February 29, 2012
Dear Pastors and Brethren,
Warmest greetings from Manila! I trust that by God’s grace, you are all doing well. Everyday is a blessing, because of our Lord’s provisions, His presence and His power. With Him, even our pain and loss are not in vain.
It is with deep sadness that I announce the death of three long-time members and leaders in the church. The first one is Mrs. Pat Cabigao, who passed away last January 24 because of cardiac arrest resulting from abdominal bleeding caused by acute leukemia. She would have been 56 years old last January 30. Pat was an outgoing person, full of energy, a great encourager and a good cook. She was survived by husband Emil, our bi-vocational pastor for Bulacan church, their 4 children, 2 daughters-in-law and 8 grandchildren.
Second, is Janet Cabahit, 47 years old, who died last February 15 of heart complications after an abdominal surgery. She left behind Gary, her husband, and Nikki, their teenage daughter. They attend Crossway church, a GCI congregation in Ortigas, Pasig City. Gary and Janet used to work for the regional office of the Worldwide Church of God. After several years’ stint in the church office, and due to financial limitations of the work in the mid and late nineties, they resigned and ventured into real estate marketing, wherein they did very well. We remember Janet as a loving mom, a caring friend, a generous person, and one who had remarkable faith in God. Her passion for life was an inspiration to many.
It is also with deep sadness that I inform you of the death of our dear brother, Pastor Vicente Co. Vic died last February 18 due to a mass in his lungs. He would have turned 57 years old last February 25. He was ordained as an Elder last October 15, 2000, and served as the bi-vocational pastor of Bacolod Church until his death. We praise God for His work in Pastor Vic’s life, ministry and family. We will miss him as a loving husband and father, a diligent steward of the family business, a close friend, a generous person, and a strong advocate of simple, clean and healthy living. He was a humble and faithful servant-leader of God. He inspired many as a successful businessman and a good Christian.
February leaves us with mixed emotions, as we reckon with the turning points in our lives. Yet we praise God through it all, because He is faithful. He is good in every circumstance. During the challenging transitions of our lives, He remains our reason for peace and comfort, because our victory is in Christ alone. Painful as our experiences may be, they pave the way for new beginnings, breakthrough moments, and the coming of spring, so to speak. We can rest assured that God always has our best interest in mind - for the present and for the future. He understands us because he had gone through the same pain and difficulties, except sin. We can live victorious lives through Him. When Jesus comes back, there will be no more separation, no more tears, and no more death.
We will miss Pat, Janet and Pastor Vic very much. We join the Cagibao, Cabahit and Co families in prayers, and we are with them as we move on. Let this journey be one of praise to God.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
God bless us all!
Ka Eugene
From the ND