by Pastor Rachel Yu
Last September 22, we lost a dear church planter named Pastor Jessa Lachica, assigned at Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro. She’s the youngest daughter of Rev. Salvador and Clarita Lachica. She’s resilient and strong in the Lord. She had a big heart for church planting seen in her own church and in more than ten cell churches she supervised.
Unexpectedly, on the first week of August, she was diagnosed with ovarian malignancy. She narrated that she doesn’t experience any severe pain but she complained of body feebleness. Due to lack of facilities in Calapan, Mindoro, we asked her to have further checkup in Manila. When the doctor did the laboratories and examination, it was in an advance stage.
She was then admitted at East Avenue Medical Center on September 5. During her hospitalization she was so calm and thankful to God, people, and especially JECPP for giving her the opportunity to serve God.
After 18 days in the hospital, the Lord took her home. It was a peaceful departure. She didn’t suffer long. After a week of wake at her hometown at Pinamalayan, she was buried on September 29, 2016. Family, church members and friends poured out all the help they could give from the first day of wake until the burial.
God saw Pastor Jessa’s hand getting tired and a cure was no more coming. So God put His arms around Pastor Jessa, and whispered “Come to Me”. Although we want her to linger, we could not make her stay. A golden heart stopped beating; hardworking hands are now at rest.
The Lachica family expressed their deep thanks to Rev. Dr. Robert Lim, to Rev. Peter Wee and Rev. Andrew Kwong for flying all the way from Mindanao and for sharing challenging and moving messages during the memorial service, and to the whole JECPP family for their utmost support right from her hospitalization until the Lord took her.
Let me quote one of her favorite verse: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
To God be the Glory!!!
