River of Life is a regular publication of Life in Christ Ministries

December 2009
River of Life is a regular publication of Life in Christ Ministries
1
Photos courtesy of the Internet
From the Pastor‘s Desk
The House on the Rock still Stands!
Matthew 7:25 says, ―And the rain descended, the floods came, and the
winds blew and beat on the house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on
rock‖.
Typhoons ―Ondoy‖ and ―Pepeng‖ which wrecked havoc in Metro Manila
were what we call as equalizers. Not only did they affect the poorest area of
the metropolitan but also flooded some of the plush subdivisions of the rich
and the famous. People had to leave everything behind: their houses, cars,
and other worldly possessions. A question ran into my mind when I saw my
house in sheer disarray as the running waters suddenly rushed inside; ―Are
you willing to give them up?‖ In desperation, I can only say ―Yes, Lord‖. My
family and I left the house, the appliances, and the car which God had given
us.
As I attended the next day for the Sunday service, there were many people
in attendance. Each one had a story to tell, their experiences of how God
saved them during the rains and floods. They were excited and flashed warm
smiles! They survived Typhoons ―Ondoy‖ and ―Pepeng‖! Encouraged by these
testimonies, I can only conclude that a Christian life may survive the world‘s
tests and trials because their faith is founded on the rock, our Lord Jesus
Christ! We can lose everything in this world but our lives will still stand because it is founded on Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 3:10).
Through these disasters, God has taught us an invaluable lesson and
thereafter, the Lord showed His love by the enormous response of help from
our brethren both here and abroad to give aid to the victims of this deluge.
We also extend our earnest gratitude to those who have extended their
support to the victims of Typhoons ―Ondoy‖ and ―Pepeng‖. Your immediate
response to this critical hour of dire need is an encouragement to us as we
continue to show that the love which Jesus teaches is an action word. God is
Good!
In Christ,
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Kasama Natin ang Diyos
P
by Albert Gregorio
ang aking pamangkin.
urihin ang Panginoon! Ako po ay
nakatira sa Barangay Tatalon, Quezon
City. Nais kong maibahagi sa inyong lahat
ang pagpapasalamat sa Panginoon sa kabutihan, kalakasan at kaligtasan na ibinigay Niya sa aking buong pamilya, lalo na sa
isang pangyayaring ngayon lang namingnaranasan.
Noong Setyembre 26 ay isang malakas
na Bagyong Ondoy ang dumating at nanalasa sa Pilipinas. Ang mga pangyayaring
ito ay napapanood ko lang sa telebisyon
noon.
Nahahabag ako sa mga taong
nabibiktima ng bagyo. Ngunit hindi ko
akalain na mangyayari din pala ito sa
amin.
Nakakita ang aking Mama ng isang butas
sa gilid ng bubong ng aming bahay. Gumapang kaming lahat palusot sa butas na iyon
para makalabas. Di nagtagal ay nakalabas
din kami sa tulong ng aming mga kapitbahay. Kahit wala kaming nailigtas na mga
gamit at paninda ay napakahalaga naman
na lahat ng mahal ko sa buhay ay ligtas.
Magdamag na umulan ng malakas
noon. Mga alas-siyete ng umaga, habang
ako ay nagbubukas ng aming tindahan, ay
bigla na lamang tumaas ang tubig sa ilog
na malapit sa aming lugar. Sa loob ng 25
taon na aming paninirahan sa aming lugar
ay nasanay na kaming abutin ng baha
ngunit ngayon lang nangyari na bumaha
ng hanggang baywang sa loob ng aming
bahay. Malaki at marami ang napinsala ng
Bagyong Ondoy sa aming lugar.
Nagpapasalamat kami sa Panginoon dahil Siya ay tapat at dakila! Hindi niya kami
pinabayaan. Sa kasalukuyan ay unti-unti
kaming nakakabangon ng masaya na kasama ang Diyos na buhay na si HESUS!
Mga alas-otso ng umaga ay mabilis na
tumatas ang tubig-baha. Pinagsikapan
naming iligpit ang mga mababasang gamit
at mga paninda. Ngunit patuloy na tumataas ang tubig at walang tigil ang
malakas na pagbuhos ng ulan.
