Why Advance Operations Training (AOT)... Fuad

As I was going into my second gap year after high school, I knew I wanted to go on a mission trip. I wanted to use the time to grow my faith in the Lord and have opportunity to share it with others. The field workers in my home country told me about the AOT program in the Philippines. I was very interested!

It has been a great experience, learning so much about evangelism, discipleship & missions. I pray the Lord will use what i've learned in my local church as I return to my home country.

-Fuad

North Africa & the Middle East

Pray for Fuad as he returns to his home country in mid-December. Pray that he will be used by the Lord in his local church to lead other young adults in choosing a life that lives out the Great Commission.

Why NT365 Gap Year... Corban

I joined NT365 because I wanted to gain some clarity as to if the Lord really has called me to full time cross-cultural missions... or if He has led me to stay in America to serve.

-Corban

Virginia

Pray for the Lord to give Corban the clarity he desires as he moves through the gap year training & deployments.

Why NT365 Gap Year... Sam

I've always loved traveling & exploring new cultures. After my first overseas mission trip, I knew God was telling me to GO. 

I first heard of the NT365 opportunity from my mom... who heard about it from someone at church. It took a long time of prayer to know that this was the program I was supposed to be a part of... and not just a semester opportunity. Throughout my time of prayer & preparation, I received a lot of support from many... especially my church outreach pastor, my small group leader & some long time family friends.

-Sam

Virginia

Pray for Sam & her teammates as they finish up their one-month deploayment in another Asia Pacific Rim country in 2 weeks. Pray for boldness in sharing the Gospel in this unreached country.

  

Filipino Culture: What we're learning

What have you learned about Filipino culture over the past 3 months?

Filipinos are so friendly & hospitable. I have loved getting to meet people in different villages & the way almost all of them immediately welcome us into their home. What a blessing!  

-Grady

Filipinos are very family-oriented. Families & friends are so interconnected. With just a little bit of effort, you can make it into these circles and have friends for life.   -Jackson

I'm loving the Philippines & everything about it. No one is in a rush & the Lord knew I needed some patience in my life! I love the simplicity & values of the Filipinos. My prayer is to bring that back to america. They value friendships, family, kindness & love.. and the world needs more of that! You can't help but love it here.   -Landree

I knew what balut was before coming to the Philippines but I didn't know people actually enjoyed eating it. I thought it was more of a gag food... like something they have foreigners eat to make fun of them... but people actually like it!      -Evan

Drivng in the Philippines is very different than America. Motorcycles are more common here than in America and traffic laws don't seem to be consistently enforced. Traffic often looks chaotic & impossible to navigate... but the people know how to drive safely so accidents are not as common as I would have guessed!     -Sam

I have learned so much about Filipino culture! It is a very welcoming culture. Everyone has been so nice & fun to talk to. It is amazing how warm of a culture it is. Look forward to learning more!     -Mark

Why Advance Operations Training (AOT)... Grady

Though I've spent most of my life in church, I didn't understand that the call to missions is for ALL believers. Last summer, while chaperoning a youth camp for my church, the speaker challenged us with the question...

What is more important to you... being comfortable in your own nation, or the spread of the Gospel to all nations?

The way you live is the answer to that question.

At that moment, I knew I had to go somewhere-- to leave behind the comfortable & step into what God was inviting me to. As I was praying about where God wanted me to go, every sign seemed to be pointing to Nehemiah Teams. My family, church, mentors and 3 of my friends were all incredibly helpful & encouraging me making the decision to spend this semester in the Philippines as a part of AOT.

Pray for Grady as he finishes up his time in the Philippines in early December and returns home. Pray for him to be open to what God has next for him in reaching the nations.

-Grady

Alabama

Down on the farm... part 2

The Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation Incorporated is based in the southern part of the Philippines. It is a Christian approach to countryside development. It is a non-profit private volunteer organization supported by Christian churches in the Philippines and other parts of the world. One practical way of helping develop the countryside is through training courses on simple yet practical farming technologies and health strategies.

Home for NT365 Gap Year students since the end of August has been the MBRLC. Living & learning in one of the houses on the facility has become "home." The week of Oct 10-14 was spent learning more about the training that takes place at MBRLC. Getting an understanding of how these training methods can be applied to ministry in local communities was the focus of the week. Mornings were spent in lectures & afternoons were "hands on", participating in the work they'd learned about throughout the morning sessions.

I learned just how important it is to meet people's physical needs as well as their spiritual needs... and how to do that productively.

