Prayer Requests: Geoffrey

Pray the Lord will give me wisdom on how best to love those we are ministering to as well as my team mates.

Pray I will daily submit myself to God and have, as it is said of David, a heart after God's own heart. 

-Geoffrey

Reflections: Jessica

Recently I have learned a lot about how God is humble. Not just in the sense of humbling Himself to come to Earth as a man & die for our sins, but also how He humbled Himself as the Father. 

God the Father humbly and selflessly surrendered His only child so that those who are on Earth might be saved. He submitted Himself to love His persecutors and serve His accusers. Because of God's humility, I have been learning to sacrifice my wants in order to love others better. Daily I have been seeking ways to die to myself and serve especially when I don't want to. It is not by my own strength but by Christ, in His humility, working through mew.

-Jessica 

Prayer Requests: Grace

Pray that...

• The youth at our weekend church will commit to be involved in missions. (Nehemiah Teams has a summer opportunity for Filipino young adults also!)

• The youth will continue their weekly Bible studies... even after our time with them is finished.

• Those I am able to share with over this next month will respond positively to the Gospel message.

-Grace

Farm Week Thoughts: Emma

Never in my life did I think I would say, "I have preg-checked a cow and burned goat's horns," but here we are!! My favorite part about farm week was feeding the baby goats. They were so cute!

I also like making the 'faith garden' and weaving baskets to plant the seeds in. We took bamboo & wove it into a basket around a hole. We filled the hole with soil and fertilizer, then planted tomato & green bean seeds.

That same day we learned about how farming & planting crops works on the side of a mountain. It was super interesting to see how they plant trees on the side of the mountain. Then we got to walk up to the fruit trees, pick a mangosteen & eat it! And we got to climb trees! I used to climb trees all the time as a kid.

I learned in general the importance of agriculture in mission work. We don't just want to go into a village & try to change everything. But we want to partner with the community and teach, help & serve them well. Livestock and crop raising is major sources of income in the Philippines and throughout Southeast Asia. Going to communities with knowledge about agriculture could directly impact their families; and be an amazing bridge into the Gospel.

-Emma

Mangosteen is the BEST!!

Prayer Requests: Daniel

Please pray for me to be intentional in developing relationships, both with friends and on the field during our deployment. I am incredibly passive & tend to not pursue relationships. Pray for the Lord to give me the initiative to ask questions of others I meet, helping to learn more about them & in doing so, begin to open the door to building a relationship.

-Daniel

Prayer Requests: Andrew

My prayer requests for this week:

1. Our upcoming island deployment week... that God would prepare the field & more importantly, my heart, for what He wants to do.
2. As I pr
   epare to deploy to another Southeast Asian country (Nov 20th), pray for God to work out all the logistics & calm my nerves. I also ask for prayers for unity for our team of 4.
3. Pray that God will continue to help me love Him more, to love His son more, and to love the Holy Spirit more.

-Andrew

Prayer Requests: Jessica

Thank you for partnering with us through prayer! Please pray that...

• My heart & mind will be prepared to share the Gospel as often & as clearly as possible.
• The youth would be encouraged to continue regular Bible studies, even after our ministry among them is finished.
• The Lord will prepare the hearts of the people we'll encounter during our deployments through the rest of our Gap Year. Pray for hearts that are ready to receive the Good News we will share.

-Jessica

Prayer Requests: Emma

As we get close to finishing up this segment of our gap year, please pray for continued good health. These next couple weeks are quite busy... preparing for an upcoming youth event, our last weekend with our local churches, a one week ministry deployment to another island, and our final week of AOT classes. We want to be at full health as we prepare for & go through all these opportunities. 

A more personal prayer request I have is for the horrific affects of the US hurricanes in so many communities, including mine. Please be praying for my family, church and so many of my friends who are affected. Specifically be praying for all of the families who lost homes, churches, friends & family members. It is truly devastating & they need our prayers.

Thank you so much!
-Emma  

Prayer Requests: Lydia

Prayers for continued good health are welcome.

Prayers for continued unity & patience among our NT365 Gap Year team.

Prayers for our weekend ministry churches would be greatly appreciated.

