Longing to Be Home

This day (February 5^th) marks the 8^th month of my stay here in my new mission assignment. Since I came here, every day, I would never miss looking at the calendar once, twice or even more! In my mind I’ve sort of made a countdown of days and months, calculating how much longer I have yet to go, so that I can return to the place where people are dear and loved in my heart, and I in theirs...

I have come to this foreign land with the thought that I will be staying for 12 months. And so, each month passing and going made my heart happy, thinking that I’m getting more and more closer to the day when I will finally return.

However, a few weeks ago I felt some sadness in my heart seeing that instead of just 4 months remaining, 2 more months were added to it, making it 6 months this time! My stay here becomes longer. Why so? It is because I chose and decided and requested for it to be so.

Coming here, the LORD has made me to witness His marvelous and amazing ways in this place and in the hearts of the peoples. During my 1^st 2 months, He has opened doors for me to meet with the local government leaders and chieftains and village folks in the 21 villages of the city, making it possible to do an expressed-needs survey within a period of 2 months. The local brethren and friends had been very helpful in this work—translating for me and bringing me to where the people are.

After finding out the peoples’ expressed needs (education, health needs and potable water ranked highest), GOD sends, at just the right time, more of His children to help in the work. Without them it would have been hard, if not impossible, for the work started to continue.

With a concerted effort, by GOD’s guidance and blessings, Project 21 came about which is geared to conduct health education and training and other services to the peoples and selected community health workers and midwives in the 21 villages of the city within 21 weeks.

This project commences on the 4th week of this month (specifically February 20). And 21 weeks from the said time reaches up to the month of July. This is the reason why, instead of me being able to leave Africa on the end of May, I am obliged to extend and stay 2 months more.

It was a personal choice and decision on my part. I chose so for the sake of the work and for fellow workers whom I didn’t want to leave behind and take upon their shoulders the burden of the work which 2 or more could share.

Being back with loved ones would really make my heart happy, as each day I l miss them and shed tears (night or day) out of concern and deep longing for them… (Even now, as I write, I can’t help but shed tears…) But if I decided to leave sooner because my 12 months are up, I wouldn’t really be happy and at peace. I am sure that it is not in accordance to GOD’s will that I do so.

Within my heart is an ever growing, unquenchable desire to commit this life fully to GOD and His work of spreading abroad in all the world the Good News of His love and saving grace—even and especially in places and among peoples where there isn’t any Adventist presence yet.

Being here, I have come to see and experience all the more the great challenges, the difficulties and trials that a frontier and cross-cultural worker could have and encounter in the field. Looking back to my past experiences from my youth to this day, it may be that GOD is still preparing and honing me, so later I could be sent to a more difficult and rocky place, to venture out and do trailblazing and pioneering work with GOD’s people—in order to speed up the finishing of His work.

Just last week, I was blessed with the privilege of seeing and talking with Elder John Thomas of the General Conference (presently, the director of Adventist Volunteer Service or AVS). He came over, especially, to visit with and encourage the volunteers in this part of Africa. Through him, I am reminded of the fact that there are still parts of the world where peoples have yet to hear of the Good News of GOD’s love and saving grace.

I was happy to hear from him that the Filipinos are, presently, the greatest in number among the 1,700 volunteers around the world and that the South Americans follow next (their number is actually growing bigger and bigger as they practice the small group approach in their different places).