Christian Cafe

Announcement

2005-11-15T01:25:00.000+01:00

This group site will move to a new home after experiencing some major technical problems. It will also have a new name: Oikos Online. The new URL is http://oikosonline.blogspot.com . You may visit it now for some fresh updates.

To all of you who visited this site, thank you very much! God bless.

The Joys of Harvest

2005-10-28T07:59:00.000+02:00

Text & Photos by Monina Kaufmann

A visually appealing tractor made of squash.

"The toil is done, harvest has come."

The Jucker Kuerbis Ausstellung (Squash Exhibit) along Lake Pfaeffikon in Canton Zurich, Switzerland delighted many who came including me and my family.

The beauty and bounty of the harvest brought me thoughts of its Giver: our gracious God Who meets all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). As God's children, we reap joy by sowing in others' hearts the seed of His wondrous love for mankind.

Switzerland won the European Pumpkinweight
Championship with its 417.6 kilo pumpkin entry.

My son Tani enjoyed the squash exhibit
so much!

Squash cows.

An exhibit displaying squash pigs.

Love Thine Enemy

2005-10-27T22:52:00.000+02:00

Spammers be warned.

I may be too busy to post regularly and bloghop these days, but I am making a special exception for you poor misguided souls.

In thanks for the flood of blessings The Lord has sent my way of late, I have pledged to redirect all spam in my TagBoards to THIS site.

As for the particularly nasty ones, I reserve the right to change the text to reflect messages more in line with my faith.

So keep the spam coming.

I welcome any opportunity to praise my Lord and Savior.

Amen.

(Also featured in "The Prada Mama Chronicles".)

Open Air Worship Service

2005-09-28T06:45:00.000+02:00

The Soulnite booth with drinks and finger food to boot.

Every September, the Christliches Zentrum Buchegg (CZB) organizes an Open Air Gottesdienst (worship service) at Buerkliplatz in Zurich, Switzerland. The aim is to share the Word of God to hundreds of passers-by through powerful preachings and group dance presentations.

Last Sept. 18, CZB staged this year's Open Air Gottesdienst at the same venue with the same God-given vision. People who trooped to the city square listened to the Christian messages, watched special performances, and even sampled gastronomic treats from the various information stalls set up all over the place.

Located at Hofwiesenstrasse 141 in Zurich, CZB holds four Sunday services: 8 a.m. (German), 10 a.m. (German), 12 nn (English with German translation on stage), 6 p.m. (Spanish/Portuguese with German translation on stage). A special worship service is held every Friday at 8 p.m. for young people.

For details, interested parties may visit the following websites: www.hoffnung.ch, www.czb.ch, and www.chat4hope.ch.

A stall promoting CZB's Internet Ministry.

Information stalls feature Gospel tracts and even food treats.

The Filipino group with its booth of yummy Filipino goodies.

The booth of the youth group which meets on Friday nights.

The Thai group wows the audience with their superb dance number.

The Spirit of Slumber

2005-06-16T13:57:00.000+02:00

Ah, sleep. (Source: Pictures of People Sleeping)

"And it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. Then behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. And it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah'' not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud." - Luke 9:28-34 (NKJ)

It's amusing, and at the same time, embarrassing to admit that sometimes I'm just like Peter, James, and John -- that is, feeling very drowsy and then falling asleep while in the presence of the Lord. Amusing in the sense that I was able to identify myself with the three disciples who, at the height of fatigue, gave in to the temptation to sleep instead of travailing with God in prayer.

That's the embarrassing part: I sometimes forego the most important thing -- in this case, entering into God's presence and experiencing His glory -- to satisfy the momentary cravings of my physical being.

Being the sleepyhead that I am, it has always been my struggle to say "no" to sleep and "yes" to intercessory prayer. I just love sleeping so much that and I can even classify it as my "personal hobby." Not that sleep is bad per se. After all, medical experts say that a person has to have approximately eight hours of sleep a day to function well.

