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OUR HOME ASSIGNMENT IS
6
MONTHS AWAY!!
IMPORTANT DETAILS BELOW!
Please scroll all the way to the end!
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This is NOT a birth announcement...
New Year! New News!
Yes, it's New Year's again! Thai Never Year is celebrated in mid-April. Although the festivities were canceled this year (again), God showed up in many ways!
If you follow us on Facebook, you would have heard that Terence has been given the opportunity to serve as the Field Youth Coordinator (FYC) of the Southeast Asia Field. This means that Terence is in charge of organizing and guiding the local NYI leaders of the nations of Southeast Asia (nearly half belong to nations or people groups who are hostile to the Gospel).
This job requires figuring out how to raise the next generation of Christian leaders in nations recovering or suffering from wars, genocides, uprisings, and communism. The Field has hundreds of languages and dialects spoken within which makes Field events nearly impossible. This position is not an easy job.
We were not expecting this position at all. Although we felt this job should belong to someone else more qualified, our leaders encouraged us greatly to accept the task. We feel privileged and humbled that Terence was considered for the role and to work in God's Kingdom in this way. We trust the Spirit's leading our Field Stratefy Coordinator, our former FYC, and our Regional NYI Coordinator.
Please keep us in your prayers. We know God is already at work in this Field's NYI, and what an incredible opportunity to join Him.
Because this is a new aspect of our work, we created a new section in our newsletter dedicated to our FYC work: REFUEL. For updates on how we want to nurture and encourage the youth on our field, you can read this section! We still work for CIC and the Field through media, but we are just adding another position.
May God give us wisdom and may everything we do bring glory to Him.
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Support on the Court
A few weeks ago, while biking to the badminton court, two men on a motorcycle attempted to steal Terence's racquet from his backpack. Luckily, the racquet was locked into the bag and the thieves drove off before Terence got hurt or even understood what happened. Unfortunately, the racquet snapped.
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This wasn't just any racquet for Terence. This was a gift that Ingrid had saved up money for. It was a thank you for supporting Ingrid and Jubilee during her pregnancy and a representation that his girls would always support him on the court. This was a heartbreaking loss. Not only did Terence lose this special representation of his family, but he lost the main equipment in his ministry.
A recreational racquet can be around $20, but in the hands of professional players, these racquets break easily. For Terence's level of play, his racquets can be $150 - $300. We did not have that kind of money or funds available for such a purchase.
A church in Kalispell, Montana heard about what had happened and contacted Ingrid. Together, they planned a way for Terence to get back on the court. Check out the video below to see what happened.
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This video was captured by Ingrid through an iPad and edited by her.
That's why it is not so good quality. So, show some grace!
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Happy Thai New Year!
Every year, Thailand commemorates a nationwide water fight (Songkran Festival or Thai New Year) where everybody pours buckets of water and shoot water guns to whomever they encounter for a week. No matter who you are, how old, how foreign, no one is exempt from the water war. You WILL get soaked. People dress in colorful patterned Hawaiian-style shirts or traditional Thai clothes. It is one of the biggest and most anticipated holidays of Thailand.
Terence has been looking forward to celebrating Songkran even before moving to Thailand, however, because of COVID-19, it has been canceled for two years in a row.
Not wanting the spirit to be sucked dry by the pandemic, Terence showed up to the court in traditional Songkran gear to bring smiles back to the people. Check out the video below!
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Terence shot this through an action cam strapped to his head and edited it himself.
Happy Thai New Year!
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Stay Awake
“And he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and keep awake.'"
- Mark 14:34
We don't know how many of our friends and family are aware of what is happening on our small corner of the earth, and because of our position, we cannot share many details. To put it in as simple terms as possible without revealing much, in one of our SEA nations, there is a war happening between the government and the people. Nearly a thousand civilians have now died, with the vast majority being under 25 years old. It is devastating.
Our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are afraid to leave their homes. They hear gunfire and weeping. We cannot imagine the sorrow our friends are facing every night. Every night, we wonder what is must be like for our friends. How long do they stay awake worrying about the next morning?
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We decided that we cannot let them stay awake at night by themselves worrying. We cannot literally be with our friends during this time, but we can be with them through prayer.
We decided to create a Prayer Vigil we called, "Awake." This was the first Field NYI Program. We hosted the event through Facebook Live on the NYI Southeast Asia Facebook page on April 9. We had migrant workers and missionaries from this nation lead the Scripture and Worship in their local language as we lead prayer.
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It was an incredible experience. People from all around the world "showed up" to pray for this nation and the people. The Holy Spirit was moving. Our friends from the nation messaged us and said they were greatly encouraged by the prayer time.
Due to popular demand, we will be hosting a second Awake Prayer Vigil on April 23. It will start at 10PM (local Bangkok time) and 11AM (EST). Be sure to like our NYI Southeast Asia Facebook page to join us on Facebook Live!