-Lydia

Prayer Requests: Camille

We only have a couple weekends left with our churches. Please be praying for our team, that we would be in touch with God and see the doors He opens to share the Gospel, disciple & train others to carry on what we have started with them. 

Please pray we would surrender all to Jesus & be bold & courageous, following His leading & being obedient to Him.

Please pray I will be focused on the Lord, willing to step out of my comfort zone, whatever that may look like, teaching & leading more while making the most of my time... living wisely because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

-Camille

NT365 Team Time reflections

NT365 Gap Year students read various books about evangelism, missions & cross-cultural workers during their Advance Operations Training. They read in a group setting & follow their reading with discussion. Some recent comments from their reading of Friends of Ishmael...

After reading Friends of Ishmael in addition to all that we are learning about the needs of the world.... we should not only be willing to give up one year... but give our whole life to this cause.

With so many churches in America, how could a Muslim ever come to America & not hear the Gospel? More of us should go... but when we go back to America after this year, we need to share the Gospel with everyone... and especially those God brings to our country.

-NT365 Gap Year participants

Pray with us for the Gospel to come to the "Sons of Ishmael"

Camille: Growing in Confidence Part 2

One element of our team's weekend ministry is called Cottage Prayer. We go to a home of a church member and lead a short worship service. Sometimes these families are elderly, others may have someone who is sick so they're unable to come to church, sometimes it's just done to encourage the family.

This past weekend, the family welcomed us warmly. The mother (nanay) of the home was so sweet... I loved her! Our group led in worship & then my teammate Daniel shared a message from Proverbs 3:5-6. Emma & I both shared some words of encouragement from Scripture with the family. The family had some prayer requests & our group was able to pray over them.

This past weekend was the most productive weekend I feel our team has had & the Cottage Prayer is just one part of that. This was one of the first times I felt more confident using my voice. I really enjoyed meeting the family and pray we were an encouragement to them.

-Camille

NT365

Grace: Ministry doesn't take rest days

Each Monday during AOT (Advance Operations Training) is our rest day. This means we have time to call our families & friends, explore the nearby towns & rest from the previous week. 

One Monday, I was walking around a local store when an employee stopped me to talk with me. She asked why I was in the Philippines. I told her I was taking some classes that would help prepare me to share my faith. She then told me that she is Catholic & surprised me by asking who my God is & what I believe. 

I had an amazing opportunity to share both my testimony & the Gospel with her. This encounter served as a reminder to me that ministry doesn't take rest days.

-Grace

NT365

Jessica: Be an encourager

Recently, we went with members of our church to visit another church. We were able to ride motorcycles up the mountain to this small church. We'd been told the church members were discouraged because they only had 7 remaining members. With the exception of the pastor's family, all of them were above the age of 60.

The members of this church were incredibly kind & caring. Our team mate, Zuriel, translated for me & Lydia as we shared our testimonies. It was amazing to attend a church full of so much love & to pray over the congregation. This is an experience I will never forget.

Pray with me for this small, struggling church. Pray for the pastor & the members to be encouraged in their faith. Pray for them to see where God is at work in those living around them.

-Jessica

NT365

Julia: God is Persistent

God has tremendously blessed our weekend ministry. The past couple of weekends have been packed with powerful testimonies.

On Saturday nights, our church hosts a bunch of youth over for a giant sleepover. We play games, sing songs, and collaspse into 2 giant piles to sleep at the end of the night. Our team has really been able to get connected with the youth. One of them, Cammi, has been attending these sleepovers for a couple weeks. Cammi always sticks close to her older sister. She didn't seem interestd in talking with us, but being distant & disengaged.

As our team has been pouring into these students, 13 of them made the commitment to follow Christ & be baptized! One of them was Cammi!!

Our team had the privilege to baptize these youth. As I walked into the water park the morning of the baptism, I felt nervous yet excited, not having high expectations. As I was stooped in my thoughts, I felt my arm being pulled. I looked down to see Cammi holding tightly onto my arm. She smiled brightly and said, "Hi Ate Julie!" I thought I would melt! Cammi's walls had completely come down. She didn't let go of my arm the entire day. We swam, played games, slid down slides together, all with a huge smile on her face. I became her "Ate Julie"... a friend & sister in Christ.