But I think when God calls us to persevere in prayer no matter what the costs. We just need to obey Him lest we miss out on the great things in the spiritual realm -- i.e. seeing and experiencing the Lord's power to transform us from glory to glory.

I just have to keep in mind that no less than Jesus Christ, as the Son of Man, honored and valued the art/discipline of prayer. And so must I. There is so much power in prayer. And sleepyheads like me should just dare to journey with Him from whom all things flow.

****************************************************************************************

*QUESTION: Can you relate to this entry? Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

(Note: This journal entry was written on Sept. 13, 2002 when JAYRED was still studying at the Asian Center for Missions as a full-time cross-cultural missionary trainee.)

Bride in Wait

2005-06-07T12:13:00.000+02:00

I just recently finished editing photographs from a recent wedding shoot. This is one photograph from the shoot (more pics at my blog and portfolio) which I really like.

I've been documenting weddings for two years now, and I try to approach every wedding in a different manner. Sometimes when one shoots commercially, he is tempted to apply tried and tested poses and styles, like a habit some veterans have. I avoid falling into this dilemma as it leads to the crippling of creative juices.

Before every wedding shoot, I spend the night looking at sample works I like from other photographers. The activity is akin to brainstorming and accumulating for ideas for the next day. But the reality is, the day itself stealthily arrests me of my temporary ideas (as weddings are of course fast paced), leaving mostly raw ability to work with. In the middle of that stupor, sometimes you get a string of intuitive ideas that leads to excellent photographs.

Only after you have pressed the shutter and the image is made, would you know that what brushed your mind was a fine idea after all.

(Note: "Camera-Shy" -- a.k.a. Daniel Cercado -- is a geology graduate at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, Philippines. He currently works as a teacher at the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries, and is a professional photographer on the side. You may read his mini biography of sorts by clicking here.)

Medical Mission in Mindoro

2005-05-18T22:55:00.000+02:00

OLD AND NEW: The Mangyans behold with wonder
our video camera. (Gigi Gallano/June 2004)

(NOTE: We are featuring here in full the Mindoro Medical Mission journal written last year by Christian graphic artist/photographer Gigi Gallano of the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries in Makati City, Philippines. To view more photos of the medical mission, please visit the Pinoy Pan de Sal blogsite.)

MY MMT DIARY ENTRIES
(As posted by Gigi Gallano on her blog on June 15, 2004)

DEPARTURE
7 p.m. May 28 ASCM

After my most hectic day in the office, Bel, Xavier and I left for the Tritran bus station at the corner of Buendia and Taft Avenue. Bel is the bookkeeper in ASCM while Xavier is a third year engineering student in the University belt. Carrying our backpacks, video equipment, sleeping bags and a carton of supplies, we walked from ASCM on Valero St up to the loading shed in Ayala. I was very hungry but I still had enough strength left. Getting a taxi in Makati on a Friday night is next to impossible but to my surprise, we got one after only a few minutes. The grumpy driver projected an obvious simangot face when we asked him to open the trunk. "Kanto lang po ng Buendia at Taft," I announced in sweet manner, hoping he wouldn’t eject us out if ever he decided that our destination is known for its heavy traffic. He flagged down the meter. “Whew!” I exhaled in relief. While on the taxi, we discussed how much Lidocaine (anaesthetic) surgical masks and gloves, we were going to buy for the dentists. And we didn't forget dinner! We split up in two groups, of course, I, the hungry one, went with the group that would buy dinner. Bel and I got off at KFC and Xavier went on ahead to the Mercury drugstore. KFC’s crowded and noisy ambience drained my remaining body energy. We just waited for Xavier to meet us there, and we had dinner. "Baka mahuli tayo sa last trip!" After consuming the chicken, we walked to the bus station. The bus they were loading was already the last trip.

