Stones of Remembrance

By Raquel Reyes Major

Raquel Reyes Major has been walking with God for over eight decades, taking His word to heart, committing her life to Him, and trusting that He was always there, even when it seemed like He wasn’t.

In an inspirational retelling of her life journey, Major begins by sharing insight into how she first came to know God through Jesus Christ at an early age, and then chronicles her experiences as a young missionary teacher in a Muslim area in the Southern Philippines, her emigration to the United States, her leadership as a pastor’s wife and missionary who served God in Indonesia and Germany, and then her work in government and with politicians in the San Francisco City Hall. Throughout her stones of remembrance, Major relays beautiful stories and life lessons that candidly reveal how she met the challenges of her varied experiences by drawing strength, direction, and wisdom from her faith in God.

“… A beautiful tapestry of one life unveiled, revealed. Through the author’s simple, powerful, picturesque words, we see glimpses of her keen eye, understanding heart, thoughtful musings, and an unswerving faith and love for the living and personal God.”
—Lina Luz Castaneda, MD

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385000081

Raquel Reyes Major

Raquel Reyes Major was born and raised in the Philippines and emigrated to the United States in 1969. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Philippines, a professional paralegal certificate from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taken courses at Gateway Seminary in California. Now retired from varied roles such as teacher, pastor’s wife, and foreign missionary, Major blogs and spends time with the family cat, Ambar. This is her second book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Raquel Reyes Major.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of

people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0007-4 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0008-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023910279

WestBow Press rev. date: 06/08/2023

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible,

New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978,

1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan.

All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV

and New International Version are trademarks registered in the

United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy

Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by

Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House

Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy

Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a

publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All

rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication

made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV

may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) taken from the (NASB®) New

American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The

Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright

© 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

REVIEWS

Rainbow. When white sunlight hits a collection of raindrops at a fairly low angle, you can see the component colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet—a rainbow. (Wikipedia) This collection of stories is so many raindrops that paint the rainbow colors of joy and beauty and, yes, the mystery of the often-hidden work of God’s ever-present providential love and care in the seemingly uneventful situations and events of daily life. When you see the rainbow, you don’t see the sun, but you never doubt the sun is there. Even so, back of these stories, the author is telling us (not in a pushy way) that God is the Source, Guide, and Goal of everything in her life. A truly inspiring read.

—Pastor Bien A. Llobrera

Retired Southern Baptist pastor

Author of the New Life DiscipleshipSeries

I loved this book, from page to page, story to story, journeying with her to various events and places. What a joy to read and be part of each story! I am praying for this book to be used for Christ and His kingdom’s glory.

—Angie Bessenbacher

MOPS program mentor

IVCF Phil. Advisory Board

My mind was flooded with fond memories as I read through the pages you now hold in your hand. In 1976, my wife, Lynn, and I lived in Batu, East Java, for one year when Don and Raquel joined our loosely knit mission team in Indonesia. Soon they moved to Batu to continue their study of language and culture.

I remember sitting for hours, often in the house called Pondok Palem, around a table surrounded by windows overlooking a small orchard of dwarf apple trees. There, Don, Raquel, Lynn, and I would talk about faith, life, and our desire to see God’s kingdom advance in Indonesia.

These pages reveal what we knew then: Raquel and Don loved the Lord, loved people, and longed to grow in their commitment to and service to their Savior. We talked about life experiences. From our southern US roots grew a history different from theirs in California and the Philippines, but we spoke of the Word and the Savior that bound us closer than shared culture ever could.

As I read the stories Raquel shares here, I often recalled the back story with great appreciation for my friends who desire, above all else, to know and make known the Author of lives worth living. I am grateful for learning of experiences in their adventures with the Lord previously unknown to me.

I would love for my friends to know my friends. This book provides an excellent opportunity for some to meet Raquel and Don and learn how God is faithfully present in all life activities as we walk with Raquel through life in far-flung places. Her faith shines through, displayed in her awareness of God’s loving presence and strength.

—Dennis Free

Missionary to Indonesia 1976 to present

Church of Christ/Christian Churches

Stones of Remembrance is a delightful invite, an easy read, and a treat. It’s a book of stories worthy to be written and worthy of being read. It is a beautiful tapestry of one life unveiled, revealed. Through the author’s simple, powerful, picturesque words, we see glimpses of her keen eye, understanding heart, thoughtful musings, and unswerving faith and love for the living and personal God.

