Bro. Melvin Laru-an together with his wife, sister Jedi heads the Homebuilder's Ministry (formerly called the couple's ministry) of our home church in Al Ain City, the Word International Ministries.
The following story is a testimony given by Bro. Melvin when we reunited back in Al Ain after a month-long vacation from the home country, Philippines. On September 5, 2008, so many souls present during our Worship Service were blessed. People who heard the testimony of my brother cried. I even had wet eyes during that time. In short, all souls who heard the testimony were blessed so much.
Enjoy reading and be blessed.
CROSS FIRE!
A TESTIMONY TO ANSWERED PRAYERS
By Bro. Melvin Laruan
The Lord said, "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." (Psalm 91:14-16)
During our Philippine vacation last August 2008, after spending a few days in Davao City, my home town, we decided to go to Dipolog City, Zamboanga Del Norte to visit my wife’s family. Since there was no direct flight from Davao to Dipolog, we decided to travel by bus because it’s cheaper and this is the way we were doing for the past years. Along the way we have to spend one hour in crossing Ozamis city to Kolambogan by ferry boat. It was 15 hours journey by bus from Davao city to Dipolog city.
We stayed in Dipolog for almost two weeks with my wife’s family. After we settled some important things, we decided to go back to Davao.
On the 18th of August we took the 1:00 AM first bus trip from Dipolog city going to Cagayan De Oro City. (Our route was this: from Dipolog City to Cagayan De Oro City is almost 10 hours journey including one hour in the ferry boat from Ozamis City to Kolambogan. From Cagayan De Oro City we will take another bus going to Davao City).
While on our way going to Cagayan City, we reached Ozamis City by 3:00 AM and the bus we were in boarded a ferry boat. We reached Kolambogan around 4:00 AM. While we were near the Kolambogan public market and Municipal Hall just a few blocks from us, our bus stopped!! The driver told us that there was gunfire ahead (in front of us). So we just calmly stayed inside the bus, waiting until the situation calms down, thinking that it was far away from us.
After almost half an hour of waiting, one of the guys shouted, “RUN!!!”
All at once everybody wanted to go out of the bus. Immediately I grab Kevin and told my family that we had to get out of the bus quickly. Since we were sitting at the back and that bus has only one exit, so we cannot get out at once.
When almost half of the passengers were gone, we were still inside the bus desperately trying to get out, just a few meters away behind the bus, I heard somebody shouted “ALLAH HO AKBAR” (god is great), followed by a sudden burst of automatic rifle fire, followed by the explosion of a rocket propelled grenade (RPG). We were so shocked!! Women inside the bus began to shout and cry. They cried even more when some of the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) rebels nearby shot the tires of the bus with their automatic rifles. We never expected that we were going to be in the middle of a gun battle. Since there was a lot of gun fire around us already, I told my family to better stay in the bus otherwise we might be hit by stray bullets. We just laid flat on the bus floor. Kevin, my son, Jezreel, my daughter and Jedi, my wife were under the bus seats, exactly how they were able to fit in there I don’t know. We were around 8 to 12 people left and trapped in the bus along with my family.
While the gun battle was going on between the police one block away in front of us and the MILF 20 to 25 meters away behind the bus, we just laid flat in the floor praying, sending mobile text messages asking for intercession.
Jezreel and Kevin prayed, Jedi and I prayed in tongues. I spoke the whole PSALM 91 twice. It is my favorite passage in the Bible, and it was the Holy Spirit who reminded me. It contains so many promises. In that passage the Lord promises us that He will be our GOD, our Shepherd, our Savior, our Refuge…..
At around 6:30 AM, after two hours lying on the floor, it became a little bit quiet except for a few gun fires from a distance because the police retreated because they ran out of bullets and their guns are smaller compared to the high powered guns of the MILF rebels. The police retreated and the rebels forgot about us and chased after the police in pursuit.
During that time, it was almost day time that we can already see our surroundings, we realized that our bus was park near a Shell petrol station, but we were still lying on the floor, we continued to pray for our protection and guidance from the LORD.
HALLELUIAH! At that very moment, God answered our prayers. Suddenly we heard somebody was calling us from the other side of the road. He told us to get out of the bus one by one and cross the road. First we thought it was a bluff, so we were hesitant to get off the bus but this man kept on urging us to get down from the bus, so we did, then we crossed the road he brought us inside the mosque, crowded with local Muslim and Christian residents of Kolambogan. The residents there were also afraid that the MILF might burn their houses down. So they were also hiding there with us.
We just stayed inside the mosque. Every now and then we were hearing gunshots and even explosions nearby.
We heard from the local residents there, inside the mosque that the MILF had taken the Municipal Hall and the whole town of Kolambogan. They even burned down a police car, set one school and a few houses on fire. We even heard reports of how people were being shot and killed even children; you cannot imagine how they were killing the children. We even heard some reports that our co-passengers were caught by the MILF in the market while hiding and searching for food.