Praise the Lord! I am a resident of Barangay Tatalon, Quezon, City. I would like to
thank the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness.
We experienced heavy rains when Typhoon Ondoy hit our country last September
26. It is only in the movies that I see floodwaters rampaging and destroying properties; and
I never imagined that I, too, will witness and
experience such devastation.
Isang kataga lang ang narinig namin
mula sa aking ina, ―Ibalik na lang natin ang
lahat ng ito sa Panginoon dahil hindi natin
ito pag-aari.‖ Kaya lahat ng mga gamit na
pilit naming inililigpit ay agad naming
binitiwan at kami ay umakyat sa kisame ng
aming bahay upang humanap ng daan
palabas. Ngunit hindi kami makalabas at
patuloy na tumataas ang baha.
Nanalangin kami nina Papa, Mama, Ate at
There was continued heavy downpour that
whole night. The next morning, while I was
opening our store, I noticed the sudden rise of
Continued on page 7
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Sa Diyos ang Papuri!
by Robby Landicho
N
sila, kaya sinabi ko na hindi kami pababayaan ng Diyos. Alam kong hindi lang
kami ang binaha dahil marami akong
natanggap na ―prayer text messages‖
mula sa mga kapatirang binaha rin.
oong gabi ng September 25, 2009
ay dumalo kami ng Revival sa LICTimog, at sa aming pag-uwi ay malakas
na ulan ang sumalubong sa amin. Nang
magising ako kinabukasan, bandang alas
otso ng umaga, ay malakas pa rin ang
ulan. Kami ng aking mga kasama sa bahay ay nanalangin upang tumigil ang
pagbuhos ng ulan.
Nagpaalam ako sa aking mga kasambahay na lalabas ako upang maghanap
ng sasakyan para makalikas kami. Wala
kasi ang dalawang sasakyan ko, namasada ang mga ito ng umagang iyon at
hindi na nakabalik dahil sa taas ng baha
sa mga daraanang kalye. Habang naglalakad ako sa tubig baha ay nanalangin
ako na gabayan ng Diyos na makakita ng
sasakyang magagamit sa aming paglikas,
pati na rin ng mga alaga kong aso.
Matapos manalangin ay pumunta ako
sa kulungan ng aking mga aso (ako ay
isang ―dog breeder‖ at mayroon akong
22 aso at 7 tuta). Ng mga sandaling iyon,
umabot na sa tuhod ang tubig baha sa
aming garahe.
Ako‘y nagsimulang
umawit ng papuri sa Panginoon habang
isa-isa kong inililipat sa mas mataas ng
kulungan ang mga aso. At habang ako‘y
umaawit ng papuri ay nagtatahulan ang
mga aso na para bang sila ay nakikiawit
din. Ako‘y natuwa dahil marunong silang magpuri sa Panginoon.
Tunay na tapat ang Diyos at hindi
Niya ako binigo! Malayo pa ay ipinakita
na ng Diyos ang sasakyang gagamitin
ko. Pinuntahan ko agad ang may-ari ng
sasakyan at nakiusap ako kung maaari
ko itong gamitin sa aming paglikas. May
mga konting tanong ang may-ari at itinuro ko ang lugar ng bahay ko. Sinabi
nya, ―Naku mataas na nga ang tubig,
sandali lang at kukunin ko yung susi.‖
Laking gulat ko dahil hindi ko naman
siya kilala para ipagkatiwala niya sa akin
ang kanyang sasakyan kaya tinanong ko
siya kung mayroong sasama sa akin.
May sakit pala ang kanyang asawa kaya
hindi maaring sumama. Purihin ang Diyos at sinagot Niya agad ang aking
Di kaginsa-ginsa ay narinig ko ang
tinig na nagsabi, “My son, I will never
abandon you.” Napaiyak ako sa sinabi sa
akin ng Diyos. Hindi ko na nga napansin
na ang tubig ay umaabot na sa aking
baywang. Pagkatapos ilipat ang mga aso
ay pumasok ako sa bahay at sinabihan
ko ang aking mga kasambahay na may
bagong hamon kaming haharapin dahil
hindi pa ako nakakaranas na bumaha sa
loob ng bahay. Alam kong natatakot na
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panalangin!
