Gutted

There are some nights that I go to my bed absolutely satisfied. Maybe I have seen lives changed, made a good decision, achieved or accomplished something, won a battle, happy with an event or ministry or just downright thankful for the amazing life I live.

But there are some days where I feel 'Where did I go wrong?", or "What happened" or "Why Lord?" Today was one of those days, unfortunately. Gotta deal with them, coz they come thick and fast sometimes!

The day started well enough. Thirteen people arrived from Cornerstone Singapore at 2am - they are here for a Missions Trip. We met at the hospital and told them, "Guys, be prepared to be challenged and maybe even shocked by what you are going to experience and see." I know it's not easy for any of us to go into a hospital where desperation lurks in every ward. Little did I know that it was me that was going to have the biggest challenge.

I helped the Prayer Team in the first room - Infants and toddlers (although sometimes you get kids, men, women .. all mixed together!) As we started to pray, a mother from teh other side of the room cried, "Doctor, Doctor" and began to cry. I went over as she picked up her wee boy and began to stroke him. "Don't go, Don't go ... mummy has a lollipop here for you!" I heard the 'death rattle' from this little boy and I knew this was serious. Within seconds, around 20 students nurses gathered round the wee boy and began to give oxygen and heart massage. The mother was hysterical. They kept on trying until the Doctor came. This big doctor came in, checked the boys heart and pulse, and said, "Patay (dead)" and then walked out!

I was stunned! The nurses began immediately to take out the drip from his lifeless hand. Everybody left, except me and the mother. I went over to her and felt such compassion. I wanted to fight for this boy. His body was still warm but his lips were blue. I began to cry out to the Lord, "Please Lord, let breath come back. Let his spirit return. Healing. Hope. Miracle." It is so hard to pray when you know the whole ward is watching you and a mother is next to you grieving for her son. But I felt I had to. I kept praying, believing.

But there was no change. No breath. I prayed for the mum and left to go and cry. I felt I should go back, so I did. The little boy was wrapped in a blanket by his mum. 'Don't be cold my son", she cried. I sat down beside her again and prayed for the life of this young boy. Nothing.

I went out again and the Ministry Team began to pray for the mum. James Aquino told me that the boy had started coughing a couple of days before and they thought it was a common cold. He was brought yesterday and they diagnosed it as Bronchitis. Within a day .. he was gone. In the morning he was given an orange lollipop ... but he never had the chance to eat it.

I felt I should at least pay her bill, as she seemed to be really poor. I found out she was so poor that it was considered a Charity Case. I wanted to give some money towards a coffin but I could not find the mum. "She's in the morgue," the chief nurse said, "Follow me!" My goodness, the last place I wanted to go was a morgue!

The 'Morgue' was just a few pieces of galvanised iron nailed together with only two walls and a roof! I found the mum sitting there alone, crying. "What would Jesus do?" I thought to myself? I picked up the baby, now almost cold, and prayed to the Lord. Nothing. I cried and handed him back to his mum. I gave my gift to help her, prayed for her and walked away. Feeling empty.

I drove to the school where we were doing a feeding programme ... but my heart wasn't in it! I was surrounded by beautiful, healthy children ... but my thoughts were with a wee boy that died of a simple illness. I was gutted.

Today, I have been really sad. Why? Why did this beautiful wee boy have to die? Why did my prayers, given so earnestly, seem to have no effect. Why do the poor suffer so much? Why?

I came home and found Josiah playing. "Thank you Lord", I prayed to myself. For his health, his personality, for his sense of humour, for his (daddy's!) good looks, for the joy he brings, for the future he has ... for the life he lives. The little boy I prayed for will never have the opportunities my son has. And yet, I remember a day when my little boy was sick with Pneumonia and the Doctor said to me, "If this medicine doesn't work, we have no more hope or options." Through prayers and a good Doctor ... he made it.

I keep wondering what that family are doing now. At the end of the day, I did what I could. I know that at those difficult moments ... we have to leave it with God. Our times ARE in his hands. It's just hard when the conclusion doesn't make sense.


I would like you to pray for another handsome wee boy I met today. His name is Angelo (above) and he has just turned 1 year old. Exactly 21 days ago he took a seizure ... and he has been in a coma ever since. He is still in hospital but is not responding pr opening his eyes. The family has no money for a CT scan or EEG scan. I was in a hurry to catch up with the Singaporeans so I had just time to pray for him and speak to his mum. PLEASE pray for this boy ... he is such a wee cutie. Pray for a miracle - that he would come out of his coma and be completely healed. That his life will IN NO WAY be affected by this seizure.

