Nehemiah Teams

Tagalog

2012-02-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

WHO are they? Also called Filipino, the Tagalog people are the second largest ethnic

people group in the Philippines. Today, they are considered to be one of the most

“Westernized” Filipino ethnic groups. “Westernized” refers to a group that has been

influenced by the modern conveniences and attitudes of a country like America—and it

is not always a good thing! Traditionally, Tagalog people are farmers and fishermen, but

as education becomes more easily attainable, more are entering professional fields. In

their culture, women are trained early on to cook elaborate dishes. That’s why they

often have lavish celebrations during fiestas and holidays.

WHERE do they live? The word Tagalog means “people living along the river,” but

today the Tagalog people live all over the Philippines, and many live in other Southeast

nations as well.

HOW many? There are about 23,678,000 Tagalog people living in the Philippines. 15%

are evangelical Christians.

WHAT do they worship? The vast majority of Tagalog people are Roman Catholic,

and they often mix in some animistic beliefs as well. Like Cebuanos, this means that

while they are familiar with Jesus, they may not have a relationship with Him.

PRAYER needs:

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers to live and work among the

Tagalog people

• Ask God to soften the hearts and open the eyes of the Tagalog people, so that

they will be receptive to the message of the Gospel.

• Pray that existing Tagalog churches would be blessed with excellent Biblical

teaching and that they would place a major emphasis on evangelism.

Cebuano

2012-02-08T06:27:00.000-08:00

WHO are they? Cebuano people can trace their ancestry back to many different

cultures—including Spanish and Chinese, as well as other groups within the Philippines.

And even today, many Cebuanos, who are sometimes also called Visayan, speak more

than one language. In addition to their native language of Cebuano, some speak

English quite well, and others can also speak Tagalog, the Filipino national language.

Many Cebuano people live in simple two or three room homes built from bamboo and/or

wood.

WHERE do they live? The Cebuano mainly live on the islands surround the Visayan

sea, but many have migrated to other areas in the Philippines.

HOW many? With around 18,295,000 Cebuano people living in the Philippines, this

group is the second largest ethnic group in the Philippines.

WHAT do they worship? Most Cebuano people are Roman Catholic, and less than 5%

are evangelical Christians. In some areas, their Roman Catholic belief is mixed with

animism (the belief that inanimate objects have spirits) and even witchcraft. Though

they will be quick to tell you that they believe in Jesus and may even be able to tell you

all about His life, many Cebuanos are hoping that their good works and the religious

rituals will get them into heaven. The idea of having a personal relationship with Jesus

and studying the Bible for themselves is often new to them.

PRAYER needs: The Bible and other Christian materials have been translated into their

language, but with a people group so large, there is still much work to be done!

• Ask the Lord to call out people who are willing to go to the Philippines and share

Christ with the Cebuano people.

• Ask God to soften and prepare the hearts of the Cebuano people for the Gospel.

• Pray that the existing Cebuano churches and believers would be encouraged,

strengthened and protected. Pray that God will call out missionaries and pastors

from them as well!

Cinamiguin Manabo

2012-02-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

WHO are they? Camiguin Island, where many of the Cinamiguin Manabo live, has

seven volcanoes on it, including the still-active Mount Hibok Hibok. But that volcanic soil

is actually very fertile, which allows the Cinamiguin Manabo to farm all kinds of crops,

such as corn, coffee, coconuts and other fruits and veggies. The island’s volcanoes,

waterfalls and interesting diving spots make it a favorite for tourists.

WHERE do they live? The Cinamiguin Manabo live on Camiguin Island and along the

Northern coast of Mindanao.

HOW many? There are about 141,000 Cinamiguin Manabo people, and less than

1.5% of them are thought to be evangelical Christians. That’s just a little over 2,000

believers!

WHAT do they worship? Most of the Cinamiguin Manabo people put their faith in

animistic, traditional ethnic religions. These religions are a major part of not just their

spiritual lives, but their culture as well.

PRAYER needs:

• Ask the Lord to call out people who are willing to go to the Philippines and share

Christ with the Cinamiguin Manabo.

• Ask the Lord to raise up a group of qualified linguists to translate the Bible into

their language.

• Ask God to soften and prepare the hearts of the Cinamiguin Manabo for the

Gospel.

• Pray that the small number of Cinamiguin Manabo believers would be

encouraged, strengthened, protected—and increased!

Click here to learn more!

Magindanao

2012-01-31T06:18:00.000-08:00

WHO are they? The Maguindanaon people are farmers! They farm almost all of their

own food — everything from rice to vegetables such as corn. The men work hard on

their farms, while the women and children work to take care of the home. A major

problem that the Magindanao face is called a “blood feud.” These blood feuds happen

when families or clans get into big arguments that often result in killing!

WHERE do they live? The Magindanao live on the island of Mindanao, which is

located in the Southern Philippines.

HOW many? There are about one million Maguindanaon people, but so far, only a

handful of them are believers.

WHAT do they worship? According to Maguindanaon legend, this group was

converted to Islam by a Muslim prince who came and told him he was a descendent of

Mohammad. Legend has it that he also married a local woman who is said to have been

born from a stalk of bamboo!

Today, the Magindanao are the largest group of Muslim Filipinos, but their belief system

is considered to be more “folk Islam” than orthodox Islam. That means that their Islamic

practices are mixed in with their animistic beliefs. Animistic refers to their belief that

inanimate objects have spirits.

PRAYER needs: Though the Magindanao don’t practice the strictest form of Islam, any

kind of Islam is hard to penetrate. So far, only a few portions of the Bible have been

translated into their language. And though there are some Christian radio and television

broadcasts available for them, there has been little response.

• Ask the Lord to call out people who are willing to go to the Philippines and share

Christ with the Magindanawo

• Ask the Lord to raise up a group of qualified linguists to translate the Bible into

their language.

• Ask God to soften and prepare the hearts of the Magindanao for the Gospel.

• Pray that the small number of Magindanao believers would be encouraged,

strengthened, protected—and increased!

• Ask the Holy Spirit to give the missions agencies creative ideas that will help

them reach the Muslim Magindanao with the good news of Jesus.

Click here to learn more!

ARAB, OMANI

2011-12-20T02:37:00.000-08:00

Continent: Asia
Sub-Continent: Western Asia
Country: Saudi Arabia

Profile: The Arab, Omani of Saudi Arabia have a population of 93,349. They are part of the Arab, Arabian people cluster. The global population of this people group is 1,941,383. Their primary language is Omani Arabic. The primary religion practiced by the Arab, Omani is Sunni Islam, the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims follow the teachings of the Qur'an and consider the first four caliphs to be the rightful successors of Muhammad. Their GSEC status is 1, which means this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

Visit imb.org to find out how you and your church can become a prayer advocate for the unreached! Search people group number 11931 for more information on the people of Saudi Arabia.

RIO DE JANERIO

2011-12-11T23:08:00.000-08:00

Sprawling along the hillsides beneath the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro is a city of juxtaposition. A middle-class gated community may share a wall with a gang-controlled slum. This proximity allows Eric and Ramona Reese to reach out to both extremes within the Brazilian megacity.

While Eric focuses on ministering in the favelas (slums), Ramona reaches out to the middle-class wives and mothers she encounters as she works out at the gym or takes their two daughters to school and ballet practice.

“We’re here in the city, and we try to make relationships with the people who are around us,” Ramona says.

One person Ramona has become friends with is Eliane Santos, a mother she met at the ballet studio. “We were just sitting and talking,” Eliane says. “Eventually, Ramona shared Christ and asked if I had asked Christ into my heart. I said, ‘No, I haven’t.’”

That night in her home, Eliane reflected on Ramona’s message and placed her faith in Jesus.

“I look to Ramona as a mother in the faith,” Eliane says. “She’s someone that encourages me and makes me want to go on.”

When Ramona heard about Eliane’s conversion, she was overjoyed.

“Go out and seek the lost,” Ramona says. “Relationships are what it’s all about.”

Pray God will help the Reeses be His heart, hands, and voice as they build strong relationships with Brazilians from opposite walks of life. Pray many Brazilians will accept Christ through these friendships.

