I came home late enough to catch the late night news At the close of the program, the anchorperson mentioned that there are only 68 days to left before Christmas! "Why so quick?" I thought. I haven't even worn the special tie somebody gave me last Christmas; I'm still trying to lose some pounds I gained over the holidays; and now Christmas is just a little more than two months away. Today, we're down to 67! Every time we come down to 67 days before Christmas my nephew turns a year older- he's now 24!!
I remember hearing the news from my sister who then lived in Iloilo with her husband through a letter she sent my mom and dad telling us that she had given birth to a baby boy she named Raymond Thom 67 days before Christmas. I looked forward to his arrival. A few days before Christmas, we saw Raymond, nicknamed Gideon. He was no ordinary boy, he looked sickly, frail and weak. He had rashes on his cheeks and a horrible looking keloidal scar on his foot. My sister said it was were his last IV needle was stuck because doctors couldn't find veins large enough for the smallest needle! The baby looked like he'd been deprived of all the nutrients he needed for proper development!
Even as a six-year-old, I wondered how little Raymond would make it into this world. He grew little by little and became strong enough to crawl. But he crawled funny-- using his arms he his dragged legs like he were mermaid trying to survive on dry land. The doctors said his legs have been weakened by the intravenous therapy he had as an infant. He never learned to walk until he was about two--and-a-half years old! As a point of comparison with her last baby, I remember my mom telling me that I never learned how to crawl, it was as though I was born one morning and started walking the next!
Given our age difference, we practically grew up together! His father had grown irresponsible over the years so he pretty much grew up without a dad. My sister (his mom) is an iron maiden who able to stand as both mother and father to her kids. Observing her irresponsible ex-husband's little or zero interest in supporting the family she left for the US to work, leaving Raymond and his two younger siblings. As a teenager and as a college kid, he developed a strong character. He went to church but we never really saw in him any interest in it. He dedicated his entire time on studying which earned him the title cum laude on graduation day! Yet behind his strength of character and slightly villainous demeanor he had some serious inner struggles with so many issues including gender confusion which manifested outwardly. The manifestations were quite alarming for us as a family, and might prove to be destructive for him were it to cintinue. We started praying for him as a family. Each night my dad would bombard family members with text messages reminding us to pray for him.
One afternoon, I received word from my dad that he's seen some major changes in Raymond. We later learned that he had started getting involved in a church that meets in a mall. The Gospel he'd heard since he was a young boy growing up in his grandpa the preacher's home had taken a new and fresh meaning. His church life grew warmer and warmer until we realized that he was set ablaze by the Spirit. That was about two years ago.
He has since taken leadership posts in his church. He's active in disciple-making, and was even able to win for Christ my second-cousin who comes from a family deeply steeped in Catholic-Buddhist-Shamanistic tradition. He leads Bible studies and is an equipper of new Christian leaders. He's also been involved in social services- serving the poor and the down-and-out. He has enrolled in ENLI (Every Nation Leadership Institute), and desires to be involved in Mission work.
Today, he turns 24-- years filled with evidences of God's awesome grace. Counting on HIS sovereignty, HE has used and continues to use Raymond's experiences to influence others and to glorify HIMSELF.
In his family- whether at home or in church, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND!
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