Archive - White Fields

Summer 2021

Praise be to God because He cares for the employees at the Multipoint company. Because of the covid crisis, our Bible study with the groups was temporarily stopped. But due to God’s mercy and grace, the owner of the business called us to ask if we could continue the Bible study. Since it is our joy to share the gospel, I immediately agreed. The owners of the business firm are Christians, so they have a burden to let their employees know the truth about the gospel. Indeed, God has given them this desire and compassion for the soul of their workers. We are amazed at the heart of this couple and their desire to share God’s Word. It is a great opportunity for us to minister to them.

ICM business is on the go. I praise and thank God for the opportunity for the women to acquire knowledge to make different products to gain additional income and learn how to save. They plan to give ten percent to the church of whatever income they produce. The International Care Ministry is the secretary of the savings group and leads the values teaching time. The program is to provide the opportunity to earn additional income, but also the Word of God is shared during the values time.

Last month, the health, livelihood, and values program made a positive impact on our church, especially for the women because it was a time of fellowship where they can talk and laugh together while creating the business products. The group is not just for church members, but some of the neighbors have joined and enjoyed knowing they can learn these new skills for free. This time, they made products they had learned how to make before, the fabric conditioner, dishwashing liquid, and detergent powder. The ladies are buying their products and selling to our neighbors. They are building trust and unity for their business to succeed. Of course, everything is with God’s help. To God be the glory.

We thank God for working in so many ways. It has been a great blessing to work with different foundations that provide help and support for the needs of our youth and children. Station of life has eight scholars, including my own two children, who are receiving financial assistance for their schooling. Even if the amount is not huge, we are still blessed because through this we can gather the kids so they can know God deeper in their younger years and be able to obey and serve Him. Little by little, they are growing spiritually through our church worship and discipleship.

Last month they were instructed to write thank you letters and Christmas greetings cards to their sponsors. They were so happy to write the cards and it is good training for them to be grateful. The end of their activity was sharing their Jollibee treats.

Children are blessings from above, so they need to receive love and affection from their parents and their friends. It was a happy day to celebrate the fifth birthday of Alexa. She is the daughter of Maria, one of our church members. Maria has four children, three boys, and one girl. One of them is blind which has been a great burden for Maria to carry. It was a great comfort to minister to their family in a simple way. We were invited to pray for their daughter. Even though the house is small to accommodate everyone, we still did our best to be happy and comfortable through our fellowship. We sang and prayed that Alexa would grow up with respect and fear of the Lord and respect for her parents. We prayed God would bless not only her but the whole family. We ended up full of food and joy for the fellowship together.

Pray for the covid crisis worldwide and God’s mercy.
Pray for protection for everyone in Cebu.
Pray for the church’s construction and financial needs.
Pray for the church members to grow in spiritual maturity.
Pray for the church leaders to be strongly committed to God’s service.
Pray for my family, finances, good health, wisdom, and strength.

I thank God for the opportunity to partner with the ICM ministry. For seven weeks, the participants have learned about values, health, and livelihood. They were how to make snacks such as puto cheese (steamed cake) and banana cupcakes to sell as a business. They have received free vegetable seeds to plant. They learned how to do group savings, and each has their own passbook. My wife is the secretary of the savings group. It is good to think that our church members are learning how to save money, even if it is small. They will not only save their own money but also for their group business. It is also good to know that during this time of covid crisis, they have other ways to earn money and additional know of how to care for their families and have a healthy life.

Every Thursday, the participants had their values class where the leaders teach them about the Word of God. We divided them into two groups; Sis. Angie led the first while my wife led the second group. It was an excellent opportunity to share the gospel with the unbelievers. To God be the glory.

I praise the Lord that we have church members who are trustworthy in God’s service. One of these people is Sis. Angie. She lives beside the church with her family. Her husband is Bro. Renato also supports the ministry. They have two children, a boy, and a girl. Angie and Renato were Roman Catholic and had many Santo Niño statues displayed on their altar of various colors and sizes. We started ministering to the family through the children’s feeding. Their kids enjoyed eating the rice soup (congee) with the other kids. We invited the parents for Bible study and worship. We praise God for working with Angie and her whole family. They disposed of their Santo Niño statues and became active in the church. Angie was a bad-tempered woman who always initiated arguments with the neighbors, even wishing for a physical fight. Now Angie has learned to control her temper; she no longer minds the gossips or negative feedback from others. Angie used to gamble before and spend time with friends doing worldly things, but now she is content to stay at home doing the work of a responsible mother and wife.

Angie already has the courage to teach children about the Word of God. In our values groups on Thursday, Angie is the counselor for the first group. My wife taught and trained her. Every Wednesday at five am, Angie and her husband are always present for dawn prayer meetings. It has been a blessing to witness Angie’s spiritual growth.

Women in the church have a significant part in keeping the church alive. My wife is great at strategizing ways to gather the women, especially those who have reasons to be busy on weekdays. She came up with the idea of gathering the women on the first week of each month for fellowship. They meet for eating and connecting through games and activities to refresh their minds and bodies. Mothers who work every day in their homes now have this particular time to enjoy other women’s company and express their personalities. The church income decreased due to the covid pandemic, so each Sunday, we collected a small amount to be ready for the next women’s event. This amount is saved in preparation for lunch and prizes for the games.

God’s Word is never absent at this event. My wife shares a short Bible mediation to remind them of their responsibilities as women in the church, family, and the community. My wife encouraged them to forget their problems and entrust everything to God. Now is the time to just enjoy life in the knowledge that God cares and loves them. Facing the crisis is still not easy, but we choose to be happy and cheerful, trusting God helps.

Pray for the women in the church to encourage each other.
Pray for their time of fellowship to be edifying, uplifting, and full of joy.

I praise and thank the Lord for the kids in the church who are growing. Reniel is the son of Sis. Angie. He had a bad temper, would always talk back to his parents, and was constantly disobeying. Now I am happy to see his growth in age and spiritual maturity. Reniel is playing the church keyboard every Sunday during our singing time. Praise the Lord.

On his twelfth birthday, Reniel wanted to celebrate by going to the swimming pool. Despite the financial crisis and health pandemic, the family agreed that it would be possible to celebrate his birthday at the pool. They invited some church members to celebrate as well. As a spiritual family, everyone had a great time. It has been a while since the kids have swum at the pool or done any outdoor activity due to the covid restrictions. Reniel was overjoyed since his request was granted. To God be the glory.

Pray for the covid crisis to be over.
Pray for the church member’s spiritual growth and maturity.
Pray for the church leader’s commitment.
Pray for protection, good health, and wisdom for my family.
Pray for the church building’s financial needs.

May 2021

Despite the covid crisis, praise God for making it possible for us to share the gospel with the Multipoint employees. It was a great surprise and blessing to be invited by the owner of this company. We have had a Bible study with them before, but the covid crisis stopped our scheduled meeting. I was so thankful when the owner called me. The owner, employees, and families gathered for the sole purpose of thanking God. I preached about salvation, and my wife led the singing. Everyone listened and responded positively to the message.

I thank God because my children were so happy to see the sea; it has been a long time since they have gone swimming due to the stay-at-home policy for children. We had our lunch together and went home very blessed. The employees and their families were renewed physically and spiritually. My family was too. To God be the glory.

One the second week of last month, the world remembered and cherished all the mothers’ love and effort. Our church also recognized the mommies. The children practiced a special song. They made cards, putting a great deal of effort into making them beautiful with art and love messages. When Sunday worship came, the children thanked God for their mothers through the song they had practiced.

Reniel played the organ. Wine played the guitar, and John Lloyd did the beatbox. After the singing, the kids gave their cards to their moms. We praised God that the kids were excited to participate in the church activities and use their talents in God’s service. After the service, some of the moms bonded by going to Buwakan ni Alejandra to enjoy their special day.

Last month we started a partnership with an internal care ministry. We invited our members and neighbors to learn more about the values, health, and livelihood program. In health, they started by measuring the weight and height of the children to know if they were malnourished. In livelihood, they started teaching about having a savings group. It was a great blessing, every Monday afternoon, we gathered to learn new health knowledge, and on Thursday, we reached out to those who attended to teach them about values. The strategy is to train them with the Word of God. In order to be successful with health and livelihood aspects, specific life values need to be understood and followed.

We choose five counselors from our church members, and my wife trained them. It was their first time to be involved in this type of activity. We formed through groups, dividing the different locations where we would be teaching values and principles. Angie will be the one to speak to the lower area. My wife covered the upper zone. Tatay Hermie was assigned to the men.

In the third week of last month, we started our values approach by teaching and giving out free Bibles. Then we went back to the church to discuss what happened. Many people were not interested, but some participated. We encouraged our leaders not to be discouraged by the negative reactions from the neighborhood but to focus on those whom God brought to listen. We prayed for God’s wisdom and courage. We praise God that it all went well.

We cannot know the future. The church and I were sad because of what happened to our fellow worker in the church, Tatay Hermie. He is seventy-four and played the organ in the church. It was sudden, because on the night before he had hypertension but was happy singing songs with the men. At five am the following day, while making coffee, I noticed a change in the way Hermie moved and talked. He did not immediately respond when I spoke to him, and he spilled the coffee on the table. Something seemed wrong, so I called Tatay Paul since he has high blood pressure medicine. Hermie was fine again. I asked Hermie if he wanted to go with me to my speaking engagement. He said he was fine, so we went together. Then during our eating time, I noticed that he was doing the same thing, and his food and phone kept falling. I decided to bring him to the hospital. Hermie’s family all lives in Agusan, part of Mindanao. We are sad that he is so far from his family during this situation; we shared with them the news. Currently, we are waiting for the CT scan and laboratory results. Hermie has been unable to recognize people and cannot lift his right arm, so someone has to feed him. We need your prayers.

Pray for Bro. Hermie to completely recover and for financial provision for the hospital bills.
Pray for good health, protection, and wisdom in the ministry.
Pray for the spiritual growth and maturity of the members.
Pray for committed leaders.

Pray for the covid crisis to come to an end. Pray for the worldwide economy to improve.

April 2021

Praise be to the name of Jesus because He indeed works mightily in the ministry. We thank the Lord for the lives of these women He has brought to the church. It has not been easy to gather them because each has life scars that only God can heal with His unconditional love. By the grace of God, they are growing spiritually and taking the initiative to support the church activities. I was completely surprised at three in the morning to hear voices singing outside our house. The women were singing acapella mañanita (birthday serenade sung at dawn) to my wife. She had no idea that they could do mañanita by themselves because typically, she leads the singing and plays the guitar when we have a member with a birthday to celebrate. They may not have been professional singers, but they genuinely and joyfully expressed their love for my wife. It was so funny because before they could even finish the song, they were laughing out loud. They forgot a few of the lines at the end, so my wife opened the door and laughed with them too. They even brought a cake with them. My wife was so happy because she was so astounded that these women would sacrifice by waking up early and all the preparations. They spent time practicing these songs by themselves and even spent money on food and a cake despite the tight budgets caused by the covid crisis.

After the mañanita, the women took my wife on a nine-hour walk to beautiful places in Cebu, including the temple of Leah and Sirao. It was amazing to me that God had given them the strength to do it. It was even more surprising that they went that far just walking. But according to them, they enjoyed the walk and were surprised themselves by how far they had gone. They spent time together in refreshment with their family in the Lord, the family who will be there through the good and bad times. To God be the glory.

Last month, I shared our sister Alma’s concerns and family troubles with the trauma brought upon her by her alcoholic partner. The incident last month where he physically mistreated her caused Alma to be weaker emotionally and spiritually. But the church did not stop praying for her and her family. My wife is continuing to encourage Alma to return to the church and to trust God and pray. In God’s timing, everything will be alright.

Alma attempted to leave her partner and took her children to her relatives to get some space and plan what to do next. They only stayed there one night because her partner, Eric, was already exchanging messages with their daughter, Erica. Erica was worried her father would have a nervous breakdown and so she convinced her mom that Eric was sorry and would not drink alcohol again or hurt her. Alma changed her mind and went home early the following day because of her daughter’s request.

God has answered our prayers because now Alma is attending the Bible study and Sunday worship again. Sometimes she is absent because her partner stops her from coming, but the good thing is that Alma is again fellowshipping with us. On my wife’s birthday, Alma went with the women’s group. I know that Alma is still struggling inside and hurt, but thankfully she is fighting with God’s strength.

Pray for Alma and her partner Eric.
Pray for Eric to make good on his promises to stop drinking.
Pray for him to be saved.

We thank the Lord that our Children’s Sunday school is back to its original meeting time before our Sunday worship. My wife is training the young people in music and encouraging them to teach and lead the action songs. Angelika was the first youth trained to teach the little ones. She is only fourteen years old and lives near the church. Her whole family worships with us, but sometimes her parents cannot join us every Sunday because they are both working. Angelika’s commitment to the Lord was shaking because she is so busy doing school modules and household chores, and her parents are not always home. My wife encouraged Angelika to serve the Lord and not be too busy that she stops doing good things for the Lord. Angelika is practicing on Saturday nights with my wife; she is very shy, so this practice helps boost her confidence. At first, Angelika had a hard time remember what she had practiced, but she is already teaching and improving. My wife does the follow-up with the kids to explain more and make sure they understand the story’s lessons. Little by little, we know Angelika will improve with the help of God.

Reaching out to our neighbors by bringing them to Jesus is our church’s primary goal. We do all we can to share with them the love of God. We thank God that another source of help came to our church, a Christian group whose focus is on helping with a livelihood and winning souls for God. This group has helped quite a few Christian churches here in the Philippines. According to other church testimonies, the group has helped their churches grow.

