Evaluating our lives for 7 years after getting in to the house church ministry [this is our first family Christmas report for you] we say that the freedom that we feel by not attending [traditional] church for that long is awesome. Though we learn to do simple church the hard way [try and error for 3 years coz we know no one is doing it], but it is worthwhile doing it anyhow. We gave [me and my wife Lisa] our lives to the Lord, wherever He leads us we will follow, whatever He feeds us we will swallow. There are times that we're worried but then we look up to Him knowing He knows our needs and will never leave us. We have tasted His goodness to the fullest.
In a short summary of our long journey, after starting house churches and leave them as soon as I can [let the church grow with Jesus by showing them what to do during meetings, 1 Cor.14:26, and let Jesus and His Word are the main foundations of their faith, not meh, huh!] and now still starting simple churches but more on coaching others to do the same and serve as Regional Coordinator to the House Church Movement in the Philippines is a privilege to be able to serve the brethren who needs my assistance. And Jesus must be glorified in everything that I do, that is as much as I am this young [32 yr. old] I must learn now to humble myself. If there is a need to spank my butt coz you think I am proud enough, please do so without any delay!
For four years we have been married I can say that I am enjoying my marriage life. Even before being single I already prepared to go for it, Hmnn….not maybe financially, not worried about that so much, but mentally and spiritually prepared. That is I don't believe in adage, "Well, now I am married everything will just come as it goes!" That's a principle of disaster. Getting in to marriage life is a like jumping from a plane with a parachute, it's final, no testing. If you don't know how to use your parachute because you missed the sessions then you're dead pretty soon!
Me and my wife while in our early stage of friendship, actually classmate in a one-year Bible school training [Asia For Jesus Training School], we, including other 30 students studied love, courtship and marriage sort of seminar. It was a big blessing for us that for four years now too I teach what I learned doing 'Love and Courtship' seminar for young people and planning to continue doing it 'til I'm 40. I believe my next generation must learn it as much as I do.
After 8 months of our marriage life together we bore our first son named ZOE, that means, 'life of God.' And yes it is His. After 9mon and 2 weeks, He was taken already by the giver 17hours before he got out. "The Lord giveth away and the Lord taketh, blessed be the name of the Lord." This is what comes out in my mouth knowing that he's dead already inside. I have prayed every night, laying hands on our baby that God will use him. He is sovereign and I am glad for that. Then another 8 months comes our second baby girl named Shirley Faith was born. She gives us a lot of joy [every parent can tell that], though she's now 2 years and 2 months she's still doing breastfeeding! Well, our doctor says, "What's bad for that?" Okey, better listen. But she eats hard food now so don't worry. Anyway, we have the same birthday with my baby, which gives me double happiness!
She is very healthy, thought not chubby. She crawls in my back or my wife's back when we just sit around the room and cuddles us calling our names. So sweet. Hearing your name from your child's mouth is very sweet. Especially when she looks into your eyes.
In The Eye of The Storm
Our cloudy day has come last July 25, our house along with other 300 houses in our community were destroyed by fire. We live in one of the slum areas in Cebu. Where we live is about 2 million people and 1.6 lived below poverty line. Lots of dreamed in that community was gone after the fire but gratefully we are able to continue helping the widows there as well as some of the poor neighbors we know. This is part of my own family's ministry: to attend widows in their distress. [In the end part I will share what our vision is for them].
When the fire hit my community at around 8 in the morning I remember the first fire that destroyed in the same community last 1991. That's when I get saved a year later. So this is the second fire. What comes out as a disaster became a blessing in disguise to us [hate to say that not to a lot of my neighbors]. All I can say is that, it's time for my family to find nest somewhere, but not leaving our ministry there. Thanks for all the friends who helped financially. After the fire we join together with my sister's house in another town and now it's been two months that reside here in Downtown area that is the in the main city. A friend of mine asks me to partner with his restaurant for the student business and built a room for us. This is now the means of our living. At the same time keep on saving money to hopefully purchase a land for my family.
I continue traveling around the Philippines, the Lord is sending more and more church planters in the network, almost every week I received emails that they wanted to join the network in which of course we have no president, nor a chairman and even the title 'pastor' that we put on has been put away. All there is is friendship from the heart. No credentials to be given away. Starting next year there will be a lot of things that will happen. Several House Church Awareness Seminar will be held in different parts of the country as preparation of the coming first Regional House Church Congress and then comes after that is the 2nd National House Church Conference which will be held in my province and then the 3rd Asian House Church Conference in Indonesia.
[Please join me in prayers that these Congresses and Conferences or Seminars on House Churches will become simple as it is as families of Jesus fellowshipping together. It is not so much about House churches but community in itself as God intended it to be. Our goal is not meetings but discipling the nations.]
On Christmas, Let's Remember Jesus and Others
A friend named Jon from New Zealand gave me an encouraging words this Christmas that changed our focus. That instead we thought of ourselves with other relatives it switches to other needy brethren. So this Christmas my family will share blessings to the needy. Some clothing's, toys for kids, and a bag of groceries will be given as gifts to them. Of course, some of these people are a part of Jesus family now but need constant material blessings and because we have invited others to do the same with us we can help more and minister to more people.
Future Plans
Our heart is for the widows. Every time I get invited to preach at churches I always find widows and ask one question: "Did you get any help from your church?" And for the dozens of churches I go to there's only one who received an amount of money every week [well, that's when I encourage the pastor on my first visit to his church]. For years my family continually helping 3 widows, 2 poor families, 2 children getting enrolled at school and helping one 6 year old girl who has a hole in her heart, maintaining her health through providing vitamins, medicines if needed, food and buying her new dress sometime [anyway, pray that doctor's who check her test results this week would accept her case for surgery]. It's time to start praying and planning and invite others to do the same either by themselves or with us here.
Prayerfully considering next year to start building a house for widows to stay in and then get volunteer friends to serve them like cleaning the house, washing their clothes, cooking their meals and other house chores. Either will build one or rent one, whichever. We know that it is much better to pour our resources in these kind of things than give them to church where your money just goes to owners of church buildings who are rich already and mostly unbelievers! There is a much much greater cause than these and this is it.
In my restaurant I don't sell old foods, as much as I can we sell good stuff and so we feed the hungry around the neighborhood. Sometimes there's a fool that would get in and we feed him. Oftentimes, one or two children and we feed them. And just tonight, a whole street family people, that is people living in the street, pass by and gave them food to eat. It's around close to 12 midnight when they passed and I politely ask them to pass by every night! Anyway, my restaurant opens at 6am and close at 12midnight includes cleaning around.
So, this is my tent-making business as what Paul does. We have been wishing and praying a lot of this to happen and it's finally come. This is to set as an example for my co-workers in the Philippines to work with their own hands. We are a victim of two myths here. One is, if you are called by God to pastor a church then don't work or do business. Second is, God is coming soon so we better serve Him fully, that is leave school or work and then be a full-time servant in the church even without a salary! All their churches promise is: We'll, you said God called you so let Him provide what you need. So a lot of us now in the house church movement reluctantly have faith in, "living by faith. We believe that we're applying it wrongly. Proverbs said, 'diligent hands succeed.' 'He who loves sleep ends poor.' The Bible says, 'everything we do, do it for the glory of God." This says that no 'part-time,' or 'full-time' here, but double time!
We will look forward for your Christmas message. We want to know what's going on after 365 days that passed in your family. If you sent one to us already just ignore this end note.
Merry Christmas,
Molong, Lisa and Baby Faith
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