Posts Tagged ‘David & Emily Diaso’

God Speaks Through Dates

Posted: May 26, 2022 in Christianity, Family Happenings, Ministry, Prayer, Reflections & Musings
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A Special Day for Our Family
Our family at David & Emily’s wedding – Jonathan, Hannah, Grandma Alice Moore, Dawn, David Jr., Emily, David Sr., Grandpa Ron Diaso

I’m getting this out late, because I was driving up to Fresno most of the day, but I wanted to get it out before I went to bed.

Today is a very special day for my family two years ago today my dad moved to heaven and three years ago today our son David married Emily. It’s their third anniversary.

This year especially God has been speaking to me and using the important dates of our biological and spiritual family. For example, our granddaughter, Serafina was born on April 29 and God gave me Jeremiah 29:11 and Ephesians 4:29 – starting with verse with 26 to 30.

God’s Good Promises

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Today I feel like God is giving me Ephesians 5:26 and the verses surrounding it. This passage emphasizes the importance of being filled with the Spirit and it also speaks about marriage. The wife is to respect her husband and the husband needs to show love to his wife as Christ loves the church. This is a perfect love without blemish. The wife cannot be truly successful in respecting her husband well if she is not filled with the Spirit. The husband cannot show unconditional love to his wife if he is not filled with the Spirit.

The Spirit makes all the difference!

If I am honest even in my own life I know that there are things I can do better to love my beloved wife, Dawn in a way that honors Christ. I’d like to encourage each of you to be filled with the Spirit. Grow in the Spirit. For those who are married, love your spouse like Christ loves the church, show respect like Christ and even forgive like Christ that way you will be filled with joy in this life.

Ronald J. Diaso – Life in the Spirit
Ronald John Diaso – 6/19/1935-5/26/2020

I find it special that my dad affirmed his faith just before he moved to heaven. God made it clear to us that he was filled with the Spirit as he confessed his sins and prayed to receive Christ forgiveness just days before he parted this world. Another special memory is that David and Emily called my dad the day before he died and told him that they wanted to name their first daughter, Serafina. My great grandmother was also named Serafina. That brought tears to my dad’s eyes. God has blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter who was born in April 29 of 2021..

A Christ Centered Marriage

It’s also encouraging that this passage in Ephesians 5 that it speaks about a Christ centered and a Spirit filled marriage on David and Emily’s anniversary!

David & Emily – Married on 5/26/2019

I pray daily for David and Emily’s marriage. I do the same for Jonathan and Hannah’s marriage. I trust that God hears and he watches over them and protects them. Hallelujah! Amen!

Join us in prayer for our family!

Ephesians 5:18-30

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.”

Ephesians‬ ‭5:18-30‬ ‭ESV‬‬
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In His Grip, Dave
BeyondBordersLife.org

The Excitement of New Life: Serafina

Posted: March 30, 2021 in Family Happenings, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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Thrilled About Serafina

Baby Shower in Colorado for David & Emily and littler Serafina!

New life brings excitement, and we are thrilled about the soon arrival of our first granddaughter, Serafina Grace Diaso. She is our oldest son, David and his wife, Emily’s first child. We just can’t wait to meet her.

Last week Dawn and I were in Colorado Springs for the baby shower. The event took place on March 21st, the first day of Spring. Wouldn’t you know that it snowed! That’s Colorado for you. Although I must admit that the snow did make for a beautiful setting.

We all had a fun time with our family celebrating David and Emily and the coming of Serafina.

While we on our way to Colorado we got some disappointing news, and I took some time to pray in route. As I prayed the Lord encouraged me. He reminded me that Serafina is due at the end of April which is the same month that Dawn and Hannah were born in. I believe that the Lord’s hand is on little Serafina in a special way and that the Lord is going to bless our family and many others through her. Our Papa God is going to use her to bring healing to our family. The healing and the blessing will extend beyond our family.

I don’t feel like this is wishful thinking, I believe the Lord was encouraging me in this way as we flew and headed towards Colorado. Thank you, Jesus for caring for our family and these details!

Dawn and I had such a good time visiting our family, David & Emily and Jonathan & Hannah.

A Special Gift That Made Me Cry

Hannah Elizabeth Diaso and the engraved bracelet

We shared a special meal with David and Emily on one of our first evenings in the Springs . David made some delicious tamales. He’s become quite a cook, and he specializes in Mexican cuisine, which we all love!

