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The Mambaling church leaders again gathered the children to minister to them. Because of the community protocols, we asked the parents to give theirs kids face masks so we could gather them without issue or restriction from the authorities. We met outside in an open space. We are so blessed that the Lord used Neneng to help us in ministry this month. Neneng is one of the young people from my pioneering church years in Dasmarinas Cavite a long time ago. Presently she is working in South Korea. When she learned we had a children’s ministry, she sent us three-thousand Philippines pesos, about sixty us dollars for the food budget. We thank the Lord for every kids’ activity where He provides food for these little children.

It is every child’s delight to eat fried chicken and rice with drinks, and every child is happy to bring food to their home. But most important is to introduce these children to the Jesus of the Bible. We need to teach them God’s way and the gospel.

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• Pray for the gospel seed planted in the hearts of these children to sprout and grow.
• Pray for the finances so we can feed the children each month.
• Pray for Neneng and her family to have protection and more blessings.

Rolando is now our youth leader at the church. He also is our sound technician during the Sunday service. He is now so eager to share the gospel of salvation with his siblings. He was reluctant before because of the hatred and unforgiving spirit in his heart. Rolando shared that during his younger years, his father hurt them and his mother brutally. When his mother passed away, Rolando ran away from his father and went to another island, Bohol. While there, he heard God’s Word and was saved. He went to Bible school and after his marriage, he returned to Cebu. Rolando and his wife were the first to be wed in our church.

Rolando rented a house with his wife away from his family. Even though he was a Christian, he still struggled with hatred in his heart. But God changed his heart and now he is free from the bondage of hatred and an unforgiving spirit. He brought his wife Cristal and the church leaders to his family. Rolando started to share the love of Jesus with his father and all his siblings. His testimony has made a big impact on his father and siblings on how the Lord changed his heart and encouraged him to offer forgiveness to those who hurt him. I know it is not easy for him, but God gave him the boldness to speak to his father and siblings about the gospel of salvation. Rolando has committed that every Sunday after his youth ministry, he also will conduct a family group bible study.

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• Pray for the Lord to soften the hearts of his father and siblings.
• Pray for God’s leading to them and his family.

Every Saturday afternoon, this grandfather asks his family to clean the house and prepare food for the visitors coming to attend the house weekly service. He gathers his children and grandchildren to attend and hear God’s Word. He insists to have a house service every Saturday in his home. He is really happy to hear the Word of God as our church leader preaches. God has really opened the heart of this man and used him to bring the gospel to his family. Because the family business is selling onions, garlic, ginger, and vegetables in the market, they set aside these items to bring to the church for Sunday lunchtime. The church no longer must purchase these food items because this family provides them already.

• Pray for more fathers in Mambaling, like this grandfather, to have an open heart to hear God’s Word and extend salvation to their family members.
• Pray for his family to grow in their new faith and continue to faithfully serve the Lord.

Stella and Nena continue to commit to teaching the young teens every week. Now they are studying the gospel of John with seven lessons. Each lesson has four meetings so a total of seven months of teaching. The material is all about salvation and is the basic foundational teaching for their faith in Jesus.

We are praying for these teens to be used by the Lord someday in our church; they are the future leaders of the church.

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• Pray for their faith to grow as they study God’s Word.

Another blessing is the couple named Andrew and Yves, they are church leaders and being used by the Lord. Andrew is our worship leader and Yves serves in our church program. This month God gave the couple a motorcycle for their daily work. We dedicated the vehicle to the Lord and prayed protection over everyone who uses it and that it will be used for God’s glory.

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• Pray for the Lord to bless the couple and their church ministry, pray for blessing on their business and their income.

Some say that the Christian’s prayerlessness is not due to incompetence but indolence. We instead encourage our church leaders in their commitment to gathering together to have a daily devotional meeting at five am every morning. If the church leaders ever stopped praying, then they would also stop asking, and maybe then God would stop providing.

Mambaling church leaders have so many material and spiritual blessings they received from the Lord every month. During the time of the pandemic, many people in Mambaling were struggling with their daily needs, but never the church leaders or members. God always remembers His people and their daily needs were met. The Mambaling church except are full-time church workers and most of them have no secular jobs. They have no decent income except the small amount the church can give them monthly, a thousand pesos, about two us dollars. But as they pray and work together without complaining, many people or individuals are touched to commit by giving rice, groceries, cash, or gifts. God has sustained our church leaders and family till now by His grace and mercy. To God be all the glory.

• Pray for the Lord to give our church leaders and their families physical strength and protection every day as they engage in doing the work of the ministry.

It is a great privilege to sit down with our young people and teach them. While the church leaders have their ongoing meeting, I volunteered myself to teach the young people that Sunday afternoon. I feel that the youth are not always at ease when the senior pastor comes to teach them due to the generation gap. I tried to calm their nervous feelings by making a fun introduction to get their attention. Then I realized after teaching them that they were seriously listening. I am so happy that Rolando is the youth leader who is committed to ministering to the youth.

• Pray for the youth to grow in their faith and the knowledge of the scripture.
• Pray for God’s Word to speak to their hearts in a very personal way.

Last month I helped our church leaders practice how to conduct a church meeting. Melvin, our resident pastor, presided over the meeting. I helped him with how to start and the procedures such as keeping minutes, the procedures for voting, and tie-breaking. They enjoyed practicing. Melvin is now preparing to answer all the requirements before being installed as a pastor. I taught Melvin how to conduct a funeral service, child dedication, burial ceremony, wedding, and water baptism. I am preparing Melvin to handle church ministry and preparing for my transition period.

• Pray for the Lord to continue to give all church leaders a humble heart and willingness to follow the authority with a submissive heart.
• Pray for Melvin to be firm in God’s Word and strong in his faith.

June 2021

Last month we celebrated Father’s Day. The church leaders gave each dad a coffee cup to remind them of their essential role in their families. My message that Sunday was from the book of Joshua 24:15, “…but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” The teens and kids gave a special presentation and ribbon greetings to their fathers. It was a surprise activity and very meaningful to the fathers.

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• Pray for more dads in Mambaling to give their hearts to Jesus and bring their families together to worship the Lord.
• Pray for the fathers to encourage their friends to join the Sunday worship service.

After the Father’s Day celebration, we faced an unexpected visitor at the church, the coronavirus disease. Andrew and Yves, our church leaders, were admitted to the hospital for covid. Many of the church members had a fever, cough, and flu. The local government came to the vicinity of the church for contact tracing. All the people in the church neighborhood were considered PUM (person under monitoring) and were not allowed by the authorities to go out for seven days, the typical quarantine period. Some of our church leaders experienced headaches, runny noses, and coughs, but they tried to take antibiotics right away.

My wife Jen was admitted to the hospital because she had shortness of breath. At first, they diagnosed it as pneumonia, but then it was determined to be moderate-covid based on the swab test. The pulmonologist advised her to be admitted to the hospital at once though our intention had been primarily for consultation. Jen was hospitalized for eight days. We thank the Lord for your prayers because she had a fast recovery.

After eight days, Jen was discharged, but authorities strictly instructed us to quarantine Jen in a room for another twenty-one days. I could only communicate with her using the mobile phone, and she could not mingle with the family until the home quarantine period was over and she had reported to the hospital for a check-up. While Jen was in the hospital, she requested her laptop to keep her mind busy. Despite being sick, the doctor advised her to keep moving and not lie still to maintain suitable blood viscosity. Jen is indeed purpose-driven and not willing to lag behind in her responsibilities. She was able to communicate with the White Fields pastors regarding their reports. To God be the Glory!

We thank God that Jen is now home with us again, even though we could not see her for a while. In the hospital, Jen suffered emotional and mental trauma because no one was allowed to be with her, and only the nurses checked in on her from time to time. Her insurance was not usable because her disease was from the health pandemic. The Lord is good and gracious for healing Jen and providing for all her needs. I sincerely thank Pastor Steve and the White Fields family for your prayers and support.

• Pray for Jen to completely heal and recover.
• Pray for financial provision for the hospital bills.

Before Jen got sick, I had already been very ill for four days. I had severe headaches, my eyes turned red, and I had off and on fevers and chills. Jen cared for me and brought me to the doctor. I was not tested for covid but had recovered four days later. Jen and David started experiencing the same symptoms. David received antibiotics and other medications; Jen was given an anti-allergy medicine. David soon recovered, praise the Lord.

It was a trying time for the church leaders to continue serving the community while my family was sick. Many of the families in Mambaling were facing difficulties as well, and many others were sick. But despite what happened, the church leaders faithfully continued their weekly group Bible studies. Stella and Jerraffe continued the home studies. They spoke with a young single mother and her grandma; they were open to hearing God’s Word every week. The mother is now attending the church service and is a candidate for water baptism.

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• Pray for this young single mom and her grandma to grow in the Word of God as they continue to study.

Melvin, Lito, Carmie, and Nina also continued visitation and witnessing. Wearing face masks is no guarantee of protection. God’s power is not limited, and this time of uncertainty is a great time to bring the good news of salvation. People are confused, there is no work, and they stay inside their homes.

• Pray for more souls to know the Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Pray for God’s protection for all the Mambaling church leaders.

Carmie shared the good news of salvation with a pedicab driver. He was not interested but had nothing else to do except listen while waiting for a passenger to come along. As a result of listening, this pedicab driver realized that he needed a Savior. He promised Carmie to open his house for a home Bible study. I asked Antonio, one of our church leaders, to do the follow-up visits with the driver for home Bible studies. Antonio is focusing on the father’s ministry, so I encouraged him to bring some men to visit this man.

• Pray for this man to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior genuinely.
• Pray for his understanding to grow as he studies with Antonio.

• Pray for this man to grow in his new faith in Jesus Christ.

• Pray for God’s Word to grow in the heart of this pedicab driver.

Lito shared God’s Word with the owner of the food stall and some of the customers. When they sat down together, everyone listened while Lito read a salvation passage. The store owner was willing to have another Bible study in her home. Lito is preparing to revisit them. There was still time during this day, so Lito shared with a mother who was closing her store. Carmie spoke with a woman at her bamboo gate.

• Pray for God to touch the hearts of these individuals and for opportunities to follow up with them.

Nena shared with a man about the love of Jesus. He listened quietly and accepted the Bible track but was not willing to accept Jesus Christ. Pray for this man to read the scriptures in the tract and give his life to Jesus.

Not everyone that the church leaders spoke with was interested in listening to the gospel. Melvin shared with a couple of men on an electric bike, but they were not interested in hearing, but they kept the tracts they had received. Carmie went to another store and started sharing with the owner. Because it was time for customers to come in, the owner was unhappy that the church leaders were occupying space so nobody could buy in her store. When Carmie realized this, she stopped sharing with her.

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While they continued their visits, one mother asked the church leaders to visit her home and pray for her sick kids who had fever and flu. They prayed for the kids that the Lord would protect and heal them. We were happy to know that some of the neighbors in Mambaling believed in prayer. Pray for this mother to understand that she needed Jesus as her Lord and Savior. I encouraged Carmie to follow up and conduct a home Bible study.

Vivian had attended church many times already but stopped coming. Vivian was unable to escape the addition of using drugs and selling them was her source of income. We visited her many times in her home to study God’s Word, but she made excuses that she was unavailable because there were many things to do, and she expressed her disinterest. Early in the morning last month, a man shot Vivian five times, and she passed away. Vivian was a single mom, and her partner was a drug pusher. The gunman shot and killed him too.

I asked Melvin and the church leaders to visit the family and bring a small amount of money to help with their financial needs. Melvin also asked the family if they would allow us to conduct the funeral services to share the Word of God with the family. While waiting for the service to begin, Carmie started sharing God’s salvation with the mother of Vivian. She gave her heart to Jesus and received Him as her Savior and Lord. On the last Sunday of last month, I saw this mother had joined our church for Sunday worship service.

• Pray for Vivian’s family to give their heart to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• Pray for the family as they adjust to this significant life change.

May 2021

Carmie shared the gospel of salvation with Imelda using the four spiritual laws during our house-to-house witnessing time. As a result, Imelda accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Carmie asked if she was willing to have a home Bible study in her house weekly, and Imelda happily accepted this offer. Carmie encouraged her to visit or attend the Sunday church morning activities.

• Pray for Imelda to grow in her new faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for her family.

Countless youth in Mambaling are already drug dealers or users, even at a young age. Andrew met a young person on the street and took time to talk with him. He shared God’s love, prayed with him, and encouraged the teen to join the youth’s Sunday afternoon activities. Praise God because this man did come to the following fellowship.

• Pray that God will give Andrew wisdom and boldness to share the love of Jesus to evangelize the young people and that they will come to know the Savior.

Badjaa Muslim tribes are despised in the community for being beggars and lazy. During our community saturation activities, Andrew sat down and spoke with a couple of young people along the streets. They were shy and hesitant because of the discrimination. They are also reluctant to mingle with the Christians because they are Muslims. But Andrew tried to share with them that we are their friends and are willing to listen to them and hear their needs.

• Pray for these Badjao young people to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Precilla is of the Muslim Badjoa tribes, yet she is faithful in attending our church Sunday morning activities and always brings her son Roxel to the church. But during one of our church leaders’ visitations, Precilla told us that Roxel has a hearing problem and stopped work because of the pain in his ear. In a later visit to this family, the church leaders brought cotton and ointment to clean Roxel’s ear. It was painful, but they carefully cleaned it and prayed for healing. After a week, they visited again, and Precilla said that her son can hear better and is now back at work. Pray for the complete healing of Roxel’s ear.

Many people are bombarded with problems, and they need Jesus to guide them. Carmie shared the four spiritual laws with Marilyn, and she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Thankfully, Marilyn is willing to have a home Bible study in her home weekly. Carmie also invited her to visit our church’s Sunday morning activities.

• Pray for Marilyn’s new faith to grow and also pray for God’s protection for her family.

As a slum area, Mambaling has all the societal issues that need to be addressed, physical, social, and most importantly, spiritual needs. So the church leaders strategized on how to care and reach out to others. The activities and efforts of the church leaders have gathered an average of sixty-eight adults, thirty young people, and twenty-five children who regularly come to every Sunday morning activity. We thank God for the braveness and boldness He gave to our church leaders. Our goal is to have one hundred and fifty adults this year and one hundred young people.

• Pray for the additional church service for the youth in the afternoon.
• Pray for more open doors for salvation to the Mambaling community.
• Finally, pray for protection and wisdom for the church leaders.

Leo is our pianist in the church. He has worked abroad in different countries as a musician, but he struggled in his marriage, career, and personal life because of drugs and other vices, resulting in a downward spiral. Then came the pandemic, which caused Leo to be profoundly depressed, and life was pointless. One day, our guitarist Duroy invited Leo to join the music team at the church, which was his first time hearing Godly music, and it inspired him once more. Leo joined the salvation class and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He committed his life to be used by God through playing instruments. Leo recently gave his testimony of how God changes his life. He is preparing to be married this month and is also a candidate for water baptism. Praise the Lord.

• Pray for more people to come to know the Savior.
• Pray for Leo’s spiritual growth.
• Pray for wedding preparations and adjustments for the couple.

The young people’s Sunday fellowship is growing in number. Andrew does the programming, and Melvin, our future resident pastor, is their advisor and preacher. The young people are having fun, meeting new friends, and building relationships.

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• Pray for the young people to continue to grow in their spiritual life.
• Pray for more youth to hear the gospel this year.

During the church leader’s visitations, a heavy downpour occurred, so the group took shelter in a store. While waiting for the rain to stop, Carmie shared the gospel with the store owners. They were curious about the chalk talk of salvation, so they listened attentively. After some time, Carmie asked if the owners were willing to have a weekly Bible study in her home.

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• Pray for the owners to understand and give their hearts to Christ at the next presentation.

After my second vaccination shot, I was advised to rest for a few days, but I had the weekly leadership teaching, so I went about my activities despite a headache and body pain. I thank God that I am doing well already. The Korean church donated some face masks to all our church workers. I thank God that my church workers are in good health and attend the weekly leadership teaching.

• Pray for my health and that of our church leaders and families.

We visited the ministry place of White Fields church planter Alvin in Liloan. He started a house church in the same building her his family is living. We encourage Alvin to look for a bigger house to rent so more people can join their activities. The worship attendees are jam-packed, and there is a need for more rooms for ministry, such as the children’s program, youth, and Bible studies. There is a lot for sale, but it is more expensive because it is located by the seashore. It is about five thousand pesos in Philippine’s money, approximately one-hundred and six US dollars per square meter.

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• Pray for the Lord to bless Alvin’s work and make a way to purchase a good place for the church building.
• Also, pray for Alvin and his family and ministry.

We are now constructing our future resident pastor parsonage. Melvin is our future resident pastor, and he is currently renting a house monthly for one-thousand and five-hundred pesos. We can only give him an allowance of about five thousand pesos, one-hundred and six US dollars which is not enough after the house rental to sustain his two kids and their other needs. So, we prayed and planned to build a parsonage. With the help of some friends and church leaders, we set aside the amount to construct the building. We are grateful to White Fields director pastor Steve Wheeler for helping us finishing the house.

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• Pray that construction will be completed next month so that Melvin and his family can move into their new house.

Stella, one of our church leaders, shared with the group how to handle home or group Bible studies effectively. She also shared her experiences and how to sustain the group to produce people who know the Savior and attend church Sunday worship.

Stella handles the children’s program on Sunday mornings while the parents attend the service. She longs to join our service but sacrificially decided to dedicate her morning to teaching the children.

• Pray for Stella and her family to be protected from any sickness.

We are vising two pioneering churches in Carcar and Talisay to interview the pastors and leaders regarding their letter of intent to join the White Fields church association. Lito, our moderate, explained to the church leaders the need to form an association. After the explanation, we prayed for them.

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• Pray for more churches to be encouraged to join White Field’s ministry association of churches.

Melvin continued doing the weekly group Bible studies, and this group of women has decided to follow Jesus by proclaiming their faith through water baptism. We are planning another baptism this month. Pray for the women to grow in their faith in the Lord.

Carmie continues her weekly group Bible study for the women. One of them is Elena; she is growing fast in her faith, and her husband and children are actively coming to the church every Sunday service. Carmie is grooming Elena to be a future leader in the church and training her to handle a group Bible study.

• Pray that Elana will continue to commit her life to serve the Lord and bring more women to the church.

Lito, one of our church leaders, is continuing his home Bible study and one of the attendees is Marcilen, thirty years old with seven children. Her source of income is a small variety store, while her husband sells boiled eggs. Marcilen gave her testimony, saying that she desired to read her Bible and seek God through daily prayer ever since she understood the truth. Marcilen believes reading and praying are essential to the life of faithful followers of Jesus. She desires to follow Jesus through water baptism and is planning to get married in the church.

• Pray for Marcilen to grow in her faith in Jesus and for her husband to know the Lord Jesus as his Savior.

In another home Bible study of Lito’s is at Lee Mari’s home. She has come to know the Lord Jesus. She and her housemates are very new to learning the Bible.

• Pray for them to come to know Jesus more and join the Sunday service.

Lorita and Reo believed they needed to hear God’s Word to strengthen their spiritual lives. So, they are allowing home Bible studies under the leadership of Lito, but they have no desire or time to attend the Sunday service.

• Pray for God to continue to speak to their hearts so that they know the truth.

Antonio, our church leader, is ministering to a group of men every Saturday in the church. Most of these men experienced using drugs and other vices like cigarettes and have been drunkards. As they lead their families to the Lord, they need the wisdom of the Bible to guide them and the strength of togetherness in their group to make them strong physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

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• Pray for more men to be encouraged to join the Saturday men group Bible study.
• Pray for these men to be used by the Lord as a living testimony to their families and neighbors.
• Pray for them to continue listening and studying God’s Word.
• Finally, pray for Antonio that God will give him boldness and wisdom in teaching the men weekly.

During the week of visits, the church leaders met a group of women outside their houses, enjoying the cooler temperatures. Carmie started sharing the gospel of salvation and encouraged them to visit the church when they have time. She asked them about the possibility of a home Bible study to get to know the Lord deeper. But this group refused to listen and did not agree to a home study. Their pre-occupied minds hardened their decisions to not listen to the good news that was shared with them.

• Pray for the Lord to soften their hearts and for them to know Him as their Lord and Savior.
• Pray for God to give them time and desire to listen to His Word.

April 2021

Most of the children live in one compound, and most of their parents attend church activities. We are teaching the gospel to these kids. Even though many are pretty young, they can still understand. We introduced them to why Jesus died on the cross because of His love for us.  Jerafe has committed to teaching these kids weekly. We are praying that these kids will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

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Jerafe also conducts her own home Bible study. She brought Sheila with her so Sheila can learn how to teach the Bible study. I call this the mentor and disciple relationship. Sheila will learn from her mentor, Jerafe, and will someday start her own group Bible study. Typically, this process takes a few meetings, with the first one being where the mentor does one hundred percent of the teaching and the disciple watches and learns. The next meeting is split seventy-thirty, then fifty-fifty. Then the disciple does seventy percent while the mentor does thirty, and by the last, the disciple is doing one hundred percent.

• Pray for Sheila to grow in the knowledge of the scripture.
• Pray for Jerafe to have another disciple to train in the future.

Melvin and Antonio are conducting a men’s Bible study group at the church. They are using the same method of mentor-disciple training. After some time, Melvin and Antonio will give the men the opportunity to conduct their own group Bible studies. We encourage our church leaders to lead many group Bible studies in the community using the FRANGO method. FRANGO is an acronym that means Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors, and Guests (of the church).  This method is how our church leaders develop their capacity to train more potential church leaders in the group.

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• Pray for more church leaders to develop and grow through the mentoring program.
• Pray for the men to be strong and faithful leaders in the church and their own families.

I joined the church leaders in their weekly visitation to the neighborhood people and shared with them about our church activities. I introduced myself to the women we spoke with and asked them questions about their jobs, children, and more. I was cautious as I talked with them because I know most are Catholics. One of the women is the wife of a policeman. We did not overstay our welcome because I knew it could be challenging to entertain a stranger such as myself. But the good news is that the women were listening and promised that if I come back, they were willing to have a group Bible study. Before I left, I asked if it was okay for me to pray for them; I was happy that they allowed me to pray.

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• Pray for these mothers to open their hearts to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The Sunday afternoon youth activities led by Andrew are increasing in the number of attendees. Some are participating by giving their testimonies of how God has changed their lives. They are learning to pray for one another and growing in the Lord by reading their Bibles. Most of the youth in Mambaling are in danger of the temptation to take or sell drugs or prostitution. Mambaling is near the seaport, and at night, many young women go to the ships to sell their bodies to the men to earn an income.

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The church leaders and I are constantly thinking of ways to help the youth be productive and avoid the bad things surrounding them. We are searching for ways to divert their minds with livelihood projects.

• Pray for the youth to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
• Pray for God to give wisdom to the church leaders, especially Andrew.
• Pray for creative youth activities to educate the youth on being capable producers and resist the negative influence of their surroundings.

In one of our visits with the church leaders, we visited a family, and they allowed us to sit with them in the vacant space of their house. The conversation progressed, and the father informed me that his daughter was working abroad, and he gave me her name. The father also told me that they were Catholic members and prohibited from doing any non-Catholic activities. We had not said anything about religion, but I could sense that they were not open to the gospel of salvation yet.

In our conversation, I asked if I could pray for them, especially for their daughter, who was working abroad. When I got home, I used my messenger to search for the daughter’s name and messaged her that I had visited her parents in their home. She responded, expressing her joy that a pastor had visited her parents. Then she told me that she was now a Christian and had married a Christian foreigner who had helped her come to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Through our conversation, she expressed the desire to send money to church families needing rice and groceries. She sent her work bonus, ten-thousand pesos (two hundred USA dollars). When we received the funds, we immediately bought the rice and groceries—such an unexpected blessing from our weekly visits.

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• Pray for the daughter’s life and work to be blessed.
• Pray for her parents to one day give their hearts to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• Praise the Lord for the blessing of food for the families.

It was pretty hot this month, so Carmie, our church leader, brought the women’s group into the shade under the tree for Bible study time. Sometimes the weather is so hot that they use the church office as their venue. I see Carmie’s faith and spiritual life growing as she studies the Word of God. She is using the Bible studies material, my faith class, to share with the other mothers. I designed the materials like a ladder that you climb one step up for each lesson. The material covers the basic foundational topics such as salvation, assurance of salvation, prayer, the Word of God, the work of the Holy Spirit, temptation, water baptism, the Lord’s Supper, money, and faith. I am preparing to add a lesson about the church, but it is not yet completed.

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• Pray for Carmie to be used by the Lord to reach more families in Mambaling.
• Pray for God to help them grow spiritually.

After our virtual meeting with the White Fields Director, Pastor Steve Wheeler, we continued our discussion with the church planters in our White Fields office. Ryan taught about studying the Bible. He emphasized how to be a man of the books and reminded us that the wrong interpretation weakens the church’s doctrinal foundation, and the result will not be a church that grows but rather will die sooner. The following week Jerry shared his testimony of how God blessed the congregation with a new church building. It is not yet finished, but they are already using it for their Sunday church activities.

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• Pray for the budget for the flooring; they are planning to tile.
• Pray for the church members and for God to continue to bless their income.
• Pray for the church planters to always be grounded deeply in the Word of God and to rightly embrace the truth.

This month I baptized twelve new followers of Jesus. Three of them are our church musicians. One of these musicians is Doroy. He has six children, and during the covid pandemic and six months of hard lockdown in the entire country, Doroy had no work. His usual source of income was to play at the beer houses or special occasion events. But because of the lockdown, he had no job or ability to sustain his children that needed food daily. Doroy lost his hope and one day attempted to end his life by hanging himself. His depression and pain at seeing his children crying for food that he could not provide was too much. But Antonio, one of our church leaders, was led by God to visit his old friend, Doroy, at his house. Antonio encouraged Doroy to visit the church and use his talent to play the guitar during our Sunday service. Through God’s amazing love, Doroy received a second chance at life. He gave his life to Jesus and proclaimed Christ as his Lord and Savior. After his conversion, Doroy brings all six of his kids and his wife to church every Sunday. He has committed his life and talent to be used for the glory of God. Now the church has committed to give Doroy two hundred pesos (about four US dollars) every Sunday to help his family buy five kilos of rice for a week’s consumption.

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• Pray for Doroy and his family, for God’s provision and protection.

Our weekly leadership training is continuing. This teaching is designed for the church leaders and our church resident pastors in their pioneering churches. The goal is to equip the ministry leaders to help them be effective and productive in their designated work to the maximum of their potential. Church leaders are greatly needed, especially in the new churches. I believe God uses the leaders to engage every day in mission work. These leaders have the advantage of living in the area they are ministering to; they know their neighbors and their friends in the community. The more newly equipped leaders in the church of Mambaling, the more souls will come to Jesus.

• Pray for these church leaders.
• Pray for God to provide for their needs and protection, physically and spiritually, in their daily church work activities.

March 2021

Andrew is one of our church leaders handling the youth ministry in Mambaling. He was eager to share his testimony with the youth. He expressed how the Lord changed his life.

After salvation, Andrew read the entire Bible in six months. Wherever Andrew visits, he loves to share the love of God, especially with the youth. He also encourages them to attend the Sunday youth service.

In one of Andrew’s visits, he met a paralyzed man. Rodrigo is a family man, but most of the time, he is alone in their house. He felt lonely and desperate because of his condition. After some talk, Andrew shared God’s love with Rodrigo. Andrew prayed for this older man. Rodrigo was happy and comforted to hear of the hope in God. He also was touched by Andrew, a stranger, taking time to pray and share God’s love with him.

During the Sunday services, kids typically are roaming around, running, jumping, and sometimes arguing. But this last time, my wife brought these kids to the office and allowed them to read books. The kids had chairs so they would be comfortable. But when my wife checked on them later, she noticed they were gone. To her surprise, she found them under the table as this was their preferred spot for reading.

It was funny and cute since kids are kids, and they need help and guidance. The storybooks kept them quiet and curious. They particularly enjoyed the coloring books. As a church, we only have three coloring books, but they were enough to engage the kids.

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After church service, we invited the kids to read the books in the church library. These kids are some of the most impoverished in the community, and they have little exposure to books as neither their school nor home has books. For many of the kids, this was the first time they had touched a book. We assigned someone to help them learn how to use the books properly.

• Pray for the children to be protected and grow in their faith in Jesus Christ. May God remember and bless these kids.
• Pray for small chairs for the kids, books, and toys.

The couple Arturo and Marita are active members of the Mambaling Church. They experienced pain and grieving when their eldest daughter passed away at thirty-three from tuberculosis. The husband of Marichu was a drunkard and drug user with no regular work. Many times he would hang out with friends to enjoy himself instead of caring for his family. As she had an irresponsible husband, Marichu had to provide food for her kids. She worked every day as a housekeeper, washing clothes and cleaning, then would return home late. Instead of being able to rest, she tended to the kids and cooked their food. This exhaustion made her body sick and weak until she acquired tuberculosis.

On the last day of her wake (multi-day Filipino funeral event), the family brought her body to the church for the necrological service.  All the family members, relatives, and friends attended the service, and I took the opportunity to share God’s Word and the gospel message of hope. The occurrence of death can be the start of life for other people listening. I elaborated on how this reminder of death can bring us closer to God. I praise the Lord that I saw hands of surrender to God.

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• Pray for strength for the bereaved family.
• Pray for spiritual growth for Marita and Arturo.
• Pray for salvation for the children and the provision of the family needs.

During our daily visits and follow-up, I joined the church leaders in roaming around and knocking on doors in the community to initiate conversations about Jesus. Some people were unwilling to listen, but we still prayed for them after every conversation, hoping that their hearts will someday be open to the Lord. We prayed for their protection and daily needs.

• Pray for more open doors and salvation in the Mambaling community.
• Pray for safety and protection for the church leaders.

Melvin is our resident pastor at the Mambaling church. He is faithful in doing weekly Bible studies. Melvin is young but with a good heart, willing to accepted advice and follow instructions. When I ask Melvin to do something, he is always available. I am spending time mentoring Melvin and training him on how to hurdle ministry challenges. He is handling his own group Bible study and doing visits and follow-ups. Melvin encourages people to grow in their faith in Jesus, but only the power of the Holy Spirit can change their hearts.

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• Pray for Melvin’s wisdom in the ministry.
• Pray for health, family protection, and provision.
• Pray for more church ministries to be possible with Melvin’s help.

Mambaling must be the center of child abundance in Cebu City. Wherever you look, kids are found in large groups. However, these kids are also malnourished and lack physical and spiritual guidance. Last month, I joined the weekly feeding program at Mambaling church; we are using a small walking path or a church member’s house as our venue. Andrew brought some of the youth to help with the singing and teaching the kids. It was the first time many of these youth had assisted in teaching, but someday God will use them effectively in evangelism to the children. Because the place is smaller, we divided the kids into two groups.  Andrew taught the younger kids; Nina and Gerafe handled the older ones. While the teaching continued, Carmie and others prepared the chocolate rice porridge for the kids. We are aware that many of these kids do not receive three regular meals a day. And so their innocent eyes are always on the food to feed their hungry bellies.

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• Pray that God will bless the kids with good health and protection from sickness.
• Pray for teaching materials. Pray for teachers and leaders.

The church leaders shared some funds to buy ingredients to feed the children in the community. We do this program to help improve the health of these kids. Every feeding activity has an average of twenty to thirty children who are thrilled to have their best or only meal of the day. These low-income or no-income families typically cannot maintain three meals of food a day. Families in Mambaling may have four to ten children, and the parents rarely have regular work to sustain their daily needs.

The leaders agreed to cook nutritious meals for the kids loaded with great ingredients that the kids enjoy, and sometimes adults partake too. It is a choice between chocolate porridge and porridge with chicken and vegetables.

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• Pray for more food.
• Pray for protection for the children and leaders.
• Pray for families to be open to God’s Word.

Each week we have at least four children’s ministries, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. The ministry’s objective is to reach the parents and families of the kids and eventually open the option of having a Bible study in their home. Since summer has started, we try to bring the kids into shaded places to reduce their exposure to the sun. We use the front of chapels, sidewalks, basketball courts, and bridge areas as our classroom. It is always a joy to see hungry children fed both with God’s Word and physical food.

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While we teach the children, we do not miss the opportunities to encourage them to follow health protocols. After a few hours of teaching, someone shouted, “police officers are coming,” and that made everyone run because those not wearing masks will be fined Php 500 (US$10), even the kids. It was our first time running even though we were wearing face masks, but the concern was for the kids who were listening at a distance because they did not have a mask. The good thing is that our teaching time finished before the police came. We still desire to reach the children during this crisis and pandemic; we want them to hear of the love of Jesus.

• Pray for the leaders and volunteers to always be in good health.
• Pray for God’s protection for everyone.
• Pray for more children to come to know the Lord.
• Pray for more parents and families to be reached with the good news.

Summer is already here in the Philippines, and usually, it is celebrated with swimming and beach events. Since we have a health pandemic, the children are not allowed to go outside with their parents to swim at the beaches here in Cebu. One day, I was surprised to see a couple of children enjoying the nearby water on my way to the church. They were happy jumping, wading, and swimming in the dirty river. Garbage was floating nearby, and the water was smelly and murky. I felt terrible for these kids, wishing they will not get sick.