Sister Aida, the representative, shared the process, rules, and benefits of this caring ministry. We filled out the forms. Everyone was excited because one of the ways this group can help is with the property we use as a church since we do not own the lot. We started by singing praises to God and heard from the Word of God before the representative shared. We thank God that this meeting went well, and we are looking forward to the next. Another opportunity for a blessing from above. To God be the glory.

Pray for the covid crisis, for the government to have wisdom in dealing with the situation, including the economy.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity among the church members.
Pray for committed church leaders and new contacts.
Pray for financial provision for the church’s construction and the baptism this month.

March 2021

Praise the Lord for bringing women to work with and who we can bless through ministry. I thank God for my wife doing everything she can to encourage the women. She does not want them to grow weary despite the additional challenges caused by the covid crisis. During these difficult times, we need extra encouragement from each other. My wife came up with the idea of gathering the women every Saturday at dawn to jog and walk together to recharge themselves with exercise. This month they started to exercise in the mountains and other spots near our place. I see the women’s joy and excitement as they get to know each other more and build each other up.

Everywhere they go, they bring back plants and flowers to add beauty to the church. These flowers and plants are growing well since the women are also taking good care of them. The women also have their Bible study every Saturday evening. My wife works hard to make sure their spiritual needs are met.

There are things in the ministry that we never expect to happen, but when they do, it reminds us to pray and trust God in whatever trials come our way. On the second week of last month, it was a Tuesday at about eleven at night. The entire neighborhood and our household were resting since it was late. Suddenly, we heard a loud cry and shouting children. We woke up in a fluster trying to figure out where the noise was coming from and what was happening. My wife realized that the commotion was coming from our church member Alma’s house. Her live-in partner was so drunk that he did not know what he was doing. Eric was shouting and waving a bolo (a big knife). He was cutting the trees and throwing whatever was handy. He was so angry and the only person making noise in the neighborhood.

My wife told me to do something. So, I woke up the men and gathered them. I prayed and courageously went to Eric to catch his attention. I talked to him, asking what the problem was, and tried to calm him down. It took a long time to convince Eric to stop, but we thank God for using our efforts to calm the situation.

Early in the morning, after the dawn prayer meeting, my wife and sister, Angie, visited Alma and were shocked when they saw everything, the house was in chaos, and many things were broken. Alma’s left eye was swollen where Eric had punched her. Erica, their daughter, was crying, so my wife just hugged her. The women did their best to clean the house and pick up the scattered objects. At that time, Eric was there, sitting outside the house drinking coffee. After cleaning, we prayed and comforted Alma. She shared the accurate and complete story of how her children were crying and shouting for help because they saw their father hit their mother.

Alma was sad and hurt. There have been problems in the past when Eric was very drunk, but this was the first time Alma had been hit and hurt physically. Alma has two children; Erica is fourteen, and Aldrin is six.

After hearing Alma’s story, the women brought her to the church, and that’s when I saw her swollen face. Later on, a barangay tanods (local law enforcement) came by because one of the neighbors, a concerned citizen, reported the incident as abuse of women and a public scandal. Alma insisted on a settlement, and so the officials left. Alma decided to leave her partner and take her children back to their province because she was so upset by what Eric did. However, because of the travel protocols, she cannot travel at this time. Eric asked for forgiveness and promised never to do this again, but Alma is still in pain and confused. She cannot forgive him because she does not see any sincerity.

Alma is still weak spiritually, and we keep encouraging her to come to church, but she has refused. As a church, we are praying for her to come back and for the salvation of Eric. As a church family, we are saddened and upset by the events, but we can do little except pray very hard and trust God. We know that God knows everything and, in His own time, will make all things beautiful.

Pray for Alma and Eric.

Nanay (Grandmother) Raymunda is one of our senior citizens in the church, and we are so thankful to God for her. We celebrated her 89th birthday. Raymunda was so excited that she informed my wife and me well in advance. She has been an encouragement to all of us because, despite her age, she is still physically and mentally active and robust. On her special day, the church leaders and some members had a mananita (early morning serenade) to surprise her. At four am, we sang uplifting and memorable birthday songs to her. It was so funny because it was not a surprise at all; when the group got to Raymunda’s tiny house, she was already awake. They started to sing just as Raymunda was opening her gate. My wife was playing the guitar, and everyone was laughing while singing. My wife shared a Bible verse and prayed. Then everyone went to the church to eat and drink hot chocolate. Together we enjoyed celebrating her day and laughing. The preparations were simple but special enough to let Raymunda know that we love and care for her as a family of God.

Praise the Lord another year in Nanay Rymunda’s life.

Indeed, God was listening to our prayers and pleadings, especially those related to His work. Praise God. Pastor Cris Pano brought a projector for our church to use. He helped us to install it and taught us how to use it. We thank God for blessing us with this tool for His ministry. Our church offerings would not have been enough to get one soon since we also funded the church building construction. It has long been our prayer and desire to sing praises to God without holding paper copies of the words so that we can clap our hands freely while singing.

This month we are so happy because we also finished putting the floor tiles in the church. Despite the added worries of the covid crisis, God has been good to us in providing for the church’s needs. God is a God of blessing. We just need to remember to continue to trust Him.

Pray for the government to have wisdom in dealing with the covid situation.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity among the church members of all ages.
Pray for new contacts.
Pray for provision for the church construction.

February 2021

It is always a great feeling to visit with someone who can encourage, teach, and impart Godly wisdom. Just this month, Pastor Cris Pano visited us. He is one of our spiritual teachers and mentors. We had a blessed fellowship with the men of the church, including lunch and coffee. Pastor Cris shared ways and tips of how to grow our church in quantity and quality. I was happy to see the men listening attentively to his words. His visit encouraged us to desire to do more for God’s glory.

Pray for committed church leaders
Pray for financial provision for the church construction
Pray for the church to grow in quantity and quality
Pray for our outreach and new contacts

We also were visited by a co-worker that I had not seen for quite a while. I was surprised to be visited by Pastor Shane as his ministry is in Lutupan. We had a great time of fellowship, filled with laughter and memories of funny moments. Because of our laughing and talking, we forgot the time. Since there is a curfew hour at Pastor Shane’s place, he could not go home, so he spent the night at our house. We had breakfast and prayed together before sending him on his way.

In these times of the covid crisis, everyone needs encouragement and comfort from others. As a worker of God, I think of ways to reach out to different types and groups of people. Social concern and connection with others are essential components of my ministry. Front-liners, such as police, army, and volunteers, are in great need due to the current situation. They are the ones who help keep individuals safe and secure, so they need our prayers.

I not only pray and encourage the front-liners, but also the prisoners at the police station. We need to have concern for them as well. Being locked inside a jail must be a frustrating situation. They need to hear that no matter what sin and mistakes they made, there is still hope and forgiveness in the Lord. I thank God for this great opportunity that he has given me to minister to these kinds of people.

To equip leaders in the church is necessary, especially the men. They need spiritual mentoring and discipleship. Every Thursday evening, we meet after dinner. We sing hymns and gospel songs of praise and worship to the Lord and then follow with the Word of God. Some of these men are still new in their faith. I need to speak words that impact them to lead transformed lives. I need to review and deepen their understanding, first of all, about salvation. They need to know why they serve God and solidly understand the basics before committing to be leaders in the church. Slowly, by the grace of God, I believe these men will grow and mature spiritually. I enjoy ministering to the men in the church and enjoying knowing they can help me do God’s work.

Praise God because the women are growing spiritually through the mentorship of my wife. When we made plans for the church, the women were there supporting the process. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and church construction project, our surrounding area got very dirty. Even some of the plants withered and died. My wife gathered and encouraged the women to revive the beauty of the church surroundings. We cleaned the side of the church where people pass by every day.

Then we did the landscaping by putting in stones and cement, then filled the area with plants and flowers. Thanks be to God that even some of the men helped. Everyone was thrilled to help and so cheerful while we worked. We had snacks and lunch together.

One of the church members donated plants for the project as she will be in the province with her kids. She immediately agreed to bring her plants, and we told her we would take good care of them and add more soon.

The results were beautiful and immensely satisfying to the group. Thank the Lord for providing for the needs of the church in an extraordinary way. To God be the glory.

Pray for protection and wisdom
Pray for the worldwide covid crisis, particularly for healing for the sick and the economy
Pray for the opportunities to share the gospel that has come about during the covid crisis
Pray for open hearts to hear about God’s love
Pray for the youth to be passionate about practicing their musical instruments

January 2021

Prayer is the best weapon for church growth; this knowledge prompted us to start our dawn prayer meeting every Wednesday at five am. It feels good to wake up early in the morning to bring God our list of prayer concerns for the world, our nation, church, and personal requests. My wife announced our plan, and some of the church leaders responded to the call for corporate prayer. Since we are still dealing with the covid crisis significantly affecting our health and economy, we must intensify our prayers in the churches. Despite the few adults who have attended the dawn prayer, there is much sincerity in bringing these requests before God.

We had an increase in covid cases in our area, with some people admitted to the hospital. In response to this increase, the chief of police and barangay captain declared an order for a total lockdown of the entire barangay every Sunday from five am to ten pm. The authorities strictly implemented the health protocols and pandemic guidelines. Church worship was not prohibited, but the wearing of face masks, social distancing, and handwashing was observed.

Pray for God to bring peace to the hearts of our people.
Pray for our number of committed church leaders to grow.

Our church members were frightened, and some of the other churches were closed. But for our group, we learned to be even more dependent on God, and we had our worship service. Praise the Lord. We had few children because parents would not allow them to attend.

Pray for the covid crisis in our country and the world to end; pray for our economy to recover.
Pray for the believers’ daily needs, especially those out of work, including access to adequate food.

Some of the church members volunteered to spend time helping with the church building construction. We extended our worship hall. We thank God for friends who provided some of the materials.

Pray for the construction project and financial provision.
Pray for an LCD projector.

It was a cold and rainy morning when I heard sweet voices singing. I realized it was my birthday. I did not expect the church leaders to come and sing birthday songs early in the morning. I was happy because, despite the crises, they brought bread and coffee to cheer me up and encourage me on my special day. The prayers and wishes lifted my spirit. I was glad that my wife had prepared everything for these surprising moments. Thank God for the people who cared and remembered me on this special day. Thank the Lord for another year of blessings.

We had another opportunity to again minister to lost souls. The group of young people is hoping to be saved from their poverty, especially during this crisis. Through martial arts training, they can fight and earn money, no matter if they win or lose. We are supporting their dreams and praying for them. But before they train physically, they must be spiritually fit. We have a Bible study every Tuesday morning before they do the bodily exercises. My wife led the Bible study, encouraging them to work with God to achieve their life goals. Not all these youth are part of the martial arts training; some came just for the Bible study. I thank the Lord that they were listening intently while my wife shared God’s Word, emphasizing salvation. Our heart desires to reach these young people with the gospel. We see God moving and bringing opportunities for us to minister to the lost.

Pray for spiritual growth and maturity.
Pray for the youth’s commitment and seriousness to practice musical instruments and martial arts.
Pray for protection, good health, financial provision, and wisdom for my family.

December 2020

Last month, I reported our new way to reach the young people near the church since we are still under the pandemic crisis. I see that the teenagers, including the children, are bored and stressed by their situation. Continually staying at home and the limitations on going outside make it tough to do all the things they usually would enjoy doing.

Sadly, many changes this last year in our community and the world affected everyone. Many lives were lost, and the family members suffered this loss. The young people of this generation are more open to new ideas, more aggressive, adventurous, and want to explore more. They have to discover more things to grow and figure out where they fit in this world.

So, we came up with a simple way to lessen their boredom after completing their school modules. Through physical exercise, they cant test their limits and get to know their strengths. Being involved in sports distracts them from their present problems, especially the youth whose parents struggle to get adequate income for food or daily needs. The children then feel the tensions and struggles. Some of them have been unable to continue their studies due to a lack of devices and internet access.

I am happy to have friends who know taekwondo and kickboxing; they are willing to teach the youth for free. I convinced them to help me in this area, as they are front-liners like myself. We do the exercises and moves two to three times a week. I enjoy watching the teens burst into laughter while making some of the challenging and hurtful moves. Through this program, the church connects with the youth and forms relationships with them and the community. Sometimes it is hard to go to the teens, so it is a great strategy to become friends with them and draw them to the church to feel God’s love and comfort in this simple and non-threatening way. To God be the glory.

Pray for these teens to be open to the gospel and proclaim Christ as their Savior.
Pray for their exercise to build discipline and structure in their lives.
Pray for their choices to be honoring to God and have positive consequences in their lives.

Praise God for the kids He has brought to us to hear God’s Word. These kids have been chosen as church scholars by an international foundation. They were receiving some financial support for their school from individual sponsors. The amount is not large, but the most crucial part is that the kids are being mentored and brought closer to God. Each year they conducted a Christmas party for the scholars, gathering the kids from many Christian churches to bring joy.

Sadly, this year, the large gathering was not possible due to the pandemic, but each church did an individual celebration. The leaders arranged the schedule, and the resident pastors and leaders received instructions. My wife oversaw this activity, and she gave assignments to the kids. They practiced their parts, including dance offerings to God, memory verses, testimonies, chapter memorization, and preaching. It was a great confidence builder for the kids to participate with much anticipation, excitement, and happiness on the day of our event. The foundation leaders came early that day and saw joy and smiles on the faces of the kids. We started with the Word of God, reminding the audience of the real meaning of Christmas. Joy should always be present because we have received the greatest gift, which is Jesus Christ alone. Then the kids presented their prepared performance. Everyone was happy, nervous, and delighted.

