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Global Urban Trek 2008
Relationship RedemptionJuly 6, 2008
Whether at Berkeley or in the Philippines, fellowship is always a holy space to discover more about God’s work in the life of a brother or sister.
Last night (Saturday) was fellowship for the youth of the Living Springs Church Community. Meinard’s devotional spoke of the pain and joy that our hearts receive as a result of those we love. He invited everyone in the congregation to share of a point in our lives where we happened to be carrying a black heart. Initially the room was quiet. Nobody was anxious to share, and with good reason: it is difficult to open up and share about a circumstance you’d rather not recall.
Of those who shared, five happened to be guys (myself included). It was interesting to discover that in some way our stories were very similar – they all involved our fathers’ struggles with alcoholism and the repercussions of their actions. Bryan, who is a youth leader, has a story that makes one admire him for the faith he has in God.
God is still at work in redeeming a broken relationship for him, but it is through the suffering that God has refined this young man. The alcohol abuse of his father trickled down to the whole family and helped distance him from his mother as well. The alcohol abuse forced him to relocate to the church and rely on the support of Pastor Wenchi and Ate Minda.
A love for his mother led him to beg in the streets in an effort to collect money to take back to her. Unfortunately, his sacrifice was not welcomed graciously by his mother; she told Bryan he was not good enough to perform any job. The wounds inflicted by her words stirred up retaliating words that he regretted when he saw her crying.
Today, God is in the process of healing their relationship, though the same cannot be said about his relationship with his father. It is in his inability to change his father and that relationship that Bryan has laid it before God; he prays for God’s work to transform his father. This aspect of his life is one that the youth of the ministry were unaware of and one that I was blessed to hear. Bryan is one of the many faces in Pajo that God is using to minister to me.
After two weeks of being in Manila on this missionary trip, it feels as if I have received more from the community than what I have been able to give. In his worldly poverty, Bryan has enriched me with his spiritual wealth. Though we may be from two different places thousands of miles away, it is awesome to know that God is still the same and that His redeeming love is at work in all the corners of the earth.
- Camilo
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