Unintended Consequences
“Consider, brothers, how you were called; not many of you are wise by human standards, not many influential, not many from noble families. No, God chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise; he chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong, those who by human standards are common and contemptible –…
Learning Love
Posted on 12/20/2016
at 3:21 pm
by Cassie Ward /
Philippines - Camiguin, SERVE, Winter 2016, Winter 2016 Web Exclusive
This year in missions has taught me many valuable lessons. A lesson on love is what I will now share with you. A sweet woman named Gemma "Gi Ging" has been my faithful teacher. Gemma's left arm and leg are only slightly mobile, but that does not stop her. Every day she walks from her home the lengthy journey into...
Fully Alive
“The glory of God is man fully alive.” – St. Irenaeus These words of St. Irenaeus have challenged many to serve the Lord in a new, vibrant way. A major element of my husband’s and my discernment into becoming missionaries was a response to our desires to live an extraordinary family life, to serve God in a radical way, and...
33 Days
We began our 33 day retreat in Porvenir de Tacubaya, Mexico, by the lead of the Holy Spirit. The people desired to understand their already strong devotion to Mary. Having a Spanish translation of the book 33 Days to Morning Glory offered us the opportunity, despite our limited knowledge of Spanish, to make use of some deep material. The retreat...
Healing & Mercy In Central America
About twenty minutes from our town in Coopevega, there is another community that we visit. Last year we went to Mass in this town and met a woman named Nicolasa. Right away we connected and our daughter Catherine made friends with her daughter Alyson. Nicolasa was a great connection for the mission and helped us see the needs of her...
“God Moments” In The Philippines
Five years after she moved there, I finally got to visit my daughter, Lindsey Romero, and her family for almost a month at their mission post in Malaybalay. The first morning there, I got up at 4:00 AM, not being used to the time change. A group of about 40 people were walking down the street in the dark with...
You Are His Hands And Feet
We are still surprised when God provides in missions. You would think that after so many manifestations of His power and goodness we would come to expect it, but I admit, in my human-ness I often question if He is really going to show up and do something AGAIN! I feel like in every case God is reminding me of...
“I Am Nobody”
How can I fully express to you the love I feel for Taiwan? After living here for nine months, I call it my home. There are multiple reasons for this: the witness, love, and mercy of my team; the incredible experience of telling those who’ve never heard about Jesus; the culture and people of Taiwan; and my dearest friend here,...
Uno, Dos, Tres
A few months ago, an attorney I know from church asked if I could help with teenage boys sent to his office for stealing. I was not sure how I could help, but I agreed to meet them and assess the situation. I arrived at his office and found two precious teenagers in serious trouble. They had been caught stealing...
Hurricane Matthew
Support ongoing hurricane relief efforts here: helphaiti.familymissionscompany.com On October 4th, Hurricane Matthew ravished the south-western region of Haiti, displacing thousands of people and destroying their property. Our friend Atache, a member of the local volunteer service, was working that day. “I started volunteering for Protection Civile six years ago. I don’t get paid but I do it because I like...
Power of Prayer by Olivia
This is a personal testimony about the power of prayer that our 13-year-old daughter shared as her final message to her peers at our weekly praise and worship gathering in Camiguin, Philippines. From before I was born, prayer has been a part of my life. After my sister was born, the doctor told my mom that she shouldn’t have…
Have A Reason to Live
Now with almost three weeks in Taichung City, Taiwan, my mission partner and I have joined the girls mission team in adjusting to our busy life in this beautiful Chinese culture. I thank God, for He has gifted me a life in Taiwan to serve the many people who have never been introduced to Jesus. It is a new culture,...
Our God Is a God of Surprise!
Our God is unpredictable in the best ways. A year ago I was an engineer for a logistics company in Dallas. My life could not have been more normal – salaried employee, paying off student loans, spending time with friends, etc. I thought I had it all and life was just going to get better from there. I was right...
Freedom to Share the Love of Christ
New post, new team, new culture, new people that the Lord has put into my life to love. How free and wonderful is His love to us! Being a third year missionary and spending the past two years where the Gospel message was difficult to convey to the people, I am in awe of the amazing new opportunities to share...
To Write of Home
The first full week we were in Taiwan I had several meltdowns. It was freezing, with no heat in the buildings, we didn’t know where we would be living for the year, didn’t know the language or where anything was, and we didn’t even know each other as team members. I felt as if I were drowning in “unknowns.” It...
From Brillion to Nuevo Chimbote
After Taylor found the lost community of Nuevo Chimbote last year, we spent two days a week catechizing and teaching the people. Nineteen children received their Sacraments last October, and we will be starting Sacrament preparation for the adults after Easter. Two couples have already asked to have their marriages blessed in the Church! Clearly, the people of Nuevo Chimbote...
Are You Driving By Jesus On Your Way Home?
Since I have been out of full time foreign missions, I miss having daily encounters with Jesus in the poor, and the chance to evangelize those hungry for the Gospel. Even though I ache to meet Jesus more, I almost passed up a beautiful opportunity in my own backyard. About two years ago, we moved a house out to Big...
A Follower in Asia
As I sped along on my bike through the busy highways of this great Asian city, I felt a certain excitement for my first private language lesson. I had been studying this crazy language for five months but now God was blessing me with the opportunity to dive into some one-on-one instruction. My plan was to spend three hours per...
