Merry Christmas!
My family and I are with you in celebrating the news of great joy to all men – the love of God, expressed in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the reason why despite the many trials and overwhelming circumstances around us, we feel secure, encouraged, blessed. For many, this season is the most happy occasion of the year, and it should be. But unfortunately for others, it is happiness manufactured, a feeling which only lasts as they enjoy the moment. We pray that as they discover the person behind the season, they will experience His great love, His power, His grace, that sustains us every day , and every season for all men. He is not only the giver of good gift. He is the indescribable, most awesome gift!
As this season passes by and we reckon with its attendant celebrations and stresses, let us look forward in faith to Him who is the foundation of life, joy and peace. We as a church are watching the world around us; we prayerfully discern the will of God, but we also continue to participate in His great work to bless the world. We join the Lord in His work while it is still day, as we pray for guidance and wisdom.
We identify with and pray for the brethren in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City in Mindanao who are broken physically, materially and emotionally due to the tragic loss of loved ones and property in the flush floods. I was blessed to have had the chance to visit them last December 19-20. I had a firsthand opportunity to see for myself the extent of the damage. Six families in our church were severely affected, as they lost almost everything. Our local church venues were also damaged and may need to be relocated.
We thank the Lord for His miraculous intervention for the brethren. From my visits and reports we received, we learned that they are all accounted for, and that the loss they have sustained were only material, though severe for a number of them. And they also lost relatives, friends and neighbors, and this is a traumatic time for them as well as for the thousands of our countrymen who are trying to cope with this adversity. We also join them in their mourning.
We thank you brethren for your prayers, and for the material support that you have given for their relief. We continue to extend an urgent appeal for generosity , as we endeavor to alleviate the pain and sufferings of our brethren and countrymen with our love gifts of food, clothing, water and other financial resources that we can pool in and send to them, as soon as possible, in addition to the initial help that we were able to extend right after the calamity. The need is overwhelmingly great. Our priority is the brethren, and then the community around them. We have started the soup kitchen in Cagayan De Oro already. Hopefully as resources allow, we can sustain this initiative for a number of days, as needed.
This is a great opportunity that we, individually and as a church, can show our love in practical and much-needed ways. I encourage our churches to give a special love offering for our brethren in Iligan and Cagayan De Oro. We can pool our resources together and distribute these based on need in coordination with our pastors in the area.
We will give you more updates through our Connect Newsletter. Thank you very much brethren for your faithfulness and love. This is making a difference for the sake of the gospel. We love you and appreciate you!
Eugene and Lulu
