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Romans 6:3-4

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

Baptism. Most of us had experienced this during our infant days. It is part of the stages of life that we need to go through as Christians. But do we understand the reason why is it so? We were too young to know what had happened. We only have our pictures as evidence. And of course the godparents that we go to at Christmas or who gave us gifts on our birthdays.

In the New Testament, baptism is how we come “in contact” with the death of Jesus. Baptism follows repentance. There could only be one baptism. Baptism is a participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, it is not ceremonial. Baptism is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is not an empty command but one with a promise.

I had my baptism last July 9, 2006. It was only then that I understand why I need to go through it. I felt happy because it is written in the scripture “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk16:16) But it doesn’t end there. I still need to work out my salvation. I need to follow God’s will. I need to fulfill my purpose as a disciple.

When I acknowledged Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior – everything changed. I had this feeling that is unexplainable. I believe it is because my sins were forgiven and I was given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  But life after is still not that easy. I still face different situations everyday. I still have my share of struggles every now and then. I still flare up at times. But what makes it different this time? I have God in my life. I have Him who reminds me to take things easy. I have Him who understands me in any way. I have Him who never gets tired of holding me. Isn’t that enough to keep me going? Plus, I have Him who loves me unconditionally – no ifs, no buts. Can I afford to hurt Him?

As for my salvation – only God knows. As long as faith lives in my heart – I need not worry.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We appeal to you in behalf of our brother and sister, Mike and Gigi Caballero from Quezon City Central Region of the Metro Manila Christian Church.

Mike and Gigi are faithful disciples since their campus years. Gigi is a 15 year-old disciple from the University of Santo Tomas, while Mike is an 11 year-old disciple from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. They both grew in the Church from Campus, Singles then to the Marrieds Ministry. They served the Church as Bible Talk and Housechurch Leaders.

In May 2004, Gigi was diagnosed to have Kidney Renal Failure, a condition where her kidneys ceased to function. In order to live, she undergoes twice a week of dialysis and continuous medication, which amount to a monthly average expense of P40,00.00 (around $930.00). Mike married Gigi in 2005 and since then had sacrificed greatly in order to help Gigi. He presently works in Singapore as Technical Support to help make ends meet and to save every single peso for Gigi¡¦s kidney transplant. In three and a half years, they both have spent around P1.72M ($40,000) in dialysis and medication.

Because of the financial burden of her illness, Gigi continues to work in Chinabank Greenhills Branch as Customer Relations Assistant, even though she is mostly physically weak, usually hypertensive and anemic as effects of kidney failure. Since the dialysis is already taking a toll on body, she needs to have a kidney transplant in March 2008 that will cost a total expense of P1.83M (or around $43,000.00).
This amount covers the donor, cross-matching, tissue matching, laboratory tests, the actual kidney transplant and monthly medication for anti-rejection within 1 year after operation. Even after the kidney transplant, Gigi will continue to take medicines for the rest of her life.

Through the help of their families, they have raised around P700K ($16,279.00) which they painstakingly saved for the last 3 years. However, they still need around P1.1M (approximately $26,000) to cover all expenses. As volunteer friends from the QC Central Region, we have organized ourselves to help raise awareness and financial support for Mike and Gigi.

We enjoin as many disciples to participate in our fundraising drive entitled ¡§SAGIP BUHAY ¡V Help for Gigi Campaign¡¨. In Metro Manila, we have several activities lined up such as:

„X Prayer and Fasting Chain - We call disciples from different regions in Metro Manila to embark on a prayer and fasting chain from December 2007 to February 2008 for the following specific prayer requests:
o That we are able to raise the money needed for Gigi¡¦s cross-matching procedure, kidney transplant and anti-rejection after the operation.
o That the blood and tissues of Gigi and her donor will match.
o That Gigi¡¦s body will not reject the new kidney.

„X Coin Bank - We believe those P5 or P10 coins can make a big difference. Disciples can get one coin bank for themselves, or even for the whole family. They may deposit those coins directly at Gigi¡¦s bank account or contact the volunteers and we will schedule a pick-up date for their convenience.

„X Tree Planting - By helping Gigi, disciples will also be helping our environment by signing up on our tree planting program. We will plant a tree for every P200 donation for the SAGIP BUHAY Fundraising Campaign.

„X Fun Run - For the health enthusiasts, we are organizing a fun run where disciples could bring their friends and family along. Tickets for the fun run are sold at P200.00 only.

„X Special Pledges - For disciples who are moved to give more, we are very grateful for their special pledges.
For our friends overseas, we ask you to please include Mike and Gigi in your prayers. Should you wish to donate any amount, we will be forever indebted to you for your sacrificial hearts. May we also ask you to forward this to other disciples.

Gigi¡¦s Bank Account Details are as follows:

Peso Savings Account
Account Name: GERALDINE T. CABALLERO
Account No.: 105-343871-2
Bank Name: Chinabank Greenhills Branch

Dollar Savings Account
Swift Code: CHBKPHMM
Account No.: 105-711401-6
Bank Name: China Banking Corporation
Greenhills Branch
Greenhills Shopping Center
San Juan City, M.M. 1502

For more details, please contact:
Ralph Arino (0918-9387550) expertralph@yahoo.com
Vida Ortiz (0917-5455384) vidaortiz@yahoo.com

Thank you very much in advance for your support.

In Christ,

¡§Friends of Gigi¡¨
http://helpforgigi.pilgrimasia.net

VIDA B. ORTIZ