Pastor Justin

one of the other reasons that made it hard for dan and i to leave the States was the church in Pasadena. since 2004, when we split from the original church, we have seen our son, Justin Daniel, literally take the ball and run with it with regards to pastoring/shepherding EL International Church-Pasadena. from november 2004 to february 2008, we were meeting for FREE in the meeting room of Pasadena's Hastings Branch Library. in february of this year, God answered our prayers for a bigger location and we were approved to "nest" at the First Southern Baptist Church's facility on washington blvd. of course, this meant that we would now be paying for the use of the facility and with dan and i leaving and no longer giving our tithes to the church, paying for their monthly bills might prove to be daunting for this small church.

on top of that, as a young pastor with a wife and child, justin has the added burden of being the sole breadwinner for the family since he and gina chose to have gina quit her job so she could stay at home with keilah for the next few years.

as his parents, when we hear of his concerns, we begin to second guess ourselves about leaving and staying back there to help, especially financially. it's really hard for us to be so far away, totally helpless to do what we can to help.

recently, justin interviewed and was offered a position with a sales & marketing company where he would be working with forture 500 companies. it would have been a great experience and stepping stone for him career-wise, but he turned it down because it would have meant less time for his family and for the ministry. justin believed that God would "fill in the gaps" and he decided to go ahead and trust God to provide for ALL of his and his family's needs.

when we heard of his decision, we just prayed even more for justin -- that God will provide for ALL his needs; that God will show him in tangible ways that giving his family and the ministry priority would be worth it all in the end and, especially, that God would bring people alongside him who will be an encouragement & support to him, personally and ministry-wise. and God HAS provided that in the form of dan's cousin, mark caes lacanilao. mark has been awesome and we can't thank God enough for him and his care for our son.

that same week-end after turning down the job, justin preached to the young people at mark's church -- his first time to preach there. many of the LA area lacanilaos attend that church of which tito paul is the senior pastor. there was a good number of folks in attendance and justin preached on missions. when we asked him how it went, he said he really wasn't sure, but that mark said it was a "home run" message. we thanked God for the opportunity justin was given to share some of his vision and were pleasantly surprised to receive the following email from mark. God has once again showed justin that if he follows Him and trusts Him to provide, He will. He especially provided the words of encouragement that justin needs to hear. being a pastor is often a lonely road, but those times when your message touches the hearts of people, those words can do so much to lift your spirits and provide the impetus to keep moving in the direction in which God has led you.

this friday, he will be preaching at the youth camp of the filipino church where we served for several years in the early 1990s and we pray that God will also use him mightily there.

with justin's permission, i would like to share mark's email to him that we were cc'ed on. our hearts are overflowing with joy and gratitude for the wonderful sign from God that justin is on the right track. thanks for keeping justin (and his family) in your prayers.

Hey Juss!

What a "home-run" message! I am really proud of you with how you have delivered the message yesterday. It has all the rudiments of an effective and life-changing message.
Just wanted to let you let know that I didn't even need to poll the young people (which I normally do to gain any perspective on what type of impact the message has brought to them) with regards to the message the invited speaker has given. But rather, the college core group and high school were voluntarily coming up to me and complementing about how your message really made an impact. All Glory to God! Amen!
They were all able to relate to the message that you have presented. Some of the comments they gave were :
" The message he gave really hits home to my heart..." - Bryan
"I was really able to relate to what he was saying..." - Aprille
"What an awesome message..." - Jessica
"a perfect message...the service was great from beginning to end..." - Kuya Andy
" i felt like he was really speaking directly to me with a personal touch..." - Another High school student
They were asking me about who you were, what church you go to, etc. and I was willing to oblige information although not to a great extent but enough for them to consider you in their prayers with regards to your ministry and involvement.
They (College core) wanted to visit your church in Pasadena sometime. I also told them about your up and coming Evangelistic seminar. They are interested in coming.
This would be a good ministry "collaboration" of some sort.
I hope these comments would greatly encourage you to serve Him with gladness and humility for the sake of His Kingdom!

