Friday, October 26, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
How the Lord gave me children in really impossible situations!
A testimony of Diane Villanueva
My husband and I were married in 1986. Five years passed and we still didn’t have a baby. We were both Christian workers that time. We prayed to the Lord to bless us with children. The Lord answered us by declaring His purpose through the passages of Psalm 128:3 “…your children will be like olive shoots around your table.”
May 1990, we hosted a special gathering in our community. We invited close friends and relatives so we decided to add a chair in our table for two, making it for three. We recalled Gods’ promise to us. That time the Lord told me that I am conceiving and I will call my son John.
July 1990, during my 1st trimester, I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. Laboratory tests, Ultrasound, and Biopsy confirmed the disease was already on its 3rd stage! Yet, I never lost hope. I recalled Gods’ faithfulness and I declared “Your words will never return to you void, but it will lead to fulfillment”. This was where I based my faith on- “by the stripes of Jesus I am healed”. I continually declared verse 6 of Psalm 128 “…that I shall see my children’s children” “It is YOU, Lord who promised life for me and for my son, John…” was my prayer.
August 1990, I was scheduled for Chemotherapy. My OB made one final test and to her surprise, the result was negative! NO TRACE OF TERMINAL CERVICAL CANCER was seen. That day I decided to call my son John Mark-- JOHN – as Gods’ given name; and Mark – for he would be a “mark” of my covenant with God.
PRAISE BE TO GOD!
Four years later, May 1994 we again hosted a special gathering in our community, so we needed to prepare our house. We replaced our 3- seater dining table into a 4-seater one. We recalled Gods’ promise “…your children will be like olive shoots around your table”. Again I conceived and this time it was a baby girl. During my 1st trimester, a Cyst was detected on my right ovary and it grew so fast, it became larger than my baby. There was threat for the cyst to rupture so I underwent a series of ultrasound checking the cyst’s size and to see if my baby was developing normally. Laboratory tests were also done in preparation of my surgery.
August 1994, the cyst collapsed and ruptured. I was rushed to Makati Med for an immediate operation. According to my OB, if the rupture occurs, my baby and I will only be safe within 15 to 30 minutes. Otherwise, we will both die because of the poison that will spread quickly inside my body as a result of the rupture. But God was really true to HIS promise. The operation lasted for about one hour and forty-five minutes. The baby was removed and returned to where she was in my womb. February 1995, I finally gave birth to my daughter- Rejoice without any trace of abnormalities on her physical and mental growth. GLORY TO GOD!
October 1995, since we were having birthday and anniversary celebrations in our house, we converted our 4-seater round dining table into a 5-seater oblong glass top dining table. A week before, my OB told me that it was impossible for me to get pregnant again because of my previous operations. Laboratory results showed that only my left ovary survived. My fallopian tubes and right ovary were no longer there. She was very certain and firm about her diagnosis. But after a week she was surprised, because I was pregnant! On July 13, 1996, I gave birth to a very strong and healthy daughter-Reign. She was my third child.
On November 23, 1996, Saturday at 5 o’clock in the afternoon an accident happened in our house. Reign fell off our 13- step staircase! Her head hit the door. Blood covered our doorsteps.
I was still in the office when it happened. I saw God glowing in great brightness. In awe, I bowed down and prayed feeling no strength. I said: “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. All I know is that you want to embrace me with Your Greatness!” He said nothing. He was just silent. The brightness disappeared, and I went home.
My brother told me what happened. I went to Reigns’ room, broken and in tears. I began talking to HIM. I said “Ever since, you’ve been declaring your provisions to me. Now, this is my declaration and I will do this my entire life. Sundays will be yours, Saturdays will be for my family, during weekdays whenever there’s a need to work overtime, I won’t file it. It will be Yours – it will serve as a token of my love offering to You, because AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE WILL SERVE YOU!” In the hospital, I knew God accepted every word that I have declared. I heard my daughter calling me “mommy” from the operating room. It was a sign of a new life for Reign, a new strength for us. TRULY GOD DESERVES THE HIGHEST PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE!
Seven years later, our 5- seater oblong glass top dining table cracked and got broken. So we replaced it with 6-seater round table. Again we recalled God’s words: “your children will be like olive shoots around your table”.