When we finished eating David and Emily gave me an unbelievable gift. It was so amazing it made me cry. They gave me a bracelet with something our daughter, Hannah had written before she moved to heaven. It’s also engraved with Hannah’s actual handwriting. Tears formed in my eyes as I read what it said, and Dawn also began to cry when she read what Hannah had written.

It says, “Dear Lord this is what I long for I wanna be where you are! I can’t wait to go home with you and live in happiness all fo the days of my life. I love you! Amen.”

When Hannah wrote this entry in her journal she referenced Psalm 27:4. “The one thing I ask of the Lord— the one thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple” (NLT).

It warmed my heart fo read what Hannah had written. It was like a kiss from heaven. A reminder that God was preparing her heart to go home to be with Him in the days and months leading up to her sudden departure. We miss her so much, but we are thankful for the hope that we have in Christ. Hallelujah!

Give thanks with me for new life, and the assurance of the Lord’s good work!

Extend Your Hands to Help Our Familia!

Our Familia on the Big Island!

Before I say goodbye, I’d like to remind you of the ongoing and tremendous needs on the Big Island. I just received a note from a pastor today that told me that his $25 USD monthly salary was only enough to buy a package of coffee, some cooking oil and a package of detergent. Can you imagine living on that!?! How can you feed your family? on top of the exorbitant prices, they are having to wait in line for 5 to 8 hours to buy these products, when and if they are available.

Please extend your hands to help these beautiful families, our familia.

Donate today by clicking on the button below! Thank you!

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In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

Sorrow, Redemption & Restoration

Posted: October 15, 2020 in Christianity, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Reflections & Musings
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Remembering Hannah
Hannah Elizabeth Diaso

Last week Dawn and I went on our first ministry trip since the coronavirus hit. Next week we will be traveling to La Paz, Mexico to meet with our church planters. Things are slowly opening up. At first, I was going to write a post more focused on our ministry activities and all that the Lord is doing, but this morning as I was praying the Lord reminded me that this Sunday, October 18th will mark four years since our daughter, Hannah died (or as we like to say, she moved to heaven). It is less painful when we say she moved to heaven.

It wasn’t that I had forgotten that we were coming upon this painful day of remembrance, it was more that it was highlighted to me this morning. I began to reflect, and I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my reflections with you here.

My Reflections About Hannah & Our Healing
Hannah & Dave

This is what I wrote in my journal today, and I feel a little like I’m opening up my soul to you. What’s going on inside of me.

My prayer to the Lord, “this is a hard week as we remember Hannah moved to heaven. I miss her so much, and I wish that it wasn’t true. I wish there was something that I could do to turn back the clock and change it all. Sadly, that is not an option.

Life has not been easy without Hannah. We do have our hope of heaven. Our hope of seeing her again. We have the hope of knowing she is with Jesus, filled with joy. Now both of my parents have joined her.

After Hannah died I hoped that we’d get a pass on the hard things in life, but that has not been the case. Both of our boys, David and Jonathan have battled with some significant health issues over the last year. Dawn has struggled to sleep at night. It’s not been easy!

In our ministry I do believe that we’ve seen an increase and a deepening. I’m encouraged by what the Lord is doing. Yet, that’s not to say that we haven’t faced opposition and difficulties along the way.

The Lord’s Redeeming Work!
David Jr., Hannah & Jonathan

The Lord is good! He is faithful and that has gotten us through. We live between these two worlds of faith and hope on the one side and trials and difficulties on the other.

I continue to pray for the Lord’s redeeming and restorative work. I do believe that we have seen a measure of that. We’ve grown to know the Him in ways I doubt we would have ever grown to know Him. Yet, I wish it didn’t have to be this way.

I love that Jesus is called the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief this is comforting. There are passages in the Bible that I used to skim over that have become alive to me.

Confident That Jesus Will Complete What He Started
Hannah’s headstone

This morning in my devotional reading I happened to be reading Philippians 1. I’ve always been drawn to Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” In fact, this verse is inscribed on Hannah’s headstone.

As I continued to read through Philippians 1 today I was struck with Paul’s struggle as he longed to be with Christ in heaven, but felt it was better for the church that he stay longer.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;  but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,  so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Philippians 1:21-26 NIV (emphasis mine)

I love Paul’s passion for Christ. I pray that I would share that burning love. Hannah’s death forced me to think about life and death in ways that I had never contemplated. There’s a sense in which it woke me up to the hope and the realities of heaven.

