One of the highlights of my Holy Week was watching the true story of Joy Tan-Chi Mendoza on TV yesterday. She was a good, very innocent, teenage girl: never had a boyfriend, never been kissed, etc. But then a group of thugs broke into the family home, tied up her siblings (their parents were away), stolen their goods…and then the worst nightmare happened: they (7-8 of them) violated her innocence by raping her. That’s not the end of this tragic yet amazing story, because from rape and tragedy comes forgiveness and victory. 
This indeed is the true to life Joy Tan-Chi Mendoza story, and I’m so glad I found the video on youtube. It’s divided into four parts, and I will feature all of them here. WATCH IT!!! I know the story even before the TV reenactment of it, but it’s here where we see where the impact to the family, even many years later, is still so evident and poignant. Enjoy—and prepare to be moved to the very core, as this is one of the greatest examples of the adage that God uses even the most horrible of events for great good.
As the video said, Joy also has a beautiful blog called Teach With Joy, where she shares various tips on parenting, homeschooling, and, most importantly, the goodness of God. Check that out, and like the blog's facebook page as well.
For those who have been around my site for some time, you’d know that Peter Tan-Chi is the senior pastor of the church I go to, Christ’s Commission Fellowship or CCF for short. My family goes to the CCF church in Cagayan de Oro City, where we are active in various ministries there.
Peter Tan-Chi is also one of the greatest parenting speakers in this country. He, with Francis Kong, has done two huge events here in CDO, Parenting Winners in 2010, and iChange/ParenTEEN just last year. Here’s my secret: just about every parenting lesson you get from this site is from what he has said AND done (see here, and here). That’s how much I look up to this family, and that’s why Joy's story moves me so (I look up to Joy and Edric a lot as well). I will end this blog entry with some books for you in case you are also going through your own season of strife. These can further speak into your life and help you process it. God bless you all, and continue to enjoy your Holy Week. Remember, we’re celebrating a weekend that changed the world forever. Here’s my favorite song for this Holy Week, The Anthem by Planetshakers, to put an exclamation point why this week is so special. This song just nails it.
Recommended Reading:
- Where Is God When It Hurts?
- God Will Use This for Good: Surviving the Mess of Life
- Changes That Heal: The Four Shifts That Make Everything Better...And That Anyone Can Do by Henry Cloud (July 31 1997)
- Disappointment With God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud
