Humbled in the Philippines

Whew! My daughter & I just returned from a whirlwind week in the Philippines. As always, I was blown away by the overwhelming love poured out from these amazing people. God is moving so mightily on the island of Mindanao! I can't even begin to fully express the joy in my heart seeing so many attributes of our Creator & Savior throughout His people on this trip. My specific purpose was to join D'Ette Owen in teaching the Character curriculum from the School of Worship. I find it quite ironic that while teaching on pride & humility, I was completely humbled. Though I was going to teach on behalf of the School of Worship, God obviously had so much in store for us. This picture is from our last session. It ended with a foot washing of over 150 people. AWESOME!! 

As a father, seeing my daughter grow in faith & maturity was worth the trip alone. She truly came out of her shell. I was so proud! I look forward to many more missional opportunities with her & her younger sister in the future.

Some of you may know that I've been working on writing a book for a while now. I always find that a 12 hour plane ride usually affords me some extra time to work on it. I thought I'd give you a little snippet from a chapter entitled "Humble Pi". It's a good example of what was taught throughout our week in Jasaan.

Though I miss our family in the Philippines, I'm glad to be back with my families both at home & at Faith.

Blessings!

-Mark

In my office, just in sight of my peripheral vision, lies what seems to be a basic bowl and pitcher. Inside that bowl lies a small white towel. To the average office guest it would appear to be one of many “decorations” that make up the feng shui of my office. I’m very much into symbolism. Within my office you can find anything from a dead plant (yes, it means something) to a statue of Gollum, some of my kids artwork and even a sketch drawn by my mother. She is an interior designer, and I too am cursed with the affliction of orderly chaos. So what does this simple bowl, pitcher and towel mean? I defer to these words…


“So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” -John 13:4-5


This speaks to me in a profound way. There’s something very powerful when people in authority step down from their post to attend to those seemingly beneath them. Obviously, due to my faith, this speaks to me in an even stronger manner. What I see, is the God of the universe stepping down out of heaven to clean his dirty children. Why would he do that? Why would he do something that he obviously didn’t have to do? Why should this speak to me so much?

Let’s get into this idea of authority. Each of us has authority in some area of our lives, be it at work, at home or even in our friendships. It is not a word of dogmatic pressure towards others, quite the opposite. It’s a word that speaks to how we care for those around us who need guidance. Let’s look at the verse just prior to the foot washing…

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God” -John 13:3

With this knowledge, don’t you think that Jesus had every opportunity to get puffed up and “lord it over” his disciples? I mean really, what would you do if God handed his power to you? He could have made everyone bow at HIS feet! But no, he chose to bow at theirs instead, to humble himself. There it is! There’s the word we’ve been looking for…HUMBLE. Such a non-threatening word, yet incredibly powerful when put into practice. This can’t be just another in a string of mundane words in the English language. It must be something more!

Let’s dissect it a bit. Dictionary.com’s first definition states…

humble
(huhm-buhl)
not proud or arrogant; modest.

Folks, I’m a musician. By its very nature, pride is around every corner. Modesty does not come naturally. I’ll never forget, early on in my ministry when the drummer in our band came to me with a serious issue. He had lost the joy of serving. In the end, he left the band with these words that changed me forever. “It just feels like a job”. I know you’re thinking, what does this have to do with humility? I had been caring more about the “sound” than the person. Looking back on it, it’s clear that my pride had gotten in the way. From that point forward, people came first. Sometimes that means that tough decisions need to be made, but those decisions have always been worth it. And here’s the blessing...the “sound” has just gotten better and better!

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” -Luke 14:11

Humility…It’s not all about me, or what I can offer. In my job, I serve on a team. What amazing blessings would be lost if I did the job alone!

I learned a hard lesson from my drummer friend that thankfully got my attention. Had I continued down the path of “my way or the highway", I very likely wouldn’t be where I am today, an incredibly blessed individual.

The definition of pride is…

pride
(prahyd)
“A high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind, or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc…”

Does any of that give you a warm fuzzy? Of course not! If anything, you have just thought about that one person in your life who fits those words. Is that who you want to be? Is that person you? We must always strive to be persons of humility, always willing to put others above our own selfish desires.

Did you know that Pride began in the heavenly realms? Ezekiel 28 records The Lord paralleling the life of King Tyrus to that of a certain "covering" angel named Lucifer. In the King James Bible it describes this angel as covered in jewels and even instruments. Verse 15 says this...