Carmie is one of our church leaders; she is in her fifties and a widow. Even since she first knew the Lord, she has given her life to serving God. Carmie is present at all church activities and is passionate about sharing Christ with the neighborhood. She desires to bring people to the Lord; her joy overflows when families give their hearts to Jesus, lives are transformed, and they become faithful believers.

• Pray for salvation for the people listening to the gospel message that Carmie shares.
• Pray for her children, Maryan and John Perry, to follow and serve God faithfully. Carmie’s house will be reduced in size due to the government re-blocking project.
• Pray that God will provide the money needed for the construction project on their house.

Stella is one of our church leaders, and recently, she brought a small speaker and microphone to help people hear her clearly. Even though this unit is typically used for karaoke, Stella was not singing but used it so people could listen to her preach. She may be small in stature, but her life is significant, and her influence through God’s power is enormous. Stella has been praying for her husband ever since she became a Christian. Her husband was a drug user and irresponsible. Most of the time, Stella worked to care for her six children. Her life proved to be a testimony, and after lots of prayers and tears, her husband accepted Jesus Christ and is now serving the Lord.

At present, Stella shares with several groups of people about the gospel of Christ. She is bold and confident to speak out about how God changed her family. This transformation occurred because of Jesus, not religion. The people listening to Stella are from broken homes and have broken marriage relationships. If God can change her family, this brings them to hope that God can change their family too someday.

• Pray for the people to know the Lord Jesus personally and give their hearts to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• Pray for God to continue to protect Stella and her family.
• Pray for God to provide for the schooling of her children.

In the Sunday school, Jen asked the students to share their testimonies and thanksgiving to the Lord. To her surprise, the majority of the students said thank you for getting their modules complete. Many of them expressed that modularized learning is complex because they have no teacher to guide them. This challenge gave Jen the idea to start peer tutoring where the higher grades can teach the younger grades. Although Jen is busy in her online classes at the university, she still accompanies me during my weekly visitation ministry in the church. God uses Jen also to help the students by explaining the modules.

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• Pray for all of us to be protected and safe from any diseases.
• Pray for the Lord to bless Jen’s work and her health.
• Pray for the kids not to get discouraged but to persevere in their schooling.

February 2021

During our Sunday children’s ministry in Mambaling, we borrowed the house of Carmie, one of our church leaders, as the venue to gather the kids every Sunday. The house is big enough for the little kids to play and study; best of all, they are safe inside the house. We do not have enough tables and chairs for the kids, so the teacher lets them use the floor as their table for coloring. We have no electric fans or mats, but the kids are not bothered by the cold floor because they get to color. Many of the kids come just for the coloring activities. Most have never had a crayon of their own. The church bought the crayons for the kids to explore and enjoy.  

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We encourage the teachers to help the children to know about Jesus Christ in their hearts. We want them to not only know Jesus but put their faith in Him alone as their Lord and Savior. 

• Pray for the kids to grow in their new faith in Jesus and serve Him faithfully as they grow.
• Pray for the kids to be safe from sickness and not become drug couriers in the future.
• Pray for God’s daily protection for them. 

During one of our Saturday visits, my wife Jen met a twelve-year-old boy name Dodong. His parents abandoned him about the time he had reached kindergarten, and Dodong has never stepped inside a school since then. He is living with a neighbor in exchange for helping with the chores. The family Dodong lives with cooks food to sell, so he can stay with them as long as he sells food to the neighborhood to earn his keep. Dodong visited the church youth fellowship despite being physically tired. Jen encouraged him to attend the children’s Sunday school, and he is willing but cannot come because he sells food even on Sundays. 

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Lito, one of our church leaders, has continued his weekly home Bible study and uses the chalk talk presentation to discuss salvation. This method encourages people to listen attentively and makes it easy to understand the gospel. Weekly, I teach our church leaders to do the chalk talk evangelism, and I am happy to see them applying it and teaching others. It is my prayer that the family attending Lito’s group will come to know the Savior.  I pray for them to have not only the facts about God but a relationship through their genuine conversion and true faith in Christ alone. 

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These three mothers were glad to spend time listening to God’s Word despite their busy schedules. Marilyn has just given birth to her seventh child. Patricia makes hanging rice as her source of income. Joy has two kids and helps Patricia make hanging rice. Hanging rice is one of the sources of income in Mambaling. 

• Pray for Lito to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the true gospel.
• Pray for this family to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• Pray for Marilyn, Patricia, and Joy to continue to grow in their faith. 

Antonio, one of our church leaders, is often visited by his neighbors. Every time a neighbor visits, Antonio immediately shares the Word of God at every opportunity. This eagerness is a complete transformation from his life; he was involved in drugs and the first member of his family to be addicted to drugs. But by God’s mercy, he is also the first one of his family to become a Christian. He desires to bring his whole family to Christ. Since Antonio is so friendly, he also leads some of his neighbors to read the Bible, and we are thankful to see a few of them attending church. 

• Pray for Antonio to be used by God to reach the men for Christ.
• Pray for God’s protection for him and his entire family.
• Pray for salvation for his wife, Wina, and his children. 

Nina, one of our children’s teachers and church leaders, visited a family and shared with the mother using a gospel tract. Eventually, the mother joined her in reading and listening while Nina explained. After the initial visit, we plan to follow-up with the mother and continue the salvation class. 

The covid pandemic regulations prohibit face-to-face schooling in any government or private schools, and children are not supposed to leave their homes. So, most of the children are at home studying. Since very few houses have internet connections, most parents are obligated to get the school’s study modules and bring them home for their kids to answer. After their study time, the kids go outside to play. So, our church teachers walk down the street once a week to gather the children for Bible study. As we reach out to the children, we reach out to the parents. When we see the kids at home for follow-up or visits, we talk to the parents and share positive words. We plan to have a new Bible study contact home on every street and Sitio (a smaller administration unit than a barangay) in Mambaling. 

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• Pray for the children to listen and hear God’s Word.
• Pray for their hearts to be fertile soil.
• Pray for God’s protection for the teachers who go weekly to different Sitio’s in Mambaling.
• Pray for seventy small chairs for the kids that we can use for Sunday school and street evangelism. 

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There are ten puroks in Barangay Mambaling. In 2015, the Philippine Statistics Authority census counted the population as 32,564 in the Barangay of Mambaling. This number has probably increased in the last six years. With this number of people in mind, the church leaders agreed to saturate and bring the gospel to every sitio in the barangay by assigning one leader to each spot. We see the children’s ministry as an essential way to reach the parents and the communities with the gospel. 

• Pray for children to come to the Lord in faith.
• Pray for open houses for Bible studies.
• Pray for bold leaders in the field.
• Pray for financial provision for feeding the children in Barangay Mambaling. 

Carmie and Stella visited one family and shared the gospel with two young men using the four spiritual laws tract. The older one is Nog-nog; he is considered the black sheep of the family and has been involved with drugs. In one of the visits, he was cornered into listening to the gospel, but Non-nog willingly accepted a Bible study invitation despite the approach. These two men accepted the Lord Jesus and have started attending the church. 

Dodong and Joy are a couple who are new believers and active in joining the Sunday church services. They live in front of the church building in Mambaling. One day, Carmie saw Dodong and Joy cleaning the church’s wall, and she was happy they had this desire to care for the Lord’s house. No one had asked them to clean the wall, but they took the initiative to do this project. We see this as a good sign that they love the Lord’s house and want to keep it clean. Joy, the wife, volunteered to clean the church’s floor and the restroom before and after the Sunday service. I praise God for this couple. 

• Pray for them to have good health always and for God’s protection upon them. 

There are numerous children everywhere in Mambaling. Many parents spend little or no time with their kids because either they are busy with their jobs or their time is occupied with vices, including drugs or gambling. We see the children as hungry souls looking forward to meeting God. Teachers of the church are strategizing ways to plant God’s Word in their hearts, and each teacher has a target sitio. We need to give a piece of bread to feed the hungry kids, at least for that moment. We desire to provide them a cooked meal. 

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• Pray for the kids to grow in their faith.
• Pray for an increase of committed teachers so we can reach more kids.
• Pray for open homes for Bible studies.
• Pray for safety for the people.
• Pray for finances to support the feeding of the children. 

Women in the neighborhood need spiritual attention too. Carmie cares for the women by giving them encouragement in the Word of God at a regular weekly meeting. Mylene is a mom and active in the group. She has already brought her entire family to the church and has stopped attending the Catholic church since she heard God’s Word. She is continually refreshed to listen to the messages every Sunday and enjoys the church services every time. However, when Mylene was asked, she confessed that she has given up attending the Catholic church but has not yet given up her worship idols. 

• Pray for Mylene’s spiritual growth and God’s working in her heart.
• Pray for Mylene to genuinely surrender to Jesus Christ.
• Pray for this group of women to be used by God to bring more women to the weekly group Bible study. 

Andrew is a newly baptized believer and one of our church leaders handling the weekly youth group Bible study. He is married with two kids. Before becoming a Christian, Andrew had a rough marriage because of his many friends and personal lifestyle decisions. Vices led him away from his family.  Andrew is so thankful to God for saving him. At present, his friendly attitude and fondness for dancing have become his assets in reaching out to others. Andrew meets with the youth for Bible study and does Zumba workouts and short devotionals with the mothers. He is planning to study in seminary or the Bible school if the face-to-face classes resume. 

• Pray for Andrew and his family to have God’s protection, wisdom, and provision.
• Pray for more youth to come to faith in God.
• Pray for the mother’s dedication to God to increase as they attend the Zumba workout. 

Teachers play a crucial part in the ministry of the church. Having good teachers is an assurance of a clear presentation of God’s Word; thus, training them is pivotal to growing their capacity. We had mothers and young people who attended during the training. We prepared the youth to be teachers in the future, and the mothers will use their skills in children’s ministry. 

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The young people and mothers were excited about the training. However, the dilemma of delivering the lesson well and handling the actual kids while being observed made them a bit nervous. The topics covered included the kinds of learners, doing action songs, catching the kid’s attention, maintaining order, and delivering the lesson. The trainees made a return demonstration for evaluation. From this event, we saw many potential teachers among the ten presenters. Praise the Lord. 

• Pray for Got to use the young people to help us in evangelism to the community’s children.
• Pray that they will continue to learn from these trainees how to handle the children’s ministry. 

Every month, the White Fields church planters do a monthly visit. This time we went to Tame Buctolan’s area in Naga Cebu. We met some of his church leaders and encouraged Tame to continue boldly engaging in evangelism in his place. Some of the men gave advice and helped refine his possible strategies to penetrate the area. It is good to see how the White Fields pastors are doing with actual visits to their ministry fields. This in-person feedback strengthens the pastor and their family. Furthermore, their concerns become a part of each other’s prayers. May the Lord bless the work of Tame. 

At the beginning of the year, in one of the meetings of White Fields Pastors, each one of them presented their church strategic planning for the year. Church plants must have goals and objectives to be dynamic and responsive to the needs of their community. Along with the presentations, they learned many ideas from how the other pastors perceived their ministry targets. Some innovative ideas were proposed and considered by the pastors. We thank God for the open minds to learn from each other. The various activities provide a strategic move for every church planter, keeping them on track each month. 

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• Pray that this strategic planning time and their one-year calendar of activities will be a great blessing to their church planting ministries.
• Pray for the leaders’ commitment to implement these strategic plans for every church. 

Our church is blessed with professional musicians; Arthur is a guitarist, Jun is a drummer. Doroy is the lead guitarist, and Leo plays the keyboard. They are friends and neighbors from Mambaling and were all encouraged to participate in the worship team. We feel that we are in a concert hall every Sunday because of their skills. But just as any instrument must be fine-tuned before you play, I shared with them the gospel of salvation to ensure that they have the full knowledge of God’s love and plan for their lives. Playing music is just the outpouring of happiness from serving the Lord. Yet even these skilled musicians cannot experience authentic worship if they do not have a personal relationship with God. They are all mature in age and have had many experiences in life. Yet, it is never too late for anyone to meet and know God even if they are past their youth. 

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• Pray for the men to grow in their new faith in Jesus alone.
• Pray for their commitment to the music ministry. 
• Pray that these professionals can train others in music. 

One community in Mambaling has been quite open to Melvin, one of our church leaders, conducting a group Bible study accompanied by Lito and Carmie. The neighborhood is surprisingly responsive since all of them are Roman Catholic defenders. This group became interested in Melvin’s teaching and was inspired by the worship songs during their Bible studies. They join in singing before their classes. Melvin explained the true Jesus in the Bible, which has created greater interest in the subsequent Bible study. 

• Pray for this group of Roman Catholics to continue to be interested in joining the group Bible studies.
• Pray for the Lord to open their hearts for the gospel. 

At two in the afternoon, we gather the young people in the church for their fellowship. However, the leaders are new to doing youth ministry, so we gave them ideas on leading the youth in various activities. 

• Pray for Andrew, the youth leader, to be used by the Lord to bring more youth to the church during our Sunday afternoon youth service.
• Pray for more open hearts and minds of these teenagers for salvation.
• Pray for more to join us. 

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January 2021

Five new believers proclaimed their faith through water baptism. Arturo was baptized; he was a Muslim but is now regularly attending our church Sunday services and actively takes notes of all the messages I preach. Sally was imprisoned twice for murder before she became a believer. Andrew and Yves are our new church leaders in the Mambaling church. We are so happy to see these people give their lives to Jesus as their Lord and Savior and now to follow Christ through water baptism. These five new believers have expressed their commitment to serve the Lord and be a part of God’s family.

Nena and Jerraffe are sisters and volunteer church leaders. Weekly, they visit the village near the church to follow-up with the children and encourage them to join the weekly children activities. They stop at the homes and invite the kids to come for Saturday and Sunday church. Some of the areas they travel through are challenging, requiring balance and talent to navigate the rickety bridges, but they are happy to serve the Lord. Nena is a single mom and leads the children’s ministry every Saturday and Sunday. Jerraffe helps Nena with the kids.

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• Pray for Nena and Jerraffe, especially for God’s protection and provision of their daily needs.

I enjoy teaching my church leaders and helping them learn how to teach the Bible; one method I have found useful is the chalk talk method, using pictures to explain concepts including salvation and other foundational topics. The visual presentation is effective for visual and auditory learners. I taught my leaders how to share salvation with drawings. It has been so many years that I have used this method in many pioneering places, and so since I teach the same topics repetitively, I have most of the outlines and verses memorized. My church leaders are happy and excited to utilize the chalk talk method during their weekly group Bible study.

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• Pray for the church leaders to have confidence as they share salvation.

Soon after we visited the church in Talisay City, they needed repair work desperately. The walk to the church was broken and dangerous for the church members attending the Sunday church service. We collected the necessary amount to purchase the materials, and now the church members can safely walk on the newly cemented path. I brought my wife and son David to attend their afternoon service. It brings me great joy to have my family support and give me the strength to continue serving the Lord in the slum areas where most people are the poorest of the poor. They especially need God during this pandemic.

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• Pray that God will use the church in Talisay as salt and light and be a spiritual blessing to the people living in this area.

Maricel has been attending church for quite some time; however, she cannot walk or stand due to her ailing knees. We have been praying for her continuously, and now she has undergone surgery. She decided to have her leg amputated since her doctor advised it since the infection may recur at any time since the tumor is very aggressive. Maricel is happy to be assured that she will not feel the pain again despite losing her leg.

The month of December was truly festive for many people with much food on the table and lots of celebration. But for Leniza, age sixteen, and her siblings, December was like any other ordinary month. Their parents are separated, and they live in different places with their own families. Leniza and her siblings are staying with their grandparents, recently they did not eat for three days because they had no food, so they just drank water. With tears in my eyes from her statement, I comforted Leniza and invited her to church. I was happy to see her again in church.

• Pray for the Lord to bless the family with extra income to sustain their daily needs.

Mardy is fourteen, and her family has seven people, including her father. Her mother passed away last year due to illness. Mardy’s father has a small boat, but they never eat three full meals in a day. As Mardy is the eldest in the family, she is responsible for caring for their small space.

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• Pray for a program to be launched in Mambaling where each child will have food and support for schooling.

Elma has one child but also cares for her nephews. She is a new member of the church and is happy to bring the kids to Sunday school. The kids love the coloring materials and are thrilled to show their pictures to her afterward. Their poverty situation inhibits the kids from having the real feel of school because they buy rice and food instead of crayons.

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• Pray for more Sunday school materials and coloring materials for the kids.

We celebrated our first Christmas together with our church family. It was a meaningful event since this was our first Christmas celebration in our new church building. We proclaimed the goodness of God and the message of salvation during this Christmas season. After the service, we prepared food for every member, but we did the food in packs to take home because of the pandemic. It was indeed a joyful time together. God gave us a sufficient budget for food because we gave food to one-hundred-and-fifty people during the service.

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Thank you! Another blessing for this month came from Pastor Steve and the White Fields supporters and made the church leaders truly happy. Each leader received ten kilos of rice, all sixty-two leaders who assist our church planters in the Philippines. The pastors were thrilled to distribute the rice to their church leaders. I saw the joy on their faces when they received the food. God bless you.

We gathered our church leaders in Mambaling for our church strategic planning for the next year. My wife Jen helped me to facilitate the workshop during our meetings. The church leaders were able to participate even though this was their first time doing church strategy planning. After the entire day of discussions, my wife and I shared our blessing by bringing our team to a nearby restaurant as we celebrated our wedding anniversary. They were happy about the delicious food. Our leaders had great innovative ideas on how to reach the community. Suggestions included spiritual growth, social peace, intellectual development, environmental advocacy, and economic growth.

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• Pray for the Lord to bless our church activities this upcoming year.
• Pray for our church leaders’ wisdom and spiritual strength, Melvin, Carmi, Bebot, Lito, Nena, Andrew, Jerraffe, and Stella.

This month was an immense one of blessing. I was introduced to the Consul General of the Republic of Korea and the Cebu Korean Women Association president. They offered to sponsor one-hundred-and-fifty of the most impoverished families in barangay Mambaling. Each family received rice and groceries. The barangay officials and community were thankful to the Lord and to the church for bringing spiritual and physical blessing. This outreach allowed us to introduce our Sunday school activities to more people in Mambaling and invite them to our Sunday service. The barangay officials also knew even more that MCCC is helping the community. Now the church leaders are busy following up with these new prospects for Bible studies.

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• Pray for the Lord to use the Mambaling church to bring more people to know the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

December 2020

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me,” Mark 10:14. This statement reminds us that children are precious in His sight.  One of our new church leaders, Jaraffe, is now helping Nena with the weekly children’s ministry. Some of these kids were abandoned by their parents when the parents were jailed due to drug use.  Other parents have separated. Many of the kids were left with relatives, and these circumstances cause them to experience fear and trauma.  God is using Jeraffe and Nena to minister to the spiritual needs of the children.

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We encourage the teachers to help the kids to pray and recover from their past experiences. We know the Lord has a great plan and purpose for their lives. I encourage the teachers to look specifically for kids abandoned by their parents and invite them to the group. The church intends to share the gospel with the children so they can know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We are happy to see them participate in the activities, listening to the Bible story, coloring, drawing, and playing together.

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• Pray for the children’s ministry workers to share the love of God with the kids, especially those who have experienced so much hardship in their short lives.
• Pray for the kids to feel acceptance, care, and welcome at the church.
• Pray for them to come to know Jesus Christ.

Antonio is one of our church leaders assigned to teach the weekly adult men’s Bible study. He focuses his lessons on the foundational teachings such as salvation, assurance of salvation, and Christian growth so the men who attend will grow spiritually. They meet twice a week with Melvin, our future church resident pastor in Mambaling. We are praying for these men to give their lives to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

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• Pray for more adult men to join the group Bible study.
• Pray for the teachers’ instruction from God’s Word to reach the men’s hearts and bring life transformation.
• Pray for the men to be role models to their children, families, and community.

Last month, Henry, a pastor friend from Cebu, and I visited our church at Talisay and met with our resident pastor Rene. The purpose of the visit was to learn the church’s needs, especially the spiritual needs of the congregation and pastor. While there, I saw that the floating church building needs some repair. The pathway is not strong enough and can become risky for the people attending the activities. I encouraged the pastor to pray with the members and ask them to help fix their church building. I know the people are impoverished financially, but I encouraged them to be generous.

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• Pray for pastor Rene and his family.
• Pray for the church leaders and members to help their church in repair and maintenance.
• Pray for God to bless the believers’ generosity and fix their walkway to be secure and safe.

After visiting Talisay, we traveled to our church in Carcar City. Pastor Ronnie is the resident pastor. The church was clean and organized. Ronnie is actively engaged in daily visitation and evangelism with his potential leaders. The church is vibrant and supporting their weekly church activities. The members are busily attending to the needs of the church. The congregation is growing in number, and the pastor is actively participating in our weekly spiritual leadership teaching. Praise the Lord for the excellent report of our church in Carcar.

• Pray for pastor Ronnie and his family to always be protected.
• Pray for the church members to actively attend, commit, and support the Sunday church activities.

My wife and I visited a Korean friend to have lunch, but our friend and restaurant owner requested a short devotional and prayer with the staff while we were there. The owner asked the crew members to stop working and listen to the short message. The employees were attentive listeners, and some took notes of what I said. The owner of the restaurant donated a projector to our new church in Mambaling.

• Pray for the Toppokki restaurant to be used by the Lord as a channel of blessing.
• Pray for the crew members to accept Jesus as their Savior and for more to be saved.

We pray the Lord will continue to bless their work and family.

• Pray for the staff to grow in their new faith; one pastor was assigned to do a weekly Bible study at the restaurant.

Antonio invited two men to Bible study; their names are Jun and Arthur. Jun and Arthur worked abroad for many years. Jun is a drummer, and Arthur is a bass guitarist. They played in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and even the USA. Neither were Christians at the time, so they played in the bars, hotels, and restaurants to entertain people with worldly songs. They were good musicians, but with no one to guide them spiritually, they became addicted to drugs. They returned to the Philippines empty-handed, separated with broken homes. Then they met Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Now they are coming to church and using their musical gifts to serve and worship the Lord. They are active in the men’s Bible study led by Antonio and Melvin. I was excited that God brought these two musicians to our church as we are still new, and they are now playing drum and bass guitar.

• 

• Pray for Jun and Arthur to grow in their new faith.
• Pray for them to be used by the Lord as they serve Him with the gifts God gave to them.

The church was struggling with the water supply. No water would come out of the church’s faucets, and the worst part was we were being billed five-thousand pesos (a hundred dollars) for water consumption.  Since we were in a residential area, the leaders checked the water line and discovered that it was leaking along its route as it is an old connection. So, we decided to change the water connection. The church did not have a budget for this repair project, so the men agreed to help in the construction. It was a great time of bonding and learning new skills. We thank God that we know we have a reliable water supply in the church. The kitchen crew is thrilled that they no longer need to fetch the water from far away.

• 

• 

God is using the church in Mambaling to bring lost people to the feet of our Lord Jesus. A mother gave her testimony during our Sunday worship service. Her name is Sally. She lost her voice to drugs and was twice imprisoned for murder. Sally’s prime years were spent inside a prison cell, but she was paroled after serving her sentence. During the pandemic, life became too hard for her and her husband. They had no work, no money, and no income at all. They looked for a house to rent, but they had no advance payment. They met Carmie, one of our leaders, but Carmie was hesitant to accept them as their reputation among the neighbors was of a couple addicted to drugs and known drug pushers. But the Lord touched Carmie’s heart, and she offered a small room for them to stay under the condition that they would not engage in any illegal transactions.

• 

• 

• 

At this time, Mambaling was the center of the pandemic in Cebu City, so the lockdown forced all Carmie’s tenants to be confined in the compound for six months. The church leaders started a daily Bible study in the compound, and this couple was encouraged to attend. One day God spoke to Sally’s heart, and she encountered the Savior. Sally and her husband Lito repented of their sins to God and surrendered their lives to the Savior. They are now new creations and part of the family of God. Sally is volunteering to clean the church. The couple is serving at the church as security guards. We praise God for the joy of witnessing these people living in sin now being set free from bondage by God’s grace. Lito and Sally are driving a bike with a sidecar as a source of income.

• Pray for Lito and Sally to grow in their faith.

Real leadership creates more leaders. Luke 6:40 states, “everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his teacher.” I read this verse and am encouraged to spend time teaching and training the leaders. Then the leaders create more leaders rather than followers. Our leaders are encouraged to do the weekly visitation and follow-up with new prospects. They grabbed every opportunity to share the gospel.

• 

• 

• 

It is a blessing to teach leaders because it multiplies the mission work and more people hear the gospel, especially in Mambaling. Many families in the neighborhood that the church leaders visit are open to listening as they share the love of Jesus. I see the eagerness in the leaders’ faces as they share how God’s grace and mercy changed their lives. Everything the leaders learn from my instruction is then shared with their small groups. I am blessed to see many people and new faces attending each Sunday. The passion for the lost is a direct result of the leaders’ growing relationship with the Lord. In Mambaling church, we have eight leaders who have given their lives and committed to serving the Lord.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for these church leaders to be used by the Lord to bring more souls to the Savior in Mambaling.
• Pray for God to protect the leaders and their families.
• Pray for their daily financial needs.

The leaders in Mambaling have continued their daily devotional group prayer and reading of the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. To finish the entire Bible, they are committed to reading one chapter each day. At five in the morning, the leaders and some members join for corporate Bible study and prayer. They believe God will honor the prayers of the righteous and, by faith, answer the church and their families’ needs. Because of their commitment to prayer, we have already seen many answered prayers. God has blessed us with a new church building, musical instruments, chairs, an electric fan, and other necessary items. God is gracious to answer our requests.

• 

• 

• Pray for the leaders to grow in their prayer life through this morning prayer watch.
• Pray for them to grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
• Pray for them to be used mightily in the Mambaling community.

Youth are vulnerable and easy prey for drug traffickers in the Mambaling community. This realization has caused the church to strategize to reach the youth for Christ. The church now has a youth ministry in addition to the Sunday school. Andrew volunteered to help organize and handle young people. He conducts a weekly Bible study, and they recently held their first Youth Sunday Fellowship at the church. There were a handful of young people who showed an interest in God’s Word. Andrew invited RJ, one of our Whitefield’s men, to be the first speaker. Despite the small group this first time, we know God will use them to evangelize and reach their peers. The young people are enjoying the activities and have met multiple times now.

• 

• 

• 

Young people are in their life exploration stage, so they need to be guided in living upright lives. Every Sunday service, the congregation worship with the youth included. This inclusion familiarizes the youth with true worship and introduces new Christian songs. After the praise and worship time, the youth proceed to their Sunday school room for instruction. Often, after the preaching, the youth give a special presentation so the parents can see what they learned and for the youth to practice their talents. The youth Sunday school is one of God’s tools to help young people grow spiritually.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for God to guide Andrew in the youth ministry at our new church.
• Pray for more young people to attend the fellowship.
• Pray for Jen to be used by God as she teaches the Sunday school and to have more wisdom to be effective.
• Pray for the spiritual growth of the youth.

Mothers have a unique role in the family to serve, teach, discipline, and guide their children. But to accomplish this task, they must have the right perspectives in life. Carmie leads the weekly mother’s group Bible study. She is strengthening their faith and knowledge of God’s Word; many are new believers in the Lord. One foundation of a happy family is to have a mother with God’s wisdom in her.

• 

• 

Each week, Carmie visits the mothers to see and meet their spiritual and physical needs. Realizing the church knows their real conditions and cares for them is a great encouragement for these mothers. The best way for them to feel we care is to visit them in their homes.

• Pray for the Lord to encourage more mothers to join the weekly Bible study.
• Pray for wisdom and spiritual growth for the mothers.
• Pray for the salvation of their family members.

I am happy to see three mothers who volunteered to cook, clean, and wash dishes during our weekly church activities. They may not be the leaders who evangelize out in the community, but they have skills to share with the church. Marita cares for all the utensils. Joy cares for the comfort room (bathroom) to keep it always clean. Sally cleans the floor during and after activities. These three mothers are working together to keep the church clean and orderly. We are happy to see them joyfully serving the Lord.

• Pray for these families to have spiritual and financial provision.
• Pray for Marita, Joy, and Sally to grow spiritually and lead their families in the Lord.

Lito is one of our church leaders who minister to the Badjao tribes, the indigenous Muslim people known as “sea gypsies.” They live in extreme poverty in Mambaling. Their income source so meager that many beg for money with the younger children in tow. They knock on the doors of the cars on the roadside to ask for coins to survive. Some are good fishermen and spend most of their time at the pier where the passenger ship is anchored. The passengers throw coins in the water, and the people are skilled in diving, so they find it easy to collect the coins. The Badjoa tribes are Muslim by faith and doctrine. But Lito is being used by the Lord to share with them about faith in Jesus through Bible studies. Some are already attending the Sunday church activities.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for God’s protection for Lito and his family.
• Pray for spiritual growth for the new believers.

• 

• 

• Pray for salvation for the Badjao people.

Last month one of our new attendees was Frank. He is a former drug lord in the area. He was put in prison and now released on probation. Carmie met him in the street. Despite knowing his reputation, she despite to try inviting him to church, and he responded positively. Sometimes we just have to speak as the Lord leads us despite all appearances, and the Holy Spirit works on the other person. We are delighted that Frank is attending our Sunday activities. He always sits in front and brings his Bible. He takes notes during my preaching. Marita mentioned that she used to work for Frank, washing clothes, and cleaning their house. She knew him well. I am happy that God uses the Mambaling church to reach even these kinds of people in the community.

• Pray for God to continue to reach Frank’s heart.
• Pray for Frank to continue to attend every Sunday church activities and to open his home for a Bible study.
• Pray for more drug lords to come to know the real Lord of the world.
• Pray for the salvation of Mambaling.
• Pray for safety in the church.

November 2020

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me,” Mark 10:14. This statement reminds us that children are precious in His sight.  One of our new church leaders, Jaraffe, is now helping Nena with the weekly children’s ministry. Some of these kids were abandoned by their parents when the parents were jailed due to drug use.  Other parents have separated. Many of the kids were left with relatives, and these circumstances cause them to experience fear and trauma.  God is using Jeraffe and Nena to minister to the spiritual needs of the children.

• 

• 

• 

We encourage the teachers to help the kids to pray and recover from their past experiences. We know the Lord has a great plan and purpose for their lives. I encourage the teachers to look specifically for kids abandoned by their parents and invite them to the group. The church intends to share the gospel with the children so they can know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We are happy to see them participate in the activities, listening to the Bible story, coloring, drawing, and playing together.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for the children’s ministry workers to share the love of God with the kids, especially those who have experienced so much hardship in their short lives.
• Pray for the kids to feel acceptance, care, and welcome at the church.
• Pray for them to come to know Jesus Christ.

Antonio is one of our church leaders assigned to teach the weekly adult men’s Bible study. He focuses his lessons on the foundational teachings such as salvation, assurance of salvation, and Christian growth so the men who attend will grow spiritually. They meet twice a week with Melvin, our future church resident pastor in Mambaling. We are praying for these men to give their lives to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for more adult men to join the group Bible study.
• Pray for the teachers’ instruction from God’s Word to reach the men’s hearts and bring life transformation.
• Pray for the men to be role models to their children, families, and community.

Last month, Henry, a pastor friend from Cebu, and I visited our church at Talisay and met with our resident pastor Rene. The purpose of the visit was to learn the church’s needs, especially the spiritual needs of the congregation and pastor. While there, I saw that the floating church building needs some repair. The pathway is not strong enough and can become risky for the people attending the activities. I encouraged the pastor to pray with the members and ask them to help fix their church building. I know the people are impoverished financially, but I encouraged them to be generous.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for pastor Rene and his family.
• Pray for the church leaders and members to help their church in repair and maintenance.
• Pray for God to bless the believers’ generosity and fix their walkway to be secure and safe.

After visiting Talisay, we traveled to our church in Carcar City. Pastor Ronnie is the resident pastor. The church was clean and organized. Ronnie is actively engaged in daily visitation and evangelism with his potential leaders. The church is vibrant and supporting their weekly church activities. The members are busily attending to the needs of the church. The congregation is growing in number, and the pastor is actively participating in our weekly spiritual leadership teaching. Praise the Lord for the excellent report of our church in Carcar.

• Pray for pastor Ronnie and his family to always be protected.
• Pray for the church members to actively attend, commit, and support the Sunday church activities.

My wife and I visited a Korean friend to have lunch, but our friend and restaurant owner requested a short devotional and prayer with the staff while we were there. The owner asked the crew members to stop working and listen to the short message. The employees were attentive listeners, and some took notes of what I said. The owner of the restaurant donated a projector to our new church in Mambaling.

• Pray for the Toppokki restaurant to be used by the Lord as a channel of blessing.
• Pray for the crew members to accept Jesus as their Savior and for more to be saved.

We pray the Lord will continue to bless their work and family.

• Pray for the staff to grow in their new faith; one pastor was assigned to do a weekly Bible study at the restaurant.

