Update #3 on Tom Randall

I just received this from Tom's wife Karen.
Dear Friends,
I’ve talked with Tom several times in the last couple of days and I have a little more information to share with you.
Toto was able to go to the courthouse to pay his bail on his charge of being an accessory to kidnapping. We were hoping to put some land up for bail but that wasn’t accepted so we posted the cash. It was P200,000 or $4,500. We will get that back when this goes to trial on June 8. There is a new judge that was in charge there and he seemed surprised that the prosecutor was even bringing this case forward. He felt it was a weak case. We know it’s a weak case because it’s all a lie!
We are convinced that “they” never wanted this case to go forward but really just wanted Tom so that they would be able to extract a bribe or payoff of some sort. We have a very good trial lawyer that has been helping us so we feel confident that this will be cleared up eventually. Toto is happy and feels good about what is happening. Tom said that he carries his bail receipt in his pocket so he can show it at any time!
Thank you again for praying for Tom and Toto and all the others that are involved. Can you keep it up for a few more days? We have been overwhelmed by your kind words, your promises of prayer, the special verses you have shared with us, and your wise suggestions. Tom will have a lot more to share with us when he gets home. He told me to get ready for another good story! Can’t wait!
Because of Christ,
Karen

Update #2 on Tom Randall

Here is the latest update on Tom. He called me last night and left a voice mail on my phone. I couldn't understand much of it but I think he said the whole thing is a trap. Here is Karen's latest email. Please keep praying. Thanks.

Dear Friends,
Tom arrived in Manila and is now staying somewhere other than Sankey Samaritan. We all felt it would be safer for him.
He’s only been there for a little while but we know more now than we did before. Here is what we know:
• Papers of the original kidnapping case that was dismissed by the Asst. Dist. Attorney were never filed… or at least they are not on file now. There are no records of the dismissal or of the boy’s testimony that Tom or Toto did not kidnap him
• The District Attorney in Lucena City seems to be running the show but we all feel that she is just being used by someone even more powerful. The Asst. District Attorney is not being allowed to be involved in this case.
• The timing of all of this is suspicious. The Supreme Court justice that had helped us before recently retired and it is election season. Many of the officials that might be able to help us are in full campaign mode and are very busy or out of town often.
• At this point there is not an arrest warrant for Tom that we know about. This is odd since with the original case he was the principle one being charged. And this time Toto is being charged as an accessory. That is why Toto’s charge can be a bail situation but if they arrested Tom he would not be allowed to post bail.
• Toto will go to the courthouse today to post bail on his charges. We have decided it is not wise to post cash but are going to attempt to put up a small section of land at Sankey that will cover the amount. We think it will be easier to get the land removed from the bail than it would be to ever see the cash again.
• We are quite sure that the one they are really after is Tom. They have used Toto and this case to get Tom back in the country. I know Tom was praying right up to the last minute about whether or not he should even go back. But he is there and we will go forward with trying to get this settled.
• The two main dangers are if they could actually find Tom and arrest him and hold him in jail without bail or a possible kidnapping for ransom situation.
As you can see we need you to keep praying. This seems overwhelming but we know God knows just what we need to do. Pray for safety, wisdom, that someone will come forward to help, for peace in our hearts and a clear way forward. We love you and appreciate you so much. You are making a difference in our lives and we can feel your prayers. Thank you so much.
Love, Karen

Update on Tom Randall

Here is an update on Tom Randall. I received this from his wife Karen.