"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."

It goes on to say "thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty". And of course we know the end of the story...

"...thou hast sinned:therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God:and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub"

To this day, Lucifer is the "father of lies", who "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Seeing as it's the very sin that caused him to be cast out of heaven, it would stand to reason that pride will be one of the greatest weapons in his arsenal.

We've now talked about humility, and it's antithesis, pride. Now onto something that seems to make no sense in this discussion...Pi. Pi? Yes, Pi! And no, even though I’m from Texas, I don’t mean Pie. As good as a warm peach pie is, my reference to Pi is much better in the long run (and running on the treadmill is not required). Hang with me for a moment while I seek to unwrap the connection. Once you’ve got your humble heart in check, the next step will come naturally. This is always a work in progress. Surround yourself with smart people, way smarter than you! Are you beginning to get the connection to Pi now? Let me explain.

pi
(pahy)
Mathematical symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. 3.141592

I don’t know about you, but mathematics has never been my strong suit. Therefore, Pi was one of those concepts that always seemed to epitomize higher thinking. A team of "higher thinking" people is what I always strive to surround myself with. It’s incredibly freeing!! Raising up a team of gifted people, empowering them to use their gifts to the best of their abilities, frees me up to do what I do best. In fact, it frees everyone up to do their best work. No egos, just a wonderful synergy that ultimately serves our God and His body better. Just this morning I was putting checks together for my staff. I was almost giddy as I thought about how far each of them had come. Giving them this small token of what they’re truly worth is way more exciting to me than any paycheck I could ever receive!

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.”
-Proverbs 13:20-21

 This verse speaks to me in several different ways. One such way is just what I've been saying, surround yourselves with “wise” people. Also, as the leader (you are a leader, you may just not know it yet), you are called to be a “wise” voice amidst the loud voices that were spoken of in the first chapter. I’m going to leave this topic for another chapter, but let’s just say that people are following you for a reason. How seriously are you taking that?

Verse 21 is a reference to the blessings of God. Simply put, follow His Word & you will be blessed. I'm not trying to get all preachy here on what has often become a grossly manipulated idea of prosperity. It's just that each of us, if you haven’t already, will go through a series of tough, extremely painful times in our lives. All I’m saying is that the Word of God is very clear that His blessings are richly poured out on those that LOVE Him & share that love with others.

Let's wrap this one up with one final definition. This one just happens to be my own. I hope you will embrace it as yours.

Humble Pi
(Huhm-buhl Pahy)
Humilty that brings forth the circle of life.

You're all singing Lion King now aren't you?

Philippines Trip - Compassion Sponsor Child Visit in Cebu

Raise your hand mommy! And so began the journey with Compassion International back in 2005. From the mouth of babes...after hearing a presentation from our long time friend & Compassion International spokesperson, our youngest, Emily, emphatically made the decision for us. Looking back on it, we know that it was God's plan all along to use little Emily to move our hearts towards action. So, our journey began with Piper. After several years sponsoring Piper & corresponding back & forth with her, they discovered that she was gifted in science & mathematics, thus moving her out of the Compassion program. I hope that our little bit of help to her & her family helped to propel her towards excellence in school.

After Piper, Compassion placed another little girl under our sponsorship, her name is Ramiryl. We began sponsoring her right as she entered into school & she is now going into 5th grade. Following our time in Jasaan, we traveled to Cebu for what would be yet another "God meeting" in a long week of divine encounters. You see, we were simply going to Cebu to let Nic show us a little bit of the Filipino history. It didn't take us long to discover that Ramiryl lives in Cebu. We were actually going to get to meet her! This is something that most sponsors never get the pleasure of doing. What a privilege, what an honor!

 

We flew to Cebu City on Monday & were scheduled to meet with Compassion International the next day on Tuesday. Until then, it was time to find a guitar. We actually laned in Lapu Lapu City, which as it turns out, is famous for their Filipino crafted guitars. After a few visits, I found one that I really liked. It's a bit smaller than most average guitars & is made out of a mix of Philippine & Canadian woods with a pickup to boot. Now, to bargain. Thank goodness Nic's wife Cecilia was with us. After she took over, it came down from 9,000 to 7,000 pesos (roughly $175 dollars). Not bad, & it even came with a hard shell case for traveling. I was also able to get it signed by the local luthier. Anyway, I digress. I just wanted to let you in on a little of my joy!

