Our Sandy Little Monster

(this one is by Jess)

He came running into our bedroom clearly in a panic. “Owie, Owie!” he exclaimed, frantically , his hands against his head. It was not uncommon for our energetic 2 year old to get a bump on his head. I reached to examine for bumps when I noticed that he had sand in his hair . . . and all over his face . . . and around his eyes. . . even on his hands. 'Did he fall head first into a sandbox?' I wondered to myself. No, he couldn't have. We don’t have a sandbox in our yard. In fact, we don’t even have a yard. I decided to worry about the sand later and deal with the source of the pain first. Anxious to find that bump, I asked Tyler to show me exactly where it hurt. He pointed to his face while he continued his panicky panting of “owie, owie”. Then I smelled it. . . the unmistakeable scent of pepper! I knew at that moment there was no bump. It was the pepper in his face that was burning! I rushed him immediately to the bathtub to pour water over his face and hair. I thought about how pepper spray is sold as a weapon and I wanted to cry thinking about how it must sting. My poor little guy. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes of running cold water over him before Tyler was back to his happy self. “Yaaaay” he sang, clapping his hands as he watched me grab the blue bottle of bubble bath from the counter. I let the tub fill up and enjoyed watching my little monster play in his bubbles.

Later, I wondered how he got so much pepper all over him. Did he open the container of pepper and then blow on it? I never did learn what happened. What I did learn though is that pepper isn’t all black as I'd always thought. Yes, there are some black specks in the mix, but most of the pepper is the color of, well, sand.

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Grace's Introduction to Mormonism

I picked up Grace and her Ate Merriam from pre-school the other day (Merriam volunters there as a teachers aide). Jess and I were happy to find this Filipino school because it is a Christian school and it is near our house. Grace started going there around last August. On our way home Merriam had a concern and asked me, "Does the Bible have a book of Moses or Nephi?" Right away I recognized those books and knew that they are not from the bible. I recognized them as two books from the book of Mormon. I was puzzled and wondered why she asked me about those books. Perhaps they were studying about cults at her church. Or maybe she had a conversation with a Mormon.

Even though Merriam has only been a Christian for about two years now, she has grown a lot. We gave her a one year bible for Christmas in 2004. She read the whole thing for the first time in 05 and is well on her way to flnishing her second reading this year. Through that, the Lord has been giving her discernment. She was able to recognize that the books of Moses and Nephi were not from the bible, but she wasn't sure where they came from.

So why did she ask me about the books? Well, Grace's school is a Christian school, but unfortunatly they don't require there teachers to be Christians. Grace's teacher (teacher Tin, short for Christine) seems to be a nice girl, but she is not a Christian. In her attempt to teach bible lessons to her students she was teaching them from the book of Mormon. She had no idea that it was extra-biblical and not Christian.

After examining the book, Merriam told Tin, "I don't think this is Christian." Tin was shocked and told Merriam, "I better bring in the bible I have at home so that you can check it for me." When Merriam asked Tin where she got the book from she said that she got it from the school library.

This episode seemed to have sparked a lot of interest in Tin who agreed to and seems eager to meet with Jessica and Merriam for weekly discipleship and bible study at our house. I will try to schedule a meeting with the owner of the school soon. I hope that this will serve as a wake up call for them and that I can be a blessing to them as I offer some godly counsel.

Our Experiences are no Accidents

When we heard that she was going to have her baby by herself in her bathroomless house, with no medical help, our hearts were moved. Besides not having a bathroom, to get water Ema had to hand pump it from a community well. Her husband Roland was working seven days a week as a security guard for around $6 a day. Every day he would leave early in the morning and ride his bike for a little over an hour to get to work. After his 12 hour shift, he would complete his day with the one hour bike ride back home. Since Ema was now 9 months pregnant, Roland was prepared to leave work and ride home as soon as she called to tell him that she was having the baby (however, with no phone in their home either, she would need to go up the hill to a relative's house to use the phone).

When Jessica and I heard about their situation, we sensed God directing us to invite Roland, Ema, and their 3 year old daughter Rose to stay in our home until the baby was born. Just a week earlier, Jessica had given birth to Isabella, our fifth child. We couldn’t imagine having a baby on our own. We also made arrangements with a Christian-run birthing home for Ema's delivery so that she could have some experienced midwives helping her, as well as oxygen and IV's on hand in case of an emergency. Although the humble birthing center was nothing close to a fully equipped hospital, it was much better than what Roland and Ema had originally planned. Below is the place at the birthing center where the babies are cleaned and weighed. If it looks like a kitchen to you, that's because it is a kitchen.


