Thursday, August 6,2009 – Our usual day began despite dark clouds. Children going to school in the morning and us, parents braved the traffic to go to work. At the end of the day, on my way home, I felt a certain dizziness, hot flashes on my left face that I couldn’t fathom. After dinner with the family, my husband Raul told me to rest first. But the children kept coming inside our bedroom to ask questions regarding their assignments and projects. I didn’t hear my cell phone’s message alert tone at 8:00pm. It was my son Ralph who heard the other cell phone rang and he read to me the message forwarded to us by Anna Cardona –“Dear brethren,pls pray 4 deboma family,we were advise to evacuate our house coz of possible flashflood coz of a breached dike, thanks and GOD BLESS!”

I felt a rush of blood going up my head, but still so weak that I requested my husband to call Ann Deboma. He was able to talk to Gilbert, my brother (Ann’s husband) who told him that the dike on the part of barangay San Juan was breached, so the waters of Bucao river flowed to the residential areas and were now approaching the other nearby barangays. They were advised to evacuate if the waters reached neighboring barangays Paco and Beneg. They were getting ready to go to Iba, Zambales to take refuge in Ramon Magsaysay University, where Gilbert is a college instructor.

Immediately, I called the family inside the room and we prayed. As my turn to pray came, I visualized the waters rushing and then being siphoned off by the sea, and that was what my petition to God centered, as if the parting of the Red Sea will happen again, albeit in a small scale. I asked God our Almighty Father to spare the three little men being nurtured by Gilbert and Ann for His glory and praise.

Afterwards, I called my sister Joy who said, ”Ate, papunta kami bayan para maghanap gas(olina), para kargahan tricyle. Andito kami sa bandang barangay Paco,may tubig na rin at marami nang taong nalunod daw sa may San Juan at naglulutangan na papunta dito”. I got tongue-tied that I wasn’t able to answer her back any encouraging words, I just told her to take care, then hung up .

The whipping tail-end of storm Kiko and rising floodwaters caused us to make u-turns on the highway yesterday, but it was not until Mrs. Ann Deboma’s message at 8:00 pm on August 6 that much worse was threatening to happen... Click on the video for news footage and SMS clips from Ann, Vivian Deboma-Hipe...

ABS-CBN news, August 7, cited barangay San Miguel as one of two in Botolan, Zambales singled out to be hit with floodwaters rising to the roofs of houses and "lampas-tao"... SAN MIGUEL is the hometown of the loving, gracious, faithful clan of the Debomas!

Ann Deboma said that her husband Gilbert had already propped the ladder against the wall of their house, in case they, with their three young sons (Stephen, Miguel, and baby Shadrac James!) had to go up on the roof. They, with their mother Lilian, sisters Joy, Gladys, Lorna in Botolan, and eldest sister Vivian's family in Taguig, stayed awake all night, praying and keeping watch... 

Quietly and with deep pleading, though we do not deserve to ask anything, we all together joined them to draw near to the LORD God...

This morning we stand in quiet awe and gratitude for the extraordinary deliverance of Almighty God for the Deboma family, even as we continue to pray for the beautiful coastal lands and people of Botolan, Zambales... Ann has said that Gilbert and their boys have even trooped out to add a hand and see how it is with the rest of barangay San Miguel...

“GOD is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried in the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.”
Selah

–Psalm 46:1-3

With fathers and mothers, ladies and gentlemen having to work with their hands, as the apostle Paul recommended, who will work in the church office? Who will talk with people? Who will continue to encourage the younger ones with the wisdom that comes from living God's Word? Who will keep house? Who will compose music? Who will write songs of praise? Who will lay out the printed material? Who will record audio and video? Who will submit government requirements? Who will chart the accounting? Everyone with a willing heart! And there are those who have already been doing it, actually :)
 
The cheerful giver attitude distills the volunteer efforts down to only those who will “give as he purposes in his heart,” and thus experience receiving the “willingness and ability” directly from our Almighty Father who improves us as He approves of us. It is exciting to have even just a small part in telling of His great works and the life-changing truth of the coming Kingdom of God, and we know we can’t do it by ourselves. By ourselves we mess things up!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13

“For it is GOD who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13

OFFICE MOVING TIME -  One week to find equipment, construct some furniture, "dress and keep it" in time for the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread 2009. If we want something done, we've got to do it!

SHARING VILLAGE OFFICE - The Church of God Sharing Village has its first real office space! In the midst of scarcity, who would think this would be the door the Almighty God would open for us? It wasn’t even the one Raul and Vivian Hipe intended to inspect, that morning they decided they were going to take the day off from work demands. “Let’s look for a [church] office...,” Vivian said, and there it was, across the street from the building in the newspaper ad... We had hit the streets before, in Manila, in Pasay, in Quezon City, but none of those places opened with the same favour and ease with which the LORD God provided this one...