Original post on imb.org

EUROPEAN CITY

2011-12-10T01:30:00.000-08:00

Sanaz left Iran with nothing but her daughter and a will to live.

At 27 years old she had seen enough destruction. Her workplace, her family, her hopes for the future had been chewed up in a political machine determined to obliterate dissent. Not knowing whether her husband was dead or alive, she set out on an invisible passageway well trafficked by refugees fleeing oppression in North Africa, Afghanistan, and Iran.

She ended up on the crowded doorstep of a European city.

Here she found a government overrun with requests from asylum seekers. She found a society groaning under economic pressures not helped by a burgeoning immigrant community. Instead of freedom to pursue a new life, she found barriers.

Until some Afghan friends told her about a place where IMB workers are welcoming weary travelers. With food, training, and the good news, they are helping refugees find spiritual freedom—perhaps not what they left home to find, but something better.

For Sanaz, this has made all the difference. “I have hope that my future is bright because my heavenly Father is with me.”

Pray for IMB workers in this European city to have wisdom and skill in crossing cultural and language barriers with refugees who are arriving daily from places like Afghanistan and Iran.

Original post on imb.org

DONGGUAN

2011-12-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

Factories are the bus stops and the monuments and the landmarks. Everything exists to serve them in Dongguan, China.

The city is divided into 32 districts, each one specializing in a different kind of manufacturing with more than 3,000 factories crammed into one town.

IMB worker David Rice* believes that by reaching the factories with the Gospel, an entire generation of migrant workers will take the message back to their homes. These villages are often so remote that they are not even on a map, let alone on the radar of Christian strategists.

“People come here from all over the country looking for a job,” Rice says, noting in one year’s time he has met at least one person from all 34 provinces.

Rice and his ministry partner, Delun Kao*, see this group of 10 million 17- to 35-year-olds primed for making major changes in their lives. They are away from the strongholds of their culture back home. They are lonely and searching for meaning.

“We know they won’t stay here forever,” Kao says, noting that most return to the village by age 35. “So, the goal is to train them to be a catalyst for a new church.”

Through the years, Kao’s seen the training model work as migrants return to their villages and start new fellowships. Still others switch factories and start churches in their new workplace.

Pray that factory workers in China will open their hearts to the Gospel and take it back to the village.

Pray how you will give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to support workers like Rice who partner with national believers to be His heart, His hands, His voice.

*Names changed

Visit imb.org to view original post

JOHNANNESBURG

2011-12-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Lisha* was just a little girl who trusted her pastor, but he raped her. As a teenager she trusted her friend, but he raped her repeatedly. When Lisha’s mom found out she was pregnant, she kicked Lisha out, forcing her to find a home with her abusive boyfriend. He soon realized he could profit from selling Lisha to his buddies for sex. Lisha is now 33 years old and still trapped in forced prostitution.

Lisha is just one of an estimated 27 million victims of human trafficking around the world. Human trafficking is the practice of deceiving individuals or taking them against their will, selling, buying, and transporting them into slavery. Trafficking encompasses more than just sexual exploitation; men, women, and children are also trafficked for forced labor.

IMB missionary Martha Richards*, who lives in Johannesburg, met Lisha while researching trafficking in South Africa. As Lisha shared her story, Richards was eager to help girls escape from bondage.

“We need to open our eyes and take a hard look at the reality around us,” Richards says. “Many of these girls have never received genuine love. They desperately need to know the love of Jesus.”

Richards tried to help Lisha and another woman escape, but their “owner” found them and forced them back into prostitution.

Pray that God would save trafficking victims and their owners. Ask Him how He wants you to join the global fight against trafficking, whether through prayer, support, or personally rescuing victims of modern-day slavery.

*Names changed

Original post on imb.org

LONDON

2011-12-07T22:37:00.000-08:00

Though she has always lived in London, Fatimah grew up observing her family’sIslamic rituals, just as if she were living in her father’s homeland of Iraq.And she has faithfully passed these traditions on to her own children.Fatimah’s parents make the hajj to Mecca every year, and she has been fivetimes herself, she says.

“We don’t drink alcohol or smoke, so we save that money to use to go to Mecca,”she explains. “It’s really lovely there, like a festival, with everyone therefor the same purpose,” she says, her eyes shining as brightly as the tinydiamond piercing her nose.

Fatimah lives in an area of west London teeming with ethnic restaurants,clothing shops, mosques, and Sikh temples. To walk the streets of Southall isto encounter a very different London from what most tourists to Britainexperience.

“London is an amazing place to get to relate to people from all over theworld,” says Patrick Sims*, IMB missionary. This multicultural aspect of Londonbrought Sims, strategy leader for the London team, to work here nearly a decadeago.

The world has indeed come to London: schoolchildren here speak more than 200languages, and more than 40 percent of London schoolchildren speak a languageother than English at home. As in urban settings everywhere, buildingrelationships is a challenge for missionaries serving here.

Pray for missionaries in London to develop deep, cross-culturalrelationships in this urban environment.

*Name changed

Originallyposted on imb.org

JIIDDU

2011-12-07T02:29:00.000-08:00

Continent: Africa

Sub-Continent: Eastern Africa

Country: Somalia

Profile:The Jiiddu of Somalia have a population of 27,685. They are part of the Somali people cluster. This people group is found only in Somalia. Their primary language is Jiiddu. The primary religion practiced by the Jiiddu is Islam, a monotheistic religion built around the teachings of the Qur'an and of the prophet Muhammad. Their GSEC status is 0, which means there are no evangelical Christians or churches among this people group and there is no access to evangelical print, audio, visual or human resources.

Visit imb.org to learn more. Type in People Group # 11951 to learn how to become a prayer advocate for the people of Somalia.

KARACHI

2011-12-06T01:30:00.000-08:00

Aadam Channar* was only a boy when Baptist missionary Hu Addleton first broughtthe Gospel to his province in Pakistan. Today he is an evangelist trying toreach Pakistan’s largest city.

“Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan. When we arrived there [in 1956], itwas 1 million population. Now it’s 17 to 18 million,” said Addleton, whoretired after serving 34 years in Pakistan with his wife, Bettie. “It is apicture of the whole country, because you have every ethnic group living inKarachi.”

About 97 percent of Karachi follows Islam. Christians make up only about 2percent of the city’s population, according to the US State Department.

Channar grew up in a tiny Hindu village very different from the bustling hub ofKarachi, but that did not keep him from approaching the city with the intentionof sharing the good news of Jesus among its many people groups.

“God gave me this vision: ‘Go [to] Karachi. Leave your home, area, village.’ SoGod sent me here,” Channar said. “That’s why I am in Karachi.”

Addleton, who discipled Channar, encourages Southern Baptists to continuegiving through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

“We ought to continue to pray for [Pakistani Christians] and to challengepeople to go,” Addleton said.

Please pray for Channar as he represents the Lord as His heart, His hands,His voice in the city of Karachi, and ask that more Pakistani Christians wouldrespond to God’s call to do the same.

*Name changed

Originallyposted on imb.org

JERUSALEM

2011-12-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

As Jesusapproached Jerusalem for the last time, He wept. He thought about the peoplewithin its walls and said, "If you had only known on this day what wouldbring you peace.” He knew within hours He’d be crucified by the very people forwhom He wept.

Would Jesus still look over the city and weep 2,000 years later?

Most believe He would. Jerusalem is a city where stress runs high, and thestrain of so many people practicing so many religions in such a small areamakes the tension palpable. They seek a blessing or a healing or someconnection with God through well-meaning, but mistaken, devotion.

Bitter division resides just below the surface. Christians, Jews, Muslims—nofaction would be disappointed if the other two groups would exit the city wallsand disappear into the barren countryside. Many who want peace see it assomething to be politically brokered.

“We work toward peace, we work toward bridging the gap between cultures andbetween the differences in people, but really it’s God’s grace and only God’sgrace that will ever appear,” says an IMB worker.

“The situation in Jerusalem will decide what will be the situation in the restof the world,” says a local messianic pastor. When Jesus comes, “there will bepeace in Jerusalem and there will be peace in the rest of the world.”

