“…Why Are You So Nice to Me?”

7/6/12 (6^th day/3:00a.m.)—Awakened in the dark night, I turned on my flashlight to see the time.  Seeing it was only 3a.m., I tried to continue sleeping.  After about half an hour I find myself still very much awake and couldn’t sleep.  This happens to me at times.  And when it happens, i see it as GOD’s way of letting me know that He desires to spend time with me and i with Him by prayer and the reading of His Word.

                So I rose up and spent the rest of the night in communion with our LORD.  After reading a chapter from Psalms, I proceeded to read in one of the Books of the Gospel.  At this time I was reading from Luke 12.  Reaching and reading verses 32 and 37, my eyes suddenly well up and tears started flowing down my cheeks.  Sobbing and in tears, I couldn’t help but utter these words, “My GOD, why are you so nice to me?”

                All my life, I felt that GOD has lavished me with His love, despite my sinfulness, and many times falling and failing as I journeyed along life’s way…  And like David, I see myself and say that my sins are ever before me…

                This kind of love that I have received and continue to receive from our loving and gracious GOD, I feel I do not deserve…  For what good have I done to deserve His love?!  Nothing, really…  For while I was yet a sinner, He already loved me… and even gave His life for me.

                Continuing in life, I keep falling and failing, sometimes submerged and steeped in the mire of sin, and He sends His sweet Spirit to reach out to me, lift me up from my fallen state, and patiently work in my life and my heart that I may be cleansed of all my impurities and defects of mind and character.

                Not only that, my LORD is even up there in heaven, interceding continually in my behalf and your behalf before the Father, that we may be reconciled and abide in a loving relationship with our gracious and merciful GOD…

                Such love is too awesome, too high and lofty, I cannot comprehend it…  And this kind of love breaks my heart of stone, changing it into a heart of flesh that desires to love Him back sincerely, purely and faithfully… and out of sheer gratitude, share His loving acceptance and unconditional love with others met along life’s way…

                How much pleasure and joy it gives as hearts respond with the desire to love back, springing with loving gestures and expressions that make up and establish a friendship and loving relationship which I look forward to last till eternity…

                Our loving GOD desires to have the same experience with each of us His children, I know.  He lavishes us with His love, hoping that we may come to recognize Him and appreciate His love for us and trust Him and love Him back truly…  He longs to have a loving, intimate relationship with each of us.  And as we respond to His love with love, as well, I know that it gives Him joy, seeing that He is accepted and His love is appreciated…  And He longs even more for this loving relationship to last till eternity!

 

GOD demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

It is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which GOD has prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

 

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).

Dearly Beloved family, church family & friends

11/21/11(2^nd day/9:49am)

Dearly beloved family, church family & friends,

I praise GOD and I thank Him for this opportunity that I’m able to write a letter to you.  Our GOD is so good and loving.  He’s always there, present in my life, faithfully sustaining me…

Janna, a registered nurse and volunteer from Southern Adventist University has graciously loaned her computer, sothat I can use it at certain times when she’s doing other work and not using it.  So, here I am composing a letter which I hope to send you whenever the LORD provides for me an internet access.

With this letter, I would like to share with you Dr. Dick Hart’s e-mail which he sent and Marci Andersen shared with me, where he commented on the community health education program (Project 21) which we are preparing to launch at the start of next year (2012).   Dr. Hart is, presently, the president of Loma Linda University (LLU) and is the head of Adventist Health International Services (AHIS).

I praise GOD!  Can’t help but shed tears as I write…  Thankful and blessed that our loving and gracious GOD has given me this privilege to become a part of His work here… 

I’m thankful that I am not alone in this, but that you are there as well…  You are part of the team—GOD’s work force— working and contributing in ways that help make the work here lighter and make the work move forward and faster.

I am thankful and blessed to see how our GOD works in amazing ways, putting and uniting His willing workers together, so as to open doors to different and hard to reach places and peoples, whether among high-ranking officials and village folks—even in the dark corners of the world, like here in Africa.

Thank you so much for all the love and support that you’ve given and continually give, along with all your valuable prayers.  All of those help to sustain me and all of GOD’s willing workers here…

There are times that I sense the enemy hurling fiery darts at me from different directions, so as to hurt and wound me and pull me down or make me feel discouraged and give up. (he did actually try to discourage me, early on, while at my first stop-over in Hong Kong on my way here—making and forcing meto go back to the Philippines and not continue with my trip to Chad, Africa.  That was like a 24-hour nightmare for me…  And until now, I see him continually making ways to discourage and pull me down—whether physically, emotionally or spiritually…)I would say that he knows very well what he’s doing and how to do it, so that I’d be wounded and hurt much and suffer longer from the pain and wound that I bear. 