 

On Tuesday morning, we could hardly stand the anticipation. Nic's driver took all of us over to Bethel Temple to meet Ramiryl & her family. We were greeted by the two women working with Compassion & they promptly took us up to meet Ramiryl, her sister Rochell & her mother Sheryl. As soon as we walked into the upstairs room, Ramiryl immediately stoop up to greet us in the proper fashion. She took my hand, as if to shake it, & brought it to her forehead. Of course, I then couldn't help but to hug her. Over the course of the next 30 minutes or so, we gave Ramiryl & her family all of the gifts we had brought. Thank the Lord that everything made it! She was, of course, very excited. One of the things that struck me the most is that from the moment we entered the room to the moment when we parted ways that afternoon, she constantly had Lisa in her grip, either hand in hand or arm in arm. It wasn't that she didn't have good parents, she was just simply overjoyed that we were there to visit her. After our initial visit & a quick look at her school records, we were off on a short walk to visit the Talledo home.

 

I can't stress to you enough what an emotionally gut wrenching & eye opening experience this short visit to her home would be. We walked about a 1/2 mile jaunt down the street, around the corner, across the busy street (terrifying) & into what would be a winding maze through one of the many hidden back alley slums in Cebu City. Seriously, I don't think I could get there again if I were on my own. All along the winding, narrow path, we were literally walking on stones that just barely covered the trickling sewage water just inches below. Finally, we were there. The entrance to their home was no more than a 3 foot squared hole in the wall. Upon entering this "hobbit hole" we walked a few steps on the rotting wooden floor covered in scraps of linoleum piled up. Right before the base of the tree (yes, in the house), we started the steep ascension up the rotten stairs to the 3rd floor that would be the Talledo home. Their "home" is no more than maybe 6'x10'. Keep in mind, this is half the size of Emily's bedroom, & four of them live here. You hear that these types of places exist, but it doesn't compare to actually seeing & walking around in one of these communities. Though I'm trying, there are truly no words to fully describe the level of poverty. They are poor, but the beautiful thing is that this lovely family absolutely does the best they can with what they have. They gave us the royal treatment! While Ramiryl & her sister began to pull out all of the gifts we brought, there father arrived. He was just arriving from work at, get this, Alaska Boy Milk. We couldn't help but laugh. Next, the mall!

 

When asked what she wanted to do next, Ramiryl said one word...PLAY! We were off to the SM mall, the 11th largest in the world. It's huge!! We spent the next couple of hours playing in the arcade, eating lunch at Jollibee (Asian equivalent to McDonald's) & going shopping. Out of respect, we asked her parents if we could buy her a few needed items. They had no problem with this. Now, Ramiryl is 10 years old, but it's obvious that she is well on her way to being a teenager. What does every teenager want? You guessed it, a cell phone! We promptly told her what we would have told our girls...you're too young. She laughed as we went on to get her a watch and a couple of pairs of shoes. As Ramiryl was looking at the watches, I noticed that Rochell was eyeing the Barbies. I asked the Compassion folks & her mother if it would be okay to get her one. They agreed & she began to pick out her very first doll. My heart both broke & leapt for joy at the same time. As it turns out, I asked if it would be possible for us to sponsor Rochelle as well. They thought it would be possible, but told me to contact the main office to make sure. Please pray that this all works out.

 

Well, it was time to say goodbye. After a quick photo with the whole family, we walked them out to their taxi, hugged them & waved goodbye. Friends, if there's anything I hope you get from reading this, it's simply this. Sponsor a child. It costs $38.00 dollars a month & I can promise you, it is some of the best money spent in our family's budget. You may never be able to meet your child, but you will be able to meet their needs, both physically, mentally & spiritually.

 

What a day!

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self- seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails..."

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Philippines Trip - Day 7

It's Sunday morning. We've been here a full week now & what an amazing week it has been! This morning we would be attending the celebration service at New Hope.

Soon after we woke up, our air conditioner shut off. This could only mean one thing...the power was off. What we didn't know, but soon discovered, was that the power had gone off at the main source in Jasaan. The whole town was without power. No worries though. Basamanggas soon had a generator going & soon after we arrived at New Hope, they did as well. One thing I've learned about these people is that they are quite resourceful & do the absolute best with what they have.