Pray for the kids to grow in the knowledge and grace of God.
Pray for them to work hard at their studies.

Praise God for his faithfulness and goodness to all of us. Since everyone is busy this Christmas season, we did our Church Christmas celebration earlier. We met with the leaders and officers to make plans and delegate assignments. Since we are in the midst of a crisis, we did not ask everyone to contribute financially. The church covered the food costs and gifts for the kids. The men did the cooking, and the women cleaned and decorated the church. We helped each other and worked hard together on our respective tasks. Pastor Cris Pano was our invited speaker, and he reminded us of the real meaning of Christmas. We asked our neighbors and some of the front-liners to join us. After worship, we enjoyed the food cooked by the men. The women served and took great care of members and visitors.

To follow the safety protocols, we held the youth and children’s celebration in the afternoon. We had games and gifts for them. We could only spend an hour together, but we exchanged gifts and had delicious food. We prayed together for the crisis to end in the name of Jesus. Some of the women stayed a little longer to clean the church.

Our hearts have desired to create a committed praise and worship team. We are working with the youth to train them in music and remind them to remember their creator in their youth days. My wife would like to have someone else also to lead music and play the guitar. Sometimes they are not always interested in playing instruments, but my wife persuades them to keep practicing and trying for God’s glory. Every Sunday afternoon, we have the youth worship separate from the adults. My wife has beginner’s organ knowledge, so she is teaching them the basics. John Lloyd is teaching the boys to play the beatbox. Wine is practicing the guitar. The girls do the singing and backup while playing the tambourine. Sometimes they get quickly tired and irritated because they cannot get the beat or correct tune; my wife patiently encourages them. In God’s time, we do believe they will grow up and desire to do more for God’s glory.

Pray for the covid pandemic to end, pray for protection and provision for everyone.
Pray for funds for the church building construction.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity for the men, women, youth, and children.
Pray for the kids to be serious and committed to practicing the instruments. Pray for protection, good health, and wisdom for my family.

November 2020

Praise the Lord for the willingness of the men to serve the community people voluntarily. During this pandemic, we need additional people to assist in maintaining safety, peace, and order. The volunteer group of front-liners includes neighbors in Kalunasan. Before we go to the checkpoints to assist the police, we pray together. We also have a follow-up meeting at the church.

Pray for our witness to the police officers and neighbors.

Nowadays, young people are typically targeted by illegal drug runners. In our area, many young people are victims of drugs. They have no means of sharing their feelings and emotions, which often leads to their lives being easily destroyed by drug use or other harmful habits. We started to offer taekwondo classes as a form of discipline and as an opportunity to bond with other young men. In our area, reaching youth is challenging due to the worldly influence, so we have gotten creative in sharing the gospel. We started the taekwondo classes a couple of months ago, and I already see that the youth are enjoying it. We are praying for good outcomes and that this will be an opportunity to build relationships.

Pray for the youth to come to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I thank the Lord that a young couple decided to dedicate their daughter to the Lord, even though they are still new in the faith. Natalia was born last year and is their first child. The family lives beside the church. We did the child dedication, and I preached a sermon about putting God first in our lives and how to train children in the way of the Lord. We had lunch together.

Last month we blessed the property of Geraldine and Jacel. They are new in our area. Geraldine is a Christian but has not attended church due to personal reasons. We encourage them to attend church again. At their house dedication, we praised God for providing for all their needs to finish their house. We also pray for their family, that they will continue to serve the Lord and become a channel of blessing to others. We praise the Lord because the next day, they attended the church with their family.

Pray for God’s protection and provision.
Pray for the church construction and the church members to grow spiritually.
Pray for committed church leaders.
Pray for Geraldine and Jacel’s commitment to God.

October 2020

Praise be to God that our ministry has not stopped despite the pandemic. Geraldine came to us looking for a Christian church where she could again worship God with other believers. According to her testimony, she is already a Christian but had not attended church for a year. She was walking around the area looking for a church and heard about us. I thank God that our church in Guadalupe has a good reputation in the neighborhood.

Geraldine came with her partner to visit us. Since they are new to the area, they asked us to bless their small property with prayer. They are building a house there. So early in the morning, we went to their land and opened the Bible with prayer. Since the neighboring homes are close by, a few people stood by and listened. It was an excellent opportunity to share the gospel with unbelievers. After speaking, I encouraged them to come to the church, expressing that they would be welcome.

The next week was another opportunity to minister to unbelievers. Ana came to our house with her partner Jandy. He was a drug addict and recently received parole. They asked for our help to have his name cleared from the police records. They came to me since they had heard I had friends and connections at the police station. After telling them what to do, we prayed for them, and they went home comforted. Later, Ana came back, saying that Jandy’s mother would not allow her son to revisit a police station because she misunderstood their decision. Ana was confused because she wants Jandy to have a cleared name to apply for a job freely. They have three small children to feed. We again comforted her with words from the Bible and advised them to obey Jandy’s mother. We invited Ana to come to church.

Pray for Jandy and Ana.
Pray for their future and their salvation.

Danbee came to us complaining about his health. He felt pain in his head all the time and some in his body. He was tired all the time. Danbee is one of the frontliners and a Christian, worshipping and serving as a drummer at another church. He also works in the Department of Customs. I was surprised by his request for prayer. But since I am always ready to minister, I immediately prayed for his health.

Nanay Veronica is a senior citizen in our church, and her faithfulness to God serves as a model to the younger believers. She lives beside the church and attends every Saturday Bible study and worship with us on Sundays. Her example blesses me. Veronica’s husband and children are all Roman Catholics, but so far, they respect her faith. Sometimes Veronica is sad that she is the only Christian in her family; we encourage her never to lose hope and keep praying and sharing God’s Word with them. Sometimes her husband comes to worship with us, but Veronica says this is only out of respect and because as he is a senior citizen, he cannot attend the Roman Catholic Church. We joyfully celebrated Veronica’s seventy-eighth birthday. She invited us for dinner because her children had prepared food. Praise the Lord.

God answered our prayers. We started the building extension for the church as our Korean brothers gave money for construction. We have been praying for church growth and a larger space for worship. Also, with the government’s social distancing requirement, we needed the expanded space to meet so we can be refreshed and reminded of God’s Word. Some finances are required, so pray for our building project and a projector.

Pray for the believers’ spiritual growth and maturity and for new people to come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray for protection and provision for everyone, including my family

September 2020

We ought to be ready at any time because opportunities to minister and help others are often unexpected. Edsel is a young man who is the cousin of our close friend. Our friend called and asked us to help Edsel after some family trouble, and tempers had been lost. Edsel and his mother wanted to go to his aunt’s house to avoid further issues. But they were having problems because of the strictness of the checkpoints and the mom’s health. She had a stroke in the past and could barely walk. I am grateful to have friends with the ability to provide transportation. Edsel stayed with my wife and me for two days in our home, and we encouraged him. He is a kind boy overall, and we talked about forgiveness and not holding a grudge. Edsel was a protestant and had attended a protestant church. While he stayed in our home, I could feel that he felt comfortable and was able to release the pain that he had been hiding inside. He grew up without a father, and his mother was his only parent. Many problems arose when his mother got sick. Edsel cannot go search for a job because he loves and cares for his mother. Edsel was thankful to receive help and comfort from the church family.

We praise the Lord that after six months without corporate worship, we are able to gather in person again. We followed the government protocols by doing multiple services so the church would not be crowded. The adults, young people with children, and front-liners meet at separate times. We praise God that we can again worship together as a family.

We have desired to extend the church space, especially with the need to spread out due to the protocols. We praise God for answering our prayers in His timing. Our Korean brothers come for ministry and see the growth of the church. They came up with the plan to do a church extension and gave us the money to build it. It was unexpected since we never asked them for help. We see God doing mighty and wondrous things during the world’s crises, and we are blessed by those who support our ministry. Most of our members are in poverty and financially unstable; the current situation is challenging for them, so the ability to build was such a surprise.

Pray for the global situation and pandemic to end.
Pray for those who are unemployed to find jobs. Pray for the church construction. Pray for protection for my family.

We praise God for the opportunities for ministry to the police that have arisen during the covid pandemic. I have been leading the front-liners in prayer for guidance and protection before they go to their posts. For six months, we have been doing this meeting. I encourage them with God’s Word, telling them that without God, we are nothing. They come from different religious backgrounds, but because I am bringing them the offer of a relationship with God rather than religion, they are willing to listen. I tell them that religion cannot save us, but Jesus Christ can. When they have personal concerns, they come to me since they know I am a man of God and can give them appropriate advice.

Pray for salvation for the police officers.

We desire to take good care of the kids and teenagers in the church and encourage their spiritual growth. We remind them to serve the Lord, even in their youth. My wife desires to have a praise and worship team, but she is the only one who can play the guitar. She is praying for God to bring someone else to lead worship too. From this desire, we encourage young people to come to the church to practice musical instruments.

Angelica is fourteen and the only one who is consistent in practicing each evening. The others come only when they really want to; discipline is necessary to progress with music. We praise God that we could purchase a new keyboard with the church tithes and offerings. We encourage the youth to practice anytime their schedule allows.

Pray for the youth to commit to growing in their musical knowledge and ability.
Pray for the adjustment to the new usual method of education in an online format.
Pray for patience and wisdom for both the parents and the children.

July/August 2020

Early in the morning, Alma came to our house crying because her sister-in-law Victoria had died. In previous reports, we shared that Victoria had a nervous breakdown, becoming wild and intending self-harm. Her children were with her mother in Leyte. Victoria came here to escape from her partner’s abuse but did not deal well with the change. Alma shared that Victoria was always speaking of her children before she died. Since the family did not know what to do next, I gave them instructions and helped them process death. We prayed after speaking together. Some of the church members went house-to-house to ask for donations to solve the financial problem of burial. We raised a small amount of money and were thankful to God for the generosity of the community. Since we still face the coronavirus pandemic, it is hard to bury anyone in the cemetery unless you have a substantial amount to pay for a spot. We praise and thank God for answering our prayers and supporting our sister Alma. We were grateful for the family of believers who they can rely on at this time.

Pray for the family of Alma and Victoria to be comforted during this time.

Last month we reported how God answered our prayers regarding the water problem. But this last month, we received many complaints about the sudden increase in the water bills, and everyone was shocked by the cost. I held an urgent meeting outside the church and invited the plumber so we could hear both sides. I encouraged everyone to state their concerns in the hearing of the owner and manager. The plumber shared his explanation, which was beneficial as everyone understood it. Although not everyone was satisfied, they still understood the reasons and were willing to pay their bills. We thank God for the ability to end the meeting in prayer.

Pray for the water source to be financially feasible for the families.
Pray for the situation to be mutually beneficial for both sides.

Since our community is still facing difficulties because of the coronavirus pandemic, we are doing what we can to help. I have volunteered along with the churchmen and neighbors to be a front-liners. Our job is to assist the police and other front-liners working at the checkpoint. Before we patrol the area, we have devotions and prayers.

We do not know what will happen in the future and life in this world is full of suffering and pain. Sister Cha Cha has shared with us that she would give up if she were not relying on God. Her parents had wanted her to visit for a long time because her mother has diabetes, and her father is undergoing dialysis. It was hard for Cha Cha to see her parents because of the pandemic’s travel restrictions, and she has three small children. Cha Cha spoke with us and asked for wisdom about visiting her parents. We advised her to reconsider because of her children, and traveling outside of Cebu is impossible due to the positive cases. After much thought, Cha Cha decided not to go because she could not do anything even though her father was dying. The night before her father died, Cha Cha came to our house and did a video call with her father because she had many things to tell him. Seeing her father in a pitiful condition was hard on her emotionally. She was grateful for the opportunity to speak with her father and ask him to forgive her mistakes. We comforted Cha -Cha to accept the reality of death and are mourning with her.

Pray for Cha Cha and her family as they mourn the loss of their father.

Praise to God for answering our prayers and daily needs during this time of the pandemic. As a church, we are helping the youth in their studies. My wife is mentoring them and leading their spiritual growth. We thank God for kindhearted sponsors who are supporting the children financially for their schooling. The pandemic has made the situation harder for the children. We are grateful for the generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have given relief goods. The children are missing church as we have not been able to meet due to the safety protocols.

Pray for physical and spiritual healing from the coronavirus pandemic.
Pray for the jobless to find employment.
Pray for daily food.
Pray for the church members’ spiritual growth and maturity.

June 2020

God answers our prayers in His time. Our church has prayed for a decent water connection in our area for a long time. Most of our members had a hard time accessing water since they had to line up and wait for the scheduled time to buy the water, also brining many gallons worth of containers to fill with water. It was uncomfortable and fearful during the time of pandemic since physical distancing was not much observed. We were happy to have someone approach us that owns a water line and how we could purchase a connection.

We discussed the specific rules and guidelines so everyone could have a water connection. Many applied rapidly for water connections since they are so desperate for water despite their financial concerns of how to pay for the service. On the first day of the week, I prepared the materials and complied with the requirements. Since I was first to complete the task, I got to taste the water first. I called our church members and gave them water to our church members. The church provided lunch for the workers and plumbers. We praise God for His goodness; we just need to remember to be patient for answers to our concerns as He does hear us and is caring for us, especially for His children. Let us not stop praying. To God only, be the glory.

