God Will Establish

VJ and Mai Genato played integral roles in leading my wife and I to Jesus.  This couple’s commitment to the Lord represents an exemplary model to emulate and their lives represent a consistent testimony of faith.  I am blessed to call them my friends.  It was a true honor that last November 2009, VJ and Mai asked me to become their son Joaquin Javier’s godfather as they celebrated his first birthday amidst a dedication ceremony thanking God for their many blessings.  Here I recount their impactful sharing that afternoon:

VJ: In the Summer of 2008, we discovered and experienced God’s faithfulness to His promise in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Mai: Two years ago, I spent my 29^th birthday in Medical City. I had a miscarriage, 12 weeks into my pregnancy.  IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY TRAUMATIZING EXPERIENCES I’VE GONE THROUGH IN MY LIFE. The pain of leaving the hospital without a baby was unendurable.  I wrote in my journal a few days after:

”I am scared.  I do not ever want to go through that experience again. But God is good, His strength was made perfect in our moment of weakness. I can sincerely say that He made everything easy for us. We are deeply at peace.”

I ended that journal entry with this simple prayer:

“Please bless us with another CHILD at your right time. Please also allow us to build our HOUSE very soon.* We love you. Amen.”

* During this time VJ and Mai had engaged an architect to design their dream home on a modest lot in Quezon City. They wanted to get the plans ready, believing they could build soon. However, as they completed the plans and had the project bid out, they discovered that the budget had spiraled beyond their means. With the price of steel rising dramatically and the looming recession on the horizon, building the house was seemingly impossible.

VJ: A few months after during a regular check up, the doctor found a cyst in my wife’s ovary and it was flagged for observation. Results over the course of the next three ultrasounds in the following months however, were not encouraging. The cyst was growing, and an operation would be necessary to remove it if it did not reduce with medication.  Furthermore, the doctor said that it might be difficult to have another baby with the cyst.  These were extremely unsettling times as we were both fearful for what lay ahead, but we chose to hold on to two promises of God, namely:

1)     “Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11: 22-24), and 

2)     “Do not be afraid. Just have faith and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50)

Mai: Here is my journal entry a few weeks later, immediately after the check-up that would determine whether or not they would operate on me:

”Lord you are awfully amazing! Through the doctor, you have spoken victory over my life. Thank you for declaring that what I have is a false cyst, that I do not need an operation, and that I have absolutely nothing to worry about. Thank you for being my Rock, my Healer, my Savior, and my Peace.”

We were ecstatic after the check-up, but HIS powerful healing did not end there. Our prayers for another baby were answered as God turned the cyst into a baby.  I was three months pregnant!   

VJ: And so, we have our son Joaquin Javier or Javi — God’s miracle to our family. From the moment that he was conceived until this very day, God has unceasingly and abundantly poured out his blessings on our family.  Apart from the joy that he brings to us and the people around him, he has also become God’s instrument in answering our prayers.  Besides the gift of another CHILD, my wife had prayed for our dream house.

And God is indeed faithful to finish what he begins.  The Spirit spoke to me during my wife’s pregnancy and the name Joaquin Javier literally entered my head.  Mai instantly loved the name and to our surprise and delight, when she looked-up the meaning of this name, God’s answer to our dilemma around whether to move forward on building our house became crystal clear. Joaquin stands for “God will establish”, while Javier means “a new house”.  We were overwhelmed.  We waited on His time and God clearly spoke to us through the name of our son.

Mai: A week after giving birth to Javi, I wrote again in my journal:

“Dear God, what a faithful, wonderful, and loving God you are. As I write this, I am looking at my newborn son who looks so wonderful and heavenly.

I gave birth to our little “Javi” last Nov. 22, 2008. He stands for the many wonders that You have done in our life.

You fully restore and we are truly conquerors in You. When I had a miscarriage last year, You spoke to us that everything will work for the good of those who love You, and that You will restore in abundance what we have lost. Javi is Your full promise made manifest in our lives.

Through Javi’s name, You encouraged us to build our house. You knew how much we needed the additional living space. With Javi’s arrival and the house construction underway, You indeed provide for everything, according to Your own glory and riches.

We praise You God for what You have done! I cannot wait to share our testimony when we have our house blessing, child dedication and Javi’s first birthday next year. AMEN!”