Antonio invited two men to Bible study; their names are Jun and Arthur. Jun and Arthur worked abroad for many years. Jun is a drummer, and Arthur is a bass guitarist. They played in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and even the USA. Neither were Christians at the time, so they played in the bars, hotels, and restaurants to entertain people with worldly songs. They were good musicians, but with no one to guide them spiritually, they became addicted to drugs. They returned to the Philippines empty-handed, separated with broken homes. Then they met Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Now they are coming to church and using their musical gifts to serve and worship the Lord. They are active in the men’s Bible study led by Antonio and Melvin. I was excited that God brought these two musicians to our church as we are still new, and they are now playing drum and bass guitar.

• 

• Pray for Jun and Arthur to grow in their new faith.
• Pray for them to be used by the Lord as they serve Him with the gifts God gave to them.

The church was struggling with the water supply. No water would come out of the church’s faucets, and the worst part was we were being billed five-thousand pesos (a hundred dollars) for water consumption.  Since we were in a residential area, the leaders checked the water line and discovered that it was leaking along its route as it is an old connection. So, we decided to change the water connection. The church did not have a budget for this repair project, so the men agreed to help in the construction. It was a great time of bonding and learning new skills. We thank God that we know we have a reliable water supply in the church. The kitchen crew is thrilled that they no longer need to fetch the water from far away.

• 

• 

God is using the church in Mambaling to bring lost people to the feet of our Lord Jesus. A mother gave her testimony during our Sunday worship service. Her name is Sally. She lost her voice to drugs and was twice imprisoned for murder. Sally’s prime years were spent inside a prison cell, but she was paroled after serving her sentence. During the pandemic, life became too hard for her and her husband. They had no work, no money, and no income at all. They looked for a house to rent, but they had no advance payment. They met Carmie, one of our leaders, but Carmie was hesitant to accept them as their reputation among the neighbors was of a couple addicted to drugs and known drug pushers. But the Lord touched Carmie’s heart, and she offered a small room for them to stay under the condition that they would not engage in any illegal transactions.

• 

• 

• 

At this time, Mambaling was the center of the pandemic in Cebu City, so the lockdown forced all Carmie’s tenants to be confined in the compound for six months. The church leaders started a daily Bible study in the compound, and this couple was encouraged to attend. One day God spoke to Sally’s heart, and she encountered the Savior. Sally and her husband Lito repented of their sins to God and surrendered their lives to the Savior. They are now new creations and part of the family of God. Sally is volunteering to clean the church. The couple is serving at the church as security guards. We praise God for the joy of witnessing these people living in sin now being set free from bondage by God’s grace. Lito and Sally are driving a bike with a sidecar as a source of income.

• Pray for Lito and Sally to grow in their faith.

Real leadership creates more leaders. Luke 6:40 states, “everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his teacher.” I read this verse and am encouraged to spend time teaching and training the leaders. Then the leaders create more leaders rather than followers. Our leaders are encouraged to do the weekly visitation and follow-up with new prospects. They grabbed every opportunity to share the gospel.

• 

• 

• 

It is a blessing to teach leaders because it multiplies the mission work and more people hear the gospel, especially in Mambaling. Many families in the neighborhood that the church leaders visit are open to listening as they share the love of Jesus. I see the eagerness in the leaders’ faces as they share how God’s grace and mercy changed their lives. Everything the leaders learn from my instruction is then shared with their small groups. I am blessed to see many people and new faces attending each Sunday. The passion for the lost is a direct result of the leaders’ growing relationship with the Lord. In Mambaling church, we have eight leaders who have given their lives and committed to serving the Lord.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for these church leaders to be used by the Lord to bring more souls to the Savior in Mambaling.
• Pray for God to protect the leaders and their families.
• Pray for their daily financial needs.

The leaders in Mambaling have continued their daily devotional group prayer and reading of the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. To finish the entire Bible, they are committed to reading one chapter each day. At five in the morning, the leaders and some members join for corporate Bible study and prayer. They believe God will honor the prayers of the righteous and, by faith, answer the church and their families’ needs. Because of their commitment to prayer, we have already seen many answered prayers. God has blessed us with a new church building, musical instruments, chairs, an electric fan, and other necessary items. God is gracious to answer our requests.

• 

• 

• Pray for the leaders to grow in their prayer life through this morning prayer watch.
• Pray for them to grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
• Pray for them to be used mightily in the Mambaling community.

Youth are vulnerable and easy prey for drug traffickers in the Mambaling community. This realization has caused the church to strategize to reach the youth for Christ. The church now has a youth ministry in addition to the Sunday school. Andrew volunteered to help organize and handle young people. He conducts a weekly Bible study, and they recently held their first Youth Sunday Fellowship at the church. There were a handful of young people who showed an interest in God’s Word. Andrew invited RJ, one of our Whitefield’s men, to be the first speaker. Despite the small group this first time, we know God will use them to evangelize and reach their peers. The young people are enjoying the activities and have met multiple times now.

• 

• 

• 

Young people are in their life exploration stage, so they need to be guided in living upright lives. Every Sunday service, the congregation worship with the youth included. This inclusion familiarizes the youth with true worship and introduces new Christian songs. After the praise and worship time, the youth proceed to their Sunday school room for instruction. Often, after the preaching, the youth give a special presentation so the parents can see what they learned and for the youth to practice their talents. The youth Sunday school is one of God’s tools to help young people grow spiritually.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for God to guide Andrew in the youth ministry at our new church.
• Pray for more young people to attend the fellowship.
• Pray for Jen to be used by God as she teaches the Sunday school and to have more wisdom to be effective.
• Pray for the spiritual growth of the youth.

Mothers have a unique role in the family to serve, teach, discipline, and guide their children. But to accomplish this task, they must have the right perspectives in life. Carmie leads the weekly mother’s group Bible study. She is strengthening their faith and knowledge of God’s Word; many are new believers in the Lord. One foundation of a happy family is to have a mother with God’s wisdom in her.

• 

• 

Each week, Carmie visits the mothers to see and meet their spiritual and physical needs. Realizing the church knows their real conditions and cares for them is a great encouragement for these mothers. The best way for them to feel we care is to visit them in their homes.

• Pray for the Lord to encourage more mothers to join the weekly Bible study.
• Pray for wisdom and spiritual growth for the mothers.
• Pray for the salvation of their family members.

I am happy to see three mothers who volunteered to cook, clean, and wash dishes during our weekly church activities. They may not be the leaders who evangelize out in the community, but they have skills to share with the church. Marita cares for all the utensils. Joy cares for the comfort room (bathroom) to keep it always clean. Sally cleans the floor during and after activities. These three mothers are working together to keep the church clean and orderly. We are happy to see them joyfully serving the Lord.

• Pray for these families to have spiritual and financial provision.
• Pray for Marita, Joy, and Sally to grow spiritually and lead their families in the Lord.

Lito is one of our church leaders who minister to the Badjao tribes, the indigenous Muslim people known as “sea gypsies.” They live in extreme poverty in Mambaling. Their income source so meager that many beg for money with the younger children in tow. They knock on the doors of the cars on the roadside to ask for coins to survive. Some are good fishermen and spend most of their time at the pier where the passenger ship is anchored. The passengers throw coins in the water, and the people are skilled in diving, so they find it easy to collect the coins. The Badjoa tribes are Muslim by faith and doctrine. But Lito is being used by the Lord to share with them about faith in Jesus through Bible studies. Some are already attending the Sunday church activities.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for God’s protection for Lito and his family.
• Pray for spiritual growth for the new believers.

• 

• 

• Pray for salvation for the Badjao people.

Last month one of our new attendees was Frank. He is a former drug lord in the area. He was put in prison and now released on probation. Carmie met him in the street. Despite knowing his reputation, she despite to try inviting him to church, and he responded positively. Sometimes we just have to speak as the Lord leads us despite all appearances, and the Holy Spirit works on the other person. We are delighted that Frank is attending our Sunday activities. He always sits in front and brings his Bible. He takes notes during my preaching. Marita mentioned that she used to work for Frank, washing clothes, and cleaning their house. She knew him well. I am happy that God uses the Mambaling church to reach even these kinds of people in the community.

• Pray for God to continue to reach Frank’s heart.
• Pray for Frank to continue to attend every Sunday church activities and to open his home for a Bible study.
• Pray for more drug lords to come to know the real Lord of the world.
• Pray for the salvation of Mambaling.
• Pray for safety in the church.

October 2020

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

God is faithful in His promise. The church building construction has been completed. God provided us with the building and musical instruments, long benches, wall fans, and many more necessary items. The church members were happy. The sanctuary can hold one-hundred people and has a second floor for offices and other functions. The structure contains a large kitchen and dining area.

• 

• 

We invited Rev. Yoon Won Woo from Cebu Korean church to be our guest speaker for the first Sunday service. The church volunteers prepared a meal for everyone. The ministry in Mambaling started with worship in a tent three years ago, enduring the heat of the sun and the splashes of rainwater. Such a humble beginning, and now God has granted us a new church building.

• 

• Pray for God to continue touching the hearts of the neighborhood with salvation.
• Pray for more Bible studies to start.
• Pray for the church members to grow spiritually and more the church leaders to be effectively used by the Lord to minister in Mambaling.

The department of education’s blended learning modality requires the students to answer their learning module and participate in synchronous learning. Mambaling is a slum area; the people barely have enough work to get food on their tables and not enough extra for computers.  We thank God that our friends gave us two computers. They are not new but have already been a great help to the students. We are currently working on getting the internet connection so students can use these computers for their classes.

• 

• 

The second floor of the church is plenty of space to host the young people’s Sunday school. Also, during this pandemic, with no face-to-face classes, the spacious room is prepared as a study location for the school children.  Most of the homes in Mambaling are relatively small, with no spaces for the youth to study quietly.

• 

• Pray for the students to study hard in their classes.
• Pray for internet connections.
• Pray that the Lord will guide me to the right place to start another outreach program.

The pandemic has not been a hindrance to the children’s ministry. The kids enjoy coloring books while listening to their teacher. We are using the shaded place of Carmie’s house and her house lobby as a location for the children. Someday these little ones will continue the ministry in Mambaling and be used by God to serve their community.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for the kids to grow in their faith in Jesus.
• Pray for more committed teachers to the children’s ministry.
• Pray for Nena to have wisdom and protection from illness as she teaches the children.
• Pray for more Sunday school materials and school supplies.

It was several months of the pandemic where I could not visit the White Fields churches and pastors. While considering the border patrols and closures, I decided to start meeting at the White Fields office. We began our time with testimonies of God’s work in the lives of the pastors and their churches during the pandemic. We had a wonderful time together. We discussed church growth strategies and spiritual leadership. We are again able to meet weekly to encourage one another to be more effective in engaging in the work God has called us to do. During our meeting, I also scheduled visits to the churches. During these visits, I encouraged the church leaders to meet and help their pastors. The response was positive, and the church leaders renewed their commitment to their ministries and weekly church activities.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for the White Fields pastors to encourage one another in the ministry.
• Pray for their fellowship to be uplifting and beneficial.

The men’s group is reaching out to the neighborhood families by connecting with the fathers, the families’ head. Melvin and Antonia are doing the visits and saturating a specific area. They are thankful that a man opened his door and listened to them. They did not enter because the house was too small to accommodate them. Even though they were in the doorway, the man heard the good news of salvation and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He has been attending Sunday services as well. Praise the Lord. Melvin and Antonio continue to visit and encourage this new believer.

• 

• Pray for the man to grow in his new faith. Pray for his family to also be saved.

Melvin is in his late twenties, is married, and has two sons. He worked as a security guard through an agency and has been a Christian for a long time. After much prayer and consideration, Melvin resigned from work to serve God with the Mambaling Community Christian Center (MCCC). He has been managing several Bible studies, leading the music ministry, and leaders’ daily devotion.

Since covid started, the church leaders have committed to having a daily morning devotional at dawn led by Melvin. This devotional group is still meeting, and now they are using the new church building. The good news is that the church members and families are joining as well. Their number is growing, and their faith is getting stronger. God is helping them to study His Word and strengthening their faith walk. They are studying one chapter each morning, starting in Genesis, and they plan to finish through the book of Revelation.

• 

• 

• Pray for the church staff and members to stay committed to their early devotional meeting.
• Pray for more people to join the group.

Our new church building hosted its first wedding. Rolando and Kristal were praying to find a Christian church where they could get married. They tried to get married for several months, but due to the pandemic, their marriage license expired before they found a location. Many Christian churches are still closed, and mass gathering is restricted in number. The couple again applied for a month’s extension, and God granted their prayers. The wife is from Luzon, and the husband is from Bohol; they are in Cebu because of work. We were happy to see them at our church Sunday worship.

• 

• 

• 

• Pray for Rolando and Kristal to grow in their relationship with each other.
• Pray for their spiritual growth and relationship with God.
• Pray for group weddings to help the unwed couples in Mambaling.

The new church building is a blessing to the community. However, the road leading to it was muddy, uneven, and at times flooded. So, the men’s group decided to cement it. Praise the Lord. The neighborhood was happy as the church blessing also benefited those passing by and community people.

• Pray for more men to come to the Lord. 
• Pray for the husbands of the believing women to also be reached with the good news of salvation.

This pandemic has not hindered our study of God’s Word. Pastor Steve is continually supporting the pastors through weekly teaching with us, despite sometimes tricky internet connection. He is a distance from the Philippines, but his continuous support is a great encouragement to us through technology. Pastor Steve reminds us always to have an appropriate theological foundation in God’s Word. Thank you, Pastor Steve.

• Pray for Pastor Steve and his loved ones always to be safe and protected.
• Pray for God’s leading of White Fields ministry through Pastor Steve.
• Pray for the staff of White Fields and the pastors across the globe.

September 2020

Our Sunday services could not meet in-person for six months due to the pandemic, but the home Bible studies, visitations, and other church ministries continued. Melvin, our associate pastor of Mambaling Pioneering Church, conducted visits and home Bible studies. The barangay was, at one point, an epicenter of the pandemic. Testing occurred continuously with many positive and negative results. Due to the risks, we strictly followed the health protocols as we encouraged and ministered to the downhearted and mentally depressed community.

I know there seems to be no safe place that has escaped this virus or pandemic, but God is in control, and He already knows the future. We encourage the men to wear face masks as they conduct the weekly visitation and home Bible studies.

Carmie is our church treasurer and also an active evangelist and minister to the community. An old mother allowed Carmie to share the good news. However, the mother’s house was not sturdy enough for them to stay inside. So Carmie asked if it would be okay if she shared the gospel outside even though many people were present and listening. Carmie shared the gospel with everyone, the old mother was attentively listening, and the others were only watching. The old mother was a devoted member of the Catholic church. Anytime someone comes along with a different message, the Catholic leaders in the community discourage their members from listening to any other teaching or any other preachers except the Catholic catechism. In contrast, the old mother understood the gospel and insisted that she needed a Savior and not just religion. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

• Pray for this old mother to grow in her new faith as Carmie does weekly follow-up with her.
• Pray for her roof; she has no place to sleep when it rains.

Lito, one of our church leaders, continued his home Bible study accompanied by Melvin. The great thing during this pandemic is that most of the people in the community are now responsive to hear the gospel and willing to listen. We encourage the church leaders to intentionally visit homes and conduct group or home Bible studies weekly for the believers who opened their homes. We will not catch fish if we do not cast the line and go where the fish are. It is essential to continue to follow-up, as people do not always respond right away.

• 

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The other day I visited one house in Mambaling where they saw me and immediately went inside and closed the door. Perhaps, they do not want me to speak the gospel or are afraid of the virus. Or maybe they think since I am not a Catholic priest, they cannot listen to me. But no matter the response, I am not discouraged from visiting them in the future and sharing the gospel if there is an opportunity.

• Pray for Lito and his family to be protected from sickness.
• Pray for more homes to open for Bible study.

A young couple, Andrew and Yves, became Christians and focused on learning God’s Word through daily devotions with the leaders. They are now actively attending the Sunday weekly services and serve God through worship. The couple has excellent singing voices, and praising God through worship is their desire. They are currently waiting for baptism till the government allows people to go to the beaches.

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Andrew has a burden to reach the other young people and encourage them to study God’s Word during the week. Young people in Mambaling are often vulnerable to becoming runners and couriers for prohibited drugs or victims of prostitution. Andrew started daily youth activities and Bible study.

• Pray for the young people to grow in God’s Word and surrender their lives to Jesus to be used for God’s ministry in the Mambaling church someday.
• Pray for more chairs to accommodate more young people, particularly during church services.
• Pray for television to aid in visual materials for Sunday school teaching.

For the second time since the pandemic began, I invited the White Fields church planters to the office for a sharing time to encourage one another and update what is happening in the field. There are some experiences that the pastors have encountered that were not good, but others are hilariously funny. We laughed together as we brought those experiences to the Lord in prayer. It was an extraordinary and meaningful meeting as we praised and glorified God for the things he has done for our families, the believers, and our ministries.

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We are thankful to have the White Fields office where the church pastors can retreat from ministry and a place to recharge themselves. This fall, we plan to meet again, and I hope authorities will loosen border control restrictions so travel will be more accessible. The church workers need to sharpen their tools, and being together is a great way to do so. I am happy to know that the pastors use our study materials to share during the Sunday worship service, and every time they can use it in the ministry.

• Pray for the men and their families to be protected by God while they do their work in the fields of ministry.
• Pray for more pastors to be able to come as we continue to meet together.
• Pray for a computer printer in the office.

A month or so ago, Bebot and I traveled to the church in Salag, Tabogon, Northern Cebu, that was started eight years ago. I visited to see how they are surviving by themselves and how the ministry was going. I asked them about their condition physically and spiritually, particularly during this pandemic. We had a Bible study for the adult men and encouraged the young people to start a youth ministry to their community to reach the younger generations with the gospel. We thank God for the active members of the church. They are passionate about God’s Word and were excited and happy to see me again. I encouraged them to grow and serve the Lord. I am pleased to see them ministering joyfully.

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• Pray for the church pastor to disciple the youth so they will grow spiritually.
• Pray for all the church leaders to grow in the Lord.
• Pray for protection against the virus. 
• Pray for their ministry and Bible studies to reach more families.

Mena was one of the students at Salag National High School when I was doing the pioneering church work in Salag. I taught the moral recovery formation subject as an alternative to Catholic Catechism. I was allowed to teach Core Values in the school from the first year to the fourth-year classes.

I noticed this girl because she had some minor mental inefficiency and was always fighting with her classmates because of bullying. When I visited Salag, I met Mena again and was surprised to see that she had a baby boy. As a result of her abnormality, she had been abused and became pregnant. She was going into the bushes, with her child, to search for mushrooms to sell so she could buy rice. She came to the church and asked if I would buy mushrooms. I was emotionally touched by her situation and purchased all of her mushrooms so she could buy rice and milk for her baby. Bebot shared the gospel of salvation with Mena. She was encouraged to attend the church Sunday service.

Jesus said, Let the little children come to me. Matthew 19:14. We agree! This pandemic will not hinder our outreach to the children. We encouraged Nena and Lito to start the children’s ministry again and have the children wear masks. They are doing drama and singing presentations every day and teaching the Word of God. We are encouraging the children to wash their hands and be safe in their activities.

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• Pray for God to protect the children and teachers from sickness and keep them in good health.
• Pray for the teachers to handle different levels of the children’s ministry.

Finally, our church Sunday services were re-opened. The first week, senior citizens and children below twenty-one years of age were not allowed to join our activities. But eventually, authorities allowed higher church attendance. During the strict health protocols, many believers longed for the church fellowship. We were happy to see them again after six months. Four senior citizens died from COVID-19-related reasons, but we are content to know they are now with the Lord.

• Pray for God’s protection and good health for us always.

July/ August 2020

I received a call from my brother that my mother had already passed away. He asked if I could come to attend the burial of my mother. I decided to travel by boat as it’s the fasted way. I started preparing all the travel documents needed. When they were ready, my wife and I went to the ticket office to see the boat schedule to my hometown of Mindanao. It was vital for me to get there quickly as I hoped to see my mother before she was brought to the cemetery. I immediately bought a ticket to Surigao city that same day.

Upon my arrival, I was subjected to rapid testing for coronavirus at the port of Surigao City. The ambulance brought me to the Barangay Pili, then to a fishing boat going to my home place. At precisely two in the afternoon, I arrived home and saw my mother just before they brought her to the cemetery. After I bid farewell to my mother, the medical personnel in-charge brought me to the quarantine place to be alone for fourteen days. It was a small nipa house with no front door but just three sides. I lived like a monk in the mountains with a hammock to rest from work at the farm. It was not a happy moment to see my mother for the last time, but it was meaningful and necessary. I followed the health rules for the sake of the community and my family. When I write this, there is no available boat back to Cebu city.

After my fourteen-day quarantine, the health officers-in-charge brought me again to the Malimono district hospital via ambulance for another rapid testing as final confirmation that I was not sick. I thank God because I had negative results both times. Going back to my hometown, I asked if I could go alone without a medical chaperon.

Now that I was freely allowed to travel without supervision, I visited the Mamanua tribe to share the gospel. It is not far from the district hospital to the location of their village. I started taking off my mask as it seemed they were afraid of me because I was a stranger, and this was the first they had seen me in their village. I shared with the people about my purpose and hometown. Then I took the opportunity to share with them about Jesus Christ in the Bible. After I explained the gospel, I asked if they understood what I was saying and why we need Jesus in our lives. But I could not complete the conversation because the Barangay health workers in the village came and asked me to leave right citing health reasons. So, I had no choice but to leave the town. I promised the people that I would come back into their area when the situation is normal again. There has been no church activity in their area, and the place is ripe for the harvest. These people need to hear about Jesus.

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• Pray for the Mamanua tribal people to come one day to know Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their lives.

Staying at home during lockdown without doing anything causes mental fatigue and physical weakness. During the fourteen-days quarantine, I needed to distract my mind and body from the despair of grief, loneliness, and solitude. I thank God for displaying the beautify of the farm where I was staying. I decided to start farming activities and began cutting bamboo to make a native chicken house. Each day my chicken house kept improving, and so did my health. I used to be plagued by back and shoulder pains that required hypertensive maintenance medicine. The good news is that my blood pressure became normal because of the farm’s daily work, and I no longer have back and shoulder pain. God designed our bodies for physical labor. There were many things to do during my quarantine days, including planting bananas and vegetables. I ate lots of fruit since so much fruit was available. Instead of being bored, I felt useful and productive from daily exercise.

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The barangay electrician, Boboy, visited me during my quarantine days. He has been my friend for a long time. I asked if he was okay with me sharing about Jesus. I was happy that he attentively listened and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Boboy happily gave his life to Jesus. Now he is not only my long-time friend but my new brother in the Lord.

After the quarantine days, I lead several Bible studies in my hometown. We did weekly home Bible studies with the family of Rocel. As we met together, the couple shared that about their marriage relationship. They always fought because of their difficulties. Rocel, the husband, admitted that he would get his gun to point at his wife’s head when he was angry during their fights. Now he is grateful for the gospel and asked his wife to forgive him. His wife admitted that she would get the sharp machete to stab her husband when she was angry, but now they live joyfully together with their two kids. After three weeks of Bible study, the couple testified that they are being transformed by God’s Word and are different from before.

• Pray for Rocel and his wife to study God’s Word daily eagerly and for God to transform their lives.
• Pray for their marriage relationship to reflect God’s design for marriage.

I visited some of my relatives and shared with them God’s Word. The whole family was happy to hear the gospel and to see me again in my hometown.

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It is fruiting time for the trees and time for the harvest. One day, a group of children visited my hut and asked for fruit. I talked with them since they knew my family and shared about Jesus dying on the cross. After I presented the gospel, I asked if they were willing to follow Jesus and accept him into their life as their Savior and Lord. Without hesitation, they repeated the sinner’s prayer of acceptance and declared their faith in God’s salvation by Christ alone. I saw such enthusiasm in these kids. I hope they will return so I can start a weekly Bible study on the farm for the children. Jesus said, Let the children come to me because they are precious in my sight.

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• Pray for the children who accepted Jesus Christ to grow in their faith.

The Mambaling Ministry is continuing despite Pastor Cris being absent. Since the lockdown due to COVID-19, some people have lost their jobs, and many have lost hope. But the church family and leaders continue to encourage God’s children not to worry because God is always with us. He is faithful to His promises as we do God’s will, and He will meet our needs. Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. We have learned much from our teachings and devotions with Pastor Cris that has equipped our church leaders with God’s Word. Our daily devotionals have been a great encouragement for our spiritual lives.

As the associate pastor of MMC, since Pastor Cris went to be with family, the task of uploading the messages from God’s Word to our Facebook page was passed to me. At the same time, we sent personal messages to the Bible study group participants to encourage their growth in faith and love of Jesus Christ. I am pleased to report that the devotional group in Sis. Carmie’s compound is continuing.

Several of the believers shared testimonies of how the daily devotionals have ministered to them. Geraffe shared, “I thank God for this lockdown because we have more time for devotions to know God more. On the flip side, we have plenty of needs because our family has no income since my husband cannot work. Yet we continue to ask God in prayer to supply food and essentials. In Mambaling, we are not allowed to go out because our area in Cebu City was the center of the highest number of cases a few weeks ago. The daily devotion has made my family and I stronger as we know God more through His words. Lockdown causes mental fatigue, and it is truly stressful not to do our normal tasks. But we shifted our mindset to thank God and ponder His words. God is in control, and He is powerful. I trust that God is caring for us and that this lockdown will soon end.”

Aurelia shared, “I am a market vendor in Mambaling, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to continue our buying-and-selling business in the market. Since the lockdown started, my husband and I were sick for two months, and we thought it was our end. All the symptoms of COVID-19 that we saw on the television came alive in our bodies. We could not do anything but ask God for healing and help. Our neighbors helped us too, but we never went to the hospital because we were afraid to be near it. We thank God for our neighbors; they were a huge blessing to us. I praise God for healing us; we are thankful that He gave us another life to live.”

Joseph shared, “I am the father of two girls. Since I joined the daily devotions, the Word of God has penetrated deeper into my heart. I saw myself through a mirror; God’s Word illuminated the good and the bad in me. I saw things I needed to change and things that needed more improvement. I thank God because now I see my real purpose in life. I now have a direction to go and guidance through God’s Words. Every day of the devotional, I find new things to apply. I know that God is in control and that He has a solution even for the COVID-19 virus. I sincerely believe what I read in Habakkuk 3:9. “The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” To Him, be all glory.”

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• Pray for the daily needs of Geraffe and her family.
• Pray for Aurelia and her husband to heal from their illness completely.
• Pray for Joseph to be a godly father to his two daughters.
• Pray for the believers to grow in their faith and rely on God’s strength and church leadership to be wise in their teachings.

June 2020

Melvin has been a security guard for many years now; he is used to being on-duty for entire days and nights. Melvin has two sons and is the breadwinner of the family. This Spring, he decided to serve the Lord full-time in ministry at the church. Pastor Cris was in Surigao and did not have a cellphone or internet connection. Melvin continued the daily devotions that Pastor Cris had begun and posted daily encouragement for the members of Mambaling. To God be the Glory. 

The lockdown has taught the Mambaling believers to focus on God’s Word for spiritual growth. Yves is a new believer in Christ and desired to share her testimony. “In this pandemic, I have learned many things, from bad to good, and good to great. In the past, I thought that pleasing others was essential and important, but eventually, I understood that this focus was wrong. When I was a child, I did not have any in-depth knowledge about God, but specific questions preoccupied my thoughts.  What is the real purpose of life? What is my mission in this cruel world? As I grew older, I still did not find the answer to these questions. Despite the experiences of life, trials, circumstances, obstacles, heartaches, and pain, I just kept going. I tried to stand on my feet and say, I am okay, but I was not. I asked God many times, what is the purpose of my life? I heard no answer. 

When I worked at the iStore as an Area Sales Manager, I was so busy with little rest that I suffered from fatigue. I typically returned home around two or three in the morning, and I woke up at six am to return to work. With the lockdown, I am at home. Ryan, one of the church leaders, shared God’s Word through Bible study with Andrew. At first, I was not interested in listening or spending my time doing this. I assumed that God wanted me to suffer until I died because that was all I knew. I listened to Ryan sometimes but not very seriously. Eventually, something happened inside of me. I cannot explain it, but I felt the change from bad to good. The Holy Spirit was working on me. Then I became eager to tackle the questions about God. I had joy in my heart every time we had our Bible study. I became interested in reading God’s Word. I found so much value in the Bible. My life has changed from good to great as I accepted salvation. My happiness grows every time we have daily devotions. I found the missing part of my life. God is alive! Jesus is alive! Now I dare to share God’s Word and my testimony with anyone.” 

• Pray for Yves to grow in her faith. Pray for her family. 

We thank God for the lockdown as the vacant lot around the church gave us food in our homes throughout the entire time. With the help of everyone in the compound, we cultivate the garden. Mambaling has been the center of the COVID cases in the past few months, so our area was on hard-lockdown with no one allowed to leave their house. We thank God for the vegetables; there were more than enough to feed seven families and even some neighbors. 

We held our first quarantine worship. In the enhanced community quarantine, gatherings were limited to a certain number of people with physical distance and mask-wearing protocols. The use of television provides weekly preaching. The church is continuing regular worship. 

The church leaders have led daily devotions since Pastor Cris went to Surigao. Before the lockdown, the church gathered on Sundays, but since the lockdown started, the believers gathered to worship God daily. They continue to sing songs of praise, share testimonies, and hear God’s Word through preaching. 

Sister Carmi shared her testimony. “I thank God for this daily devotion. The lockdown prohibited us from going to visit houses to share the gospel or words of encouragement. We are always excited to be together to hear and listen to God’s Word. In our daily devotion, we were able to nurture the new believers in Christ; even my house renters were encouraged to attend our daily devotionals. 

Mambaling has many impoverished families whose homes are built on stilts over the water. Life is tough on these people, even more so during the pandemic. The government gave the families twenty-kilos of rice (about forty-four pounds). Since the area is on hard lockdown, no one is allowed to leave their homes. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, the families were longing for meat. They could only cook congee (rice porridge) with salt in it. The families were grateful to a sponsor who gave them a few kilos of meat and breakfast foods. People were brought to tears because of this gift was so precious to them. Thirty-seven families received the blessing. 

Fifty-five families were blessed by grocery packs later in the month through the kindness of Reverend Park and the Cebu Korean Church. They received rice through the local government and praised God for the extra blessings of the meat and groceries. The packs met their basic needs as even toiletry items were included, many families have not changed toothbrushes for a long time. The lockdown prohibited them from purchasing a toothbrush or toilet paper.  Praise the Lord for real relief. 

May 2020

I’ve been thinking about my past Bible education and church planting ministry experience, and after so many years, I started remembering people I have not thought of in years.

After I finished my Bible school degree in 1983, I was assigned by my local pastor to be a church planter in Dasmarinas City. By God’s grace, the Dasmarinas Christina Church was started, and after three years of establishing the church, the mission board sent me to another place in Metro Manila to start a new site of ministry. I have been a church planter in different parts of Luzon for twenty years.

This pandemic reminded me of my first church planting ministry. I was twenty years old when I started, and it has been a long time since I have visited or communicated with any of the believers. I thank God for the internet access. As I remembered their names, I searched for them on Facebook. I was so happy to connect with them again and reminisce about the ministry.

I am delighted to know that many of the believers are serving the Lord all around the world. The seeds planted in their hearts have grown, and now they are sowing seeds across the globe in Europe, the US, South Korea, the Middle East, and other places. I was especially happy to hear from those that were young people in my ministry. Ver is a nurse in a Saudi Arabia Hospital, and a senior pastor of a Filipino congregation but recently transferred to the United Kingdom and is doing a new ministry work there. Manuel is teaching at De La Salle University and is the senior pastor of a local church in the Philippines.

I am so glad that our labor for the Lord is not in vain. It was encouraging to hear the stories of these believers. Someday I will meet them again and talk further about their struggles and accomplishments in the ministry. I know God uses pastors and Christians to nurture them with God’s Word, and I pray for their ministries as well.

• Pray for Ver and Manuel, their families, and their ministries.
• Pray for God to use them to bring more people to faith in Him.

The Bible says, “Children are precious in God’s eyes,” but in Mambaling, Cebu City; often, the children are neglected. Parents allow the children to roam the streets without face masks or supervision as if there was no lockdown or pandemic, even swimming in the dirty water. Residents in Mambaling have been informed that their place is a red zone meaning the area has the most infections of coronavirus. Due to these statistics, the community was on hard lockdown for the entire month.

The local government’s financial assistance is limited, and many people were hungry due to the hard lockdown. I asked our church leaders to pray every day and ask for wisdom on how to minister to their neighborhood, especially the children, as they are vulnerable. God answered our prayers through a Korean friend who had compassion for the Mambaling Church. Sixty families with many children received a packed lunch. The kids were delighted to eat fried chicken and eggs with rice. For many who do not get the regular three meals a day, the food was genuinely marvelous.

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• Pray for the children to be protected and healthy from all diseases.
• Parents cannot afford facemasks for their children, and getting enough daily food is challenging.