We have no idea what the future holds, and things feel even more uncertain right now. As believers, we are not exempt from hardships or trials. These experiences are allowed by God for us to be spiritually healthy and more aware of His presence in our lives. Even before the pandemic, the church was planning for a building extension. However, this project was postponed. But we continued to pray for the extension to be possible.

The house in front of the church belongs to my sister, who now lives in Mindanao. The church needed to expand because we were outgrowing our current space and had more worshipers every Sunday. We shared our plan with my sister, and she agreed to allow the church to use the property. We considered the financial costs and, despite some concerns, started to extend the church. We expect the church growth to continue, as we believe that the pandemic will end in God’s time. I am thankful for the men who have helped us do the job. The mission of God must be in our hearts all the time as children of God. Let us not get tired of doing work for the glory of God.

Even though we have not had corporate worship for three months, we encourage the church members through messages and services online using messenger. As most of our members live near the church, it is easy to relay information when there are unexpected anxieties.

Jimmy was in my last month’s report due to his hospital admittance from high blood pressure and paralysis. Thanks to God that Jimmy is now home recovering. Unfortunately, they experienced discrimination since they live in our community, and we have cases of coronavirus. But despite the stress of finances and the attitudes of the medical professionals, the family endured the experience. The family requests our prayers for Jimmy to be able to move again. Also, for access to resources to monitor his blood pressure and diabetes. Jimmy was a taxi driver for a long time but is out of work from the pandemic and struggling financially. Everyone is suffering right now because of the lockdown, but this family’s struggle has doubled. My brother and I went to visit Jimmy, to pray for him and lighten his load. We extended a gift of money to help them. We know that the knowledge that we care for Jimmy and his family and the gift of money will be encouraging to them. Even the simple ways show that God loves them, no matter what kind of person they were before salvation or what they did in the past. Our mission is to show everyone that the Living God cares for them.

Pray for Jimmy’s recovery.
Pray for access to medical resources that he requires to stay healthy.
Pray for their finances and for a source of income to buy daily necessities.

God is good to use us for his plans and put us in situations where we share His love with those in great need. As a church, we need to have concern for our community and reach out to them in season and out of seasons. As a pastor, I have been called to handle many different community concerns, especially in our close area. My neighbors come to me whenever they have a family problem or situation, even quarreling. Church members and those who are not church members come to me with their challenges. Even during the night, they ask for my aid. So, I must be ready all the time since this is God’s call for my life, and I am thankful to Him to sustain me in these situations.

One of our church members, Alma, called me because her sister-in-law, Victoria, attempted suicide. Vitoria was working in Cebu while her children were at home in their province. Due to the lockdown, Victoria was not able to go home. This family problem caused her depression. I told the family that Victoria needs to have psycho-social care where she could receive help, but the family disagreed, probably due to the financial constraints. In this type of situation, the love of the family members is essential. My wife encouraged the family to talk with Victoria, sing praise and worship songs to her, and do any actions to make her feel that she is still loved. I visit her whenever I have time, but unfortunately, the family tied her up as an assurance that she would not commit another suicidal attempt. As a minister of God, our presence is vital in society because only believers can bring the news of the Only and True Source of love and comfort, our Living God who created and knows everything in heaven above, and earth below. Only One we can trust.

Pray for Alma and Victoria and their families.
Pray for healing, peace, and comfort for Victoria.
Pray for her mindset to be changed and to feel the love of her family and the believers.
Pray for the worldwide situation of the pandemic to stop.
Pray for the jobless and homeless to have financial provision.
Pray for wisdom for the children’s education this August.

May 2020

Midway through March until the present, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was declared for the whole province of Cebu due to the pandemic. Going outside was strictly prohibited, and all violators are reported and brought to the police with a resulting penalty. The government issued the quarantine pass that allows only one person per household to go out to purchase food. Gatherings and fellowships are temporarily stopped. My family is staying at home and following the authorities. It is unusual as a church to have no corporate worship, Bible study, and prayer meetings. Instead, we do these events as family devotionals.

I called the church leaders and thought of how we can continue to update the church members apart from texting messages or using messenger. We decided to organize a volunteer citizen police to coordinate the checkpoint along the corner of the church road and approved it with the barangay authorities. We provide sanitizer to all the people passing the location to prevent the spread of the virus. The church is providing food and snack for the volunteers, my wife and I are cooking for them. The post is open at all hours. We have time to share God’s Word and sing praise and worship songs together. Despite the crisis, we can laugh together as we know that our great and amazing God is always there to protect us and provide for our needs.

Praise God for the many positive things that have happened in our family. Each day, my family has more time to bond with each other. My wife and children have bible reading and singing; we pray and worship as a family. We have played games together, including scrabble and badminton. I thank God for providing for the needs of our family.

Cha Cha, one of our church members, brought some food to our family and other church members to celebrate her birthday. Even though her family currently has no income, she wanted to thank God for his goodness. Cha Cha and her partner, who is a security guard, have three children. Due to the quarantine, he has no work. We did not talk long but took the time to pray with Cha Cha. We can see her joy in knowing that she has a spiritual family with whom she can share her burdens.

Other church members, Jun and Salome, asked us to pray a blessing for their small grocery store. They have a five-month-old baby, and so it is especially hard if they are unable to buy milk and daily food. Because of the lockdown, Jun had no work or any source of income. They are thankful that her elder sister, Lot, our church treasurer, was able to help them financially to start a small business so they can survive during this difficult time. Even though any gathering is prohibited, I still shared a verse with them to encourage their faith in God at this time of crisis. I reminded them that everything comes from God alone. We ended with a word of prayer, asking God to bless their small business and for their family to grow in the Lord.

Pray for life to return to normal, for schools, churches, and businesses, and for everyone to be able to work again and earn their living.
Pray for healing for the infected, protection, and provision for everyone else.
Pray for the end of the pandemic or a cure or vaccine.
Pray for our leaders.
Pray for salvation for the lost.
Pray for the church members to grow and mature spiritually.
Pray for the church leaders to be even more active and faithful after the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 2020

Pray for life to return to normal, for schools, churches, and businesses, and for everyone to be able to work again and earn their living.
Pray for healing for the infected, protection, and provision for everyone else.
Pray for the end of the pandemic or a cure or vaccine.
Pray for our leaders.
Pray for salvation for the lost.
Pray for the church members to grow and mature spiritually.
Pray for the church leaders to be even more active and faithful after the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 2020

Prayer is our best weapon and helps in times of trouble. Praise and thank the Lord for sustaining and preserving the lives of his people and building His kingdom here on earth. We had heard about the coronavirus and its spread in many countries, so we encouraged the church to unite in prayer and pay attention to the world-wide situation. As Christians, in times like this, we need to put our trust and faith in God, and we do not need to panic but remind ourselves of the promises in God’s Word. Evangelism was continued door-to-door up until the time the government issued a quarantine. We thank God for the many people whose hearts were open to hearing the gospel.

Brother Mars celebrated his fortieth birthday with us; he happily announced the news after our Sunday worship. Mars is a security guard and has three children. His family faithfully worships with us each Sunday and supports the ministry. Despite family and financial problems, when they are with us, they are full of joy. They are a part of our family. We did not have much money for a celebration, but we cooked food for lunch and rejoiced for the fellowship.

The next day we celebrated Sophia’s birthday. Her mother, Chacha, asked us to host a simple celebration in our home since their house is too small and cannot accommodate visitors, especially children. Chacha wanted her daughter to have a photo to remember her fourth birthday. I could see her effort and love for her daughter; poverty did not hinder her from showing love to her family. We were blessed to be a part of the celebration.

Please pray for Sofia that she would grow to know the Lord.
Please pray for her mother to stay healthy and that she would continue seeking the Lord.

Praise God for supporting the needs of our people and answering prayers about the church’s concerns. The wall of the church was damaged; it was fragile as it was only made with plywood and got hit by the rain. Thanks be to God that our tithes and offerings have been enough to finance the repair. At the beginning of last month, we finished the renovation and replaced the section with hollow blocks and added windows.

We did not expect the worldwide pandemic, so it was shocking and panicking when it happened. Midway through last month, our government declared the community quarantine like other countries. The church is following the recommendations as well by doing family worship in individual homes. Our church workers are encouraging believers through messages and reminding them to pray for this concern and to obey the government recommendations. I praise God because I see my children reading the Bible and praying every day.

Pastor’s Family Study and Worship Together!

Pray for the community quarantine to be lifted soon.
Pray for food and financial help for the needy people.
Pray for God’s protection and daily provision for my family and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pray for healing for those infected worldwide and for comfort for their families.

February 2020

Praise the Lord once again for answering our prayers as God brought Hermie to our church. Hermie is a coworker in the Lord from Agusan, Mindanao, where I was born and grew up. He was a partner in the ministry of my father. Hermie is in his early seventies but still very active and healthy by the grace of God. He has ten children, six of them have their own families. Hermie is a humble man who loves music. It is a joy to him to help the church, and he brought his organ (keyboard) as our church does not yet have one. In Mindanao, his job was teaching musical instruments to the children and youth. I am so thankful to God for Hermie’s willingness and interest in helping us with music. Each Sunday, he is teaching organ and guitar lessons to the kids and assisting my wife in praise and worship. To God, be the glory.

Pray for the kids and youth to be serious and committed to their musical instrument practice.
Pray for the commitment of our praise and worship team.

Our church members are getting more excited about service and prayer. We desire to obey the great commission that God has commanded. We know it is not easy to do door-to-door evangelism, and the stronghold of idolatry is blatantly apparent in our area. We cling to God’s Word that reminds us He did not give us a spirit of fear but of power. The Holy Spirit will always be there to help us share the gospel to an unbeliever.

Beginning this year, my wife leads the women in a walk of prayer for the surrounding areas. They have started door-to-door evangelism. As the women have no experience in evangelism, their job is to bring the group to their friend’s homes and ask for permission to come inside. If the door is open, my wife then presents the gospel, and the women listen and observe while praying. Some of the contacts are not receptive, but some listen attentively. Prayer is so important. We ask God to give us guidance in our speech and to prepare the people to hear. I am thankful to see the members growing spiritually and supporting the ministry. I see their joy in evangelism despite personal concerns and the heat of the sun. They are not discouraged by the thought of rejection.

Pray for our outreach ministry as the women share the gospel with their friends and neighbors.
Pray for open hearts willing to hear the gospel and to receive God’s good news of salvation.
Pray for the women to have the courage to evangelize.

Praise the Lord that the faithfulness of our people in tithes and offerings meets our church needs. Despite the poverty level and financial struggles of most of our congregation, we remind them that everything we have belongs to God. Their willingness to give of the little they have is what matters, and God blesses the gift. This month, we bought two big tables for the church so we can fit everyone, this was essential as every time we got together for a meal, we had to borrow tables. Praise God for answering our prayers.

Theodora is just around the corner from the church. She has been a widow for three months, and this is the second time she has been a widow. Her first partner died, and so Theodora found a new partner as she was unable to live without a companion, according to her words. This partner has also passed away and left her in a hopeless condition. Theodora is a crippled older woman. Her children are unable to bring her for check-ups as we are in a mountainous region, and as it is hard for her to walk, to travel, she has to be carried. Her children have their own families and cannot give her their full attention and care, plus they encounter the financial struggle.

It has been more than a month since my wife started the Bible study in her small place. As Theodora could no longer walk, she was very lonely. She cannot go where she wants to or live normally. She cannot move her legs, and her body aches. Every day is a struggle, even though her children have provided her food. We praise God that we can bless her spiritual needs and bring her hope from the real Savior. We visit each week, and it brings her joy to know that people care and love her. My wife shares the Word of God and does therapeutic massage for Theodora. Despite her being a staunch Catholic defender, we continue to visit Theodora and tell her that Jesus is the only way of salvation.

Pray for Theodora to come to faith in God.
Pray for wisdom, health, and protection for my family.
Pray for committed church leaders and more open doors for the gospel.

January 2020

Praise God for the Korean mission team that visited us to evangelize and share the love of God with our church members and our neighbors. We divided the team into four groups for house-to-house evangelism, each with a Filipino representative to assist them. They shared the gospel and invited the neighbors to come to the church to watch the performances sharing the message of salvation. Back at the church, the singing, dancing, taekwondo, and drama skit were excellent. Their pastor taught from the Word of God while I translated. They distributed snacks for everyone and gave balloons and face painting to the children. Everyone was thrilled and had a great time with visitors. We finished our time with prayers, asking God to protect the team while they are in the Philippines serving Him.

Pray for the neighbors to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Praise God for the mission’s team, who came to share the gospel with our church.

We thank God for the unexpected material blessings He poured out on our church. My friends brought three boxes of used clothing to give to the church members. We knew there could be problems when we distributed it, so we sorted the clothes, and with the help of some energetic women, we listed all the church members, so everything was given equally to the families. The women and my wife arranged everything so well that no problems arose, and everyone was happy and grateful. Praise the Lord.

Praise God for the generosity of other believers to those who are less fortunate than themselves.

God has answered our prayers that our church members will stand firm in their faith and do evangelism to our neighbors. Last month, my wife led the women on a prayer walk in the neighborhood, becoming familiar with the prospect area where we desire to start our evangelism. My wife is training them on evangelism and how to share the gospel with an individual. Our believers are still new in their faith and are learning how to have courage and boldness to share with others. We pray that God would guide our feet and our conversations and cause genuine conversion in the people. We believe that God is the one who will save people by His grace. Every Sunday afternoon, following our worship service, we plan to do evangelism. Give God the glory.