But GOD’s grace always ever abounds!  He lavishes me with His love and blessings great and small, so as to let me know that He’s there, true to His word and promises, never leaving me nor forsaking me…  our Great Physician reaches out His loving arms and gentle hands to touch me and heal me of my wounds and relieve me of my hurts and pains…  And He makes me to overflow with His love and forgiveness…

For all of that and even more, I am ever so thankful to our loving GOD.  And my heart can’t help but be filled and overflow with gratitude, so as to boost and revitalize me and make me keep on…  Loving, where sometimes it seems a great challenge to do so…  Forgiving, despite the wounds, the hurts, and the pains I receive…  And reaching out, despite the hindrances, barricades and mountains that the devil puts along the way, so as to get to the peoples—in the different places and situations where they are, and ,hopefully, eventually have a welcome entrance to their hearts, so we can share with them more, especially about a loving and gracious and saving GOD…

I miss you all so much and I’m continually praying for you…  Everyday I look at the calendar (more than once even), counting how long I have already been here and how much longer I will be.  I long for the time when I can see you all again and hear from you, how life has been and how our GOD is continually blessing you.

Please take care always…  I entrust you in our GOD’s loving and mighty arms, in His perfect love, His perfect wisdom, and His perfect grace…

Always remember that GOD loves and cares for you…  I do too…

I love you…  GOD’s rich blessings be continually upon you and loved ones!

Much love & prayers,

Minnie

p.s.

I would love to share and hear from you in whatever way our GOD permits... 

E-mail Address:  Minnie4africa@gmail.com

Blog Name:  Minnie for Africa

Blog Address:  Minnie4africa.blogspot.com

You can text and call: +23598074627  (Chad number)

Text message only:             +639192159311       (Philippine roaming number—charges P1.00 only for messages

                                               coming from the Philippines)

Mailing Address:  Hospital Adventiste de Bere

                                  Attn: Minnie Amor B. Pardillo

                                  52 Boite Postale

                                  Kelo, Chad, Africa

To Know Him Even More & Love Him to the Fullest

To Know Him Even More & Love Him to the Fullest

7/28/11 (5^th day/10:25pm)—In just about 2 months of my stay here, so far, I have come to see that there are a lot of needs here in this part of the world—for the peoples and for the volunteers, as well.  And they aren’t just physical needs, but even psychological, emotional and spiritual needs, too.  They say that Chad is known to be the hardest of all the mission fields…  I can see and understand now, why it took me about 6 years and more for our gracious and loving GOD to prepare me before sending me here…

Things may be hard and difficult in this place, but with our GOD, I know that all things are possible—by His grace and by His love and sustaining power…

I praise GOD and thank Him and thank you, once again, for being there—my dear family and church family…  it helps me a lot to keep on…

It won’t be long, I know, when our LORD will be manifest in the clouds of glory…  Things happening all around us show…  They are like birth pangs, occurring in a succession and at even closer intervals, indicating Jesus’ coming is very near!   

And so, I pray for our loving GOD to help me endure whatever else I may go thru and experience while here…  I have come with Him to this place, that I may get to know Him even more and love Him to the fullest—however I may let Him know that I, truly, do…

And I desire to share Him and His love and saving grace to all that I can possibly reach, as He opens and gives me the opportunity to do so—whether among the volunteers, or among the hospital staff, or among the patients and their families, or among the peoples in the surrounding villages…

We have such a great GOD with a great love for each and all of His children, including a sinner as i…  And that kind of awesome love, I couldn’t help but have this great desire to share to all that I could possibly can…

“But in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (and continually loves us).  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of GOD, which is in Christ Jesus our LORD.”  Romans 8: 37-39

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A Period of Adjustment

A Period of Adjustment—We have 7 hours time difference here in Chad and in the Philippines (the latter being ahead), so I had to adjust a little bit.  There were days that I would feel weak and sleepy.  And there were nights that I would be awake, sometimes up and doing something.

I also had to adjust with the food and maybe with the water, as well.  Twice I had loose bowel movement.  There was one night (about 3am) that I had to go out to the pit toilet. 

