Scripture Memory & Daily Life

Besides singing the water buffalo song and "I have decided to follow Jesus", laughing about our day and debriefing from the previous bible study, our times in the van as we travel long distances have been filled reviewing and memorizing scripture.

When we wake up, we read these verses, at breakfast we’ll challenge each other's minds, on long rides we stutter and fight through getting a verse we just started memorizing, while building and helping where we are staying we'll pull out those worn cards, at dinner we quote a verse before eating and as we go to lay our heads, once again we read another verse.

Living out Deuteronomy 6:5-9

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.'

Although as we learn verses, we pray that we don’t just memorize words as if we are cramming for the final exam, but living out each verse.

Some teammates shared their reflection on the verses we have been memorizing:

Acts 20:24 I consider my life worth nothing, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me; the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace

“I’ve really been hung up on the ministry given to us by the Lord. Something that I need to remind myself is- that my job is not to convert people. My job is to humbly testify of the gospel of the grace of God. The Holy Spirit is the one to prepare and bring conviction into the hearts of people. I am only here to be a vessel of the Lord, His hands and feet.”

Titus 3:5

He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

“It’s been amazing to apply this to my heart as we do ministry- to remind myself the things we are doing are simply an overflow of the Lord’s mercy.

Also it’s been a blessing to explain that verse to someone who things they are following Christ, but are constantly drowning in trying to be enough for Him (the Roman-Catholics here). They are lost and searching, so for them to hear the truth is incredible!”

Please pray for us as we continue to memorize verses, that we will not simply memorize words but memorize instructions for our life and words to guide others to life.

Pray as we implement each verse into our daily life.

- Holland

Bicol Media Team

As you go

I recently got a haircut. My supervisor told me about a reputable local shop that she had been to. Even better, she told me the stylist was open to spiritual conversations. 

Emma and I were in the salon for nearly three hours (much longer than we ever anticipated). Emma got her roots touched up while I sat on the couch scrolling on my phone, trying to be productive somehow. 

Eventually, they started washing my hair so they could cut it. For a long time, I sat there quietly, just wanting my hair to be done so we could leave and go to a market for some fun. 
But I kept feeling the need to talk to him, so I started simple by asking him about his job. 

Eventually, I heard him mention that he goes to the temple to relax. This was a perfect in to religion. I shared the Gospel, and then he shared a dream he had. He used his best English, but when that failed, acting came into play. His dream showed Jesus being lifted up on the cross, being on the cross, and then dying. Emma got to share the Gospel shortly after. 

He sat down to start back at my hair, but Emma told me later he was tearing up, trying to compose himself. Since then, we've invited him to church, as he showed interest. 

Pray for this man, that he would make Jesus his Lord and Savior. 
Pray that there would be more dreams like this for our hairdresser and for others. Pray for this man to encounter more Christians who will proclaim the truth. 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28:19. May we make disciples as we go.

Letters to Mom

Below is a compilation of team members writing to their moms about our summer-long mission trip. Each section comes from a different girl and includes what she calls her mom back home, along with stories, reflections, and a whole lot of love.

Mama,

I’m here in the Philippines! I feel great and I love my team! For most weeks, Tuesday through Friday are “ag” days, working on the mountain where we are staying and it is SO much fun getting to work and getting to know the Kuyas. 

The weekends are reserved for bible studies and Mondays are our off days. Bible study days are where we usually split into two groups and go to two to three bible studies at peoples houses and we share our testimonies and either we will share the gospel or share a story from the bible. We also had a week of door to door ministry where we walked through neighborhoods and shared our testimony and creation to Christ. Something surprisingly unexpected is how well the team has connected with our national partners. They are definitely my favorite Filipinos. Although the heat has been challenging for me. It took me a week to get adjusted!

The people have really changed since we first met. The kiddos at BTBS (Bicol Tribal Bible School), were first too shy to talk to us but as the summer has gone on there’s been so many sweet moments with them, especially at the youth event!

Oh and the youth event! At the youth event that we had, the kids were extremely engaged and you could tell the Holy Spirit was stirring in their hearts. We wrote down things we wanted to give away to the Lord and burned the papers as a symbolization of turning from ways that do not reflect who He is. We then all got in a circle and prayed for those next to us and there were many tears and the kids were definitely impacted.