God Bless you all the more!
Uncle Mark

depression

i see that my attempts at trying to write at least once a week haven't been successful... i have had ideas of what to share, but if i don't sit down and write them right away, i'll forget and get caught up on other things that are piled up on my plate... i will definitely try to do better, starting with this post... :-)

most of you know that my dad recently went through a period of deep depression. he was hospitalized 2x in 2006 for different reasons. at first the docs thought it was low potassium, then low sodium. they ran a battery of tests while he was in the hospital, but couldn't pinpoint the SPECIFIC reason for his condition. of course, we know that although there could have been many reasons for his depression, the true reason was spiritual because the enemy was behind all his problems. like Job, my dad's battle was being waged behind the scenes -- God allowing the devil to persecute my dad in this way in order to test his faith and devotion to God. i am happy to say that my dad passed this test with flying colors...!! but, the test took more than 2 years!!

during his depression, my dad couldn't sleep. he had very little appetite. he couldn't laugh or tell jokes like before. he had zero energy. when i visited him in july 2006 during his 2nd hospitalization, i really thought that that would be the LAST time i would see him alive... since i really knew nothing much about depression, prior to and during my 2-week visit, i spent a lot of time going online to read as much as i could on depression. i read of celebrities like mike wallace of cbs' "60 minutes" and donna summer, among others, who suffer from this malady. i also looked up the medications that were prescribed for him. my dad had told me that after taking seroquel, he felt disembodied, like he was floating and he could see his body below him. of course, i looked up seroquel immediately and found out it was a psychotic drug!! needless to say, i was LIVID that a psychiatrist from the hospital had prescribed this for my dad without 1) checking to see WHAT kind of medication she was giving him (or maybe she knew and didn't care that it might not be correct for him...) and 2) without observing and talking to my dad more than the 1 time that she saw him...! i know my dad is not psychotic and i made sure the other docs who were treating my dad at that time knew that i was very angry that they had allowed this drug to be given to my dad!!

when we're young, our parents have the responsibility to ensure that we are always safe. the tables turn once our parents reach a certain age and as their adult children, i believe we have a moral and loving responsibility to care for our parents, if we are in the position to do so. i am SO thankful that, at that time, i was able to leave my job for those 2 weeks & make a special trip back to cebu to be with my parents, to support them, and help them decide on how to proceed with my dad's treatment.

i was back here in cebu for more than 2 months last year and my dad's condition had improved a little. he still wasn't 100%, but i felt he was at least at 50% and getting better.

fast forward 6 months later to june of this year... what a wonderful change to see my dad at almost 100% -- in his demeanor, his outlook, his physical appearance!!! i can't thank God enough for allowing the depression to lift and restoring my dad back to pretty much what he was before the depression...! he's back to cracking jokes & smiling alot (i discovered that when one is depressed, they really can't smile, even if they want to). he's still not getting "good sleep" at night, but that's something he can live with.

like Job, my dad never lost faith in his God. he knew that God is still in control and if He has more work for my dad to do here on earth, He will preserve his life and give him more time to serve this God Whom he has served for more than 50 years!! that's why, even with his condition in 2006 & 2007, he still continued to work on his books, especially the Isidro Annotated OLD Testament. and today, he is in the book of JOB!! he had originally set a timetable of 2009 to get to the Poetical Books, but here he is in JOB, the first of the Poetical Books, and it's just past mid-year 2008...!! God is REALLY good and we praise Him for this miracle in my dad's life!!

so, what lessons have i personally learned through all this?
One: that even with good doctors, we STILL have to be vigilant and watchful when we are given any medication. we shouldn't be afraid to ask questions about what medications we're being prescribed.

Two: that when it comes to afflictions and calamities that might come our way, there is the spiritual dimension that we must take into consideration. and if someone is suffering, we should not be quick to judge that he/she has sinned and that God is punishing him/her.

Three: that, ultimately, God is STILL in control of our lives. He allows these afflictions, problems, calamities to come into our lives to test our faith in Him. but there's a wonderful promise in Job 23:10 that we can hold onto during those trying times: "but He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (KJV).

Praise God who is able to give us the victory in ALL areas of our lives!!

my tribute to my mother-in-law, esther lacanilao, on her 80th bday celebration

Good evening! My name is Sharon Isidro-Lacanilao, wife of Dan, our celebrant's 2nd son.

Because of significant advances in technology & medicine & maybe just plain good living for some, more and more people are living longer these days. Mom has joined that elite group of individuals who continue to be strong and vibrant in their latter years. As a matter of fact, Dan is fond of saying that Mom is healthier that any of her children!

Of course, she's gotten that way by following a strict diet, religiously seeing her doctors, but, most especially, she has reached 80 years of age because she has been faithful to her Lord Jesus Christ and her Lord, in turn, has rewarded that faithfulness by giving her a long and fruitful life.

Mom's greatest heritage is her deep & abiding faith in God -- that no matter what may come her way, she knows that God has ordained it all and because He has her best interest at heart, she can rest secure knowing that God's will for her IS the best.