Pray for guidance and wisdom in the conversations.
Pray for courage and boldness for the new believers as they share their faith.
Pray for open hearts receptive to God’s Word and for more people to come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Mauro is the husband of Veronica, one of our senior citizens. Veronica is active in worship and different church activities. Despite her age, she does not fail to attend prayer meetings or Bible studies. She desires that her partner will understand her faith soon. Mauro is not yet a believer but sometimes accompanies Veronica to the church activity when we invite him. Whenever we have received physical items, such as the clothes mentioned earlier, we share this with him. On his birthday, Mauro asked us to pray for him. He is not a church member as he is not a believer, but he has great respect for us as spiritual leaders. We went to his children’s home and prayed for him and his family. We prayed for the skin allergy that was damaging his skin. My wife has shared the gospel with him, and we are praying for his salvation.

Pray for Mauro to understand his need for salvation and to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

I thank God for adding another year to my life as I celebrated my forty-third birthday last month. I was surprised by the women of the church who had their mananita song (singing during dawn), and it was nice to wake up hearing songs to greet me. My wife used her guitar to sing my birthday song. Everyone gave their greetings and birthday prayers for me. I was happy to hear their messages and see their love for their pastor as they gave of their time and effort to celebrate my special day.

Praise God for the people of the church celebrating their pastor.

Pray for this encouragement to bring joy in the life of the pastor and his family.

We had a house dedication of one of our members. Maria and her family are so happy because they now own their small house. No more need to worry about monthly rentals. They thank God even though the building is small and not quite finished; the family was already able to move in and use it. We went with all the members to pray and dedicate their home to God, praying that they will not forget God’s goodness upon them.

Pray for spiritual growth and maturity of the men, women, youth, and children.
Pray for the leaders to continually be committed to the work of God, especially the women who are now active and energetic.
Pray for new home Bible study contacts.
Pray for provisions for a projector.

December 2019

Praise God for the privilege of ministering to different people and equipping us to meet their individual needs and concerns. John is a new contact who was brought to the church by Randy. Randy is our friend and was an active church member before he married and moved to Japan to work with his wife. Before Randy left, he asked us to take care of John. Randy had been letting John live in his house; John is a silent and troubled man. I remember a time when Randy called me because John was in shock after witnessing the shooting of a drug addict. He was traumatized and stayed in his room. We prayed for John, and now he is in good condition, praise God. John is not yet going to church, but we have a home Bible study with John and Randy’s family.

Pray for John to find peace and comfort in a relationship with God.

Our children had their Kids’ Scholars Christmas Party as some of the children in our church receive support from Hope for Kids’ international foundation. Many kids from the different Christian churches in Cebu gathered to celebrate Christmas. Each church had its own presentation, and everyone joined in the contest with memory verse recitation, preaching, and testimonies. Everyone received a gift, and the children were grateful for these blessings. To God be the glory!

Our church held its Christmas Celebration, and everyone contributed to provide food and other responsibilities. Pastor Cris Pano was the speaker for our worship service. After worship, we had lunch with the church members and visitors. Gifts were exchanged, and games were played with both the children and adults. Everyone enjoyed the celebration and had a blast with all the excitement. In addition to all the fun events, everyone also helped with the church cleaning and washing, which was more challenging since our area had a water line broken. Some of the women and youth went with my wife to the public well to do the washing tasks.

Pray for the continued commitment of our church leaders in this next year.
Pray for their desire to share God’s love with their neighbors, family, and friends.

Thank God that our church was invited to the Cebu Korean Church for a Christmas Celebration. We started with a video of the journey of our Korean brothers and sisters as they sacrificed their time, efforts, and money to raise funds for this Christmas. Every year they give from their hearts to the Filipino church members. Then we had worship and listened to preaching. Everyone received gifts from the Korean church and went home feeling blessed by the love of God.

Praise the Lord for the generosity of the church members and their desire to show God’s love for each other through giving gifts.

Pray for the recipients to be blessed and grateful.

Praise God that our Wednesday Bible study with the Multipoint Company is still continuing with the help of God. The employees are attentive in listening to the Word of God and gradually are more and more interested in hearing the messages. Last month we had our year-end fellowship and reminded them of the real message of Christmas. We prayed for the upcoming year to have more blessings upon the people, especially in their walk with God. We are thankful to the owner who has entrusted their employees to us.

Pray for the Multipoint employees to have a genuine relationship with God and to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.
Pray for more souls to be saved this next year.
Pray for good health, wisdom, and protection for the pastor and his family.

November 2019

Praise God for our Korean visitors who came to the church to minister. We were glad to welcome them to our church. They are all senior citizens, and their pastor has a physical disability in his arms and feet. He stayed in the van since our church is located high on the mountain. The others traveled up the path to visit our neighbors. They shared the gospel and prayed with the people. After this, we gathered back at our church. My wife led the singing and I followed with the preaching. We sang Amazing Grace. After worship, our visitors gave snacks to everyone.

Last month was the month to celebrate thankfulness. God has been so good to all of us, and we have many reasons to thank Him. We were invited to a Thanksgiving celebration, where my wife led praise and worship. I translated the message of the speaker. The Korean speaker shared the real meaning of thankfulness, to remember all the amazing things God has done for us and not to fail to thank Him. Our young people performed an interpretive dance. We had lunch together to thank God for all our blessings. To God with the glory.

Pray for spiritual growth and maturity among the church members.
Pray for the congregation to remember to give thanks to God for his great gifts.
Pray for a projector.

Lilibeth is the daughter of Pepito. She had been worshipping with us but had stopped coming for a while. She has four children, two are in her care, and the other two children are not with her but are with the mother of her partner in Cagayan. Lilibeth desires to care for all four of her children but is unable to do so due to finances. Recently, her partner and her parents had a big fight, so Lilibeth and her partner moved further away to rent a house away from her parents. For many Sundays, Lilibeth failed to come to the church. I encouraged Pepito to visit them in their new home and encourage Lilibeth to return to church and talk about the situation. She listened to my counsel and reconciled with her parents. Now Lilibeth is worshiping with us again. Praise God!

Praise God for reconciling Lilibeth with her parents.

Pray for Lilibeth and her family.
Pray for her desire to reunite with her children.

Praise God for bringing new souls to minister to. Brother Roy is a new contact who needed a lot of attention and prayers. He used to be a drug addict and had been put in jail for four years. Roy suffered from depression and spiritual problems, especially from reading demonic books at the time. He needed deliverance and guidance from Godly men. Due to prayers, he slowly started building a relationship with God and is now actively involved in the church. Roy has visited the theological school with me. We spoke with him about praying as a part of growing spiritually. Roy has been a good addition to our church, we are thankful for his willingness to tackle the task of breaking apart the hard rock in the children’s room that needs to be chipped away for removal.

Pray for Roy to grow in knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.
Pray for God to continue to transform Roy’s life through the gospel of grace.

We are grateful to partner with the Barangay Health Center. Our church hosted the three-day seminar geared towards teaching mothers about health concerns. It was an excellent opportunity to invite the mothers into the church. The mothers and pregnant women were encouraged to make healthy choices regarding the food they will eat and feed their children. Education covered the three food groups of “go, grow, and glow” in addition to discussing vitamins and minerals that are available in food. Everyone should have a balance of food intake every day to be healthy and protected from diseases. After the seminar, vitamins were given to the children and mothers.

Pray for good health, wisdom, strength, and protection.
Pray for opportunities to share the gospel through the outreach of the health center.

October 2019

Praise God for the spiritual growth in our women’s group. Every Saturday evening, we gather them for discipleship, teaching them to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. I see their commitment to God as they are obeying and doing what they have been taught. The church wanted to help these women care for their families. We came up with a project to help them earn an income by making a soap powder because even a small amount of earnings is beneficial. They have started to sell the soap powder and are thrilled for this accomplishment. From their profits, the women are now able to participate in the offering too. We are teaching them the importance of faithfully giving a portion of what God has blessed them with to others.

Pray for God to bless the women’s project abundantly and for the women to be rewarded for their hard work.
Pray for the ability to sustain the project and for more opportunities for God’s grace and love to be displayed through it.

We see the spiritual growth of not only the women but the youth as well. Erica desires to serve the Lord but has some rude habits, so we have been helping her overcome these by teaching and correcting them. My wife graciously rebuked the entire group of youth, including her. I suspect some of Erica’s hard-headedness comes from her house situation. Her father is an alcoholic and shouts at her, he has a hot temper. Erica spends so much time on facebook that she developed an eye problem. We suggested to her mother to have her vision checked. Erica turned thirteen this month and invited the youth and children to her house for a celebration. Despite their tight finances, the family prepared a simple dinner for everyone. Erica is very active in the youth discipleship group, prayer meetings, choir, and as a back-up for the praise and worship team. We see God changing her behavior little by little.

Pray for Erica and the other youth to desire to implement polite and positive habits into their lives.

Pray for them to seek out the guidance of Godly men and women with the desire to imitate their behavior.
Pray for them to understand that God is the one who will help them change their actions.

God brought men to our fellowship who had the qualifications to do repair work, such as electrical wiring and other concerns. Rogie was an active member of the church during our beginning stages and assisted in many ways. But when he found a job, he became so busy that he seldom attended the church. We have communicated with him via messenger and reminded him of the importance of giving time to God and fellowshipping with believers. Rogie has come to church when he has the day off but is planning to work in Japan, so he is busy with study and preparation for this work. One early morning, he knocked on the door and asked us to pray for God to provide his financial needs while he is applying for a job in Japan. We supported his decision and prayed that God would guide and lead him. Rogie promised to attend and serve in a Christian church when he is in Japan.

Pray for Rogie to continue to seek God’s guidance as he applies for work.
Pray for the process of transitioning to Japan to go smoothly and for Rogie to connect to a local church.

Our Bible study at the Multipoint company is continuing. Praise the Lord. We gather the employees every Wednesday to hear the Word of God and salvation. We thank God that we see them slowly responding by listening attentively and joyfully singing to the Lord. They have not yet responded to God’s call for salvation, and we continue to pray for them to open their hearts to Jesus. They are required to attend the study by their employers, but we also invite them to come to church, reminding them that they are welcome at any time. We are thankful to share God’s love with them.

This month, two of the employees celebrated their birthdays, Maricel and Archie, and we prayed for them, asking God to extend his blessing to them. It was their first time to be prayed for, and they expressed their joy at knowing that others are praying for them.

Pray for the people in Bible study at Multipoint to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

This month was the semester break for the students, so we grabbed the opportunity to gather the youth for an overnight event. My wife taught them about the free gift of salvation with fun activities. We showed a film and played games to help the youth really understand the principles. The second day we reminded them how to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. We played more games and activities to help them relate to and grasp God’s message. The youth went home happy and asking to do this event again.

Pray for the students who attended the event to grow in their faith and apply the principles that they learned.

More prayer warriors have been added to our prayer meeting. We encouraged them to be faithful in praying at home. God answers our prayers. Before we pray, we begin with a time of sharing words of thankfulness. It is a blessing to hear how God has answered our prayers through their testimonies. Praise the Lord.

Since we started our prayer meeting, more new people have come to join the Sunday worship. It seems that every week a new person comes to church to hear the Word of God. Others who had become cold in their love and commitment to God have returned and now worship with us. It is encouraging to see the believers show their love and care to other believers and to the new visitors.

This last Sunday, Roy came for the first time to worship with us. He was a drug addict back in his home province but moved here to start a new life with his sister. Sadly, his bad vices have affected his mind and body. He waited after worship, asking me to pray for him. He wants to be healed. While we prayed, my wife and I saw his head shaking, but it stopped after the prayer. I encouraged him that we would pray for him again. He joined the prayer meeting.

Pray for physical and spiritual healing for Roy.
Pray for his desire to start a new life.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity of the believers in the church, from the youngest child to the eldest adult.
Pray for more chairs.

September 2019

Praise the Lord for giving us zeal and courage to bring the youth closer to God. These teens will someday follow us in God’s service. Our vision as a church is to bring them into a right relationship with God, to disciple and teach them to follow and obey Him. Every Saturday afternoon, my wife uses different strategies to encourage the youth through Bible games and lessons to grow in their faith. We see their faith and understanding grow, and they are standing firm in what they believe. My wife has impressed upon them the importance of owning their own Bible; she is helping them collect a small amount of money each week, so they can save up to purchase them. It is their goal to each own a Bible by the end of this year. The youth are receptive to God’s Word and open to sharing their feelings and experiences. We remind them to focus on God, especially during Sundays’ worship time, by sitting with their family instead of playing during the worship service. We are teaching them to give reverence to our Almighty God by remembering the Sabbath day and keeping it holy. We remind them to use their lives and talents for the Lord. I see their confidence grow and develop each Sunday as they bring the message of God to His people through their offering of songs and praise.

Pray for the youth to be willing to listen and to make wise choices.
Pray for their interest in God’s Word to increase as they learn together.

It is our heart’s desire to have an enthusiastic praise and worship team. We are teaching the youth how to play the guitar, beatbox, and tambourine. Some of the teens are backup singers on the praise and worship team. We encourage them to use their time and talents while they are young, so they will improve their skills and honor God through their actions. Sometimes they tell us, we do not have good voices or talent in music instruments. We remind them that we praise and worship God to show our love for Him, even if it is hard and makes their hands ache, we continue to push them to practice for God’s glory.

