Seeing these brethren actively pursuing their needed education to serve the Lord better according to their gifts was truly a blessing in itself. Being a former Senior Supervisor of the Accounting Department in the Hotel where I worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I could not avoid forecasting the produce of their unified efforts in God’s Kingdom! And as I spread out this magnificent scenario before me, my spirit is overwhelmed with joy, always shouting ‘Hallelujah!’. Until the conclusion of 2006, I never expected that the Ministry will have to pass through a terrible terrain, so steep, that by just viewing it will cause one’s heart to melt.
At the onset of 2007, many unfavorable circumstances beset us. Some of the students failed to meet the standard requirements of the Ministry and opted to be out of the workforce of CSAFMI. Replacing them with new recruits became impossible because the financial supports we were receiving from the brethren outside the Ministry stopped coming in, for reasons only the Lord knew. Even our very Church in Ireland who provided us the main bulk of our operational funds was constrained to send in their support for reasons beyond their control. As our initial hopes were ebbing, this question, “Are you seeing our situation Lord?” always escaped my mouth every time I meet the Lord.
The pain we suffered from these situations was even nourished by fresh opportunities to advance the Ministry that were made open before us. Our commitment and dedication to go wherever there is an opening for the Lord’s work is always seasoned by our financial limitations to do! And most of the time the longing of the brethren for the presence of the Ministry in their area are unavoidable and leaves us no other alternative except to heed their call. Thus, at the conclusion of 2007, we found ourselves literally walking through the valley of the shadow of debts. We owed the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM) a significant amount for our students’ unpaid tuition fees. On top of this, our unpaid rentals for the sanctuaries reached to an alarming level also. And a Ministry whose population is largely made up of unemployed, being remnants, this situation is truly beyond our capacity to bear.
Seemingly, the Lord has truly forsaken us! But every time I entertained the thought of holding onto the hemline of hopelessness, immediately my spirit is reminded of the many real events that have transpired in our midst – events that signify the Lord’s active participations in our every situation. Yes, every time our effort to go on is punctuated by impossibility, His divine intervention always sets-in. He was with us in all those situations! His enabling power continued to manifest in our midst, allowing us to continue doing the work that He initially ordained us to do, that even in this very difficult time of our existence, He still allows us to bear fruit for His glory. Seeing these things, one can easily confirm that truly "The Lord is with us!".
Considering the face value of our situation, many times I have thought of slowing down the pace of our activities. But the more I considered this option, the more I felt the Lord’s intervention. Either He softened our situations or He touched the hearts of several people to come to our aid. Honestly, I could not fully imagine how we crossed-over those difficult times. These are the times where we found ourselves totally hopeless and helpless. But these are the times also that strengthened our faith to hold on to every Word of the Lord and magnified the truth that truly He is with us always!
I have not been so convinced of the many teachings on the Lord’s faithfulness until this very moment when He exposed us to our present situation. Now I can boldly attest to the seriousness of the Lord Jesus Christ in His parting Word to His chosen disciples as recorded in Matthew 28:18 – 20 saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The last phrase contains a promise and a guaranty for every servant of the Lord who does His Will accordingly.
This promise of the Lord to be ever present in us emboldens us to go on doing our ordained task, especially after He manifested His enabling power that allowed us to do the impossible. It is hard to think that in the midst of these difficulties, we will still be able to usher the Ministry forward. Truly without Him actively participating in our endeavors, we will never accomplish anything for Him and His glory. But as it is, the Ministry is still striding forward in all aspects.
Last March 2008, we were able to officially open a new local church in Mandaue City, Cebu. This event brought the Ministry farther south of the Philippines. Last April 2008, we were blessed with another graduate of the SHARE Program in the person of Ptr. Almelyn B. Alejado. Her graduation increased the number of our Committed Servants Armed For Ministry Impartation Workforce (CSAFMI Workforce). This month of May, the Lord allowed us to commission one of our workers, Ptr. Analiza C. Cabayao, as a Pastures-Finder in Doha, Qatar. This commissioning increased the visibility of the Ministry internationally as her primary responsibility is to find and establish pastures for the remnant of the Lord’s flock outside the Philippine territory.
And now, at the threshold of the opening of the new semester for the school year 2008-2009, we are hopeful that the Lord will still allow our students in the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries to go on with their needed education to serve Him well and better, with additional new faces of course. His presence in our midst is our hope!
