A Glorious Christmas Eve

This year I spent my Christmas Eve doing something different. I went to orphanages, children homes and a local hospital with other missionaries to sing Christmas carols, bring gifts, and pray for the sick. I felt God’s great pleasure when I was able to connect with children, patients and their families. They were very thankful to have people there and some came to us to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Salvation is a free gift and the Giver gave everything so that He could reunite with His creation for eternity. This Christmas Eve some people were bold enough to say yes to the free gift of salvation.

Witnessing the Fury of a Typhoon

On Friday, November 8 the Philippines witnessed the fury of typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).  The typhoon hardly did any damage in Iloilo City where I’m visiting but the eye of the storm hit approximately 60 miles away and major damage started only about 30 miles from Iloilo City. So far government officials estimate up to 10,000 casualties. Because the area I was in was not affected, it’s so hard for me to wrap my mind around the devastation just a few miles from me. But the evidence of the destruction of this typhoon is everywhere and we cannot turn our eyes from those hurting. Hearing the stories of families that were affected breaks my heart and it compels me to do something.

As I was helping a local church here pack relief bags with some food, candles and matches I wondered how long those goods would last them. But I thought, “Even if it only last them 3 or 4 days, showing them that someone loves them makes an impact in their lives!”

Desiree Patricio, director of the Sonshine Center, recently wrote about a couple of ladies who survived the typhoon:

These 2 girls came to our church in desperation, asking for help for their island Bitoon in Northern Panay. The island was completely washed out, all the houses were completely damaged. Only one boat survived thus they were able to cross the island and seek help. They really need food and water. One of them said the people in the island survived on coconuts. Just hearing them talk about their experience is really heartbreaking. We need all the help we can get to help rebuild their lives and their homes.

Click here to sow a seed of love.

I go to the bar for more than just a drink!

I look forward to my Wednesday nights because that’s usually when I go to the bar with a few friends of mine. Our main reason for going is not to sit in and inhale secondhand smoke or get alcoholic beverages (we only drink water, orange juice or Sprite in case you were wondering) but to sit and listen to the hearts of the ladies working there. There’s nothing different about them, they have longings and desires just like any other human being. I love hearing them talk about their daily activities and the things they love to do such as going to workout, going swimming, preferring sleep over exercise and even seeing their eyes sparkle when they talk about a guy they like that is no longer with them. The people that normally look at them usually think that they are worthless or that they are only good for a night. But I see them and I see beautiful women that are working there for different reasons and difficult situations. The hardest part of my visits is definitely when I have to witness a customer walk in to pick the girl he wants to spend a few hours with. I intercede for the girl that gets picked while continuing to spend time with the other girls there. God has so much more for them and I want to continue to sow seeds of life in them for as long as I can. 

Lover of Interruptions

Lately I find myself anticipating God’s interruptions because they bring great delight to my soul. The only way I can describe this feeling is being like a 5-year-old girl who is waiting for her daddy to come home from work with her favorite ice cream. It doesn’t matter what the young girl is doing when her father finally arrives because she will run to the door to give him a great big bear hug. Then she will proceed to ask him for her ice cream of course, but that time spent with him as they enjoyed their ice cream and laughed uncontrollably will encourage her to dream about her daddy’s next surprise arrival.

I love it when He shows up in unexpected ways. A few weeks ago He showed Himself in the form of a little tribal boy. I was rushing to get back to the van because my team and I were getting ready to leave the tribal area when the little boy approached me. He was so cute and the van leaving me wasn’t as important as stopping to spend time with him. I spent a few minutes with him and gave him an orange before I left. In the natural, nothing extraordinary happened but my heart was full of joy because I was blessed by a heavenly scheduled interruption.     

Leading with His Grace

During the month of May I was able to assist my missionary leaders, Ariel and Paz Acuna, with a team from Christ for the Nations Institute. From the get go we all had so many obstacles to overcome but we all persevered and were able to reap a harvest. Many of the students from CFNI were experiencing their first missions trip and I was also learning to lead a team. With many of us being so inexperienced, we were able to be carried by God’s grace.  I personally was pushed out of my comfort zone when my leaders told me, “ Yolanda, you and Carl, another missionary, will help lead the team to get their visas for Laos and then cross the border.” I was helping them do something I had never done before, and I was going to lead them to a country where you cannot preach the Gospel freely. I knew God would make a way for us to cross the border safely but we all were completely depending on the grace of God to do what we were there to do. The students were able to share the Gospel at a school and many children accepted the Lord.

