IMPORTANT INFO

WE WILL BE ARRIVING IN LAS VEGAS AT 6:20 PM ON JUNE 29, 2010...PLEASE REMEMBER TO COME PICK UP YO CHILLINS AT THE AIRPORT!

Day 12: Baseco

Hello y'all!

Today was our final day of ministry here in the Philippines (oh how bittersweet!); and we used it to serve in Baseco--one of the larger slums in Manila. The team came alongside Pastor Mark Peddler and his wife, Christine, by making visitations and praying with the people there.

See you soon!

Day 9, 10, and 11

Hi everyone!

Day 9:

Evangelism was the focus of our ministry today. We started off by attending a YWAM Balut staff devotion. In the afternoon, we went to permanent housing and invited people to an outreach we were having later that night.

Team Member Testimony: Jesse

"Well it's been a blessing to see the Lord move in the hearts of the Filippino people here. Today at our local outreach I was able to give a testimony about my life and how God changed me and encouraged the listeners with Matthew 7:21, saying that only those who do the will of our Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. Another team member gave a testimony as well and we did an alter call at the end and led anyone who wanted to receive Christ in a prayer. We didn't know if anyone had done it but we know that serving the Lord is never in vain and His Word never returns void. Afterwards I was able to talk with a kid with a translator and lead Him to the Lord and right when we had finished another kid came over saying He wanted God to change His life. I was able to pray with Him as well and they hopefully are now part of God's family. I didn't get to stay and talk with them but I pray their hearts were true and that they now will walk with the Lord in a personal relationship with Him. I was blessed that God would use me for such a thing and now desire a bigger passion to preach the gospel, be a witness, and have a heart for the lost."

Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..."

Day 10:

Today we started the day off right with a little bit of children's ministry. Half of us went to the YWAM Youth Center and the other went to the YWAM Tuberculosis Center. Each group did songs for the kids and taught a Bible story, and the one at the youth center even made balloon animals and did face painting for the childrens.

However, this afternoon held quite a surprise for the team: a photo scavenger hunt! We had the opportunity to split up our team amongst the Filipino teens who attend the YWAM youth group we visited Thursday and simply play a wacky game with them. It was a fun time of fellowship and bonding with our brothers and sisters over here in the Philippines.

Team Member Testimony: James

"Oh hey everyonezzz its James here to tell you about our AMAZING day!!! We had a scavenger hunt today! Its was BOMB.com!!! We were all split into teams with two Americans along with nine Filipinos. I had the pleasure of being paired up with Annie. We started off with determination and a mind-set of winning and it brought us to win the whole enchilada. Along the way we had to kiss a fish, run across the city, watch Annie chow down on Balut (unborn chicky in a egg), and so much more! It was so much fun to get to know the Filipinos while running across the city in an epic race. It didn’t feel like we were evangelizing while having so much fun but God used us to bring joy to the kids while spreading God love. God is so good to our team and has been so gracious on my life on this trip!

Well I guess this is it for my post. I love you all! See you on Tuesday. Leave lots of comments on this post cause it’s the coolest!

PEACE! :) "

Day 11:

Tomorrow, we will be going to church at Calvary Chapel Manila and then taking some down time to relax and enjoy the city of Manila--if the Lord wills!

Day 6, 7, and 8: Moving Forward

Day 6 & 7:

We had been in the Philippines for about a week, and our time in Dumaguete City was coming to an end. We had some down-time on Monday, so we went to a marine reserve on the beach (we could see Apo Island from the shore!) and did some snorkeling. The next day, we said many heartfelt goodbyes to the friends we had made in Dumaguete at CCTC--we were on our way to Manila!

Our plane arrived in Manila at about 5pm (or 2am for y'all back home). Traveling through this city was quite an experience. We arrived at the YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base a few hours later.

Day 8:

This was our first day of ministry here in Manila. We started by going to permanent housing. We split off into four teams: Two of them did house-to-house visitations--sharing the gospel and encouraging the Filipinos in their homes. One team went to a small daycare center for malnourished babies. Finally, the last group went to a ladies Bible study for mothers of children with tuberculosis.

Our next ministry was at Smokey Mountain dump site where the team made more visitations (since people actually live on this landfill). Then we bathed, ministered, and gave food to the children in that area. Some of the girls on the team sang fun songs with the kids, and Oscar shared a Bible story with them.

Team Member Testimony: Katie Lutz

"Hey everyone, it's Katie Lutz and I just wanted to share with you guys a little bit about Manila and what we are doing here. Yesterday we went to YWAM's Nutritional Daycare where YWAM workers take care of babies who have third and fourth degree malnutrition. The team was split up this day so only a couple of us were with the babies. We were able to feed them and play with them. It was a wonderful experience! Later on in the day we all sat down at lunch and a couple of us were talking about what we did today and in talking I realized that I don't want this to be just a "wake up call" because it is something so much more than that. It is so easy for us all to become complacent. We can see these babies and families suffering and still go on with our lives. But we can help these families. It really is so simple, especially when it's 45 pesos to 1 dollar! It's little practical things we can do too, but it's not just material things that they need, more importantly they need Christ. Think of how much better their lives would be knowing that they have a Savior who loves them and cares for them and died on the cross to save them. In all of this, I am just seeing how important the gospel is and how fulfilling it is to share it with the Filipino people. (Oh, and by the way, love you mom!)"

Later in the evening, we went to YWAM's youth group. We led worship, performed our skit, shared testimonies, gave a devotion, and played a fun game! The team got a chance to see another youth group and realized that even though we speak different languages and have different skin color, they worship the Lord just as we do!

Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

A Quick Update

Hey everyone! Long time no see.

