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| Get to know the Lamar Team | |
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Missionary Care Team
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Missionaries:
Location:
Philippines
Team Background: Ministry Description: My name is Catherine April Lamar. I was named after my sweet grandmother, Catherine diGesu, devoted wife of my dear grandfather Mario diGesu. I was born April 16 , 1995. Though I was born in Moriarty, New Mexico, we soon moved to the Philippines where I was raised. We lived like any other Filipino family. I have two older brothers, Dave Jonathan diGesu Lamar (DJ) and Micah Ishmael Lamar. My parents are Celestino Madla Lamar (Filipino) and Lorraine Rose diGesu Lamar (American). My parents met and married as missionaries and we take pride in continuing the family tradition of serving. My mom’s vision as a young girl was inspired by Mother Teresa. My dad, raised in a traditional Filipino family, was committed to serving God and his country. The Lord’s grace and mercy has enabled them to become a shining example of His love. Their every move is directed by Him through prayer. We have always lived by humble means because God has always provided our every need. By trusting Him my parents have been able to share His love with His children in need. Mom began her ministry in prisons towing along her 3 young kids as she went. Watching my mother share God’s Word with prisoners was a tremendous inspiration and we admired her so much we were happy to be with her wherever she went. My father was a constant support when he wasn’t busy dealing with the physical needs of our family. It seems like he was always building, repairing, cleaning, or planting something around our home. In the course of their ministry my parents met many influential people and fellow missionaries. Conversations about initiating a venture into orphans’ ministries soon became a reality when an angel of God provided the necessary financial support. Within a year, buildings began popping up on the property we acquired. The greatest blessing of all was when the children began arriving. My parents soon became Mommy and Daddy to a group of dazed, confused, frightened children. These kids were the products of abusive and neglected environments. Many had been abandoned. The intense pain and suffering some of these kids experienced made it easy to understand their sorrow and anger and feeling of hopelessness. My brothers Dj and Micah and myself were now blessed with an extended family that would change our lives forever. Our new lifestyle became a daily routine of feeding, clothing, sheltering, educating, and sharing God’s love and mercy with our new siblings. We became their second family. In time these precious young souls became healthy, beautiful children and we couldn’t be more thankful that God allowed us to be a part of it. My brothers and I grew up alongside these kids as if it were what God intended from the start. Three years and 30 children later the family ministry was disrupted by outside influences. But our all-knowing God had other plans for our family. Leaving the children and the ministry was the most challenging and difficult experience we’ve ever had. Our hearts were shattered. As a six-year-old I could not understand why my father was left behind while my mother, brothers and I went back to the United States. My mother became an empty shell of the happy, loving person I’d always known. Suddenly, my family was lost and I didn’t know why. We were now homeless and confused in a new land as my father waited to get a visa so he could join us. Our only option at the time was to stay with Mommy’s family in New Mexico as we pondered our future, praying and seeking God’s guidance. The original plan to start over in the States fell apart one day when Daddy called and jokingly said “I got it! I got it!” For a brief moment we thought he’d be coming home and then he said “I got denied”. I think it was his way of trying to comfort us in a disappointing situation. But we forgot the one thing you must never forget. God is always in control and His new plan was about to unfold. My incredibly dedicated and courageous parents were considering the possibility of taking a tremendous leap of faith and starting a new ministry. In 2002, Daddy purchased a much larger property than we had before with the proceeds from the sale of the orphanage. Our family now had property with no structures but we had been blessed with a new start in the place we were most comfortable and loved with all our hearts. We were coming home! When Daddy brought us to see the property we got lost. Mommy asked, “Celing, you bought property and you don’t know where it is?” We were out in the middle of a jungle filled with trees and bushes and somewhere we had some land! We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but without question we were extremely excited. When we finally located the lot my brothers and I ran through the grass and were having fun. We loved it! Little did DJ, Micah and I know that we were roaming and exploring on the site of our future home and ministry, Faith, Hope &Love Kids’ Ranch. Our parents had made the decision to begin again. This time my parents would have the control they needed to conduct the ministry the way they saw fit, the way they believed God appointed it. None of this would have been possible without the loving, generous support of my grandparents, Poppy and Nanny. The work began with machetes, a weed-eater and five pairs of willing, eager hands. We mowed and cut and cleared the forest for a full year while Daddy began constructing our new home with the help of my uncles and brothers. At the same time Mommy and Daddy were actively pursuing authorization for operating a new orphanage. The first three kids who arrived were brothers. Our new journey had begun. I was still the only girl. In time we grew to 40 precious boys and girls who share God’s love and compassion every single day with the comfort only He provides. We are now in our 8th year as He continues to sustain us all. I consider myself the luckiest, most blessed girl on the face of this earth. I would not change a single thing about my family or my life. God has blessed me beyond what I can comprehend or deserve but I know it’s because He loves me. I hope to one day follow in my mother’s footsteps if it is God’s will. Mommy, Daddy, my handsome, talented, irreplaceable brothers and the kids here now mean the world to me. I thank the LORD for them and our ministry every day. Our Father in Heaven holds us all in His arms and I pray He always will. Prayer Concerns: 1. We need to finish the Bible School to be used by the end of June till Dec.. First batch of 12 Filipino Pastors from the province. 2. The souls of the Mothers that came and heard the good news that they would attend on Saturday to keep the seed watered. 3. My daughter started getting allergic reactions from fish and chicken. She has been eating fish and chicken her whole life.! Adulthood I guess! 4. Dj is getting ready to meet with a talent manager soon to fix the contract. 5. My 2 sisters and their families are coming this month. Health and safety! 6. The Government is trying to push through with putting the orphaned & abandoned kids up for adoption. Our fhl kids aren’t too happy about it. This is the first time they’ve found real love, peace and joy in their lives. Praise Reports: Team Needs: Contact via eMail |
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