Dear Friends,
Today Tom is leaving for the Philippines. We were hoping he wouldn’t have to go and that things would have been solved before he had to get on the plane but it is not happening that way.
We have learned a few details that we can share with you. The amazing thing is that apparently the same kidnapping case from over a year ago is the one being brought forward again. The arrest warrant has to be answered by Thursday and bail can be paid or else a fugitive charge can be added to everything else. Tom arrives Wed. night (Philippines time) so the timing is perfect. Our lawyers are working on getting a change of venue rather than have to work with the police or officials in Lucena City which is where the orphanage is and where the case originated from.
We believe that this is a case of someone targeting Tom. We know it has been an ongoing situation for a number of years but this last year things have been so much more dangerous for him. The Lord has been so good to rescue him each and every time that we can’t believe that He won’t do it again. We do not want to be foolish or arrogant about his safety or take it for granted. We are doing everything we can to keep Tom and Toto safe but still be bold enough to confront whatever man or group this is bringing these false charges.
Just to review for some of you that are new to following our adventures… Over a year ago a kidnapping charge was brought against Tom and Toto in Lucena City. The children being mentioned in the charge are not children at Sankey or any that we have ever dealt with. The sad part is that several boys were actually kidnapped but escaped to tell their story. However, that story was embellished with Tom and Toto’s names and Sankey Samaritan as the place by the police who were the ones writing up the boys’ stories. One of the boys came forward and testified to the Asst. Dist. Attorney in Lucena City that Tom and Toto were not the men who kidnapped him and that he had never been to Sankey Samaritan. At that time the Asst. Dist. Attorney dismissed the case only to have it reinstated later by the District Atty. We ended up going all the way to the Supreme Court Justice Puno’s office for help. He immediately put enough pressure on local officials that the case was dropped. He retired a while back and here we are again.
We know that to hear a made up case that has been dismissed and is now being brought forward again is confusing. We are confused, too. But we also recognize that God is bigger than all of this. Pray that we would keep our eyes focused on Him through all of this. We are so grateful for you, you’re choosing to stand with us, and for your persistent prayers for all involved.
Tom has had a verse come into his mind for the last several days. It’s Proverbs 16:18. “Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.” These prideful and haughty men that are bringing these charges are going to fall. It’s only a matter of time!
Tom shared at the Champions Tour Fellowship Friday evening about spiritual warfare. He was talking about being ready with our armor to fight the battles that come our way. He mentioned that the only place the enemy can get us is in our back while we are running away! Tom isn’t one to run away and we know you aren’t either. Thank you for your loyalty to us, to our heavenly Father, and to the children of Sankey Samaritan Orphanage.
Because of Christ,
Karen and Tom

Pray For Tom

Many of you know Tom Randall. He is a dear friend who served as a missionary for years in the Philippines. The last big story about Tom was when there was a conspiracy to extort money from him by having him arrested for kidnapping in the Philippines. Tom has built numerous churches and several orphanages in different provinces in the Philippines. That story ended with a Supreme Court Justice exonerating Tom and exposing the conspiracy. Several police officers and at least one judge lost their jobs because of their involvement. Last Monday that Supreme Court Justice retired. Yesterday Tom called me to tell me there was a warrant issued for his arrest again. His friend Toto who runs his orphanage has gone into hiding until Tom can get to the Philippines. Tom leaves Monday. He asked me to pray but before we hung up he said, "All I know is that this is going to be another great story. I can't wait to see what God is going to do." Please pray for Tom and his wife Karen who will be home. Tom doesn't know how long it will take or where it will take him. He knows he is traveling in the middle of the hand of God and that is enough. Thanks for praying. I will keep you informed as I know more.

Surprise!

I didn't blog last week. I was traveling to Florida to speak at a church in Key Largo. I know, it sounds like a drag but somebody had to do it. The friends who invited us also invited my daughter and grandson to join us. I decided to make it a surprise for my wife Karen. My daughter, son-in-law, and grandson live in Virginia so my wife has been pining for them since Christmas which is when we saw them last. Rachel and Liam were going to connect with us in Atlanta. Karen and I landed in Atlanta. There had been a baby on our flight and I used the baby to stoke the pining already evident in my wife's heart. We disembarked and began our way to our connecting gate. Rachel and Liam jumped out from behind a pillar and I thought Karen was going to explode. It was exactly what I hoped it would be except Karen began hugging Rachel so tightly she left a permanent mark on her neck. There are few things better than a good surprise. I have been studying the end of the Gospel of Matthew to prepare for the Easter series here at church. At the very end after Jesus has appeared to his disciples after the resurrection he says, "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the earth." That is the way it reads in the old King James edition of the Bible. The word "Lo" is the greek word idou. It is also translated "surely" or "behold". I read one commentator who said the word really means "surprise!" I like that. Jesus is resurrected and he gathers his disciples together and gives them the great commission. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you and Surprise!! I am going with you even to the end of the world." If there has ever been a great surprise that must have been it. After feeling like they had lost Jesus a few days before as he hung on the cross, here the disciples are told they will never be without him again. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ the really good news is that he is with you today. Surprise!! Even if you don't usually like surprises you have to love this one.