DEAD TIRED, SLEEPY AS HELL
11 p.m. Batangas Pier

The rest of the team were there already. They were waiting for us since 4 p.m. They had to reserve space in the ferry for the jeep; they had to line it up along with the trailers, cargo trucks and other vehicles. If they arrived late they wouldn't make it to the list of vehicles boarding the ferry. We were scheduled to leave 3 o’clock in the morning. Imagine: they had been waiting there for 11 hours! Doreen gave me an anti-malaria pill, and I immediately swallowed it. I was dead tired -- sleepy as hell -- as I had been awake for almost 22 consecutive hours. I couldn't wait to board the ferry so I could finally get some sleep. Finally, it was time! We raced to the jeep, and Neil drove it straight to the parking space inside the ferry. We scrambled upstairs and there before my eyes were...seats. Yes, seats – and very uncomfortable ones at that! I had to face the horrible fact that I wouldn't be getting any decent sleep today.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
5 a.m. May 29 Somewhere in the Batangas Seas

I have been awake for 24 hours and my eyes hurt due to a combination of fumes from the ferry, smoking passengers and pure sleepiness. It was an ugly boat, even uglier when you’re dizzy and haven’t slept for a full day. We sat in the ordinary section - the chairs were impossible to sit on. Bel and I kept on shifting to different sitting positions trying to find the one that will hurt our butts less. I kept on clinging to my video equipment, in case I fell asleep and somebody steals it. "What am I doing here?" Being sleep deprived with an injured butt, hurting back, and burning eyes, one couldn't blame me for asking this.

It was already 5:30 a.m., and the sun was already peeping from the mountains. I took out the video camera and started filming. Time to work.

A SUNRISE TO DIE FOR
6 a.m Abra de Ilog, Mindoro

The Ferry docked at Abra de Ilog (so called because during the rainy season, 30 or so rivers appear). Mindoro is a beautiful island famous for its white sand beaches, beautiful mountains, unspoiled rivers and a sunrise to die for. The highway is cemented with intervals of rough rocky road. Dust is everywhere, it even penetrated the interiors of our jeepney. Mindoro dust is very fine, a thin layer accumulated on my sunglass after only a few minutes. I was sitting way at the back of our jeep so the bumps are amplified three times. Imagine sitting at the back of a jeep running in a hour-long bumpy ride. Ouch!

Fellowship on a jeepney in Mindoro.

SUMAN FOR BREAKFAST
7 a.m. Mamburao

We were scheduled for a stopover in Mamburao; in a church co-pastored by an ASCM alumnus. My eyes hurt from the lack of sleep and my body ached all over. I felt my internal organs were shaken from their original positions because of the bumpy ride. Lighthouse Christian Community is a church pastored by Willie and Raffy, an alumnus of ASCM. Coffee! Coffee! I shouted as we reached Lighthouse Mamburao. As we entered the kitchen, breakfast was served on the table -- fried rice, tuyo (dried fish), fried eggs, and, of course, coffee. There was an added treat – a unique suman. Suman is sticky rice with coconut milk wrapped in banana leaves and boiled in water. But because the Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands, I could only guess that there are thousands of suman versions available around the country. I’m not really a suman girl. In fact, I only like two versions, the suman sa ibos and the tupig (barbecued suman) This Mindoro suman is somewhat different, though. It comes with coconut spinkles, yummy! I decided to keep it along with the other kakanins (rice-based sweet treats) that I managed to grab from the tablel. Still a long journey en route to the Mangyan territory.

HOPE IN BARANGGAY PAG-ASA
11 a.m. Baranggay Pag-asa

We arrived hot, hungry, and stinky after riding for hours along bumpy, dusty roads. Baranggay Pag-asa has no electricity and has limited water supply. We settled in a church and unloaded all our cargo for the mission -- brand new and used clothes, slippers, toys, cartons of soap and detergent, toothbrushes, anti-lice combs, and school supplies for the Mangyan children. We took turns taking baths. I had a ration of one pail of water, instead of the my regular six when I’m in Manila. After the bath, we headed to the backyard where some local women welcomed us and served us some tinola (chicken broth) for lunch.

