NT365 Semester Deployment: the Guys!

Our main task is helping with an English club. This enables us to spend a lot of time with the students. We also have language classes that are-- hopefully --helping us learn the local language. Time is also spent doing direct evangelism, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are also helping with a company that is providing solar power in the local slums.

Prayer requests: Pray we will be super-sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as we go through our days. Pray for boldness as we share the Good News... for clarity as we learn the local language... for compassion as we work in the slum areas. 

-Corban, Mark & Jackson

Asia Pacific Rim NT365

NT365 Semester Deployment: Landree & Katie

We've been serving at an English center where we help host activities like sports days, hikes & casual hangout events. These create space for friendships & conversations. We've also had opportunities to be involved in outreach ministries for women in difficult situations.

Day to day life includes spending a lot of time with teammates & local friends-- often filled with games, laughter & some late nights together. We are really thankful for our team & the friendships we're building. We are learning so much through each part of the experience!!

Prayer request: As we approach Ramadan, pray we will be able to engage in spiritual conversations during this season. Pray for energy as we have late night hangouts which will enable us to spend more time with our new friends. 

-Landree & Katie

Asia Pacific Rim NT365

NT365 Semester Deployment: Charlotte & Sam

We've been helping host events through the local community center. Our favorite part of these events is going out to eat after. It's during this time that we are able to have Gospel conversations.

We've also been mapping out a college campus & building connections for future team members to potentially begin another ministry center. 

Prayer requests: 

Pray for students who have herard the Gospel several times through the community center. Pray for them to consider a personal relationship with Jesus.

Also pray that would mapping efforts would find a Christian on this campus who can help the field team spread the Gospel.

-Charlotte & Sam

NT365 Semester Deployment: Bekah & RuthAnn

We're working alongside a family on the field, helping to homeschool their son a few days a week. When we aren't doing that, we have the opportunity to go out with friends we've met at local college campuses. 

The first few weeks were a little slow because students weren't in school yet. But we have been able to have good Gospel conversations & share!

Prayer requests: 

We start language classes soon... pray the Lord will use that opportunity to open door to meet more students. 

Pray for wisdom & guidance as we prepare the teach in the homeschool classes each week.

-Bekah & RuthAnn

Filipino culture: What we're learning... part 2

What have you learned about Filipino culture??

I love how inviting the Filipinos are. Everytime I have entered a home or a shop, I never feel like I'm imposing. During AOT, when a couple of team members & I were on a run, we were stopped by a family. They asked us to go eat chicken intestine with them. After that, everytime I go for a run, I get to spend time with them & hear updates about their lives.     -Charlotte

I've observed that Filipinos are kind but shy... it's been my experience that if I approach them, they are quicker to open up & talk.     -Corban

Adapting to a new culture is harder than I thought it would be. I struggled at first, but I am starting to get  the hang of it & trying to really immerse myself in the culture. One thing I've learned is that Filipinos are always willing to have a conversation... it may be political, cultural or religious in nature. They are also always happy to open their homes to us also or stop in the store to talk to us.    -Ruth Ann

Filipinos seem shy & it takes a little while to open up to us as Americans. I've also learned that it seems like the entire country has a set nap time every day!!     -Rebekah

Filipinos LOVE their food! They have a lot of pride in their native dishes and it is rude for someone not to eat at least some of what they are served. They are also the epitome of true hospitality.    -Katie

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... Katie

People don't know the joy that the Creator of the world loves them & wants to have a relationship with them. That's why I joined NT365. I want to be better prepared to make sure ALL have the opportunity to experience a relationship with the Creator.

My family & my best friend encouraged me to join NT365. A fellow church member went on a summer Nehemiah Team & she told me about the opportunity to do a gap year. 

-Katie

Texas

Pray for Katie as she seeks to use every opportunity to share the love of Jesus with anyone she meets.

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 Advance Operations Training (AOT)... Evan

Before graduating high school in May 2025, I decided I wanted to do missions for life. My youth pastor had been pushing me to do missions for a long time... so he was happy to hear my decision! We got lunch together & he told me about IMB and the AOT opportunity. Then, he set up a call with the field missionaries so I could get more detailed information. So... here I am, about to finish up my final deployment and head back to America in a couple weeks.

-Evan

Tennessee

Pray for Evan as he returns home. Pray for opportunities for him to use what he has learned & experienced over the past 3 months. Pray for next steps as he moves forward in obedience. 

Why NT365 Gap Year... Rebekah

There is an International Mission Board (IMB) missionary in my church who served in Asia for 12 years... they were my introduction to the IMB. I found out about NT365 on the IMB website. I feel like God called me to be a missionary several years ago. When I graduated high school, I knew college wasn't the plan for me yet. I felt the Lord telling me to join NT365 and I immediately said YES!. My mom, dad & grandparents were huge encouragers for me to go. They have supported me & have been great examples of Christ my entire life. 

-Rebekah

Texas

Pray for Rebekah as she finishes her month long deployment in Thailand & returns to the Philippines in mid December. Pray as she prepares for her next deployment, serving in another Asia Pacific Rim country through the spring months.

