Good Uniqueness (Wonderfully Sharing Differences)

Looking back at more than 4 years of friendship and love, I have everything wonderful to say about a relationship that has gone stronger and stronger each day despite distances, cultural barriers and physical insufficiencies. I have more reasons to say this because Mike and I have gone through more than difficult situations, yet we have been successful in overcoming them. Why? Because we have God whom we make number 1 in our relationship. We are just second to Him in this love triangle.

It is not easy to love a paralytic like me especially when we are half the world apart and our only means of communication is the internet. We only see each other daily on webcam, if it would function well. The phone is the least option because I cannot talk well and he cannot understand what I am saying except when I say "I love you". Many times, we need to exert more patience to understand each other because we are culturally different. Although I can speak quite good English, language differences is still a problem. He is Canadian (white) while I am Filipino (brown). But as a form of loving endearment, we oftentimes call each other white and brown chocolates. We can even laugh at the individual uniqueness in us. These made us fall in-love in the first place.

This coined sentence seems very right for Mike and I: "It is because of so many differences that we have so much to share". It is also the right words to say to everyone in this whole, big, wide world. We can only wonderfully share our uniqueness and differences when we, too, have big, wide love for Jesus Christ in our hearts.

God bless us friends!

(c) August 2009, Luisa Mercado

Remembering David Brainerd, Greatest Missionary

Just a few days ago, Mike told me about the many people of olden days that had inspired him to serve God more through preaching. Those he mentioned I already recognized because I looked at their works in the internet. They were just simple people tremendously used by God because of their entire submissiveness to His will and authority. Their preaching resulted in many saved souls.

But, among these great men of God, who was David Brainerd? I spent many hours yesterday in the internet digging through his short biographies. I ended up reflecting emotionally (and teary-eyed, too) because for me he was, perhaps, the greatest missionary of all times.

I am going to share a "very short" synopsis about his life story (actually in a summarized and non-formal form). Here it is:

• Missionary to the American Indians in New York, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. He was born to a rich and very prominent family in Connecticut in 1718 and died of tuberculosis in 1747 at the age of twenty-nine. John Edwards edited and published his diary.
• He was from his youth frail and sickly, even melancholic throughout his life, and was struggling against tendencies of depression, but these did not deter him from serving God to the fullest.

• His missionary work to the American Indians was not comfortable like the home he was used to because he was living as a poor man in a very hostile, indifferent and poor community with them.
• He thought of himself as incompetent and inadequate for his job, but his devotion and love to the Indians far outweighed his feelings. In his diary, he wrote: “My soul seemed to rely wholly upon God for success, in the diligent and faithful use of means. Saw, with greatest certainty, that the arm of the Lord must be revealed for the help of these poor heathen, if ever they be delivered from the bondage of the power of darkness.”
• Furthermore, he said, “It is impossible for any rational creature to be happy without acting all for God. God himself could not make him happy any other way... There is nothing in the world worth living for but doing good and finishing God’s work, doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world that can yield any satisfaction besides living to God, pleasing Him, and doing his whole will.”
• Jonathan Edwards wrote of him as “having put his hand to the plow, he looked not back, and gave himself, heart, soul, and mind, and strength, to his chosen mission with unfaltering purpose, with apostolic zeal, with a heroic faith that feared no danger and surmounted every obstacle, and with an earnestness of mind that wrought wonders of savage lives and whole communities.”

• David Brainerd relied solely on God for his work. He never gave up his faith and the ministry that God entrusted him. He prayed simply that the power of the Holy Ghost might come upon him so greatly that the Indians would not be able to refuse the gospel message. Through constant prayers, God worked for Him that in three-year time, He gave him great success in the ministry. Many American Indians were saved!

• He also prayed for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ around the world and especially in America. After his death, his journal and diary inspired countless of missionaries over the years to reach millions of souls around the world for Christ. William Carey (Father of Modern Mission) was among them who read his diary and went to India.
• John Piper wrote of him: “Brainerd’s life is a vivid, powerful testimony to the truth that God can and does use sick, discouraged, beat-down, lonely, struggling saints, who cry to him day and night, to accomplish amazing things for his glory.”

Friends, try reading more of David Brainerd’s story because he sure was a very true man of God. I hope, too, that you will be encouraged to do more for God in His service. You surely see that God can work mysteriously for your life and mine. Who knows He will call you for His service one day soon. Are you ready? Mike and I are.

Reference: David Brainerd: Missionary by Fred Barlow, Missionary Biographies, Worldwide Missions

(c) July 2009, Luisa Mercado

Faithfulness Amidst Adversities

Early this morning as I attended the 4 o'clock, MWF regular intercessory prayer meeting of a local baptist church two houses away from my sister's home, I was amazed at the faithfulness of few people who had been constantly coming to church since day one just to pray. This was in contrast with the silence of the surrounding neighborhood who were undoubtedly faithful, too, in their sleep. I do not say we were noisy then while praying. On the contrary. In fact, most of us were praying in utmost silence and in agreement to the pastor's near-low voice as he led us.

As the pastor started listening to our prayer requests, thoughts began flashing in my mind. Every soul attending the prayer meetings had very reasons to be there! Most had gone through adversities in life. Others had near-death sickness traumas, and prayers for relief had been mightily answered by God. No one believed in times wasted there. We remained faithful and expectant because we knew that God answered and will continue to answer our prayers. Yes, we have been faithful amidst adversities because we have trusted Him fully.