They bound them and used them as a human shield and we heard later that they were released in some remote mountain of Zamboanga.
We heard also that the next town of Kauswagan was under attack by the rebels. So we decided to go back to Dipolog, but the problem was how to get out from that place and how to cross the sea going back to Ozamis city.
We just continued in our prayers, because we knew that nobody can help us and deliver us at that moment except our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
We even called our relative and friends for help. The least they can do was to send us a boat. My wife’s relative even called their friends in high places in the government and in the military but that place was impenetrable. They advised us to stay and wait.
So we just waited and pray until almost 1:00 PM. My family started to look pale due to hunger and thirst. Since we left home at 1:00 AM, we didn’t even drink water and eat (we left our food in the bus, carrying only with us important stuff during our escape). There was nowhere to buy food and water. I felt pity for them. So I decided to go out from the mosque to find a boat to rent. But all the boats had left for Ozamis City with their families. I felt money was useless at that time. With all the money in our pocket, we had nothing to buy. We cannot buy food or water because no shops were open. We cannot rent a boat because there was not a single boat available. Everything we had was useless.
In desperation, I sat on the sand, behind the sea wall looking at Ozamis City at the other side of the sea, thinking how we can cross back to Ozamis City. I sat there for almost 30 minutes, thinking, I started speaking Psalm 91 to remind me who the Lord is in our life. In that passage He reminded me that He is our God, our Shepherd our High Tower, our Refuge, our Salvation…. after speaking verses 1 to 16, I started to hum one verse from the song “Emmanuel.” My spirit groaned when I hummed this one verse in that song “Holy, Holy, God Almighty there is none like You… Emmanuel, Jesus Christ You will never let me go. My Shepherd King, You’re watching over me, Emmanuel.” I repeated it over and over again. Then along the seashore behind the small houses of the village, around 500 meters from where I was sitting, I noticed a few boats filled with people were coming and leaving. Once again I prayed “Lord, show me that place, once again I need Your favor to reach that place so that we can cross back to the other side.”
I ran back to the mosque, found Jedi, Jezreel and Kevin sitting and praying. At first my wife did not want to go out because she was afraid of any sniper. But I told her that later it would be more dangerous because the Marines were coming and again it would be dark soon. We had to get out of that place while there was a chance. We were now hearing the sound of Marine helicopters from the distance, and we could see in the sky two Military B2 Bombers. Sooner or later for sure the Marine’s ground troops would be here, and for sure once again we would be caught in the middle of a bigger gun battle.
After thanking some resident for keeping us safe, we found their Imam (high priest). He asked us where we were going, and told us it was safer to stay inside their mosque. We told him we were going back to Dipolog city, so we asked him to guide us to the place where we could find a boat safely along with our co-passenger). It was amazing that the Lord once again gave us another favor. The Imam brought us to that place himself!
We waited for a boat there for almost an hour before a fishing boat came. I told my children no matter what happens we should be in that boat. Sure enough we got so wet from top to bottom getting to that boat. We travelled for one hour and a half before we reached Ozamis City. After taking something to eat we went back to Dipolog city still dripping wet!
People were watching us, wondering why all of my families were soaked to the bones. We were not ashamed. At that point in time who cares?
But yes, somebody did care for us. Jesus did. He is always true to His promises to us, that whatever happens He will never leave us nor forsake us. HE will be with us even to the ends of the earth..
We don’t know about you, But for us we love the Lord and we allow Him to use us in His vineyard here in Al Ain, THE WORD INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES, He loves us and He is true and faithful to His promises in Psalm 91:14-16. He is true and faithful to us even to you also as long as you continue to love the Lord. The Lord said in Psalm 91:14-16, He Himself is speaking:
"Because he loves me," says the LORD,
"I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name..
He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
Amen! To God be the glory.
I encourage EVERY brother and sister: “Do not cease praying regardless of what circumstances you may find yourself to be, we cannot imagine how powerful prayer is! So many times we experience adversity, trials and they are getting bigger and bigger, but God is always with us, HE is Emmanuel. His hand is not too short to reach us; He will never leave us or forsake us.
Brothers and sisters, being Christians, Our God does not promise us comfort as we walk in our daily life, but as we go along, we will experience trials, persecutions and problems in life. If you never experience any trials yet, sooner or later you will experience one, two, or three (who know?).
So I encourage you brothers and sisters: Be watchful and be prayerful and always be ready. I encourage you brothers and sisters if you are not a part of any prayer group: Be part of one. So that when trials come you will be ready. Your friends and relatives in high places cannot help you, and the money in your pocket is useless, just like what we have experienced, so be watchful and be prayerful.
Thank you for your prayer and support.
God bless you all.
GLORY TO GOD BE THE LORD. AMEN!!!
Melvin Laruan
WIN – Al Ain Home Builders Ministry Head
You may visit this link to view some images courtesy of Bobby Timonera: http://www.pbase.com/timonera/day3
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