Our God always answers prayers. He doesn't always answer in the way that we want ... but he always answers.

I'm going to bed now. I am praying that tomorrow will be different.

Selah ...

There is none like You
No one else can touch my heart like You do
I could search for all eternity long and find
There is none like You

Your mercy flows like a river wide
And healing comes in Your name
Suffering children are safe in Your arms
There is none like You

There is none like You
No one else can touch my heart like You do
I could search for all eternity long and find
There is none like You

A Tragic Tale

Thank you all for praying for wee Gio & Seke – the two brothers with dengue fever. I have some very sad news and also some very good news for you. Sorry for not being in touch sooner, usual story. The internet was off during the rain we have been having this week.

I went back to the hospital at midnight on Friday morning to pray through until 4 am. Pastor Adonis was my partner. I checked on Seke, the youngest brother, and he was fast asleep and looked very well. His dad said that he has responded to the medicine and was doing great. His blood platelet level was up and his body was fighting the dengue. The Doctor was there and she said that Seke would be discharged on Friday morning. Praise God!

But when I went to see Gio, it wasn’t so good. He was still heavily sedated and was on all the medicines and the respirator was breathing for him. The worst news was that his urine was full of blood … and that meant his internal organs were bleeding.

I sat with Pastor Adonis and Gio’s dad for most of the night, praying for Gio when the Doctor and nurses were no working on him. It was so tragic to see a wee 6 year old boy in the state he was in. Mary & Anne said that he was a really smart boy who always loved to answer questions first. He was a lovely guy …

…but here he was fighting for his life. I prayed for him and left when the next two pastors arrived at 4am. I went to bed ... and when I woke up I had been sent a text by Pastor Danny -"Sorry to say that little Gio just passed away." This was sent at 5:35am and I read it at 7:30am. I was so saddened and Mary wept when I told her. I immediately sent a text to the family with or love and prayers.

At the start of a meeting I had on Friday morning, I received a text from Winston (who was at the hospital for his prayer slot) saying that they think that they are going to switch off the respirator now because he was showing no signs of life. I couldn't believe it ... Danny had already told me Gio had passed away and I had sent a long text of condolence to the mum & dad! "Oh yeah, the family did asked me why Pastor Mark had sent them this strange text!" Even now I squirm and cringe! Only in the Philippines! Pastor Danny ....... wait till I get hold of you!!


But around 9:30 am Gio left this life. In the end, the sad thing was that it was not so much the dengue that was the main factor in his death ... his weak heart could not cope up and gave in. So sad. We spent some time with the family later in my home and tried to help them in various ways. Yesterday we went to their house with the teachers. They were all devastated because most of them had taught him. We brought all his school things and a certificate that he would have received in a couple of weeks time at Grduation. His loyalty medal is being made as we speak ... that is what he was most excited about.

The family are quite poor and where they live is not far from the river ... and full of mosquitoes. The funeral will be tomorrow (Monday) in the town where the mum & dad come from. We will all go there to pay our last respects.

Apart from the recovery of Seke, there is some good from this tragedy. When I went there on Thursday afternoon, Gio's dad (Gilbert) was in a real state. He was pacing around, confused and so emotional. He had prayed, "God, if you are there please help us." When Winston & I arrived we calmed him down and took control of the situation. We organised blood donors and took the pressure off Gilbert.

When I went back at midnight Gilbert was a changed man! He even looked different. His spirit had changed. As I prayed for Gio in the ICU, he opened up to Pastor Adonis. When he was younger, he gave his life to the Lord in Manila and served the Lord in a baptist church. But when he came back to the province he backslid and went after 'wealth and women.' After he got married he devoted himself to raising his family. God had no place in his life. But now ... this happened to his kinds and in his own words, "It woke me up."

When Adonis and Gilbert went in to pray for Gio, I saw Adonis lean over and grab Gilbert's hand. Adonis told me later that Gilbert started to pray for his son Gio, but half way through the prayer he started crying out to God and repenting of what he had done. Adonis led him back to the Father! Amazing!

Even yesterday, as the body of his son was there in his living room, he was telling me that from this day on he and his family were going to walk in the ways of the Lord. He told me that as he watched his son die, he began to see for the first time how God must have felt as he saw his son die on a cross. He had a revelation of true love and found true life at the point of a terrible death.