THE MANGYANS
1:30 p.m. Mangyan village up in the mountain

The Mangyans are the native people of Mindoro. They originally owned the island but when settlers from other islands came in, they were pushed farther and farther toward the mountains. They are illiterate and have no awareness in terms of hours, kilometers, gallons and years. They measure distance in terms of "shouts." This means the distance reached by the sound of a shout is equivalent to "one shout." Mangyans tell time through the shadows made by the sun, so if the sky is cloudy they would have no idea what time it is. They don’t know how old they are, so most of them marry and have children at the age of 15. They don’t have proper hygiene and most of them are even afraid of water. They name their children according to how they looked when they were born; if the hair is curly they call the child "kulot" or if the child is light-skinned they call him "puti." If, on certain instances, a Mangyan newborn is orphaned, the elders of the tribe will kill the baby since there will be no one to take care of it. This is the Mangyan culture and these customs have been preserved and observed for hundreds of years now.

I joined the team to document the whole mission. As I was taking pictures and shooting video, I felt compassion for the Mangyans. They are suffering from poverty and malnutrition, but worst of all, they are suffering from the lack of knowledge that there is Someone who loves them and even let His own Son die for them. Mahal ni Jesus ang mga Mangyan, these words kept ringing in my ears as I was filming them. I kept my tears from falling as it would cloud the lens of my cameras.

We trekked for more than an hour to reach the first village. Our dedicated dentists, Doc Tet and Doc Leng along with their assistants Bel and Nora set up the dental clinic and started pulling Mangyan teeth. Other team members were evangelizing and praying with the other tribes people. Some were just plain socializing with Mangyan mothers and children assuring them that we are friends and we mean no harm. I was amazed on how Doc Tet and Doc Leng handled their patients, for Mangyan teeth are stronger than the average and are red because they are fond of chewing nganga (betel leaves).

DINNER UNDER THE TREE
5 p.m. Back in Barangay Pag-asa

We sorted out the clothes and packed the hygiene kit. I have been awake for 36 hours, and only had a total of 3 hours of sleep to my credit. It was getting dark and we were having difficulty sorting out the clothes. The women called us for dinner and we all headed to the backyard. They placed a table under the tree where we had our sinigang meal. The animals provided the background music: there were ducks, dogs and chickens, but the loudest "singer" was the white goat tied to the fence. This was a time of fellowship and we got to know each other better.

JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH
8 p.m. Inside the Church

It was dark and the mosquitoes were buzzing around waiting for a chance to bite. It was a good thing we had anti-malaria pills. One of the men turned on the generator (thank God there is a generator). The dentists decided to set up clinic again for the people of Pag-asa. Doc Tet saw it as an opportunity to help more people. True enough, more people arrived, more than what we expected. There were children, teenagers, old folks, and much older people. There was a lady who came to Doc Leng and she had her nine teeth -- yes, nine -- pulled out in just one sitting. Whew! Tough job!

I volunteered to assist Doc Leng in place of Bel. I’ve been to countless medical and dental missions in the past, but this was the first time to assist a dentist in one.

This is how it is usually done: for chairs they stacked plastic chairs and adjust the height by removing or adding the required amount. There is an assistant who holds the patient’s head in place and holds it still, while the dentist is extracting the teeth. There is another assistant who holds the flashlight and fans the dentist and the nervous patient who usually breaks out in sweat once they see the needle. There’s a long table that hold all the dentist’s tools, the medicine, the basin (where they wash the tools that were used), and a big jug of water. And then, of course, there’s the dentist.

FINALLY, SOME SHUT EYE!