Pray that the people of Jerusalem will begin to recognize the things thatbring true peace.

Originally posted on imb.org

TOKYO

2011-12-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

InJapan’s male-dominated society, a man’s identity centers on his work. Companiesreward loyalty, hard work, and long hours. But losing one’s position is a fallfrom grace that leads to shame. For many Japanese, losing a job means losingtheir identity. For some touched by the ministry of International Mission Board(IMB) workers to the homeless, it means new birth.

Hironobu Honda, Kiyoshi Sugioka, and Katsuo Yamamota are three of the nearly 1million Japanese who lost their jobs during the global economic decline thatbegan in 2007. As their foundation of pride and self-sufficiency crumbled, allthree found themselves homeless. All three contemplated suicide.

Then they found Christ through the witness of IMB personnel helping thehomeless in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park. Today these men are involved in small Biblegroups throughout Tokyo.

On March 11 a crushing earthquake and tsunami dealt Japan another blow. Anuclear crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant complicated relief effortsand led to the temporary evacuation of American citizens from Tokyo, includingIMB missionaries Mark and Wendy Hoshizaki who minister to the homeless.

“Even before the earthquake, the homeless were beginning to ask, ‘What isimportant? What is real? Isn’t there some hope?’” Mark said.

Sugioka saw opportunities in the crises.

“Japan has been too comfortable and maybe this is what Japan needs to turn tothe Lord,” Sugioka said.

Pray that both the earthquake and economic crisis will lead more Japanese toturn from their pride and self-sufficiency to faith in Jesus Christ.

Pray that small groups begun among the homeless will grow into reproducingchurches.

Pray the spiritual rebirth among the homeless will spread to other sectorsof Japanese society as they become bold witnesses for Christ.

Originally posted on imb.org

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer

2011-12-03T03:30:00.000-08:00

Dec 4-11, 2011

If you are a follower of Jesus, you are part of the task to fulfill the Great Commission.

Paul says, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Jesus has commissioned us to be His heart, His hands, His voice. Through praying, giving, and going, Southern Baptists have fulfilled this legacy for more than 160 years.

Yet billions remain lost and time may be running out for them. We must pray more intentionally and give more sacrificially than ever before. Our churches must take direct responsibility for helping reach the nearly 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups that missionaries may never be able to get to.

And, since most unreached people groups likely are represented in the world's urban centers, we have unique challenges and opportunities to reach the world through the cities, as illustrated in this year’s week of prayer features.

What can you do, individually? Start by being “Southern Baptist missions” through your prayers to be an extension of His heart, hands, and voice through unprecedented giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®.

Check back each day this week for ways to a part of the Great Commission through prayer!

VIsit imb.org for the original post.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

2011-12-02T02:54:00.000-08:00

What is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®? Southern Baptist churches collect the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the sole purpose of supporting international missions. Every penny of the offering goes to the International Mission Board’s overseas budget, thus supporting our missionaries and their work.

What is the goal for this year’s offering? $175 million

Visit Lottie Moon at Work to see dollar amounts and visuals of your gifts at work.

TATAR

2011-11-23T02:21:00.000-08:00

Continent:Asia

Sub-Continent: Central Asia

Country: Kazakhstan

Profile: The Tatar of Kazakhstan have a population of 250,000. They are part of the Ural-Siberian people cluster. The global population of this people group is 6,223,557. Their primary language is Russian. The primary religion practiced by the Tatar is Sunni Islam, the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims follow the teachings of the Qur'an and consider the first four caliphs to be the rightful successors of Muhammad. Their GSEC status is 2, which means this people group is less than 2% evangelical but there has been initial or concentrated church planting among them within the past two years.

Visit imb.org to learn more about the unreached peoples of the world, type in People Group Number: 24298 to learn about the Tatar people.

YOU TAI

2011-10-28T23:30:00.000-07:00

Continent: Asia

Sub-Continent: Eastern Asia

Country: China

Profile: The You Tai of China have a population of 832. They are part of the Jews people cluster. This people group is found only in China. Their primary language is Mandarin Chinese. The primary religion practiced by the You Tai is Judaism, the unique religion, philosophy and way of life of the Jewish people. Their GSEC status is 1, which means this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

Visit imb.org to learn more about the You Tai people.

History. Strategy. Vision.

2011-10-27T01:34:00.000-07:00

RUSSIAN

2011-10-20T01:46:00.000-07:00

Continent: Americas

Sub-Continent: South America

Country: Chile

Profile: The Russian of Chile have a population of 1,700. They are part of the Slav, Eastern people cluster. The global population of this people group is 178,378,361. Their primary language is Russian. The primary religion practiced by the Russian is Orthodox Christianity. Their GSEC status is 1, which means this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

Visit imb.org and type in People Group Number: 17453!

CHUVASH

2011-10-05T01:36:00.000-07:00

Continent: Asia

Sub-Continent: Central Asia

Country: Turkmenistan

Profile:The Chuvash of Turkmenistan have a population of 3,346. They are part of the Ural-Siberian people cluster. The global population of this people group is 1,769,056. Their primary language is Chuvash. The primary religion practiced by the Chuvash is Orthodox Christianity. Their GSEC status is 1, which means this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

Visit imb.org and type in People Group Number:24613 to learn how you can mobilize your church to be praying for the unreached people of Turkmenistan.

MALI (MAITHILI)

2011-09-28T01:23:00.000-07:00

Continent: Asia

Sub-Continent: Southern Asia

Country: India

Profile: The Mali (Maithili) of India have a population of 488,525. They are part of the Hindi people cluster. The global population of this people group is 8,799,332. Their primary language is Maithili. The primary religion practiced by the Mali (Maithili) is Hinduism, the predominant religious tradition of the Indian subcontinent. There are many forms of Hinduism, each with its own deities and beliefs. Their GSEC status is 1, which means this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

To learn more about this people group visit imb.org and type in People Group Number: 47904.

KLUET

2011-09-19T01:14:00.000-07:00

Continent: Asia

Sub-continent: South-Eastern Asia

Country: Indonesia

Profile: The Kluet of Indonesia have a population of 50,000. They are part of the Aceh of Sumatra people cluster. This people group is found only in Indonesia. Their primary language is Batak Alas-Kluet. The primary religion practiced by the Kluet is Islam, a monotheistic religion built around the teachings of the Qur'an and of the prophet Muhammad. Their GSEC status is 0, which means there are no evangelical Christians or churches among this people group and there is no access to evangelical print, audio, visual or human resources.

To learn more about how to pray for this people group visit imb.org and type in People Group Number: 22501.

Adopt A People Group, and Start Praying NOW!

2011-09-12T02:26:00.000-07:00

What is a people group?
It is a group of people who have the same language, culture, history, customs and family/clan identities. For strategic purposes, a people group is the largest group through which the gospel can flow without encountering significant barriers of understanding and acceptance.

Adopt to Pray
There are many who are untouched by the Gospel and have little opportunity to hear about Jesus. Your church can adopt a specific people group for whom you can begin to pray intentionally and passionately. As we are partnering together to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we are engaged in spiritual warfare so prayer is key! If you lead your church to adopt a people group for ongoing prayer, you can pray for:
      •Barriers to the Gospel to be broken down
      •God to send more laborers to the field to reach them
      •God to prepare hearts of the peoples to receive Him
      •Any missionaries that may be working among that people group
To learn more about adopting a people group for prayer, go to PRAYERthreads.

Originally posted on imb.org

The Returning Challenge

2011-08-20T05:21:00.000-07:00

It is ironic but often the most challenging part of short-term missions is not the going, or the culture- but the returning. It is so hard to express all that one has seen. Seeing poverty changes a worldview. Watching God at work in impossible situations changes one’s understanding of Him. Being used by God opens up realms of possibilities never before thought of by the individual. It is amazing how simply leaving a comfort zone can completely change a life –that starts a fire.

A fire that burns and refines- leaving the believer feeling the depth of what they are: a new creation. Eternal results. Salvations. Baptisms! DISCIPLESHIP! In short the goer “the missionary” is changed by what they experienced. And than of course the inevitable happens- planes are boarded, tears are shed, and everyone returns home.