Over the course of the entire trip, God’s grace was sufficient for us and we witnessed many miracles. We were able to minister to a total of 5,478 people and 4,726 people accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior! I was left in awe to see how God still moved and did wonderful things even though many of us were inexperienced. 

THE MAN WHO WALKED!!!

Universities and English Camps

House of Mercy Orphanage (Children with HIV)

Market in Khon Kaen, Thailand

The Monk Who Became a Follower of Christ!

devotion |diˈvō sh ən|

What does it mean to be devoted to someone or something? Webster’s defines devotion as love, loyalty or enthusiasm for a person, activity or cause. As a believer and follower of Christ, I have dedicated my life to love and serve Him with no reservations. But every once in a while He’ll surround me with people who are walking in a greater revelation of what it means to be devoted. I believe He does this to lovingly remind me that there is more He wants to give to me but can only be received when I choose to go deeper with Him.

About a week ago I went with a few other missionaries to Mae Sai, Thailand to visit the Calvary Bible School there. This Bible school has been tailored for the Akha tribe people. This tribe spreads out into four different nations, northern Thailand, Burma, Laos and China. They have class every other month and they stay on campus for about a week. Most of them leave their farming jobs during that time to attend Bible school. After perusing the classroom, it didn’t take a long time to notice the youngest student in the class. 

The baby girl was not even two months old yet. One of the missionaries there began to share about how the mother had attended the previous module two months ago, but was only able to attend to the first day because she went into labor later that night. Having a baby didn’t stop her from returning to school. 

There were also two students who traveled far for their training. One of them was from Laos and the other one was from China. The one from China traveled about 3 days and 2 nights in buses with farm animals. I also was able to meet a humble man, the father of the owner of the property there. At a glance he might seem as weak and insignificant but to God he is a precious soul. He has planted over 100 churches in closed countries like Laos, Burma and China.

God is not a respecter of persons but His power flows freely through those who have childlike faith and say yes to His will without hesitation. My hope rests in the assurance that my journey with Him is not over yet and that I will continue to go from glory to glory.    

Taking Authority Over New Territory

Thailand is a beautiful country and the Thai people are very friendly.

But the spiritual atmosphere here is definitely different from the Philippines. Recently I visited a Buddhist temple known as The White Temple. From far away it looked stunning with it’s many small pieces of mirrors reflecting the Sun. But the closer I got to it and the more I paid attention to the details, I was shocked to see how creepy and eerie that temple really was. My heart broke when I walked inside the temple and found people bowing and praying to their false god. I left that temple with many questions about the religion and the significance of the structural design.

Even though there is a stronghold over this nation, God is real and He is powerful enough to remove the veil that’s blocking them from the truth. I was invited to join a prayer caravan at one of the municipalities here in Chiang Rai called Huai Chompu. According to Ariel Acuna, the Go To Nations missionary leader in Thailand, this was their third attempt to visit that place. The first two times they weren’t able to visit because of the terrible condition of the road up the mountain. The objective of that trip was to meet the people in leadership there, give them a fruit basket, give them a New Testament Bible, pray John 3:16 over that place and burry that verse in their land as a declaration act. I was amazed to see how well the people in leadership received us. God is good and He wants to reveal Himself to the Thai people.

With all the transitions and adjustments to the culture here, there are lots of opportunities for me to feel out of place and lonely. But thankfully my God is a personal and loving God! He knows how to encourage me and how to lift my spirit. He placed a white truck in front of me while I was waiting for my taxi with His encouragement for that day. :)

10 Years Later…

About 10 years ago I lost connection with my half-sister and niece. We didn’t grow up together and our bond wasn’t as strong. But I’m thankful and grateful that we were able to reconnect about a month ago. 

     We look very different! :) I look Asian next to her.

She had two more beautiful girls and the youngest one likes to give free hugs. I realize that my time around them is limited so I seize every opportunity to spend time with them. 

My brother and I spending time with our 3 nieces.