I’m thankful that they have native mangoes at this time of the year.  It’s good that they also have rice here.  Sometimes they serve bread (they call “gateau”—meaning cake) and sweet potato (fried in oil).  I like it when my family serves it with powdered cayenne that has some salt in it. 

Sometimes my family serves noodles or macaroni pasta, adding a different kind of sauce to it that’s orange in color and has ground peanuts and onions.  Usually carbs are served. 

My waistline seems to be getting bigger, so I decided that I have to stick to eating only 2 meals a day—just like when I was in the Philippines. 

GOD is good.  He gave me some supplements which I can take, along with the food I eat here. 

“Bouelle” is cooked ground rice that is usually a part of the Chadian meal.  They serve it (like a big bun) along with a vegetable viand that’s sometimes made of cassava leaves or other local leafy vegetables and come out like “laing” (a Philippine vegetable dish).  Dried fish is sometimes added to it, too.

Another interesting ingredient to the food is grains of sand that makes it gritty to chew sometimes.   Although, I think the cooks really don’t intend for it to be in the food they prepare. J

Flies here are not uncommon.  But I’ve figured out a way to escape a lot of them (especially the big shiny ones) while eating the food served me by my African family.  I simply eat the food inside the hut. J 

However, at night, I get to enjoy eating with my family.  And I don’t have to worry about the mouche (pronounced moosh—this word is French for flies), because they’re sleeping already! J

Sometimes, in the morning, along with bread and sweet potato they serve rice coffee or red herbal tea—it’s a little bit sour and sweet in taste and I like it! 

I’m thankful that the LORD has given me some nuts, too.  So with the meals I eat some each day and get to have some protein.  But there are also times when my family serves me boiled eggs or scrambled egg with onions.  So this is another source of protein for me.  And, not to forget, the boiled black eyed peas that’s a little bit sweetened.

GOD is good! I’m glad that there are cell phone sites here.  And so I’m able to communicate with loved ones somehow thru text messaging.  Internet access is quite hard and expensive.  Only few are capable of availing it.  I can only send and receive e-mails thru the kindness of friends who are able to avail internet services.

Oh, another thing!  I also had to adjust to the climate.  It can be much hotter here in temperature compared to that in the Philippines.  There are times that I would sweat profusely.  When I get back to the hut during the day or during evenings, I’d feel it hot inside like in an oven.  Temperature reached 39 degrees centigrade once.

John (a fellow volunteer who is a nurse and in his mid 60’s) jokingly calls my hut a “sweat box”.  Sometimes I would fan myself to sleep as I lay in bed at night.  I’m so thankful that there’s such a thing as hand fans! J

My LORD and I in Africa

My LORD and I in Africa

Arriving Bere—6/5/11(1^st day of the week) I arrived Bere Adventist Hospital in the afternoon.  Frederick and I had about 7 hours ride in the bus, southward from N’Djamena (Chad’s capital city) to Bere.  Dr. Olen Netteburg welcomed me and gave me a tour around the place, introducing me to some staff and volunteers. 

I remember meeting Heather first.  She’s a nurse and student missionary coming from Tennessee.  I also met Augustine, Benzaki, Tammy, Danae (Olen’s wife—an ob-gyn specialist), Cara and Andrew (doctors and friends of Olen & Danae).

With My African Family—Frederick (he is a Chadian working with Gary & Wendy of Adventist Medical Aviation at Bendele) brought me to the village, introducing me to Matthew and his family.  His wife’s name is Terese.  And their children are Noe, Clarice, Bievenue, Grace, Camga, Swari and baby Felicite. 

They brought me to my room or hut along with the things I had with me during travel.  The hut is made up of red bricks and tin roof.  It’s about 5x5 meters in length and width, and about 5 meters in height.  It has an iron door attached firmly to the entrance and an iron window, as well.

I find Matthew and his family to be very hospitable.  They provided for me a cot with linen cover and a separate plastic mat—on which I can sit while spending quiet times and prayer breaks and study languages. Or sometimes I sit on it while washing clothes.  They also prepare and serve me Chadian food each day.

I like seeing my family eating together.  All of the girls, with the mother, eat on the mat nearby.  While the boys, with the father, eat at a small (about 2 feetx1.5 feet with the height of about 2 feet) table and are seated on small chairs.   They serve the food in a big round plate (like rice topped with the choice viand—whether vegetable or meat).  And everyone eats from it, each family member using a spoon to scoop food from the plate.