At Ema's first check up we were surprised to see around more than 50 pregnant women waiting to be seen by the mid wives. It was a blessing to watch the Christian workers from the birthing house in action as they ministered to the expectant mothers. They taught bible lessons every week to the women as they came for checkups, until their babies were born. The back of the shirt of the woman below says, "Reaching pregnant ladies for Christ."








After staying with us for about a week Jessica could see the pain in Ema's face. She asked her if she was having contractions. Ema said yes, but she had not been timing them or keeping track of how long she had been having them. By that afternoon the pain was strong so we took off for the birthing center. On the way there, I was praying that the baby wouldn't be born in the car. I think Roland was also praying due to fear, because he asked me to slow down. God was gracious and we made it there safely at about 7:30pm. The midwife examined Ema and found that we arrived just in the nick of time because Ema was ready to have the baby (she was dialated 9cm!). Their son Adrian was born at about 8pm. When Roland came out to the waiting area, I congratulated him. He asked me if I'd like to see the baby. As I told him ''Of course", he looked down, pointed to his top lip, and began to prepare me as he explained that his son was born with a cleft palate.

Our experiences are no accidents and God uses all of them. Just a few weeks earlier, I had the privilege of helping 4 year old Angelo get corrective surgery for a cleft palate. That experience not only taught me how to help someone with a cleft palate, but it also made it possible for me to comfort and encourage Roland and Ema. I even had pictures of Angelo with me in my cell phone after his surgery. I showed the "after the surgery" pictures to Roland and told him that his son's lip can also be easily corrected. The mid-wife told us that we can bring the baby in for the surgery as early as 4 months old, which I am excited to help do.

The Lord not only put it on our hearts to help Roland and Ema with the delivery of their baby, He also moved us to help Roland get a new job. My friend, Mang (Mr.) Bert, mentioned that there was an opening for a pedicab driver in our neighborhood. Since Mang Bert has been a pedicab driver for about 15 years now, he has a lot of respect in our community. This made it possible for an applicant to be hired on Mang Bert's recommendation. I found out that if Roland got the job he would make about the same money as he was making as a security guard, (and potentially more) but he would only have to work 8 hours a day. He would also get at least one day off a week. This would allow him to spend much more time with his family. However, a possible obstacle to Roland taking this job was Filipino culture. This culture views being a pedicab driver as being lower than a security guard. I really wasn't sure if Roland would humble himself and take this job. I prayed that his love for his family and his desire to be with them more often would be greater than his pride or fear of shame.

I gave Roland the job application and got the approval from the owner of the pedicab that needed a driver (a pastor friend of mine who attends the bible study at our house). The job was Roland's if he wanted it. I was so pleased when he told us that he was ready to resign from his security guard job to take this one. I don't know what swayed hime, wiether it was my “importance of family” talk or or my “personal health” talk with him, or perhaps it was simply his weariness from being gone 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. Either way, I believe he won't regret it.

These circumstances allowed us to witness another interesting aspect of Filipino culture. They call it "Utang na loob", which basically means a debt of gratitude. When shown kindness, many Filipinos feel indebted and that they must somehow pay back the kindness shown to them or be shamed. Roland's heart was heavy as he tried to figure out a way to show his gratitude to us but didnt think there was a way. With their new baby now two weeks old, they were ready to go back home . . . but they didn't want to leave our house without giving us anything as a way of paying their perceived debt. When we learned of this, Jessica and I shared with Roland and Ema that the help we gave them flowed out of our gratitude to God for His goodness to us. I explained that we were actually worshipping God through helping them because it allowed us to tangibly declare how great God is and express our gratitude to Him.

I told them that rather than focusing on us, they should think about the God who cares so much about them that He put it on our hearts to help them. Then I told Roland, "Your debt isn't to me, it’s to God who moved His servants to show you His love; the same God who wants to forgive your sins if you will trust in Him." Roland covered his face with a towel as he began to cry. His burden was lifted. He no longer felt indebted to us and saw that his debt is to God. I explained to him that we can never pay God back because the price for our forgiveness cost Him more than we could ever pay, it cost Him the life of His Son. All we can do is to accept His mercy, say thank you God, and joyfully show our gratitude by serving and obeying Him. Pray for Roland, Ema, and their children as the Lord continues to speak to their hearts.

This typhoon thing takes getting used to

This whole typhoon thing takes a little getting used to. Being a native California boy has gotten me used to earthquakes, but falling trees, sheets of rain that seem to fly sideways, heavy winds that topple billboards, pummel signs, knock down walls, launch roofs, and blow down houses is completely new to me.

I even started writing this blog on my PDA (my little electronic organizer) because we were without power for two days. We woke up on Thursday morning and learned that power was out in the entire manila area, city of more than 14 million people. Now, there are a lot of electronic gadgets that I can get by without, but we were really missing our air conditioning. Despite cloud filled skies and continuous rain, it was very hot and sticky. After a night of hard rain the winds from the typhoon grew stronger. Schools and government offices were shut down giving me lots of time to think. I couldn't help thinking about my friends living under the bridge. When the wind caused our windows to rumble I remembered that they have no windows. The shanties that they live in have many openings that wind and rain can rip through.

Charlyn is my key contact at the bridge because she is the only one with a cell phone. I sent her a text message around noon to see how everyone was doing. She told me that the wind was really strong and the river was rising, but everyone was okay. My cell phone service was going on and off, but just after lunch she text-ed me again. She told me that some of the block walls around the bridge and near their house had fallen down from the force of the typhoon. She also told me that one of the houses got blown into the river. Thank God no one was killed!

After the worst of the typhoon had past I decided to drive over to check on my friends. Other than some minor flooding and being littered with fallen banana trees and other foliage, my neighborhood seemed to have faired well. As I began driving there I saw that the way to the bridge looked like a battle field. The streets were filled with uprooted trees, downed signs, fences, and stunned people doing their best to clean it up.

As I neared their place I noticed that the road was closed. I parked and walked a few blocks to the bridge. What at sight! About a 75 foot section of a twenty plus foot high block wall had fallen over the road and bridge. There was a large crane, dump truck, and a crew of men dismantling the remains of the wall. The path that served to get to the homes of most of the people from the bridge was completely blocked.

Looking at the foot of the bridge I could see where the kids would often gather to wave good-bye to me as I left. I remembered the time when they all posed for me at the end of the bridge.

Now that spot was covered with the remains of the block wall. The little ones who live down the covered path were now locked in until the crews and cranes could clear out all the debris. Sadly, to save money it is likely that the owner will not remove the broken cement from the walk way to their homes. Their simple walk home from school has turned into a literal hike.

As soon as my friends saw me several of them came over to me anxious to tell me about what had happened. I was amazed at the site of this huge wall hanging over the road. It looked like it could fall at any moment. They told me that this was not the only wall to have fallen; another wall fell right where their houses are. I asked if I could see them, to which they eagerly agreed. They led me down a rickety old hand made ladder that dropped about ten feet down on the side of the bridge opposite the fallen block wall. We had to slide and crawl through several small spaces until we reached their homes on the other side of the bridge. These small spaces were actually more homes of other families from the bridge.

I was shocked to see the place where I had seen the little children play so many times. Just a couple of weeks earlier my son Kian had set up a small basket ball hoop on the wall which was now laying face down on their play area. The fallen wall extended across the ground just two feet shy of about four houses. The path to Edwin and Charlyn’s house was cut off on both sides. I had to crawl under a small space between the fallen wall and the ground to get to their house. Once there, they quickly served me a hot cup of coffee (Filipino hospitality!) and I snapped off a few pictures. I could see that a house that was on the second level of houses was gone. Charlyn told me that it was blown down and fell into the river which washed it away. We all thanked God together that no one was hurt. It was interesting to note that the wall fell down all around the area where we hold our bible study. Since this area was left unharmed, Lord willing, we will resume tomorrow. Not even a typhoon can stop the Word of God from being taught to these dear people and I thank the Lord for the opportunity to be a part of it.

Bible Study at the Bridge

Praise the Lord, we started a bible study at the bridge. After months of searching I found a Filipino pastor in the area who has devoted his life to serving God and the poor. During my search for him, a mutual friend gave his number. His name is Sonny Malangis. I called him and we agreed to meet at a restaurant near the bridge. It was then that we discovered that I met Pastor Sonny before - actually he met me. He attended a preaching conference we held last July and he sat in on a seminar that I taught.