 

After the worship team led us (Marlix on drums & his trainee on guitar), Pastor Nic preached a sermon entitled "Let Us". He went through scripture and talked about the many instances that the Word declares "let us". In a nutshell, we were not created to do life alone..."let us love one another". I love the way that Nic talks to & teaches his flock. They are a family & he is the father. He truly loves them & it shows.

 

Following the service, they pushed back all the chairs & served us a final meal together as our send off celebration. They brought in the Filipino delicacy that I had been waiting for...Lechon. Yes, the whole pig! The head with fruit in its mouth & everything. They also had Lisa's favorite, fried chicken. I have to admit, it does taste a bit like grandma's. They know how to fry chicken here. Even McDonald's has it on their menu...along with spaghetti. I digress. During the meal they showed a slide show of pics taken throughout the week. We have made some great memories in partnership with these beautiful people. Lord willing, we will return soon to continue that partnership.

 

After a short rest at the hotel, we left around 2:30 for the 3rd church site in San Isidro. This may have been the most gorgeous ride thus far & it was definitely the bumpiest. You could say this was a bit off the beaten path. Actually, i think it may have been right on it! Once we arrived, it seemed as though our feet hadn't even touched the ground & a local of the town was shimmying up the coconut tree to get us some fresh milk. This is truly amazing! We don't realize, when eating our coconut cream pies, the risk these guys go through for our pleasure & their livelihood. We would partake of the fresh coconut milk & bananas later. Just like at Natubo, Lisa & Mercy led the children in some songs, a lesson & this time...finger paints. We would have sworn that this was going to be a mess. In fact, we waited until San Isidro because it is right by the river & the kids could wash off there. Boy were we wrong. Just like everywhere we've been, the kids have been super respectful. I'm not even sure they got any on their clothes. I haven't yet figured out if it's cultural or simply that they were in awe of the white folks. Either way, they were a blessing. After some fresh coconut milk (not a huge fan), & fresh bananas (loved 'em...much sweeter), we were off to town where we would spend the rest of the evening swimming at the resort with the worship team.

 

All week, I had felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to give Marlix my guitar. Just to make sure, I spent all week praying about it before jumping in impulsively. Sure enough though, that's what I had to do. They only have one very beat up old acoustic for the worship team. So, right when Marlix arrived to go swimming, I took him up to our room & presented it to him. You would have thought I handed him a solid gold brick. He was overwhelmed with gratitude. They way he fathers & trains up his team, I know he will do great things with it for the Kingdom of God.

 

After swimming, we had a quick dinner & were off to pack before hitting the hay. Tomorrow we're off to Cebu to see our compassion child & do a little shopping for pasalubong (souvenirs). I'm going to sign off now for a few days until we meet with Ramiryl with Compasion International. I definitely want you to hear about that.

 

Until then...PRAISE GOD!!!

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Philippines Trip - Day 6

This morning we were off to a breakfast fellowship with some of the folks from New Hope Christian Community. After breakfast together, Fred & I met with Pastor Nic & the men of New Hope. Lisa & D'Ette went upstairs with the ladies.

One of the things that really struck me was the testimony from the leader of this ministry. You see, we were meeting at the time when they normally have their "Fathers & Sons" meeting. This was a gentleman in his early fifties whom up until the last few years had led a hard life. It wasn't his testimony that moved me necessarily (though it was incredible), but his sincere humbleness in asking the other men to correct him when he was doing wrong in the eyes of God. You need to know that most of the men there were young 20 something students from the Bible school. This older uneducated man was humbling himself & asking these young, more educated men to help him in his walk & in his leadership. One of these young men was his son. What a testimony to young Jun-Jun (junior). It was an awesome moment! Following his testimony, Nic passed the mantle around the room for everyone to share. These are great fearless men of God, knowing that they are being trained up to be sent out to some very dangerous places. I almost lost it when Marlix shared about meeting his mother (see day 1). There was no anger in him at all for being abandoned at the age of 7, just overwhelming, overflowing LOVE. I can't wait for he & Michael to come to Anchorage. Since they have both graduated from the Bible College at the Nehemiah Center, the School of Worship is their next step before sending them out in the Philippines. I am so excited for them!