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When the Enhanced Community Quarantine in the province and cities was implemented, we were prohibited from going out of our houses or attending church services. The only way to communicate the message of God was by using the internet connection. I am bringing the Word of God to the church through Sunday live preaching and sending my daily devotional messages to all members using the group chat. Every day the church leaders have their daily devotional group, and the words I share are their topics for their meetings. Eventually, each will take their turn to share what they learned in the instruction for the day.

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As I conducted the Mambaling group, I saw an unfamiliar name, but this person watched my live-preaching and read the daily devotional messages. We had a conversation, and I spoke with Chay. During our conversation, I learned that Chay was emotionally affected by the communication that I sent, and even though she does not know me personally, she shared her problems. She has four children, ages eleven, eight, three, and eight months. Chay was crying as she explained that she was a single mom, and each child had a different father. She worked in a nightclub, but due to the lockdown, she has no job or money to purchase milk for her youngest. When I heard her situation, I encouraged her to go to Carmie’s house, one of the church leaders, to ask for the money to purchase milk. Carmie shared the good news of salvation with Chay. Eventually, Chay accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

• Pray for Chay to grow in her spiritual life and new faith; pray for her to continue to hunger for God’s Word.
• Pray for Chay to find a true man who will love and accept her despite her four children from different relationships.

Ryan, one of our church leaders in the Mambaling Church, continues the evening group Bible study with the four mothers living in Carmie’s compound. Three of them are ready and willing to follow Jesus through water baptism. After the pandemic, when mass gatherings at the beach are allowed, we look forward to another baptism.

One of the mothers planned to transfer to Mandaue city because she works there. But because of the lockdown, she was unable to move her residence. The lockdown has changed their future and created positive effects in their lives, the best part being that this mom received Christ as her Lord and Savior. She has studied the daily devotion and the Bible consistently through the lockdown. Yves is now growing in her new faith in the Lord and has decided to stay in Mambaling. She plans to find a job in Cebu City instead, as she desires to be a part of the work at the church with her husband and children. Andrew, the husband, has decided to enroll in our Bible school this coming semester.

• Pray for Yves and Andrew to grow in their faith.
• Pray for Yves as she searches for a job.
• Pray for Andrew and Yves to be used by God in the ministry.

Last month, the local government brought in eighty soldiers and war tanks to Mambaling, Cebu City, to prevent the people from crossing the borders to other areas. Mambaling is considered a “red zone” for COVID cases, and there are significant concerns. The government declaration was triggered by residents who did not heed the government’s mandates for social distancing, wearing masks, and staying at home. They continued gambling, cockfights, and selling drugs. A few weeks ago, they killed one of the volunteers guarding the road and preventing them from leaving the area. The military presence is essential in this situation.

Despite having the highest number of infected cases in the whole province, residents are taking risks of getting infected. The people in Mambaling are the poorest of the poor. The Majority have no regular income, and so they are trying to get through the border even though it is prohibited. They climb the wall or swim through the dirty river to get to nearby barangays and areas not under hard lockdown to find food or a menial job to survive. Unless the people inside cooperate, the government will prolong the hard lockdown, which will worsen the situation.

• Pray for the hard lockdown to be removed this month.
• Pray that the people will have daily food to survive and for resolution of the entire situation.
• Pray for the believers to be secure in their faith and trust in the Lord.
• Pray for the church to be able to meet this next month.
• Pray for the construction of the church in Mambaling to resume so we can start using it this year.

April 2020

About two months ago, Estela, one of our church members at the Mambaling Christian Church, was met with an unfortunate incident. A robber snatched her son’s cellphone and stabbed him in the back; Estela was knocked unconscious, falling onto the road. We thank God that Estela and her son have recovered from their injuries. The pandemic has motived Estela to lead her family in family devotions. Her husband has been attending church but has not yet surrendered his life to the Lord. Estela is continuously praying that the Lord will bring her husband to salvation and change his behavior so that he no longer uses drugs. She has dealt with discouragement and frustration that, despite her effective teaching of others, she has not yet brought her husband to the Lord. After our counseling session, she was encouraged to continue serving the Lord and to remain a leader in our church. Before the lockdown, she was hosting a group home Bible study and supporting her children to attend every Sunday worship service. This lockdown has given them more time to study God’s Word as a family. I am happy to see a family seeking God as their source of hope and spiritual strength during this crisis.

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• Pray for Estela’s husband to give his life to Jesus Christ.
• Pray for the protection of the whole family.

Early in the morning, I wake up to send the daily devotional message to all the church members of Mambaling Christian Church. I encourage the families to use the talks as their daily family devotional and to discuss what they have learned. I lead my family in our devotion as well, and we have been studying the book of Romans in the evening and will be studying Acts next. My wife and I are helping our son David to understand true salvation to avoid the danger of his becoming a religious fanatic rather than a godly believer, primarily since we do our work in the church. We would like our son to experience a genuine relationship with Jesus.

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• Pray for my son David to grow in his faith in the Word of God.
• Pray with us for him to follow the Lord faithfully at his young age.

Carmie is one of our church leaders at Mambaling Christian Church. She is a widow. Her house compound is large enough to rent as a source of income. She has seven families renting. Carmie was hosting Bible studies in her home before the pandemic. Because of the pandemic lockdown, she no longer could host or do home visits, so instead, she is teaching the seven families every morning with group daily devotions and prayer meetings. In the afternoon, they use the My Faith Class book for the new believers. Two new couples who recently started living in the compound are now active in the Bible study, and Ryan, another church leader, is doing the teaching. One of the couples has proclaimed salvation, and they are willing to be baptized. Everyone is growing in their new faith. God has used even this crisis for his purpose to bring His great salvation to the lost sinners. God uses His people as instruments for His glory and the furtherance of the mandate of the Great Commission.

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• Pray for the young couple to continue to grow in the Word of God and faith.
• Pray for them to serve the Lord faithfully.

This crisis has caused us to be creative with technology in how we are reaching people and teaching God’s word. Before, it was unusual to do a live video streaming of my Sunday preaching, but now I have done it every week since the lockdown began. Considering that cellphones are necessities, everyone has one and is now using their cell phones to do ministry. We all do Sunday ministry, personal visits, and follow-up with each other. All the pastors give and received church updates.

I was able to maximize the internet connection with my church leaders and members using group messenger. I encourage the church leaders to invite the families of their small group Bible study to join our group. They can now open their phones each Sunday to listen to my preaching. Those who cannot access the live video due to limited internet access are provided handouts of my teaching so they can study the message with their family. Pastor Steve has done online meetings with us using Zoom, so I have started using that program as well.

The online migration of our ministry has become an excellent opportunity for me to send daily devotionals and to encourage the families to do daily devotions themselves. It has been challenging to prepare daily messages in addition to my regular preaching. The pandemic has increased my ministry commitment and perspective. I am determined to do one every day, even when this crisis is over. God has used this unusual crisis to cause me to share the Word of God daily. I am happy that so many members are reading the daily messages. God is making all things beautiful in His perfect time.

• Pray that God will continue to use these messages to encourage and strengthen their faith in this crisis we are facing.

The F.A.I.T.H. Garden means Food Always in the Home. To supply our needs in this crisis, people should not depend entirely on the support of the government, but people must also help themselves. Carmie is encouraging the families in her compound to plant vegetables that will produce a harvest so that it is not necessary to go to the market to purchase food. Instead of buying fuel, they are using driftwood for cooking. Instead of buying oil at the market, they are climbing the coconut trees to get oil for cooking. They are already harvesting the first vegetables, and the F.A.I.T.H. garden has come into existence due to this crisis. The families are happily enjoying the fruits of their labor.

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• Pray for the community F.A.I.T.H. garden to grow and produce a bountiful harvest.

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“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24. Why worry when you can pray? My church leaders and members are doing their family devotions and praying daily. They believe there is power in prayer. Most of the families in Mambaling are the poorest of the poor, and the houses are inadequately constructed and crowded. The virus thrives in this setting and tends to spread more quickly, so the community was put in hard lockdown as there were people who tested positive in the general locality. Everyone was waiting for the local government support, but it did not come. The church members did not complain to the local officials but instead went to God in prayer. God answers our prayers by using the Korean brother and his friends to provide money for rice and groceries. After we bought the groceries, we distributed five kilos of rice, dried fish, and three cans of sardines for seventy-six families in the Mambaling Christian Church. The church leaders and members rejoiced for the great faithfulness of God in their lives.

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• Pray for honest government officials willing to serve their constituents.

Miguel was one of our newly baptized members of the church and always responded with a loud voice of agreement to my messages while I preached on Sundays. He passed away from an asthma attack and immediately cremated due to fear of COVID-19. I genuinely miss him. He had been active in the men’s Saturday group Bible study. He was caring for his grandchildren since their mother is in jail due to drugs. It was sudden, and Miguel was brought to the hospital because he was unable to breathe. He died at the hospital, and no one was allowed to visit him, so we do not know if he had the virus or not. There was no funeral service because the hospital did not release his body since their place in Mambaling is COVID-infected. They cremated him, and none of his children receive his ashes since they are all in prison from drug use. I know that someday we will meet Miguel again in heaven. After this lockdown, I plan to visit the grandchildren to see how they are doing.

• Pray for the children and grandchildren of Miguel.
• Pray for comfort for the family and the church members as they deal with the loss of Miguel.
• Pray for Pastor Cris, that his heart would be comforted due to the loss of his friends

Maricel faced a big decision that she would have to make; she had to decide between her swelling knee or her baby. Maricel is one of our church members that was baptized following her salvation. Maricel was diagnosed with a tumor in her left knee, causing swelling and pain; she is unable to walk without a stretcher. Even with her pain, she still came to the Sunday service when we were meeting together. To add to her health problems, she discovered that she was pregnant. The doctor wanted to do an immediate knee operation to keep the disease from infecting her body. She had one week to decide if she was going to have the surgery or wait until her baby was born. After praying to the Lord for wisdom and help, she decided to wait for the significant operation until she had delivered her child. Below is her testimony in her own words.

“I have been suffering from a swollen knew due to a tumor; I cannot stand or walk. After a medical check-up, I was told by the doctors that it needed an operation. However, I do not have enough finances to pay for the surgery. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I became pregnant. I cried to the Lord and told him all my pains and sufferings in prayer. Every time after prayer, I was strengthened and gained hope to persevere while taking care of my family. I have to survive and continue to live because of my family. I was given a choice by the doctor to either have the tumor removed or have my baby removed. The baby is a blessing and is not at fault for its existence. I spent much time in prayers and decided to keep my baby even if it meant suffering pain. I thank God that I was able to deliver a healthy baby boy amidst COVID-19. Because of the trial I faced, I experience that the more I surrendered and went to the Lord for help, He was with me in this trail. I was not left alone with my need as I received many financial blessings. I realized that my God is watching over my family and me. I thank God that I am still alive with my baby. Great is your faithfulness, oh God, my Savior!”

• Pray for the coming operation of Maricel to be successful and pray for the Lord to provide for the finances necessary for her operation expenses.

Since the lockdown started, I maximized my use of messenger to check on the physical, emotional, and economic needs of my church leaders. We prayed for daily provision since they are not allowed to go out. God is so faithful to his people. We also have church front-liners in the mission field. I met one of the young people online, and I realized I ministered to him many years ago, his name is Jay. As the crisis unfolded, Jay felt the need to minister to others, and sacrificially gave ten kilos of rice. He became a channel of blessing to others.

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• Pray for Jay and his family to have protection, provision, and good health.
• Pray for my church leaders and the believers in Mambaling Christian church for their safety and good health always.

Another extra blessing was doing our weekly meeting using Zoom with our White Fields director, Pastor Steve. He scheduled time to meet and teach us the whole book of Romans and outlined the themes of sin, salvation, sanctification, security of the believer, God’s sovereignty, and service. I learned a lot from the messages that Pastor Steve shared with us. I wrote them down as my guide to refer to as I study in the book of Romans. Thank you to Pastor Steve for your time and efforts to share with us your studies in Romans. We will treasure and use your thoughts.

March 2020

Due to the pandemic crisis, we are experiencing emotional, physical, and spiritual turmoil. We are not able to go to the office or conduct the church ministry. Business is not as usual. No house-to-house visits, no group gathering, and only one person in each family is allowed to go out to purchase essentials with a quarantine-pass. Otherwise, they could be detained, and a case filed with the penalty of five-thousand pesos (about one-hundred US dollars). People are panic-buying and hoarding, thinking this is the end of everything. The market price has doubled due to difficulties in transportation.

These things are happening in our area, but despite the crisis, the church members are continuing to gather their families in their homes to have a family Bible study. The people may be quarantined but not the Word of God! The believers are steadfastly studying God’s Word daily and are growing more due to being quarantined in their homes since they now have the time to pray and study. As I look at this crisis, God is using the situation to strengthen our relationships with Him. It reminds me of the scripture. “Love the Lord your God with all your strength, with all your mind, and with all your soul.” God is using the hard things for good for His people.

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• Pray for the church members at Mambaling Christian Church to continue to be spiritually strong while facing this physical and spiritual crisis.
• Pray that the poorest of the poor have food on their tables every day.
• Pray for the government food distribution to every barangay will be given to the right people.

It has been a month since the lockdown was implemented, and I can go nowhere except to the market for food. I miss our Sunday church worship and seeing the church leaders and believers in person. I thank God for social media and video calls, so we can stay connected as we do our family Sunday worship in our homes. This technology allows me to communicate with our people using my cellphone and the internet. I started making video messages. I am happy to see the believers gather as a family to listen to my messages and worship God. Most of them have access to a cellphone and so can watch my preaching. I also send a devotional every day to encourage the church through the Word of God. Praise the Lord for technology.

We thank God for wisdom and innovation for ways to connect. I created a group chat for Mambaling, where the members can communicate with each other as they read God’s Word and the encouraging messages that I upload each day. I see the realizations and insights gained as they learn truths that cause a more profound commitment to God.

• Pray for stronger personal relationships with God.
• Pray for more open hearts to hear God’s Word.
• Pray for salvation for family members.

I contacted our church leaders to care for them at this time, and many are physically able to go out to purchase personal and family necessities, but not all have the finances to do so. The government announced they would distribute food packs for the poor, but it has been almost a month already, and nothing has been received yet. My wife and I purchased thirty bags of rice for the church leaders to distribute to thirty families while we are waiting for the government food supply to arrive.

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• Pray for the food packs from the government to be distributed honestly and fairly to those who need them for survival.
• Pray for speed and efficiency for the government to provide for their people.

In the last report, I shared about our commitment to helping Pastor Jerry at his place of work in Barili and our search for new prospects for house Bible studies. We had been doing follow-ups with those interested in a study. The site is an ideal location to plant a church since there is no evangelical church in the general area. There is one Roman Catholic Church. I had proposed to the local barangay officials that we are allowed to conduct a Barangay Out of School Program Training (BOOST) to help teach farming and livelihood programs in the community. While we did our weekly mission, a couple invited us for lunch.  They generously gave us a live chicken for lunch, and I did the cooking. This couple has joyfully welcomed us each time we visit.

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• Pray that the Lord blesses this couple for their generosity.
• Pray that Barili will have more open doors for the gospel.
• Pray for the Barangay Out of School Program Training (BOOST) implementation to help the community with farming and the livelihood program.

God is the source of everything, and God answers our prayers. We recently bought the house and lot for our future church building at Mambaling Christian Church, the renovation of the building has started and was supposed to finish next month. But the COVID crisis has extended this construction period since all work has stopped. The church will be able to accommodate one hundred and fifty people for Sunday service, and the second floor will hold the Sunday school room for the kids. The location is not near the road but is in the midst of houses. The only problem is this spot that requires attentive prayer, is that the tendency for fires due to overcrowded homes with primarily illegal electrical connections as most do not use the standard electrical wiring. But my prayer is that God will protect the new church building from this event.

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Another blessing is that after our church budget meeting, our proposed budget is around twenty-two hundred, thousand pesos or four-thousand, four-hundred US dollars for this next year. Meaning we have a budget of eighteen-thousand Philippine pesos a month to meet the church’s financial needs and sustain the monthly events.

• Pray that God will bless the new church starting at Mambaling Christian Church.
• Pray for provision and the construction to continue.
• Pray for protection for the place and the building itself.
• Pray for the church to be a light and blessing to its community.

February 2020

I am not a fisherman, but I know this about fish, you must go to where the fishes are. Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.” This statement of Jesus is a great challenge to my church leaders and me as we seek to bring people to Jesus by going to where the fish are. We visited the work location of Pastor Jerry, one of our church planters, in Barili, the southern part of Cebu. Travel takes about an hour and a half, less if there is no traffic. The place faces the ocean, and the primary source of income for the community is fishing. I brought seven church leaders from Mambaling to make more new contacts for Bible studies. I first went to the barangay official as a courtesy and offered to teach a community livelihood program. The officials were happy about my proposal to create more sources of income in this impoverished community. They promised to gather thirty or more women to be guest participants. I will do my part by providing the teaching materials needed during the session and imparting my knowledge of the livelihood programs.

I brought the church leaders to conduct a house to house survey in the community with a questionnaire to discover family and religious background. The purpose is to asses their willingness to have a home Bible study and to start witnessing in the community. Of the twenty-one homes we visited, seventeen of them were interested in having a home Bible study. We committed to our church planter and the barangay officials that we would do this work for six months to a year, to minister to the spiritual needs of the people, and hold the livelihood program.

• Pray that we will prevail against the work of the enemy.
• Pray for the community to have responsive and open hearts to the gospel.
• Pray for God’s provision and protection in Barili.

Arnel Gabon is a new White Fields church planter assigned to Mandaue City, Northern part of Cebu. I visit the place where he has started his pioneering work. Most of the people he is working with are from the poorest of the poor families that live in the squatter and slum areas. Houses built of broken pieces of plywood or any available box or plastic that provides some shelter from the wind or water are their only source of protection. They do not own their land but squat on the government lots or private property as a temporary home. Sometimes the families have lived on this same lot for so long that their children have grown up here and their grandchildren are born here. We are thankful to God and White Fields to have this new missionary to have the heart and desire to reach these people.

• Pray that the White Fields church planters will be God’s instruments in bringing about the spiritual transformation of these communities.
• Pray for Arnel and his family to have protection, good health, and provision.

Alvin Jamisola, the brother of Lito Jamisola, is also one of our new church planters. I visited his place of work at Tayud, Liloan, in the northern part of Cebu. This area has a beautiful view and faces the ocean; the community livelihood is fishing. Alvin brought me to visit the family where he conducts a home Bible study and the place where he has started a Children’s Ministry each Saturday.

• Pray for Alvin and his family to be protected.
• Pray for him to have wisdom and for his commitment to be a White Fields church planter.

In nineteen-ninety-two, I met a young man at my pioneering church in Cavite, Manila. He became one of my church leaders and our worship leader. His name is Jay. For twenty-three years, I had not spoken with him. God had his plan and way for us to meet up again. At the end of last year, I met Jay again; he is now living in Canada with his family and expressed his commitment to sharing his blessings with the local pastors of our Cebu churches. He gave me money to purchase ten kilos of rice to share with six pastors. This gift was a blessing to our pastors as God provided for their needs. Just a simple act of faith when offered by the hand of the Savior turns into a blessing.

• Pray for Jay and his family, that the Lord will continue to bless their work and their plans.

Our old keyboard is still fit for worship. It was a gift from my mother-in-law when she was working in the middle east. It is an outdated model but still functional. My son, John Mark, learned to play using this keyboard. Recently, I brought it to the church so it could be used. I asked my leaders if anyone had any interest and were willing to learn how to play. Four of them decided to learn, and so I am doing music lessons with them before we start our house visitations. I learned to play when I was in Bible school, and it was a blessing when I began my pioneering church. I am excited to help my church members learn to play. I am happy that we can still use this keyboard during the Sunday worship service.

Jesus used a child’s generosity to feed five thousand hungry people. Maybe one of the children in our ministry will be used by the Lord in such a grand manner as well. Ryan is committed to the children’s ministry, and they currently meet behind Carmie’s house in the shade of a tree.

• Pray for Ryan as he teaches the children.
• Pray for their faith to grow and influence the entire community.

The men have a coffee fellowship, and Bebot is leading them each Saturday. Most are new believers and need more spiritual fruit so they can grow in maturity. The Bible states that the righteous will be the guide of their neighbors. We want these men to become the spiritual guide of their families. Most are still in the progress of learning to obey God’s will. Pray that the men will continue to attend the fellowship and mature in their new faith.

• Pray that God will speak to the fathers and their families.
• Pray that Bebot will talk from God’s Word boldly.
• Pray for Bebot to have wisdom, for the salvation of his family, and provision for their needs.

When was the last time you shared the gospel? When was the last time you tried? These questions are a significant challenge to our leaders. Estela is handling a group Bible study where every situation has the opportunity to share the gospel, and nothing hinders her from boldly proclaiming God’s Word. When people earn their living from making hanging rice (woven baskets for steaming rice), their work does not hinder them from hearing God’s Word. They can listen and study as their fingers work. The leaders are happy and rejoice every time a soul comes to Jesus; they are not ashamed to share their Savior. The more Estela knew about Jesus, the more she loves to share. It became as essential as her heartbeat to bring more people to come to know the Lord. Many lives have changed, families restored, and salvation experienced by people through the love of Estela for Christ. Praise God.

• Pray that Estela will continue to be committed and burdened to reach the lost people in the Mambaling community.
• Pray for her family’s protection, provision, and safety.

January 2020

Adie is a welder by profession and has had problems with drug use. He recently lost his job, and no one will hire him because he cannot pass the drug test. He has eleven children and is always fighting with his wife because of his addiction. His wife is solely responsible for providing their daily needs for the family. She cooks and sells sticky rice in their neighborhood. At one point, Adie was summoned by the Barangay officials to a meeting and asked to explain his physical abuse of his wife. In addition to all these problems, Adie was depressed and many times attempted to commit suicide. One day, God led Lito, our church worker, to visit the house, and Adie opened the door. The husband and wife listened to the gospel of salvation, and both received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Adie requested to have a weekly Bible study as he yearns to hear God’s Word more often.

• Pray for Adie and his family to grow spiritually and for them to join us in church someday soon.

Jennifer’s daughter was sexually abused. Jennifer and her husband have rage towards the perpetrator, and her husband wants to kill him. The husband is a Muslim belonging to the warrior tribes, “the Tausug.” In one of the Bible studies, Jennifer understood the love of Jesus when Carmie shared with her from Romans 12:18, which states, “vengeance is mine says the Lord.” After praying, Jennifer experienced a release in her heart; she was crying hard and eventually learned a willingness to forgive the man who abused her daughter. Jennifer is praying that her husband will also know the Lord.

• Pray for salvation for the husband, provision for the needs of the daughter, and for forgiveness to be possible to everyone involved.
• Pray for God to give wisdom and peace to the family as they deal with this issue and for God to bring healing to everyone.

Andrew and his wife are a young couple who are still adjusting to their marriage life. Andrew’s wife has a better job and income, and they are unable to afford to pay for house help. The couple had agreed that Andrew would be the househusband. This situation caused him to struggle because he figured he should be the father and the head of the family. It is inevitable for them to quarrel with all the issues and challenges of marriage. One day, Ryan, one of our new pastor’s, visited Andrew and encouraged him to do a Bible study. Andrew happily opened his house for Bible study, and Ryan started with the topic of assurance of salvation. As Andrew intently listened and asked questions, he came to understand about God. Andrew surrendered his life and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. We thank God because Andrew is still the head of the family, he brought his wife for the Sunday worship service, and we praise God that the new couple has the Lord in their hearts.

Eddie has six children and a sick wife. He is an onion peeler and seller. One day, Eddie came to the Bible study of Estella and was encouraged to attend our Sunday worship service. As the Lord blessed him, Eddie was able to purchase a boat without an engine through his savings from his work of peeling onions and occasional carpentry. The price of the boat was only eight-hundred pesos (sixteen USD), and Eddie decided to use it for fishing as his new source of income. His excitement caused him to bring his kids with him on his first fishing trip so they could help him and experience the sea.

While they were at sea, a passenger ship came towards them, and Eddie was unable to manage the boat with the waves caused by the bigger ship. His boat is quite small, and it flipped immediately. Eddie felt fear for his three sons, who are ten, eleven, and twelve. He did not want to lose any of them and swam quickly to save them. Two sons were rescued rapidly, but one was missing. Eddie started calling and crying to the Lord for help to rescue his missing son. After his prayer, he opened his eyes, and the boy was floating in the water in front of him. He praised God and thanked Him for saving his family in that tragedy.

Carmi, one of our church leaders, also leads the women’s Bible study group. They decided to start a livelihood project as an additional source of income. Everyone contributed a small amount of money to use as the capital to purchase the ingredients for making a powered soap detergent. Their capital amount came to six hundred pesos (twelve USD). They got a plastic container and mixed the soap and are selling it to their neighbors at a lower price than the commercial detergent soap.

Carmi was encouraged to start this livelihood project after she attended the White Fields conference. She heard the teaching of Pastor Steve and applied the principles. Carmi is thankful for the many things she learned and experienced for the first time during this conference. As most of my church leaders are poor, they had many new experiences at this conference. They ate good food from a restaurant for two days and got to stay in a hotel for the first time. There were many funny things they experienced at the hotel. They learned how to open the door using a card and how to use the hot water in the shower room. It was their first time using a telephone, so there was much excitement in calling friends in the other hotel rooms. We thank White Fields for your generosity in helping our local church leaders, teaching us Biblical financial principles and how to apply them, and allowing the leaders to experience these new things. God bless you.

• Pray for the livelihood project to increase and for the sustainable principles taught by Pastor Steve to be applied so this project will be a source of income for the people.
• Pray for Carmi as she leads the women’s group to have wisdom and patience.

December 2019

We celebrated our first Christmas Sunday serving in Mambaling. We encouraged the church members to bring their families to attend, even the non-believers. The purpose was to prepare a feast for the families and use this occasion to share the message of the Savior born to give them peace. The church did not have enough money so I encouraged our church leaders and members to contribute any amount they could for this event. I was happy to see them bring what they could afford to offer, including fruits, food ingredients, and desserts. Because of their generosity, we were able to buy one roasted pig and a sack of rice with all the extra food to have a grand celebration.  Everyone who attended the event went home satisfied and content. Most important is that many new people were able to hear the true meaning of Christmas and why Jesus was born.

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• Pray for the families that just joined our Sunday service that they will grow in their new faith.
• Pray that God will use their life testimonies to bring their loved ones to come to know Jesus Christ.

We gathered three hundred of the poorest of the poor families for Christmas gift-giving at the Cebu Korean Church. Our purpose was to bless the families with food during the Christmas season, specifically the families that struggle to obtain their daily diet. We also desired to share about Jesus Christ. The local churches and pastors will be doing the follow-up with the families who wish to know more. We asked the pastors to bring the people they knew needed the gift of food. After I preached, we served lunch and snacks. We distributed ten kilos of rice and groceries so the families could celebrate Christmas.

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How were we able to bless three-hundred families for Christmas? This gift-giving started eight years ago when I first began planting churches on the island of Cebu. The Korean members were encouraged to bring their used clothes, utensils, shoes, or anything that they thought would sell. These items were collected and prepared for a bazaar. The money from the bazaar was used to purchase the rice and other goodies for a Christmas meal. We praise God for the generosity of these believers.

• Pray that the families we invited for Christmas gift-giving will grow in their faith through visits and home Bible studies.
• Pray for the Korean brethren to continue to be protected and financially blessed.

Praise God for their generosity.

The Sunday school activities for the children and young teens are slowly and steadily growing in participants. The vacant lot at the back of the place is used as their room for the Sunday service. This area is technically outside without a roof, so it can be very windy. There are a lot of shade trees, so the kids are not exposed to the heat of the sun. There is one problem with this space, if it starts raining, the kids all run inside the house of one of the church leaders. Inside, the teaching continues.

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Working with teens requires dealing with a lot of challenges. Frequently, my wife Jen is a counselor and mediator between the teens and their parents; this happens as the kids listen to Jen.

• Pray that the Lord will give wisdom to the teen teachers, Nena and Jen.
• Pray that the Lord will use them mightily to bring the kids closer to Jesus and to have a right relationship with Him.

Our church leaders are busy in leading their group Bible studies and doing weekly visitations. I remind the church leaders to be committed and faithful to their work. This is especially important since the majority of our church members are newly baptized believers, and I desire them to grow in their faith.

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We are preparing our church planning for this year. Our desire is to reach a new target area by April if the Lord is willing. I will start again in a new place of work to continue our church planting ministry. The church leaders in Mambaling are being used by God to fulfill the leadership responsibilities, to do Bible studies, visitations, and encouragement. They are now growing toward maturity in their faith. It is our pleasure to see these new church leaders actively taking part in the ministry.

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• Pray that the Lord will continue to bless my church leaders by giving them protection and wisdom in their teaching ministries each week.

It was a blessed Sunday morning when I saw the mother and her baby come early to attend the worship service. It has been a joy as a pastor to see this fifteen-year-old mother give her life to Jesus, and now she knows that there is a bright future for them because the Lord is with her. The father is a Muslim, and the mom of the young mother is also converted into the Muslim faith. However, I am glad that the mom of this young mother has been attending the Sunday service. I pray that the Lord will speak to them in a personal way. We cannot do a Bible study in their home because the Muslim neighbors are watching. I do not want them to be in danger or persecuted because of their new faith in Jesus.

We are praying and preparing for a church lot and building in our new work at Mabmaling this year. The house and lot we desire to purchase are available for sale for eight thousand us dollars. The building renovation is estimated at another thirty thousand us dollars. We are praying for the Lord to open a door for this pioneering church to have a church building completed during this year. It has been a year since we start borrowing our current place for our Sunday meeting. Now it is time that we start a new church building that will be our own sanctuary.

• Pray for the church building in Mambaling to be financially possible and completed this year.

November 2019

Last month one of our church members passed away, and I conducted the funeral service for the members of the family. This member, a mother was active in coming to the Sunday service and never missed a Sunday. She always sat in the front and arrived very early before the service started. She was eighty-three, and my faithful prayer partner, which made me so blessed. One Sunday before the service started, she approached me and shared, “Pastor Cris, I am always praying for you and your family. I also pray for every Sunday service and for all the church leaders.”

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During funeral services, we invite other family members to listen to the gospel of salvation. I encourage this family to listen as I shared God’s Word, and as I was preaching, I saw tears in their eyes. After I spoke, I extended the invitation to surrender their lives to Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. I thank God that every member of the family gave their heart to Jesus. I believe God honored the prayers of this mother for all of her children and grandchildren to come to know Jesus Christ. At this time, her children all lived in different places, but they met and were united again as one family.

During the wake (traditional Philippine funeral service of multiple days), Carmi, one of our church leaders, boldly shared the four spiritual laws with the neighbors who were attending. We were blessed to see them respond by listening happily. We praise God that multiple neighbors gave their hearts to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Pray that they will open their homes to having a Bible study.

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• Pray for this family to grow in their new faith through weekly home Bible studies.
• Pray for the neighbors to host a Bible study and to grow in their new faith.
• Pray for Carmi to continue zealously speaking for Jesus.
• Pray for protection and provision for her family.

I was encouraged to meet with the senior citizens in our church to start a prayer ministry. These prayer warriors will benefit our church through their prayers. I firmly believe that this is the way God will use them for ministry as they commit to praying for the work in Mambaling.

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This last month, we did survey evangelism is Mambaling in the street and the houses. It was not easy to gather the people to take time to listen to the gospel. Some do not accept us, but others are willing to listen. The good news is that some have befriended us and are eager to have a home Bible study. We are praying for more new home Bible studies to be started.

Lito, one of our church leaders, is conducting weekly home Bible studies in Mambaling. It is significant that the people attending the study already know each other. Once Lito arrives, one of them immediately calls the neighbors to join them. Lito is using the “My Faith Class” materials that I introduced to them. It covers nine topics for new believers. Some of them have already joined our Sunday morning service.

• Pray for the participants to follow the Lord faithfully and to grow in spiritual maturity.
• Pray for God to give Lito wisdom in handing this group Bible study.

This second semester we have forty-six students officially enrolled in our Bible school. We are happy that most of these students can potentially be future leaders in our White Fields pioneering churches on the Island of Cebu. I encouraged the local pastors to bring their potential church leaders to be students in the school. Our purpose for the Bible school is to train future church leaders. We desire that they can assist their local pastors, to lighten the burden by helping with the work using their God-given spiritual gifts. I encourage them to pursue their education with the desire to serve in the local churches.

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• Pray that the Bible students will be used by God in their local churches.
• Pray for the students to study hard and apply God’s Word to their hearts and minds.

Bebot is one of our church leaders in Mambaling, who is hosting the Saturday breakfast bible study for the men. One of the men who is a father is also active in the morning activities. I encouraged Bebot to use the “My Faith Class” materials to help this father grow step by step in the Word of God by studying the topics each week. I thank God that one of Bebot’s men is also enrolled in our Bible school.

• Pray for the men in the fellowship to grow in the Lord and pray that Bebot will continue his commitment to hold the men’s breakfast fellowship every Saturday.