Angelika is one of our backup singers during praise and worship. She is thirteen years old and in seventh grade. Before she became a Christian, her father, Jandro, came to us for help because they had no house to live in, and he had five children to take care of. Their situation was trying for a time, we helped them to find an available space while looking for a more permanent location. We did a Bible study with them. They were devoted Catholics; their family was full of chaos due to fights and quarrels with each other. Now by the grace of God, their whole family is worshiping together with us every Sunday, and Jandro is an active church member. Before she was saved, Angelika was immature and insecure about her weight; she had no interest in church. We encouraged her to love herself because God created her and would use her for His glory. Now Angelika is listening to our words and growing spiritually. We continue to encourage the entire family to attend church, discipleship time, and practice songs for God’s glory.

Angelika is practicing the guitar! Praise God for her willingness to learn and worship God.

Pray for our worship team, especially the youth, to grow spiritually and to be united as they lead our congregation in worship.
Pray for persistence for the teens as they learn to play instruments and for them to understand the importance of working hard.
Pray for Jandro and Angelika’s family to grow closer to God and to each other.

It is my passion to visit houses and share God’s Word with people; however, this month, my arthritis flared up, resulting in pain and difficulty in walking. For two weeks, I struggled immensely because my foot was red and swollen. I took the necessary medicines, but the pain persisted. I have done my best to continue the routine at the church and asked the members to pray for healing. I have been careful with the foods I eat each day, adding more vegetables and drinking less coffee. God is personally reminding me, through different situations, to rely on His power.

Pray for Pastor Norberto’s arthritis.
Pray for his pain to subside, for healing and wisdom of how to best take care of his health.

Pray for health and safety for his family.

Prayer is essential for church growth. Each Saturday, the women have their Bible study and prayer time. We also started a once a week prayer meeting on Wednesdays. My family, along with Pepito and Veronica, met to pray for our nation, church, family, and personal concerns. I started by speaking of God’s words about prayer, reminding our group to ask, knock, and seek God. We announce our prayer meeting each Sunday at the worship time and desire for the group to grow.

Pray for the church members’ spiritual growth and maturity.
Pray for new Bible study contacts and more attendees at our prayer meeting.
Pray for more chairs and a projector for our services.

August 2019

I praise and thank the Lord for the brothers and sisters from other countries who come to share the love of God. Just this past week, Korean visitors came to the church. We invited the neighborhood to participate in worship with us. The group did songs and skits to worship Jesus, everyone participated and enjoyed the experience. The Word of God is the best reminder of the love of God for us. I interpreted the message so that everyone could hear it in their own language. The people went home happy and satisfied, especially since we ended the event with snacks. To God be the glory.

The big day arrived with much praise and worship to God for answering our prayers. We celebrated our second anniversary, only possible through God’s grace and all our needs were met. Pastor Cris Pano gave a message about the goodness of God with each ministry offering their talents through dance, skits, and songs. Randy offered a fantastic song of praise to our King. Everyone was blessed, and the food was joyed together with wonderful fellowship.

Praise the Lord for the celebration of our church, possible only through God’s grace and goodness.

Pray for our influence on the community and for more people to come to know God as their personal Lord and Savior.

It is a great blessing from God to be in His service because you get to meet so many kinds of people of many different ages to minister with and serve God. My wife has musical talent and is always praying to find people to train for the praise and worship team. She is teaching the youth to play the guitar, starting with Sammy, who helps clean the church and is the brother of Manny. I have shared Manny’s story in previous reports and how he is physically blind. Sammy is in his second year of high school. He is a new believer and shy about having a conversation but he is polite and listens. We are seeking to encourage him to participate in the church. The family has a sad background story, the father was an alcoholic and hurt their mother, so she fled with the children here to Cebu. They are living with their step-father and two younger siblings. Sammy’s mother is concerned about him as he would return home quite late at night, sometimes at dawn. We encourage his mother, Maria, to trust that God can touch his heart and change his character as nothing is impossible with God. We encourage Sammy to practice the guitar and to engage in positive activities with the believers rather than keeping bad company.

Pray for Sammy and Manny to grow in their faith and for their family.

This month God gave us another blessing. We received two new music speakers from a brother in Christ. We praise God for using people to meet our needs. The music for praise and worship was terrific with no static, and the songs were smooth and lovely to hear. Praise the Lord for this blessing to our church.

Pray for the praise and worship team to be encouraged in their commitment to serve God.

Renato has been worshiping with us for a year already. He is the father of Reniel, one of our active youth who is supported in the scholarship program. Reniel’s involvement was a result of the children’s feedings every Saturday. The family used to be Roman Catholics, but due to our Bible study, they started to understand the concept of salvation. We prayed for this family to come to faith. We no longer see idols or statues in their house; their altar has been removed. We are so happy to see God working in their hearts. Just recently, Renato invited us to celebrate his birthday and to pray for him on this particular occasion in his life. To God be the glory.

Pray for Renato and his family to grow in their faith in God.
Pray for the church members spiritual growth and maturity.
Pray for new Bible study contacts.
Pray for health and protection for the pastor, his family, and the church members.

July 2019

Every Saturday, we disciple the children to grow spiritually and train them to be leaders in the future. Just last month, the kids wrote thank you letters to their sponsors who extended financial help for their studies. Partners in ministry bring hope to the children and young people by telling them the good news and training them to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and encouraging them to study hard in school and use discipline to reach their goals. We remind them to trust God and ask Him for help with their studies and to be thankful for their blessings from God.

The children Preparing Thank you Notes to their Sponsors!

Pray for the children to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and their relationship with God.
Pray for persistence in their studies as they gain an education.

Praise the Lord for providing for the needs in the church before we even ask for them. It is an answer to prayers and encouragement to us in our ministry. A brother in the Lord donated to the church, and now we have two song stands and a guitar holder. Thanks be to God!

Manny became blind at the age of twelve. When he was born, he was able to see, but as he grew up, his sight slowly faded. Due to financial constraints, his family was unable to treat his condition. Just last year, the family moved to a place near the church. We started reaching out to them through prayer and evangelism and invited them to church. When we visited their house or when he came to church for worship, Manny was so happy to hear our voices as he knows we care for him. Maria, his mother, is the church custodian. Maria expressed that Manny was always fighting before, but now his attitude is changing, and he is more understanding. Maria and her children attend the Bible study worship every week. When our Korean visitor saw the needs of this family, they prayed with Manny and sent the family two sacks of rice and financial assistance. We are encouraging the family to trust in God and not be discouraged by Manny’s blindness, but continuing to pray and rely on God.

Pray for Maria, Manny, and their family to trust in God.
Pray for Manny’s vision to miraculously improve or return, pray for his future.

I believe that everything happens for a purpose, but sometimes it is confusing. At the end of last month, our residential house was burned down by the fire. According to the reports, the fire started in our home due to an electrical problem and damaged twelve other dwellings. The incident happened for the second time now, which is why it is affecting me so much. I praise the Lord that my family was not staying in this house as we are in our pioneering location, and we have been staying at the church. God knows our needs and will never leave or forsake us. I continue to believe His promises to His children.

Pray for wisdom, good health, and protection for my family.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity of our church members.
Pray for our second church anniversary and for financial provision to celebrate.
Pray for committed and teachable members on our praise and worship team.

June 2019

The Lord is so good. He sent us sponsors to supply school supplies for the kids. June is the beginning of classes in the Philippines, and it has been a perpetual problem for the parents to buy school supplies for their children. The families in our church vicinity are marginally poor and cannot afford school supplies. When we were informed that we had the funds to purchase the supplies, we brought the children and their parents who would be receiving them. We were so excited because, for many of the children, it was their first time in a mall, to ride an elevator, to have a meal in a food chain restaurant and to have a new bag and umbrella. They were overjoyed by the experience and the blessings of sponsors to provide them with supplies to attend school. Praise the Lord!

The Lord has been continually providing for our needs. This past month, the men in the church repaired our ceiling. Before we started this process, the holes in our damaged roof would allow the water to come in on rainy days, and this made the floor very slippery. We are thankful for the answered prayers and by the provision of our Korean brothers and sisters to repair the roof. After we fixed the ceiling, we painted the ceiling and repainted the walls. Through the help of our men, the walls and ceiling look nice. To God be the glory!

Thanks to God, I see the growth of our church not only in quantity but in quality, some of our church members are willingly accepting positions of service. We encourage them to display their love for the Lord through their actions by serving him. We tell them that their obedience and commitment through their deeds is proof of their love and trust in Him. Praise to God that we have leaders in the church who are trustworthy to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. Pastor Cris Pano and Pastor Steve installed and appointed these ministers to their tasks. It was a blessing to have these wonderful men of God visit us and bring encouragement to our church.

Praise God for growth in the church and the believers who demonstrate God’s love for others by actions and words.

Pray for unity and compassion as they serve believers and unbelievers.
Pray for more people to come to faith in God.

We remembered the fathers in the church and celebrated them. They are the ones who work hard to provide for the needs of the family. We continually remember them in our prayers for God to bless them physically and spiritually so they will stand firm in their faith. In the family unit, fathers should be the leaders, so they need to be rooted in the Word of God, so they can lead and guide their children in the right way. It is sad to see that in many churches, the women or wives are the only ones present worshiping God and their husbands are not that faithful or are still unbelievers. A constant prayer request often brought to the Lord, is for the husbands to become believers and for the men to grow spiritually. On their special day, we celebrated men, reminding them of their importance to families and church, that they are loved by their families and most of all, by our Heavenly Father.

Pray for the men to grow in their faith and be spiritual leaders in their families.
Pray for the men’s group to be committed to learning God’s Word.
Pray for the husbands who are not believers to desire a personal relationship with God when they see the faith of their children and wives.
Pray for opportunities to make new contacts for Bible study.

Reniel has been one of our scholars since the church started. His family members have devoted Roman Catholics, and he is a fruit of our children’s feeding program before the church building was even constructed and always joined the feedings and later attended the worship and discipleship. I see spiritual growth is his actions as a result of Biblical teaching. Before he became a Christian, he was very stubborn, and his mother would get angry with him. As we are neighbors, we could hear his mother’s loud voice scolding and yelling at him due to his wrong actions. But now, by the grace of God, we see the transforming change in his character and personality. By God’s help, he is growing spiritually. He is now ten years old, and we celebrated his birthday. His parents asked us to pray for him, and we shared a meal together as a church.

Praise the Lord for the testimony of His grace in the life of Reniel.

Pray for his witness to the other children and adults as they see God changing his character to become more Christ-like.

Baby Tiffany was brought to the hospital after catching pneumonia again. She is the youngest daughter of Chacha, and they live in a small house with no electricity, this may be the reason that her coughs become serious. She is a one-year-old and vulnerable to many illnesses. This time she was hospitalized for only two days, and we praise God for her fast recovery. When they visited the church, we prayed with them. It was funny because when we laid hands on her for prayer, the children surrounded her, and she was all covered up with small hands. Now Tiffany is doing well and enjoys singing with us. Praise the Lord.

Pray for Tiffany to recover entirely from pneumonia and for her immune system to strengthen and protect her from illnesses in the future.

Praise the Lord for the children who desired to bless her through their prayers.

Pray for good health and financial provision for the church members.
Pray for good health, protection, and wisdom for the pastor and his family.
Pray for a new guitar for worship.

May 2019

Praise to God for the amazing things in our ministry. The discipleship and Bible study of the children and youth each Saturday is causing changes in their lives. I see them grow spiritually, and their characters are changing little-by-little by the grace of God. My wife came up with a project to recognize and encourage their commitment and devotion to God. Each Saturday, my wife collects any amount of money to save for them to have their own copy of the Bible. The goal is for them to read the Bible even at their home. We are encouraging them to let the Word of God be a significant part of their life, not only during the Bible study and worship but in their everyday lives. Only the Word of God can bring hope and encouragement to them. To train these children and youth is essential, and having their own Bible will be so beneficial to them. Praise the Lord.

Pray for the children and youth to be diligent in saving to own their Bibles.
Pray for the Word of God to penetrate their hearts and minds to bring the transformation of their characters for God’s glory.

As most of our members are not financially stable, we are encouraging them to use their time wisely. The mothers at home with their children help each other. For two weeks this month, the women and youth support the livelihood project by folding used pieces of paper and stapling them to create smalls bags for seedlings to be used in my friend’s farming business. They were very diligent for two weeks and earned an income from this project. Despite this busyness, we reminded them not to forget the Bible study and worship.

Praise the Lord for the dedication of the mothers and youth to working hard and earning income to support themselves.

Praise the Lord for the willingness of others to provide short-term projects that allow people to make some money.

God is good and faithful; He is working in the hearts of our church members. One of our primary concerns was an area next to the church where the stray dogs and cats create messes and caused a smelly odor. This month, the church came up with a solution and decided to clean the area by removing all the garbage and installing a bamboo fence. Some of the women and young people helped my wife with this project. If we neglected to put up a barrier, then all our cleaning would be in vain as people would continue to use it as a garbage heap and the dogs and cats would return. I am so happy for the beauty and cleanliness created when the church members worked together with unity and commitment to solving this challenge.

Pray for this area to stay beautiful and for the church members to be dedicated to keeping it clean.

Praise the Lord for the mothers who cared for all of us so diligently.

We acknowledged the mothers in our church with the children and youth presenting thank you cards. They sang a song, and after the worship, the letters were read aloud to these dearest mothers. I saw many mothers with tears of joy as they listened to their families expressing their love and gratitude.