I had the privilege to help baptize Cammi. I couldn't help but feel immense pride in her. The walls have been torn down, doors opened, and hearts opened wide. I cannot wait to see what God does through Cammi as she continues to grow up.

Through Cammi's story, I have learned to be persistent. God never gives up on us, no matter how much we shove Him away. God is persistent. When it comes to reaching people, we must be persistent. Praying & reaching out constantly. Like Cammi, hearts will soften, and the love of Jesus can shine right in.

-Julia
NT365

Camille: Growing in Confidence

When we started our weekend ministry, I was very nervous & didn't say a whole lot. Everything was still new & unfamiliar. Recently, I am learning to thrive in weekend ministry. I am growing in confidence in interactions with some of the local youth. I feel like my relationships with them are beginning to grow. 

This past Sunday after our regular service, our church joined another church to celebrate their church anniversary. We arrived in time for the main fellowship time & meal and had a great time.

At this new church, I made friends with a little girl. I just sat with her & got to talk with her for a bit. She was so sweet & I'm just thankful for the nationals God has put in my life. I'm also thankful for the confidence I feel the Lord is growing in me.

-Camille

NT365

Cambree: Serve like Alvin

I have been so encouraged & inspired by a deacon named Alvin at our weekend church. I say 'deacon' but he is so much more. He is a husband, father, provider, and a humble, humble servant of the Lord. 

Every weekend, after a long week of work, Alvin comes to the church & takes care of 25 girls for 2 days! He cooks, cleans, tells jokes & stories, buys us coffee, and takes us on adventures. Alvin loves people SO genuinely & serves with his whole heart.

His love for Jesus is reflected in every single thing he does. I strive to serve people the way Alvin does. He reminds me a lot of my own dad. :) It is a joy to be able to serve wit Alvin and the rest of the church.

Pray for Alvin as he faithfuly serves in his local church.

-Cambree

NT365

Andrew: Small acts of obedience

During our first weekend of ministry, our team drove an hour & a half for a home visit. I had the privilege of sharing the word of God with the family at the home. I talked about redemption, using the story of Anna the prophetess. The following Sunday, the family came to church! Others said they hadn't been to church in over a year. It was cool to see how a small act of obedience affected an entire family.

-Andrew

NT365

Cambree: Be like Susie

Our weekend ministry team was part of a very special day with our church. We joined them at a pool early Saturday monring to baptize 13 youth from the church who had recently made the decision to follow Christ, It was SUCH an honor! I was able to assist with baptizing Susie, a girl I have built a close relationship with. 

Susie has the sweetest heart for the Lord & is fully devoted to Him. Her smile lights up any room she walks into. Susie has been such a blessing to our team. I know it will be one of the hardest good-byes I'll have in the days to come. 

Susie is a beautiful example of what it looks like to follow Jesus, no matter who is around or what it might cost her. We can all learn to be more like Susie.

-Cambree

NT365

Lydia: Teach them young

Recently I was able to tell God's story dramatized in front of my village kids. When I got to the part where Pilate brought Barabbas & Jesus before the people, I asked, "Who do you want released?!" They all shouted, "Jesus!" To which i replied, "NO! We're going to free Barrabas and kill Jesus!"

Needless to say they were all shocked! By the end of the story, the kids were talking about it amoungst themselves. It really fed my spirit to see these kids interact & react to the Gospel.

Continue to pray for our team as we minister on weekends alongside local churches.

-Lydia

NT365

Grace: Raise up the Next Generation!

One of the amazing things about our weekend church is their passion to raise up the next generation of believers. In America, we tend to believe that in order to grow a youth group we have to keep teaching simple & keep the challenges minimal. Here in the Philippines I have seen the results of a church who challenges their youth. Each weekend we have young people, ages 12-23,  going with us to house visits. While we are there, these students translate for us, lead worship & speak God's word. This has led the church to have a group of young believers willing to take the Gospel where Jesus commands.

-Grace

NT365