Why NT365 Gap Year... Ruth Ann

I hear about NT365 from my youth pastor, Zach. I like to think that it was his goal to get all of his students onto the mission field! A couple years ago I went on a mission trip to Guatemala with Zach & my church. This is where my passion for missions began. Just as Zach is my "sender"... he's also been my biggest encourager. I strive to have the same love for missions that he has. He never let me get discouraged in the process of choosing a trip or even through the application process.

-Ruth Ann

Tennessee

Pray for Ruth Ann as she prepares to lead out in youth camps during the Christmas season in the Philippines. As they lead sessions on evangelism training, missions education & mobilization, pray for young people to be challenged to go.

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.

  

Why NT365 Gap Year... Landree

On March 1, 2025, while attending a conference in America, God whispered in my spirit to "go." Nothing could have been more clear. I was willing & ready to go.

My friend, Maggie, did NT365 two years ago, and I reached out to her to talk more... solidifying my decision to do the same program.

-Landree

Louisiana

Pray for Landree as she moves forward in obedience to where the Lord is leading her.

Why NT365 Gap Year... Mark

In my freshman year of high school, my dream was to join the Army. Shortly after I entered high school, i was hit with a medical condition that ended my dream. It was during my junior year when one of my fellow church members joined NT365 Gap Year program. My pastor later recommended that I join also. So, after a long period of prayer, I felt God's call for me to apply for NT365. My church and my family were my main encouragers as I started on this journey.

-Mark

Virginia

Pray for Mark & his team as they finish up their one month deployment in another Asia Pacific Rim country and return to the Philippines in mid-December. Pray for boldness for them to share as openly as possible in their current location.

Why NT365... Charlotte

At 10 years old, I accepted Christ into my heart after a church mission trip. I've gained a great insight into the lives of missionaries from my church and from reading missionary biographies. During middle school & high school I wasn't always following closely to Christ, however, the longing to do missions never left my mind. After lots of prayer & orientating my heart back to God's ways, I decided to sign up for NT365. One reason I joined NT365 was because I wanted to follow the example of the missionary stories.

-Charlotte

Texas

Pray for Charlotte & her partner as they finish up their one-month deployment in Bangkok, Thailand this month. Pray for the relationships they have been building with Thai university students. Pray for opportunities for them to share the Gospel with those they've met.  

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 NT365... Jackson

I joined NT365 because God showed me I had been living for my own ambitions while asking God to bless that instead of following His plan. After this revelation, I researched opportunities to go & fell in love with the IMB's Core Missionary Task from Entry to Exit. I looked through their trip opportunities and found NT365 Gap Year in Asia Pacific Rim.

I talked through the opportunities & prayed with my college pastor. We both felt confident this is where God was leading me... so, I gave God my YES.

-Jackson

Tennessee

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

Meet the Team: Philippine Ag -- Bicol Member

Meet D.D.!

Hello! I am from Southwest Missouri. I wanted to spend my summer serving the Lord and sharing the gospel! The Lord led me to a cross cultural and agricultural context! 

I have seen God’s heart in many of our national partners. A moment that sticks out to me is the passion and love of God through our national supervisor. He was translating for one of our teammates and the Bible was brought up. A physical Bible was handed to him and he began to passionately explain parts of the Bible. It was as if he would have given anything for this family to receive and follow Jesus. 

I’ve realized while being away from my normal routine that I have pridefully relied a lot on my own independence rather than asking for help from the body of Christ. 

The hardest thing to leave behind will be the hospitality and servanthood of the Filipino culture. Going home will be hard because the American culture’s focus is ME. I love the servant hood and selflessness of the Filipino culture.

Please pray for discernment for future long term work in the cross cultural context.

National Partners in the Harvest

Ate Donna is one of the translators and teachers with us. She has been serving in Bicol since she was 22. Her family is from the northern part of Luzon. Her dad came down to Bicol as a missionary when she was 20 years old. Although Ate Donna herself was not as big of a fan of the move.

“I rebelled against God. I rebelled against my family. I didn’t like the work of the Lord,” she shared—a story some of us may know all too well. Walking away from the faith, being pulled by relationships, weighed down by depression, or seeking comfort in the things of this world.

But the story doesn’t end there.

“Because of my dad’s life,” she said, “I continued his work and was called by the Lord.”

Ate Donna went on to say, “The Lord showed me what my father’s life was like in serving the faith.”

She shared how God called her back to Him:

“One day, my father was sick but still going out to do ministry. I asked him, ‘Why are you going? You’re sick.’
But he told me, ‘This is the Lord’s call to me. You cannot not do it.’

That’s when the Lord spoke to my mind and my heart: ‘Look at your father, willing to follow Me at 71 years old. Where are you using your life?’ Then I had a desire to turn back to the truth.”

Today Donna goes to other bible studies and also helps out at the bible school, teaching some classes and leading the youth.

“Of course I am doing work for the Lord. Every day of my life should always be soaked in prayer—always knowing the will of the Lord each day through the Word. Every step I take is for the Lord, not for me. I really need to depend on what God says in the Bible.”

She has now been working in this area for 14 years and continues to serve the Lord faithfully each day.

- Holland

Bicol Media Team