This past month, seven new believers followed the Lord by publicly declaring their faith through water baptism. Holander is a Catholic who first was connected to us through the work of Elvie in the Community Health Education program. He provided the finances for our lunch. This is the second time Holander attended our water baptism. Usually, when we have a baptism scheduled, he ends up needing to be in Cebu. It was meaningful for us to have him at this activity.

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• Pray for the new believers to continue to grow in their faith and their Christian journey.

October 2019

My original group of seven students is growing to include more. Many adults expressed their desire and willingness to attend. We are now holding our Leadership Training in Mambaling to accommodate more people and to make it more easily accessible. Soon we plan to split the group into two classes, the original group and then those who just joined. It is the intention of this Bible study to disciple them to grow in their faith in Christ and in leading others.

In the past, it was quite a challenge to visit the Mambaling residents. Primary considerations are the weak wooden bridges and the dilemma of falling into the dirty, muddy water. We thank God that Mambaling now has newly constructed roads that make places more accessible. Presently, the road construction rate has intensified, and we can visit more residents and express God’s love for them. People here are desperate and hopeless, it is a joy to bring the good news and share with them about God’s love for them. We work in teams each week and visited sixteen families for a month. These families are young in their faith and need prayer and encouragement.

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• Pray for the visitation team to continue to have joy in their hearts as they bring the love of a Savior.
• Pray for health and safety as they navigate this area.
• Pray for the families who are reached to be blessed and grow in their faith through the visits.

A believer named Nida pushes a cart of good to sell to make her living. But being a vendor does not stop her from attending church every Sunday. She parks her cart in front of the church and attends the Sunday worship before heading out to sell her wares. Praise the Lord. She also serves by cleaning and preparing the worship area. We thank God for her commitment.

We thank God for the first Christian wedding in Mambaling. Melvin and Joy are church leaders who were living together with two children but were not legally married. We thank God, as they attended Bible studies, they realized they need to remedy this situation. Many of the families in Mambaling are not legally married, as marriages conducted by the Catholic church are quite expensive. So many children are illegitimate by law. Bible studies and learning God’s Word has opened their eyes to do what is right. Especially since this couple are church leaders, they recognized the importance of being good examples by legalizing their marriage. Furthermore, I announced to the congregation that I am willing to offer a mass wedding for those who are interested in legalizing their marriage.

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• Pray for more of the couples to legalize their marriage.
• Pray for the provision for a mass wedding event.

The fourteen-year-old mother chose to dedicate her child to the Lord this month. I shared her story in the past reports (she was a victim of rape). The mother has regularly been attending our Sunday worship service with her baby. She approached me to ask about dedicating her child to God, and I was happy to do so. Three of my church leaders served as witnesses for this event and as second parents for this child. We thank God that this young mother is interested in knowing God.

This month we started a new Bible study with the “puso-makers” (those who weave the baskets for hanging rice). Lito shared with them about God’s love, and they were willing to listen. They spent some time studying. The attendees typically work only at home but set one day for Bible study.

September 2019

This past month we had our leadership training for the church leaders in Mambaling. I taught them how to conduct a community survey for evangelism. There are many purposes for the first visit to a new family. We want to learn their religious background, ask if they are interested in having us pray for them and if they would like to have a Bible study in their home. We encourage them to join our Sunday service. The primary goal is to share the good news of salvation. We do a follow-up visit with the families too. The leaders practiced in groups of twos, role-playing these concepts during the class using their own Cebuano language.

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• Pray for the community survey evangelism method to give a framework for the church leaders to engage in sharing the gospel weekly and to be bold in sharing salvation with those who are lost and without Christ.
• Pray for safety and protection from the drug cartels in the area.

During our weekly visitations, we followed this method, and three families responded and are attending our Sunday morning service. We will do visits and evangelism twice a week. I was encouraged to see families who took the time to listen to the Word of God. It brings me joy that they have also joined our Sunday service. Our labor is not in vain; God is working in the families that we visited.

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• Pray for new prospects for the group and home Bible studies; and for more souls to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

In the Salag church, one of our pioneering churches in Northern Cebu, we conducted a water baptism. I was happy to see fifteen believers express their faith in God publicly through baptism and actively attending the church service. It is evident that this church is effective in door-to-door evangelism. Peejay, one of our youth leaders, is in his third year of Bible school and continues to help the youth ministry and lead the church music each Sunday.

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• Pray for the believers to witness to their loved ones and neighbors.
• Pray for more people to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• Pray for Peejay to study hard and grow in his faith.

I taught our church leaders to use the inductive Bible study method with an application window, which makes it easy for them to understand and utilize the passages. The purpose is for them to make their own materials to use in their group Bible study. I encourage them to love the Word of God by reading it daily. I am planning to start a new outreach in a nearby barangay (neighborhood) in Cebu City. If God is willing, I will begin there next spring. I am already scoping out the locating and praying for it.

• Pray for the opportunity to start another pioneering work by next year.
• Pray for God’s perfect time and place of ministry.
• Pray for the Lord to bless the Mambaling church leaders and their community to serve on the Lord in their local church.

Our congregation took a special offering to help the family with burial expenses. We collected a thousand pesos, about twenty dollars, and Carmi, one of our church leaders, delivered this gift to the family. I visited the mother to comfort her and encourage her to trust and serve God despite this hurting time.

• Pray that this single mom will be comforted, and her faith will be strengthened to trust in God always.

While we prayed and prepared for our Sunday worship service, God comforted my sorrow by bringing the fourteen-year-old girl who recently had a baby (she was a victim of rape). I called my wife to come and hold the baby. I felt joy in my heart of being a part of God’s work in this new place, Mambaling, to reach the spiritual needs of the people and to help them come to know the Savior. There is so much hurt and sorrow in this area, but God is using the church to comfort those who are ready and open to hearing the gospel.

The Salag church celebrated its seventh church anniversary. The church started during the typhoon Hyan or Yolanda that hit the northern part of Cebu. God used that natural calamity to start a new church, and by the grace of God, the church still exists and is growing. There are many improvements to the church facilities. They have a ceiling in the sanctuary, and the Sunday school room has been expanded. There are now two rooms for the youth on Sunday’s and are also used as a guest house. Rowell Arconada is the resident pastor; he and his wife are doing well.  God has graciously provided for the needs of the church.

• Pray for God to continue to bless the members of this church.
• Pray for Rowell and his family as they serve the church.

The walk going to the Station of Life church was destroyed by water as the wood bridge was weak already and dangerous to walk on. I was happy to see that the new resident pastor, Rene Despi, took the initiative to repair and replace the old structure with new coco lumber. The church members helped him fix it quickly. God used the Cebu Korean church to provide the money needed to purchase the required lumber. Now the pathway is safe for the members to walk on as they enter the building for Sunday worship. God answered our prayers.

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• Pray for God to bless Rene Despi as he leads this church.
• Pray for the members to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word.

August 2019

The seven leaders in Mambaling have their own group of people to serve. They were taught to train others on spiritual needs, to care for their physical needs, and to encourage them to continue serving the Lord with weekly visits and prayer. These seven leaders gather their groups in the basketball court so that people can see them studying God’s Word together. As there are no chairs in this place, the people sit on the floor.

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• Pray for the Bible study participants to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word as they study together.

Bebot, one of our church leaders, led the Saturday morning prayer breakfast for the men. They had breakfast and coffee. Bebot challenged the men to prepare a musical number to perform for the Sunday service. Many of the church members were encouraged to see the men worshiping God through this particular song. One of the men is an excellent guitar player, and it is a joy to see the men serving God actively in the church.

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• Pray for God to use these men to encourage more men to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Many of the youth in Mambaling community are drug dealers. Since they are below the age of accountability according to the law, they are targeted as prime drug dealers. We praise God for the nine junior students of the Sunday school led by my wife, Jen. They actively are studying and learning how to grow in God’s Word and in their relationship with Him. Three of them desire to follow God through water baptism. They are preparing a special number to share for the worship service.

The community in Mambaling belongs to the poorest of the poor. Their houses are convertible, minimalist, affordable, and have plenty of natural ventilation. The convertibility is due to the make-shift table that becomes a bed at night; many are so small that moving from the kitchen to the living room is accomplished in one step. The houses are affordable because they are built from plastic, used tarps, and used plywood or bamboo. The natural ventilation comes from the holes in the roof that cause the dwellers to be watchful, mainly if there is rain, so they do not get wet while they sleep. Despite these conditions, the people in Mambaling welcome us joyfully and believe that God has something good for them. They accept Jesus Christ eagerly and ask for prayers.

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• Pray for the Lord to bless the families who are actively attending the services and serving God with joy despite their physical surroundings.

A fourteen-year-old girl was raped and now has a child. I was angry to see the abuse of this girl and no one protecting her because of the fear that if they report it to the police they would be threatened with death. The family is quiet and says, what can we do? Unfortunately, this is not uncommon for the people who are at the lowest level of society and not considered important. When I see the child and the young mom, I get very emotional. I shared the story with my wife and a pastor friend; we were able to collect money to care for the physical needs and provide food for the mother and child. Carmi, one of our church leaders, has reached out to the mother and her child; and I am pleased to see them attend the church service.

• Pray for protection for the mother and child.

• Pray for the budget to install a common bathroom in the Mambaling community.

The seven leaders in Mambaling are producing new potential future leaders for the church. It is a good sign that the leaders themselves are growing when they can teach new leaders to help in the Bible study. I introduced the vision and mission statements to the new leaders, and they understood these and agreed with them. I praise the Lord that another ten leaders have joined my weekly teaching. The White Fields office is open almost every single day for the teaching activities, and I want to do more activities that will produce more potential leaders to help evangelize the Cebu Island.

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• Pray for the ten new church leaders to grow in their faith and to discover and develop their spiritual gifts in serving the Lord.
• Pray for the ministry to continue to grow so we can reach more communities with the message of the gospel.

July 2019

Maricel is active in coming to the church for Sunday service activities and attending the group Bible study despite her knee pain. She had an accident on her way home from the church. Initially, she had a bone tumor, but with the accident, she has an additional bone injury. She is in pain but clings to her faith to keep her life going. Financial constraints make it hard for her to get the medication, and she was advised to have a biopsy. Her two issues, the tumor, and broken bones require her to have two-thousand pesos (forty dollars). Her life is an inspiration to the church members since, despite her physical condition, she does not allow anything to hinder her attendance at church to worship God. Maricel asks for your prayers to God to provide the finances she needs.

• Pray for Maricel to be able to obtain medical treatment for her bone tumor and broken bones.

Melvin is one of the leaders in Mambaling who prepares songs and musical instruments for the Sunday worship service. This month his father died from a heart attack, and we held the funeral services every night. One the last night, I presented the gospel message of salvation to his relatives and extended an invitation to them to become children of God. Many of them gave their hearts to the Lord. I am praying and preparing to visit these relatives to have a house group Bible study.

• Pray for the relatives of Melvin who accepted Jesus Christ to grow in their faith and attend the home Bible study.
• Pray for the family as they transition through this change in their lives.

This month the International Commission came to Cebu to help the local churches to conduct evangelism at the schools and on the streets and house to house witnessing. They helped the local church with discipleship training for potential leaders. The American volunteers are from multiple Baptist and Evangelical groups. The local Filipino volunteers came from many different Christian churches throughout the Philippines. We hosted the Filipino volunteers by sharing our homes with them and providing for their daily food.

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On the first day, I brought them to our school of theology to share their life testimony with all our students. One of them was a Filipina who married an American, I was happy to discover that she graduated from the same Bible school that I had attended. Even shared her life testimony, her life was full of misery, but God saved her. Her statement was encouraged the students to be faithful and fully committed to the ministry. The afternoon was spent visiting the fifth and sixth-grade students. Praise the Lord of this fantastic opportunity.

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The second day, we traveled to the Mambaling community and did house to house witnessing. The church leaders guided the volunteers to their friends and relatives that needed God’s salvation. We dived the entire team into seven groups so we could visit the fifty-eight families in two days. In the afternoon, we went room to room in the school sharing the gospel. In the evening we conducted a crusade showing the Jesus film. Despite these tiring activities, everything was full of joy because the angels were rejoicing for the people who came to know the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

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I brought the team for street evangelism on the next day. We talked with people standing on corners, seated on streets, or even at the front door of their houses. While we were walking, we saw a basketball court with some young people playing basketball. We asked if they would stop for a minute, and we shared with them about Jesus. As I was interpreting for the American as he preached, I saw two men with covered faces run into the compound adjacent to us. When they went in, many people left their houses and ran towards our group. I overheard them talking about the two men people police officers hunting for the drug pushers inside, and people were afraid of the possibility of shooting. They ran toward our group as a way to hide in the crowd. With this sudden surge of people, we grabbed the opportunity to share the gospel with them. Many of them came to know the Lord and surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. Later I was informed that the open gate we had entered to talk with the basketball players was the gate to the house of a well-known drug Lord in Cebu City. God opened the gate so the people could hear the gospel. God protected us that day; we were exhausted from evangelizing the whole day but very happy for people’s responses to the gospel.

• Pray for the people who heard the gospel to be firm in their faith.
• Pray for the opportunity to touch the lives of these people further.

We spent the next morning in prayer and fasting. Then I asked Bebot, one of our church leaders, to invite the young men to come inside the place where we meet on Sundays to hear about Jesus from the Americans. I told Bebot to tell them that we would prepare breakfast for them and that we would not close the door so they could escape if the police came. These young men sell drugs every day, and I was not entirely comfortable with inviting them in due to the significant risk to the team and us. But when the American started sharing the gospel and others were praying, my anxiety subsided. We praise the Lord for eleven people received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I am so happy to see them give their hearts to Jesus. We prepare for follow up with this group of young people so that I can teach them more about God’s salvation and how to grow in the Word of God.

The second to last day, we gathered the church leaders together with our members in our place of worship. The volunteers taught our church leaders and members how to share the gospel of salvation using the Evangelism cube and wordless book, and the colored beads. In the afternoon, the leaders and team went into the community to witness. I saw the passion and joy the church leaders had for sharing the good news in their own neighborhoods using the new tools they had learned. I plan to do street evangelism and house-to-house witnessing monthly with the leaders.

The last day, the team and my church leaders went to the Chinese Cemetery to conduct a witnessing event for the children and adults. The entire week worth of evangelism resulted in almost four-hundred people accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We have many new people attending our service and are praying for the follow up with the new believers.

• Pray for the nineteen newly baptized believers.
• Pray for the church leaders as they follow up with the new believers and for the new group Bible study.
• Pray for the weekly kids teaching ministry in Mambaling.

• Pray for Nina as she needs fifty-thousand pesos (one thousand dollars) to rebuild her house that was burned by fire.
• Pray for the new churches that are growing and engaging in sharing the gospel with their communities.
• Pray for the White Fields church planters.
• Pray for the teachers at the CKC-school of theology.
• Pray for my family to have health, protection, and God’s wisdom as they live their lives.

June 2019

I am grateful to the Lord for three believers, themselves fathers, who showed appreciation to me as their spiritual father on Father’s Day by making a framed picture. It is a great responsibility to be a spiritual father as they look to me as a role model. These men are newly baptized believers, and so are new in their faith. Melvin has a common-law marriage with his wife and has two children. I have been praying with him and encouraging him to process the legal papers for a legal marriage as soon as possible. Lito is also married by common-law with children. Bebot also has a wife and struggles with her due to illegal drug issues. Even if they do not say it out loud, I believe these men are seeking to follow my footsteps to be a father and family man. It makes me happy to be their father image and role model.

• Pray Melvin, Lito, and Bebot will grow in faith and experience God’s goodness and mercy.
• Pray for God to transform these families and bless the couples in their marriages.

Every Sunday, we were borrowing a sound system from a church member of another church. The guitar, microphone, and soundboard, everything was borrowed. A few months ago, my laptop broke, and all my files were lost. These resources had been accumulated through the years and were needed for teaching and ministry. This was a challenge that hindered us for some time. But God listens, and He knew the needs of our church. When Pastor Steve visited us, he brought me a new laptop computer and a sound system for the church. We are thankful for the prayers of White Fields plus the support and gifts we receive. Thank you! Now we can enjoy worship without rushing to return the equipment to its owner, and I can work again to retrieve my files online. Thank you for giving us the tools to assist us in reaching the people with the gospel.

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Marita is a newly baptized believer and has been active in our Sunday service each week. Previously, she was a devoted Catholic defender and elected as the chairman of the Catholic chapel in Mambaling. Marita used to prepare the decorations for mass or other religious activities. She arranged their prayer schedules and brought the image of Mary to devoted Catholic members in their homes weekly and assigned each family to be the host or food sponsor for the priest visits for the mass. One day, she was encouraged to attend our Sunday church activities through the visits of our church workers. Praise the Lord, a former Catholic defender of her religion is now bringing Christ to her friends and neighbors. Despite being a young Christian, she shared her faith with two close friends, Bernadeth and Celcili and encouraged them to attend the church events.

These two women are prayer warriors for the dead; they receive money to offer up prayers for the dead, and this is their source of income. They stopped attending our church service because of their connection to the Catholic church as prayer warriors for the dead was their livelihood.

Marita continues to attend our weekly Bible study, and God opened her heart and mind to the gospel. She surrendered her life to Christ and proclaimed Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior through baptism. Marita stopped attending the Catholic mass and resigned as the chairman of the Catholic chapel. Her new faith made her husband angry with her as they also lost her income from prayer. One Sunday, her husband inhibited her from attending the worship service, but she stood firm in her faith and continues to attend church. During the Bible study one day, I asked her what her source of income was now. She is buying and selling used clothes in the community by going house to house. To my surprise, she gave me a Father’s Day gift of a polo shirt. I was touched by her generosity to myself and each one of our church leaders.

• Pray for the Lord to strengthen the faith of Marita and bless her source of income.
• Pray for her to grow in the Lord and be a blessing to her family and the church.

We were visited by the family of Dr. Matt at our place of ministry in Carreta Cemetery and in Mambaling. They had a tight schedule with their ministry work as dentists but took time to encourage us to continue our evangelism to the poorest of the poor and to minister to the children. I was amazed to see them without hesitation or fear, walking in the dangerous places where the criminals, drug addicts, and drug pushers lived, in a dirty, noisy, smelly place. No one complained. Instead, they smiled and shook hands with all the brothers and sisters in the Lord. I saw in their faces their joy in expressing their love of Jesus through sacrificing their time and comfort to share their faith in such a remote place. May the Lord bless Dr. Matt, Jamie, the children, and Marly.

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• Pray for the dentist ministry of Dr. Matt as he shows the love of Christ through offering free dental check-ups and cleanings to the poor.

Last month we were visited by Pastor Steve, the president of White Fields. When he arrived, he started working right away. I brought him to our cemetery children ministry, he preached while Pastor Norbertos was the interpreter. Pastor Steve has a big heart to minister to the parents and children so they may come to know the Savior. He enjoys God’s work and is not dismayed by the condition of the place or the kind of people he meets. Four years ago, I brought him visiting by crossing a narrow and weak bamboo bridge crossing to the Badjoa community to share the gospel with the Muslim tribes. I was happy the bridge did not break or else we would be swimming in the dirty stagnant water. Go where God wants you to go, to speak with whom God wants you to talk to. He is a missionary with the desire to be a part of fulfilling the great commission.

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White Fields ministers to the community but also those who are the field workers, the church planters. Pastor Steve came to our White Fields office to talk with all of the church planters. He gave each one a MacArthur study bible as a gift. He explained how to use it as this is the first time for them to have their own reference bible. As they are expensive in the Philippines, pastors and church leaders can seldom afford to buy a suitable reference bible. Thank you for the gift to further the ministry.

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We parked the car quite far from the venue in Mambaling, as the road was wet due to rain and black due to the recent fire. Bebot used his bike to give Pastor Steve a ride closer to the building; the bike was barely big enough for a tall American. Pastor Steve preached, and the message was timely for our church members as new believers. God spoke to the hearts of the people.

Afterward, we traveled quickly to another pioneering work in Guadalupe for preaching as we needed to be at Pastor Norberto’s church at ten am. There was a twenty-minute walk from the highway to the mountain barangay (neighborhood) church. Pastor Steve preached again, and Pastor Norbertos interpreted. Pastor Steve prayed for the newly elected church leaders and for their continual commitment to their local church.

After lunch, we traveled to Pastor Lito’s church at Tayud and encouraged them with a message to grow in their new faith and the Word of God. I felt exhausted, especially from the heat, but I was happy that God gave Pastor Steve the strength to preach at three churches in one day. The next day we visited the location where Dr. Matt was doing dental check-ups for the church planters and their families. It was a great day and meaningful for us.

• Pray for the church to grow and continue to evangelize in their communities.

“I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” This gospel song was significant during our water baptism in Mambaling, where we baptized nineteen new believers. Despite the strong waves, the adults and two young men, Argie, twelve-years, and John Perrie, sixteen, followed the command of the Lord to be baptism in the proclamation of their faith. The current was sometimes too strong that I was knocked off my feet, and together, we were covered by the waves. One mother was unable to hold my hand and ended up drinking a decent quantity of water. An older man with asthma had some difficulty breathing but soon was calm and steady again. No one was willing to quit as they had declared their intentions of following Jesus with no turning back. Pray for the Lord to help them grow in their faith and persevere through trials and difficulties they face in their new Christian life.

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• Pray for the nineteen newly baptized believers to stand firm in their faith and grow as they study God’ Word.
• Pray for their witness to their family and neighbors.
• Pray for the salvation of the Cebuano people and for a right relationship with God.

Nina is the new Sunday school teacher for the children and was trained by my wife Jen to handle the primary students.  Jen focuses on the junior students, two of these, Argie and John Perrie were just baptized. Salvation by faith alone is clear to them, and we pray they will grow in their study of God’s Word. Nina is a single mom and newly baptized believer. She actively attends every Friday discipleship teaching in the White Fields office. While we were meeting, there was an urgent call from Mambaling as there was a fire. Immediately, the leaders from Mambaling rushed home to save anything they could before the fire reached their homes. Unfortunately, when Nena arrived, her house was already consumed by the fire, and everything was burned. Despite all of this, she was thanking God since her son safe. She lost her home, but she is still active in her faith and serving the Lord by teaching the kids weekly and the primary students every Sunday. 

• Pray for Nina as she needs fifty-thousand pesos (one-thousand US dollars) to rebuild her house.
• Pray for the weekly kids teaching ministry.
• Pray for health and protection for the pastor and his family.

May 2019

The weekly children’s ministry in Mambaling is growing in number. Carmie, Estella, and Melvin are the instructors and Bebot, Lito, and Ryan prepare the kids’ snack. We meet every Saturday with the kids, we gather in Carmie’s house, one of our church leaders, and we also gather some of the children in the tent where we hold our Sunday worship. The teachers are passionate and burdened to reach the kids with the good news, mainly after they studied the subject of child evangelism in our school of theology. I am happy to see their hearts for ministry in reaching the community and bringing people to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  I am praying for God to give us young people to do the children’s ministry. My church leaders are conducting a lot of group Bible studies, home visits, and follow-up with the prospective adults attending our Sunday worship service. At the end of each Saturday class, the teachers encourage the kids to attend the Sunday school and to pray for their parents’ salvation.

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• Pray for youth leaders to be willing to join the children’s ministry and expand the influence in our community.
• Pray for the adult leaders to be refreshed and encouraged to minister to their groups and share God’s Word.
• Pray for the children to grow in their faith and share God’s love with their parents.

This month our new members have been under spiritual attack. I gathered the church leaders to have daily prayer and fasting to battle the work of the enemy.  During the Sunday preaching, I encourage the new church members to join our prayer and fasting. Many showed their support by joining the group prayer meeting. I explained how to pray and that fasting is skipping a meal to spend more time in prayer and as a preparation to come to the Lord in prayer. I assigned a church leader per day, and Sunday is our celebration prayer. I want everyone to experience the power of prayer in their lives. I encouraged each people in the church, even the senior citizens, to join the group prayer every Saturday morning. My family and I will join them in prayer.

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• Pray for the Lord to continue to help the new leaders to stay strong spiritual and committed to being prayer warriors.
• Pray for the church members to grow together as they fellowship in prayer.

I brought my kids to the mall to celebrate my son David’s birthday and to have a group picture with the two kids, Blessie and Kobe. These two have stayed with my family for two years, but this month they are preparing to move to Manila with their mom and continue their education in Manila. When the kids learned they would be leaving, they cried, and it was hard to release them from our care. But I need to do so for the sake of the children, and so they will become close to their mom and be a family again. They have lived for thirteen years away from their mom and without a father. We have been happy to have Blessie and Kobe as a part of our family, but we are also pleased they will be with their true mom. They were born out of wedlock and never knew their father. They have grown healthier physically and enjoy serving God with my wife in singing and teaching in the Sunday school. Jen and I encouraged them to attend an evangelical church and join a Sunday school in Manila. We have invited their mom to join them in serving the Lord.

A fire broke out again in Mambaling. It was Friday, the leaders and I were gathered for a teaching class at the White Fields office. Around 3 pm, a call came from the pastor’s home, informing them of the fire in their area. Immediately, seven of the leaders left hurriedly to try to save anything in their homes before the flames hit their houses. Praise the Lord that no one was hurt. However, Nina’s house was burned. She is one of the church leaders and our Sunday school teacher. Nothing was left of her belongings, but her thirteen-year-old son was safe. Despite losing everything, she is happy that her son and parents are okay. My wife and I visited them and brought used clothing and bedding for them. The church leaders prayed for her comfort after this terrible experience to her family. On Sunday, the church members each brought a handful of rice to give as a token of our love and help for Nina. Pray for her to be able to rebuild her home. Their financial need is fifty thousand pesos, around a thousand US dollars, for the construction of a house using light materials. Pray also for their daily needs.

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• Pray for Nina and her family to be comforted after this loss and to find their hope in the Word of God.
• Pray for the church as they gather to support and encourage her family.
• Pray for the building of a new home and for their financial needs to be met.

This month I had another teaching opportunity at the Topokki restaurant in Talamban, Cebu as the Korean owner invited me to teach the Cebuano’s workers in his company. He provided each of them with a Cebuano Bible during the Bible study. After I spoke, I asked them to share what they had learned from my teaching. Most of them shared what they had learned and how it applied to their work and their personal walk with the Lord. I ended my message by sharing why we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Many of them followed the prayer of acceptance, surrendered their sin to God, and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. I spoke with the owner and encouraged him to have a one-hour Bible study for all the company workers once a week. He agreed for a Wednesday Bible study before the start of work.

• Pray for the Bible study to continue weekly at the restaurant and pray for the people working at this company to grow in their new faith in the Lord.
• Pray for the company to be blessed by God, and to open new branches so more Cebuano workers will be hired and will hear God’s salvation, and more people will be saved.
• Pray for the owner of the company to be blessed and to be a channel of blessing to the Cebuano workers.

Our monthly activities at the Mambaling covered gym continues. This month, four of our new church leaders did the teaching and three assisted in crowd control. We do not have enough chairs to use, so some people stood, and others sat on the floor during the study. I asked the men to shorten their teaching time as the people are not comfortable. Since the parents also bring their children, Nina gathered the kids to one side and taught them about the Bible. We meet every Thursday. After teaching, we plan to visit those who are interested in a home Bible study with their family. We encouraged everyone to attend our Sunday worship service, and some are active in joining us.

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Next month, as we anticipate a big crowd, we plan to have seven group studies so each leader will have their own group and be responsible for visiting and follow-up with their members each month. This is also a way that the men will share the burden to reach the lost people and help others to grow spiritually in the Lord. I am happy to see the leaders enjoying serving the Lord and eagerly teaching the new believers.

• Pray for the new church leaders, for God to provide for their financial needs for their families, and for the knowledge and wisdom in the Word of God to be understood as they study in the Bible school.

• Pray for this group, that God will open their hearts, and they will experience spiritual transformation in their lives and their families.
• Pray for the health of my wife, Jen.
• Pray for the fifty-five church families who regularly attend our Sunday group Bible study.
• Pray for the salvation of the Cebuano people in Mambaling.
• Pray for the eight teachers at CKC-school of theology to have God’s wisdom and guidance as they teach.
• Pray for my grown children, Grace and Robin, Mark and Ann, Teng and Cristy, and my younger son David.

April 2019

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This month I was invited to speak at the Pastor’s Conference and Youth Camp at Pancol, Taytay in the northern part of Palawan. Pastor Jerry Quimat, one of our White Fields church planters, is the president of this evangelical church association. There were fifty pastors from all over the Philippines. We met at one of the pioneering churches of Pastor Jerry, located in the mountain communities and reached by an hour walk.

During the teaching time, the room was hot and stuffy with a low ceiling and no electricity. We used kerosene lamps and a borrowed generator. Teaching was done all day and into the night. It was exhausting and I suffered from a stomach-ache during the event. Despite these physical challenges, it was a joy to hear the pastors sharing how they had learned from my teaching. The Lord spoke through their testimonies. I saw tears of joy in their eyes as they shared the amazing work God has been doing in their ministries. The group invited me to speak again next year. To God be the Glory!

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• Pray for the Lord to recall this instruction to the minds of the pastors as they minister to their local churches.
• Pray for the application of Godly principles as they do God’s Work all over the Philippines.

This month a summer ministry was held in our new place of work at Mambaling. The Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) volunteers from Manila came for a week of ministry. Most are members from evangelical churches and a few from a Baptist group. The volunteers are young people who have graduated from different universities and have a burden to help local churches with evangelism. They are instructed on how to be a trainer under the supervision of the CCC. Each morning, the new church members gathered to learn about the four spiritual laws. In the afternoon the team and the church leaders went with the members to do house-to-house witnessing and at night, the team conducted an evangelism crusade using the Jesus film. There were many responses to the invitations to surrender and accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior. Our church members are busy with follow-up and visitations to the families who opened their homes for Bible studies.

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Praise the Lord for your prayers and the addition of new believers who are now attending our Sunday worship service.

Another blessing this month resulted from all our events; the one-week evangelism, visits, follow-up home Bible studies and regular group Bible studies caused our attendance to double. Then we started praying fervently for more chairs since they were now scarce. Praise the Lord for the friends who blessed our ministry with seventy chairs. The adults can now all be seated but in order to seat the children, we need one-hundred more chairs.

• Pray for one-hundred chairs.
• Pray for unity and wisdom of all the church leaders.

Praise the Lord for the growth of the church and that the Lord will bless the heart of the new believers to grow in faith and in the knowledge of the Word of God.

This month was the graduation day of Blessie from sixth grade. She is preparing to study in high school grade seven. Blessie and the two boys were born out of wedlock and are in my custody. Blessie and Kobe help my wife with the singing during the Sunday Kids program each week. They were declared physically malnourished by their schools but are recovering from this condition by God’s grace.

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David helps the young teens memorize verses in the Bible during their Sunday school so they can present them during the Sunday service. Jen and I are happy to see them grow physically as well as spiritual in the Lord.

• Pray for good health for the kids and for God’s protection.

March 2019

Last month, a group from Hong Kong, the Filipina Domestic Overseas Helpers, visited our place in Mambaling. They saw the children and the living situations of the families. During our time with them, they desired to have a single-day event to bless the children with the gift of food.  They gave us money to purchase food, due to their generosity, we were able to gather and feed three-hundred children. We are happy to see the children receive physical nourishment in addition to spiritual food from the sharing of God’s Word. Our young church leaders, Bebot and Ryan, shared the gospel of salvation. The sisters helped the children sit correctly. As we do not have chairs, we asked the children to sit on the floor and to be careful not to push each other so we could avoid physical injury. After the event, our church leaders in Mambaling decided to continue this program to evangelize to the children. They are committed to gathering the children every Saturday morning to study God’s Word.

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• Pray for the children to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
• Pray for them to be faithful and committed Christians in the future.
• Pray for the teachers to be used by God to share the gospel with the children and for the Lord to give them wisdom, passion, and gentleness as they teach.

We started a prayer breakfast fellowship to gather the parents. The purpose is to encourage fathers and mothers before they go to their daily work. We meet each Saturday from five to six in the morning, we pray and study God’s Word. We have just a few people so far, but it is a good starting point. We look forward to seeing how God can bless the heart and transform the lives of these people. We witness how their life testimony causes the Lord to be glorified in the community. There are two sessions for mothers and fathers. I am happy to see the commitment of the new leaders and the generosity of their time.

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• Pray for the prayer breakfast to grow and bless more parents.
• Pray for the leaders to persevere in arising early to minister to the mothers and fathers.

I invited the pastors and church workers from Southern and Northern Cebu to a prayer breakfast fellowship at the White Fields office. Although the office was barely large enough to hold everyone, it was a meaningful event. I asked Pastor Lito to preach. After the preaching, we divided into four groups and shared prayer concerns of the ministry with each other. It was encouraging to hear from the pastors how the Lord was moving in their places of ministry. Some shared their experiences, hardships, and difficulties in serving the Lord. It was a joy to see them praying for one another and carrying their burdens to the Lord. We know that nothing is impossible for God. After prayer, we ate breakfast while talking, laughing and enjoying the fellowship.