Momma, I prayed that God would move. In the hearts of those we meet and in our own hearts and He definitely has!! He’s continued to give me intentional personal time with Him, and also intentional time with others one and one and in Bible Studies. God has been teaching me how His love covers all things; it’s the reason we’re here and it’s what allows us to carry on even as we struggle. It’s what heals us and restores our joy.

I’ve truly enjoyed sharing C2C in the different villages and Bible studies. Sharing the Gospel and telling people that God wants them and that He wants their relationship to be restored is so powerful.

Mom,  I remember staring into this older woman’s eyes as I said, “God wants you. He wants you and His family to follow Him, to be redeemed and restored to Him. But, it’s your choice. You must choose for yourself to follow the Lord to be restored with Him.” As I shared with her, I could see it in her eyes. I watched as the scales fell from her eyes, she was truly understanding! After talking to her some more she proclaimed the name of Christ and wanted to follow Him! She placed her belief in Him!

A lot of our ministry doesn’t look like this. It doesn’t look like flood gates of salvation being opened. A lot of our ministry looks like faithfully sharing the Word and discipling others. Each day of ministry is so sweet but when we get to partake in watching chains break through the blood of Jesus, it is a true blessing and precious moments to remember forever!

God has also been teaching me how to truly lean deeper into the Holy Spirit in every circumstance. He’s been teaching me how to fully rely on Him in choosing to react with fruits of the Spirit rather than emotions that may rise up in different situations. He’s been teaching me to hear His voice and the small nudge to be bold and share something or talk to someone when I wouldn’t have before. 

One day while doing door-to-door evangelism, my team came across a massive Catholic shrine—about the size of a small state park. It had life-sized figurines showing Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, but the final scene wasn’t the risen Christ. Instead, it ended with Mary holding a dead Jesus, surrounded by the most candle residue of all—people praying to her. It broke my heart. The truth was right there, but their eyes were fixed on the wrong thing. It reminded me of John 14:6, where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Seeing this only deepened my passion to share the Good News with every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Momma, please pray for health, strength, discernment, and wisdom in what God has for me going forward. And pray for those we are serving. Pray for unity, vulnerable hearts, endurance for our national partners and supervisors, and more laborers for our supervisors. The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Tell the church and the riders to pray as well.

Something unexpected that I’ve been struggling with is Jeffery. Who is Jeffery you ask? It is my parasite friend that has decided to join me on this journey. Also, I’m having to really rely on God when I feel alone and miss the family and friends back home. I also am learning to rely on God when it comes to sacrificing things in my life. He hears me and he listens, I just have to let him work. 

Also, I’ve earned a new nickname on this trip…you may now call me your big mosquito. No context….I’ll tell you that later…

Muma, I gotta say this country is beautiful. I grew up hearing your stories about living here, and now I’m experiencing it for myself. The mangoes are amazing! I eat them like apples!

It’s been super fun taking pictures and writing things for the Nehemiah Teams blog. I can’t wait to show you all of the pictures, I think I’ve taken at least a thousand!!

Your support has meant so much to me! All your prayers, encouraging texts, and phone calls remind me I’m not alone—that I’m supported and cared for, even from across the world.

Thank you for staying up until 2 a.m. to help me pack- I’m not sure I would've remembered my toothbrush or had trail mix to last all summer without you. Thank you for picking up all of my amazon packages and taking care of everything while I’m not home.

I miss you and everyone lots (give Bandit a good tushy scratch for me!) and say hi to everyone!

With Love,

Your girl

 

Among the Mountains

This past week, we had the opportunity to travel six hours north from where we’re staying. Our time in the mountains has been full of hiking—up the mountain... and then back down again—visiting villages where we share our testimonies and encourage others.

In one village, my teammate shared her story, and a family opened up about a hardship they were facing. It was such a beautiful moment of connection and vulnerability. Times like that really remind us how important it is to simply go, share and trust God with the results.

One day while we were there, we traveled another two hours north to help open a new area. During the ride, the reality of unreached people hit me deeply. There are still so many who haven’t heard. Our whole team was filled with excitement as we walked into the village, ready to share the gospel of God’s grace and the testimonies of how He’s worked in our lives.

As I moved around taking pictures of our group and the ones sharing, I noticed people hiding behind a wall—pretending not to be interested but still listening closely. It reminded me of how people would quietly listen to Jesus wherever He went. The people in the village were very open to what we shared, and I thank God for opening up this new area for a Bible study!