So, Mom, on this your 80th birthday celebration, thank you for this wonderful example to our generation and, most importantly, to the generations after us -- your grandchildren & great grandchildren. Thank you especially for loving MY children -- ashley, justin & erin -- and my grandchildren -- Josiah & Keilah, whom you still have to meet in person!

We rejoice with you on reaching this significant milestone of 80 years well-lived. And we pray for more years where your family can enjoy your love and your wisdom and especially to learn more of God's faithfulness to you and to the Lacanilao clan.

God bless you, Mom!!

adjusting to life here in cebu...

we've been here in cebu for a little over 2 weeks and we're slowly falling into a nice routine. i usually wake up @ 4am (!!!). i thought this was due to being jetlagged, but i think that this is now my regular wake-up time... it's really not that bad because it allows me to get a lot of work done. plus, if any of my kids are online at that time (1pm in LA), i have a nice chunk of time to chat with them before the day starts in earnest.

sometimes, dan and i eat breakfast together, but more often than not, i just make myself a cup of coffee and drink it while i get caught up on my emails. we do, however, eat lunch and dinner together. dan cooks (cuz he's better at cooking filipino dishes than me...!) and i'm responsible for washing dishes. my day is usually loaded with work for EL Theological Seminary or EL International, in general, so i'm usually glued to my laptop from the time i wake up to the time i finally fall asleep!! dan's responsibilities, however, are not as time-sensitive as mine, so he's able to work on things around the apartment (like more organizing and putting away of our stuff) and, as needed, take care of issues relating to the ministry as the Facilities Manager for EL International Church, Inc.

it's interesting that in the States, we only saw each other during the ride to and from work and at night, while here, we're together almost 24/7!! and yet, it's hasn't gotten old or stifling. probably because our perspective has changed and we realize that we have to be partners in this new adventure that God has given us...

a couple times a week, we will go out to one of the nearby malls. we usually end up eating out during these times and we've discovered something funny but sad: the portions at the restaurants and fast food places are TINY!! this has been especially exasperating for dan who didn't realize how much he had become accustomed to the portions they give you back in the states.

this became quite evident last week when we decided to have dinner at bigsby's, a fairly nice restaurant in nearby ayala center. dan ordered a fish dish and when it came, he was very disappointed with how little it was. i guess he thought they would have portions like claim jumper...!! when the server came around to ask us how our food was, i'm sure he was expecting "it's good." instead, dan replied, "not enough." the poor guy! he didn't quite know how to take that!! after we finished our meal, we ended up going to the pancake house where dan had his second & third courses. still, he was unhappy with the portions, especially the pasta which was 1/4 of what macaroni grill gives...!!

then, just the other day, we were back @ ayala center as dan was getting "cabin fever," and we thought we'd eat chicken for dinner. i reminded dan that the cuts of chicken are NOT like el pollo loco or KFC, so i was surprised when he ordered ONLY 1/4 of a chicken from kenny roasters... it turned out to be even smaller than a drumstick...!!! i had to remind dan that the WHOLE chickens we see in the supermarket are just a little bigger than the cornish hens back home. that's why his 1/4 was as tiny as it was...!!

so, if we ever eat out, we'll probably go to those all we can eat places where we will definitely get our money's worth. barrio fiesta has a great all-you-can-eat merienda from 3-6 for only P110 (less than $3!). the hotels all have buffets. i'll have to take dan to the one at the waterfront and we want to try the grand majestic's lunch buffet... i know dan will get FULL at those places...!!

so, it's been interesting getting adjusted to our new life here. EL Theological Seminary begins its new school year on saturday, so we're busy preparing for that. next tuesday, i will start teaching my first class at the Seminary, Hymnology. also, next week we'll be in davao for dan's mom's 80th birthday celebration, so that means we will miss our 2nd Intro to Hebrew class which we are both taking as part of our graduate studies, and i will miss my 1st thesis writing class -- the 2nd subject that i'm responsible for. the week of the 14th, dalila defiesta and her girls will be here to work on elizabeth house and we will take time to take them around the city during our days off. so, already, july is turning out to be a little bit out of the ordinary and routine for us...

well, it's now 5am on friday, july 4th, for us! to those of you in the States, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! be safe and remember how blessed you are to be living in a country that allows so many freedoms!! let's pray that it continues to be that way for a long time to come! i will be forever grateful to a country that was my home for more than 30 years!! i'm happy to FINALLY be an american citizen!!

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home, sweet home...

that was one of my favorite songs that i learned at Bannockburn Elementary School in Illinois -- i love the melody!! And, yes, may God continue to bless America!!