 

Following the morning's meetings we headed back to the hotel for a quick lunch & some rest. On a somewhat funny note, when we arrived we were told that Fred & D'Ette's room key had been taken to Cagayan de Oro to be duplicated & they wouldn't be back until at least 5. It was no big deal, except for the candy for the kids at Natubo was in that room. I wish you caould have seen us crawling from balcony to balcony trying to break into the room. After a very humerous 30 minutes or so, we were unsuccessful & had to go. It was okay, we had bubbles for the kiddos.

 

At 1:30 we headed out to the 2nd New Hope campus at Natubo. It was only 3 miles up the road, but the emphasis needs to clearly be on "UP". We were headed into the jungle only 3 miles outside of Jasaan. WOW, what a beautiful drive! Upon arrival, as we had been all week, we were met with a resounding "welcome home"! Lisa & Mercy then began an hour of fun with the kiddos. They sang, colored, played with bubbles & had a snack (hamburgers). You should have seen Lisa & D'Ette sneaking the poor dogs some food. One dog in specific looked like it maybe had one day left in its life. Just like this poor dog, I'm sure that many of these children had not eaten that day until we fed them. Thank you Lord for your provision!

 

After our time at Natubo, we were off to do a little touring around the town. Nic took us to another resort that was right along the beach. The crashing waves on the sea wall was quite a refreshing sound. Maybe we will stay here next time. As we got closer to dinner time, I thought...wow, wouldn't a pizza sound great right now! Nic knew just the place. Once we got back to the hotel, we settled in for what was going to be an amazing dinner...so we thought. Upon opening the pizza box, we first noticed the beautiful swirls of ketchup all over the top. Other than that, it looked okay. It had ham, mushrooms, olives, pineapple & something that looked like cheese. Okay, it was time to go in for the first bite. With a smile (grimace) on his face, Fred exclaimed...CHEESE WHIZ! We then kindly gave our pizzas to the hotel staff & sat down for a wonderful dinner of crab & corn soup, & pancit.

 

Thank you Lord for your sense of humor & a wonderful day of service!

 

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Philippines Trip - Day 5

BEST DAY EVER! I met my personal record of 4 showers in a 24 hour period.

Following shower #1 we all met for breakfast. You guessed it...rice. While waiting for our ride to the Nehemiah center we all desperately tried to get in touch with our kids back home. Viber is a great app for doing so over wifi. Unfortunately, the already sketchy wifi was out of service. Oh well, we would try again later that night. Our ride arrived & we were off to the final day of the conference at the Nehemiah Center.



Character was on the agenda for the day. D'Ette & I had 4 sessions on the Character of a Worshipper. We did the last four sessions from the second semester course dealing with Pride & Humility. Us musicians really need these lessons, but lets be honest, we all deal with it. Every sin in our lives really comes down to one thing...Pride. Of course, the "house" worship band led us masterfully again at the beginning & end of the sessions. They are so gifted & so humble in using their gifts. May God continue to bless them to be a blessing!



After a wonderful lunch of pork, calamari, & yup...rice, we put together a quick rehearsal for the evening's Night of Worship. Before starting to practice, we put together the song list with who was going to lead which song. Marlix, who is obviously the band leader, had never sung a song as a leader in corporate worship. However, I notice (& heard) him singing on several occasions throughout the week. You know how that goes. When you're in the presence of the Lord with His people singing praises to Him, I don't care if you sound like a squawking chicken, you're going to sing! So, I told Marlix that I wanted him to sing "Blessed Be Your Name". After a few laughs (good natured) from his team, he led the song. Not only does he have a good voice, but he led well too. He just needed a little push. At the end of the rehearsal, we began tearing down their gear to be taken to the Night of Worship venue. For those of you on our worship team, you can appreciate this, especially Sed & Kory. We tore EVERYTHING down. The whole system, speakers & all, were going with us. I was so struck by the amount of respect that this worship team has for the equipment & for each other. The drummer polished all of the cymbals & stands (with actual polish). Michael, the bass player, put new strings on. They really want to give God their best & it showed in everything they did!