By that time I had no fallopian tube and only had one ovary. But again I became pregnant and gave birth to my fourth child- Jeremiah. My OB was really amazed because it was clearly a miracle! Celebrating Jeremiah’s birth, we renewed our faith and God declared HIS promises to us confirming it in the book of Jeremiah 29:11-14. We were overjoyed because we knew that GOD is really true to HIS promises. Everyday we enjoyed life with God’s blessings.
Year 2005, my husband and I had this marital problem. He stopped attending church and our relationship was dying. I found myself complaining. I was living in absolute depression and was even hospitalized because of a heart ailment. Nevertheless my children and I never skipped church during Sundays. It is for Gods’ Glory as I’ve promised. We kept on going and searched for Gods’ wisdom and provision.
February 2007, I decided to leave my house and my kids for 3 days and 2 nights, just to be with the Lord and to remember what He has done in my life while fasting and praying. Again, God that time was so silent, no words came from Him. But on the third day HE said: “Go home”. Though I was heartbroken, I went home and found the same man blessed by God to be my husband, finally home! Nowadays, he attends church regularly with us. He is also the guitarist of JOHIA Knights, JOHIA’s men’s ministry. He leads us in our daily prayers living in God’s holiness and continually changing from glory to glory.
And now I am declaring with joy that the God of Abraham and Jacob who is the same GOD I AM SERVING, IS MORE THAN AMAZING!!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Carpe Diem
A testimony of Ptr. Cyrus Laroco
Seize the day...
Mike Portnoy has a tattoo on his left forearm. It says “Carpe Diem” and has the date of 11-16-84 underneath which is the date he lost his mother in a plane crash. “Carpe Diem” means seize the Day in Latin and was part of a lesson he was taught earlier that day in high school. A lesson that provided him with a final moment with his mom and a final hug and kiss before she left for her flight.
I was in Mcdonalds Commonwealth a few years back when I saw two boys asking for water on the counter. The crew in Mcdonalds were gracious enough to give them water to drink. They seemed happy and grateful for the simple service the crew gave them. At that time I had this feeling that I had to do something for them, it was as if God was instructing me to do something for them. I really felt that I needed to buy each of them a Sunday cone, which was only 5 pesos that time. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I felt guilty afterward. I did not seize the day. I was not a blessing to them. There are times when I remember that time and I still get teary eyed because I know I did not follow God’s instruction. A few weeks came to pass and I saw myself in the same situation. This time I bought the kids ice cream, but it wasn’t the same. I felt as if I was only covering the mistake I did a few weeks back.
Opportunities lost...
Situations like that don’t come very often. God will always give us the chance to love, care, connect, be blessings, and to reach out to people. I pray that whenever we find ourselves in that situation we choose to SEIZE THE DAY and let ourselves be an extension of God’s blessing to others.
read more of Ptr. Cyrus' blog entries
Monday, September 17, 2007
How Butch and I cursed and blessed a robber on the same day
a testimony of Wendy Lopez-Redaon
Somebody broke into our house about two months ago. I went home from the market and found shards of our glass window on the floor. My closet door was ajar. Immediately, I checked the secret spot where I put bulk of our money in. It was untouched and in tact! I called Butch in his office and told him the bad news. Together, we did an inspection of what was missing: his motorcycle helmet, a pair of his basketball rubber shoes, our digital camera, 300 pesos worth of cash and my wedding ring. My heart sunk. Very scared, I asked Butch to come home at once. The robber didn’t get a lot of things. I was surprised he didn’t take my my ipod or the DVD player. This made me think that he (assuming it was a guy who did it) only made an inspection of the place, took only stuff he could carry and planned to come back to get some more.
click here to read more of Wendy's blogs
also read "A thousand deaths all for Love"
Friday, September 7, 2007
Ptr. Tanny's Anniversary Greeting with intro from Apol, Cyrus and Joshua
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Odd
by Apol Laroco
When it seems odd
A part of you keeps calling home
But can’t connect
A part of you extends a hand
But still can’t reach
You think you’re full
But stinkin’ funny deep inside
You just feel odd
You don’t know why
Empty
Around you, many but can’t
Reach among so many
Who
A question most holistic people try to view
When all your goodness, you thought,
Was shining through, inspiring you
Odd
But when you look back you knew
There’s nothing that you lack
When all the theories you knew
became firm facts
This can’t be wrong
Smart’s out of question
This is all odd
Coz suddenly
I found myself soaked in reality
That who I am is a façade- a dream, a ‘lack’
I have the head but then I couldn’t free my heart
That life is not about the sight, the thought, the sound
It goes beyond…
Odd
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