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A Game of Risk
Sometime last year, a conflict broke out in our badminton group. The group split. Some people followed the leader, P'Kaseem, and others stayed behind with P'Jum. Until this day, we have no idea what happened. However, we stayed in contact with both parties and prayed that God would take the opportunity to share the power of His love and the hope of reconciliation.
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Because of COVID-19, many people were forced to stay home for the Thai New Year. Since we would not be celebrating it again, we invited P'Kassem and her husband to come to our home for dinner... knowing P'Jum is our neighbor. While cleaning up the house and getting food ready, Terence causally mentioned to Ingrid and P'Pai that he invited P'Jum over as well. The ladies looked at each other in silent horror, but said nothing. Maybe P'Jum won't come...? Maybe there won't be a big fight?
P' Kassem, her husband and a few members of the split team came that night for dinner. And then P'Jum came. P'Jum greeted us and went straight for Jubilee to give her a small gift. Jubilee, recognizing P'Jum, started acting happy and laughing. P'Jum tried to leave, but Jubilee's joy made her feel like staying.
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And it was like everything was normal. We ate, we laughed, we shared stories. It was like there was no conflict at all. Terence cleared the table and took out a set of playing cards and we ended the night playing game after game. By the end of the night, P'Jum walked P'Kassem back to her car. Nearly a year after the big spit, the two women were laughing as if nothing had happened.
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(written by Ingrid)
What happened to P'Jum and P'Kassem greatly affected me.
Forgiveness is a very hard concept for me. I grew up in a household where "Sorry" is not often spoken, and it was seen as "irresponsible" to forget past deeds. Reconciliation? Not even in the dictionary.
But by building a relationship with Terence, I learned a valuable word:
Growth.
Terence knows that I did not like him when we first met. I thought he was cocky and self-absorbed. Talented? Yes. Smart? Of course. Good-looking? Come on, I ain't that blind! But I could not stand his attitude. When people teased us together, I pointed them to Belle and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.
However, slowly, I saw a change in Terence. He began to ask questions instead of answering them. He started seeking help instead of giving it. He started listening instead of showing off. He started to open up about his mistakes, failures, and weaknesses while praising others for their accomplishments and strengths. It wasn't for self-pity, but for self-growth.
People are capable of growth.
Back when he was still pursuing me, we went to see the live-action of Beauty and the Beast with a group of friends. As I watched the Beast go from an angry, proud, pampered monster to a patient, kind, and trusting man... I realized that Gaston and the Beast were actually the same
--just one chose to grow.
Although, I am a witness to the transformation from Beast to Prince, not everyone wants to see it. There are still many who create rumors and lies about Terence to discredit him. They don't want to believe in growth. They don't want to forgive cocky Terence. It fits their story much better if Terence is a Beast needing to be slain. That spreading gossip is a means of protecting future "victims."
After Terence received the FYC position, these rumors and lies have gotten worse. Even those we have considered friends have joined the mob. It makes me cry and wish to never go back "home."
And yet, Terence still has not given up. He still serves. He still loves. He still reaches out. He still tries.
When he invited P'Jum over for dinner with P'Kassem, I was terrified of what may happen. How reckless! But Terence just smiled and he handled the whole situation like a pro. P'Pai and I were in stunned silence as we watched the two ladies walk home together after the dinner and games. How could these two women who wouldn't even speak to each other a few hours ago go home like this now?
Once again, Terence taught me that even the most proud people are capable of growth.
We say, "Forgive but never forget."
But that is not true forgiveness and reconciliation. If the person asking for forgiveness truly transforms, then why still treat him or her like a Beast? Why act like we have an "insider's knowledge" because we know the past of someone... and refuse to accept their present? It may not be "responsible," but aren't we called to be Christ-like?
I wonder what other Beasts are in my life that I have failed to see have already transformed? How many grudges I still grip on to based on actions from years ago? What have I "forgiven" but have refused to forget?
People are capable of growth. People are capable of forgiveness.
Neither of these come naturally.
Growth is a choice. Forgiveness is a choice.
Maybe I need to have more irresponsible dinners and game nights...
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A is for Apple
After a rough night teething and singing her favorite phonics songs, Jubilee finally put her head on Ingrid's shoulder. Thinking she was asleep, we stopped singing mid-song, "V is for van... va, va, van....W is for watch...wa, wa, watch..."
Reilee shot her back head up, looked us in the eyes, and finished, "Ya, ya, yawow [yellow]... Za, za, zooooom [zoo]"
We knew she recognized letters and sounds from her pointing to random letters on our walks and going, "Ss, Ss, ssssss.... Ah, ah, appom [apple].... Te, te, TEA!" What we didn't expect was that she knew the order of the letters as well! It freaked us out how well she understood her phonics and alphabet! She still has little word-association, but we will take any victory we can get!