Nakakatuwa rin na ang mga kapitbahay namin na hindi nasalanta ng baha ay
kusang loob na tumulong sa aming paglikas. Nagulat din ako nang habang
kami ay lumilikas ay biglang nagsimulang humupa ang tubig baha.
Muli, nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos at
hindi Niya kami pinabayaan. Talagang
may Diyos tayo na nag-iingat sa atin. Sa
Diyos ang papuri!
Bro. Robby and Sis. Venel Landicho are
being used by God in LIC Children‘s
Church and Puppet Ministries
Praise be to God! Last September 25, on our way home from the Revival at LIC, we already
noticed the heavy downpour.
When I woke up the next day, it was still raining very hard. I told my housemates to pray for
the rains to stop. When I went to my dog kennel, the flood water was already knee-deep. I am a
dog-breeder and I have 22 dogs and seven puppies. I transferred the dogs to the upper part of
the cages to prevent them from getting wet, and while doing so, I was praising and worshiping
God. I noticed the dogs were barking as if they were singing with me. I was glad because I realized that they, too, were praising God.
Suddenly, I heard a voice saying, “My son, I will never abandon you.” Tears began to flow
from my eyes. I went back home, and by this time the water was already waist-deep. I told my
housemates again that this is a new challenge for us since I have never experienced flood waters
reaching the house such as what we are experiencing. I knew that they were afraid, but I assured
them that God will not forsake us. I knew that many were also affected by the flood through the
“prayer text messages” I received.
I went out to look for help and while walking, I prayed that God will lead the way. God did not
fail me! He led me to a vehicle I can use to evacuate my dogs and housemates to safety. The
owner of the vehicle just gave me the keys without hesitation.
My neighbors who were not affected by the flood, also helped out in the evacuation. The flood
suddenly receded later that day.
Again, I would like to thank the Lord for His mighty protection. To God be the glory!
5
God‘s Wooden Chariot To The Rescue
B
by Kim Canicosa
to the gates of our subdivision, but when we
took a tricycle it could only take us a short
distance, for the entire barangay was
flooded. Water extended in every direction
as far as our eyes could see in a manner
reminiscent of Noah‘s Ark. And as the tricycle finally gave way, we found that we were
trapped in the middle of nowhere, with waters blocking our every move.
eing a veteran of many storms, we
merely shrugged our shoulders as the
rains of Typhoon Ondoy pounded heavily
on our home. I was comfortably seated in
front of the computer, while Sister Yollie
prepared the lunch, and Brother Tony surveyed the television for any news. But a
news reporter nevertheless eased our fears
when he calmly announced that ―Metro
Manila and the surrounding areas are under Signal No. 1 only, and there is no need
to panic.‖
God‘s rescue came in a wooden chariot –
a “kariton” pushed by some villagers, carrying us until we reached the highway, and
ultimately had a jeepney ride until we arrived at our destination safely by God‘s
grace. For five days we stayed in the Worship Center, waiting for the floods to subside. Praise God, it receded and by Thursday the following week, only the tons of garbage reminded us of the past deluge. Our
car, although submerged in the floods, miraculously still functioned even after a few
days of being soaked in the muddy water.
Hours after, the unfavorable weather
condition persisted, and we were surprised
having found out that the waters have
swelled to unbearable amounts. All it took
was a van to pass by our house, and the
floodwaters would come rushing in. Our
car was by now also submerged in the
floods. We saved what belongings we
could, and within minutes a mixture of
twigs, garbage, mud and rainwater flooded
our house. The water level rose at a steady
rate, and by noon it has reached up to our
knees. It exceeded even our master‘s bed,
and only the second floor of our doubledeck was spared.
We are very thankful to our Lord Jesus
Christ for His faithfulness that even in times
of calamities, He has shown time and again
that He is in control of every situation.
