Immanuel 29: Celebration of Life

Monday, January 14, 2008

Celebration of Life

Celebrate Jesus celebrate,

Celebrate Jesus celebrate
He is risen,
He is risen
And He lives forever more
He is risen
He is risen
Come on and celebrate
The resurrection of the LORD!

The strain of the song keeps coming back to me. The song is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ But this is the Christmas holiday season. What is the connection between the nativity and resurrection? All humans come inrto the world by being born and leave through death.

I was born on January 6, 1929. On January 4, 2004 at about six-thirty in the morning I died. I had a cardiac arrest. It was Sunday. I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes at about six o'clock in the evening I was in the recovery room of Sentara Heart Center. Somebody went to call my wife. She came in with a glow on her face. She said she has not ceased praying and interceding to God to give me back my life. God is good. He heard her prayers. He restores my soul. Hallellujah! I am alive.

January 4 is my second birth. January 6 is my natal birth. God has given me a taste of the resurrection life. What a birthday gift! How can I celebrate this life in a very meaningful way? What is it to celebrate the resurrection life of the LORD Jesus? LORD show me! I reflected, pondered, and meditated.

How do we live the resurrection life? The Holy Bible tells us that if we are in Christ we are new creation. The old life of sin has died. The life we now live in the flesh we live by the life of Jesus Christ who died for us. The Holy Bible tells us that we are sweet perfumes to the world. We are the leaven, the salt, and light of the world. The Christian, Jesus said, is in the world but not of the world. He belongs to the Kingdom of God. Our daily prayers continue to affirm our hope "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

This is the essence of the resurrection life. It is the practice of the life of Christ daily.

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ESCAPE

November 1944. The American Liberation Forces have arrived in Leyte on October20 2004. Gen Douglas Macarthur has returned .Three years ago before he left Manila for the great escape to Australia he promised the Filipinos that shall return to drive away the Japanese Imperial forces. There was much jubilation as Macarthur and President Sergio Osmena landed on the shores of Leyte on that day Of October 20, 2004.

Faraway in the island of Negros we witnessed daily sorties of USAF P38 and the Japanese warplanes. We also witness the dogfight between aa Japanese plane and the US Navy PT boat. Our joys were mingled with fear of sudden appearance of Japanese patrols. The Japanese were holed up in the Central Azucarrera de San Carlos., about 12 kilometers south of our evacuation village.

Since early July or August 1944 US submarines delivered tons of weapons and ammunitions to the Filipino Guerillas. The Guerillas with more firepower became more aggressive in making daily ambushes on Japanese patrols. The Japanese soldiers became more brutal, cruel, and wanton as they ravaged helpless civilians hiding in villages supposed to be safe and out of the way of Japanese patrols. They massacred everything they found along their way.

We found refuge and shelter in a small village called Tigbahi . Tigbahi is close to the sea and to the foothills of Banderahan. When the Japanese came from the sea we escape to the hils of Banderahan. When they come along the National Road we find refuge in the thick bakhaw groves along the shores.

In Mid-November it became extremely dangerous to be found by the Japanese patrols on land and on sea. We prayed hard for God’s guidance on what to do and where to go. Papa believe it is better to risk the dangers of crossing the sea on a stormy weather than to stay and be a victim of Japanese atrocities as well as the deadly pestilence ravaging the people. Malaria, dysentery, dengue were claiming the lives of countless civilians.

Papa found a boat owner who will sail and deliver us to Carigara, Leyte where the American Armed forces were. For the priced of one Singer sewing Machine, Felix, the owner of the sailboat agreed to transport us and the few belonging we had to Carigara, Leyte. We made ready and chose a most inauspicious day for our departure. A north wind blew all afternoon. In the evening we were all in the boat, Mama, Papa, Felix and two helpers some chickens, five weanling pigs, 500 loaves of cassava cakes, faith and prayers for God’s blessings on our voyage. The north wind blew mightily and steadily the whole evening and morning. The evening of the second day we entered the safety of the bay of Bantayan Island. The sails of the sailboat were badly tattered. They mast was broken in half. Several outriggers had to be replaced

Mama who was sick with Malaria when we left became very ill. The parents of Felix fortunately were some sort of faith healers. They attended to Mama. Thanks to them Mama recovered the next day. On the third day at twilight and on a stormy weather we set sail for Leyte. We sailed on a northerly direction rounding Bantayan Island.. There was no Japanese Garrison in Bantayan Island. However word came warning us that the Japanese will cross the channel early the next day. The people provided us with vituals and plenty of fresh water for our voyage,.

Big sharks followed our sailboat. scaring the daylights out of the boatmen who kept the balance of the boat by riding on the tilting outriggers. Papa was very angry at me when I pointed my fingers toward a flying devil fish. We saw a big whale jumped out of the water and blew water from its nose.. An unusually huge wave struck our frail sailboat broadside. It swamped the boat full of water. Cries of “hinubig, hinubig! Pas pas! came from Papa and the helmsman. Though weakened by sleeplessness, hungry and tired I hurriedly dip my pail into the water in the boat. I bailed out the water as fast as I can. Miracle! The boat did not capsize. Another miracle I was able to bail out all the water in the hold.. Then a huge fish sidled close to the outriggers were the boatmen were seesawing to keep the balance of the boat. Fear overcame then. They rushed dangerously to the boat. The full sail caused the boat to dip towards the portside, almost capsizing it. The skill of the helmsman kept the boat from capsizing and tragedy.

At mid-afternoon we were becalmed. The boatmen splashed water at the sail. The cried “San Lorenzo give us wind.” The swift currents were carrying us back to the Visayan Sea. We prayed that there be no Japanese patrol. Then gently and steadily the South wind blew filling our sail with air and carrying us forward rapidly towards the Maripipi Channel in Northern Leyte. The strong south wing carried us swiftly south towards our destination. Night time we were sailing close to shore and red tracer bullets were coming at us. We were in danger of getting killed guerilla forces who may suspect us as enemies.
The helmsman all lights in our boat to be extinguished.. He sailed us farther away from the seacoast , faraway beyond the reach of the bullets fired toward us from the shore.

By dawn we entered the Biliran-Naval channel. The current was so strong the boatmen have to go ashore and dragged the boat through the raging current of the channel. Beyond this channel to the South is Carigara Bay. We sailed full sail towards the town of Carigara, safety, and freedom. Strong smell of diesel fuel from the amphibious vehicles
Running from their shore installations to the big ships anchored in the deep waters of the Bay was suffocating. We sailed on and allowed the boat to plow through the sandy shore.
People crowded around us. “Where did you come from?” they asked..

The voyage took seven or eight days. We weathered the storms. The storm was our .protection and shield against the Japanese air and sea patrol. The mighty power of the LORD Jesus brought us safely towards our destination – Carigara, Leyte. P:raise the LORD we were all together as a family. My father, my mother, my sisters Remedios and Mercedes, and my kid brother George. We praise and thank the LORD for our safe voyage.

End; Inocencio T Hiponia, jr
November 24, 1944