At home, their fire still burns- their memories are fresh, names, and faces, and the stories attached have not begun to fade yet. They enter the organized chaos of America with a determined resolution to remain changed. Eventually though what was a luxury this summer becomes once again a necessity. The memories of the trip become just that, memories of a trip, slightly fuzzy but still convicting. Their audience is less interested as the stories are put on repeat. The fire begins to die, slowly perhaps but steadily.

I am not sure who is to blame, but I have seen it happen again and again. Please understand it’s not the memory of the trip or even the trip it self that is the fire. It is not even the memory of God at work- the fire is not a memory at all! It is the very presence of God at work in our student’s lives. In your life.

Church Family: Fan the flame! The students are returning from service- encourage them! Thank them for going! Give praise to our Father that we have young people who are willing to go! Ask them to share- in Sunday School, a ladies tea, or 5 minutes on a Sunday night. Push them towards holiness- encourage them to be Godly and do not hinder their excitement for missions. God is calling out young people to long-term service through short-term missions- do you really want to discourage the next Lottie Moon from God’s calling?

And to the returning missionary: Feed the flame. Stay deep in Scripture. Meditating and memorizing. Apply Scripture to your life- do not just read it. Live it. Be purposeful in praying for missions, be determined in casting a mission vision where you are. And never underestimate what God can do with faith the size of a mustard seed. Do not be deterred by disinterest. Do not live for man’s approval. Follow God, go where He leads. And obey the Great Commission where you are now.

The older I become, the less impressed I am with humanity, and the more in awe I am of my God. His love is worth any small sacrifice of man. His salvation is worth proclaiming. And the home He offers to those who believe is beyond imagination. What an amazing God that inspires such wicked people towards holiness. What a good God that gives new life to a decrepit creation. May the fire that burns within those who believe burn bright- may our life’s mission be to proclaim His love. The only love that brings salvation.

Originally posted on Eating Off The Same Plate.

A Final Look

2011-08-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

The pilot year of Project 52 has been completed. Here are highlights of our summer:

P52- Closing Video from Jordan Hendricks on Vimeo.

Kenya: Week 7

2011-08-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Pupils and teachers pose for a photo after an arts class

The week saw us eventually head to Dr.Akila School after a last minute cancellation where we were supposed to serve. It was joy to the director and the children as the team made a second visit to the school and taking over the lessons.

Teachers Elizabeth Savannah, busy in the classroom

Teacher Whitney during an art lesson

Students performing a dance

Jane and Shera display the items they have been making.

Meanwhile Jane and Shera continued with the sewing lessons in the house. Jane is so thankful to Shera for what she has done to her. She has been taught to make several items including bags, wallets, folders, shirts, etc.

It was very emotional when reality hit that the team was leaving. Some cried, others had no words. Indeed we had grown to be a family.

I do thank Nehemiah teams for letting the students work with me.

God bless you.

Eugenio

God's plans... so much better than ours.

2011-07-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, we packed up our stuff and headed back to Nairobi. And we were getting so use to the fresh air out near the mountains! Eugenio also let us know that the place that we were supposed to be serving the rest of our time here in Kenya had called him, and we wouldn't be able to go there. So, Eugenio was going to spend the next day finding out some options of where we could spend about a week and a half. I was kind of excited. It was such a great opportunity for God to open up a door and show us where we needed to be.

Wednesday night Eugenio let us know where we were going. He told us that we would be going back to Korogocho slums. I immediately felt so bummed and honestly had a bad attitude about it. This is the place we went to for 2 days during our second week. It was the absolutely hardest place we had been all summer. It is a school across from the Nairobi dump and basically the people there live off of it. The kids did not know any English and we were pushed into a class to just teach all day. It freaked me out because I like to have a plan and know exactly what I will be doing and not just thrown into a situation. God is laughing because that has been exactly what this summer has been... ha!

So, Thursday.....we started our drive towards Korogocho slums. I think I must have prayed the entire ride for just a good attitude about this and for Him to just HELP me through these days. I just wanted to show these kids God's love and how could I do that with a bad attitude? Without even realizing it....Thursday was such a great day. One of my teammates, Savannah, and I taught the 2nd and 3rd class (grade) which were shoved into one room....so we divided up the blackboard and attempted to teach. I don't know what happened but God really turned my way of thinking around that day. And it definitely was not as hard that first 2 days a couple of weeks ago.

It was a funny story because these kids had been praying this whole time that we would return....and we did. How awesome is God! These kids are absolutely precious and I just loved my class. The ages ranged from about 7 to 14...in 2nd and 3rd grade. It's so disappointing the lack of opportunities these kids have.

That Thursday evening we went home and brainstormed to come up with a syllabus of what we would do for Friday and the rest of next week.

We made name tags for the kids so we could learned their names and they could color them. And we did learn them!
We also made little booklets for each one (30) that had a different page for each day and it was say something like "Draw a picture of your family, your favorite animal, what you want to be when you grow up, and then a free day".
Then we would also plan an art project that had to do with the Bible lesson for the day. We made swords of the spirit,a helmet of righteousness, bracelets, and a painted picture frame.
Then we planned alot of math and made sure they knew it.
Then, there were some other random subjects thrown in there.

The art projects were so cool becuase they were so proud of them. In these schools, they never really learn how to use the creative side of the brain so they had such a good time. When we made picture frames we also went to the photo store and printed off a picture of each kid and then went home that night and glued them together. They looked SO GOOD! I was like a proud mother. And when we showed them their surprise with their picture, they were so excited. I don't even know if they have ever had a picture of themselves before but they were just jumping up and down becuase they were so excited.

Another interesting thing about the little drawing booklets we did was the day about "draw a picture of what you want to be when you grow up." I put myself in those shoes and thought about what what I wanted to be and what my friends wanted to be at that age. When we were in 3rd grade, we reached for the moon with our dreams. We wanted to be President or an astronaut or something just super cool. When I went around to check their drawing thing I saw the most were "Matatu drivers". I was just so sad because these kids don't even know how to dream and they don't know the possibilities except for what they see day to day.

The week at Korogocho was absolutely amazing. I think it was my most favorite week and it was the week that I was looking forward to the least. What an amazing God I serve. I am so thankful that is where He led us our last week.

-Bethany

EX & EV Summer's End

2011-07-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

Our summer adventure has finally come to an end and many of us are finding it hard to believe the number of creation’s natural wonders we’ve seen and touched. We’ve had some time this past week to reflect on our individual team adventures and we also spent some time exploring the sites of home base.

At home base, we visited a beautiful cave that was full of crystal walls and clear water in which we swam and cooled off. Another day we hiked to a local waterfall that we all enjoyed swimming in and fighting the current. On a couple of nights, we helped a few young students practice their English by playing some fun games with them. A few guys also interacted with the local community by visiting a public basketball court and shooting some hoops with the men out there. Last night we all enjoyed roasting hot dogs and s’mores over a fire on the local beach.

In the next 24 hours we will all be on our way back to the states. We will start together, but gradually spread out among different flights and airlines. Please ask Dad to provide smooth travels and to keep us safe as we return. We are all excited to see our loved ones and are looking forward to our arrival home! Also take time to ask Him to touch the hearts of the people we interacted with this summer.

Unseen Barriers

2011-07-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have never thought of myself as particularly smart or rich, but I have noticed that as a white person in the Philippines, I am perceived that way. When I did some construction work with some men at Gentle Hands, I was asked some seemingly ridiculous questions, but it just showed the misconceptions we sometimes have about another culture.

When I pick up a tool or a board and try to help, they try to stop me. I’m not doing anything I wouldn’t do at home, but they don’t understand that. They think that their work is beneath me, and as a white person I could do anything, but I shouldn’t have to work that hard. I’ve been trying to break the mold of how they perceive me and white people as a whole. I’m working, sweeping, running errands – grunt work – and it’s not what they ever expected I would do.

