(L-R) The staff: Kristian Sotto, Ministry Assistant and newest member of the team; and the coaches/missionaries — Jean Galang, Creative Advocacies Director; Josephine Velasquez, wife of Rev. Randolph Velasquez, National Director; Shamira Japitana, National Training Coordinator; and Lodiza Cayabyab, wife of Ptr Marvin Cayabyab, Disciplemaking Center Director (not in picture: Shelemiah Castro, Communications Officer)
“Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.”
As we enter this year, we marvel before a God who revealed Himself through mighty acts of power as we experienced Him move in, for, and through us. Remembering and reflecting on His great deeds, we are filled with praise and thanksgiving for indeed He worked wonders in our midst.
We started last year filled with hope when He opened new opportunities and established new relationships in order to coach more church leaders. We reveled in gratefulness as He provided for our organizational needs with a new ministry center and an administrative staff. We felt thoroughly guided and spurred towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission in Asia as He united us towards the establishment of Disciplemaking Coaching Centers (DCCs) for the next five years.
But everything was brought to a halt when the pandemic hit.
“I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.
I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.”
Somewhat disoriented because of foiled plans, we slowly, by God’s grace, navigated our way back to coaching and ministering to church leaders during the first few months of the lockdown.
But God did not only want us to continue. He also wanted us to pause, revisit and deeply re-examine both the whys and the hows of the ministry. Only then were we able to move forward. Guided by the new direction and emphasis on reproducing disciplemaking leaders that would be able to coach others, God further expanded our borders through the birthing of new DCCs.
“Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’”
Looking back, we trace God’s invisible hand moving us more clearly towards His will and purpose. The past year might have proved to be the most daunting period of our ministry so far, but we exalt God who never left our side and propelled us to continually disciple the nations for Jesus.
Thank you for being concrete expressions of God’s love and grace as you kept on this journey with us. May His handiwork, etched across the year that was, also be your source of hope as we face this new year together.
*Quoted passages are from Psalm 77:1-15.