As I mentioned above I’ve prayed for the Lord’s work of healing in our lives. I believe the Lord has and is answering that prayer through special people who have become like family to us. I wrote about our Mija Monse in my last post. The Lord has given us some wonderful family in Mexico and Cuba. Friends who we minister with and encourage that often call us dad and mom. I don’t fully understand, but that does fill us up. I believe in many ways that these relationships are only going to grow and deepen. The Lord is going to continue to expand our spiritual family, which also extends our reach. I praise the Lord for His tender and loving mercy shown through our familia.

Serafina Grace
David Jr. all smiles as he is looking on during Emily’s ultrasound of Serafina!

One way that we’ve recently experienced the Lord’s healing work of restoration is that David and Emily told us we are going to be grandparents to a baby girl! Our first grandchild! And the news came at a good time. It lightened the load in way as we head into this season when we remember when Hannah departed from this world.

David and Emily told us that they would like to name their daugther, Serafina Grace. I love all the thought they put into this name. Serafina is Italian and Spanish for Seraphim. One of the angels of God. The Seraphim or Serafina angels surround God’s throne and worship Him. They are referred to in Isaiah 6.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah 6:1-3 NIV

One of the reasons David and Emily want to name their daughter Serafina is since Hannah is in heaven it’s a way to honor her and remember her. Serafina was also the name of one of my great grandmothers on my dad’s side. David and Emily told my dad that they wanted to name their daughter Serafina just two days before dad joined Hannah and Serafina in heaven. My dad cried with them when they shared this news as he loved the idea. Just a little over a day after they told dad he joined Hannah and Serafina in heaven. I think this is one of the reasons my dad died in peace.

Serafina’s middle name will be Grace. Hannah means grace and favor. So we just love this name. We are already in love with little Serafina and we are praying for her and Emily daily. She is due on April 30th, and Hannah was born in April on the 9th.

We are very excited and we give thanks for the Jesus and His work of love in our lives and in the life of our family!

Pray & Extend Your Hands to Help Our Familia
Our familia on the Big Island!

Before I say goodbye I would like to ask you to not only remember our family as you pray for us, but remember our familia as well. We just spoke to our familia on the Big Island in the last few days, and a number of them are getting sick with dengue. We have friends that are in the hospital due to dengue. We asked them about medicine, and they told us that there wasn’t any medicine. The scarcity continues, and it appears to be even getting worse. Our familia is in need and your generosity goes a long way on the Big Island. Please, extend your hands and give to these needs. Help to provide food and basic needs for our friends and familia!

Click here to donate…

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

A Time to Reset & Refresh!

Posted: August 17, 2020 in Christianity, Family Happenings, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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Our Road Trip to Colorado
Lake Mead – Unfortunately, Hoover Dam was closed, but we were able to stop and see Lake Mead

Dawn and I just returned from a road trip to Colorado to visit our family, David & Emily, and Jonathan & Hannah. It’s always such a joy for us to see our boys with their lovely wives. We wish we could see them more frequently, yet we give thanks for the time that we do have with them.

This summer we especially felt like we needed a break, since both of my parents died in the last few months. I’ve felt heavy at times, and the COVID-19 crisis and all the riots haven’t made it any easier. In some ways it was like breathing a breath of fresh air. It was a time to be refreshed and unwind.

We decided to drive to give us a little more time alone, and to enjoy the scenery. It was a beautiful trip, and although we are worn out now that we are back home it was well worth it.

A Time to Celebrate! 🎉
Jonathan’s graduation celebration. Jonathan with Rich & Liz Blanco (top left); Jonathan & Hannah (top right); Jonathan with David & Emily (bottom right); Jonathan with Dave & Dawn (bottom left).

While we were in Colorado we celebrated Jonathan’s graduation from Grand Canyon University. We are proud of Jonathan for completing his degree while working full time, and getting married. He’s always been a very hard worker, and he showed a lot of perseverance by sticking with it, and finishing his undergrad studies.

Jonathan’s birthday celebration! On the bottom left Dave and Jonathan from a few years ago

Another milestone we celebrated with Jonathan was his 28th birthday on August 8th. Jonathan and Hannah planned out a full day of fun which included, golf, breakfast, BBQ and we ended the night with guys volleyball followed by a delicious birthday cookie.

Apart from the wonderful time with our family we also enjoyed seeing some of our friends. We always wish we could see even more friends. Since we lived in Colorado for 12 years we have a number of amazing friends that we love in the State of the Rockies.

Promoting the Lord’s Good Work
Pastor Federico Muñoz – planting a church with his wife Blanca in Mexicali, Mexico 🇲🇽

I also had the opportunity to meet with some our pastor friends to give an update about the ministry and all that the Lord is doing. Dawn and I are continuing to promote and raise funds for church planting and for the tremendous needs on the Border, the Baja and Beyond which includes the Big Island.