I learned that Pastor Sonny (Standing in front of his church) has a church that is about a 25 minute walk away. He has committed to walking to the bridge every Sunday afternoon to teach my friends there the word of God in Tagalog. I knew right awayI would like Pastor Sonny. When I took him to the bridge, he immediately began to engage with the families living there. He began to laugh with them and to talk about life with them. I'm praying that all of my friends there will become followers of Jesus Christ and that we will either plant a church right there or that we will be able to bring them to pastor Sonny's church to worship on Sunday mornings.

Kuya Edwin (the man in the center of the picture) and his wife Charlyn have stood out to be a core couple at the bridge. They speak the most English of all those living under the bridge so between their limited English and my limited Tagalog we are able to understand each other pretty well. Kuya Edwin built several benches so that the people wouldn’t have to sit on the ground any longer during the bible study.

Edwin and Charlyn opened up their home so that the kids can meet in it for bible study while the adults meet separate for their bible study. Our friend Merriam (holding the books, Charlyn is standing to the far left) agreed to teach the kids which is an extra joy for me to see since the Lord used Jessica and I in the process of drawing her to Himself.

The space under the bridge where Edwin and Charlyn live is tight, but it works well for little ones to hear the word of God, do some coloring, play games, and eat snacks. Merriam is teaching the kids bible stories starting with The Creation and the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, to the story of Jesus Christ and the Salvation He offers to all those who trust in Him alone.

Every week these precious little ones would run out to the road to greet me and then run back down to the bottom of the bridge to let everyone know that I was there. Now I have the pleasure of seeing them learn about the Lord! Pray with me for God to open their hearts and give them faith to trust in Him as their Savior.

It is also a great joy to see Robert helping to lead the worship in song because he is the first person that I met at the bridge and the first one there that the Lord used me to draw to Himself. We provided a guitar for Robert and I can't wait to see him again because I found a few cassette tapes and books of Tagalog worship songs for him.

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A lot can happen in the seconds you wait for a traffic signal to change

I was stopped at a traffic signal behind about ten cars waiting to make a u-turn. Then a little boy – probably about seven years old, started scrubbing the window of my car with a small damp cloth. I rolled down my window and gave him 5 pesos and a gospel track. A few seconds later two little girls came up with their cloths. I rolled down my window again and gave them each a gospel track and 5 pesos. About the same time my eyes caught the site of two older girls around 20 watching me as they waited to cross the street. You see, between the East and West bound lanes of the road there is an island filled with landscaping and people waiting to cross the street. No sooner had I rolled up my window up again did another little boy come up with his cup. As I rolled down my window again I could see smiles form on the faces of the two older girls who were just waiting for the opportune moment to make their way through the cars to the other side of the street. I hand the little boy a track and 5 pesos too. As I was just about to roll up my window a thought flashed through my mind. I called out to the smiling girls, “Here’s one for you too.” They stepped up to my car and I gave them both a gospel track. They took them with a smile as the light turned green and the cars in front of me began to move. Waving as I passed by, I pulled up to the intersection and made my u-turn. When I passed the spot where I had previously waited for the light I was pleased to see a small group of 6 people reading the gospel tracks. I never would have thought that so much could transpire during a few seconds of waiting for a traffic light to change. It reminded me that we need to always be ready, willing, and looking for opportunities to serve God.

A Blog From the Hospital

I'm writing this blog from a hospital bed. We arrived here at Medical City Hospital at 3:30 a.m. this morning, but not for Jessica. Instead we came for Tyler. We were woken up by his coughing and discovered that he was having trouble breathing again. We started to give him medicine in his brand new nebulizer, only to find that it was missing one small part that prevented it from working.


After a couple of hours in the emergency room, Tyler had been treated a few times, but his breathing was still labored. Tyler's pediatrician decided to admit him for 24-48 hours for observation and more intensive treatment. This required him to take medicine intraveniously. They stuck an IV in his right hand first, but unfortunatly they had trouble getting it to work so the poor little guy ended up getting the left hand stuck with a needle too. By 9am we had been there over 5 hours, and Jess was starting to have fairly strong contractions. She figured she would eventually go to the maternity ward to see if she should be admitted now, but planned to stay by Tyler as long as she could. By 12 noon, Jess went to check in with labor and delivery on the 5th floor.

