Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia Updates - on Day 1 we arrived late on Saturday evening, actually early Sunday morning, in the Capitol city and plans were already made for numerous Sunday meetings.
     After a day of meetings, we held our first coffee house gathering. Those who seemed to be closest to coming to Christ were invited to this meeting. After two testimonies, by two new believers from this country, a Gospel message was shared and four university students made professions of faith! This was such a glorious culmination of as much as three years of sharing with these students.
     Each of these new believers was asked to meet with us before we left to discuss next steps and to meet with local church leaders.

Day 2 - again, numerous meetings were scheduled with students and the local missionaries. It is always encouraging to hear how God is moving in the country through the eyes of our local missionaries and their national partners.

     In the evening, we had a second coffee house gathering but this time the invitation was sent to a larger group of students. Some of the invitees were friends of friends who had never heard the Gospel. Due to this being a national holiday week, this second evening was poorly attended. However, as always is the case, we trusted that those whom The Lord desired to attend were in attendance.
     Again a couple of testimonies were shared by relatively new believers. These stories were very encouraging to hear as they also included the difficulties of openly living out their faith, especially with parents.
     Even though the attendance was low, we trust our time together was encouragement for the students as they continue in their faith journey.

Day 3 - we left the Capitol early this morning for a trip to the northern part of the country. We were blessed with a shorter trip via a smaller shuttle bus that was about four hours less than by train.

     After lunch, we began a three hour trek to the village where we would be staying for the next three days. This is the location of our adopted, unreached/unengaged people group. We stayed in the home of our third family member from the family of peace which provided another opportunity to begin a spiritual conversation with them.

Days 4 & 5 - we had beautiful weather in this location, high in the mountains. It rained a short period on the third day but otherwise was absolutely breathtaking as we were saturated in the beauty of God's creation.

     We were greatly encouraged to find the local house church, of a neighboring tribe, was advanced in the building of its new church! We pray that this church will continue to serve as a lighthouse, not only to its own tribe but will reach out to the tribes that are considered unreached.
     It continues to amaze us how God orchestrates events so that His name is proclaimed. Whether it was in restaurants, or in the village Homestay, conversations were readily available that quickly moved to spiritual ones. We trust that even these seeds will develop and grow to a wonderful harvest!

Day 6 - this day was consumed mostly by travel but still provided great connections. May God continue to raise up spiritual leaders in this country where it will someday be known as a Christian nation. That may seem an impossible dream but we serve a God that is still in the miracle business!

 

Philippines

The team arrived early morning on April 19th and not much time before our first worship at New Hope Christian Fellowship, in Cainta Rizal. It was a wonderful time of worship and great to reconnect with so many friends again! It was the largest gathering I think I have ever seen at the church.

     In the evening we participated in the Sunday youth service. It was inspiring to see approximately 70 young people come together and pour out their love and adoration for The Lord. Our college students, from Malaysia, served on a panel to discuss purity and provided great insights and encouragement to the youth.

Day 2 - we are beginning our VBS program an hour earlier this year, at 8 a.m.! It is a little early, especially for our four young team members, but the street children are always waiting no matter what time you start. They are always so excited to participate in the program and pour out their love and appreciation without inhibitions. What a joy to see such unbridled enthusiasm and energy! Each day ends with feeding the children a wonderful meal. One young boy was asked if he had enough food and he responded, "no, but it was the best meal I have ever had!"

Day 3 - another great day of VBS and the numbers keep increasing. Due to space limitations, the church strives to keep the daily number of children to about 125 - 130. No child is denied an opportunity to participate but it makes it a significant challenge to accommodate more children in tight spaces. With temperatures in the high 90's and high humidity, the team doesn't have a lot of energy at the end of each VBS session but team members have been greatly encouraged by the children, the Pastor, and all the volunteers!

     We had plans to go to a local squatter village late afternoon but torrential rains prevented us from going. It is one of the most flood-prone areas in Metro Manila. We will try again tomorrow.
     Curt had an opportunity to visit a clinic under construction and run by an amazing young woman from Romania. She attends New Hope and we are part of her prayer team and exploring ways we can assist her in this endeavor, to care of the physical and spiritual needs of this community. It is going to be a wonderful center, when it is finished, and needs a roof before the real monsoon season begins. Please join this dear sister, Alina Voda, in praying for a divine blessing to provide a roof in the near future.

Day 4 - another great day of VBS in the morning as the children began to look at the life of Jesus. Children were very engaged in the stories, crafts, music and games planned for the day. The children were fed and sent home happy and prepared to share with their families all the things they experienced.  The combined efforts of the pastor's family, the church volunteers, and the First Baptist team were a blessing and appreciated by the children.

     In the afternoon, we visited a nearby, squatter village where some of the children lived in very impoverished conditions. We provided a group mime, a Bible story, and a women's program. The families were then provided a meal.

Day 5 - this was the final day of VBS and was filled with mixed emotions. It was a joy to see the attentiveness, by the older children, to the Gospel presentation as well as the amazing response at the invitation.

     We are thankful, that in the midst of challenging lives, these children experienced a happy and joyful time for the week. We believe they will remember our time together and understand the real reason for our being with them - Jesus our Savior!
     As always, the children blessed us far more that we feel we blessed them. We will never forget the smiles, the hugs, and the games we shared together.

Day 6 - on Saturdays, New Hope provides a program called Super Kids. It was designed to increase their Bible knowledge, strengthen their academics, and provide a safe haven for the children. It was our pleasure to join them on our last morning in the Philippines and we were thankful to see many of the children from the week's VBS.

      Approximately 300 children joined in the music, Bible stories, and games. This continues to be a wonderful outreach ministry by this local church. They are making a significant impact in the lives of these children many would consider throw-aways. We know, of course, that no one is a throw-away in the Father's eyes.