11:00 p.m. Inside the church, I brought my sleeping bag and placed it in a very strategic place - in front of the altar. Why, I didn't know. Maybe I just miss God and it seems I’d be a little close to him in that place. Sleeping there felt that God was looking down straight at me. Forgive me, I’m a little weird sometimes -- hmm...make that most of the time. They shut down the generator, and after a few minutes, I passed out.

I almost jumped out from my sleeping bag after hearing a scream of anguish. They killed the white goat that was tied to the fence. Then I slept again.

GOOD MORNING KINILAW
6:00 a.m. May 30 Backyard

I woke up to the smell of goat roasting over the fire. But before I got up I noticed red spots on my arms, mosquito bites, gosh! I went to the backyard and found three men slicing the goat into tiny pieces (the goat that was tied to the fence just the night before). Sorry, I’m a little affected about this. That was a cute, white goat with a pink nose and a goti. They were slicing it for the Kinilaw. We had goat kinilaw and squid adobo for breakfast. I had a hard time eating it because I’m not used to eating rice for breakfast. I was also upset about the fourteen mosquito bites on my left arm. Plus the fact that I kept thinking about the cute, white goat that was tied to the fence just the night before.

PRAISE, WORSHIP, DELETE
10:00 a.m. Worship Service

It was a thanksgiving service. The congregation bought food enough for everybody. I was looking out for the suman with coconut sprinkled on it, but didn’t find any. We were assigned to lead the praise and worship, of which we had no practice whatsoever. The instruments were old and sound funny. The guitar had a missing string; the drums had a loose cymbals which you ccouldn't strike because it would be removed from the stand; the cymbal stands were made of construction steel metals.
It was an experience I wanted to delete in my memory. Ironically, Love, who took a picture of us singing on stage, accidentally deleted all the pictures from the memory card of the digital camera, including pictures of the Mangyan village and the dental mission inside the church -- gosh!

RAIN OR SHINE
1:30 p.m. Under the Big Bridge

"Kahapon ang tindi ng sikat ng araw, ngayon naman ang lakas ng ulan." I blurted out as we headed toward the mission site. It was along the riverbank, under the bridge. Getting there was difficult. You have to climb down a rocky, steep passage. It was raining so the passage was slippery. I put all my equipment in a trash bag to protect it from the rain and headed down. It was not easy; I had only one free hand as I was holding the equipment, and had to hold on to some roots that were sticking out.

After a few moments, I saw the first batch of Mangyans coming down. The men were wearing a bahag and the children are wearing dirty, torn clothes. Women were carrying their babies in a swaddle that was wrapped around their bodies. They smelled bad as they haven’t taken a bath and brushed their teeth for months. Their hair, especially the children, were full of lice.

There are no fat Mangyans, maybe because their diet is composed mainly of rice, vegetables and, occasionaly, meat. They lined up for the clothes. But before that, the team members gave them baths, cleaned their ears, and trimmed their nails. They taught them how to brush their teeth in the river. Once clean, we fed them and made them sit on the rocks, and there, Neil spoke to them on how much Jesus loves them. We gave them bath soaps, detergents, hygiene kit and some school supplies. I forgot about body aches and mosquito bites as my heart was blessed when I saw them walk away wearing smiles on their faces and new clothes on their bodies. That night, we returned to Mamburao with even bigger smiles on our faces. Men, oh men! It feels good!

NOT LEAVING WITHOUT A SWIM
6:00 a.m. May 31 Lighthouse Mamburao

I woke up with an immense urge to swim. Mindoro is known for its beaches and I simply refused to leave the island without a swim. I went to the kitchen to get some coffee and I found Xavier, who, just last night, was persuading me to go swimming. Of course, last night I was too tired to think about swimming. After gulping my coffee, I changed into my swimming outfit and we headed out to the sea. The sea was still that morning and it was warm. It was a perfect day to swim. We floated and we splashed and stared at the sun that was just rising. Then, Raffy who came with us, found a friend that owns a boat. To our delight, we immediately boarded it and went for a ride. It was a refreshing time for us after all that hard work. Then, as the grand finale, we dove from the boat into the calm sea.

