2008: The Year That Was
As 2009 approaches, I would like to take a quick look back at all the highlights of our Christian walk, marriage and lives in the year 2008.
January - Warren asked for my hand in marriage from my parents on the eve of the new year. He arrived in Pampanga on the morning of December 31st 2007, from Manila with a grand plan of his own – to meet the coming year (2008) with a bang by being officially engaged to me. He did it sans his mom and brothers or family/relatives because they would not have allowed a Filipina to be married to him. The next weeks were a quick, mind-blowing succession of events and commitments – pre-nuptial counselling, discipleship, wedding preparations and so on.
February - We got married on the fourth day of the month. It was a very solemn, no-frills wedding attended by at least 40 people who were all dear and close to our hearts. My in-laws also graced the event with their presence and although they did not like what was happening, their attendance made my husband a very happy groom. We honeymoooned in Palawan, Philippines for almost two weeks and started to learn to live the married life. Toward the end of the month, I launched my first blog as Mrs. Chua on Blogger.Com, it was named Zoe Grapho which meant “life” and “write” in Greek. Zoe Grapho records my walk as Christ’s disciple first and then Warren’s wife.
March - We officially launched After His Own Heart and Filthy Rags To God’s Grace. After His Own Heart was supposedly my own blog and it was supposed to cater to Christian women and children. Filthy Rags To God’s Grace was Warren’s official blog and it was supposed to cater to Christian men.
April - This was a month of losing and gaining for both Warren and I. Losing friends and family, gaining wisdom and spiritual maturity. This was also a month of transformation for me – from being an ultimate career woman to being a plain housewife. I guess that counts for losing and gaining, too, huh? Lol!
May - After His Own Heart evolved into the blog that it is today. After receiving an influx of comments on some issues raised regarding atheism, Warren and I mutually agreed that we can minister better if we would co-author. We also moved to Angeles City, Pampanga on the last week of the month. Our initial purpose for moving back to my hometown was just to not pay monthly rent anymore. We had a small, cute house constructed at my parents’ backyard and we got a pet named Bruce to top off things nicely.
June - This was a month of trying to get settled. Everything was new for Warren – small house, people who speak a different dialect which he doesn’t understand, in-laws ensconced just an arm’s length away from our front door (okay, I’m exaggerating, make that two arms’ length) and so on. I had to exert extra effort to make my husband feel comfortable with our new living conditions by constantly being by his side, being careful to include him in every conversation we get to be engaged in, patiently translating everything for him and so on. It was just a whole month with a flurry of things to do, to get used to , to learn and to educate Warren to.
July – Warren led our very first home bible study. It was attended by two of my high school friends. His first bible study lesson was a series on Matthew 13, using John MacArthur’s Kingdom Parables study guide.
August – Warren started to seriously struggle with his so-called disqualification from the pastoral ministry. It was during this time when we both started arguing on the grounds with which he was being disqualified. It was also during this period that we first started to seriously consider getting medical help for our fertility issues.
September - We were officially a jobless couple by this time of the year. Warren was also beginning to feel a terrible onset of frustration about not being able to minister to his fullest potential. He was convinced that he is disqualified from pursuing any leadership/teaching position in the church and he was restricted to evangelical activities on the mission field. He was severely admonished from doubting his “disqualification”. It was also around this time that we literally started to learn what it is and how it is to live by faith. By mid-month, I also found out I was not pregnant and our initial fertility treatments did not work. We decided that the process was too taxing both emotionally and phyisically not to mention draining financially, so we stopped. We were sad, brokenhearted, isolated and yet, hopeful in God’s promises for His people.
October - Our birthday month! Warren celebrated his 30th year and I, my 32nd. We also moved to Barangay Lara in San Fernando around four days before my birthday.
November – Warren started gathering our neighbors and we launched our very first home bible studies in our new house just about a week or so after moving in. We also started attending Calulut Baptist Church.
December - We found out that Warren is not disqualified from the pastorate after concerned individuals pointed us to the right direction and sound interpretation of 1 Timothy 3, credit also goes to Phil Johnson who was gracious enough to respond to my Facebook email despite his busy schedule. We were soooo liberated and yeah, freedom from legalism and extremism tastes oh so good! We resigned from our church in Caloocan City, Manila and moved to Calulut Baptist Church. Warren and I delivered our individual testimonies before the Wednesday Prayer and Business Meeting assembly and I was baptized, finally, at Villa Paulina Resort.
Well, that was year 2008 for us! We never had a dull moment and praise God for all the times we were broken and we felt alone and isolated because those were the moments in our lives that we felt depraved and in total need of Christ. There are just so much to be thankful for – our faith first and foremost, our marriage and our ministries. We look forward to another full year ahead as we gear up for more work in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Happy New Year everyone!
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This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm and is filed under News, Testimonies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 29th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
What a great year you guys had!
December 30th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I’ve been following your blog for some time now and one thing I like about your site is your transparency, just like this post. Keep it up! There’s more adventure in 2009.
Jason
http://livingrice.blogspot.com/