Tyler being checked into the hospital at the same time created an interesting problem for us. He needed someone to watch him because he couldn't be left alone. I stayed with him in his room on the 15th floor and arranged to have friends come to relieve me so that I could join Jess and she wouldn't have to give birth alone.


After waiting for about an hour, my friend Josh showed up with some lunch and shortly after that Kian and our friend Meriam arrived to keep an eye on Tyler. Their timing was perfect because as they entered the room the phone rang. A nurse called to tell me that Jess was in labor and that she needed me (she was dilated 4-5 cemtimeters).

When I arrived at the birthing suite, I saw Jess hooked up to an IV and a machine to monitor her contractions and the baby's heart rate. After the doctor arrived she told us that the baby's heart rate was dropping below the minimum acceptable level of 120 beats per minute whenever Jess was having heavy contractions. The doctor then told us that we should have an anesthiologist on call in case we need a c-section. I have to admit that I was skeptical of the doctor's opinion. A few months ago she already suggested that we should just schedule a c-section because it's easier. We told her that we would rather not have a CS if we didn't have to, but she still seemed to really advocate it. That's why I was skeptical of her suggestion to have a CS, especially since she gave it so quickly after only having been in the room for a short time.

Though our firstborn was a CS, God was gracious and allowed our last 3 children to be born naturally, without any anesthesia or complications. Jess had been determined to stick to the same natural delivery plan with this fifth child, but after sevaral more hard contractions with only a little progress, she was starting to get tired, scared, and weary of the pain. In between contractions she looked into my eyes and asked me what I thought we should do. I didn't want to risk the health or life of the baby, but I felt the doctor was giving up too soon. I told Jess that I think she should try a little longer and that hopefully she would thank me later. We prayed and kept trying, but agreed to let them have an anesthiologist ready.

The baby's heart rate stayed stable for a few more contractions and then Jess began to feel a pinching pain in her womb. Then for a moment, the baby's heart rate dropped to the lowest it been since they started monitoring. I thought to myself, "If it does that one more time, then I will agree to a CS." I knew that machines aren't always accurate, and I was praying that this was true in our case. I asked the doctor to check on Jessica's progress (she had been stuck at about 6 centimeters for the last half an hour). After the doctor checked, she said that Jess was fully dialated!

Jess said she wanted to begin pushing. The doctor started making arangments to move her to another room, but with the way the baby's heart rate had dropped I didn't think we should wait (besides, we were paying for the birthing room so that we could labor, deliver, and recover all in the same room). I told Jess to just go for it and start pushing. She did and the doctor and nurses gave up on trying to move her to another room and instead got ready to deliver the baby. About ten minutes later on September 3 at 3:35pm Grace got her baby sister.

Jess had a natural delivery and Isabella Nancy Ransom was born. She was 19 1/2 inches long and weighed 7.5 pounds. Later, Jess thanked me for helping her to make the right decision.



So the baby is here and ready to go home to an anxiously waiting big sister. The only thing we are waiting for is for the doctor to release Tyler. Once we get settled in and some much needed rest I will post a bunch more pictures. Until then, please pray for Jess and Tyler. She is pretty sore and Tyler still has something going on inside of his little body.

We aren't the only ones expecting a new baby

I’ve written several times about Robert and his brother Lito who live under a bridge. Well I recently learned that Lito (pictured above) has a girlfriend and that they are expecting a baby. In case you forgot, Lito lives under a 3X10 piece of corrugated sheet metal that is held up by a small wooden frame (probably about the size of a closet in your average American home).


They have no electricity, running water, or bathroom (called a CR in the Philippines) and they enjoy the constant flow of fumes from the exhaust pipes of the passing cars just above them. It was hard enough for Lito to take care of himself and his handicap younger brother (34), but now he has a girlfriend/wife and soon a baby to take care of. According to Robert, Lito is making less than 500 Pecos or $10 a week.


When Lito and Robert told me about the baby I smiled and probably said something like, “WOW, how many months is she? How is she doing? Is she getting sick?” I just couldn’t get myself to say congratulations. I love kids. As a matter of fact, my wife Jessica and I are expecting our fifth child any day now. But in Lito's case, first, they are not legally married. Second, I suspect that the pregnancy was not planned. And third, not only do they have a challenging life just struggling to survive, but now a little one will have to join them in their struggle. At the same time, I have to remind myself that whenever a new baby comes into the world, there is no such thing as an accident. God is never caught by surprise. He is in control and His plan is proceeding perfectly and on schedule. I pray that this little one will someday worship and glorify God and that the Lord will somehow them and and me by allowing me to have some small part in that.

