2023 was a great year! A lot of things happened and a lot of changes came our way. Sometimes, change can be an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, but for us, it has proven to be pleasant.
We first arrived back in the Philippines in May of 2023. We knew what we would be doing once we returned, but we didn’t know exactly what it would look like and from where our work would primarily be done. Before leaving the Philippines in 2022 to return to the U.S. for a complicated pregnancy and the birth of our third son, we had begun working with a pioneering church plant in the city of San Carlos in the northeastern corner of Negros Island. We looked for housing in this area multiple times and found nothing available except small one-room apartments. We knew this wouldn’t work for our family, so we had settled on living in one city and driving to San Carlos as often as possible until, Lord willing, we could find proper housing for our family.
Although we were committed to this idea, it did not work as well as we thought. It turned out that Cris would often travel alone, while the boys (Benjamin, Asher and Judah) and I stayed behind for them to attend school. The drive was two and a half hours one way, and weather conditions, at times, would not allow Cris to travel by motorbike on the days he was scheduled to travel. Before long, we began carrying a heavy burden regarding our ministry and the work we longed to be a part of.
Pastor Sander and Pastor Romeo were living on the field and continuing to spearhead the work in our absence, but we longed for more. We decided to look for housing once again. To our surprise, we began finding multiple places available. We were in shock! As of October 2023, we have been living in San Carlos City, and it could not feel more like home.
It didn’t take long for our life in San Carlos to settle into a routine. The boys began attending their new school, while Pastor Cris, Pastor Sander and Pastor Romeo began meeting together twice a week for discipleship training and prayer. Bible studies were scheduled in two different villages on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and children’s outreach programs were conducted in three villages on Saturdays.
Then came the holiday season. The Christmas season was a very special time. Little did we know that a new ministry would soon fall into our laps.
At the start of December, we began having many visitors at our gate in the evening. Groups of kids, teens, adults or a combination of different age groups would walk the neighborhood streets, stopping at each gate to sing Christmas carols. They were not singing for the mere pleasure of singing and blessing our hearts, but instead, they were singing in hopes of receiving a generous monetary reward. At first, I couldn’t help but feel that this would get annoying after a while, but then the Lord softened my heart. I shared with Cris the possibility of allowing the carolers to sing for us and us giving them a “small” monetary donation if they were willing to allow us to share the gospel with them in return. Of course, he was more than willing to do so, and we could never have imagined what this would turn into.
Every night for the next month, at least three to five groups of people would visit our home. We greeted and welcomed them, letting them know we would be happy for them to sing for us. Before allowing them to sing, we always informed them that we would like to share the gospel with them in return. Not one group rejected our offer. We do not know the full effect of our time spent with Christmas carolers, but we know many people heard the gospel message of Jesus’ saving grace. We also know that between 15 and 20 people publicly expressed receiving Christ as their Savior during the time we spent sharing with them.
Carolers were not the only exciting part of our December. Three large boxes of toys and gifts were sent to us from two of our supporting churches in the U.S. for us to distribute to children in nearby villages. During the last week of December, we collaborated with members of our mother church to conduct mini–Vacation Bible Schools in three different locations. During these two days, we were able to minister to over 100 children and families. We distributed the gifts and toys and sacks of rice, sardines, spaghetti and noodle packs to each family. We pray that these efforts have truly blessed the hearts of each person.
The months of January and February have been much slower than December. We have been able to focus on relationship-building and more indepth Bible studies. Over the last year and a half, the outreach ministries here in San Carlos have been quite dispersed. Ministering here has been a challenge as the traditions and roots of Catholicism run very deep, it has often been hard to reach adults. Focusing on children has proven to be the right strategy for this area. Mothers are happy to have their children learning about the Bible instead of wandering from place to place, leaving their mothers to worry about their safety. These children’s Bible studies have led to the development of relationships with the parents of the children in attendance, and, little by little, the walls of Catholicism seem to be crumbling.
Please continue to pray for the efforts here in San Carlos and the people’s hearts to be receptive to the truth.
Returning to the States
Over the last few years, our family has faced quite a few challenges. As a result, we will leave the field later this year. We do not believe this is a permanent leave, but we do not know how long it will be. One of the main reasons for leaving is to pursue Cris’ U.S. citizenship, which is quite involved, so I will spare you all the details, but it is expected to take about three years. A second reason is for me (Alicia) to complete my medical licensing in the U.S. As many of you know, I attended medical school in the Philippines and graduated in 2017. For me to have a license to practice medicine as a doctor, I need to complete a residency training program in the U.S., which will take three to five years. This is the time period in which we are currently looking at before revisiting a return to the field.
We do not know what God has planned between now and then or if He will direct our hearts in a different direction by the end of this supposed time period. What we do know is that we are open to His leadership, and we are willing to follow Him wherever He leads. After months of prayer and consideration, our hearts are at peace with the direction the Lord is leading us.
That said, we will continue to be a part of the work in the Philippines. Cris will communicate with Pastor Sander and Pastor Romeo as often as they feel necessary, and financially, we will continue supporting the ongoing work in San Carlos.
We covet your prayers as our life changes from our current field to our new field. I (Alicia) began my journey as a student missionary to a medical short-term missionary to a full-time missionary 20 years ago as of June 2023. Transitioning back to the U.S. full-time is going to be a major life change for our family, but we are looking forward to it in anticipation of what the Lord has in store.
We will be returning to the U.S. in June 2024. After this time, we will be available to share with our supporting churches and other churches interested in the ongoing work in the Philippines. (alicia.ramshur@gmail.com)