When I told the men I was going to school, they first thing they asked me was if I went to Harvard. They automatically assumed I was brilliant just because was white. And when I told them what I was studying to be (a preacher), they were even more surprised. They were shocked that I would consider choosing a career that involved so much servitude. Talking with them about my school and career choice opened doors to share the gospel with them. It really helped that the other side of the memory verses we were given is written in Tagalog. I was able to show them and walk them through the verses because they were written in a language they understood. Broken English was enough to clarify the meanings or some questions they had.

God has taught me that there are so many things to consider about people when we go into another culture to witness. While we may spend so much time thinking about the right location to go to, the right way to eat food there, or even the right way to greet people, we may be overlooking some other important factors as well. How are we perceived there? They have a somewhat skewed view of believers, but we often don’t understand the lost. And when we are trying to reach them, we have to be aware that sometimes the barriers we must overcome may not even be spiritual; it could be skin, language, reputation, or any other thing. They more aware we are, the more effective we can be at winning souls for the kingdom. And that’s why we came, right?

-Cory

A Step Forward

2011-07-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Every team I visit has the same problem in their ministry – reaching the men. Whether it’s street evangelism in a city, feeding programs in squatter communities, or inviting tribal people to bible studies, it is very hard to gain the interest of the men. It’s understandable to some extent: a lot of them work very hard ALL day long, then they just want to come home and rest or they start drinking and gambling as their only source for entertainment. Gentle Hands has been reaching out to the people of Malabon for quite a while now, and they have noticed a key interest that all of the men share – basketball. To take a step forward in including the men, the workers and volunteers at Gentle Hands decided to clean and repaint the basketball court in the Malabon community. Their efforts were well received to say the least.

Micah: We began our day of work in Malabon with extra sets of hands since a large team of military families from Japan came to volunteer at Gentle Hands for a week. We walked them through Malabon so they could really understand the living conditions these people endure (they live on a garbage dump), and they could see the incredible need they have for food, medical care, money, and the gospel.

After we walked through and greeted the people, our team and the new team began our fellowship time with the people. We played with children, talked to the adults, and Ate Char did some medical work.

Then it was time to work. The children and our teams swept the court to get it ready for painting. The men were starting to gather as we swept the court. Once we brought out the paint and started outlining our marks and asking what color they wanted everything to be, their interest peaked. Men came pouring out the sidelines of the court – watching, helping, smiling. It was great!

Sweeping - Filipino style

Almost everyone from our teams got a turn to help paint the court, and all of they people seemed simply elated that we would do this for them. While it is something they appreciate and something we wanted to do, painting a basketball court was not our goal for the day. We wanted to establish a stronger relationship with the men which will hopefully lead to more of them coming to Christ.

Our hopes were realized the next time we went to Malabon. The men seemed more open, and they had even painted the Gentle Hands symbol on one of the walls surrounding the court – pink paint, heart and all. This was one step forward with the men that will hopefully lead to a race towards Christ.

Planting a Seed

2011-07-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Ever since I arrived in the Philippines, I have been praying for God send me someone I can witness to. Everywhere I turned, I seemed to be blocked by the language barrier. Part of our work here at Gentle Hands is going to a community called Malabon and ministering to the people there through giving food or medicine or sharing the gospel. I met a boy named Michael there, and I saw that my prayer was answered.

I did not seek Michael out, or make an effort to talk to him more than any of the other children I met in Malabon; he just walked up and introduced himself to me. I started walking with him and quickly realized that he knew more English than any other person I had met in Malabon! I knew this was the opportunity I had been praying for! I spent the day getting to know him. I asked him what he knew about Jesus and shared the gospel with him. After our conversation, he went home for a little bit, but he came back as we were getting ready to go. I asked him to think about what I had said to him. I went home and prayed for him, and I made sure to ask everyone back home to pray for him too.

I really wanted to talk to him again to see if he had thought about it like I asked him to or if he had any questions. God made that possible too. The next time we went to Malabon, Michael came running up to me and started playing with me. I asked him if he had thought about what I had told him last time. He said, “Yeah…let’s go play over there.” I was devastated. It crushed me that God had granted me everything I had asked (the opportunity to witness to someone who could understand me and that I would get the chance to see him again), but he wasn’t receptive.

I struggled with God for the rest of the day. I asked him over and over why He gave me the opportunity and everything else just for Michael not to believe it. I know now that those feelings of frustration, anger, and defeat all came from the enemy who just wanted me to feel like it just wasn’t “worth it” to share. But I learned and grew so much from that trial. I know that sharing is totally worth it! Even if I never see a single person come to Christ, they will have at least heard. Even if I share the gospel my whole life and only one person believes, it was totally worth it. I walked away from that experience so encouraged with God’s sovereignty. He is the one who changes hearts; I can only listen and follow.

-Maddie

Great Expectations

2011-07-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

The director of Gentle Hands made a promise with God when she began her ministry. She said she would never go looking for children to bring to the orphanage, but if God placed them in her path or if someone called and needed help with a child, she would always do whatever she could. She would trust God to provide her with whatever skills or money she needed to take proper care of them. That’s why she didn’t shy away from bringing a boy with cerebral palsy into Gentle Hands. Maddie majored in special education, so she was assigned to the boy to try to help him accomplish some basic tasks. The experience has been nerve-wracking but amazing at the same time for her. It has also taught her about God’s power.

Maddie: I met this boy on the third or fourth day here at Gentle Hands. There were certain things he needed to learn how to do or had to perform or he would be institutionalized because of his disability. I was assigned to him to help him accomplish these tasks. No pressure, right? He is a really sweet kid though. I know there is so much he wants to say and do because Cerebral Palsy doesn’t affect his ability to think or reason, he just can’t express or do much.

I have never prayed as earnestly as I have for his progress. His benchmark tasks include being able to sit up, walk, and talk, which seem physically impossible for him in his current state. I know a little about C.P., but I have no strategies to rely on to help me instruct him. I have had to fully rely on the power of God to bring him as far as he has come, and I expect God to continue to work in him so he can stay at Gentle Hands where he is loved.

I have been searching scripture for help in this situation and I keep coming back to the story of Peter walking on water. What Jesus told Peter to do was physically impossible, but through Jesus’ power, Peter was able to do it. Only when he started relying on himself did he start to sink. This boy hasn’t made the leaps and bounds he is supposed to make yet, but he has made a lot of progress. God has shown me the power of prayer, and I have been bathing this boy in it. I know that I am not capable of accomplishing what needs to be done, but God and his strength is. Please pray for this boy... let’s see what God can do!

-Maddie

You Are Loved

2011-07-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

One of the main beliefs the supervisor of Gentle Hands has is that as Christians, we can be a tangible, practical touch of Jesus to those in need. Whether they are feeding the hungry, helping the sick, holding the lonely, or praying for the lost, the Gentle Hands team has taken this philosophy to heart. Becky has seen great need in some of the love-starved children who come to Gentle Hands.

Becky: I have made a very strong connection with a little boy that I misunderstood at first. When I first met him, I just thought he was an annoying little boy who threw tantrums all the time. After learning his story though, I learned that he was simply dropped off at the orphanage – abandoned. His kicking and screaming is his coping mechanism for the hurt he feels. Sometimes it’s over absolutely nothing, but if I simply hold him close to me, he will instantly calm down. It’s not what you are probably thinking though: another spoiled kid who kicks and screams until he gets attention – it’s different. He just wants closeness because he has probably never gotten it.

Now when he sees me, he runs right to me (which is hilarious because his legs seem to move faster than the rest of his body so he looks like a cartoon) and hugs me. He usually stays pretty close to me. Often I am the only one who can calm him down when he is throwing a fit. He has taught me to love unconditionally because, like all of us, he is sometimes very hard to love. I know I could never understand what he has experienced or how he feels because of it, but I do know that I can love him through it.

He had a sister here at Gentle Hands who went back to their family, so I sometimes worry that he will go back home and not have the love that he has found here. I just want him to know that someone loves him – whether he only has God for that or if his parents have become what he needs or if he has a faint memory of me or the others who love him here at Gentle Hands.

What I have learned from all of this is that we should love on every kid as much as possible because we may be the only sources of love and the only touch of Jesus they feel in their lives. I know I will continue to pray for that boy by name every day when I get home. I hope that God will always allow him to be surrounded people who make him feel loved or provide him with strength in knowing God is with him if the love isn’t there.