Behind all the stories, we see the Master Artist at work, intricately and skillfully weaving the colorful, varied, textured strands of life. They intertwined with other lives creating the unique and excellent design of one beloved daughter’s life.

Get ready to enjoy a reflection of the goodness, faithfulness, and greatness of her God, the Master Artist, Father, and Friend.

—Lina Luz Castañeda, MD

Retired psychiatrist

I read the musings, pondering, and unique experiences in the first sitting to understand the story. The second time, I looked carefully at the crafting and mistakenly thought of suggesting changing a voice or using an active instead of passive mode. But instead, the charm of the passage made me blush with embarrassment ever to entertain such a thought! In the third reading, I was there with the author in every happening, living it with her, weeping, laughing, and hurting. I’m so proud of Don and Raquel for their loving and sincere submission to the Lord of the harvest even as they took the spoiling of their goods cheerfully in times of great trial and walked by faith in Christ’s leadership.

These readings have blessed my soul! I’m sure God has a ministry to many others for strengthening and encouragement, to be not just fans of Jesus but faithful followers. On a personal note, the memories on page 93 have caught the real desires and goals of the ministry God has given to the Philippine Evangelical Enterprises Inc. here in Southern Mindanao. Thank you.

—Marilee Barker

Missionary to the Philippines (1952–2022)

A Love Note

(May 2022)

Marilee Barker goes home to Jesus: You should know better than grieve over my going home to Jesus, Rocks. I can almost hear her upbraiding me. Ten days ago, Marilee Barker left, and with her departure, I lost my last spiritual umbrella. My usual loquacious self finds it difficult to write about her and all she has meant to me.

In 1962, God put this nineteen-year-old, very wet-behind-the-ears, idealistic, and too often unrealistic fresh college graduate in her hands. Marilee educated her on what a God-committed life ought to be, modeling moments of strength and weakness, allowing God’s work on her life through joy and pain. She taught me things such as don’t stir your pancake batter too much; otherwise, your pancakes will be tough. I asked, What do you do when people you love and serve hurt you? She replied without batting an eyelash, You love them just the same. Her I have cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven and freshly brewed coffee was an invitation to open my heart to her with what pained me at the moment. My rides in the cab of the blue Chevrolet PEEI truck, as I sat between her and her husband Jared, were three-person conferences on the state of the schools, the mission, or the church.

Marilee and Jared were forever doing for others under the radar of public applause. Rey Halili, the publisher of my book on their missionary endeavors, hardly knew the Barkers, but after learning about their sixty-year ministry in Mindanao and its impact, he felt they should be publicly recognized. He invited Marilee and Jared to come to Manila for an award ceremony. The Barkers told me they could not understand it and turned it down. Marilee and Jared did what they did with their lives exclusively for the audience of ONE.

Rest well, Mom Barker, and bask in the glory of God’s presence. I will miss your FB notes but will cherish your memory etched in our conversations, your counsel and corrections (Rocks, it’s coddle, not cuddle), the songs you’ve loved to sing or hum, the cooking tips you’ve shared with me, and best of all, the life model I was so blessed to see ringside.

See you in the morning, Mom B!

—Rocks

DEDICATION

image1.jpg

To

Iluminada C. Reyes (Lu)

(November 21, 1932 to January 13, 2023)

She lived out 1 Corinthians 13. Her life and words reflected Christ in that order. She told a young pastor, Don’t let your studies for your sermons substitute for your devotional time with God. To a friend extremely worried about a big tax bill: Give it to Jesus. He can take care of that. To a manager having personnel problems: Prayer works. To one whose kindness was returned with meanness and ingratitude by the one she helped: We don’t help people expecting something in return, not even gratitude. We do it because God wants us to.

The house in Queens, New York, that she shared with our sister Ruth was a temporary home to many new Philippine immigrants to the city, a shelter for single ladies seeking direction in their lives, a refuge for young lives trying to find themselves and to just about anyone needing shelter, support, love, and nurturing. This house was full of laughter, love, and food! There was always homemade food for the hungry and love for those Lu touched with her 1 Corinthians 13 life.