At about 2:30, we were off for shower #2 & a quick nap. At 4:45 we all packed back into the van & headed over to the venue. The town of Jasaan is truly blessed to have this. It's called the "Radiant Shell" & it's right in the middle of town. This plaza area not only has this large stage area, but tennis courts & a myriad of other open air meeting places. It really does promote fellowship. After a quick sound check, we started the Night of Worship at around 5:15 with a prayer from Pastor Nic, then..."God of This City". It's important that you remember that Jasaan is on the island of Mindanao. On this island is one of the fastest growing Al-Qaida training grounds in the world. We were boldly professing Christ through song & spoken word in a very public place. I can't stress enough how powerful the presence of the Lord was in the midst of His praises. For 2 hours we worshipped hard for our God, His people & the many lost that were watching from the fringes. We did songs both in English & the native dialect of Vasai. Because of where this plaza is, I guarantee that the whole town heard us as we sang out the praises of the God of gods & King of kings. It was an AMAZING night, & let me tell you, the Filipino people know how to worship with every ounce of their bodies. I'm pretty sure I lost about 5 pounds in sweat. After the first song, I had to get Fred's attention to get us some towels. Us white folks were sweating buckets & loving every minute of it!



After tear down, we were off to get a late night meal of Pancit (noodles), shower #3 & sleep. Oh, beautiful sleep (with live music & karaoke music in the background).



2 Corinthians 10:3-4"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."



Talk at ya tomorrow!

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Philippines Trip - Day 4

Woke early, hot shower (yes hot), hot breakfast )ham, eggs & of course...rice). This was going to be a GREAT day!

Upon Nic's arrival at the hotel, we heard of some sad news regarding the delegates that were staying at the Nehemiah center. Sometime late in the night, they were stolen from while they were sleeping. The thieves took only money, but what they left was a sense of fear and anger among those precious people. But guess what, it was still to be a GREAT day. We really sensed that we needed to begin the conference that day with an extended time of prayer & worship. The devil was not going to win! Later that day we also took up an offering for them during an exuberant time of praise. These folks are like FCC in many ways, & one is definitely giving. It seemed as though every single person came forward to meet these people's needs. This was a GREAT day!

 

D'ette & I led 5 more sessions interspersed with some wonderful times of praise and worship. I had asked Nic if we could have as many worship leaders that had attended the conference to lead us. Because this is a conference meant to empower & encourage local leaders, I wanted to give them the chance to lead us. So throughout the day, we had 5 different worship leaders lead us. Most of them were backed up by the amazing "house" band from New Hope Christian Community at the Nehemiah Center. However, there was one group of guys that really stood out to me. They were a trio on electric guitar/vocals, bass guitar & drums. They had come as delegates with Pastor Lolita. After being led by them I discovered that these guys take the love of the Lord && all their instruments) deep into the jungles of southern Mindanao. This is the most dangerous part of the island as it is inhabited by radical muslim terrorist groups. Wow! I can't imagine what they go through on a daily basis. I was truly blown away & blessed! There were great musicians too.

 

After a wonderful day of sessions, we wrapped up our Foundations class & are ready to start on The Character of a Worshipper tomorrow.

 

At 4:00 Lisa & Mercy (translator) began the children's portion of the conference. What an absolute joy it was to see all of these little kiddos worshipping together. They sang songs, heard a Bible story (very well behaved), colored & had a snack. Lisa & Mercy did a great job of laying out the plan of salvation using the Evangicubes that we brought. Remember, this is how my daughter Emily recently accepted Christ. This was quite the emotional experience for myself & Lisa. Emily will always be connected in our hearts to these precious children here in Jasaan.

 

Just following the children's session, we had a quick rehearsal for tomorrow evening's Night of Worship. I am continually blown away by the skill & diligence to practice that this band has. They truly want to serve God with excellence & do so through their actions.

 

Exhausted & ironically refreshed, we were off to dinner at a local cafe (run by Nic's cousin). When in the Philippines, you must have the Halo Halo. It's basically cold fresh fruit mixed with ice shavings & some other unknown tasty stuff. It was very refreshing after a long hot day. Back at the hotel, we settled in with an episode of White collar on my laptop & soon went to sleep with the sounds of Karaoke in the distance (not so far actually).

 

Ahhhhh, GOD IS GOOD!

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Philippines Trip - Day 3

Our alarms were set bright & early for 5:30. However, with the building excitement rattling around in my brain, I was up a bit earlier. After seeking the Lord for what scripture he had for that day & those attending the conference...

Colossians 2:2-3

2 "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

...It was time to hit the showers. Before leaving, Merrik & Pastor Steve had told me that there would be no hot water. Although this is true, in every room but ours & D'ette & Fred's, we had the special rooms with a water heater. Oh, but it does get better! As I went to turn it on I quickly discovered that not only was that machine not functioning, but there was no water to be had at all. That's right, we were suffering for Jesus! Well, at least for a few minutes before they had it working again. We did in fact get water. God is good...all the time!