Always In My Prayers

2011-07-28T04:56:00.000-07:00

It’s not hard to love the children at Gentle Hands. All they want is love and they freely give it in return. Becky found herself completely attached to one girl immediately after arriving at the orphanage, and learned an unexpected lesson from her.

Becky: I met Raisa the first week of working here at Gentle Hands. The bond was automatic and so strong! Even though I only knew her for a few days, I quickly became the only person who could stop her crying. She even called me “Momma.” After the first week I was here, she went back to her family, but I didn’t know she would be leaving Gentle Hands. It was so hard to say goodbye. She has been in my thoughts and prayers every day since she left. I think about her and how much I want to see her every time we go back to the area she lives in for ministry.

I didn’t watch as she was given back to her family. I didn’t want to know what her family looks like, I thought it would be too hard to watch. I was trying to detach. The experience taught me how to say goodbye and let go – something I’ve never had to do. I really didn’t expect to learn something so profound from someone I had only known for a week. It made me love the children more because I learned we don’t know how much longer we will see the children and get to love on them. And we don’t know if they will feel as much love at home as we give them while they are with us. That’s what I often think about when I think of Raisa, and my heart still breaks for her. I don’t know how her life is now, but I hope and pray that she is with a family who loves her just as much or more that I did in that short amount of time.

-Becky

A Bittersweet Celebration

2011-07-28T00:59:00.000-07:00

It is no question whether or not Mabry, Candace, Katherine, or Hannah love the kids at Ruel Foundation. Between bottles, games, walks, or just holding them when they cry, the love is evident. They like to try to do special things for the children, so when any opportunity arises, the girls try to take full advantage of it. So when something like a birthday rolls around – you can bet there will be a serious party.

They...

Love...

These...

Kids!!!!!

When one of the boys had his birthday, the supervisor decided that a celebration at Jollibee (Filipino version of McDonalds) for him and all of the children who were old enough to participate was in order. The team was so excited for the children that it was hard to keep it a secret! Sophie, a volunteer from New Zealand who had been at Ruel for six months, and the children made a robot-shaped cake for the boy, thinking they would celebrate at the base that night.

The Birthday Boy

...and his cake

Around 5 o’clock, the children were loaded into a van, unable to hide their excitement and expectations. We got to Jollibee ready to celebrate, but we had a little obstacle to overcome. There was already another birthday party going on at the time, and seating was VERY limited. After talking with the staff at Jollibee, we were able to get enough room in the reserved section to seat all of the children.

The children were so excited to get their fries and coke, and then their chicken and spaghetti – a traditional Filipino birthday dish. The team and I chaperoned the kids and made sure to take pictures of their happy, spaghetti-covered faces. Everyone seemed to be having such an awesome time – except one.

One girl at Ruel is a little older than the other kids. She was sitting towards the end of one of the tables. Due to the limited space, we sat next to some of the families celebrating the other birthday. The girl was seated next to a mother and father and their daughter who was close to her age. She kept glancing, then staring, at the family. She is old enough to understand her situation and what she is missing by not having a family. While the supervisor, the other workers, and Mabry, Hannah, Candace, and Katherine can love the children with all their hearts (and they do), the children know that they are not family and they long for that connection with people.

She stares at what she wants so badly

Some of the children at Ruel are there for temporary care. Some are malnourished or sick in some other way, and once they are better, they will be sent back to their families. Others don’t have the comfort of knowing that their family is waiting for them to come home after they are healthy. Some ask the supervisor whether or not she will find families for them. What a heart-wrenching question! Please pray that God will lead people’s hearts to adoption in the Philippines. No child deserves to grow up without a place or people to call his own.

Reaching Out

2011-07-28T00:53:00.000-07:00

The girls at Ruel are determined to continue their process of ministering to the surrounding community as well as the children at the Ruel Foundation. Mabry contacted me with three new things they have done to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Calapan City.

The first experience was with some kids that were playing outside the gate of the girls’ apartment. The kids were “playing” with a cat – kicking, throwing, laughing at it. The girls told them to stop, but the kids just laughed at them. The girls turned away and talked about getting ready for team time. They must have said "Bible study" because one of the boys repeated it, and Mabry freaked out! She ran over to him and said, “Yes Bible study! You like Bible study?” After about ten minutes of talking, the team convinced the children to come back to Ruel the next week for a Bible study.

The next ministry opportunity branched from another visit to the hospital. One family needed a medicine the hospital didn’t have. Katherine and Hannah took a woman from the family all over town looking for a place that had the medicine. When they found the medicine they bought it for the woman. The woman was so grateful, and Hannah and Katherine said it was such a blessing to be able to help the people in such a practical way.

The other experience was with more local children. The teamed armed themselves with Silly Bands, Pixi Stix, over 100 tracts, and other bracelets. They waited in the streets near the base for the local children to walk home from school. The children were really hesitant at first to accept the gifts from the team, but once the team explained the gifts were free, they gladly took them and the tracts. They stopped and talked to a group of girls to try to build stronger relationships that may lead to chances to share the gospel with them.

Please pray for this team and that more ministry opportunities will present themselves!

To the Least of These

2011-07-28T00:51:00.000-07:00

My stay at the Ruel Foundation taught me two things about the team working there. 1) They have adopted the supervisor’s passion for the native Mungyan people, and 2) they wanted to do more ministry outside the children’s home. While I was with them, the team often mentioned several plans for various ministries: prayer walking, hospital visits, visiting schools, and street evangelism. Well, after I left the foundation, I received an email from the team leader, Mabry, that was overflowing with excitement. Apparently they got their chance to do some ministry at the hospital with the Mungyan people, and they might have opened doors to do other types of ministry along the way.

Mabry: The Mungyan people are definitely looked down upon in Calapan City, and they are very poor. When they are sick, they can rarely afford a hospital stay and food, so the patient and his or her family often don’t eat while their loved one is receiving medical care. Our plan was to deliver bananas to the families and fellowship with them so they could eat and we could share the gospel with them.

Candace: We had a small problem though. The Mungyan people speak very little English, so simply telling them our testimonies or the gospel would not work very well. Katherine had a great idea. She decided to copy verses that outlined the gospel from the Filipino Bible we have at the home.

Katherine: While I thought my plan would work out perfectly for what we needed, we hit another wall. We went to an internet cafe to type out the tracts and print them, but it was closed. I thought we would have to write out 100 tracts by hand! We knew of one other internet café that was closed, but praise the Lord – it was open!

Hannah: Satan wasn’t done hindering our plans though. I thought it would be good if we let owners of the cafe read the tracts before we distributed them, just to make sure they were correct. It turns out the Bible we copied the verses from is written in a dialect that no one in Calapan City uses! The owners helped us use the internet to translate the verses to Tagalog, then we printed them – God still had the victory!

The team set out for the hospital with bananas and tracts in hand and a mission. Its always good to not have tunnel vision when you are working on a task – even if its one for God – He might have even more in store for you. On the way to the hospital, Hannah met a Filipino girl who was a Muslim. She wanted to become friends with the team. They are trying to set up a Bible study with her in the near future.

Our new friend who flagged down the pastor

Upon arriving at the hospital, plans had to change yet again. They were told that only two people could be allowed in at a time to visit with the people. The team wanted to stick together, so they stayed outside of the hospital giving their bananas and tracts to people as they walked in. The first woman they spoke to was a born-again believer. She was very excited to meet the team. They found out that her husband was very ill, so they prayed for him. A pastor walked by while they were talking with the woman, and she flagged him down. He talked with them for a few minutes and asked if they wanted to go in. They told him about the hospital regulations, but he told them that he knows the workers and it was okay. So the pastor and two security guards escorted the team through the hospital to the patients’ rooms. They gave away all of their bananas and most of their tracts and prayed over each family.

A man reading his tract outside of the hospital

Mabry: It was so encouraging to pray over the Filipino people and to know that even though none of them spoke much English, we were able to share the gospel through those tracts that we made. We're going back as much as possible with more tracts and bananas to give away. Please continue to pray for this ministry!

-Tyler

Team Korea is fine!