We finally decided to spend the night in
the nearby Life in Christ-Imus Worship
Center rather than taking the risk just
waiting at home. So with a few belongings
and lots of faith in God, we braved the
floodwaters and waded to the gates of our
subdivision, where a handful of rescuers
scrambled to save trapped children.
We were thankful to have made it at last
6
Victory in the Midst of Testing
by Chris Cubilla
As early as six in the morning the next
day, we went back to our house and saw
the aftermath of Ondoy‘s fury. The house
was filled with mud and the cleaning process was indeed frustrating.
Even though we went through that traumatic experience, we are still thankful that
our GOD is faithful and has protected us.
He gave us the victory in the midst of ferocity.
E
xperiencing Ondoy‘s great fury is
considered the greatest test of faith in
our family‘s Christian life. We did not expect that such a great flood would hit our
village and worse , the whole of Metro Manila.
Kasama Natin…
I was still asleep then when I heard my
mother exclaimed, ―Chris, get up, the
streets are already flooded.‖ I was still
hesitant to get out of bed so I replied that
the flood will recede soon. But the worst
began to happen. The rains continued to
pour and flood waters were rising so fast.
My mother now started to worry as the
water started entering the house. I told her
not to worry but pray and trust in
God. The water continued to rise and
slowly entered the house. We started to
save all important things we can and shut
down all electrical switches before the water reached the electric plugs. We then
decided to take shelter in the second floor
of our neighbor‘s house. The roads were
filled with muddy water and we could
hardly walk as the current was too strong.
We are thankful to the Lord that we
reached our neighbor‘s house safely and
we spent the night watching our house
submerged in the waters.
From page 3
flood water in our area. In our 25 years of
living in our area, this has been the worst
flood we experienced - the water now rising
waist-deep. Many houses have been damaged by Typhoon Ondoy, including ours.
It was around eight in the morning and
the flood continued to rise swiftly. We tried
our best to save our belongings and the
store merchandise. My mother just said,
“We should just surrender all these things to
the Lord because all these are His.” With
these words, we climbed into the ceiling of
our house and tried to look for a place of
safety. With me were my parents, sister-inlaw and my nephew. We then prayed to the
Lord for protection.
Suddenly, my mother found a crevice on
the roof, and through the help of our
neighbors, we were able to escape and
abandon our house and flee to safety. Even
though we were not able to save our belongings, we were glad that we were all safe.
We thank God for His faithfulness that He
did not abandon us in times of great peril.
We are now on the road of recovery trusting
the ever-living God! All praise to Him!
7
Of Floodgates, Angels and Chariots
by Dinty Kan
on chairs and table tops and some at the
second floor. To paint you a picture of our
house, it is basically a bungalow with a high
ceiling. Our second floor housed Ama‘s
(Rick‘s mom) bedroom, her toilet and a
small receiving area. All of our bedrooms,
living, dining, kitchen and toilets are in the
ground floor -- that was steadily being filled
up with water.
We lifted, carried and secured all that
could be saved from being swallowed by the
now murky water just like a video set at 4x
speed. Everything I‘ve read about how people behaved during a rising flood was indeed
true—adrenalin can and will give you the
strength to carry objects five times your
weight. Through it all, the Lord gave us
(flood amateurs) crystal clear thinking. Before the water could reach the level of the
power outlets, we shut off the main circuit
breaker to prevent electric shock and short
circuit mishaps.
O
n that Saturday morning of September 26, we woke up to a street
flooded with 10 inch-deep water, as a result of an overnight heavy downpour. We
did not worry thinking that that has happened before and the water will not reach
the flooring of our house since our garage
is elevated by almost three feet from the
street.
Later that morning, with just a drizzle,
Rick (my husband) decided to wade at the
street corner to fetch our garbage drum
that has floated. In his return, the water
level suddenly rose, reaching our garage.
This has never happened before and this
was not a shallow flood. As the water continued to rise, we busied ourselves with
vain attempts to mop out the water, starting from our laundry area, to the kitchen,
and at the hallway—but the water kept
rising. Had we known it was going to rise
so quickly, we would have grabbed some
bags and bins to gather our things and
place them on a safe place.
