YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
Brother Deric Reyes, one of the IT missionaries in Laos, and his family obeyed God’s calling for them to go to Laos. He and his family decided to leave everything in the Philippines and they even sold their house as they took the full pledge to do God’s work in Laos. When they arrived in Laos there was no guarantee they could get a job or secure a visa, but they wanted to obey the Lord even though they had to face a lot of challenges along the way. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Brother Deric decided to hold on to God's promise. Going on missions takes a lot of courage and sacrifice and what makes it more challenging is when you have to go as a family. As the head of the family, he was liable for them, and he knows that they solely depend on his ability to support them. But what will you do if in every turn you make you can’t seem to escape the darkest valley of your life? When he arrived in Laos, he didn’t have a job so he couldn’t secure his visa; instead, he had to cross the border every month to extend his stay in Laos. Crossing the border would also cost a lot and it’s very tiring because of the distance. But it was all okay for him as long as he could serve the Lord and the people in Laos. He did odd jobs here and there to make ends meet. Despite not having a steady income he was still thankful to God that their landlord didn’t ask them to pay for the rent and he even gave Brother Deric a motorcycle he could use daily. One of his volunteer works was decorating some of the schools in Pakse, Laos. He would paint and decorate the classrooms and didn’t expect anything in return but worry started to seep into his thoughts because his kids are growing up but they couldn’t go to school because they were struggling financially. He started to feel sorry for his two daughters and began questioning if he made the right choice of going to Laos. It breaks his heart to see his family suffering. On his way to his other volunteer work, while he was driving his motorcycle he stopped at a bridge; he was so discouraged that he wanted to jump. With heaviness in his heart, he asked the Lord, “Did you really call me here in Laos? Nothing seems to work out” but then his attention was redirected as he was reminded by God that he’s in the season of testing. He was almost done decorating the classrooms when the owner of the school called for him. Brother Deric thought it was just an ordinary day and maybe the owner would ask him to run errands; but to his surprise, he was offered a teaching job, and a visa, and his daughters got a full scholarship in the school! He was so overwhelmed he couldn’t believe all the things he just received from His Father in Heaven. From then on, he never doubted again that God had called him to be in Laos. A few months later, he even got a bigger offer from one of the international schools in Pakse, he and his wife are both teaching in that school and their kids are also enrolled there. When he was in the darkest valley of his life, God walked with him and that alone deserves the highest praise to God! We are serving a good, good Father, therefore we should trust that He always has our best interest in mind. He hears the cry of our hearts and He knows what we need. We just have to hold on to His promises because He is faithful... NOW AND FOREVER! Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
(Written by: Venus Jablo)
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