Manuel is the older brother of Sammy. His mother and Sammy clean the church each week. Manuel just turned eighteen this month and is blind. The family came from Bohol after the parents separated due to the father’s alcoholism and temper. The family includes a younger sister and the stepfather; they live quite close to the church. We invited them to the church, and after his first visit, Manuel continued to come. Before this, his mother told us he would hurt himself and his younger siblings, but now he is calm and happy. Manual is excited to hear people talking to him. He has let love and acceptance from the church and feels God’s love for him.

Pray for the family of Manual, pray for God to continue to transform the character of Manuel and for him to grow in his knowledge of God’s Word and faith in God.

We were visited by the Korean brothers and sisters on a mission’s team. We worshiped together through gospel songs and then heard an inspirational message from their pastor that I translated so our members and neighbors could understand. The group gave free snacks to everyone and pencils for the children. Despite their short visit, we were refreshed by their love and concern.

Korean Pastor Preaching the Gospel!

Pray for spiritual growth and maturity about the members.
Pray for church musical instruments.
Pray for new Bible study contacts.
Pray for health and wisdom for my family.
Pray for committed and teachable church leaders.

April 2019

Praise God for arranging things so our members would grow and be around other believers. Their faith is being molded, and they experience the life of Christianity through fellowships. We held inter-church worship and fellowship. Making multiple trips in my car, I brought all the members for Sunday worship service. My wife led praise and worship. I translate the sermon of my senior pastor so the listeners would be able to understand the message of God. The children presented their interpretive dance for the Lord. After the worship, we had lunch together.

I thank God for caring for the family and providing for our needs. Precious, my daughter, is moving up to grade one this next month. We celebrated her along with my wife’s birthday. Precious is smart and talented by God’s grace. Because of her high grades, she will be in the science section when the class opens. I am thankful for my wife, who supports me in the ministry and takes extra care to guide and train our children for God’s glory. I know it is not easy to be a full-time mommy and full-time in the ministry. God gives her extra strength to accomplish everything He has entrusted to her.

We had our Children, and Young People’s Camp at San Remegio with a four-day camp, and the theme was “Soar High.” Some of our sponsored kids attended, and my wife and I were among the speakers. It was an excellent experience for our youth to grow spiritually and spend time with other Christian young people. They were taught about public speaking, knowing their talents, and using musical instruments. We played sports, had games and heard many messages from different speakers about soaring high. As believers, we need not grow weary but renew our strength like an eagle. The youth were divided into ten groups to meet and work together as a team. The last night was our bonfire, with a reminder to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be on fire for ministry. Our youth were happy and blessed. God answered our prayers for safe travel.

Praise God for the encouragement of fellowshipping with other believers.

Pray for the experiences to cause growth in the youth and adult’s spiritual lives.

We prepared for the Daily Vacation Bible School. My wife was the chief planner and preparer of the activity. This is our teacher’s first time, so they needed a lot of encouragement and prayers. We spent a lot of time in prayer for this event to share the gospel with our neighborhood children. It is our mission to share with them about the great love of God. Our youth assisted the teachers and gained from the experience of serving God.

My senior pastor invited my church to their worship event focusing on the seven last words of Jesus at New Light Church. We brought the church members to listen to the message of Jesus while he was on the cross. This was a refreshing time of faith and dedication to Him as a church. After worship, we had snacks. Then I started bringing the church members back to our place. After the second time, I heard a crash below our church, which is on the mountain, and the sounds of people shouting. My car had run across the street and bumped a railing with the river below. It hit the water line of the barangay and was damaged. A motorcycle was also damaged. We thank God that no other car, bike, or people was passing at the time. We held a settlement meeting with the barangay and the motorcycle driver to discuss who would fix the water line. God’s protection was evident to us, and I am thankful my kids were outside the car. The van itself was damaged, but we trust that God will never leave us in this hard and unexpected situation.

We held our DVBS program at the end of last month with the theme “God’s Great Love.” We had ninety children who attended the event divided into three groups based on age. My wife instructed the two to six-year-olds. Sis. Cha led the seven to nine-year-olds and sis. Angie taught the eldest group, ten to fourteen-year-olds. Everyone enjoyed the lessons, coloring, and other activities, including free snacks after each class. We had three days of instruction with their graduation on the fourth day. For graduation, they had presentations and received certificates, ribbons, and rewards. Some of the children brought their parents, and we invited these families to attend our Sunday worship. To God be the Glory.

Sis. Cha became a church member through our invitation. We first invited this family when we had a Korean visitor, and my wife persisted in invited them to worship while holding a Bible study in their home. Cha had separated with her husband and had three children with him. She left two boys with her parents in Lyte, and the eldest girl takes care of them. She has a new partner and three little babies. Tiffany was the youngest, and we celebrated her first birthday after our worship service. Cha’s life is hard, but despite these challenges, she does not miss church with her family and committed to teaching the DVBS. Her partner is a security guard and active in the church. God is working in her life, and I see God changing their characters for His glory.

Pray for fruit from the DVBS and for the children to attend worship with us.
Pray for the spiritual growth and maturity of the believers, and teachable and committed leaders.
Pray for the church ceiling repair.

March 2019

Praise God for another summer season. The students can relax and have a vacation. However, we are suffering from a water shortage due to damaged pipes and weather patterns causing less rain and drought conditions. People are using many methods to get water; some went to the river to wash their clothes and draw water. Some have bought mineral water, like my family, and others are traveling to stay with friends and relatives in other barangays (neighborhoods). Doing daily chores and routines without water is hard. For a short time, we rejoiced as the pipe was fixed, but our joy only lasted for five days, before there was again an issue. We are praying for God to hear us. At every Bible study, we encourage the people to trust and pray for God to solve this challenge.

Pray for the water pipes to be fixed soon as this has been occurring for over three weeks and for no illnesses to be caused by the shortage of water.
Pray for protection and good health for the pastor’s family and for every family in the church.

I praise the Lord for bringing people of many ages to our church. I am thankful for Nanay (“Mother”) Raymunda, a senior citizen in our fellowship who always has a smile. She arrives at church early each Sunday and is an encouragement to us. We celebrated her birthday, and my wife made her a unique birthday gift so she would feel special. Raymunda became a Christian due to our invitations. We are continually inviting neighbors to come and join our worship. From the time Raymunda joined us, she continues to fellowship with us faithfully.

Pray for Raymunda to be a witness to her neighbors and praise God for her encouragement to the faithful church members and pastor.

I met Lotlot at the Multipoint Bible study. She is working as a manager in this company. She has three children, and her husband is a private driver. Lotlot was a devoted Roman Catholic, and her serious view of life made it difficult to approach her. Since she accepted Jesus Christ, her attitude has changed, and she decided to join our worship every Sunday. Despite the distance from her house to the church, she is faithfully climbing the mountain to worship God. Her entire family is serving God. Her children are active in the discipleship groups and Sunday school. Lotlot’s daughter Yanna, who is four, is already singing songs of praise to the Lord during our worship time. Loltlot is our church treasurer.

Praise the Lord for saving Lotlot and for her service to our church.
Pray for her children to grow in their knowledge and understanding of the grace of God.
Pray for the transformation of Lotlot’s life to be a witness to the other employees at Multipoint.

Every Summer, the Christian churches in our area hold Daily Vacation Bible school programs. It is a fantastic opportunity to preach and teach the gospel to children between three to fifteen years old. We also can reach the parents when we invite them to witness the summer activities. So the third week of this month, I called a meeting to pray and discuss the preparations for this event. Many concerns needed to be addressed, so I met with the men while my wife men with the women. This was our first meeting, and we will hold more sessions as we prepare. Last year for our DVBS program, we were supported by teachers from other Christian churches. This year we desire for our members to do the teaching and be used for God’s glory so we have appointed teachers and assistants who will be trained by my wife. This is their first time, so we are getting ready with plenty of time to study and practice. Everything is being done with prayer.

Daily Vacation Bible School Program meeting!

Pray for the training of the teachers and assistants as they prepare for their first DVBS program.
Pray for wisdom and guidance as they study God’s Word and discuss potential challenges and solutions.
Pray for the leaders to be teachable.
Pray for the children who will be invited and for their parents to be open to hearing the gospel.
Pray for the finances for the event to be blessed.

We had a Korean mission’s team who visited our church. It was an opportunity to invite many visitors to hear the message of God. The Korean group were elders in their own church and invited our neighbors to join us for singing and dancing. The speaker gave a powerful message challenging the people to believe and trust in Jesus Christ. He encouraged them to surrender their lives to God and to attend church each Sunday. We ended with prayer and had a time of fellowship with bread and juice together.

Pray for our outreach to the community to draw new people to come to the church.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity of every church member.

February 2019

We celebrated the Chinese New Year with Multipoint Enterprise. The owners are Chinese Christians, and we regularly hold a Bible study for their employees. They requested to have their Bible study on Tuesday instead of the usual Wednesday to follow their Chinese traditions and thank the Lord for the New Year of blessings. As God has blessed their business, the owners continue to serve God by proclaiming the gospel and sharing the Word of God as the only source of salvation, hope, and real joy. They desire their workers to understand salvation and to have real peace and joy in their work. In many companies, employees fight due to misunderstandings and easily quit their jobs. These owners desire their employees to have Jesus in their hearts so that true love and honesty will show in their work and personal lives. I am thankful for this opportunity to share the love of God with the owners and employees regularly.

Pray for the owners and employees of Multipoint Enterprise to display the love of God through their actions to their customers and other businesses.

Give thanks for this opportunity to disciple believers in growing more rooted in the Word of God.

The children celebrated “Hearts Day” to remind us of love. The stories for the whole month were focused on God’s love and our love for others. The children were urged that to display Biblical love for others, they must know the real source of love and that this source is God. His unconditional love saves us and allows us to love Him genuinely and to love others too. Through the activities, they colored and cut out hearts with messages to remind them of God’s love. We sang praises to God expressing our thankfulness. My wife encouraged the children to fill their new room with respect and to take diligent care of it. Many Bible verses were added to the walls to support the children to love God and display a genuine love for others.

Pray for the children to understand the love of God and how this love as described in John 3:16 made salvation available to all people.
Pray for the children to demonstrate the love of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to their siblings, parents, friends, and classmates in the following months. Pray for God to use these actions to draw more children and adults to faith in Himself.

Our entire nation suffered from a measles outbreak. Even our church was affected by this disease. The daughter of a couple, Chacha and Mars, was ill. My wife went to their house to pray for baby Tiffany. She had no fever, but many red spots covered her whole body. We prayed for healing. The next day, the mother ran to our house asking for help as her baby was vomiting. It was decided to bring her to the hospital, and we prayed again for her healing. Chacha and Mars left their older two children with us as children are not allowed in the hospital. The very next day, on Sunday, God unexpectedly healed Tiffany. The family was so happy for the quick answer to their prayers. They were encouraged to be firm in their faith and obedient to God. Praise the Lord!

Pray for protection from complications of measles and for quick healing for those who get sick.
Pray for the financial ability to obtain medical care when necessary.

Sammy is a new neighbor directly across from the church. His mother Maria was the first one invited to come to church with her children. Sammy is a first-year high school student. He has one sister and two brothers; his brother Manuel is blind. His stepfather treats them nicely. Maria informed us that Sammy was starting to talk back to her and being influenced to make bad decisions by his friends. He stayed out late at night and was addicted to computer games. Sammy is a silent and shy individual. Despite this, my wife persisted in inviting him to join the youth discipleship and encouraged Maria that for the heart of Sammy to be changed, he needed to hear and believe the Word of God. Two months have gone by, and the family is worshiping with us. Sammy is even cleaning the church with his mother. Although Sammy is a new believer, we see the Lord working powerfully in his heart, little by little there is change. My wife plans to train him in musical instruments as a way to encourage him to serve the Lord and resist the temptations of joining the friends outside the church.

Pray for Sammy to grow in his new faith and to resist the influence of friends who are not believers.
Pray for him to make friends who are firm believers in God that are his age and to have joy in music.
Pray for his family to grow closer as they learn more from God’s Word.

Every Sunday, I encourage the congregation to serve God in many ways. Those who are unable to contribute financially are still able to give their time and talents to serve the Lord. We had a problem close to the church with a horrid smell caused by trash and waste being dumped in this location. It was messy and not pleasant to look. My wife and I were surprised to discover that this area had been cleaned; the garbage was gone, and there were new plants. The women in the church gave their time and energy to make this area beautiful for God’s glory.

Praise the Lord for the tangible evidence that God is working in their hearts.

Pray for the witness to the community through the love of these women as they care for their church.
Pray for the neighbors to be curious about their actions and drawn to discover what is causing them to show concern for this space.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity among the members.
Pray for strength, protection, and wisdom in the ministry.
Pray for upcoming outreach in April and God’s blessing upon our work.

January 2019

I praise and thank the Lord for answering our prayers. The construction of the children’s room is nearly completed. We started using it this past month as a space for the youth and children to gather for Bible study and discipleship. The larger area allows them to play and accommodates more children. As the room is further from our church location, instead of being just outside, their noise will not disturb us during the worship service. God answered our prayers for the floorings, we hired a carpenter to complete the floor and bamboo walls. I praise God for the church’s tithes and offerings that are helping to fulfill our mission. We encourage the members and newcomers to be faithful in giving as it is one of the proofs of their growing love and obedience to God.

Pray for the children to grow in their faith.