LAST 5 MINUTES
9:30 a.m.

We hurried and boarded our jeep. Our ferry was scheduled to leave 11 a.m. from Abra de Ilog, and we were still in Mamburao. Maybe it was because we didn’t want to leave yet so we delayed our departure unconsciously. We arrived in Abra de Ilog Pier five minutes before the ferry left the dock. This ferry was better than the other one. It was cleaner and the people looked more relaxed. We lounged around the ferry and looked at the islands and the waves. This was a more relaxing trip than the one before.

ICE CRAZY
2:00 p.m. Jollibee Lipa, Batangas

This was our last stop-over as the mission was accomplished. Doreen thanked everybody for giving their time and their effort. We prayed and we thanked God for protecting us and blessing us in this whole mission trip. Then, as a part of the celebration, we ordered "ice craze" as the whole trip left us craving for ice.

THE ROAD HOME

Uwian na. I was blessed with the whole trip. Before I left for this mission, I asked some friends from the office to pray for me that I may see what God wanted everybody to see and that I may capture it with my camera. In order for me to do this, I had to see through God’s eyes. Mahal ni Jesus ang mga Mangyan. Kahit sila’y mabaho, kahit sila’y madumi, kahit sila’y di nagsisipilyo, kahit sila’y maraming kuto.

Sometimes spending too much time in an air-conditioned office, wearing branded clothes and eating Italian food, you tend to forget. Your perspective in life narrows down, and all you think about is "I, me and myself."

This trip has been both tough and fun. But what I like about it most is that it opened my eyes again, and was reminded of the joy you get out of serving the least of our brothers. Mahal ni Jesus ang mga Mangyan.

Streets of Gold

2005-05-04T11:49:00.000+02:00

Christian Cafe contributor Gigi Gallano writes: "I shot this last March 2005 in Sorsogon, Philippines while aboard a jeepney. It was harvest season and the farmers spread their golden 'palay' (rice grain) out on the streets to sun-dry them. According to my Mom, farmers do this so that it would be easier for them to separate the shaft from the grain later on. Maybe this would give us a glimpse of how the streets of heaven would look like." (Gigi Gallano/March 2005)

Christianity in Switzerland: Part II

2005-04-27T22:20:00.000+02:00

In my previous blog entry, I introduced here the group of 113,000 followers of "Free Christian Communites" as part of Swiss Protestantism.

Question: What is it that made them multiply by a factor of 2.6 x within 30 years?

Let's look at it closer as published in 2005 by a survey of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (SFSO) called "Religionslandschaft in der Schweiz" (Religious Landscape in Switzerland). Against the trend, the Methodists decreased by 30 percent to leave roughly 8,400 members remaining.

Methodists -- 8,400 Trend: stagnating or declining
Evangelicals -- 31,800 Trend: multiplying (slowing down in the 90ies)*
Pentacostals -- 20,100 Trend: multiplying (slowing down in the 90ies)*
Others -- 52,700 Trend: stagnating *(e.g. Salvation Army, Baptists)
Total -- 113,000 Free Christian communities
Compare 2 400,000 Protestants of "Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche"!
[* These 3 groups were compared with old data from "Operation World" (officially no separate data available from SFSO before year 2000)].

Official answer: (Extract from SFSO conclusions, "Religionslandschaft in der Schweiz")

Today, there is a trend for the faith communities to deteriorate. (They stop monopolizing an entire region). An analysis of the results of the four past census (1970-2000) brings us to the conclusion that the main reason for the change of the religious landscape is of social nature rather than a religious one. Two strongly growing groups seem to offset this general trend.

The boom of Evangelica (and Pentecostal) groups and the Jehovah's Witnesses seems to be due to a change of the religious affiliation. In both cases, members of one of the dominating denominations have turned their backs against their church in order to join a group with a clearer testimony of Christianity.