2011-07-28T00:47:00.000-07:00

You may have seen the news reports about flooding and landslides in Korea over these past few days. We've heard from some of you, wondering about the safety of the team serving there. Here is an email we received from Team Korea earlier today (July 28th):

Team Korea is safe and sound. We are currently a couple hours southwest of seoul at a camp and have little access to phones and internet.

We will be heading back to seoul on friday afternoon local time.

God bless. Please keep the team and our students in your prayers.

Matt

My Sudanese Summer: In the Midst

2011-07-27T04:45:00.000-07:00

Our final week is upon us and our last week of village evangelism is now complete. As I write, in less than seven days we will home, as cliché as it sounds, the summer really has flown bye. This week’s evangelism was nothing short of a finale. We had several people accept Christ for the first time and once again we climbed into the muddy water and baptized several more believers. And how pleasing to know that as they celebrated their new lives by giving praises and dancing that heaven is throwing the “party of the year” for each one who comes to know him. This week and summer I feel like I almost have got a taste of what it must have been like in the early church. Daily our merry band would teach and disciple and learn from each other.

We had us three, your “three stick out like a sore thumb” missionaries.
You had Alfred, our translator who is missing his two front teeth. A constant reminder and testimony to the drunken fighter he used to be until the gospel changed him.
We had Michael, the pastor who always wore glasses and a shirt that said "Shakira" on it. He heard the gospel years ago in the village when missionaries came to him and was eager to share the word.
We had Moses in our group who was young and the son of Michael.
And there was a young man by the name Alex who visited the church at midnight of the week we were there and found himself at his end. 19 years of age, being a drunk, his parents had kicked him out of the house and he found himself at the church hoping and praying for an answer to his life. That night he accepted Jesus and followed us in our merry band throughout the week. After several days of shaking from withdrawals he was beginning to look somewhat together.

Day after day we traveled to homes on foot preaching the gospel and asking them to drop their nets and follow. At night we all slept together on the dirt floor of a brick church with no doors. Their wives provided us with more food then we could ever want. What a sense of community I felt as we read the scriptures for sometimes hours in a morning spending many hours in conversations of the Lord. What a blessing to even taste perhaps what it would have been to be an earlier follower of Christ.

This week we were hit with many honest statements and questions. An older gentleman on the last day came up just to greet us and tell us, "Thank you for preaching the word of God." He began to share his testimony and he said in 1968 he was saved, but Satan did not fear his salvation. Later in his life after he quit playing in sin in 2000, he said he began to proudly share the gospel. A very simple testimony, but the words “Satan did not fear my salvation” was stuck in my head. I started wondering if Satan feared my own salvation. If the way I lived my life made Satan tremble or if he simply found himself not worrying about me because I was simply distracted a lot of times.

I started thinking about my church and people my age, and started wondering does Satan fear our salvation? And honestly I began to think of it as a shame the number of times we have simply been idle and distracted by sins but things also we might not consider bad... like college, the American dream, and vacations. Does Satan honestly fear our salvations? I’m scared to say, but for a generation who has all the tools needed at hand to fulfill the great commission, for the most part we stand idle. I pray we would be people that Satan shutters at when he reflects on our relationship with God.

Pray for Tony

2011-07-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

Tony has been struggling with his alcohol addiction this past weekend after attending a wedding. We just ask that you lift him up in your prayers as Christ continues to work in his life to completely kick his addiction. After 37 years of this lifestyle and addiction, it just shows God's majestic ability to transform his life from where it was before. It will all be a challenge for him, but it just reminds us that we serve an all-powerful God and nothing is impossible for Him. All the glory to God.

- Landon

Praise the Lord for more souls in His kingdom

2011-07-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

It was the first week we were in the Philippines and we went to play basketball with some guys. When we finished, we walked by a skills center (welding) and a guy walked up to us and started to talk in English! We were surprised at first, but he was very nice. We ended up asking if we could play basketball with them and share our testimonies. After that, we started going back on a regular basis and having Bible studies. They were very receptive of our message, although many of them professed to be Catholic. They seemed interested from the beginning and each of our team members lead a Bible study with them. I remember several times going on their lunch break (which was 1 hour) and staying 2 to 3 hours talking about many things relating to Jesus and what truth REALLY is.

As the summer was winding down, several of the guys made Jesus Christ the Lord of their lives! We celebrated with John, Macarae, Odonis, William, Patrick, Argie, and Vinston. Then I shared with them about baptism and we made plans to baptize them all together. Two of them however, came to me and said they did not want to wait and wanted to be baptized the next day! So we baptized John and Odonis the following day! The rest were to follow, and the Lord proved Himself faithful through their lives. They will be leaving to work all around Cebu, so please pray for them that they would continue to be bright lights in the darkness where they work and to whomever they meet. Pray for the truth to be evident and revealed for each of these guys as they are searching for more answers. Thank you for the prayer!

- Phil

Tuli Tuesday!

2011-07-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tuli... or circumcisions have been going great!

We have had around 100 boys be circumcised and we still have some more to go!

Almost everyone has had the opportunity to do tuli or assist someone in tuli. The teams are led by registered Filipino nurses who have been trained in community heathcare also. Everyone has had a great time serving these boys both physically and spiritually.

Casiklan tuli day

Last Tuesday team Lawan-Lawan and Casiklan got to go to an area in between their villages and tag-team on some tuli procedures.

Katie of the Casiklan team dubbed it "Tuli Tuesday" and was super excited to work on these kids.

The usual amount of boys in a day can estimate from 6 to 20 and can be extremely exhausting for the teams.

Lawan-Lawan Tuli day

With them working so hard they have to take caution with their blood sugar, because when it gets to low you shake more. This can be dangerous when you are doing the procedure. So, as a pre-cautionary measure, the team takes frequent breaks and has numerous snacks as they work.

Subait tuli day

We pray that these days have a strong influence on the lives of the patients both physically and spiritually, as well as having an impact on the families of the young.

House Dedications

2011-07-24T22:56:00.000-07:00

The team is now finished with their house building.

This past Saturday, the team had the honor of dedicating 5 houses. Including two they helped complete from the ground up, one other they spent time working on, and 2 others.

Each team member got to take part in the ceremony. Each had the opportunity to tell the Habitat board, the new homeowners and the owner’s friends what they had learned this summer. Dan gave a Bible to each family, while Thomas gave the families the keys to their homes. Nicholas sang a Cebuano song he learned the night before, while Tanner and Jeremiah both prayed.

The members got to pray for the homeowners as well as cut the ribbons before they entered the house.

But one of the best parts was after we cut the ribbon and sang the song as we entered the home. The homeowners had snacks to celebrate. We got to eat spaghetti, some coconut rice snacks, and even a roasted pig. We went from one house to the next. So, by the last house, the one with the roasted pig, we were so stuffed that most of the pig was eaten by the family and friends there.

It is great to see all the hard work done and the gratitude of the work from the homeowners. This team has grown so much since the beginning of this summer- as a team and also as individuals. It's was very cool to see how much was done in just a summer. The first time I visited the team they were just laying the foundation on the houses. By the time I returned there were walls up on all sides of both houses. It was incredible to see how fast the work was done.

The team will now finish up their week with ministry as well as a couple things that the Habitat board will be treating them to. Keep them in your prayers as the continue to disciple the people they have meet and as they share the gospel with others in the community.

It's the final stretch!

2011-07-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the final week here in the Philippines. This will be one of the most difficult weeks yet.

Some are ready to go, while others wish this was just the beginning and they could stay longer. The teams know they are all on their final week, and are prepared to do all they can to glorify God in this last week.

The Devil knows he only has this last week to do all he can to hinder our ministry. He is prepared to pull out all the stops to keep us from doing God's will. He has already begun his final attack.

Talking to his family online in the hospital

On the Filter team, one of the members, Andrew, became sick Saturday morning with some stomach problems. He was taken to the hospital and had to stay over night to be monitored. The members of his team, as well as the Habitat team and myself visited him. He was prayed for numerous times by his visitors. Sunday he was able to leave the hospital and return to his team to finish the present race God has set before him.