On Sunday mornings, her smiling face and a warm cup of coffee welcomed churchgoers to the West Manhattan Church of Christ in Hell’s Kitchen, a New York district made famous by the movie West Side Story. This was a church started by our pastor brother Terry. Her reach went beyond the cups of coffee because her Christlike life and the gospel went with them.

I’ve always wanted to be like her when I grew up.

J. R. R. Tolkien—I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.¹

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Learning from Life

Life’s Meaning

The Life-Changer

Choices

A Father’s Legacy

Her Quiet Strength

A Love Affair

Husband, Dad, Grandpa

The Promise of John 11

The Fog Rolls In (and a plane turns around)

A Muslim Hadji from Batu

Motherhood

Shaking a Fist at God

Cruising down the Danube

Forty Years Together

A Vignette

Sipping Cappuccinos Together

For Want of a Clothesline

Kaleidoscope

A Prayer for My President

In the Shadow of Death

When Silence Speaks Loudly

Paradigm Shifts

The Ode

Berlin, Spring 2010

One Lovely Rainy Day

Have You Lost Your Umbrella?

Remembrances

Dream Unfulfilled

Learning from People

Imago Dei

Think of the Babies

In the Matter of Race

Beyond the Comfort Zones

A Good and Faithful Servant

Mary’s Plant Hospital

My Friend’s Story

Haus No. 43 on Marienburger Allée, Charlottenberg

Kristy’s Story

Sent to Bless

God in Control

Take-Away from Steve Jobs

God’s Loving-Kindness

That We May Win Some

My Two Cents’ Worth

Learning to Listen

The Artisan

Riding the 8X Muni

Little Acts of Kindness that Dot My Day

Zechariah at 2:30 a.m.

The Millennial Church

An Act of Courage

Making Like Tourists

We Don’t Make Misteaks Here

The Business of Making Memories

Coffee Shop Denizens

Languages, Languages

U-Turns and Turnarounds

Called to Die

A Second Sight

I Love Stories

Books, coffee, and more …

My Granny Chair

Listening to Lao Tzu

Epilogue

Bibliography

About the Author

FOREWORD

For many years, I’ve worked with Christian publishing. When I retired from my administrative position with OMF Literature, my desire to find and grow Christian writers did not cease. Through mutual friends, Raquel Reyes Major came to my attention. She graduated with a degree in journalism and literature. Upon graduation from the prime state university in the Philippines, she chose to teach in a rural Christian school in Southern Philippines. Years later, she wrote about this colorful adventure. Her Woven by the Hands of God was the first book I published in my retirement. She has since become my pro bono literary tutor, model, and publishing consultant and has edited a couple of my books.

In a witty and lively style, this latest book chronicles her varied experiences, events, encounters, and incidents in her life in the USA, marriage to an American pastor, and growing a family, a career, and life.

How one does that and writes about it in an engaging and lighthearted manner awaits the reader.

—Rey Halili

Wingspread Publications

Joshua 4:1–7 NIV

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.

In the future, when your children ask you, What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.

PREFACE

Stones of remembrance, Lee blurted, as if the proverbial lightbulb suddenly lit, just like when the Israelites crossed the Jordan, you know, the story from Joshua.

I mulled it over a bit and said it a few times, Yes, I agreed. I like that.

This happened years ago when my good friend Lee Davis and I shared our experiences of God’s goodness. We were working at the San Francisco Peninsula Baptist Association at the time. We felt that our experiences with God should be written about and shared.

About two years later, Bob MacLean, a missionary with Don and me in Indonesia, suggested that I compile into a book the blogs I’ve been writing for several years. I took his suggestion. I was then reminded of my conversation with my friend Lee years earlier. I felt that it was the appropriate title for this book. Thank you, Lee. I couldn’t have thought of a better title.

Eighty-one years of life is a long time. God has packed it full for me. Old folks like me have many stories to tell if anyone would care to listen.

I have picked up stones memorializing God’s goodness. These are the stories of God’s blessings and dealings, which at times brought pain but were meant for my good. There have been many beginnings, milestones, turnarounds, meetings, and partings. There have been pain and healing, rejection and redemption, successes, and failures, but through it all, God kept His promise to me when I was a young college graduate in search of my place under the sun. The LORD will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forever. (Psalm 121:7–8