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• Pray for these pastors and church leaders will continue to be used by God in their places of ministry and that more people will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

• Pray for the mother to be committed to grow in her new faith and to be a spiritual blessing to her family.
• Pray for her daughter, despite her young age, to grow in her understanding of God’s love.

• Pray for education in the community that will teach people how to maintain proper sanitation and for protection for the children from sickness.

• Pray for these women to be willing to attend our Sunday morning service.
• Pray for their husbands not to hinder their new faith.
• Pray for protection for Carmie as she continues her weekly Bible study with these three mothers.

February 2019

This month was the start of the Saturday class for children; we gathered twenty kids. The leaders divided the ministry work amongst themselves, and some did the teaching while others prepared the food. They used the handfuls of rice that the parents had given during our Sunday weekly worship service. In previous reports, I shared about how I have encouraged the believers to bring an offering, even those who only have a little are still able to save a handful of rice each day. It was great to see everyone working as a team to reach the kids with the message of salvation. I have seen the congregation growing in the Lord and taking an active part in the ministries as they apply what we have been studying. We were blessed that the food was enough for every single child. Mambaling is a poverty-stricken city, and many kids have only one meal or none in a day.

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• Pray for these children that they will grow in the Word of God and have a right relationship with God.
• Pray for more to join the Saturday class; our goal is to include one-hundred children in one year. Pray for fifty chairs for the children; we are currently borrowing chairs.

I officiated our first child dedication in the new pioneering church in Mambaling. In my previous report, I shared about the passing of a newly baptized mother who had a heart attack. We praise the Lord for His blessing through this tragic event as her entire household is now actively attending the Sunday worship service. Her first grandchild is the child who was dedicated to the Lord. The family has a Roman Catholic background, and they have struggled with much hesitation in their new faith and their new identity in Christ. Yet they made a bold decision to dedicate their child to the Lord.

• Pray for the family to grow in their spiritual journey and continue being an active part of our Sunday worship service.

Praise the Lord for the child dedication and its witness to the believers in the Mambaling church.

This month I challenged my new leaders in Mambaling to go door-to-door witnessing in the community. As this was their first time, they were nervous and excited. We are using a booklet with the four spiritual laws as a tool to share the gospel including the following facts. God loves each person and sin separates us from God. Jesus Christ is God’s provision for sin; through him alone we can know God personally and experience His love. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. My goal is to share with fifty-five families, so I divided them into four groups. The six leaders were successful in sharing the gospel of salvation. I am preparing follow-up materials for new believers so they can be used for home Bible studies. I am blessed to see these leaders witness for Christ; they are bold and sincere in this endeavor.

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• Pray for the six leaders to persist in faithfulness, serving the Lord and committing their time to follow-up with the new prospects.
• Pray for the new believers who understood the gospel and accept Jesus Christ.
• Pray for some of these fifty-five families to open their house for a Bible study. Pray for fifty more chairs for the adults for Sunday worship service as our numbers are growing.

Nina is a newly baptized believer and a single mom with one boy. Her source of income is not consistent as she earns her living doing massages in the community which does is not enough to care for her family. She is committed to studying in our school of theology and teaches the beginners class during Sunday school and the Saturday children’s class. I see her compassion for the children and her desire to guide the many neglected children whose parents are in prison in Mambaling. It is our hope and prayer that these kids will have a better future and will share with their parents about God’s love and goodness. We need God’s intervention in Mambaling as it is one of the main capitals of drugs in the Cebu area and many lives are lost due to this vice. Nina desires to bless the children by teaching them about God’s Word. I am so blessed to see her commitment.

• Pray for the Lord to give Nina wisdom, power, and strength in her teaching ministry.
• Pray for her daily financial needs to be met through her job so she can care for her son.

Carmi is a church leader and was saved when a converted Muslim shared the gospel with her. She is our church treasurer and is a widow with two adopted children who are now adults. Carmi is committed to evangelism and recently shared with a Muslim woman from Jolo-Sulu in Mindanao. The area of Jolo has a ninety percent Muslim population, and this woman is from the Tausugs, a warrior tribe with excellent fighting skills. Carmi has not been afraid to share the gospel with this woman despite some necessary secrecy in their Bible studies, and when this lady was saved, she invited Carmi to share with her two friends. These two Muslim women also accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Praise the Lord for three new believers! I am planning to visit these individuals with Carmi.

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• Pray for protection for Carmi, these three women and myself.
• Pray for the women to grow in their faith in Jesus.
• Pray for Carmi to have wisdom and courage to continue to teach the new believers.

January 2019

In my previous reports, I shared the story of Lovenia, a single mother and newly baptized believer, who was shot and killed in her home, for her role in exposing the drug trade in the neighborhood. Her five children are now in the care of her sister who also has a family. I was able to collect money from the churchgoers in Mambaling to provide school tuition for the children. Since the loss of their mother, the children are in peril of dropping out of school or getting pulled into being drug couriers. We are praying that the small amount we provided will be blessed abundantly by the Lord. Our expression of love overjoyed the kids through the generosity of the believers.

• Pray for God to care for these five orphans and to grow their faith.

I am so happy to see our new church members being generous despite their poverty. Most of them have meager incomes and no permanent jobs, but they do not allow this to hinder them from sharing what they have, despite its small amount. They are growing in the Word of God and their faith shows. Every Sunday, they bring their handfuls of rice to share with those who are in need and they faithfully give their offerings.

• Pray for blessings upon the generous offerings of the church members and for God to multiply the small amount to provide for the needs of the families.

It has been a year since I started ministering in this area. Praise the Lord that we have already baptized fifteen new believers, and others are looking forward to the next baptism. The week after I taught them about the meaning of church, we held our first Sunday worship service on the first Sunday of the year and had our first communion.

The Lord was gracious to bless us with the donation of a brand-new guitar and guitar amplifier from a Filipino friend of mine from Canada. Praise the Lord. The first Sunday I worship, I led the songs, played the guitar and preached the sermon. It was tiring but worth it to see the believers glorifying and praising God. The next week, someone volunteer to play the guitar and another volunteer to lead the singing. Another directed the meeting while someone did the Sunday service program and the rest prepared the venue and served as ushers. Praise the Lord as my burden is lighter by their volunteering and I am thrilled to work with a team. I held a meeting with the core group and appointed church staff members for our pioneering church.

• Pray for the newly appointed church leaders to grow in their faith and be blessed with wisdom and discernment as they lead and serve the believers.

For several Sundays, we did not see a mother who is a newly baptized believer. I visited her house to understand their situation, and she shared with me that she is not able to attend due to fear. She was hiding as she had received death threats due to suspicions that she was a police informer or asset. As she shared, she was crying because of her fear of death, and she desires to live to serve God with her family. Currently, her family decided to move to another island to hide and did not indicate that they ever intend to return.

• Pray for the family to continue to grow in their new faith in Jesus and pray for God’s protection and provision for the family.

We visited a third mother who is also a newly baptized believer and active participant in our weekly Sunday worship service. When  I arrived at her house, I was afraid to cross the bridge because it is very lightweight and fragile. We talked across the bridge, and when she invited me inside, I was concerned that the house was too small and weak to contain everyone. I promised to revisit her and bring my men to repair the house. The roof is broke, and the tarp is used as a roof. A blanket serves as one of the walls. The floor is wood, but the water below is visible through the cracks, and the smell is terrible. I plan to encourage my men to share the money to purchase coco lumber, plywood, roofing, and nails.  I expect around a thousand dollars will fix her house, and I would like to repair it before the next typhoons come and destroy it.

• Pray for the money to be collected quickly and for the men to be able to repair the house.
• Pray for the mother and her family to grow in their faith and be blessed by the care of the church.

Stella, one of the four new church workers in Mambaling, is continuing to grow in the Word of God. Stella is studying in our Bible school. I assigned her to teach a group Bible study every week and to be our  Sunday school administrator. She enjoys the teaching ministry. Most of her group members are actively attending the Sunday morning service, and I see them growing in their new walk in the Lord.

• Pray for all the people in Stella’s group to continue to grow in the Word of God.
• Pray for all four of the Bible studies to continue every week and for the participants to grow in their spiritual life.

In January I was surprised by a birthday cake by the church leaders. It was significant for me to celebrate my birthday with the new church in Mambaling. I am blessed and happy to see the expressions of love and care they have shown to me as their pastor. I am blessed that the Lord has given me a team to continue the work in this location.

• Pray for the new church leaders to continue to be used by the Lord for the furtherance of the ministry in this location.

I am happy to see my ministry partner, Jen, joyfully serving the Lord by teaching the children every week. It is hard to encourage the children to come to Sunday school because most of them prefer to play computer games to earn a little money, especially when there is no parental guidance. Much encouragement has brought some parents to bring their children to the class. More children are regularly attending, and learning new verses, Bible stories, prayers and songs to praise the Lord. The seeds of God’s Word are being sown through these activities. I see the joy of the Lord on the faces of the kids and their parents.

• Pray for the Lord to protect these kids from the vices of the surrounding community and to bring them to have a right relationship with Him.

December 2018

It has been eight months since we started the missions work in Mambaling. This place was crowded with bad elements of society, yet the Word of God is never uttered in vain. Praise the Lord; the continuous Bible studies have led fifteen attendees to fully realized how much God cared for them. In December, we had our first water baptism ceremony in this area. We taught an intensive class to prepare the candidates for baptism, and fifteen new believers decided to be baptized.

Brother Bebot and Lit were two of the believers. They are now leading a group bible study in the area and have been appointed as church workers. They are officially enrolled as regular students in our school of theology. Along with the other newly baptized believers, they encouraged the other attendees, and after a second baptism class, another ten people were ready to be baptized.

Praise the Lord for the new believers who have made the declaration of faith through baptism and for their growth in faith.

• Pray for the new believers who are preparing to be baptized as they learn from God’s Word and grow deeper in their relationship with God.
• Pray for the believers to follow Jesus faithfully even as they face discrimination from their loved ones and the community.

Lovenia was a new believer in the Lord. Her husband died three years ago due to drugs. As we started our ministry work in Mambaling, she was encouraged to attend the Bible study group and eventually accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. As a Christian, she was irritated with herself and the futility of her husband’s death that had left her alone to care for all the needs of her family. She feared that someday, if the rampant drug issues continued in Mambaling, that the same bad things would happen to her children.  It is known in the neighborhood that children are being used to deliver and sell drugs because the police authorities notice them less. Lovenia resolved to inform the police officers of who the prominent drug pushers were and where they were hiding. As a result of her actions, two of the big drug dealers are now in the city jail. However, her brave actions had grave consequences.

On a Sunday morning at the beginning of December, she and her children attended the service and listened attentively to my message. Afterward, I greeted her warmly but did not expect it would be her last time at the worship service. At three a.m. the next day, a man with a gun went inside her house and shot her. She was brought to the hospital but declared dead upon arrival. Her five children are now orphans, and her eldest daughter is caring for her siblings.

• Pray for the children to be protected by the Lord and God’s provision for their daily food and school needs.
• Pray for each of the children to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and to be comforted after the traumatic loss of their mother.

Liza was one of our new believers, baptized in December, and actively attending the Sunday morning events with her children. Her husband was not interested in the faith and tried to hinder her attendance. Liza was forty-eight years old with seven children. Unexpectedly, she went to the hospital in Cebu city and five days later passed away due to a heart attack. I knew that Liza’s husband was not happy with her faith, but he permitted me to give a message during the funeral service. After I preached, I extended an invitation to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. I specifically challenged the husband to surrender his life to Christ. God’s grace was revealed that night to Liza’s family, and on Sunday morning, Liza’s husband attended the service and listened attentively to God’s Word. He allowed me to preach again for the last funeral service. God used the bad things in his life to be a spiritual blessing and to bring Liza’s husband to the Lord.

• Pray for Liza’s husband and children to continue attending the Sunday services and to grow in their knowledge and faith in God.
• Pray for emotional comfort and healing for the family.

It was a great privilege to be a guest speaker at the Christmas celebration at Pastor Jerry’s church in Lapu-Lapu. It was a meaningful and hopeful Sunday service with a message about how great God’s faithfulness is to the church. The church will not be able to meet in the same location because their contract is done, and the owner of the property was not interested in renewing the contract.  It was a very emotional fellowship for the members because they knew this would be their last Christmas celebration and they do not know where they will be meeting for worship. The biggest challenge they face is the expense of the land in that area due to the Mactan international airport. It is not easy to find an affordable and appropriate place for a church. I believe in the goodness of God and his mercy for their hopeless situation; he will provide the right place for their needs and budget.

• Pray for God to bring them to the right place that fits their needs and budget promptly.
• Pray that the members will not get discouraged by this situation.

This month, the floating church in Talisay celebration with thankfulness for God’s faithfulness. I encourage the members through my preaching to be generous and give a gift to another person to express the blessing they received this past year from God. After the service, some prepared food and others gave Christmas gifts to the families who could not afford any. They were happy to give to others as an expression of their love to Jesus and shared what they had.

• Pray for the Lord to continue to bless the Talisay church as they happily journey together in serving the King.
• Pray for more souls to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and for God to use this church to reach the families, neighbors, and community.

We gathered three-hundred families from the Southern and Northern provinces of Cebu. Every year we are happy to share God’s faithfulness through our ministry. The Korean Church brethren held a sale of clothes, shoes, kitchen utensils, and other gently-used objects to collect money to purchase rice and groceries.  These gifts of food were distributed among the three-hundred families so they would have food during the Christmas season. It was not a significant amount, and we know it is not enough, but we were happy to share with the poorest of the poor in the community, so they would hear and share the good news of salvation.

• Pray for these three-hundred families who were blessed by this food to share the good news with their families and attend the church Sunday service.

In December, we held the first wedding ceremony in the church at Talisay. Rene and Joan lived together and had five grown children but were not legally married. I encouraged Rene and Joan to pursue their plan to have a wedding ceremony and comply with the legal requirements of marriage. They are now officially and legally married. Praise the Lord. This couple has been studying and learning from God’s Word and are active in the church. Rene wants to serve the Lord in more full-time ministry and has been enrolled in the school of theology for three years. He helps with the church services and leads Bible studies, home visits and follow-up ministry with the new prospects. The couple is very committed to supporting the members at the Talisay church. Rene has been in prayer and consultation with the church leaders and has decided to follow God’s leading to work as the resident pastor of the Talisay church.  Rene officially became the resident pastor this January.

• Pray that Rene will continue to stay spiritually strong as a new church pastor, and will be blessed with guidance and wisdom from God.
• Pray that the Lord will use Rene and Joan to bless the local church at Talisay.
• Pray for the members of the church to support Rene in prayer and sustain the church’s financial needs.
• Pray for the eight teachers at the CKC-School of Theology to be blessed with God’s Wisdom and guidance as they teach.

My wife Jen is active in the children’s ministry in Mambaling and every Sunday, they give a special presentation. We have many new prospect families that attend the service, and many are new believers who were unaware of how important it is for their children to study and listen to God’s word. This month, I encouraged the families to bring their children with them every week, and they committed to doing this. I also urged them to start a family devotional and pray that they will continue doing so in the next year.

• Pray for the families to be faithful in attending the church services and Sunday school.
• Pray for the kids to grow in the Word of God and be a witness and blessing to the other kids in the community.

November 2018

Cebu Normal University, one of the oldest educational institutes in Cebu, invited us to conduct a “moral and spiritual values formation” seminar. Lans Bateon, one of the CKC Theology faculty, delivered the lecture-demonstration activities for two days to over two-hundred first-year students. Everyone enjoyed the refreshing lessons on respect, obedience, and loving and caring for each other. They politely listened to the Word of God accompanying the activities and requested a longer time in the future. The professors in charge are also looking forward to another session of the Word of God.

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to share God’s Word.

  

• Pray for the students and faculty who hear the Word of God have further interest in the gospel.

As I started my Sunday teaching activities, one of our leaders informed me that a child in our ministry, AJ, had recently passed away from dengue fever. While he was alive, AJ was an active and attentive participant in the Sunday children’s ministry led by my wife Jen, and his mother also regularly attends our Sunday activities. He enjoyed presenting the memory verses and songs with his classmates to the parents to show them what they had learned while studying God’s Word.

Due to their financial situation, they were not able to bring AJ to a hospital to be hospitalized. We visited the funeral place, my wife and I empathized with the family — sudden and unexpected death due to poverty. That morning, I asked the people at the church to take a special offering to help AJ’s parents with their financial obligations. The collection was a help to the family.

• Pray for the strength and comfort of AJ’s parents and for their faith to be strong as they face this trial.
• Pray for the kids to be protected and not contract dengue.                                           

Every Sunday morning, it brings me joy to see the little children as they come to learn about Jesus from my wife’s teachings in the Sunday school class. We have some single moms who come to the worship service. Josephine (on the right in the picture) comes every week, her source of income is to make hanging rice (weaving baskets for cooking rice with a minimal amount of income earned). Her husband is in the city jail due to drugs, and they have two children. The other mom (on the left) is Nina, and she has a single son, Daniel. Nina attends every Sunday and is a first-year student in the CKC school of theology. She works as a massage therapist for individual clients.

• Pray for Nina to grow in her spiritual life and for God to bring her more clients to sustain her and her son Daniel.
• Pray for Josephine to get a good job that will support her and her two kids.
• Pray for the children to grow in the Word of God and to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I teach classes at the White Fields office on a regular basis. The Friday weekly teaching is for the new church leaders as they prepare to be residence pastors for the new churches. The second and fourth Monday classes are for all our church planters, and we have a time of teaching and fellowship. Everyone was so excited about our online course with Pastor Steve, especially since we could see each other on the screen and learn from his teachings. The alternating Mondays, I teach at the School of Theology and have fifty-three students enrolled for this next semester.

It is my job to visit the workplaces of our WF church planters. This month we visited Pastor Tame Buctolan in Naga city, I brought Pastor Norberto and Pastor Jerry with me. While in Naga city, we visited some people who had seemed interested in attending the church and encouraged them to be faithful in attending the group Bible study. There is a group gathering every Sunday morning with the community leaders and the community members of Sitio Cantawan. We are happy to see the visible results in the community of our church planters.

We visited the workplace of Jerry in Barili; he has five home Bible studies each week in various homes. We were not able to attend all the houses due to the heavy rain on that day, but we visited two elementary schools. This location is an ideal place to start a church, there is a dense population, and no evangelical church in the area, only a Catholic church. Most of the people in Barili are fishers and farmers.

• Pray for the five home Bible studies to continue to grow in their knowledge of the Word of God and their spiritual lives.
• Pray for more people to come to know the Savior and to become church members and that Pastor Jerry will be able to start a new church in Barili.
• Pray for the Sunday school teachers’ seminar this December, and for the WF church planters’ commitment to conduct a seminar to train every Sunday school teacher in every church.
• Pray for the seventeen new believers who are being baptized December.
• Pray for our four new pioneering places starting next January, pray for new believers in these locations and travel for the church planters.
• Pray for Pastor Cris and his family, for health, protection, and wisdom in all aspects of life.
• Pray for Cristy’s new teaching assignment in the mountain Barangays school in the northern part of Cebu and God’s protection.

October 2018

We gathered the kids at Alaska, Mambaling in a covered gym that is near our place of weekly Sunday activities. When I am teaching the adults, Elvie teaches the children. We do not have enough chairs for the children, so we ask them to sit on the floor and recently we provided them with coloring books and crayons. We are happy to have enough coloring materials for the day and every child had a coloring book. Some of our Korean friends have shared their extra Sunday school materials for our use in the Mambaling children’s ministry. Praise the Lord!

Four of our new leaders are going to attend the three-day children’s teaching seminars sponsored by the AWANA clubs in Cebu. These leaders will return with tools and creative activities to instruct the children and train others to teach as well. We plan to bring our trainer to each of the pioneering locations. We are planning to schedule training every month, and invite the Sunday school teachers in the local churches to learn and grow with us.

My wife Jen continues to faithfully teach the Sunday school for the kids every Sunday. She enjoys doing it and the kids are growing in their knowledge of the Word of God. I strongly encouraged the parents to bring their children each week. I noticed that two children were always at my wife’s side. I felt the kids longed for a mother figure or the touch of a parent. I learned that their parents are in the city jail due to drugs. The children are in the custody of their aunt, the sister of their mother. I see that these children are innocent and do not grasp why their parents are in jail. I am praying for the protection and safety of these children with their aunt and that they will continue to faithfully attend. I also pray for the aunt to grow in her new faith in the Lord.

• Pray for these two children and for their protection, pray for the church, especially Jen, as she ministers to this family.
• Pray for the aunt as she grows in her faith.
• Pray for good health and wisdom for Milidi, Elvie and the other leaders as they learn to train others to be Sunday school teachers.
• Pray for our children’s programs as they grow and for God to raise up leaders to teach the children about God’s Word by example and by instruction.
• Pray for joy for our teachers as they interact with the children and for their love to overflow for the next generation.

Every Sunday after preaching, we gather into small groups of four. Our attendance is growing. Our current topic is the meaning of the word “church” and its components of baptism, worship, membership, giving and fellowship. We have not yet started a worship service with gospel songs. I want to be sure that those in the Bible study understand the meaning of worship and the reason we sing. In January we desire to start a proper Sunday worship service. In December we desire to have our first water baptism at Mambaling. I am excited and praying for those who desire to be baptized. Pray with me for there to be no hindrances and fear of the candidates and for no persecution by their family members.

• Pray for the new believers who desire to make a public declaration of their faith through baptism.

As I was teaching the adults, I noticed two men standing in the back of the room and observing our activities. I was happy to see Bebot, one of our Sunday Bible study leaders, sharing the gospel with these two men. Afterward, I asked Bebot about the response of the two men. He reports that the man on the right was interested in listening to what he shared and invited Bebot to start a Bible study at his house. The other man became angry with Bebot and was not willing to listen to what he shared. He is a member of the anti-government group, many of which are hiding in the city and join the street protests.

• Pray for the man who was interested in hearing about the gospel, pray for him to come to an understanding of salvation.

Following the preaching, Maymay gave her testimony to the group. She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ through the kid’s ministry of Child Evangelism Cebu. On that day, she was listening to the teachers and she understood why the children need Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As she listened, she realized that not only do the children need salvation and forgiveness of sin but that she needed it too. She followed along with the prayer and prayed her own prayer of acceptance of Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She is now volunteering to teach the kindergarten school. Her prayer is for all the children in the class to come to know Jesus as their Savior. Maymay is praying for her husband to give his life to Jesus and serve with her in the church.

Give thanks for the salvation of Maymay and for the way God used the presentation of the gospel to the children to reach the adults as well.

• Pray for Maymay as she teaches the children, to have wisdom and patience as she shares the love of God.
• Pray for Maymay’s husband to see the transformation in her life and to also desire to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Lito and I visited his place of work to see a property that is for sale.  We discussed details with the owner of the lot and agreed upon a purchase price. The location is ideal for a new pioneering church. We desire to construct a building using light materials to accommodate around one-hundred and fifty people. The people here feel an urgency to have a place of worship that is safe during the rain.

• Pray for our proposed budget as we work toward building this new church.
• Pray for God to bless the building process and provide the finances needed to build a safe location for this new church.
• Pray for our church leaders to grow in God’s Word.
• Pray for the families that regularly attend our Sunday group Bible study.
• Pray for the relationship between married couples, for them to have understanding and compassion for each other and to grow in the Lord.
• Pray for the salvation of the Cebuano people and for them to have a right relationship with God.
• Pray for wisdom and guidance for the teachers at the school of theology, for the leaders in the Bible study and for the children’s ministry teachers.

September 2018

My four new leaders in Mambaling are continuing to teach their weekly Bible studies; each leader does two weekly studies. The four leaders do a weekly visit for every family in their group. They also visit the prospective members and encourage them to attend the Sunday activities. I see each of these four new leaders growing spiritually, and they are fast learners. Each Friday, in preparation for their Bible study groups, we study the upcoming lesson together, and I give them the teaching and learning materials.

I believe that the step-by-step study of the foundational principles for new believers will help them to grow in their knowledge of the Word of God. The topics our one-year study covers includes the assurance of salvation, the Bible-the Word of God, prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit, dealing with temptation, the Christian and money, water baptism and the holy communion, the church, evangelism and witnessing and faith towards God.

• Pray for the new leaders as they adjust to their role as leaders.
• Pray for their study to be focused and guided by the Holy Spirit.
• Pray for the believers and new prospects to attend the studies and assimilate the information taught. Pray for the forty-eight families who attend the studies.

Every Sunday my wife Jen teaches the kids in the Sunday school at Mambaling. She leads the singing and explains the Bible story. The group has grown so large that this last time she used a microphone so the kids can hear the teaching. She also would enjoy some more helpers to sing with her and assist the kids. TJ, the adopted son of Carmi, is a high school student who is currently helping. Carmi is one of our group Bible study leaders for the adults. The tree is not yet big, but I hope it will grow faster and cover all the kids from the sun.

We are still using the tent in Mambaling for free, and we have not determined if the owner is interested in selling the lot or donating it to the church someday. A Pentecostal pastor owns the lot, and currently, we can use it at no charge as long as it’s not needed. Housing authorities control the place, so a permanent structure is not possible. The property used to belong to one of our leaders, Carmi, but when her husband died three years ago, she sold a portion of the lot to pay off debts.

It is great to see the children listening to God’s Word every Sunday. We are praying for God to bless these kids with good health, protection and especially for them to understand the gospel and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Kids in this place are so vulnerable to any danger and harm, primarily because of the decline of the moral principles of their parents and the community in which they live. Most of the parents never want a Bible study in their home nor will they welcome us when we do visit their houses. Pray that God will soften their hearts and bring them to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.

  

• Pray for Jen to be blessed with helpers, so she’s able to teach all of the kids who come to learn.
• Pray for TJ, Jen’s assistant, to grow in his faith and be used by the Lord to teach the kids.
• Pray for the tree to grow and provide cover for the children.
• Pray for an excellent conversation with the owner of the property that will be beneficial to all parties involved.
• Pray for God to use the children as witnesses to their parents and to draw more people in the community to faith in Him.

I saw with my own eyes how rampant addition is in Mambaling.  I see old people still addicted to drugs. I pray God will perform miracles in this place and use the government to do something about the situation. It’s hard for the community to report incidents to the police authority because the police officers are also the protectors of the illegal activities. Two months ago the drug lord in the area was killed, but another person has taken his place. This individual’s house is located next to the lot where we meet on Sundays, and he asked Carmi to open all the gates on her property by removing the padlocks.

The gates include the one to the vacant lot where the tent we use for worship on Sundays is located. Carmi refused to open the gate because it is her property and due to safety especially at night. So the men came inside and harassed Carmi, bringing with them an electric drill and hammer to destroy the lock. They uttered death threats against her. Carmi called me, and I advised her to talk to the Barangay officials and report the incident. The barangay police served the summons to the person harassing her, and that person is sending a mother as their representative. I asked Carmi to go to the police station and file a case against this person. When they sent the summons letter, the person went into hiding. Carmi is a single mom with adopted children.

• Pray for Carmi and her family to be protected and comforted by God’s presence despite these threats.
• Pray for Cris Pano to be protected as he visits and works with the families in Mambaling.

Janet is eleven years old and is a regular attendee at the Sunday school. Her father and mother were both recently imprisoned due to their involvement in the drug trade. She is the eldest of five children, and they are living with their grandparents. The grandparents are actively involved in our Sunday activities. The grandpa’s source of income is fishing. He was recently admitted to the emergency room to receive oxygen due to a difficulty in breathing. Our leaders and I in Mambaling prayed for the grandpa and his complete recovery and healing.

• Pray for Janet to come to know Christ as her personal Lord and Savior and to continue attending the Sunday school.

April is five years old and has a younger brother. She attends the Sunday school and enjoys the coloring activities. Her father was imprisoned for his involvement in the drug trade. Their mother, Josephine, earns her living by making hanging rice (creating baskets woven from palm fronds that contains cooked rice). Her wages per hundred pieces of hanging rice are not enough to purchase four cups of rice. April and her brother seem unaffected by the situation and do not fully understand the implications of their father’s imprisonment. I am praying for the kids to be protected and for their mother to not be tempted to turn to illegal vices such as drugs to provide for her kids. I am praying for her to find a good job and to grow in her faith.

• Pray for Josephine to find a job that will pay her enough to provide her children with food and basic needs.
• Pray for April and her brother to continue to grow in their knowledge of the Word of God.
• Pray for Josephine to grow in her faith in Jesus.
• Pray for the anti-drug campaign implanted by the new president to be effective in Mambaling.

“All things work together for good.” Romans 8:28. Elvie, Milady and I met to discuss the internet connection. While they were waiting for me to arrive, Milidy shared the gospel with the lady sitting next to her, and the lady accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. They had a further conversation, and when I arrived, they introduced me to the lady, and I was happy to discover that she is the representative of PLDT company. She gave us the application form and discussed options. We purchased the modem and had a reasonable monthly cost for internet. I am excited to use it next month for listening to the online teaching of Pastor Steve and with my teaching ministry to all our WF church planters.

• Pray for the lady from the PLDT company, for her to grow in her new faith.

Give thanks for the internet connection and pray for its use to further the kingdom of God.

Elvie is our WF treasurer and is conducting weekly community health education classes with families in Mambaling. She teaches a program with themes such as how to help families stay healthy, be protected from sickness and diseases, how to keep the garbage properly and what proper sanitation is. She’s also introduced them to a method of making detergent soap to minimize their expenses. This soap is a necessity for family, and they can afford to buy the raw materials in the market. The money was collected from the group, and a purchase for the individual raw materials was made. Elvie taught them how to mix it together. After the mixing is done, they divided the detergent powder up among the participants. The ultimate purpose of this program is to introduce people to the gospel of salvation. The entire program is a year-long with an awards ceremony and a certificate of participation for those who attend the weekly sessions.

• Pray for Elvie to be faithful in her teaching and be blessed in her desire to help the community of Mambaling with this health education.
• Pray for the people in this community to be saved and for the entire community to be transformed through the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Pray for health, protection, and wisdom as I lead my family. Pray for my wife Jen and son David.

August 2018

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” When I remember this quote, I think about the people of Mambaling, who are the poorest of the poor. Most of them do not have a regular income for their family. Of the forty-eight families who regularly attend the Sunday worship and Bible studies, I noticed many families skip breakfast, except a cup of coffee when available, eat heavier at lunch and skip dinner to minimize expenses. Some of them eat two meals a day.

I challenged the families to sacrifice a handful of rice every time they cook. They brought these handfuls of rice, collected Monday to Saturday, to Sunday’s meeting as their gift of love. I asked my children to save a handful of rice too. In one week, enough rice was collected to bless two families with enough food for one day. In the last month, eight families were provided with enough food for a day, from these gifts of handfuls of rice.

Give thanks for their sacrificial gift of handfuls of rice that were given to bless eight families.

• Pray for God to bless these families and provide for their daily needs.

We travel early to our Sunday meeting place, over eight miles away. We start walking down the main road, and ride a motorcycle part-way, then wait for the bus. In the meeting area, when I start my preaching, my wife gathers all the children in the shade of a nearby tree. We do not have a Sunday school room, but thanks to the shade of the trees, the children have a place to hear God’s Word. The table has limited seats, so the smaller children sit on a box or on the ground. The children younger than six years old play with donated toys while the children over seven are learning the Bible lesson. The kids are growing in number as more parents start attending our Sunday Bible study. My prayer is for these kids to grow in their faith and decide to stay away from the negative influences of their community. Children are vulnerable, and many have already seen the harmful vices of this community, including gambling, drugs, smoking, drinking and more. Ministering here means one day these children may not be involved in these happenings. My wife and I are committed to pursue ministry in this location and pray for the Lord to save this community.

• Pray for the children and their salvation, for their witness to their parents and their friends.
• Pray for the adults who attend the Bible study to grow in their understanding of salvation, gain Biblical knowledge, and transform their lives and their community.
• Pray for safe travels as we travel to minister to this location.

Carmi, one of our leaders, told me that Richie’s mother, Caridad, was sick and in the government hospital. She is sixty-seven years old with diabetes and high blood pressure. They did not have money to buy the medicine she needed. During our Sunday gathering, I challenged the families to give any amount they could to help buy the prescription. We collected five-hundred pesos (about ten dollars). Carmi brought the money to the hospital to buy the medicine. When Caridad came home, Carmi visited them and shared the gospel. Caridad accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. The family was so blessed they opened their home to a Bible study. Caridad shared her testimony and expressed how she felt the love of Jesus from the families and that He is truly the living God.

Give thanks for the gift from the families to buy medicine for Caridad.

• Pray for Caridad and her family to continue attending the Sunday meeting and to continue to open their home for weekly Bible studies.
• Pray for the medicine needed for Caridad and her daily health and also for the Lord to provide for her needs.