I have given a lot of thought about being poor and rich during the last few years and I started asking myself this question, “What’s so wrong with being poor?” Of course nobody wants to be poor, but it’s not inherently evil. Many groups show us video clips, pictures, and brochures of sad looking poor children. They tug at our heart strings and cause us to thank God for all that we have. I am personally moved and involved with helping the poor, but not because I pity them. On the contrary, there is a lot to envy about them. They have a keen sense of the frailty of life and the control God has over it. This knowledge makes many of them very open to the good news that Jesus forgives sins and has a new home in Heaven for those who trust in Him alone. I also see the poor having fun together with family and friends without the use of expensive toys or things. With no more than a few sticks, marbles, or just a little imagination, the kids have hours of fun. What is even more amazing is that they can do it without a Playstation or computer. I also see strong family and community bonds among them as they watch out and care for each other as best they can. If you think about it, being rich has many pitfalls as well. The bible says that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven. I have seen many rich people who seem to be slaves to their businesses and possessions.

All that being said, this new little one of Lito’s that is coming into the world may have to deal with many obstacles, but will also has the opportunity to be a child or God. If he or she does become His, then all the hardships of this life will have been worth it and are not even worthy to be pitied or complained about in light of what God has waiting.

Right now, I am trying to get Lito a job. God seems to be opening the door for Lito to drive a pedicab in our neighborhood. Our friend Mang Bert told us about an opening.


Lito would work six days a week and make about 300 Pecos a day ($6). This would be about $140 a month, which is more than triple what he makes now. He will have to rent the bike for about 45 Pecos a day (just under a dollar). If it works out, he can eventually buy his own bike for about 7,000 Pecos ($140). Jessica and I are helping to get Lito started by covering the costs of his paper work, bus fare, uniforms, and dues. Please pray that this job will work out because it will really bless Lito, His girlfriend, their new baby, and Robert. So far Lito has not appeared to be receptive to the gospel like Robert has been. Also pray that his heart would soften and that God would give him saving faith. We have begun a bible study under the bridge with a local church ministering to the 15 families that also live under that bridge. CLICK HERE to learn about the bible study that God started!

Will Grace Get A Baby Sista?

Will Grace get that baby sister that she has been praying for? We are still waiting to find out for sure. Her prayers have been so sweet though. Months ago she was faithfully praying for a baby sister. The baby sista that she said God told her she would have. However, the last few weeks her prayers have included something like this, "God, it's okay if you give me a baby brother and it's okay if you give me a baby sister." What's neat is that she changed her prayers on her own. We just told her from the start that it's up to God, but she could ask him for what she wants. I know that she wants a sister, but I think that she has come to the point that she trusts the Lord's decision in the matter.

Grace at about 6 weeks old.

It is exciting for all of us knowing that we will have a little baby in our home again. It could be tonight, it could be in a few weeks.

Tyler at about a month old.

The waiting was harder on the first baby, but after you've had four it seems to get easier. Right now, we are soo busy with ministry, studies, and our kids that the times seems to fly.



I did the math the other day and I realized that out of seventeen years of marriage to Jessica, she has been pregnant for about four of them. With four years of pregnancy under your belt you tend to learn a few things. Even thought Jess has been having contractions 3-5 minutes apart for about a week now, we have learned that this is how it works with her. A first time mother would have gone to the hospital at least four times by now, but we seem to have figured out the right time to go for us. The only thing that might mess up our discerning of Jessica's womb is the Manila traffic. The reality is that the 15-20 minute ride to the hospital could take an hour. Were praying that the time to go the hospital will be after 9pm or so because traffic is usually lighter at that time. We are also praying for a fast delivery (which was the case for our last two babies)and of course a healthy mommy and baby. I'll let you know as soon as the baby arrives. Click here to read about the baby's arival

The Outside Is Fixed, The Inside Is Next

(This is Part 3 of articles about little Angelo. Click here to read Part I).I have to admit it was a little hard for me to look at his face before the operation. I didn't want to stare or show any sign of shock at his appearance, but it did take some effort to smile and to be encouraging without having an expression of pitty on my face for this little guy. Remembering how precious he is to God; that his body will be restored to perfection if he goes to heaven, and that all of our lives in this world are temporary helped me to have compassion for him. Angelo and his family do not know the Lord now, but I pray that in the future, Angelo will be able to look back and see the deformity he used to have as a blessing from God because God used it to bring him and his family to the Lord.