Reilee is also practicing with a baby doll on how to interact with a newborn. Now if only we can get her to learn how to kiss without teeth... and grabbing the baby's bottle and trying to drink from it... and stop poking the baby in the eye...
By our next newsletter, Baby Lustaña #2 will be here. We are both excited and terrified. We recently have had some scares with infections and bleeding. The baby is fine, but Mama needs to be kept on bed rest and visit the doctor often. Every day that goes by is a praise that Baby Boy is cooking longer. We are praying that he can stay put until May!
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A New Home
A few months ago, our Thai pastor (Ajan Phanom) lost their beloved dog. Losing their pet was like losing a family member for his family. During our baby shower, they saw Cairo, and they immediately fell in love with this puppy.
Back in the Philippines, we rescued and rehomed a total of 3 kittens and 1 puppy. It was like the concept of “working ourselves out of a job.” We were used to rescuing lost dogs and cats and nurturing them for new families.
But Cairo was different. We really wanted to keep him and train him to be a service dog for Ingrid and the children. After 2 months, Cairo had learned to obey the commands sit, stay, heel, and no.
We thought we could take care of him, that is... until we got the new FYC job. We didn’t expect that the FYC job would take so much of our time running around to meetings. Cairo's training was constantly put on hold and we could no longer take him out to play.
“Ajan Phanom’s family wants to take Cairo,” said P'Pai, our housemate. Ajan Phanom’s family were good and experienced at taking care of dogs and there was no other place we would want him to be. They offered to pay to finish his vaccinations. They bought him a nice dog house. And after a few weeks, there was no Cairo. He was moving into his new home and family. As heartbreaking as this was for Terence (and Jubilee), we understood that this was what’s best for him.
He was a really good dog. Even though the memories are few, we are thankful we had him. Enjoy your new family, Cairo!
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PRAYER REQUESTS
Language Study: With our new work for the Field, it is getting more and more difficult to concentrate on language study. We really thank our Thai teacher, Kru Aong, for being patient with us as we forget about our homework and cancel classes due to last-minute meetings. Kru Aong lets us speak out our frustrations and celebrations (in Thai) and doesn't force us to open up our textbooks unless we are ready. We are so grateful for her life and her flexible teaching style.
Work: We love what we do, but it can be tiring! Pray for our endurance so we can continue to work with all our hearts for the Lord. As Baby Lustaña #2 comes, we are prepping for maternity/paternity leave as well.
Baby Lustaña #2: So far everything seems fine with Baby Lustaña #2. However, this pregnancy has been incredibly rough on Ingrid. Please continue to pray for Mama and Baby.
SEA Field Crisis: Our neighbor country, Myanmar (one of our SEA Field nations) is going through some difficult times. For security reasons, we cannot speak openly about it. The situation is in need of prayer and God's intervention and guidance. Many of our pastors, leaders, and laypeople are greatly affected by this. Today, we heard the news that one of our dear friends from the seminary has been arrested. We ask that you, your families, and your churches bring this to the Lord in prayer.
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We're Coming Home?
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The world is slowly getting back to normal. However, travel is still restricted in some areas. Thankfully, our Home Assignment is late 2021 and early 2022, so we are hopeful to come home. As of recent news and international guidelines, it is looking very good that we are coming home. But like what we said earilier, we have until June to decide to continue a physical home assignment or conduct a virtual one.
If you have already scheduled us and are hesitant to do a virtual service with us, please respond to this email as soon as possible.
If you have yet to schedule us, we have created a quick guide of what our Home Assignment will look like below. The districts shown are where people have verbally invited us. USA districts (LA, Northwest, Rocky Mt., Kansas, Virginia, Southern Florida, Florida) will be in late 2021 and Philippine districts (Central Visayas, Western Mindanao, Southern Tagalog, Metro Manila) will be in early 2022. If you don't see your district here and want us to come to your church, contact us!
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Above is a button that will lead you to a GoogleSheets. It will show you our current schedule of which days are booked already.
If a day you wanted has already been taken, we're sorry! We are on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, there are some options available for you.
1. A mission service does not need to be on a Sunday morning. We have seen some churches that invited us to their small groups. Churches have opened up opportunities for us to connect with their congregation through game nights. One church just hosted a BBQ lunch at someone's house where we shared. Prayer meetings, Men's breakfast, youth groups, children's camps... We don't need to limit God's message to a Sunday morning!
2. We can prerecord a message for your church. Thanks to COVID, our churches have had to sink or swim when it comes to technology. We thank God that many of our churches have been able to swim through this pandemic. If you feel a prerecorded message is better for your church, please let us know.
Don't wait! It's only a few months away! Email us right away! We can't wait to see you all again!
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