So as you can see the enemy has some tricks up his sleeves, but we have God on our side so we WILL NOT be defeated. Pray for the teams as we finish out. Pray that we will continue to lean on God and not let the enemy get a foothold in our lives. This is the part where your job is most important in our ministry. Your prayer is needed, Don't let up now. Pray Continuously.

EX & EV FESTIVAL!

2011-07-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

All teams have returned to home base for the remainder of the summer. Our first activity upon our return was a 3-day long traditional island festival in which we were treated as the guests of honor. The festival activities were based on the traditional beginnings of the island beliefs and culture. We enjoyed baskets full of traditional food, watched many ceremonial dances, and heard the sound of various percussive instruments. During the festival, we also competed as the All-American team in a few different games and contests.

Our first competition was a 500-meter Dragon Boat race. The Dragon Boat is basically an extended canoe that is rowed by about 12 people. There is also one person that steers the boat and another that keeps the rowers in sync by beating a big drum at the front of the boat. In our first race we kept up fairly well and finished in second place, but we finished last in the semi-finals. We (Adam, Josh) also competed in a volleyball tournament and a few of us (Brandon, Zach, Tyler, Josh) swam from one island to another in a 2.5K swim race.

One night of the festival, Adam, Zach, and I were featured musicians on stage. In front of a fairly large crowd, we joined some friends we’d made earlier this summer as they performed traditional music during the night’s festivities. It was a lot of fun being under the bright lights and being able to entertain all of the people at the festival.

On the last day of the festival we attended a large fish grill-out on the beach. There were multiple tents that were very generous with their food and we ate a lot more of good traditional food. We also enjoyed more traditional dances and music before the festival ended that night.

As our summer experiences come to an end and we start to chew on what we have learned, please ask Father to guide us in discerning the application of what we’ve done and seen here. We have a little over a week left at home base before we leave so we also ask that you continue to think of us and ask Him to keep us focused for the remainder of our time here.

Sharing in the newest country in the world

2011-07-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

The first week i was in K.K. We got here on Friday and Saturday night they told me I was preaching at a church on Sunday morning. So i prepared and prayed and after I preached I gave no formal invitation whatsoever and three people came up to accept JESUS. One woman was dedicating her baby and afterward she said that she dedicated the baby but she had not yet dedicated herself to the LORD.

Then we went out for a week of ministry in the bush. This past week we went "hut to hut" and got personal with people and shared CHRIST with them and some of them straight up left their sinful ways and came to the LORD. Others were not so interested... but they still cooked for us...EVERY DAY! It was interesting.

We got to baptize around 15 people and trained church leaders and got to do discipleship with lots of people. The last day we hiked a very long ways, after the first thirty minutes I realized this was gonna be a long hike. It was 1 hour and ten minutes to get where we were going one way. Oh!!! We got to do open air preaching too it was great... and our translator loved the bull horn!

-Zul

"Hut to hut" evangelism & holding hands...

2011-07-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

This is it... we will be home soon. We did hut to hut evangelism again and probably my favorite story is when we were sharing the gospel at a hut with a man and two women. One of the women accepted CHRIST and wanted us to pray for her about her being barren. She said that she had had doubts about GOD because she couldn't have children. Then she wanted us to go to her family. So we followed her to her family and her mother in-law was the only believer in the family. The mother in-law said she had considered suicide because children in her family always die and women are always barren. Because of this people in the community said that she was doing something to the women and children. She said that she was greatly encouraged that we had come to share the word of GOD because most of the people in her community shunned her and most of her family said there was no GOD. We shared CHRIST with the family and the next day the girl came to the church for discipleship- it was awesome!

We hiked through mountains on another day and did discipleship with a church that was way out of the way. Also this week I met the son of the Pastor of the church where we were staying, his name was Moses. He was the same age as us so he was very excited to see us. I got to do some one on one discipleship with him and the last day were were there he took me to the market to hang out and get a soda. I have been here for almost two months and this was the first time I did the hand-holding thing. Let me say that I am not shy about showing my affections at all but holding hands with another grown man all the way through the village to the market and then having him buy me a soda was a completely uncomfortable experience if i must say so my self! I know it is their culture and when men hold hands it means they are friends... so I took it in stride.

-Zul

Rethinking Radical

2011-07-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

“We don’t need any more books, seminars, or conferences. What we need are examples.” Matt, a rising college freshman, has spoken for a generation that is tired of being entertained by Christian celebrities and challenged to “go” by executive pastors who stay.

As I thought about Matt’s statement and the desire of a generation to live “Radical,” I thought immediately of Charles Thomas Studd. He was born in England in 1860. His father, Edward Studd, had made his fortune in India. C.T. Studd was handsome, rich, and athletic. He attended Cambridge University, one of the most prestigious universities of his day. Studd had a passion for Cricket (the sport, not the insect) and became what others have referred to as the “Michael Jordan of Cricket.” Studd was claimed by some then and today as the greatest player to have ever played the game.

However, after hearing an influential missionary from China speak, Studd, along with 6 others made a commitment to go. They gave up promising careers and their fame, and walked away from the “Great British Dream.” For several months, the “Cambridge Seven,” as they became known, traveled from campus to campus across Britain challenging students to give their all for the glory of God. Their testimony and their lives rang with authenticity and awakened the church to His global cause.

C.T. Studd spent his life as a missionary mobilizing the church to “Come.” Once he said, “There are more than twice as many Christian ‘officers’ at home among the peaceful Britain’s 40 million evangelized inhabitants, than the whole number of forces fighting at the front among 1.2 billion unreached! And yet such call themselves soldiers of Christ.”

What might C.T. Studd say today to our Christian “officers” at home? What might C.T. Studd say to David Platt about being “Radical?”

David, your book is good, but it’s not really that radical. Your call to finish the Great Commission rings hollow to a generation looking for examples. Follow me. Resign from your church. Rally six of your friends in similar positions as yourself. All of you go and spend your life among an unreached people group until you have learned their language and learned their culture, and planted the Church there. This generation may be moved, but never mobilized by your books. It will take ‘reckless sacrifice and heroism in the foremost trenches.’

I think at this point in the C.T. Studd challenge, Adoniram Judson would be stirred from beyond the grave and the words he spoke in 1832 would echo down from Heaven, “First, let it be a missionary life. That is, come out for life, and not a limited term. (What would he think of our generation’s short-term mission strategies?) Do not fancy that you have a true missionary spirit, while you are intending all along to leave your people group soon after acquiring their language. Leave them?! For what? To spend the rest of your days in enjoying the ease and plenty of your native land?”

Francis Chan hinted at the C.T. Studd challenge when he resigned his mega-church last year to “seek God’s direction and serve for a few months in a developing country.” Now he’s back and the message that is heard louder than his words or books is that, “Crazy love doesn’t mean following Christ long-term to the unreached.”

….But what would happen if all these mega-church pastors resigned? Who would lead their churches? Thousands of applications would flood their church offices within weeks! Who would rally the church to go if these important voices left? Ion Keith Falconer served as a missionary to Arabia from 1885-1888. (He died after only 3 years on the field, just in case you are wondering why he served short-term.) He had attended the commissioning service of the “Cambridge Seven,” and followed them in their radical experiment for life. He said, “Perhaps you think you are meant to remain at home and encourage others to go. You think that by sending money, sitting on committees, speaking at meetings, and praying for missions, you will be doing the most you can to spread the Gospel abroad. Not so! By going yourself, (He was not talking about a short-term trip.), you will produce a tenfold more powerful effect. You can give and pray for missions wherever you are. You can send descriptive letters to the missionary meeting which will be more effective than second-hand quotes gathered from others.”

One final word from C.T. Studd… “Dear David and friends… Hundreds may go as a result of your books, songs, and conferences, but if you will follow my example and go-- for life-- a whole generation will follow you. They are waiting for an example.”

C.T. Speer

imb missionary

Southeast Asia

P.S. This may be the first time in history that the majority of our ‘mission heroes’ are not missionaries. Where are the voices from the field that compel a generation to come? Where are those with blood on their faces that challenge a generation to join the fight? They are serving quietly and faithfully among the unreached and hard to reach.