Stones to Bread: A Word From the Father

I just re-read the account of Jesus temptation. The first temptation really struck me as strange. I guess it always has. Jesus had been fasting in the desert. After 40 days Satan comes to him and tempts him to turn the stones into bread. Why would that be a sin? Especially since as soon as he comes out of the desert he goes to a wedding and turns water into wine. Now that's a problem. If you didn't know anything about the Bible and I told you that Jesus was going to be tempted which of those would you guess was the temptation? Water into wine seems like such an obvious choice for a temptation it seems like a no brainer. And it would be fairly easy to resist. Of course you wouldn't turn water into wine. But stones into bread? Jesus would multiply loaves and fish in a couple of months. Why is it a sin in the desert and a miracle on the hillside? I think the temptation was to fill his deepest need at the moment with his own power. Jesus responded to that temptation by saying,"Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." The last thing Jesus heard God say before going into the desert was, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Satan was offering Jesus a way to fill himself up. If I am right then that is the way Satan tempts me as well. All around me are stones he is telling me to turn into bread and try to use to fill myself with. My job. Satan says, "Take work Joe and fill yourself up with it. Put your value into what you do and not what God says about you." Or take your family or your children, or your possessions, or a hundred other things and use them to fill the emptiness. Everywhere I look there are stones waiting to be turned to bread. But Jesus tells me something else and he tells you something else. He tells us how the Father feels about us. He says, "Listen to the voice of the Father and let his love sink down into the hollow places. Hear how he loves you. Even as the Father loved me so he loves you now." Let that be food for your soul. Let this be your daily bread.

Feelings, Bruises, and the Healing of Grace

I am a piece of work. Let's get that out on the table right away. I was having a discussion with my wife the other day. It doesn't really matter what it was about. We didn't agree. It wasn't a disagreement where one of us did something to the other. It was a legitimate difference in opinion. I was surprised she didn't agree with me. I have over the years evidently adopted a fairly high view of my thinking process because it always seems like it surprises me when someone doesn't agree with me. This time I did not seem able to persuade her. She really thought she was right. I know, it seems mind boggling. Just think how I felt. Anyway, I found as we moved on through the day there was something inside of me that didn't feel the same. It was like something deep inside of me had been hit or bumped and now I was feeling the impact of a bruise. We talk about our feelings being hurt. But feelings don't have nerve endings or broken blood vessels. Feelings don't get charlie horses. So, what is it? I remember hearing a pastor say that whenever your feelings get hurt it is not your feelings but your pride. Pride is one of sins in the Bible that is listed among the most heinous. It is listed in the 7 deadly sins and in my opinion the most deadly. Pride is a movement away from God. Always. The good news is that pride is so sensitive it bruises very easily. If it didn't bruise so easily I might be able to convince myself that I don't have it or have finally gotten the best of pride. I could convince myself that I finally believe the Gospel at such a deep level that I am living completely on the love and grace of God my Father. But I was bruised just a couple of days ago by as gentle a woman as I know. I ended up having to tell her about the pride. It is the only way to deal with it. So, today if you have hurt feelings, now you know what is really wrong. It stinks doesn't it? But bruises are a gift in themselves and the good news is Jesus calls himself the great physician. We can take our bruised self to him and he can make us whole. Such is the wonder of grace and the power of the love of God