The outside is fixed, the inside is next. Angelo's outward appearance looks better now, but his inside still looks the same to God. As I thought about this, I realized that Angelo is actually a good picture of many of us. We can fix ourselves up on the outside - dress up nicely, put on make-up, do our hair, be on our best behavior and look pretty good in the eyes of the world; especially when we compare ourselves to others around us. The reality however, is that inside we are still in bad shape. The facade may look great, but with God, we still fall short of being good enough for living with and enjoying Him forever. He takes every thought, attitude, word, and behavior into account. The sin within all of us separates us from God because He is holy and He can't allow deformed sinful souls in His prescense. Like Angelo, we need corrective surgery, but on the inside not the outside.

Here is Angelo before the surgery.


Here he is after the surgery.

I am so pleased with how his surgery came out. He is still healing, but he looks so much better. The doctor needs to take his stiches out still and there is a bit of swelling, but he's a handsome little guy! When I brought him back from the hospital it looked like the whole community living under the bridge came out to see him. In my best Tagalog I chatted with many of them as we all enjoyed seeing Angelo and his mom Virgi back home. At this point Angelo was more excited about his new ball than his face being repaired, but that's just how little boys are, isn't it.

At least he is a clean little monster

My little monster love's to take baths, especially with his daddy. However, daddy can't take a bath with Tyler as much as Tyler would like. If he even suspects that I am going to take a bath, He gets very excited and rushes to the bathroom door. This is what happened while I was in the CR (bath room for you Americans) the other day and Jess took this picture of Tyler. He suspected that dad was taking a bath without him, and found the door locked. By now, Tyler had learned a thing or two about locked doors. He knows how important keys are and had seen where we put them. He quickly shifted into action. First, he took off his clothes, including his underware. Second, He slid a stool over to my drawers, climbed up to open the top drawer, and pulled out our big set of keys. Third, he climbed down, slid the stool over to the bathroom door, and proceeded to attempt to unlock the door! Jessica caught him in the act and took this picture(did I mention he is only two?).


He still couldnt quite unlock the door completely (not knowing which key to use), and he was very disappointed to not get a bath that time. But don't worry he has taken a couple since. I never cease to be amazed at how smart little ones are. Just to clarify, Jessica wanted me to mention that when I call Tyler my little monster I use it as a term of endearment. He really is a sweet, cuddely little boy. I admit he is a little wilder than my other two boys were at this age, but he is still a very well behaved boy.

When he saw he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. (Luke 17:15)

He just turned 4 years old last
February, but he can’t speak much yet. He understands well, but his deformed palate has made speech difficult for him. I pray that someday Angelo will praise God with his fixed mouth and palate as he grows older and learns about God and what He has done for him.

I felt so privileged to be helping Angelo when I saw him walking hand in hand with his mom toward my car. Just a week earlier, I couldn’t help getting choked up when his mom translated my words into Tagalog to little Angelo. She asked him, “How would you like to get your mouth fixed?”. He smiled and gave his mom a high five.



On Monday morning, we were on our way to the hospital for a consultation with the doctor about fixing Angelo’s cleft palate. We found out that we came at the perfect time of the year. Angelo’s doctor told us that several doctors were doing a mission that week and that they were doing cleft palate surgeries the next Saturday for free. For FREE! God sure has good timing! The surgery and all the medicines would be free this particular week. There are only a few costs left and some kind friends from the States have already stepped up to cover them.

To our surprise, the doctor had Angelo immediately check into the hospital for initial tests (blood, x-rays, urine, etc.). He told us that Angelo needs to stay in the hospital untill Wednesday and then I could bring him back on Friday to get prepped for surgery on Saturday. Angelo didn’t seem to mind, but Vergi, his mom, was surprised and a little worried. First, I learned that Angelo is one of eight children and she now began to worry, “How can I feed my kids if I miss work?” (She would have to stay with Angelo the whole time). Second, since she did not anticipate having to stay at the hospital, she didn’t bring anything with her (like a tooth brush, extra clothes, a towel, etc.) The hospital doesn’t even provide blankets or pillows. We went across the street and picked up some food, water, tooth brush and other such stuff for them. Vergi’s best friend Charlyne would bring clothes and other necessities the next day.