My Reward from Heaven

2005-04-25T23:22:00.000+02:00

MOTHER & SON...The author Monina Kaufmann (right) poses with son Nathaniel during a family trip to Canton Schwyz, Switzerland last winter. (January 2005)

By Monina Kaufmann, M.S.

In retrospect, I remember my college psychology teacher saying, "My psychology ends where my family begins." Her words made no impact on me up until I became a mother, too.

Parenting is no easy profession. Living abroad makes it even harder. Here in Zuerich, Switzerland (Swiss German/German speaking part), I enjoy neither a maid’s nor a nanny’s services (something that my friends in the Philippines have). Such were the overwhelming joys and struggles of motherhood that they even inspired me to compose a poem in German for my son Tanni -- an expression of my love for him on his dedication day when he was just eight months old. My little boy will soon turn four. How time flies!

As a non-working mother, I’m confronted with daily challenges that demand not only my energy, creativity and flexibility, but also an abundant supply of patience. Coping with parental stress -- and life’s problems in general -- can indeed be exhausting. I feel my energy and patience gradually dissipate.

This has not escaped my Italian teacher’s eyes (she was also my German course teacher; one of the friendly souls I met here in Switzerland).

"Sei stanca (Are you tired?)," she would ask me in Italian. My dwindling strength actually made me consider to quit my Italian course, but I soon dismissed the idea. Attending my weekly evening class is also a welcome respite from the daily household routine. Besides, being able to speak another language is always a plus factor, especially during travels abroad. I’m grateful to my husband for being such a supportive partner -- taking care of our son every time I hie off to the Italian tutorial session with my sister.

When I feel down and tired, nothing comforts and inspires me more than God’s words. I have found in the Bible a more profound meaning of my role as a parent -- something that goes beyond just providing my child with life’s basic necessities.

Parents are God's entrusted people who are responsible for bringing their children to Him (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). They are called to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

I am blessed to have been part of our home church's two-session seminar billed "Erziehung aus Biblischer Sicht (Child-rearing from a Biblical View)." The inputs proved very helpful indeed! And it was a bonus to meet other Christian parents with whom I share the experience of going through the highs and lows of parenting.

Psalm 127:3 reads: "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him." I believe that children, as a reward from God, are precious and are, therefore, not only to be cherished but also to be disciplined with love.

More challenges await me as a mother, but I find solace in God’s promise that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). God’s purpose prevails (Proverbs 19:21) and He has a perfect plan -- not only for our lives, but also for our children.

CHEERS! Nathaniel "Tani" Kaufmann (left), son of Christian Cafe blog contributor Monina Kaufmann, plays with his first cousin Samuel during a Christmas family gathering. (Photo taken in December 2004)

(Note: A daughter of a Bacolod-based pastor, Monina Kaufmann has been living in Switzerland for six years now. Before migrating to Europe, she worked as a college instructor and psychology department head of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, Philippines. A regular attender of the Zurich-based Christian Center Buchegg, she is married to Dr. Stefan Kaufmann of the University of Zurich, Switzerland. They have one child, Nathaniel. W.W.C.D. welcomes testimonials from Christians who have a heart to profess God's goodness in their lives.)

Anointed Boy?

2005-04-22T07:53:00.000+02:00

Christian graphic artist/website designer Mike Dalmacio based in the Philippines, creates this humorous desktop wallpaper for young Christian professionals. W.W.C.D. welcomes his artwork contributions in its blog column "Art Gallery." (Graphic art by Mike Dalmacio/January 2005)

Christianity in Switzerland

2005-04-19T17:24:00.000+02:00

I sometimes find myself like Thomas, one of the disciples: "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

Now Jesus, the Risen, helped Thomas to believe by showing him the marks of His crucifixion. If we want facts, we will get them. Jesus is alive! Yes, there IS indeed statistical evidence which shows the life-changing impact of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let's talk about "faith statistics" in Switzerland from 1970 to 2000:

The population of Switzerland reached 7.3 M composed mainly of Catholic and Protestant cantons.