Please pray for the Manide tribes in the north, and that God would continue to open areas and open hearts to hear the truth.

(2 Corinthians 4:4)

At night, the air was full of guitar strumming and sweet singing—Tagalog and English blending together in the prettiest way. We also had plenty of time to rest and get to bed early!

As we left the mountains and headed back, our hearts were full—full of stories, full of gratitude, and full of awe at what God is doing in places many will never see. From quiet listeners behind corners to joyful songs under the stars, from moments of vulnerability to shared testimonies across cultures, we were reminded again and again: God is moving. He’s opening hearts, opening doors, and writing stories of redemption everywhere. We’re just honored to be a small part of it.

On our last night, the missionaries we stayed with shared their testimonies. God is so amazing! Hearing how their stories related to ours—growing up in Christian homes, facing hardship, and running back to the Lord—was such a reminder that we’re not alone. It was powerful to meet believers from another culture with such similar experiences. They also encouraged us, which was a gift after a time of pouring out to others.

Please be praying for the missionaries serving among the Manide people. Pray that they would be filled with joy each day (Romans 15:13), and lift up their children and families as well (Psalm 127:1–2).

Ask the Lord to raise up more workers for this harvest field (Matthew 9:37–38), and pray especially as the missionaries prepare to take upcoming language exams—that God would give them understanding and peace (Proverbs 2:6).

- Holland

Bicol Media Team

Don't. Stop. Praying.

 "Pray continually."

– 1 Thessalonians 5:17

It’s a verse many of us know by heart—but do we actually live it out? Do we really bring everything to God in prayer, as the old hymn says? I can’t say I always have.
Yet during this trip, we pray. We pray for food. We pray for protection. We pray for ministry. We pray for one another. We pray together. We pray for the big things—and the little ones too.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on those little prayers. Just this past week, before heading to a village to share the Creation to Christ story and our testimonies, I prayed over our group and asked the Lord to go before us—to prepare hearts and to protect us. As I closed, I asked God to hold off the rain.
And He did.
The moment we finished sharing, it started to drizzle.
Wow. Just remembering this moment fills me with awe—God hears all of it. He continually provides. He faithfully answers.

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."
– John 16:24

- Holland
Bicol Media Team

A Familiar face in a New Place

One of the tribes we recently had the privilege of visiting was the Manide tribe. They are of African descent, and sadly, because of their physical appearance, they are often rejected or turned away by many Filipinos. But what we experienced with them was something completely different—something beautiful.

One of our teammates, who spent last summer in Zambia, said her time with the Manide tribe reminded her of her experience in Africa. There was something familiar in the way the people welcomed us—not just openly, but excitedly. It stood out.

Here in many rural areas, people often stare from a distance or hide when we first arrive. But among the Manide, there was a noticeable difference. More people came close, asked questions, stayed engaged in conversations, and responded during our ministry times. They were present—not just physically, but emotionally and relationally. They opened up and shared their lives with us.

Our teammate shared how in Africa, children would run up to her, climb on her, and play with her hair. The Manide children weren’t quite as outwardly expressive, but the openness was still there. They weren’t afraid to speak, to answer questions, or to be near us.

It was such a reminder that the image of God is reflected in every culture, every background. Despite the discrimination they often face, the Manide welcomed us with joy and warmth. We’re incredibly grateful for the time we had with them, and we continue to pray that seeds planted in those moments will take root and grow.

- Holland

Bicol Media Team

A Precious Gift

We recently got to witness something really exciting—audio Bibles were donated by a generous donor and were passed along to local believers and church planters we’ve been working with. These audio Bibles were given specifically to those planting churches.

Literacy can be a barrier to studying and teaching the Word, so these little audio books really help a lot. The audio players are answers to prayer. As Steve Hagen said, “This is something we’ve been talking about for a long time—something to help prepare and equip us for teaching.”

Alongside that, physical Bibles were also provided through the IMB Bible Fund.

These went to believers and groups the national partners have been teaching and leading through bible studies.

For many of these planters, especially those who aren’t highly literate, the audio Bibles are a game-changer. Allowing them to engage deeply with Scripture, prepare for teaching, and grow in confidence as they lead.

Those who received the Bibles were full of excitement, although some felt nervous. Still, it was clear that they were thankful and eager to grow.

Please pray for these church planters and the groups they’re leading.

Pray that these resources would be used faithfully and fruitfully for the glory of God.

- Holland

Bicol Media Team