After a wonderful breakfast, we were off to the Nehemiah Center. Church, you need to know what an absolute blessing this training center/church is for the community of Jasaan. It is a towering beacon of hope with its bright yellow paint & large sign simply stating "Jesus.". I need you to know this, because those of you at FCC, helped to build this facility from the ground up. Just know that it is being used well!

As soon as we arrived, I noticed a truck parked out front with a covered area in back that had two rows of benches on the sides of the bed. Nic told us that one group from another church traveled 13 hours to be here for the conference. Can you believe that...13 hours! These people deserved for us to be on our "A" game. Thankfully, our great God strengthens us in our weakness. It was to be an amazing day! We started the day with some musical worship. No one person was to be the Worship Leader. Throughout the day, we passed this privilege around. I led, D'Ette led, Lisa led, Marlix led, Michael Led, Mercy Led, Nice led. What an honor it was to lead & be led into the presence of God. This is what this whole conference is about...raising up & empowering leaders. These times of corporate worship throughout the day were incredibly rejuvenating to my soul!

D'Ette & I led 7 sessions between the hours of 8 & 4. Lisa & Fred taught the little kiddos in the morning at Nic's house just down the street. We had been doing so good on not blowing any fuses, but we did have one casualty. Lisa's cd player for vbs didn't quite like the surge of power it was getting. It kinda blew up! Note to self, Apple products automatically convert for the Philippines 220 power, everything else, does not. Just one more reason to love Apple. I digress. The teaching sessions went really well. The wonderful filipino people have been so receptive & are a complete joy to minister to & with. Though we are exhausted (& a bit stinky), we are so looking forward to tomorrow.

After getting some fresh mangos & bananas from the local street market (Boy, did us white folks get the looks), we are now back at the resort for a quick rest before dinner, & fresh mango banana smoothies.

Talk at ya tomorrow.

 

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Philippines Trip - Day 2

Today's agenda...travel to Cagayan de Oro & then on to Jasaan. In fact, I'm typing this on the flight. It was delayed a few hours, but our conference doesn't begin until tomorrow, so we're good.

After a great night's sleep, our team met for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Did you know tofu actually works well in an omelet? It was quite good. Lisa had the pancakes. I'm pretty confident that the somewhat "Americanized" food will be going away over the next few days. Bring on the balut!

As we waited in the Manila airport for our delayed flight, we went ahead & got a head start on our schedule meeting for tomorrow's kick off of the conference. Please pray that we will not feel forced to follow our man-made plans, but instead follow the lead of our God & His plans for the people of Jasaan.

We are also really getting excited for the Night of Worship that will be held on Friday evening at the town pavilion. Marlix, Michael & their team have already been working on the music for a few weeks. Rehearsals should start tomorrow evening for that. Once again...God's plans, not ours!

Because of our delayed flight, we arrived a little after 9:00 at Jasaan's Basamangas Resort. The Bible College students from the church surprised us with a "welcome Home" banner, homemade necklaces & a song. Think Hawaii, but with the sincere LOVE of the Lord. It was truly incredible!

Soon after, we were off to bed. Nighty-Night.

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Philippines Trip - Day 1

As I sit in my hotel room in the Aloha Hotel in Manila, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness & gratitude. It's in the big things like safe travel & God's favor going through customs (the customs agent told us to have a nice mission trip & we had told him nothing). It's also in the little things, such as toilet paper (none in the public restrooms) & duct tape (the hotel shower head broke clean off). I am THANKFUL! Pastor Nic Jardin & his Worship Leader Marlix met us at the airport. It was so good to see Nic's familiar face as we stepped out into a strange land. On behalf of Marlix, I am thankful for the amazing day he had prior to our arrival. That morning he had his first meeting with his mother since he was seven. He's twenty-one now. As with many children here, he was abandoned to the streets. Not for lack of love, but simply the lack of means. He had heard that his mother was now a Christian & wanted to meet her to secure the gospel message in her life. What a day for him! We also began the paperwork process for Marlix to come to Anchorage in God's timing for the School of Worship. We are so looking forward to seeing what God has in store this week. As Fred (D'Ette & Fred Owen are with us) put it, we are waiting for divine appointments! 2 Thessalonians 3:1 1 "One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master's Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you."