Friends, let me share you some of our real stories hoping they would build Godly foundations in your heart. Here they are:

Her family are close to my family because we are more than relatives. She was an attractive woman and had many suitors. We went to college together, she got married to our relative, and we worked in the same government agency. For many years, she suffered from a toxic goiter that almost deformed her face, and nearly ended her life. It was a great struggle and a fight for death when God started to move in her life. With God's help, she fought and won.

All those years, the doctors told her not to get pregnant because it may mean death for her, but she had two beautiful gifts, a girl and a boy! She has now regained more than three -fourth of her beauty, which experts wrongfully said could not be undone due to eye deformities. What inspired our prayer group most is her attitude of going to church in all it's activities: dawn or dusk, sick or healthy, monied or not and for any reasons.

Our town does not have pedicabs (we call them in Cantilan, tricykad) early in the morning, so she had to walk half a kilometer alone, sometimes with her daughter, on a partly dark road just to attend the prayer meeting. She trusted God very much to protect her. She said many times that it is better to die in church with God than somewhere else. When she said that, I, a paralyzed, had been encouraged to attend every morning prayer since then.

Another story is from a once-very-rich family who lost their finances because of failures in business. They had to struggle facing years of wanting after decades of enjoying too much abundance. Good thing, God has other means for them to survive because the wife is a teacher. They are now sending their last child to college. Their daughter is now in the last year of BS Nursing. They are blessed, too, with married children who are doing good in their own carriers. One is now a successful business entrepreneur like they were once. Thanks God for their constant prayers.


Pastor, himself, is a multi-task and very skilled man who tried to support his family of four (his wife is a plain housewife-intercessor). He could never get a permanent salary job because he would never leave the ministry. For him, it is first priority.

Our church is not big and there is no financial support from big, financially-stable sister-churches. Many times, during the early morning prayer, I noticed the Pastor lacking in sleep, but he was there with us and would always be present in any activities of the church, be he in good health or not unless bed-ridden. Church's bulletin board and its blog say our church activities are: MWF Early Morning Prayer, Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, Friday Night House-to-House Bible Study or Last Friday Night Church Prayer, Saturday Afternoon Service, and four Sunday Services (whole day at different intervals that include ministries in outreach house-churches ) - all in one week! Friends, these are weekly schedules. Again, we really thank God for His abounding grace and mercy.

I still have many stories to tell you, but it would take too much time to read them all. But, I do believe that in all of them, Christ is clearly manifested and honored. Truly, there is faithfulness amidst adversities.

(c) July 2009, Luisa Mercado

Useful To God In His Service

Friends, this is my own story...

Many times I ask myself how I can be useful to God in His service. I cannot speak well due to stroke that haunted me more than one year ago. I was half-way paralyzed – yes, immobile I really was! Now I can walk four and a little more blocks. That’s good enough, though I do not know if I could walk all over town Cantilan. But, I will one day!

My right hand (I thought it was a sad thing that I am right-handed) is still less functional and I can only move my arms and fingers in limited positions. This means I cannot write straight (I love writing), cannot eat with spoon and fork (I thought it was quite glamorous doing that), and cannot do every beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) things that my right hand did before.

“Can I really work for You, Lord, with my situation?” I often brought this desperate question to the Most High God in prayer. Serving God has always been my deepest desire even when I was healthy. He, of course, answered a sounding “yes!” In fact He even said that He would heal me. His word, through my King James Bible, told me so many times. At first, I was skeptical. I doubted Him and His word, but then I knew, deep in my heart, that when He promised, He will fulfill in due time. He will really heal me!

Now, I do not ask anymore what I can possibly do for God in His service. You see, Mike sent me from Canada hundreds of beautiful Christian tracts. I would station myself near my sister’s house (where I live), bring a plastic chair and give tracts to passersby. I do not have to speak much unless I am asked, but I give them my sweet smile. These people may not seriously consider my effort (they do accept the tracts because they probably pity me, haha), but I am very happy doing it. My limitations pave the way for simple-yet-effective “works” which I may not have done, due to other priorities, had I been healthy. Mike still sends me tracts from time to time.

Since I love writing very much, this is another thing I offer Him. I do not have to use my right hand for now. I have learned to type the computer keys with my “lovable” left hand, thanks to daily chats with Mike. Time will come that I will be using both hands better like a pro because of the trainings I have now. This is really a good exercise plus I still can continue writing!

With Mike, we made an effort to come up with a “blog” that will speak what God wants of us: preaching, sharing and telling more beautiful, heart-touching stories that God had put and will continue to put in our hearts through prose and poetry. This is the birth of Couple’s Nest. We only pray that God would touch your heart in the most special way that when you read our write-ups, you would still come back to read more and more.

There are lots of wonderful things to expect from God ahead as Mike and I will continue to be used by Him in very special ways regardless of my physical limitations. Mike is still there for me as he promised God, through thick and thin, for better or for worst, and beyond the times of soon-togetherness. I praise God for using me, for giving Mike, and for everything that He wants me doings and will be doing for Him in His service.

(c) July 2009, Luisa Mercado