We are so grateful for the generous gifts that have been given. The needs are ongoing. In our communication with our pastor friends the needs for food and basic needs continue on the Big Island. Tourism is one of the main attractions which generates funds for the Island, but the coronavirus has kept the tourist away. Flights into the country are very limited.

Extend Your Hands to Give
One of the pastoral families that we are helping. They have planted 9 churches this year!

Please pray with us for these dear friends and give to help feed these families in need. We’ve now been able to help more than 750 people on the Big Island. We give thanks for that! We couldn’t have done it without your help. Extend your hands to help these wonderful friends.

Click Here to Donate…

In His Grip, David

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

Breaking the Mold – The Newlyweds

Posted: June 1, 2019 in Christianity, Family Happenings, Ministry, Prayer
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The Newlyweds – Mr. & Mrs. David Anthony Diaso

The Newlyweds – David & Emily by emoorephotography

We celebrated the marriage of our son, David jr. to Emily (Tenison) Diaso this past weekend. It was an amazing experience in many ways. The Lord blessed us with many family members and friends joining us for the grand event. My dad, Ron, who is almost 84 years young flew out to celebrate with us. My mom can’t travel, because of her health, and we missed her, although I know she was praying for us from California.

It’s a miracle that Grandpa Diaso was able to join us for this wedding, and he also came out for Jonathan’s wedding last December. Two and a half years ago my dad was told that he had mesothelioma, which is cancer in the lungs caused by asbestos. The doctor at the time said that he only had six months to a year to live. We began to pray, and the Lord healed my dad, Grandpa Diaso. Thank Jesus, for giving Grandpa strength and healing him!

Thankful to have Grandpa Diaso with us to celebrate David & Emily’s wedding

Dawn’s mom, Alice, who is 81 traveled with Dawn and me for the wedding. The Lord came through in a big way regarding grandma Alice. The night before we were supposed to fly out for the wedding we had to take Alice to the emergency room, because of some health concerns related to her neck and back. We spent the whole night in the hospital and we didn’t get home until almost 3 AM. For a while Dawn and I were wondering whether Dawn’s mom would be able to fly out with us. Unfortunately, we did miss our flight, and we had to reschedule for the next day, but we finally made it to Pennsylvania and Alice is feeling better now.

Yay God!

Grandma Alice is all smiles as she’s escorted by Grant Currey and Jonathan Diaso

The Lord also blessed us with the weather. The forecast was for potential rain the afternoon of the wedding. It actually did rain just about the time we were ready to start the wedding, but it was only a short downpour. Once the storm passed through, the sun came out, as if God were smiling down upon us, and we had blue skies for a beautiful outdoor wedding.

Believe it or not I officiated the wedding, which I did for Jonathan and Hannah’s wedding as well. It was a wonderful privilege that I’ll never forget and it made the ceremony more personal.

A Wonderful Day of Celebration

It was fun to see Emily’s excitement!

One of the highlights for me of this extra special day was seeing how excited Emily was. She was literally bouncing with excitement as I performed the ceremony. She could not hold in her excitement, which was refreshing to see my son marrying someone who loves him so much. David was more composed, but I could tell he was trying to hold back the tears. This was especially true when he saw Emily for the first time walking down the aisle. It was a tender moment, and it made me feel sentimental as well.

I’m believing for and praying for a marriage and a family that will be a vibrant testimony of the love of Christ. This is my hope for both of my sons and their families. Our churches and our communities desperately need families that exhibit Christ’s love. I trust the Lord is going to raise up a generation that is going to be used to transform the world!

The Lord Has Blessed David & Jonathan and Our Family

Hannah sent this picture to me and said, “The faces we made when we realize we get to marry Diaso men ❤️”. We are truly blessed to have Hannah & Emily join our family!!!

I believe that the Lord is using the gift of Hannah and Emily to bring joy and healing to our family. While we realize that no one can ever replace our daughter, Hannah, yet our Papa is kind and he redeems our pain and our loss. That’s what our Father does he loves to bring healing to his children. He is a God of redemption.

I also wonder at times about the thin veil between heaven and earth. Our daughter, Hannah may be more involved than we realized. Those are some of the pleasant mysteries of life.

David walking Dawn down the aisle as we began the wedding ceremony

Thank you Lord for bringing Emily into our son, David’s life and for the great gift that she is to him and to our family. Thank you as well for bringing Hannah into Jonathan’s life. What a huge blessing and gift, each of these young beautiful women are to our boys and to our family. Thank you, Jesus! Hallelujah!!!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org