Sorry it's been so long, but we've been transitioning into the second half of our mission trip...we are now in Manila! Different surroundings, different schedule, different ministry...it almost seems like a whole different mission trip; but it's all part of the adventure.

That's all for now...we'll be posting more later!

Day 5: Market Blitz

Greetings!

Today we had a very interesting day: We went on a scavenger hunt! We split up into four teams, and our goal was to navigate the local market here in Dumaguete and purchase (within budget, of course) a basket of food for a needy family. First team back is the winner!

There were many new sights and sounds to experience as we made our way through the market; it was interesting to learn that people here go to there everyday to shop for meals and also to see how the merchants make their living.

After we collected all the items on our lists we met up and prayed about the people we would give the baskets to. The teams then searched the park, and the Lord led each one to just the right person (or family) to bless with food for the night!

We had the opportunity to share not only food with these people, but also the love of God and the Gospel message!

Team Member Testimony: Jay

"Whats up everyone, its Jay here to tell you about what went on today. As you read already, we had experienced a extremely interesting morning. The market was an amazing way of seeing some filipino culture. My team was made up of Annie, Laura, Katie, Zach, and our national (and translator) Marlin. The market, in my opinion, was like a very busy swap meet...

There was a variety of things my eyes had seen while walking through all the stores like baskets, toys, vegetables, spices, and the most memorable, every kind of meat a person could imagine. After the hunt ended (with our team winning) the ministry we began right after could be considered the highlight of the day.

Praying that God would reveal the specific people He wanted us to give our food basket to, we looked around a park within the city. Each one of us browsed around at everyone we saw deciding if they were the ones God appointed to us. Eventually our team spotted a lady with two kids sitting on some stairs. It turns out that she had been waiting for her husband to come pick her up with a hope that he made enough money for a meal that day. Through the Lord's divine appointment, we had blessed a woman and her family with food for that day.

In every ministry and event we had part of in the Philippines, God has truly revealed Himself to me. I'm exciting to see the rest of what He has planned for this trip! Oh and also please keep praying for us! Thank you!"

Later on, we finished the day by eating dinner with the missionaries who have been sent out from CCSV. Good times!

Day 3 & 4: Amlan and Sunday Services

To everyone back home, we want to say, "Happy Father's Day!"

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up, but we've been going through a "brown-out" (or black-out)...so there was not wireless internet. Thanks for understanding!

DAY 3: A Day in Amlan

A couple of days ago, we embarked on a journey to a nearby village called Amlan (located next to the ocean). We met with EJ and Rosanna Johns and ministered with their children's program. After that we evangelized (with translators) throughout the town and told the people we talked to about an outreach for the community later on that evening. At this event, our team was able to once again lead worship and perform our skit. Praise the Lord!

Team Member Testimony: McKenna

"When I first came here, I was expecting the cliché experience. But the Lord had something bigger planned for this trip. After seeing the conditions these people are living in, my perspective on what I am personally going through was altered dramatically. These people have close to nothing and yet they still are completely in love with the Lord and crave His presence in every aspect of their life. They refreshed my passion for the Lord and subliminally began to encourage me to persevere."

DAY 4: Church Service in the Philippines

Today we split the team into two groups and went to minister at separate churches: One went to Ticala (See "Day 2"), and the other went to the Calvary Chapel in Scandinavian Children's Mission (in Dumaguete). Later we returned to the Calvary Chapel to lead sunday school.

(...we are going to try to put more pictures up soon!)

God bless!

Day 2: Let the Ministry Begin.

Greetings everyone!

Well, it looks like the rubber is starting to hit the road as yesterday was our first official day of ministry. Between Ticala, Rainbow Village, and Calvary Chapel Dumaguete we have been pretty busy.

Our first stop was the area of Ticala. There we ministered at a local flea market with Pastor Elmer of Calvary Chapel Ticala who visits this outpost weekly to preach open-air to the merchants and their customers. We had the opportunity to lead worship and perform our skit--open-air! After the "service" we split up into teams of three (each with an interpreter) to just talk and pray with the people there--seizing any opportunity we could to speak of Jesus Christ.

Next, we headed to Rainbow Village orphanage. Pastor Mike Yost was our gracious host and tour guide through the facilities. The highlight of this event had to be playing with the toddlers who live there. James found a little boy named James who he walked around with; Annie, Katie Lund, Jay, and Jesse even started to sing songs (hand motions and all) for the children. It was a touching experience.

Finally, we closed the day by ministering to the youth group at Calvary Chapel Dumaguete. We led worship and shared testimonies and a devotion. It was a blessing afterward as we played games with the youth.

We're Here!

Good Afternoon! (It's about 3pm here in Dumaguete...and it's also Thursday...)

Just wanted to tell y'all that we have safely made it to the Philippines (by God's grace), and we are having a spectacular time getting acquainted with not only the foreign landscape but also with the amazing people over here.

We spent many hours in transit--from Las Vegas to Vancouver to Manilla to Dumaguete--but we managed to get through it somehow :)

After journeying through a number of timezones and traveling for almost a day straight, we made it to Calvary Chapel Training Center just in time for breakfast! Soon after that, we were blessed to see a "Culture Show" performed by some of the students here at CCTC. Through this intriguing presentation, we learned about various Filippino customs, dances, and games--it was very exciting! However, the cultural experience didn't end there...we still had a lot to learn about Filippino food!

Anyways, right now we are practicing our skits and worship songs--ready to minister when the Lord presents us with the opportunity!

2 Timothy 4:2 (New King James Version)

² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

The Day Has Finally Come!

...and we are all very excited!

After months of prayer and preparation, the day has finally come for our 2010 Sr. High Philippines team to step out in faith and walk in the Great Commission given to us by Jesus Christ:

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.