After bringing up some of our things at
the second floor and unsuspectingly setting
some things on what we thought were safe
heights like tabletops and countertops, we
thought we would now wait it out at Ama‘s
room. All of our major appliances were left
downstairs strapped to chairs and grills like
our fridge and washing machine.
We realized by now that there was no
stopping the water from rising. What we did
not count on was HOW HIGH was it going
to rise…
As the water continued to rise, we lifted
all the below-my-thigh items, setting them
By the afternoon, as the rain came down,
and the floods came up, all we could do was
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watch from Ama‘s room how the flood water continued to engulf everything. All over
the house were floating trash bins (still
filled with unmentionables from the day
before), toys, picture frames, shoes, chairs.
Our washing machine, which by now broke
free of its chair, was making 5-meter laps
on our hallway. The floodline was way past
the tabletops and countertops, and it continued to rise.
The boys slept soundly that night-- hungry, but soundly. Rick and I kept watch as
the water continued to rise up to almost
five feet in the house while the rain continued to pour. It was during this time of
seeming chaos, when nothing humanly
possible can be done, that we realized the
Lord was in control.
The first thing the Lord did was to extend cellphone battery life. My cellphone
had only a bar since Saturday morning.
Normally, it would have been dead in an
hour, but it was alive and well. I managed
to contact my brother, Lawrence, to get in
touch with Rick‘s sister so that food, water
and batteries could be brought to us and so
we could bring out the kids to a safer place
since there were no signs of a clear sky or
receding water anytime soon.
By Sunday morning the rain had
stopped and the flood was going down but,
at the slow rate it was receding, we were
yet to see our floor by late afternoon. It was
mostly mud by now. ―Chocolate, mom!‖
exclaimed my four-year-old Lee. Dark
chocolate it was. Mud everywhere. The
gloom of the dark gray sky above was nothing compared to the putrid, desolate mess
in the house left by the deluge.
Photo courtesy of the Internet
The kids seemed to enjoy camping at
Ama‘s room with what little food and water we managed to bring up. Naturally,
worry slowly crept in if it had not already
by this time. This was our cue. We gathered in prayer, asking that the Lord would
anchor our now submerged cars to the
ground. We prayed for the rain to stop and
the floods to go down and for the others
suffering from a similar or worse fate, that
the Lord‘s steady hand of protection and
deliverance be felt. We prayed that this
harrowing event be a means for more souls
to be brought to Christ and for peace to fill
our hearts, and so it did!
ANGEL # 1
It was a little
past three in the
afternoon when the
Lord sent us his
first angel. Law-
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Of Floodgates ...
rence hitched a ride with Kenneth, Rick‘s
brother-in-law, and reached the gate of our
village. That was as far as vehicles went.
The entire village was still flooded. To get
to our house from that gate was two and a
half kilometres. With a backpack filled
with 12 liters of drinking water and six
bowls of hot food, and a belt bag strapped
to his neck that was filled with fullycharged cellphones and batteries, he made
his hike through the flooded streets alone.
built a house so far from the highway?
There were snakes and frogs and worms
and rats in these foul waters! And we
were going to wade in this waist-high filth
for an hour?! And how about Rick? The
walk back home was dangerous!” Here‘s
the answer to that: We hadn‘t made five
steps out of the house when some men at
the our street corner called out, saying that
there was a dump truck up ahead that we
could get on. Dump truck?!! Best two
words I‘ve heard all day! As we rounded
the corner, there it was! Oh, I could swear
it had backlighting and an unearthly halo
over it… That truck was almost two-storeys
high! The heavy flood seemed dwarfed by
its massive wheels!
I was standing by our window when I
saw Lawrence, with a walking stick, wading through the waist-deep water, and finally reached our house. I have never ever
been so happy to see my brother!
After emptying his bags and re-filling
them with the kids‘ clothes and dead cellphone batteries that needed charging, we
were set to make the long trip out of the
village to bring out the kids. I was quite
worried for Rick, because after he was to
take us all to the gate, he would have to
make the long trip back to the house alone.
