Author Archives: Mel
Planting Seeds
I was recently reminded about the power of planting seeds. There is a species of tree found in Africa known as the Baobab. This tree can grow nearly 100 feet tall and 40 feet wide. They take about 15-20 years to grow and can live over 1000 years. Baobabs are also known as the “Treeaaa
A Good Year
It has been an interesting year, but I have to say that it has still been a good year. Yes, this year has been a series of unexpected, unprecedented, and unpleasant events, but at the same time, there has not been an absence of good things happening. Psalm 23:6a from The Passion Translation says, “Soaaa
1/3 Down
January, February, March, and April – 2019 has been a great year so far! Besides helping to lead the youth ministry at our main church branch in Francistown, I have been helping to establish and oversee the youth ministries at all five of our branch churches. I have been doing lots of traveling! So far, I have paidaaa
38 and Feeling Great!
I recently turned 38! I have never been afraid of growing old. In fact, the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve looked forward to growing older! When I was in my early 20s, I remember an elder telling me that their 30s were their favorite decade of life. It was so inspiring for me toaaa
Celebrating Cultures
I now consider myself to be tri-cultural. My parents are from the Philippines. I was born and grew up in America. And for the past seven years I have been a missionary and resident of Botswana. I am a Filipino-American-African. And I am very proud of each of my cultures. I love being Filipino. Filipinosaaa
A Year of Gratitude
I ended 2018 with a very deep sense of gratitude. A thought that constantly crossed my mind was, “I am so incredibly blessed!” Gratitude is a wonderful attitude to possess. It automatically puts you in a good mood and it’s impossible to possess gratitude without also possessing joy! I finished 2018 full of so much gratefulnessaaa
Living the Dream
I think the only thing that I love more than being a missionary is being a missionary who gets to lead a mission trip. It was such a privilege and a dream come true for me to be able to take a group of my youth on a mission trip to Johannesburg, South Africa thisaaa
Happy
“It is more blessed (makes one happier and more to be envied) to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35b, AMPC) This month I celebrated my six year anniversary of having moved to Botswana. God has blessed my life with so much happiness since I made the choice to give of my life and serve here. This journalaaa
Legends in the Making
Recently a good friend of mine paid me one of the highest compliments I have ever received. This friend told me, “Mel, you are such a legend!” And they didn’t just tell me this once, but twice – in one week! Needless to say, it made me feel awesome. I mean, really awesome. My friendaaa
My Favorite Year So Far
Dumelang (Hello, in Setswana)! 2017 has been my favorite year of ministry so far! Ministry is about meeting needs, but I’ve learned that I can’t meet them all. It’s easy to think that meeting every need is the sacrificial duty of a missionary, but that usually results in operating in one’s own strength, which ofaaa