So pray for us tomorrow. It will be a hard day for us all ... especially the mum & dad. Thanks for all your prayers. Sometimes, you meet sadness on the journey. It's not easy but we have to pray that out of tragedy ... something good will emerge. In this case it is a repentant father. Please pray for Gilbert as he starts a new life and pray for Pastor Winston as he mentors him.

Thank you for all your prayers ...

Job Giorgio Francois Elducal
26th Jan 2002 - 22nd February 2008

Living at the Edge of Uncertainty

Long time no blog! Need to keep you up to date with events here at Sefton Village. Last Tuesday night Pastor Jun and I went down to Manila on the overnight bus. Nightmare journey ... smelly bus with bad brakes and broken air con! But that's another story ...

We went down a day early so that we could get all the Christmas gifts for the children in the orphanage and all our staff! A whole day of non-stop shopping. To some, this would be like heaven but to me it's like a nightmare! Thousands of shop assistants shouting "How about this ... or this ... or this .. or that!" Aaagggghhhh.... get me outa here! Anyway, we completed the task at 8:30pm ... over 120 gifts bought! I know what you're thinking ... Christmas? Yup, here in Philippines they start celebrating in September 1 ... and this was the only opportunity I had to get the gifts before Christmas!

Anyway ... the main reason for going to Manila was to pick up my family and bring them North. It was AMAZINGLY GOOD to see them again ... dad, mum, brother Paul, Ashley, Nathan, Aaron and cousin-in-law Monica. Words can't describe how it feels when you meet people you love but who you haven't seen for a long time. They arrived safe and well and we had a night in Manila to give them time to adjust.

They have been here for a week now and I will ask one of them to do a 'Guest Blog' to let you know what they have been up to! Things have been very busy here at Sefton this October and it seems as if there are so many doors opening to us to walk through. More about that next week ...

For now, I want to really challenge us. On Monday I took the family to a beautiful place called Banaue. There are rice terraces there that have literally been hand made in the middle of a very mountainous area. Amazing thing is that this was done over 2000 years ago by people with primitive tools. Pretty unbelievable. Anyway, on the way there we encountered around 20 landslides on the road ... some really big ones.

At one place, tragedy was evident. At 10pm one night last week, a huge chunk of mud slid down the mountain and completely swept away and destroyed two small homes on the roadside. It was so dark and so silent. Tragically, nine people were inside the houses and never stood a chance ... 5 of them little children. So as we drove past the site we saw the newly erected tombs of these none poor people. They were built where their houses stood just a few days before. A few feet away at either side were two other houses that missed tragedy by a few inches. Incredible.

Really got me thinking. Things like that make you stop and take a deep look at yourself. Coming face to face with death and tragedy forces you to self-examine your whole life.

Imagine, one minute sleeping ... next fighting for breath in a sea of mud. No light. No sound. No help. No hope. That's it. It's over. Life is finished in less than a moment.

We always think we have plenty time. Definite opportunities. Limitless years. Undoubtable days. We plan and work out our finances, working options, family plans and goals that will enhance our standing in life. Truth is -and I hate to remind us - that we cannot even guarantee today. We don't know what is around the corner, through the door or on the road.

The MOST important thing right now, as you read this blog, is that at this moment in time:

* You are in right standing with God. You are His. He is yours. No matter what happens ... you know who you are and where you are going and who is Lord of your life. Church attendance, friends, good deeds and a hope that you will make it is not enough. You won't make it. Only your faith in Christ and your relationship with Him will bring you to heaven.

* You are in right standing with your family. No regrets. No tears. Don't leave this world with unresolved issues with those God has put you closest to. Make a phone call today. Arrange a time to talk things through. Swallow your pride, take a deep breath and do what you know in your heart is right.

* You are in right standing with the world around you. Don't leave this world with a bad reputation or with broken friendships. Don't leave with undisclosed debt. Leave with a good name and a good reputation. Don't allow 'things' come between great friendships ... especially church problems. I know so many broken and bitter people who have lost true friends through church mis-understandings. Tragic. How the Lord's heart must break. But now, while you have time, deal with the past to ensure a great future.

I know this blog is a bit strong and a bit challenging. But that is where I am this week. I don't know what will happen tomorrow ... but I know there are times God brings you to a place where we have to take a close look inside out hearts.

You never know ... you may be at the edge of a 'landslide' and don't know it.

I leave you with a poem that was sent to me by a missionary from Cambodia. It is written by a young girl who is terminally ill in a New York hospital. Let it challenge you today ...

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.


Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done!
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.


Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.


When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Selah ...