Next month will be a year since we left The Salvation Army Gresham Corps in the Cascade Division and came to Santa Clara Citadel in the Golden State Division in California. It was bittersweet when we left Gresham. It was bitter, because we had to say goodbye to the wonderful godly people of Gresham and their beautiful community. We moved during the last half of the covid19 pandemic. There were many programming related items and incomplete infrastructure projects that had to be put on halt.
The sweet side of things, however, was that we were moving closer to family. Yes, it beats 13 hours’ drive to visit them every vacation time. My wife’s older brother and his family live 10 minutes away from our new home and attends the Santa Clara Citadel (our new Church). Her older sister and family live in Concord, which is about an hour away. Her younger brother and his family live in Southern California, which is six hours away. This is truly a blessing!
The Santa Clara Citadel is a wonderful church. Like our previous Corps (church) in Gresham, the people quickly embraced us and welcomed us with open arms. Due the covid19 pandemic, this church was meeting in the gym for church services. It was a nice set up and lots of room to spread out and worship our Lord. A big thank you to the previous Officers – Majors Roy and Paul Wild and Lieutenants Chris and Gina Noble.
After a couple of months of meeting in the gym, we finally moved everything back to the main chapel. There are now three basketball groups that use our gym. The karate class and the square-dancing group have also moved to our multipurpose room. Things are starting to come back to normal and it feels great.
We praise the Lord for our youth – our present reinforcements and our future leaders! They’ve been very helpful volunteering for various projects, especially during the holiday season. Some of them competed at our Divisional Encore and Bible Bowl competition. They then went to California for the Territorial competition and did great. They also won a couple of first places. It’s great to see our young people bonding and growing together. Some of them have since became senior and junior soldiers during our General’s visit. Praise the Lord for my wife, who has been instrumental in leading and teaching our youth.
It’s a blessing to have my in-laws stay with us. They’ve been very helpful in taking care of our daughters and cooking various foods, which include the yummy ‘Filipino food.’ It’s a wonderful thing to see our girls and our nieces and nephews interact with their grandparents. I do believe in the importance of inter-generational interaction. When grandparents can spend time with their grandchildren, something special happens in their inmost being, which I can’t explain. I’m probably bias when it comes to this because I grew up with my grandparents, and they have a special place in my heart. My in-laws have now accepted a post-retirement assignment as Chaplains at the San Jose Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center coming mid-July. May God bless them in their new ministry!
Every Sunday evenings, we have family dinner nights with my brother in laws family. Sometimes, the Concord family joins us. We get together with cousins and in-laws and eat delicious dinners, play games, share stories, and at times, watch basketball or Survivor. It’s certainly a blessing to live close to family. We will take advantage of this time! We want to maximize every opportunity to be together because the Army can move us anytime.
When I was a kid living on an island in the middle of the Pacific, I often wonder what it would be like to live in California. For some reason, my mind’s eye saw beaches, farmland, and horses. Well, I can say today that I have lived as a resident of California for a year, and it’s been a blessing! I can see God's fingerprint in all that has happened. Our transition from Oregon to California is certainly bittersweet; but its sweetness has gradually taken over its bitterness. God certainly sees the big picture. I was near-sighted - still am, and only saw the bark of the tree. On the other hand, God sees the tree, the whole forest and everything around it. Thank you Lord for leading us this far, we will continue to trust in you for another year. To God be the Glory!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. – Proverbs 3: 5-6
The sweet side of things, however, was that we were moving closer to family. Yes, it beats 13 hours’ drive to visit them every vacation time. My wife’s older brother and his family live 10 minutes away from our new home and attends the Santa Clara Citadel (our new Church). Her older sister and family live in Concord, which is about an hour away. Her younger brother and his family live in Southern California, which is six hours away. This is truly a blessing!
The Santa Clara Citadel is a wonderful church. Like our previous Corps (church) in Gresham, the people quickly embraced us and welcomed us with open arms. Due the covid19 pandemic, this church was meeting in the gym for church services. It was a nice set up and lots of room to spread out and worship our Lord. A big thank you to the previous Officers – Majors Roy and Paul Wild and Lieutenants Chris and Gina Noble.
After a couple of months of meeting in the gym, we finally moved everything back to the main chapel. There are now three basketball groups that use our gym. The karate class and the square-dancing group have also moved to our multipurpose room. Things are starting to come back to normal and it feels great.
We praise the Lord for our youth – our present reinforcements and our future leaders! They’ve been very helpful volunteering for various projects, especially during the holiday season. Some of them competed at our Divisional Encore and Bible Bowl competition. They then went to California for the Territorial competition and did great. They also won a couple of first places. It’s great to see our young people bonding and growing together. Some of them have since became senior and junior soldiers during our General’s visit. Praise the Lord for my wife, who has been instrumental in leading and teaching our youth.
It’s a blessing to have my in-laws stay with us. They’ve been very helpful in taking care of our daughters and cooking various foods, which include the yummy ‘Filipino food.’ It’s a wonderful thing to see our girls and our nieces and nephews interact with their grandparents. I do believe in the importance of inter-generational interaction. When grandparents can spend time with their grandchildren, something special happens in their inmost being, which I can’t explain. I’m probably bias when it comes to this because I grew up with my grandparents, and they have a special place in my heart. My in-laws have now accepted a post-retirement assignment as Chaplains at the San Jose Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center coming mid-July. May God bless them in their new ministry!
Every Sunday evenings, we have family dinner nights with my brother in laws family. Sometimes, the Concord family joins us. We get together with cousins and in-laws and eat delicious dinners, play games, share stories, and at times, watch basketball or Survivor. It’s certainly a blessing to live close to family. We will take advantage of this time! We want to maximize every opportunity to be together because the Army can move us anytime.
When I was a kid living on an island in the middle of the Pacific, I often wonder what it would be like to live in California. For some reason, my mind’s eye saw beaches, farmland, and horses. Well, I can say today that I have lived as a resident of California for a year, and it’s been a blessing! I can see God's fingerprint in all that has happened. Our transition from Oregon to California is certainly bittersweet; but its sweetness has gradually taken over its bitterness. God certainly sees the big picture. I was near-sighted - still am, and only saw the bark of the tree. On the other hand, God sees the tree, the whole forest and everything around it. Thank you Lord for leading us this far, we will continue to trust in you for another year. To God be the Glory!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. – Proverbs 3: 5-6
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