* Nominal members of the mainstream «Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche» decreased from 46 percent to 33 percent of the population.
* Those who claim "no religion" increased from 2 percent to 15 percent.
* Followers of the Free Christian Communities increased from 0.6 percent to 1.6 percent, reaching around 113,000 members according to the 2000 census (not including expat churches).

COMMENT: While members of the State churches keep away from Sunday services or even leave their respective denominations, most of the Evangelical and Pentacostal churches increase in numbers. Despite their seemingly insignificant portion in the population, one will see more Evangelical and Pentacostal Christians turning up for Sunday worship services, than those faithful to the main Protestant denomination.

(Note: Schweizer, a Swiss German Christian who used to be a full-time missionary working with and for the Covenant Players, currently works at the Federal Statistics Office of Switzerland, and is a member of the Christliches Zentrum Buchegg, a Christian church based in Zurich, Switzerland.)

Who is the Person God Uses?

2005-04-17T20:16:00.000+02:00

A Christian baptism service was held at the Christliches Zentrum Buchegg or CZB (Christ Center Buchegg) in Zurich, Switzerland last April 10, 2005. CZB has 1,500 members, exclusing visitors, with five worship services in a week given in German with pulpit and headphone translations in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and Thai. (JAYRED/April 2005)

Just last Friday evening during our nine-part church course called "Ministry Development," the Lord used mightily a Bible scholar and cell group leader from Ghana, Africa to remind me of this very important insight: Everything we do as Christians must flow out from our fellowship with the Lord.

"Without Him (Jesus Christ)," he said with much emphasis, "I cannot do anything."

This has always been my conviction. But that night, I felt God reminding me of something; driving home a truth in my heart.

I must admit there have been times in my life when I have fallen into the trap of self-sufficiency -- relying on my human wisdom, my human understanding, and my human strength, without consulting the Most High. Isn't it that the Bible says that many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's His plan that prevails?

How I would like to renew my resolve to give everything at the feet of Jesus from whom all things flow. May He grant me the grace to not withhold anything from Him -- both the joys and the pains -- regardless of the external factors that always distract and tempt me to swerve to the right or to the left. I desire this "wholeness" in Jesus.... Only then can He powerfully work through me.

Pension Fund in Heaven

2005-04-17T19:29:00.000+02:00

DEAD COLD. All of us will soon face the inevitable: death. But for Christians, there is no fear in death for "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21) (JAYRED/January 2005)

What is life without Jesus?

Can you imagine it? I can't. For me, the Lord is my be-all and end-all for living. Without Him, I cannot do anything -- not through my human wisdom and understanding, and not even through my well-meaning family and friends. After all, He is the source of everything that we truly need. We can have eternal life only if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord (John 3:16).

So it is heart-breaking to see the world chasing after the wind in vain. They think that life is all about acquiring wealth and gaining fame. People do not realize that these things do fade away and will prove worthless in the end. Do you think we can take with us the 'valuable' things and the 'precious' titles we have amassed in our lifetime to the grave? No!

And so, instead of putting much premium on temporal things, let's crave for things with eternal value. It's a wise investment. As the apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:2: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

(Note: JAYRED, a former Manila-based photojournalist and now a missions trainee of the Asian Center for Missions, is currently based in Switzerland. She writes the Bible-based texts for the online devotional blogsite "Fish & Loaves.")

Prayer Window

2005-04-17T00:49:00.000+02:00

Christian artist Gigi Gallano prayed by this window of her Grandma's house in Bicol, Philippines for seven consecutive days during the Holy Week. The photo, with its poignant appeal, captures the precious prayer moment of a person seeking divine answers to life's tough questions (Gigi Gallano/April 2005).

(Note: Gigi Gallano, a Filipino Christian artist/musician based in Manila, works at the Asian Seminary for Christian Ministries as head of the media department.)