quickly went up and by God's providence, I ran across the mailman who was assigned to our street! He said that he just arrived from sending letters in another area and was about to leave the building to go to our area. I asked if he had a letter for me. He opened up his locker and lo and behold, he handed to me the package containing the I-20 Forms from DTS!

On May 11, two days before our scheduled interview at the US Embassy, Aileen's mom sent the Cebu Judge's letter through their church's pastor's wife, who incidentally was travelling to Manila that day. We met her halfway from the airport amidst heavy rain, got the letter, crossed through flooded areas of Manila and rushed all the way to the National Statistics Office. Praise be to God, by 6pm, Aileen got her Birth Certificate, printed on NSO security paper, which was one of the major requirements asked by the US Embassy.

Finally, on May 13, 2009, my family and I went to the US Embassy in Manila. We prayed and asked for God's grace once again that He would lead us to the right consulate and that He would bless us with US Student Visas for the entire family. As we conversed with the consulate, we praise God for the favor from Him as we were all granted US Student Visas! Lord willing, we intend to leave for Dallas by July 21, 2009 and start a new phase in our life as a family. We invite you to be our Prayer and Ministry Partner as we continue to trust in His grace.

As I look back at what we as a family have gone through to be able to study in DTS, the experience indeed was much better than the game show "The Amazing Race". All throughout our race, as a family, we learned what "trusting in the Lord" means. We also learned what "depending on God in prayer" means. Finally, we learned what "waiting on the Lord to accomplish His work" means! Indeed, this passage from God's Word has become a reality to us as a family, "... He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
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