It's a sad day for the world.
According to Dr Billy Graham, there was never any question about where she placed her faith.
She once said, "I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel."
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Thursday, August 4, 2022
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
in the end...
When we're gone, will we be remembered for our kindness?
This is the question asked by Chuck Swindoll during one of his devotionals and it made me think about my Dad. He died on November 8, 2021, and it makes me sad to say that, in the end, he will not be remembered for his kindness as much as he will be for literally throwing me and my husband under the bus in 2013 because we questioned his choice of a second wife. Even at the end of his life, I didn't get the sense that he was sorry for how he had (mis)treated us. But we know that God knows what happened and how Dan and I left everything in the States behind -- retiring early from our jobs and leaving our children who were still in their early 20s and not fully ready for us to "abandon" them -- to go to Cebu and help my parents with their ministry.
No matter our accomplishments in life -- real or perceived -- it really IS true that what really matters in the end is how we made our loved ones feel. And, although there are some good memories of my Dad, the last taste in my mouth remains bitter. What's even more sad is that he chose not to maintain a relationship with his 9 GREAT grandkids -- never once reaching out to them after his remarriage in 2012 until his death -- so they have nothing tangible to remember him by... That was a wasted opportunity... Even though I'm glad that he is now in heaven, I feel he lost out on living a life of significance with regards to this side of his family...
Sunday, December 12, 2021
40 years on 12/12/2021
WOW!!! or YIKES!!!
Have we really been married that long???? When I was young, I don’t remember thinking I would be married these many years… and yet, here I am at 66, married for 40 years… it’s been quite a journey. Lots of ups and downs. Sometimes, we wondered if we would make it to the next year or even the next month or week or day 😊. Even though we’re both Filipinos, the fact that I was basically brought up as an American made us an inter-cultural couple and many adjustments needed to be made on a regular basis. Without the Lord holding our hands and being the 3rd and most important leg in this relationship, I doubt that we would still be together. Seriously… We’ve dealt with the usual relationship issues—different perspectives on money, differing views on raising the kids and the number of kids we would have (he wanted 6!!!), the fact that I’m the first born and used to being in control versus the fact that he’s a typical male whose ego is easily bruised and i sometimes don’t have much patience for that... But, through the years, we’ve learned to meet each other halfway on most things and that has helped us stay together despite the difficulties and challenges—some of them doozies!--that we’ve had to endure.
His parents were married for 49 years before the Lord took his Dad home on January 30, 1999. My parents were married for 55 years before the Lord took my Mom home on January 2, 2010. We know that there is no guarantee that we will reach 49 or 55 years together. The Lord could choose to take one or both of us to heaven anytime… At this point in our marriage, making it one year at a time is already a major achievement since with each year that passes, the spark that brought us together sometimes seems to be dimming a little bit and it’s easy to take each other for granted…
But today is for celebrating making it this far – our RUBY anniversary – and for thanking God for the boundless mercy and love that He extends to us so that we can extend the same to each other. It’s also a day to show our kids and grandkids that it IS still possible to stay married for all these years. It’s not easy but it is doable. Today is especially important to look back and see what brought us together and just how far we’ve come, by the grace of God…
So, here’s to us and to moving forward to our 50th, if
the Lord wills 😊
Friday, November 26, 2021
THE BEND IN THE ROAD
We’ve been living in Brooke’s Point, the southernmost point of the island of Palawan, since 2018. We retired from our jobs in the States and are here because this is where God has called us to start TEMI Bible School. TEMI (Telos Euarestos Ministries, Inc.) is the ministry which God gave to our son Justin in 2015. TEMI’s mission is to “train, strengthen and develop” the local church leaders so that they will have the necessary tools and biblical knowledge to do the work which God has given them to do in this part of the Philippines.
At least twice a month, Dan and I would take an 8 hour round trip drive from Brooke’s Point to Puerto Princesa to do our banking, buy groceries that we can’t get in Brooke’s, and/or just get away for a few hours. The highway from Brooke’s to Puerto is filled with many unexpected twists and turns and sometimes that “bend in the road” catches us by surprise with either a sharp turn, oncoming traffic unexpectedly in our lane, or a breathtaking view.
As
I thought about those unexpected twists on the road, I started to remember some
“bends in the road” of my life that caught me by surprise and even made the difference
in how my life turned out.
The first and most significant personal "bend in the road" for me happened in 1972-1973. I was 17, a junior at Faith Academy in Cainta, Rizal (Philippines) and I had fallen in love with the proverbial "boy next door."
He was 19 and already in college. He
lived at the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) compound where his parents
worked which was next door to FEBIAS (college) where I lived and where my Dad
was president at the time. Although very busy with school and my
extra-curricular activities, namely Madrigals and Guys (high school singing
group), softball, National Honor Society events, my life at home revolved around this boy who literally
made my heart skip a beat every time I saw him. I guess you could say he was my
first serious boyfriend and I believe I was his first serious girlfriend.
Every night after dinner when my parents
would return to their offices to do more work, I would leave the house to spend
a few hours with him. We would just walk around FEBC compound and talk or hang
out with our friends. Those were such fun, carefree days!! I would need to
return home before 9, however, when my parents would also return from their
offices. That was also the time when the gate that separates our two compounds would be locked. There
were a few times, though, when I was late and would have to climb over the gate.
The FEBIAS security guard would whistle at me to stop until he realized it was
the President’s daughter!
During this time, as a junior in high school, I was preparing myself for college. My ONLY choice was Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois. We had lived in Deerfield from 1965 to 1969 when my parents were studying at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) working on their Master of Theology (Dad) and Master of Christian Education (Mom) degrees. Deerfield and the campus of Trinity College and TEDS was a wonderful place in which to grow up and I had made it my singular goal to return there for college.
All this time, however, I kept my relationship with this boy a secret from my parents, although my siblings knew about us. For awhile they kept my secret, until one night at dinner, my brother blurted out that I had a boyfriend! My dad was very angry and he offered me an ultimatum: If I wanted to attend Trinity College, I would have to give up my boyfriend. If I didn't give him up, my Dad would make me study at FEBIAS. Now, FEBIAS is a good school and it would probably have been good for me to study there, but I had had my heart set on going to Trinity since... forever and I just couldn't give up that dream? With a heavy heart, I decided to choose Trinity over the boy I loved...
I waited until after Valentine's Day -- and before my 18th birthday which was in March -- to break up with him. I don't remember if I told him about the ultimatum my Dad had given me -- I don't think I did. By this time, I had heard rumors about him and other girls that he might have been seeing while he was at school, so I used that as my reason for breaking up with him. To this day, he denies that he was cheating on me, but I will never know. He was understandably angry at me and for YEARS, he refused to have anything to do with me. I totally understand his reaction and missed him a lot, but I just couldn't let go of my dream. So, at that particular "bend in the road," I chose my college dream over my dream guy.
That, however, would not be the end of our story...
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