Carmi is a widow with three adopted children. Before she was a Christian, she attempted to commit suicide by jumping from a building, but her neighbors stopped her. A second time she tried suicide by drinking alcohol, but again, her neighbor stopped her. She expressed her motivation for death as the pain of knowing that her live-in boyfriend had other women.  One day, a Muslim brother who became a believer, visited her house and shared with Carmi about the gospel. Carmi started hosting a weekly Bible study and became interested in the Word of God. She understood the gospel and why Jesus died on the cross. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Now Carmi is enrolled in a Bible school and leading a Bible study among her neighbors. She explained that her shyness was replaced with boldness to share the word of God. Carmi is managing house rentals to support her family, and her three children are enrolled in the government school.

• Pray that Carmi will continue to be used by the Lord in her new place of work.
• Pray the Lord will continue to support her family’s daily needs.

Stella is a married woman with six children. She came to know the Lord through a home Bible study after her grandmother invited her to attend. She had deep family problems and attempted to commit suicide by drinking acid, but her grandmother stopped her. She wanted to commit suicide because her husband is a drug addict and very irresponsible.  Due to her grandmother’s teaching about Jesus, Stella accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She expressed that now she has peace in her mind and has surrendered her husband’s attitude to the Lord. Stella is enrolled in our Bible school and leading a group Bible study every Sunday. Her older daughter is a first-year student at a private university. Stella currently sells vegetables in the marker to provide for her family and her prayer is for her husband to be saved.

• Pray with Stella for her husband to understand the gospel and be saved.
• Pray for God’s provision for her daily needs and for her daughter to continue at the university and be able to complete a full program.

Lito is married and has two children. When he was not yet a believer, Lito had no peace in his mind and was a trouble-maker. He used drugs, smoked, gambled and was in a lot of debt. One day, someone invited him to attend a Sunday service, and he accepted the invitation to become a believer. He is enrolled in our Bible school and is teaching a group Bible study. He sells viand (a main dish with rice) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every day to make a living.

• Pray for Lito’s wife to become a believer.
• Pray for Lito’s studies and God’s provisions for his daily needs.

Bebot is married with four children. When he was not yet a believer, he was a member of a notorious gang in Mambaling. He was a troublemaker, drunkard, stealer and involved in drugs. At the beginning of last year, he read a portion of the Bible in one of the gang’s pot sessions and was convicted. As he read the words in the Bible, he did not understand what they meant so he sought for church leaders to help him. He attended a church, and the pastor shared the gospel with him. He professed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He is attending the Bible school and leading a Bible study. Bebot currently does not have a source of income to provide for his family.

• Pray for Bebot to find a job so he can provide for his family.
• Pray for the salvation of Bebot’s wife, she is a drug addict and is also selling drugs. Pray for the salvation of his whole family.
• Pray for Bebot to be protected by the Lord, many of his neighbors are angry with him because of his faith. Bebot has posted Bible verses outside his house so people can read them and come to know the Savior.
• Pray for Bebot’s spiritual growth and witness to his community.

The ministry in Barangay Pacnaan is continuing to grow in numbers. The families bring their kids to the meeting place under the Pacnaan Bridge. We still do not have another meeting place except for under the bridge. The families living here wanted to sell their lot, but technically they are considered informal dwellers. We are praying for a solution to be worked out with the government.  The great news is that the people living there are growing in their faith and understanding of the word of God and the kids are coming regularly to Sunday school. Alan recently graduated from Baptist Theological College and is assisting our church leader Man. Mayan, Man’s daughter, is a teacher and is teaching the kids every Sunday.

• Pray for the ministry under the bridge to thrive and reach the people in this area with the love of Jesus Christ.
• Pray for a more permanent solution to our meeting place that will allow our ministry to continue to reach the people.
• Pray for the leaders to be blessed with wisdom and discernment.

Warren is one of the active members in Olango Island. He was a coffee salesman in Cebu city, and he was tempted to make more money by being dishonest to his company. Despite more money, he was not happy. He had friends who were cigarette smokers, drinkers, and womanizers, and joining them still did not make him happy. He tried working in Saudi Arabia to earn more money, but it did not make him happy. One day, one of his Filipino friends from work invited him to join their church meeting. During the preaching, God spoke to him through His Word. Warren cried because of his sin, asked forgiveness of the Lord and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He started to hunger for God’s Word and attended the church. He was baptized in Saudi Arabia. When he returned to Olango Island, he sought a local Christian church and found our church. When I met him, I encouraged him to study in the Bible school, and he enrolled as a first-year student. He also attends the disciple training. Warren decided not to work abroad and instead started a small business as a source of income. He is now doing home visitation and Bible study in Olango. He uses his motorcycle with the sidecar to bring a new prospect to attend Sunday school. Please continue to pray for Warren.

July 2018

Barangay Mambaling needs Christ. It has been one of the targets for drug operations in Cebu City. There is an urgent need for these people to know Jesus Christ, especially since many of the attendees have loved ones affected by the drug operations. People in the community rent their houses for a pot-session to drug-users; this is seen as a source of income. People lack education, and many have not even finished the elementary level.

The ministry began last May is growing. We have a regular Sunday Bible study for an hour and at the same time, my wife is teaching the Sunday school class. I have been training four local leaders for ministry, and our Sunday meeting will increase to two hours because each leader will teach, using the prepared material, a small group of fifteen to twenty members. It is my intention to equip future leaders with an understanding of the basics of Christianity and to develop their teaching skills. I am teaching them how to grow by reading and studying God’s Word. They are also helping the new believers in the community with their spiritual needs. These leaders do the follow-up by visiting the member’s homes, seeing their needs, counseling and praying for the members. I’m happy to see these leaders hungry to study God’s Word. We meet weekly for our discipleship training. Two leaders from Talisay and one from Olgango have also joined the training.

My son, David Paul, is helping me prepare by drawing a visual aid for my devotional message. I praise the Lord that my son is being used by God as an instrument for my preaching. The attendees in Mambaling ask me for the drawing and my message outline to share with their family and friends and to use in their weekly home Bible study. My son is so happy that the drawing he made is a tool for reaching the lost community.

Warren is one of the active members in Olango Island. He was a coffee salesman in Cebu city and he was tempted to make more money by being dishonest to his company. Despite more money, he was not happy. He had friends who were cigarette smokers, drinkers, and womanizers, and joining them still did not make him happy. He tried working in Saudi Arabia to earn more money, but it did not make him happy. One day, one of his Filipino friends from work invited him to join their church meeting. During the preaching, God spoke to him through His Word. Warren cried because of his sin, asked forgiveness of the Lord and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He started to hunger for God’s Word and attended the church. He was baptized in Saudi Arabia. When he returned to Olango Island, he sought a local Christian church and found our church. When I met him, I encouraged him to study in the Bible school and he is enrolled as a first-year student. He also attends the disciple training. Warren decided not to work abroad and instead started a small business as a source of income. He is now doing home visitation and Bible study in Olango. He uses his motorcycle with the sidecar to bring a new prospect to attend Sunday school. Please continue to pray for Warren.

As the Field Director, I met with our White Fields church planters for fellowship and sharing of the work in their ministries. We discussed ideas and suggestions. We tried the SWOT analysis to see the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges in their areas. We prayed for each other and encouraged one another to pursue every opportunity to bring the people of the community into having a personal relationship with the Lord. I am supplying them with materials for use in their group or home Bible study. We are excited to continue doing remote online training with Pastor Steve. Pray for our entire White Fields church planters to be very courageous to engage in the battle.

• Pray for my four church leaders to grow in God’s Word and for the forty-eight families regularly attending the Sunday group Bible study in Barangay Mambaling.
• Pray for Warren to grow in the Word of God and to minister to the people on Olago Island.
• Pray for our new White Fields church planters, Lito Jamisola, Jerry Quimat, Tame Buctolan, Norberto Plamerola and Jonet Labustro in Careta Cemetery. Visit their pages for updates.
• Pray for the four new pioneering places started this year, Naga, Mambaling, Barili, and Mandaue.
• Pray for our new churches, for them to continue to grow and to engage in sharing the gospel with their communities.

Prayer Requests from Children in the Ministry at Mambaling

• One little Boy: His father catches crab for a living, they seldom can eat three meals per day. Pray for the provision of their daily food.
• Another Little Boy: His father was in a fight and was stabbed, pray for healing and provision.
• A Child Shared: Father had an eye accident, pray for healing.
• A Child: For the salvation of her parents who were caught using illegal drugs and for her parents to be with them. She and her siblings are staying with their grandmother.

Spring 2018

(1) Cebu City has a significant event at the beginning of the year called the “Feast of the Young child Jesus (Santo Niño).” The festival draws millions of people to the city to celebrate. We experience heavy traffic every day until the festival is over. The Catholic church celebrates mass from 4 am to 9 pm.

We also have people from other towns and provinces visit Cebu to celebrate the Sinulog Festival during the same time. The Sinulog festival is a dance by the natives in honor of their wooden idol, in the present generation they dance not only to worship their gods but to honor the image of Santo Niño. Some of the dances display sacrificing a chicken by killing it with their mouth and sacrificing it to their god.

Most of the schools and business participate in the festivities; images are displayed outside the buildings, believing that this is the way God will be with them. My granddaughter had an issue at school when the teacher told the students that she would not give them a grade if they do not participate in the Sinulog dance at the school. I immediately wrote a letter to the teacher informing her that we are not Catholic, and it is against the law to keep a grade from a child if they do not participate. I reminded her of our countries laws.

Most of the people in the area are Catholic, and they do not understand God’s word. There is a vast spiritual need in this place. My prayer is that the Lord will use our ministry to bring the gospel of Salvation to the Cebuano’s before Christ returns.

The week before the festivities I preached at Guadalupe Church with Pastor Norberto Palmerola. My primary focus was images and idols because most of the people are former devout Catholics. I can sense that some of the people were uncomfortable hearing my message. I used a Catholic Bible to draw out a few verses on idol/image worship so that they would understand that the priest also uses the same scriptures, but they do not teach these things to them. I shared the seriousness of idolatry and prayed that the Lord would change their hearts so that they would not be tempted to join the festivities.

We were blessed by a visit from our Director Steve Wheeler from the USA. Together we journeyed throughout the islands visiting our Pastors and their church plants. While here we were able to serve teens in the province outskirts of Cebu. We also visited Pastor Norberto at our newest church plant, in addition to this we got to see the ministry he does amongst the living in the local cemetery. On the southern half of the island, we went to a floating church and ministered to another group of people whose only means of fellowship is under a bridge. At the end of our time, Steve was able to teach a general assembly at our School of Theology. We are grateful to Steve for his encouragement and desire to support National Pastors to reach the Philippines with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

 You can read more about our visit on my archive page.

(2) This month I taught a baptism class for the people who received Christ as their Lord and Savior. I explained that water baptism does not save their soul, but it is the command that Jesus spoke about when he was teaching and preaching. All eight people were very attentive and listened; they understood and accepted the teaching about water baptism. We baptized all eight people and prayed that they would continue to seek the Lord and grow in their spiritual journey by being faithful in serving the Lord at their local church.

The Mabolo Evangelical Free Church invited my wife Jen and I as guest speakers during their couple’s night. There were about thirty couples in attendance. Our focus was healthy relationships, and Jen spoke on root-causes of problems. Everyone participated and shared solutions, and insights on how to work together to solve issues healthily. I was thankful that God used us during this activity and I hope that the couples will remember how to use the tools we discussed so that they can have healthy and happy relationships.

I brought my family to the Island of Olango to visit our new churches. We visit the field almost every Sunday so that we can train the members of the church to be missionaries one day. I pray that God will raise up a new generation that will share the Gospel with the lost before Jesus comes back. I have three children that the Lord has blessed me with, all three have been given to us to be their guardians and spiritual parents. David, my adopted son, is turning fourteen years old in May, and Blessie Joy will be thirteen, and Kobe Allen is turning twelve. These children were born out of wedlock and abandoned by their parents. My prayer is that the Lord will use all three kids as missionaries, church planter or even pastors of a local church one day. I also pray that before I close my eyes, I will see David, Blessie & Kobe finished with their studies and serving the Lord faithfully being instruments of God’s vineyards until he comes.

(3) The bible says love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44) this verse is not easy to apply, to love and pray for those who hurt you is only possible through God. The dean of the school elevated the incident to an investigation, leading to the formation of a fact-finding committee. Their recommendation is to file an administrative case against Jen. Jen consulted with some of her friends, and they encouraged her to submit a claim against the dean and the fact-finding committee. The committee is accusing Jen of stealing the money. The university presidents called Jen to meet with her and discuss the issue. The President is the former Dean of the College; she gave Jen her word of assurance to help her resolve the issue, she also encouraged Jen to stay in Normal University and not to transfer to any university. After the meeting, Jen began to pray that God will make a way to defend us and to declare that He is the true God to whom we served and proclaim.

• Pray for Jen’s victory in this issue, comfort and strength to face all these people accusing her.
• Pray for the wisdom of the University President in helping her.

With God nothing is impossible! In April, I was invited to the 2nd Annual Convention of God’s Grace Gifts Ministries as the guest lecturer. But three days before the event, I was in trouble because my laptop shut down. All my files were there, and I didn’t have the hard copy. I felt so discouraged and hopeless considering that all my material was on the desktop. I borrowed my wife’s’ laptop to re-start the teaching materials, and as I sat down to study, I remembered that in my cell phone I had files of my preaching’s and teaching. I opened my cell, and all the material was saved on my phone. I got busy creating all the PowerPoints for my lesson. It was stressful, but I was blessed the day I share the word of God. After my teaching, it was a great joy to hear the appreciation people had for the word of God. I was told that they are looking forward to inviting me again to teach at their next convention. Praying that not only they have taken home materials, but they can apply it personally and pass it on to the next generation of leaders.

I received a phone call from my sister in Mindanao; she told me that the suction machine for my mom was broken and needed a replacement immediately. I prayed to the Lord that I could find one. On Sunday my family and I attended the church service of Pastor Norberto Palmerola, and I was the guest preacher that Sunday. During our Sunday lunch fellowship, one of the church members mentioned that his mother had died. I shared with him that my mother is still alive but is not able to talk because she has a hole in her throat and she needs a suction machine. Randy told me he had a suction machine at his house and he offered to give it to me for free. So, I thank Randy for the device. After I picked up the machine, I visited my mother in Mindanao. My mom was happy to see me and was glad that God answered her prayers about the replacement of the suction machine. I am praying that my mom is in good health even if she cannot talk anymore. There is no assurance of when my mother can have another operation, but I am happy she is still alive and celebrating her 77th birthday in April. Please help me pray for my mother’s good health.

Janil, a 22-year-old mother of four attended our first meeting in our new place, Barangay Mambaling. She was very sick and suffered from tuberculosis. On Monday she passed away, her children are in custody of their grandmother because her husband had abandoned her. She leaves behind a two-month-old girl and three teenagers. Their grandmother is very poor; she earns her living by selling cassava cakes. I visited the family and encouraged the grandmother to join us on Sunday; she said she would join the church. Please pray for this family that has gone through such a big heartache. I rejoice because Janil had accepted the Lord as her Savior, and I pray for the children that were left behind, that Jesus will protect them and meet their daily needs.

• Pray for the salvation and provision for the family of Janil.

In April my son David Paul decided to make his public confession to follow Jesus Christ and get baptized. My wife and I are happy for his decisions to get baptized by water. Many times, I encouraged him to follow the water baptism, but he kept telling me he was not ready. This time around he understood the need to be baptized. Only two people got baptized during the fellowship family day at Liloan Church in Cebu. After the water baptism, we enjoyed swimming together with my family. David will be 13 years in May and has expressed his interest in music ministry. The only problem we have is that we are not part of a local church because we visit different churches each Sunday together with my family. During our visits, we monitor or to see how they are growing spiritually. I also encourage the church leaders and members to continue serving the Lord faithfully in their local church.

• Praying that God will give us a place that my family can help and commit to exercising their gifting in a local church.

(4) Mambaling is known for being a notorious snatcher and pick-pocketer area as well as the center of illegal drug transactions in the city. The month of May is memorable for the community residents of Barangay Mambaling in Cebu City because we started our Sunday weekly worship meetings. There were fifty first time attendees in the morning. The gathering started at 8:00 am and finished at 9:00 am. Most of them are Roman Catholic by religion, and some are members of different religious groups. I started teaching about salvation, I wanted to be sure that they had the right foundation in God’s word, especially salvation. I did not or will not move to any topic unless they understand why they need a savior. After my teaching, I answered questions to help them understand if there are any doubts and confusion regarding the topic. If they are shy to raise the question, then I will ask a question so that they can also participate. I make my topic alive, so people can interact with me while I’m teaching.

I’m teaching the adults while my wife Jen gathered all the kids on one side teaching Sunday school. Blessie and Kobe helped their mama in singing action songs for the kids. The kids are divided into three groups for the bible verse. Blessie, Kobe, and David help the children memorize verses in the Bible. I’m very happy that every Sunday the kids stand in front and rendered memory verses through the effort of my three kids. I am happy to see them used by the Lord while I’m doing mission work. We praise the Lord also that one of our students in our School of Theology introduced to me the Christian leader in the area, her name is Pastora Inday, and she had a vacant lot and allowed me to use the facilities for our Sunday morning venue free of charge. She also bought a new tent as our shelter during our Sunday morning activities. But most of all, I’m happy that God used the Korean Friends to reach the poorest of the poor in Mambaling.

Prayer concern:

• Praying that these 50 families will grow deeper in God’s word and transform their lives.
• Pray for the barangay official and the Police officers in charge to stop the drugs users and drug pushers in the place. Drugs are very rampant in, Sitio Pungtod Communal, Barangay Mambaling even morning no fear they continued buying and selling drugs.
• Pray for my safety during my weekly visitation. Is not a safe place for me even in the morning or afternoon visit? People are thinking that I’m a police asset or spy in the area.

During May, I had another ministry opportunity. As I recall I met these teachers in Puerto Princesa City doing summer daily vacation bible school, they originally came from Metro Manila. During our conversation, I invited them to do a summer children’s class on the island of Cebu. After praying and consideration the team decided to bring the children’s ministry to Cebu for three weeks. Because the team was so big we decided to divide them into two groups; one team focused one week in Olango Island and the Chinese cemetery. The other group focused on three churches, one week at Stalag church, one week at Carcar Church, and one week at Talisay Church. Around 550 children heard the word of God. Many kids attended our Sunday services and joined Sunday school for children. And the church now is busy visiting and following-up with the children and their parents. They don’t have enough money to stay in a hotel, so we asked them to stay in the churches where they are assigned and ask them to bring their own beddings and mosquito nets. Some of them had stomach problem because of the water. After the activities, I brought them to my house to stay for 2 days. We were so crowded, some slept in the chairs because the rooms were occupied. But my family was happy serving the team as they are serving the Lord of preaching and evangelizing the children.

Prayer Concern:

• Praying that the children will know The Lord as their Lord and Savior and grow in the Lord by praying and reading God’s word.
• Pray that Lord will use the children with their parents, and the parents will come to know Christ Jesus.

This month of May we are able to bring our youth from different local churches for our three-day youth camp. Around 180 campers attended. During my teaching class, I struggled because my head hurt, and I had a sore throat. Despite my pain, I still taught because we had no one else to teach. The venue was hot, and I felt my body sweating. After a while, my headache was gone, and my throat was not in pain anymore. Despite feeling very exhausted and tired. I’m happy that God’s word is shared and many of this young people came back to their churches committed to serve the Lord faithfully at their local churches.

• Pray that the campers will grow in the word of God.

During my weekly visitation, I visited the house of Bebot, one of the men that attended our Sunday meetings. He is around 50 years of age. While talking with him, he shared with me about his past life experiences. He was a member of a notorious gang in Mambaling, Cebu and would victimize people. He first read the word of God after realizing that he used a Bible page to roll up his marijuana. He decided to read a page and felt that he should stop using the pages for his marijuana. As time went by, he realized that he had a fear of the Lord after he read God’s word. Bebot lost many of his companions who were kidnapped and killed and made a profession of faith in Jesus. However, he did not bear fruit and faded away from following Jesus. He fled the area and went somewhere else. After many years he decided to come back to Cebu and brought his family back with him. When he returned, he did not straighten out, but continued to use drugs and steal. The new president was elected, and the anti-drug campaign started, Bebot decided to stop using and selling drugs. Bebot had no source of income, and his family was struggling.

In January 2017 Bebot started reading the Bible, God’s word is powerful, he said, “It is speaking to him.” He decided to stop using drugs although he struggled, he realized that the joy and hunger in God’s word help him, so he read it every day. Every morning he put a verse in his house so that people can read when they pass by in his house in Cebuano and English. He writes it in big letter on a used folder and hangs it. He did this because his home is a place where people standby and buy drugs. After he committed his life to the Lord, he started praying to serve the Lord and to use his life.

Bebot has been going through a lot, his son recently died in July 2017. His wife still uses drugs and sells them as well. His wife is angry with him because of his faith. Bebot is distraught by everything that is happening. Each time he shares, he cries because of the hurt and pain he is experiencing. During one of the Bible classes, he ran out and went to his house immediately. He heard that his wife and neighbors were doing drugs inside his home. Bebot destroyed the stuff they were using and threw the drugs in the water because even his children were involved. After bible study, Bebot came back and cried out loud because of what happened in his house, so my wife and I prayed for him and his family.

Prayer concern:

• Pray that Bebot is protected by the Lord because many of his neighbors are angry with him.
• Pray for the salvation of his family.
• Pray for the spiritual growth of Bebot and to be used by the Lord for his ministry.

Janil is the 22 years old mother that passed away, and her Mother is now taking care of the four children. The grandmother and the kids attend Sunday morning bible study and last week I went to her home and encouraged and prayed that God will continue to help her physically and also to bless her source of income by making rice cake. I also prayed for notebooks, pencils, uniform, and shoes for the children that are enrolled in the government school. When I was at their home, I was glad to see that the children were comforted even though the children lost their mom. I know that even if they don’t speak about their mother they long for her embrace and they are hurt emotionally by what happened. I will continue to visit the kids weekly to see their situations and praying for them always.

Summer 2018

(5) Last month our White Fields President Steve Wheeler revisited us on the island of Cebu, Philippines. Part of his visit consisted of three-day teaching for our church planters. We had our prospective church planters attend the training as well. The focus of our training was how to be bold in sharing the gospel. The topic had a significant impact on our leaders and workers.

After the three days, Bebot one our new believers in Mambaling invited me to share the gospel with his family and his neighbors. However, due to a conflicting schedule, I wasn’t able to make it, and Bebot did the sharing. He explained the gospel and Eighteen people made a profession of faith in Jesus. I was delighted to see his boldness to share with his friends and family. I praise the Lord for the work he is accomplishing through us. Melvin a security guard who attended the teaching decided to start a bible study and witness to his neighborhood. He committed himself to his church at Talisay (the floating Church) and joined the music ministry, the evangelism team, as well as host a bible study. Our prospective pastors and workers thanked us for allowing them to be a part of the three-day teaching with Pastor Steve. The asked to be invited again if Pastor Steve comes back to the Philippines to teach. We have set up a remote online training with Pastor Steve to continue to learn and grow in our faith.

• Praying that these young men will grow deeper in God’s word and that their lives will be transformed so that they boldly share Gods word.
• Praying that the pastor’s children will grow in the Lord as they see their fathers preach the gospel. Pray that the children will continue to pray and read their bibles.
• Pray that the Lord will use the children for their parent’s ministry.
• Praying also that the wife of our church planters will continue to devote themselves in prayer and encourage their husband to be bold in sharing the gospel in the field.

On Sunday morning Pastor Steve and I traveled to Mambaling, Cebu. The area was filthy and wet because it had rained for three hours. I rented a car so that we could go back and forth. During our visit, I hired someone to watch the car while we preached. Pastor Steve taught, and I translated for him, at the end of the message he made an invitation to profess faith in Jesus Christ. Many people engaged with us and we are following up with them to see where they are at in their spiritual life. We departed at 2 pm because the area is not safe for foreigners in the evening. I thanked the Lord for his protection and loving kindness during this time. Even though that place is full of criminals, drug dealers, and evil elements God has a plan for this place.

• Pray that the families in Mambaling will continue to grow in their new faith.
• Pray that the Lord will also use them for evangelizing the youth in their community because most adults and children attended.

On Friday we had a crusade at Mambaling. We went house to house to let the people know about the crusade. We encouraged Pastor Steve to stay in town because the place is not safe for foreigners. The police are not present, and the ones that are present are not armed. At 6 pm we started singing, and Pastor Jerry Quimat preached about the Cross of Jesus Christ. The place had many people and children. In the end, we did an invitation to come forward and profess faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and many came forward.

• Pray that my men will help me to do the follow-up house calls for all the new people who want to grow in Christ.
• Pray for the salvation of those parents and children that came forward and accept Jesus as Lord and savior in their heart.

When I was on my way to a bible study at Mambaling, I took a jeepney (bus). I had my laptop and projector with me. During one of the stops two men jumped in and with large knives which is unusual. I was immediately afraid that they had a plan to rob the people on the jeepney and quickly started praying to God for protection. Then I became worried about my equipment and all the people that were traveling. I kept praying, and soon enough the jeep stopped, and big men got on the bus. When the men sat down the two guys with knives hoped out, we all thank God that they left and didn’t harm us. By God’s mercy, the projector and laptop are safe. Sometimes God allows bad things to happen for His purpose and his perfect will in our lives and His Glory.

Carmi regularly attends for our Bible study group, and we encourage her to participate in our Bible college. Carmi is a widow and recently acquired property from her late husband. Her husband sold drugs and gambled illegally and was killed because of his lifestyle. When Carmi accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, she allowed a portion of her property to be a temporary shelter during our Sunday group bible study. Carmi has become a helper during our Sunday service and assists my wife teaching children every week. We are happy to see that the Lord is transforming her life. Carmi is also helping me by visiting the families and encouraging them to join our Sunday Bible study and praying for them to grow in the word of God. Carmi has two adopted children since she has no children from her late husband, she also started a sari-sari (small) store to increase her income.

• Pray that Carmi continues to grow her spiritual faith.
• Pray God will continue to provide her daily needs for her two adopted children.

Winter 2017

In November I visited a new church plant with Pastor Norberto Palmerola. After the church was over, I met two students who currently attend bible school. Jeff and his sister mentioned to me that they survived the mega-typhoon that hit the Philippines in 2013. Jeff was in Leyte when the typhoon and storm surge struck. He shared his testimony on how they survived the tragic experience. Their house is on the mountain slope, yet they were still struck by the storm surge. All the roads closed, and people were desperate and hungry. As a Christian family, they prayed that God would provide them with food. God gave them candies to eat for the next three days. It was amazing to hear their faith and how they leaned on God during this difficult time. Jeff is an engineer by profession, yet when things became stable after the disaster, he enrolled in a Bible school. We are very encouraged that the two bible school students have committed their lives to serving the Lord. Please pray that the two Bible students will demonstrate a commitment to helping at the Carreta cemetery.

What a breaking sight to see children sleeping on the ground as I arrive at the office. I usually do not arrive as early, but this day I came early and saw the security guard waking the kids. I asked the security guard if the kids usually sleep on the streets and he said, “yes many kids sleep on the ground floor of the buildings at night, and we just clear the area as the office hours approach.” My heart broke at the site. “Every child is endowed with the dignity and worth of a human being.” Presidential Decree 603 of Philippine Law.

These kids were either abandoned or ran away from their parents. They are in danger of the social crimes of the streets. Forced to live outside the family home. These kids become thieves, beggars or worse; they are used by syndicates to earn money. They were stripped of their dignity and worth of a human being since they live on the streets. Help us pray that the Lord will open the door to minister to these kids in their hopeless situation. Their failure stories can be God’s stories of success in the future.

Visit from Pastor Stephen Wheeler

Day One – Serving the Teens in the Province Outskirts
Pastor Steve from White Fields visited the Philippines and traveled to the different church plants to encourage our pastors. On Wednesday morning after his long trip from the US to Cebu and arriving at mid-night he still woke up early the next morning so that we can start our journey to Salag, North Cebu. I was concerned because of the time it took us to reach our destination, traffic was heavy, and we arrived late, but the high school students were waiting patiently for us. Pastor Steve shared words of encouragement and inspiration from the Bible. We ended our time together with prayer.

Day Two – Ministry beyond the Mainland
Thursday morning, we traveled to the port of Mactan to escape the traffic and visit our new pioneering church in Olango Island. We traveled by boat and then by tricycle once we arrive at the Island. Many people and children came to church, and Pastor Steve taught the kids a Bible story and encouraged the family members to serve the Lord faithfully.

Day Three – Church between a Big Church and a Prison House
On Friday morning we went to our new church at Guadalupe to meet Pastor Norberto Palmerola, he is one of our White Fields church planters. Pastor Steve encouraged Pastor Norberto to focus on the new church which is two months old. This place is in Awihaw, Guadalupe and is occupied by informal settlers. His neighborhood is from the low to very low income with houses made from light concrete materials, and the site is on the mountain slope behind the very well-known Catholic Church in Cebu City and the city jail. After our prayer fellowship, we traveled to south Cebu for the new church in Carcar City. It is located in Barangay Liburon, the heart of the residential area within the city which has a population of 7,606 (as of 2015 Census)

Day Four – Ministering to People “Living Among the Dead”
On Saturday morning we went to the Chinese Cemetery where Pastor Norberto has a ministry with the people who live among the dead. The people live here illegally, but when you have nowhere to go, you stay. Pastor Steve shared a message of encouragement and was able to see two of the children currently helping at the cemetery with the children. These two children are in the photo of our White Fields website banner taken six years ago. They are growing into a great young man and woman of God.

After a long day, we ended our trip at the new White Fields office in Cebu. Pastor Steve discussed different needs for our ministry; we need to purchase office material so that it can be a functional office for all the church planters. Also, Steve spoke with us about plans for next year and interviewed prospective church planters. We invited the future pastors to our meeting, and we prayed together over the New Year before us.

Day Five – The Floating Church and the Fellowship under the Bridge
On Sunday morning we traveled to Talisay City Cebu. Pastor Steve was our guest speaker; this was the first time that an American preached at the church. The church members were accepting, mesmerized, and intently listening to the message. Usually, during high tide, our church members will walk through knee-high dirty water just to attend church. After church service, we noticed that the young people had constructed a narrow bridge from recycled wood to connect the land with a bridge to the church. We were very appreciative of the effort these young guys made.

Our next stop on Sunday was Pacnaan, Mandaue City. The shade under the bridge is the most available place for informal settlers in Mandaue, Cebu. Approximately 25-30 adults attend the service. They have a very meager source of income, and most of them are jobless. They walk a few kilometers under the sun to reach the bridge. Pastor Steve encouraged them to continue listening to God’s word. When you consider the conditions of these families, it is amazing that people continue to come each week. The people stand or sit on the ground during the message every Sunday. Please keep these people in your prayers. Please pray that the Lord will give them a permanent place where they can attend their Sunday worship service.

Day Six – Meeting the Bible School Students
On our very last day with pastor Steve, we spent it with the Cebu Korean Church – School of Theology (CKC-SOT) Bible school. I asked the teachers in the morning if the students would be available for a teaching from Pastor Steve; the time with the students was successful.

Once finished, I drove Pastor Steve to the airport to catch his flight back home. I’m thanking the Lord for using Pastor Steve to reach our local churches and encouraging our leaders through God’s word. We pray for good health always to Pastor Steve in his visitation of all White Fields church plants in every country.

Plans and Prayers for Cebu:

• Pray for Pastor Rowell Arconada and his family our New Full-time pastor at Salag Christian Church.
• Pray for three added pastors to White Fields church planters: Lito Jamisola, Jerry Quimat, and Tame Buctolan.
• Pray for Pacnaan place of church worship center. And Brother Man Rondez assigned at Pacnaan, Mandaue City, Cebu. For his commitment and his spiritual growth.

Pastor Cris Pano

This October we celebrated our second anniversary for one of our new churches here in Carcar City, Southern Cebu. Everyone in the church started preparing for the celebration towards the end of September. We organized the church program, prepared the music, and budgeted for food. Unfortunately, right before the celebration, I received a message from the pastor letting me know that two church members passed away. After much prayer and a staff meeting, we decided to postpone the anniversary two weeks. The church assisted financially, and we agreed that we should not only support them spiritually but also economically.

After the two weeks we moved forward with the anniversary celebration, the neighbors, friends and church members joined in the party. There was music, food, and we joyfully celebrated the day.

We are thankful to God for the success and His faithfulness to our new church. My prayer is that God will bring more souls to this church and that they will effectively witness for His glory!

We had another anniversary celebration. This time we celebrated five years in Salag Christian church in Salag, Tabogon, Northern Cebu. A few months ago the pastor of this church resigned, I was worried that the people would be without a shepherd. However, God blessed the church with a new pastor who expressed his willingness to stay and work as a full-time pastor. I was full of joy during our celebration and had tears of joy seeing adults and young people that were baptized five years ago still committed to the church. They welcomed me as an honored pastor in their church. They were encouraged and supportive of their new pastor. I’m also happy to see Pastor Rowel our new resident pastor doing well in his job. Church members facing discouragement that are not actively attending the church are encouraged and have returned to the Sunday services.

During our fellowship, the farmers asked me to continue our daily 4:00am-6:00 am group Bible study. They wake up early to work in the fields and are eager to start their day in the word.