It was past 5 o‘clock in the afternoon and it
was dark and there was no electricity. He
was going to make the trip home in the
dark, wading in murky waters.
At first, the guardians of the dump truck
did not want to let us get on since they
were there, apparently to pick up some
elderly folks stranded in their houses. But
upon seeing my two boys, they could not
refuse. We later learned that ―the guardians‖ were volunteers from Cathedral of
Praise who came all the way from Manila,
sent to pick up some of their church members to deliver food. As the truck made its
rounds, none of the elderly could wade out
CHARIOT # 1
God not only sent angels--He also provided chariots! We braced ourselves for
the long trek to dry land. Lawrence lugged
a full backpack, a beltbag, and Lee. Rick
carried 8-year old Chino on his back. I was
thinking,‖ Was it not in God’s will that we
10
of their houses to ride on the truck. Supplies were instead brought to them. So
Chariot #1 made its way back to the village
gate. Yes, we were the only ones from the
village that were brought out by this limousine-of-a-truck. Yes, the Lord is good!
both occupied ourselves with cleaning and
sorting and discarding, and seemed to
avoid talking about our predicament. As
we were standing on the balcony looking
over the nearby creek still flowing in ―high
It did not take much effort to throw
God a question or two when your home is
invaded by a devastating flood. Personally,
I was way too numb all over to break
down in tears. I was waiting for Rick to be
the first to shed some. After all, he is one
of the most hard-working bread-winners I
know. We had just reached the one year
mark since we moved into the new house
that we built from the ground up. Slowly
we filled it with ―house things‖, and Rick
worked hard to give us a comfortable life.
And the Lord truly blessed the work of his
hands. And rightly so, he never failed to
give back to the Lord what is rightfully
His. If there is something truly lovable
about my husband of nine years is that he
always keeps a watchful eye on others‘
needs—especially the needs of the church.
Every chance he gets, with any additional
earnings he receives, he religiously gives
with a cheerful heart. So you see, it is not
very hard to throw out a resounding
―WHY?!‖
Photo courtesy of the Internet
tide‖, I gave him a pat and a quick hug
which, evidently, was enough to release
the tears I knew he was guardedly holding
back. And those were the same tears that
washed away any doubt that the Lord is
Sovereign and that this is the time when
He will prove to His children just how
faithful He is.
ANGELS # 2-34
With no electricity and water, no matter
how driven you are to clean and restore
your home, it is virtually impossible to do
so. Trickles of water enough to fill small
pails were all we had to work with, and we
only had the sun to rely on for light. By the
looks of things, it would take at least three
more days to clear the house of all the mud
and about a week to clean all the rooms.
Like a diluted version of Job who was
blessed with prosperity, health and family
only to go through severe testing, I had a
feeling that reasonable thoughts like
―What have I done to deserve this?‖, “Did I
not follow Your will?” were most likely
running through Rick‘s head by now. We
Continued on page 13
11
God‘s Blessings Abound!
A
lthough some workers of Life in
Christ Ministries were likewise afflicted by the devastating rains and floods
brought about by Typhoons Ondoy and
Pepeng, a number of partner churches,
especially those near the Laguna De Bay
and Marikina River areas, were undeniably
more severely affected by the floods. Partner churches in Sta. Cruz, Laguna and
Cainta, Rizal areas were continually
pounded by the rains resulting in heavy
flooding. And since the water reached an
bers from abroad, upon hearing of the
tragedies that had befallen their brethren,
immediately sent financial assistance.
Other local members helped in the repacking of the goods.
The cash donations, meanwhile, totaled
to P144, 748 and Life in Christ was able to
send a total of 507 packages to our partner
churches in Sta. Cruz, Laguna and Cainta,
Rizal. Surely the worst recession to hit in
70 years would not have that great impact
when the hand of the Lord is at work!
The young people repacking the relief goods
intolerable level, rescuers sent by the local
government were unable to reach these
affected areas and give the much-needed
relief goods to the victims.
