"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens ..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
This week our family crossed even more major milestones on our journey to the Philippines. Last Wednesday we listed our home for sale, working with a local Richfield realtor. We first met her at last year's National Night Out and she has been such a blessing. Because we'd been selling our furniture and packing/shipping our belongings, many of the rooms in our home were nearly empty, save for a few balikbayan boxes and suitcases. Our realtor and her three daughters spent the entire day last Tuesday bringing in furniture and decorations, even planting flowers outside! While the market seems to have slown down a bit since early summer, we are continuing to trust in the Lord to put everything in place so that we can leave the country this fall.
Last Thursday we also said goodbye to our trusty 2006 Mazda 5. Lovingly referred to as "Hopper," this car had reliably taken us wherever we needed to go, crossing the 200,000 mile mark earlier this year. We were happy to hand over the keys to our nephew (his first car!) and pray that it serves him well.
The week closed out with one of our biggest milestones thus far, our Commissioning Ceremony at the Filipino American Christian Church (FACC). On Sunday, July 28th, I gave my last sermon as FACC's pastor, and then on Sunday (August 4th) our family was commissioned to serve as missionaries at the Children's Shelter of Cebu (CSC). One of the most emotional parts of the service came right at the beginning when I greeted the congregation, introducing myself as "the former pastor of FACC."
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Our long time friend and co-laborer in Christ, Herman Rott, gave the message while Rob Boyd from Converge North Central administered the charge to the missionaries. It was such a blessing to have so many old friends, representatives from CSC, former missionaries, and brothers and sisters in Christ come to pray and partner with us. It's humbling to think of how God has worked so powerfully, mightily, and miraculously through the Children's Shelter of Cebu, transforming lives for His glory. It's equally humbling, and sobering, to reflect on the past 14 years at FACC, and to be called to continue the ministry that God started at CSC through Paul and Marlys Healey 40 years ago.
After our prayer requests I've included the text from the charge to the missionaries read by Rob Boyd. May the Lord be glorified as we enter the final leg of our transition to Cebu.
Prayer Requests
• Please continue to pray that the Lord allows us to settle all of the matters pertaining to our home, and that He would lead us to the right house/apartment in Cebu.
• Please pray that we are able to continue finding folks who will partner with us financially, especially during this final push to meet our funding goals before we leave Minnesota. We are so thankful for all those who are supporting this mission and ministry already! It is a joy, honor, and blessing to be doing this alongside you.
• Please pray for my classes; that I will be able to finish strong as I enter the last semester of my MDiv program at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. I will be starting the semester in America but ending it online in the Philippines. Pray for the Lord's strength and provision.
• Pray for God's comfort and peace to be with the kids, and our entire family, as we finish our time in Minnesota; that we would finish well and have the strength, intentionality, and God-centered-ness to start well in Cebu.
(Read by Rob Boyd at our Commissioning Service, August 4th, 2019).
CHARGE TO OUR MISSIONARIES
Roberto and Heather, God has called you to a great mission – to minister to the children and people of Cebu, to make disciples among the nations, and to equip them to share the love of Christ and serve Him. This privileged endeavor of helping others follow Jesus is bigger than you. The challenges will surpass human wisdom; the size of your task is larger than mere effort can accomplish —the spiritual warfare stronger than the strength or willpower we possess. You need God’s hand upon you, his blessing directing you, his Spirit empowering you. It is only through God’s strength and intervention that you will succeed.
With this in mind, I charge you to the following practices:
• Will you pursue a life of deep devotion to Jesus Christ – studying the Scriptures to feed your soul, praying big prayers for God’s involvement in your life, deeply connecting with the Body so that you will be accountable and encouraged in your walk with God?
• Will you consistently check your deepest motives for ministry, making sure that all you do is done for the glory of God?
• Will you, as a representative of Jesus Christ, be willing to live a simple lifestyle, careful about personal finances, discreet in your conversations, always seasoning your lives with grace?
• As one sent out from this congregation, the Filipino American Christian Church, and Converge, do you promise to communicate appropriately so that your partners here know your needs, struggles and victories as you minister at the Children’s Shelter of Cebu?
If you commit to these practices, please say, “We do.”
CHARGE TO THE CONGREGATION (stand)
Today, we are commissioning Roberto, Heather, and their family to go and make disciples in and around Cebu City, Philippines, sharing the love of Christ with the children at the Children’s Shelter of Cebu. The responsibility is not all theirs, however. Before God, we also help to carry this burden of ministry with them. For 40 years, prayerful and generous children of God, like yourselves, have been a part of God’s work at the Children’s Shelter of Cebu. Lives and families have been transformed through the partnership between the senders and the sent.
With this in mind, I charge you, Filipino American Christian Church, and all those gathered here, to the following practices:
• Will you embrace and daily live the great commission, knowing that this command from Jesus is binding upon this church?
• Will you encourage one another, including your sons and daughters, to share the gospel with those still lost, giving this call a high priority in your lives in obedience to Jesus Christ?
• Will you support Roberto, Heather, Dietrich, Tessiana, Juana, and Bastiaan, with your consistent prayers, encouragement and finances as they carry out Jesus’ mandate to the nations?
If you commit to these practices, please respond by saying, “We do.”
May God strengthen and enable us to fulfill these commitments. (congregation seated)
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