-Hayden

I learned so much of a new form of ministry... how to help people in a practical survival way through farming & sharing the Gospel. I loved getting to make a little plant from the soil & a banana leaf!

-Darla Ray

I enjoyed learning about different kinds of agricultural technology that will help get willing Christians into areas to reach & teach the lost.

-Morgan

Community Development is not only helping & building people but also giving them the tools to improve their lives. It takes love to reach out & touch lives.

-Acey

My favorite thing about "farm week" was the SALT technology. I was amazed at how it is possible to create a sustainable organic farm as inexpensively as possible. I loved the enthusiasm of the trainers & how they always had interactive & practical activities for us to do after each lesson.

-Samuel

Down on the farm...

The Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation Incorporated is based in the southern part of the Philippines. It is a Christian approach to countryside development. It is a non-profit private volunteer organization supported by Christian churches in the Philippines and other parts of the world. One practical way of helping develop the countryside is through training courses on simple yet practical farming technologies and health strategies.

Home for NT365 Gap Year students since the end of August has been the MBRLC. Living & learning in one of the houses on the facility has become "home." The week of Oct 10-14 was spent learning more about the training that takes place at MBRLC. Getting an understanding of how these training methods can be applied to ministry in local communities was the focus of the week. Mornings were spent in lectures & afternoons were "hands on", participating in the work they'd learned about throughout the morning sessions.

I am so thankful for the passion, joy & willingness of the Director & trainers on the farm for showing us in just a week what their day-to-day life is like. My favorite day, of course, was being able to milk & nurture the goats!

-Abby

Farm week was by far the best week of AOT. We learned how to best provide for the physical & spiritual needs of people in this area & all across Southeast Asia. It's definitely going int he tool box to further God's Kingdom!

-John David

My favorite things about "farm training" week was the activity we did for community development. We took the villages we have been in for the past 2 months & created a plan of how to effectively encourage development from start to finish.

-Katherine

Learning something new!!

What do you do when the missionary kids from Hawaii come to AOT?? Learn the hula, of course! Thankful for our team mates, Philip & Ashleigh Irwin and their girls visiting AOT this week. Philip & Ashleigh shared how the Lord is working in their lives & where their journey has taken them so far. They also talked with the NT365 participants about options for their Hands On assignments during the spring semester... needless to say, they are excited about the opportunities!

Meet AOT Batch 6

Meet the young men & women who are training at Advance Operations Training (AOT) in the Philippines. Please pray for them as they spend the next 3 months learning more about how to reach our world with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

AOT 5 has begun!

AOT5 has begun! 15 participants from 3 countries (Philippines, Nepal, & US) ... including at least 7 different languages! Be praying for the participants & staff as they get set up today at the training site... spend tomorrow buying supplies and preparing for daily life with classes to begin Tuesday morning. They'll spend the next 11 weeks learning more about how they can reach the unreached as well as mobilize & train others to do the same. 

AOT4 Deploys

"It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known.."  This was Paul's ambition... to advance the gospel.  Nine weeks ago, 8 Filipinos and 1 Indonesian came to be Discipled and Developed more.  They are now being Deployed throughout the Philippines.  They have all taken personal responsibility for obeying the Great Commission.  Would you join with them as they go? 
 
 

Read what AOT is about and let us know if you would like to
join a future training. AOT flyer

Advanced Operations Training (AOT) is Here!

Hello from the Philippines! This past week began the first of a nine week training for many former Filipino Nehemiah Teams members! This group of nine trainees from throughout the Philippines (and one from another southeast Asia country) live on a nearby island, sleep on hard surfaces, cook their food over an open fire, and give up time with friends and family (and cellphones & internet) all to spend time in in-depth study of God's Word. This 2-month intensive training will prepare them to lead in NT training, church planting, and mobilization for various Nehemiah Teams franchises all over the Philippines. This will also endorse them to set up new franchises for Nehemiah Teams all over Southeast Asia. 

• Please pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ as they study His Word.
•  Pray for open ears and open hearts to follow Him as he leads them.

Coming Soon.... Advance Operations Training!

Please pray for the NT staff & participants who will be involved in the upcoming AOT, a 2 month residental training program. Although this training is mainly for Filpinos, it looks like we may have 1 or 2 other Southeast Asian participants this time around.

• Pray for the Lord to provide the finances needed for participants round-trip fare and registration fee
• Pray for facilitators as they prepare