The Evangelical Christian Church was
the recipient of the relief goods in Cainta
Rizal. The relief goods in Sta. Cruz, La-
Aware of the trials being experienced by
their partner churches, the workers of Life
in Christ, through the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, accepted donations both in
kind and in cash from the members who
felt burdened to help their afflicted brethren in these areas. The members emphatically answered this call by giving support
through relief goods and prayers. Mem-
Bro. Terry and Sis. Frankie with Sis. Minnie
12
guna, meanwhile, were distributed by Life in Christ Founding Pastors Terry and Frankie
Collins. Braving the floods and the rains, they mounted the bangkas and delivered the relief
goods with Bro. Raffy and Sis. Minnie Ancheta of Way of the Lord Ministries.
And while the members and who donated in cash and in kind and those who repacked the
goods were a lot of help, the relief goods which Life in Christ had donated would not have
materialized without the outpouring of the Lord‘s blessing.
Of Floodgates…
from page 11
One day, a truck loaded with 32 young
people from IFL (The Institute for Foundational Learning) all the way from
Cabuyao, Laguna headed by Ms. Angie,
ascended onto our home armed with
smiles, soap, mops, rags, brushes, pails, a
generator, a pressure washer and a huge
drum filled with clean water. In less than
two hours, with teams deployed to every
room in the house, floors, walls, windows,
closets sinks, and yes, even the cars, were
freed of mud, washed down, soaped,
scrubbed, and wiped clean. The same
house that smelled like a sewer just that
noon, held the heavenly scent of Tide Ultra
by sun-down.
refused our refusal. They persistently
called to remind us of their offer, and that
they were waiting for us to pick up the car.
And so we did. It was a handsomely
dressed Honda Civic. Yes, the Lord always
provides!
CHARIOT # 3
Did I mention that we had two vehicles
submerged in Ondoy grime? A three year
old compact and a five year old van. I
hardly got the chance to map out our
―sundo-hatid” logistics when Rick got another call and this time from a client. He
heard about our losses and offered to lend
his car, also indefinitely. Again we refused,
but again he insisted and persisted. Being
a businessman who would not take ‗no‘ for
an answer. He told Rick that he would
wait for him no matter how late until he
comes to take the car. And so he did. It was
a brand new Toyota Camry. Yes, the Lord
provides --- exceedingly, abundantly, far
above all we could ever ask or think of.
CHARIOT # 2
The Ondoy week was hardly over when
Rick got a call from one of his friends who
offered to lend us his car indefinitely. You
lend out books and shirts and digital cameras if you are in a generous mood but
your car? Who lends out cars? And indefinitely?! Naturally, we declined. It was a
tempting offer since we now had no vehicle
to use. But, as the Lord would have it, they
All the glory and honor to God!
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Letter from the Evangelical Christian Baptist Church
of Cainta
(A Letter of Gratitude for the relief goods
for Ondoy victims)
Oktubre 16, 2009
Sa mga Kapatiran namin sa Life in Christ
Ministries:
Pagbati sa Pangalan ng ating Panginoon
Hesus!
Ptr. Ariel Canicosa loading the relief goods for
Ondoy victims in Cainta
Ang Evangelical Christian Baptist Church ng Cainta ay lubos na nagpapasalamat
sa mga relief goods na inyong ibinahagi sa amin noong ika-2 ng Oktubre. Ang
relief goods po na inyong ibinigay ay malaking tulong po sa ating mga kapatiran
at mga taong nakapaligid po sa ating simbahan na nabahaan, nasira ang mga
gamit, nabasa‘t naputikan ang mga damit, higaan at ilang pang mahahalagang
bagay sa kanilang bahay dahil sa pananalanta ng bagyong ―Ondoy‖.
Lubos po ang kanilang kasiyahan ng matanggap nila ang mga relief goods na
inyong ibinahagi sa kanila at taos puso silang nagpapasalamat sa tulong na ibinigay ninyo sa kanila.