The ward that they were staying in
has two large dorms with about 100 beds on both sides and all were occupied with patients and their families. Angelo was captivated by a little girl in the bed across from his. She had a cleft palate too, only she had two openings in her lip instead of just one. This may be the first time he has ever seen anyone in the same situation as his. They stared at each other fascinated. As it turns out, the cleft palate wasn't the worst problem this little girl had. When they did evaluations on her to get her mouth fixed, they discovered that she actually had a hole in her heart. So last month they did open heart surgery to fix her heart and this month they will fix her mouth. Add to those difficult circumstances the fact that she is not even a year old yet, she is only ten months old right now. As I was talking with her mom and playing with her I got a big smile out of her. Because of the open flaps of skin above her mouth, it was hard to see that she was smiling, but her eyes couldn’t hide it.

The next day I found out that the doctor was having trouble finding a vein in Angelo’s arm and was unable to finish all the bloodwork in time to release Angelo on Wednesday. He decided that Angelo should just stay there through Saturday for the operation. Again, Vergi expressed her concern about not being able to work. She and her husband sell eggs (the ever so popular Filipino "balut" to be exact – basically duck embryos) to support the family. I told her not to worry, that we would take care of her and her family during this time. After that I went home to wait for Saturday. Click here to read the next part of the story.

So little for us and yet so much for him

There was excitement in her voice as we discussed the possibility of her son's face being whole, but I could also hear the concern in her questions. Perhaps it was a dumb question on my part, but I asked her if she (Ate Vergie) was interested in having her son's face fixed. I've learned never to assume anything. I thought to myself, "It's possible that she could be against modern medicine or too afraid to have her son go under the knife". After I brought it up, Ate Vergie and Ate Sylvia asked me a few questions. Would he feel pain or would the doctor make him sleep during the procedure? Would the doctor just numb his lip? Would they use needles or would he just have to breath in the anesthesia? "It's too mahal (expensive)! How can we afford the medicine?" I told her, "akong bahala sa gastos" (I will take care of the expenses) if she is interested. I'm kind of taking this by faith because I don't know exactly how much it will cost, but I heard that there is one group that comes to Manila about once a year and does the surgery for about $300-$400. That's no small amount for a missionary salary, but it is still relatively small. How could Jessica and I not do that? Relatively so little for us and yet so much for him. I haven't done the math, but I wouldn't be surprised if I found out that we spend that much on coffee each year. This surgery could be life changing for Angelo. It would spare him from years of ridicule and hurt, adverse hygiene and medical issues, open up better possibilities for work and most of all, be a life long testimony to the love of Christ.

Angelo was born four years ago with a cleft palate. His tita (aunt) told me how he never cried as a baby and still doesn't speak. Ate Vergie said that he makes some sounds and he clearly understands what is being said to him. She hopes that he will be able to talk after his mouth is fixed. Angelo's father seems to have had a nervous break down and is out of work and seems to have given up on life at the moment. Maybe God will use this surgery to give Angelo's dad some hope and remind Him that He loves him.

I'm hoping that this surgery will have several other effects as well. First, Angelo has asthma. He is one of many kids and adults living under the bridge who have asthma. I'm guessing that the fumes from the exhausts of the thousands of cars passing over their bridge each day has a lot to do with it. This is especially dangerous for Angelo because I don't think he can use a conventional inhaler for his asthma. He is not able to form a seal around an inhaler with his mouth due to the section of lip that is missing. I think this could potentially be life threatening for Angelo if an asthma attack makes it difficult for him to breathe. His family can't afford a trip to the hospital, but they do have access to an inhaler...An inhaler which I'm guessing would have little effect at this time because of his deformity.

Second, I hope that God helping him through us will not only be a testimony to Angelo and his family, but to that whole community under the bridge. Several of them have and are reading bibles that I was privileged to give them. I was just talking with some of them today and they can see how God has not forgotten them. They see how He has sent me and other people over the years to help them as He cares for them. I have found a few possibilities of some local churches that might be able to help me minister to them. Their hearts have become more and more prepared for this. I get excited as I think about the possibilities. Join me in praying that we can help correct Angelo's deformity and get a local church involved with loving and teaching these precious people. Click here to read what happened next.