It has been many Sundays ago when
a message came to me via SMS with an invite to join up and play music for a
household meeting for servant leaders at the Balangaw sa Kalinaw (relocation
site for sendong victims), CFC FFL’s Work with the Poor Ministry here in our
place. Am so glad to have acceded to the invite because of the many wonderful
things I came to experience with brethren and how I fell in love with the place
but that’s getting ahead of the story.
I have been away for a few months
from the community after being “detached” as SvFL and SFL coordinator. Thought
the Lord was calling me for other things and concentrated instead on work and decided
to take the extra time to take stock and pray for some things as regards to my
service when the call came. At first, I was hesitant to go as I know of no one
among the victims except for the local WWP coordinator here. But the Lord
always has His way in my life and I found myself trekking the not so good foot
trail leading to the relocation site which was hidden among trees and medium thick
foliage. What I came to see coming out of the rough and nestled among hills, were
beautiful rows of houses and having a majestic view of the uptown part of our
city and its mighty river. I call it such as the river can really look
deceiving and it was the reason why this place came to be in the first place. Looking
around, I was teary eyed and marveled at how the mighty hand of God worked to
make all these happen. A clear manifestation of God’s great love for His people.
So serene was the place, I felt God’s awesome presence right there and then.
The village is still under
construction with about 30 houses completely built up and about 4 more soon to
be built. I think 70 houses will be
constructed eventually. Roads are still in its raw form, dusty and stony but
the promise and possibilities of the place were all there. I can only imagine
as to how beautiful this place will be in probably a year or two. Brethren were
very accommodating and warm. I went on to play for them during the worship and
felt God’s great love envelope my whole being. It’s as if I was being wrapped
in a shroud of warm light which made me sweat profusely on a windy Sunday afternoon.
Truly, our God can really work miracles. Nothing is ever impossible as long as
it is the will of the Father.
I have been coming back since
that fateful Sunday. Been teaching brethren some new songs and playing for them
during their regular once a week upper household meeting. I have committed
likewise to play for them in their regular lower household meetings. The Lord
has laid out the work before us. Much has to be done and by the Lord’s grace, I
pray that I can share my own 5 cents worth of the work that He has laid out for
us here at Balangaw sa Kalinaw.
I still am in awe every time I
come here. I feel the Lord working His miracles in this place and in the lives
of brethren. I can see hope in their eyes, dignity in their every step, the
love and warmth of their smiles and the thirst for the Gospel in their day to
day lives. I remember in Ecclesiastes 3:
1-3 it says: “There is a given time for everything and a time for every happening
under heaven; a time for giving birth, a time for dying:
a time for planting, a time for uprooting. A time for killing, a time for
healing; a time for knocking down, a
time for building.”
May God bless us all…