Ang kapulungan rin po natin ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa tulong na ipinagkaloob ninyo upang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga taong aming pinagkalooban ng relief goods. Masayang-masaya rin po kami habang ipinamamahagi ang relief goods sa bawat bahay ng mga kapatiran at ilan pang mga taong
nasalanta ng bagyong ―Ondoy‖. Kitang-kita namin ang kagalakan sa kanilang
mga mukha, naramdaman nila na hindi sila nag-iisa, at ang pagbangon muli sa
kabila ng nangyari sa kanila dahil may Diyos sila na nagbibigay ng pag-asa sa
kabila ng mga pagsubok na kanilang pinagdaanan.
Nagpupuri po kami sa ating Panginoon sa paggamit sa inyong kapulungan. Sa
Diyos natin ang papuri!
Lubos na gumagalang,
Mga Kapatiran sa ECBC ng Cainta
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Announcements
Sasmuan: A Blessing,
Not a Victim
B
NEW SCHEDULE
ecause you love me, I will rescue
you. I will protect you because you
know my name. Psalm 91:14 This promise of God came to pass for our brethren in
Sasmuan, Pampanga Outreach when Typhoon Ondoy hit Central Luzon.
WEDNESDAY
Bible Study 7:00pm
The Sasmuan area usually is a favorite
spot for floods when strong typhoons come
and its folks are most of the time recipient
of relief goods.
CHRISTMAS JOY
(Hospital Visitation)
Dec. 22 & 23, 2009
But last September 26, when typhoon
Ondoy visited the country, it destroyed
several areas and left behind damages to
properties and many casualties; but Sasmuan was spared. The damage to the municipality is very minimal as compared to
its very nearby municipalities like Guagua,
where the flood was neck-deep.
For details, please contact
Sis. Mercie or Sis. Grace
Lets us take part in the LIC
24-HOUR PRAYER CHAIN
During Typhoon Ondoy, Sasmuan was
not a victim despite the heave downpour
but instead became a blessing. This
opened the opportunity for our brethren at
LIC Timog and Pampanga Outreach to
experience the joy of giving and helping
those in need especially during those times
of calamities. This also paved the way for
us to share the gospel of Jesus to the affected areas. From the funds received, we
were able to purchase relief goods for 18
families who were, for the meantime, hindered from doing their jobs for their usual
source of living. Praise and glory to our
God!
Be an INTERCESSOR!
Please contact Sis. Mercie at
928-4088 for details.
24/7 PRAYER REQUEST
HOTLINE at 0917-8664187
For your Comments and Suggestions, please call Pastor Tony
Canicosa at 928-4088 or email:
[email protected].
River of Life Staff
Executive Editor Sis. Josie Policarpio Staff Writers Grace Cordova, Kim Canicosa
Photographers Chris Cubilla, Edwin Franco Layout Consultant Randy Valencia
15
Printed Matter
Schedule of Services
Sunday
8:30 AM Tagalog Service*
10:30 AM English Service*
*with Children's Church
1:00 PM Youth Meeting
Wednesday
7:00 PM Bible Study
Friday
7:30 PM Prayer Meeting
8:30 PM Revival
Contact Information
Life in Christ Ministries, Inc.
Rm. 101 Cabrera Bldg 1, 130 Timog Avenue
1103 Quezon City, Philippines
LIFE IN CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.
Phone/Fax: 02-9284088
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.licph.com
LIC Center, Quezon City
Ptr. Tony Canicosa 0927-5265029
Ptr. Louie Valencia 0917-8833305
Imus, Cavite
Bro. Dan Lineses 0920-4007471
Sucat, Paranaque
Sis. Desi Rentoria 0915-2167129
Kasiglahan Village, Rodriguez, Rizal
Ptr. Pete Sampiano 0919-6909418
Sasmuan, Pampanga
Sis. Jane Raymundo 0915-6115230
Bautista, Pangasinan
Sis. Lita Wong 0919-2051933
Viga, Catanduanes
Sis. Myrna Urgel 0926-7545951
Boac, Marinduque
Sis. Nene Lineses 0928-7949071
LIC Masbate - Masbate City
Ptr. Jayme Latuga 0919-5798948
16