During my stay in Salag, I taught the early Bible study for one-year and was able to cover from Genesis to Malachi. Pastor Rowel was challenged to continue with the same study, and he expressed willingness to wake up early in the morning. I was pleased to hear that because they are hungry for God’s word. Pray that Pastor Rowel will be used by the Lord effectively and the church members will continue to grow in their spiritual lives and help support their new pastor. Praise the Lord after two months in Salag Church Pastor Rowel has baptized 10 of the youth in the church that expressed willingness to follow our Lord Jesus Christ. They have now actively joined the church.

Despite my hectic schedule, I found time to visit my mother in my hometown, Mindanao. My mother is in the recovery stage from her illness and has begun to walk again and do her daily routine. She breathes through her nose, and we are awaiting the doctor’s decision for the surgery to reconnect her throat so that she can breathe normally and speak again. We write on paper to communicate with her, and it is so difficult to see that as our only means of communicating. She was pleased to see me again, and I was grateful to see her alive. My mom is 77 years-old, and I am praying that God will give her many more years. On our way back to the seaport we were surprised by a landslide that swept over the road in front of us. We were able to stop our car a few meters away from it, and after waiting several hours for the earth movers to clear the road, we continued our journey home. I am praying that my brother made it home safely.

After many requirements, permits, certificates, and mayor approvals I finally have an office that can be used for teaching and training. The White Fields office is officially opened.

The office is located in the heart of Cebu City. The location near the four Universities: Visayas University, The University of Cebu, The San Carlos University and the Cebu Normal University. My wife Jen teaches at the Cebu Normal University. One advantage of having our office in the city is that I can start a youth ministry and Sunday worship service. Pray that this will be another opportunity to have a city church.

We had three church leaders enrolled in our School of Theology. It is a good sign that our future ministers will continue the work we have started. The school of theology is preparing them to be equipped and to become effective in their calling.

• Pray for Pastor Rowell Arconada and his family at Salag Christian Church.
• Pray for Pacnaan place of church worship center. And Brother Man Rondez assigned at Pacnaan, Mandaue City, Cebu. Pray for his commitment and his spiritual growth.
• Pray for the three new students at CKC-School of Theology to be committed to their studies and their ministry work assignments.
• Pray for my mother’s complete recovery and needs.
• Pray for all eight teachers, for God’s wisdom and guidance as they teach at CKC-School of Theology.
• Pray for pastor Ronie Vallentos our worker assigned at our new place of church planting at Liburon, Carcar City, Southern Cebu and his family.
• Pray for Pastor Cris and his families health, protection, and financial provision.

Answered prayer, my son John Mark Pano has a new Job!

Pastor Cris Pano

Fall 2017

This month I visited one of our WF church planters Pastor Norberto Palmerola Jr. assigned at Careta Chinese Cemetery. He started a new church plant at Guadalupe, Cebu City, as he continues to teach and minister at Careta Cemetary. After several months of conducting bible studies in Guadalupe, Cebu the families who are part of the bible study requested that Pastor Norberto have a Sunday church service. Pastor Norberto was encouraged to start a Sunday morning service in Guadalupe. Pastor Norberto invited me to be the guest speaker this month at the new location. The church is located on the mountaintop, it was a bit sweaty going up, but my wife and kids enjoyed walking to the church. It was a great joy to see people smiling, welcoming us and the most touching thing was to see their happiness because of their new faith and new life in Christ. Indeed, it was a great privilege to encourage people in their true foundation, encouraging God’s word and telling them that the way to know Jesus personally and grow in their new faith is by embracing the word of God.

I was invited to preach at Olango Island; it was such a great blessing to visit this new church. I’m so happy to see that God is working in the lives of the couples as they minister in our Sunday worship service. I mentioned before that if the weather conditions were bad, no passenger boats were permitted to sail to the island. The Sunday service would be affected because a pastor would not be able to travel to preach. We are so blessed that we have a couple that decided to stay on the Island. The church attendance is growing; we have mostly adults with a few young people. We have one main problem at the Olango Island. The island’s water is valuable because it is used for washing clothes and bathing. The water is costly, so you must use it wisely. Drinking water is also available, but also very expensive. The water is transported from Lapulapu City (by boat).

San Roque church is growing; the pastor has encouraged the members to reach out their neighbors. The Lord granted their prayers and desires because people are joining them for Sunday Service. Although at times I cannot join their Sunday worship service because of the high tide, God is graciously leading the church in becoming a spiritual blessing in the community. I have heard life testimonies of the individual members of how the Lord changed their lives, and how the neighbors are impacted by the stories. The pastor decided to bring his family and stay in the churches parsonage and to focus solely on home visitation and group bible studies every day. He has resigned from his day job as a driver, he is trusting and has faith that God will provide his family needs while he focuses on full-time ministry. Some members have brought rice, fish, and meat for his family. I’m so happy that the church has been a blessing and that the Lord prompted the people to take care of their pastor.

Time passes, and people move in and out of the area. We had a few children that attended our Sunday school many years ago when we decided to move out of the area due to work we stop seeing some of the children. Recently in San Isidro one of the young men brought his younger siblings to Guadalupe (our new church plant), I recognized two of the children from our past and was happy to see them serving in Sunday school. The two kids I mentioned are part of the White Fields banner, they were so young, and it’s a blessing to see them grown up and still serving the Lord. I’m so happy that our labor is not in vain. Pray that the two kids will continue to serve the Lord and maybe one day be a church planter.

In September I was invited to be the guest speaker for a church anniversary “The New Life in Christ.” I accepted the invitation because they invited non-believers from the community to be our guest visitors, and my preaching was to share the good news of salvation. The church is now planning to start a church plant in the area. They used the barangay covered gym as the venue, and they prepared food for lunch after the service. I’m happy to hear from the church leaders that some families walk for at least an hour to attend church service. After preaching, I extended an invitation to those who were willing to surrender their lives and accept Jesus as Lord and savior. We had ten people raise their hands and come forward for the prayer of acceptance. It was a blessing to lead these people in prayer for their salvation.

The weekly Saturday teaching for our seven workers is continuous, and I’m happy to see them performing well in their local churches. Each of the pastors rises early in the morning on Saturdays to take a 4-hour bus ride so that they can come to training with me. 4 am is a sacrifice. However, I have not heard any complaints about the commute and time. So far, they enjoy the teachings. Before they depart to go back home, we make sure to provide them with lunch and a reimbursement for their travel. I’m encouraged and amazed of God’s faithfulness in providing the weekly needs of our teaching ministry. God used Pastor Joe Timkang school as our teaching location for my pastors every Saturday. My commitment, by God’s grace, is to continue mentoring and providing teaching materials that will be needed in their g ministry and their future preparations. There is so much work and preparing for the second semester at our Cebu Korean Church School of Theology. In the previous semesters, we had 42 students enrolled and we look forward to new students added in the coming second semester.

Plans and Prayers for Cebu:

• Pray for Pastor Norberto Palmerola for his new pioneering church at Guadalupe, Cebu City. That God will bring more soul to the new church.
• Pray for the White Fields kids and their spiritual growth. Pray that they will be use by the Lord in the local church ministry.
• Pray for Pastor Tame Buctolan and his family, that the Lord will continue providing their needs.
• Pray for Pastor Ruel Arconada and his family, he is our full time pastor at Salag Christian Church.
• Pray for my son John Mark Pano for a new Job. We are praying for God’s will for him
• Pray for Pacnaan place of church worship center. And for brother Rondez assigned at Pacnaan, Mandaue City, Cebu. Please help us pray for his commitment and his spiritual growth.
• Pray for the new students at CKC School of Theology to be committed in their study and their ministry work assignment.
• Praying that three years from now another graduation ceremony will be held for the official student who are enrolled in our school of theology.
• Pray for my mothers’ complete recovery and her needs.
• Pray for all eight teachers and God’s wisdom and guidance as they teach at CKC-School of Theology.
• Pray for pastor Ronie Vallentos our worker assigned at our new place of church planting at Liburon, Carcar City, Southern Cebu and his family.
• Pastor Cris and family – Health, protection, and financial provision.
• Pray for my family, that God would protect them from any sickness such as cold, running nose, headache, and flu. For God’s covering for this coming 2018.
• Pray that Lord will sustain the needs of our church worker assigned in the Islands. The name of the couple assign is Edgardo Palaca, and the wife is Teotima Palaca.
• Pray that the Lord will guide leaders to help the new believers grow in their new faith.

Fall 2017

This month of August I visited one of our White Fields church planters, Pastor Jun Bautista. He is assigned at San Fernando, Southern Cebu. I visited his church twice and attended their Sunday church service. He baptized 40 people who have become members of the church. One blessing was that the church members have been faithful with their tithes and offerings, which demonstrates their maturing and knowledge of God’s word.

Pastors Jun’s wife is helping teach Sunday school, and the kids are also helping during Sunday service with leading worship and music. Pasto Jun is praying about a new location for a church plant in mountain Barangay in South Cebu. Please pray that God will open doors for him.

I also visited with Pastor Jason Magalona. He is a pastor in San Carlos, Negros Occidental. Pastor Jason has a church building that is made of Bamboo and Nypa. The blessing is that the church owns the lot, and people meet every Sunday for church service. We are praying with Pastor Jason that his congregation will continue to grow spiritually.

In August God answered our prayers and provided a new full-time Pastor in Salag Christian Church, Northern Cebu. After our former pastor resigned, I immediately started praying for a replacement. While we prayed for a new pastor, I visited the church from time to time and encouraged the people to continue attending Sunday service. I had a schedule for my leaders to step in and teach and lead Sunday worship.

After much prayer, we had a couple that was willing to stay and work at Salag Christian church. He is one of my students and is prepared to serve the Lord as a pastor. His wife is now serving on the worship team. During this time, please pray for our new pastor, Ruel Arconada. He will be on probation for six months, and will need to adjust to his new role, as well as the church members will need to adapt to their new leader. Please pray that the Lord will bless Pastor Ruel and his wife and that the church members will accept and adjust well to their pastor.

This month I was blessed to see my church leaders joining together for a computer lesson. I am leading a class to teach them how to use a computer for teaching and preaching. Not all of them have experience using a computer. I am grateful that they are all eager to learn. I encouraged my leaders to keep practicing how to use the computer. I was pleased to see that they are improving. We have many pastors who have not had an opportunity to use many electronics, especially our pastors in the mountain Barangay areas. I was happy to be able to share with them the things I’ve learned about electronics, and I also reminded them that technology is a new tool we can use to advance God’s ministry and purpose.

Three months ago, it was a great privilege for my wife and me to visit our son and his wife in Singapore. However, right now he is back in the Philippines looking for work because the company he used to work for has ended their term. His wife is still working in Singapore, and my son is applying for a new job and waiting for God’s plan for him. I’m so blessed because my son and his wife helped our church leaders by providing money for rice sacks each month for our five local pastors. I’m praying that God will open another work opportunity for my son because of his family needs and because he has been such a blessing to our local churches. Now while he waits for a new opportunity, he is used by the Lord in teaching music in my brothers’ church in Manila, Philippines.

Plans & Prayers:

• Pray for Pastor Ruel Arconada and his family, our New full-time pastor at Salag Christian Church.
• Pray for my son John Mark Pano for a new Job.
• Pray for Pacnaan place of church worship center. And Brother Man Rondez assigned at Pacnaan, Mandaue City, Cebu for his commitment and his spiritual growth.
• Pray for new students at CKC-School of Theology to be committed to their study and their ministry work assignment.
• Pray for all eight teachers for Gods wisdom and guidance as they teach at CKC-School of Theology.
• Pray for my mother’s complete recovery and supplication for her needs.
• Pray for pastor Ronie Vallentos our worker assigned at our new place of church planting at Liburon, Carcar City, Southern Cebu, and family.
• Pastor Cris and family – health, protection and financial provision.
• Pray for my family’s protection from any sickness attacking in our house like cold, running nose, headache, and flu.
• For God’s covering for this coming 2017.

Pastor Cris Pano

Summer 2017

In July, I followed up and paid a visit to one of our White Fields church plants. The assigned pastor in Perelos, Carcar is Jun Bautista. Pastor Jun has been doing well in his church and ministry. The owner of the house where Pastor Jun is renting agreed that he can use the adjacent lot to build a church using lightweight materials. The agreement is for ten years. The church members alongside their pastor are working to build the church. They bought mono block chairs and instruments to be used during the Sunday service. Pastor Jun’s family are involved in the church ministry. His wife is teaching Sunday school before the worship service, and his kids are leading worship by singing and playing instruments. The members are committed to giving their tithes and offerings, knowing that they are helping the needs of the church. I’m happy to see them joyful in their worship of the Lord and committed to His ministry. Pray for Pastor Jun Bautista and his family to be a channel of blessings not only in Carcar, but to start other church plants in South Cebu.

This month I was so blessed to see one of my White Fields church plants celebrating their anniversary at Puerto Princesa, Palawan. I was invited as a guest speaker at the anniversary church service. The church provided my transportation to and from my home town. The church members are spiritually mature, and I am happy to see them working together as a team. Before the anniversary the young people were busy preparing the church decorations, and the mothers prepared the food. The church deacons worked together with all the men as they helped the construction at the front of the church. The church members gave a portion of their money to help start the construction of the church building. Every month little by little when they receive enough donations they continue to work on the church building.

A week before the anniversary one of the deacons, brother Jun Recla had a stroke while working at the church site. He was rushed to the hospital and had been in intensive care unit for more than a week. Brother Jun had a blood clot in his head, and the doctor’s advised the family to have surgery immediately so they could treat the blood in his head before it caused an infection. The family agreed to have him go into surgery. Praise God the surgery was successful. I visited him at the hospital and prayed with him. Half of his body was affected by the stroke, but he’s not in critical condition and is out of intensive care, but is still at the hospital. He is responsive when we communicate, but has difficulty speaking.

During the anniversary celebration, I felt that many of the members were sad due to brother Jun Recla’s absence. Brother Jun has been a good friend and brother to all the church members, from parents to all the young people. He was committed to serving the Lord. The anniversary was incomplete without him, but we praised God and thanked Him for his goodness and his love that even this year in 2017, the church still exists and continues to experience the faithfulness and grace of God.

• Please pray for brother Jun Recla for complete healing and recovery, and for the financial provision for his hospital bill.

God used a parachurch ministry to extend the evangelism and mission of the local church to reach people for Jesus. In July the Korean Green Hospital (from South Korea) in cooperation with Cebu Korean Church directed a free medical Mission in two of the cities pioneering work in Pacnaan, Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay, Cebu.

In Pacnaan, we served 400 patients in one day, and another 400 patients in Talisay the next day. We praised the Lord and saw people express their thanksgiving for the free medical. The medical team gave them medicine, reading glasses, and physical therapy, especially the senior citizens. During the medical outreach, we were able to give people information about our church and how it started. We will do the follow up with all who were interested and willing to visit a bible study or church service on Sunday. I was pleased that all my church leaders were present during the two-day medical mission outreach and I was grateful to see them working as a team.

• Pray for the people who were interested in our church, pray that the follow-ups will be successful and they will join our home bible study or attend church in Pacnaan and Talisay.

In July I was able to sit down for a one-day meeting with two of our White Fields church planters. Pastor Norberto assigned in Carita, and Pastor Dale Rosario, assigned in the provincial Jail and Capitol Site. We discussed their plans for next year and what the plans are for their church plants. We also discussed the White Fields mission of church plants and asked if they should reapply. I explained to them the ministry goal in establishing healthy indigenous church plants which eventually are self-supporting and self-governing. I encouraged them to focus on the church planting ministry. They both understood and are encouraged.

I look forward to having an office to use as a training area for White Fields church plants. My goal is to teach them how to become effective church planters in their assigned areas.

• Please pray for Pastor Noberto Palmerola and Pastor Dale Delrosario for their families and ministry.

My wife was in the hospital for three days. She was hospitalized and alone because I was busy working. I felt guilty that I was not with her. When I arrived, she was alone in the room, by night they would turn her hands clockwise or toward the right, forcing her hands to push so that the blood would flow back from her left hand. I’m so proud of my wife. She is very supportive of my work ministry. I know God will remember her longsuffering and her support in the ministry.

Last Saturday I went back to the hospital and settled our bill and secured clearance from the doctor for us to go home. Although she felt dizzy because of the medicine, she is now feeling a little better. Praise the Lord!

• Please continue to pray for my wife Jen, pray for her complete healing and recovery.

Plans and Prayers for South Cebu:

• Pray for Pastor Arconada our new full-time worker at Salag Christian Church.
• Pray for Pacnaan, our worship center, pray that the owners will not change their mind about selling their property, and please pray for our budget.
• Please pray for brother Man Rondez who is assigned at Pacnaan, Mandaue, Cebu. Pray for his commitment and his spiritual growth.
• Pray for new students at CKC-School of Theology, and their commitment to study and work their ministry assignments.
• Pray for my mother’s complete recovery and her needs.
• Pray for all eight teachers, that Gods wisdom and guidance will fall upon them as they teach at the CKC-School of Theology.
• Pray for pastor Ronie Vallentos and his family. He is assigned at our new church plant in Liburon, Carcar, Southern Cebu.
• Thanksgiving and praise for the new church building at The Station of Life Glory Church, San Roque, Talisay, Cebu.
• Pray for the 15 new people who are interested in the home Bible study and Pastor Jerry Quimat assignment at Olango Island, Cebu City and for the couple willing to commit to helping him with the ministry.
• Pray for the completion of my house in Minglanilla, Cebu. Pray for my budget that I will be able to provide a ceiling and tiles for each room.
• Please pray for Pastor Cris and his family. For health, protection, financial provision, and that God will protection them from any sickness in his house, and for God’s covering for the remaining year of 2017.

Grateful to be serving with you in Christ, Pastor Cris

Summer 2017

This month I brought all the church Pastors at Salag Christian Church to repaint the church. It was three years since it was painted, we repaired the door of the comfort room as well as the church office. Pastor Ben and Pastor Tame were assigned to repair the door because the two are experienced carpenters. Brother Ali and Brother Man painted the inside wall, and Pastor Randy and Pastor Dan painted the outside wall of the church. We are happy to see that the church has become alive again even though their pastor resigned. The church leaders together with the youth prepared our food for lunch. It is a joy to have these leaders with me in our church planting ministry here on the Island of Cebu. All of these pastors started local churches through White Field church planting ministry in Cebu. I’m blessed to see them serving the Lord faithfully since God’s calling and dedication as a pastor of new pioneering churches. Please pray that the Lord will continue to provide the daily needs of the family.

This month our worship service is still under the Pacnaan Bridge in Mandaue which meets in Cebu every Sunday afternoon. Two students in seminary Alan and Jade help us with songs, brother Ali is the presider every Sunday, and brother Man is our church pastor when I am not around. Every afternoon from 3 pm to 5 pm five families have a bible study in their home. Brother Man is now teaching these five families the basic foundations from salvation to spiritual growth. An adult man with a disability comes diligently to our Sunday afternoon service and is a gifted guitar player. He agreed to play guitar for our worship before our home bible study. I promised to buy him a guitar to use for our group bible study in our new pioneering mission at Pacnaan, Mandaue. Each Thursday afternoon Elvie my treasurer also teaches community health education for the families in Pacnaan. The purpose is to educate them how to live clean and green in the community. But before they start the program Elvie first introduces the word of God to them. Pray that the government will allow the purchase of the lot that the church meets in, if not we will have to find a new place for worship.

Every month I visit all our new churches and join their Sunday worship service. This month I brought my family to our floating church at Sawsawan, Talisay City Cebu. After the service the church prepared lunch, and we enjoyed the fellowship with the resident pastor and church leaders. After lunch, we decided to return to our house, but that Sunday afternoon the tide was high, and part of the road was flooded, so the church members brought us to the other side using a foam boat. It was my wife and I’s first time riding in that kind of boat. Thankfully we reached our destination safely.

In June our school of theology is opened for the first semester, and many new students officially enrolled, and we have some old students returning as well. Right now we have 38 students this first semester with four teachers in the morning and another four teachers in the afternoon. Most of our students come from the mountain barangays and serve as fulltime pastors of the local churches. Some travel 4 hours to reach our school and some travel by boat. Pray that all these students will be committed to their studies to be used by the Lord effectively in their local church ministry.

Prayers for South Cebu:

• Pray for new full-time church pastor at Salag Christian Church
• Pray for Pacnaan place of worship. Pray the owner of the worship center will not change their mind on selling the property as well as the budget of the church building. Pray for brother Man Rondez who is assigned to Pacnaan, Mandaue City, Cebu. Pray for his commitment and spiritual growth.
• Pray for the new students at CKC-School of Theology to be committed to their studies and ministry work assignments.
• Pray for my mother’s complete recovery and needs.
• Pray for the eight school teachers for Gods wisdom and guidance as they teach at CKC-School of Theology.
• Pray for pastor Ronie Vallentos and his family at our worker assigned at our new church in Liburon, Carcar City, Southern Cebu.
• Praise for the new church building at The Station Of Life Glory Church, San Roque, Talisay City, Cebu.
• Pray for fifteen new people attending home bible study and Pastor Jerry Quimat assignment at Olango Island, Cebu City Pray for a couple willing to commit to helping him in the ministry.
• Pastor Cris and his family – Health, protection, and financial provision.
• Pray for the completion of the construction of my house in Minglanilla, Cebu; I need to budget for the celling, rooms, and tiles.
• Pray for my family for God’s protection from any sickness like colds, running nose, headaches, and flue. Pray for God’s covering for 2017.

Your coworker in the field, Cris Pano

Summer 2017

While our new church at Talisay is undergoing construction, there was a boy who was helping bring materials to the construction site. The materials for some reason fell onto the highway, and the boy was hit by a car while retrieving them and was brought unconscious to the hospital. He had blood in his head and broken bones in his hips, his back, legs and his foot. His face was swollen, and he was confined in the ICU in an unconscious state, his parents were terribly worried about his condition. Yet, we praise the Lord because in almost a week the boy was awake and regained consciousness. He opened his eyes although he cannot talk because even his mouth is damaged. The doctor said that the brain was not damaged, although they needed to clean for infection and the bones in his legs required steel bracings inside. Praise the Lord because the boy is on his way to recovery from that accident and because of Gods amazing grace he answered the prayer of his people. The parents of the boy are newly baptized believers and the father spends time studying in our bible school even when he is working daily as a security guard. They are enjoying their new life in Christ and are actively attending our church together. Joan, the mother of the boy, also has a servant’s, heart. Every Sunday she is happily serving in the kitchen and preparing food for lunch after the service. Despite the boy’s car accident, the parents are growing in their faith. This is a testimony that the Lord our God is a great God and he is the creator and powerful overall all. The owner of the car accepted all hospital expenses.

This month I was blessed to see my 17 students officially finish their three-year study at our bible school. I asked the students to bring their family and friends to join our graduation ranks. The students marched happily together with their family. The Cebu Korean Church members prepared food for lunch for all participants and some gifts to the newly graduated students. I considered it as another ministry accomplishment for preparing pastors to be used by God in his vineyard.

Pacnaan church mission is still struggling for the church building. We are using the bridge as our shelter for our afternoon worship. The official government and the community are now discussing if there is a guarantee that the people who live in Pacnaan can stay in Pacnaan. The government was giving the portion of the lot as a residence for the community that lives in pacnaan. Still, there is no progress about their meetings, meaning there’s no assurance if the government will allow the building to begin. As soon as there is a final decision that the government will allow the construct to start, we will start our light-material church. Please continue to pray for our new church mission at Pacnaan.

Praise God, we have a couple committed to stay at Olango Island. The couple is now officially our full-time church workers assigned at Olango Island. Both were students in our Bible school. The couple is doing well in Olango church, they conduct home Bible studies and home visits for the new people. But the couple has also committed to continuing their study in our Bible school, considering it is only twice a month. Pray that they will continue to be protected and committed in their new place of ministry.

This month it was unfortunate that one of our full-time church pastors assigned at Salag Christian Church resigned. He notified me that he could no longer work at the church as a full-time pastor. I was disappointed when I went to the church and saw that the church building was not maintained. The door was broken, the musical instruments were broken as well. During our church meeting I asked him to give his formal resignation letter as a full-time church pastor. Please help us pray for a new full-time pastor committed to serve in this local church. I recently visited the church and did a building check, I also encouraged the members to continue serving in their church.

Prayers Items:

• Please pray for a new full-time pastor at Salag Christian Church.
• Please pray for Pacnaan place, that the owner will not change their minds about selling their property and for the church building budget.
• Please pray for Brother Man assigned at Pacnaan, Mandaue City, Cebu. Pray for his commitment and his spiritual growth.
• Please pray for the new students at CKC-School of Theology to be committed in their study and their ministry work assignment.
• Please pray for my mother’s complete recovery and her needs.
• Please pray for all eight teachers for Gods wisdom and guidance as they teach at CKC-School of Theology.
• Please pray for Pastor Ronie Vallentos our worker assigned at our new church planting at Liburon, Carcar City, Southern Cebu, and family.
• Please pray for the 15 new people who will participate in home bible study, and Pastor Jerry Quimat who is assigned at Olango Island, Cebu City and for the couple who is willing to help him in this ministry.
• Please pray for Pastor Cris and his family, please pray for his health, and the health of the family. Protection against any sickness such as colds, headache, and the flu.
• Please pray for financial provision for all our families.
• Please pray for the construction and completion of my house in Minglanilla, Cebu.
• Thanksgiving and praise for the new church building at The Station of Life Glory Church, San Roque, Talisay City, Cebu.

Yours in Christ, Cris Pano

Spring 2017

In the month of March, I brought six of my students from the CKC-SOT “church growth) class to experience our newest pioneer church plant on the island of Olango. I taught them how to use the religious survey questionnaire in house to house evangelism. After practicing and a time of prayer the students went out in pairs to do the evangelism surveys. After three hours each group was able to visit five families and share the good news with them. These families made professions of faith in Jesus, and we have assigned our church leaders to follow up with them several of whom have said they desire to have Bible studies in their homes. Through training and practice, these students are getting a new strategy for sharing the Gospel and starting Bible studies using the evangelism survey. Journeying to the island of Olango can be perilous and hard. On the boat ride to Olango, the seas were very rough, and the crashing waves drenched many of the students. They all enjoyed the experience when they arrived and desired to come back. The joy of my heart is the fifteen souls who made professions of faith in Jesus.

• Pray that the new converts will grow in their faith and the church leaders will continue to follow-up with home Bible studies.

This month we had a church dedication service at Sitio Sawsawan, San Roque, Talisay City, Cebu. The Cebu Korean Church headed by their senior pastor also attended as well as the Korean Elder as a representative from the local church in South Korea who donated the budget for the building. We are also establishing a new set of officers of the church working together with their pastor. Officially the name of the church is the “Station Of Life Glory Church.” We are joyful for the one hundred and fifty people who attended that day. I’m so happy for another year of God’s blessings by adding to our church planting ministry here in the island of Cebu.

God answered our prayer that the owner of the lot at Pacnaa, Mandaue City offer to sell it to us for our church building. The place is not that big at only seventeen feet wide and twenty-five feet long, but for the pioneering work, it is better to have a temporary place of worship than going under the bridge for our Sunday church service. I talked to the owners, and we agree to the sale of the lot for twenty thousand Philippino pesos ($400.00 US). Having made this agreement, I immediately made a “Deed of Assignment Position” with the local government since acquisitions are approved by them. I then asked the local utility company to begin the process of connecting electricity to the property before the building construction begins. We are using the same building design that we used for the church at Sawsawan, San Roque, Talisay City since that place is also surrounded by water.

• Pray for the budget of the building that the Lord will touch the heart of the Cebu Korean Church and that the owners will not change their mind about selling it to us.

One of the biggest problems we face right now is that a friend of mine “Tacio” a fellow colaborer assigned to Salag Christian Church in North Cebu submitted his resignation as a full-time pastor of the church. He worked in this church more than two years and now wants to stop and look for a secular job to provide for the needs of his family. Last Saturday during our leadership training I ask my fellow pastor and church workers to sacrifice one Sunday a month to preach at Salag Christian church. Pray for a pastor that has a burden to be used in this church ministry.

Plans and Prayers for South Cebu

1. Pray for Pastor Tacio and the Salag Christian Church.
2. Pray for Pacnaan church worship center that the owner will not change their mind to sell the property and for the budget for the church building.
3. Pray for Man Rondez assignment to Pacnaan, Mandaue City, Cebu. For his commitment and his spiritual growth.
4. Pray for new students at CKC-School of Theology to be committed in their study and ministry work assignments.
5. Pray for my mother’s needs and complete recovery from illness.
6. Pray for Gods wisdom and guidance for the eight teachers at CKC-School of Theology.
7. Pray for Pastor Ronie assigned to our new place of church planting at Liburon, Carcar City, Southern Cebu and his family.
8. Thanksgiving and praise for the new church building at the Station Of Life Glory Church, San Roque, Talisay City, Cebu.
9. Pray for the fifteen new believers and their home Bible studies as well as Pastor Jerry assigned to Olango Island, Cebu City.
10. Pray for Pastor Cris and his family for their health, protection, and financial provision
11. Pray for the completion of the construction of my house in Minglanilla, Cebu. I need a budget for the ceiling and floor tile.
12. Pray for my family for God’s protection from any sickness attacking in our house like the cold, runny nose, headache, and flu.

Your friend Pastor Cris

Fall 2016

Back in October, I brought my family to our first Sunday worship service at the new church plant at Liburon, Carcar City, in Cebu. Before the service started, we visited the neighborhood and invited them to join our Sunday worship service. I knew that people were hesitant to come and join because they are predominantly Roman Catholic defenders, but we tried our best to encourage them to come. While preparing for our service, I prayed for the neighbors that we visited, that the Lord will touch their heart and they would come join us for our Sunday worship service. Praise God, we had a good number of people attending that Sunday! After the service, we bought food for our lunch together with all of my workers. In the afternoon, I started teaching songs to the young people who attended that day. They were interested in learning a new Gospel song. After we ended the afternoon activities, we went back to our house full of joy for the success and victory for our Sunday worship service in our new church-planting place.

• Please pray for the new church-planting place at Liburon, Carcar City, in Southern Cebu.

I invited the children to come to our new church to teach them a new song for the Lord. I started with only a few, but when the children outside heard us singing, more and more came to join in. After I finished teaching a new song for them, I started sharing the Word of God. I had seen in their hearts that they were listening attentively about Jesus in the Bible. I saw most of them looking at me, all of their attention was focused on listening to every word that I spoke. In the back of my mind, I initially thought that because they are children, their attention would be focused more on playing and not on my teaching. I believe in the power of God’s Holy Word that draws the attention and hearts of children. I then asked them if they understood why Jesus died on the cross? All of them understood that they needed Jesus to come into their hearts as their Lord and Savior. I asked them to pray after me for the prayer of acceptance. They followed the prayer, asking Jesus to be their Lord and Savior in their hearts. After I finished my teaching, I asked the children to come and attend our Sunday worship service. Praise God, the children joined our church worship service!

• Please pray for the children, that they will continue to go to our church’s Sunday worship service and grow in their knowledge of the Lord.

Another blessing from the Lord is that my student at Cebu Korean Church School of Theology, Pastor Ronie Vallentos, is willing to be my resident pastor of the new pioneering church at Liburon, Carcar. His wife’s parents and relatives are from this area. I told him that our church is only a month old since we started and I promised him that he could stay at the church parsonage with his family, God will provide for his needs.

Each week, I visit the place for my teaching and also to bring some groceries. I see that Pastor Ronie and his wife are very happy serving the Lord. They are also encouraged to visit their parents, relatives, and neighbors to invite them to join the worship service on Sundays. Pastor Ronie and his wife are now leading the worship service every Sunday. If I am not there, he will be the one to preach and teach. It is not difficult for me because they are available to do Bible study and visitation everyday, which lightens my burden and allows me some time to do activities or tend to needs that arise.

• Please pray for Pastor Ronie and his wife; that the Lord will bring people to hear the message of God and be saved.

In October, I brought all of my students, from the church-planting subject, to conduct a house-to-house witnessing, as their final grade. I grouped them by twos for the activity. While one is doing the sharing, the other partner will be silently praying. We do the house-to-house witnessing for our one-month new pioneering church at Liburon, Carcar City, in Cebu. During the time of witnessing, my students experienced rejections from the families they visited, with some closing their door and refusing to listen. But, God did give them an open door, as some twenty families were willing to accept them and listen to the Word of God. The great news is that twenty people got saved; they gave their heart to Jesus as their Lord and Savior! Twenty families are willing to have a Bible study in their home and some are willing to join in our Sunday worship service. Praise God because He opens a door to know Him personally! Now, our church workers are busy helping me in doing follow-up for the new prospects that expressed their willingness to have a home Bible study.

• Please pray for the twenty families for their new faith in Jesus.
• Pray for the twenty families that are interested in a weekly Bible study.
• Also pray for Pastor Chris and his family, for health, protection, and financial provision.
• Pray for the completion of Pastor Chris’s construction of his home in Minglanilla, Cebu.
• Pray for the Sunday worship service at his home.

Pastor Cris