Praise God for the construction of a space for the children.

Praise God for the unity and generosity of the church members as they work together to provide a particular location for their children to meet and learn about the love of God.

Our church mission is to reach our neighbors. We were blessed with Korean visitors and invited the neighborhood to hear the gospel and witness their presentations. Everyone was energetic and filled with joy in their hearts during worship. The message of the drama was about the power of Jesus which victoriously overcame darkness and defeated death. The gospel was presented very clearly.

Later in the month, we had more Korean visitors who came to minister. They climbed the mountain and evangelized door-to-door. Then returned to the church with songs and dance for the Lord. The pastor gave a short message, and I translated into Cebuano so the people would fully understand the real message of the gospel. The missions team blessed the church members with donations of clothing.

Pray for the neighbors who heard the gospel presentation for the first time to return with more questions and one day come to salvation.
Pray for those who heard the gospel message from the evangelism team to put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Praise to God for bringing people into our path for us to minister to and providing opportunities to share the gospel. Sis. Lina is now a regular Sunday worshiper, she came in response to our constant and persistent invitations. Every time we travel down, we pass her small business where she sells a variety of snacks. Lina would always greet us warmly with a big smile that lifts up our day. Lina is alone, her husband passed away, and her two children are grown, so she must earn an income by herself. She was a devoted Roman Catholic but now comes to church and worships with us, ignoring the complaints of others. I see her growing in her faith and little by little, understanding the gospel and what true obedience to God really means. Every Sunday, she remembers to Sabbath day by closing her business to come to church. She arrives early on Sunday as she is eager to worship with us. Praise the Lord.

Pray for Lina to grow in her faith and understanding of the grace of God and how salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

God is good and faithful in my life and to my family. This month I celebrated my forty-second birthday. I thank God for reaching this age and for His amazing grace. The ministry He has entrusted to me is doing excellent because His presence is with us. I celebrated with the other church members who had birthdays the same month. After worship, we had a meal and fellowship together.

Pray for the ministry to continue to grow. Give thanks for the faithfulness of Norberto Palmerola as he ministers to his people.

December 2018

It is the season to remember God’s salvation to humanity. At the beginning of last month, the children and teens were invited to a Christmas party at the McDonalds in the community. They were all excited. They gave a dance skit with a meaningful message, “It’s about the cross. Christmas is not all about the gifts and presents you give or receive but about the cross, where Jesus Christ died and was resurrected to save us from our sins.” The children were thrilled when their presentation won second place. To God be the glory for a tremendous Christmas experience.

Pray for the audience who saw the skit to continue to wonder about its message and to come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Wine is the daughter of Gemma, who is taking care of the church improvement project and making the church more beautiful. Wine was the one who introduced her mom to Christ. In vacation Bible school, Wine heard about Christ’s salvation. She joined the discipleship and Sunday school. Praise the Lord; she is still active in Christ’s service. She attended the recent church Christmas party and was so blessed to have a memorable Christ-centered celebration.

Pray for Wine and Gemma to continue growing in their faith and give thanks for their consistent ministry to the church.

My children are growing up so very fast; my youngest daughter just celebrated her fourth birthday. She enjoys presenting special worship every Sunday with the other kids. She was so excited about the cake we got her for her birthday. I am blessed to see her joy and independence at such a young age. I thank God that she is healthy and smart.

Pray for wisdom, protection and good health for the family of Pastor Norberto Palmerola.

Ann, one of our members, gave birth to her first baby daughter and named her Keziah Ann. The family was having a tough time with the finances of the birth, and the church was able to bless them with a small amount. To God be the glory. Ann was a devoted Roman Catholic; when she was invited to attend the church, her immediate response was to refuse. Her mother died a year ago, and she was alone in Cebu. Her father and siblings live on their farm in a province far from Cebu. While Ann was in Cebu, she met Alex who is a Christian and an ex-convict. Alex invited Ann to church, and now she regularly attends our Sunday worship and Bible studies. Ann helped clean the church despite her pregnancy and was actively involved in the ministry. Now I hear her singing joyfully to the Lord, unlike before when she was quiet. Now she has a baby and many sleepless nights, but she does not fail to worship God every Sunday.

Pray for Ann and Alex to continue to grow in their faith and trust the Lord.
Pray for Ann and Alex as they raise their daughter to know the Lord.
Pray for their new daughter to be healthy.

We continually remind our church members to be faithful to God. This time of year, they need extra encouragement and to feel that they have a family to count on. Nanay (Grandma) Raymunda has repeatedly asked my wife and me to visit her small room, and we have not been able to until now. We went to her tiny house by her small internet business. She was excited to welcome us to her home yet was ashamed due to its small size. We are grateful for her encouragement to us and the church body. At the age of eighty-six, she is still healthy and active. To God be the glory.

Pray that Raymunda will have good health and be a blessing to other people.

Our Church Christmas Celebration started with food preparations. Brother Jandro was the lead cook and assisted by several of the men. Our children’s room now has a roof, although a lot still needs to be done, at the moment we temporarily used the children’s room to cook the food. After the meal, we had worship. We invited a speaker who gave an inspiring message.

Brother Jandro came to know Christ through family problems. He has five children and a physical ailment. We shared the gospel with him, and eventually, his family was also saved. Currently, his whole family is serving the Lord. Praise God.

Pray for the family of Jandro and give thanks for their faithful service.
Pray for the completion of the children’s room and the church ceiling.

Multipoint is the company where I lead a Bible study every Wednesday. Some of the employees are also our church members. The owners of the business are Christians and wanted their employees to hear the gospel and be saved. In December, they had their Christmas celebration and invited my family. I gave a message to inspire the staff and to share the real meaning of Christmas. We ate together and participated in entertaining games. This company has been a blessing to our church; they sell eggs and faithfully donate eggs for our feeding ministry.

Pray for this business to be blessed abundantly by the Lord.
Pray for increased interest among the staff to learn more about the Word of God.
Pray for spiritual growth and maturity of the church members in the coming year.
Pray for cooperation and commitment among the church leaders.

November 2018

Praise to our gracious God for another month filled with grace and blessing. I was invited with church family to celebrate the birthday of a beloved grandma in our church. We are blessed to have Veronica as a part of our church family. We enjoyed singing her birthday song and eating special food with everyone. She is now seventy-six years old and lives with her husband close to our pioneering church. They were both devoted Roman Catholics. They have a small sari-sari store that provides for their daily needs as an aged couple and their children are all married with their own lives.

Before Veronica accepted and believed in Jesus Christ, she went with her husband to the vast Roman Catholic Church in the neighborhood. Despite this, we persisted in inviting her to our church. One day, they asked us for help with an electrical problem, and this opened the opportunity to share the gospel with them. My wife ministers to Veronica through massage therapy, and sometimes we share food and material blessings with them. This touched her since she could see the love and care we had for her. We knew that God was doing something special in her life.

Now she is very active in the church despite her physical weakness due to age. Every Saturday she attends the Bible study and worships with us on Sundays. Anytime she is unexpectedly absent; she still brings her offering. She comprehends the futility of worshipping idols and graven images. Her husband is still attending the Roman Catholic church, and she is praying for his salvation and understanding of the gospel. Veronica is the first Christian in her whole clan and family.

Pray for Veronica to persistently pray for her husband and to be secure in her faith.
Pray for her husband and family to come to an understanding of the grace of God, accept the gift of salvation, and proclaim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The women in the church have taken the initiative to make the church’s surroundings look clean and attractive. They water the plants and have added some beautiful new plants. It is so lovely to see them taking excellent care of the church.

Pepito and I started the repair of the road where our senior citizen members travel. It is hard to see our neighbors having a challenging time navigating the weak and narrow road. Since we are in the mountains, when it rains, the path is muddy and easily cracks. I came up with a solution, to use stones and more soil to strengthen the pathway. We had pleasant weather that allowed us to finish our project.

I received cracked eggs that were accidentally broken during transport from my Bible study contacts. The eggs have been a blessing to feed the children from the very start of our ministry. Sometimes I make congee, a type of rice porridge, but this time I distributed the eggs directly the church members. Despite this batch of eggs being broken, everyone was happy and grateful for the unexpected treat.

We have started construction for the children’s room. The number of children who attend each week is growing, and they make lots of joyful noise during the worship service. God gave us wisdom as we discussed strategies for this challenge. God answered our prayers and provided for our financial needs for this construction. We purchased the blocks for the foundation, and the weather has been pleasant. We did not have enough to hire a professional carpenter but one of the church members, Mars, is between projects and offered to do the project. Carpentry is not his full-time profession, but he knows enough to build the room with the aid of myself and the other men in the church. We are paying him so he can provide for the needs of his family.

The children are continuing to meet for their discipleship every Saturday starting with the study of God’s Word and then their practice for the song and dance offering to the Lord of the next day’s worship. I see their joy and excitement every time my wife gathers them. They are so enthusiastic that they are sometimes challenging to direct. We are brainstorming for different strategies to make the church a welcoming place for them to learn about God’s love.

Pray for the construction of the children’s room to continue smoothly and any finances required for its completion to be met.

Our Thanksgiving Sunday celebration was filled with joy for all the blessings we have received. Our church was invited to worship with two other churches. Everyone, children and adults, enjoyed the fellowship, the food, and the praise and thanksgiving given to God. The children and youth offered their dance offering to the Lord, and the churches each gave a presentation. The sermon inspired and reminded us about God’s provision in spite of hardships and difficulties in life. Trusting Him fully and being obedient is the key to God’s blessing. We all returned home feeling blessed.

Pray for the church members spiritual growth and maturity.
Pray for the new Bible study contacts.
Pray for good health for pastor Norberto and his family.

October 2018

This past month included many days of trials and challenges for the children and mothers. One who was affected was sister Lilibeth. Last month, as I shared in my previous reports, she was hospitalized due to severe diarrhea, and despite her release from the hospital, she is still suffering from body aches and pains. She was having a tough time moving enough to do basic household chores. My wife went to her house to pray with her and offer a free massage. My wife provides massage therapy as a ministry to the women and senior citizens. Praise the Lord that afterward, Lilibeth was able to move more efficiently and do her everyday routine. She was especially blessed to be able to attend the Bible study and Sunday worship again.

Lilibeth’s past life was complicated and problematic. She lived in Cagayan De Oro City with her four children. She had many fights with her live-in partner because of drugs. He was not providing for the needs of the family and had a lot of vices. Since he was a drug user, their finances were struggling. The children suffered and became malnourished, and Lilibeth’s health suffered, and she was diagnosed with hypertension. Lilibeth decided to move to Cebu to live with her mother and sisters. Her family background was Iglesia ni Cristo, and Lilibeth started attending there with her mother. Her father, Pepito, is one of our active church members and we kept prompting him to bring his children and grandchildren. We invited Lilibeth many times, and she refused despite our offers of help for her family. This did not stop us, and we continued to pray and encourage her to church. Five months ago, she responded to the gospel message and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Praise the Lord! Now she is attending the church with her partner and children. They are actively involved.

Pray for the spiritual growth and maturity of Lilibeth.
Pray for Lilibeth’s family and especially for those who are not saved to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Many of the neighborhood children and youth came down with dengue and high fevers. Their parents also suffered from high fever and body aches. Some of the children had nosebleeds. One of our church members came late at night and begged for our help. Her grandson was in the hospital with severe dengue fever and in critical condition. They asked for prayer for their child’s recovery and the medical bills. My wife and I went to the hospital; it was so crowded with so many patients with dengue fever that we had a hard time finding the child. We finally found the family and prayed for healing for Lawrence. The parents were encouraged by our support and the small financial help we offered. Two days later we rejoiced with the family as the child was complete healed and release from the hospital. The next Sunday, the mother brought her child to the church to worship.

Another mother brought her son, Reniel, to us because he had a high fever and she was afraid it was a symptom of dengue fever. We prayed with her, and the child was healed the next day. Praise the Lord.

Pray for the children who are recovering from dengue fever, Lawrence and Reniel, to heal with no side effects from their illness completely.
Pray for the neighborhood to be protected from severe cases of dengue fever and for the those who require medical care to receive it quickly and effectively without concerns about medical bills.
Pray for health and protection for the church members and family of the pastor.

I remember when I was single and ministering at another church with the youth, I discipled and care for many young people. One of them was Randy. He was so kind-hearted and teachable, and this young man blessed me. A few years have gone by, I’m now married and pioneering at a different church, so we seldom talk or visit due to our busy lives and different concerns. One day, Randy came to me and asked for advice about his personal life as he desired to get married. I was excited to learn that his girlfriend was a faithful Christian and a member in the church choir. Randy visited the target area where I’m starting an outreach, and he noticed that we needed new equipment, especially with the sound system and microphones. He committed to purchasing a new amplifier for our ministry. To test the quality of the equipment, he sang a song to God at our worship service. To God be the glory!

Give thanks for the blessing of Randy and his encouragement to the ministry of Pastor Noberto.

Pray for good health and protection for Randy.

God is good because he answers our prayers. In my previous reports, I shared that my wife was praying for someone to assist her in instructing the children. It is not easy to guide all the little ones, especially during worship service. We were praying for my wife to be able to join the worship service occasionally as well. One of my co-workers called with the name of a youth who desired to serve God with the children. I immediately responded and met with Allyn. She attends the Bible school here in Cebu and is handling the children with love and care as she teaches them from God’s Word.

Praise the Lord for Allyn and her desire to minister to the children.

Pray for wisdom as Allyn teaches the children and shares with them about the love of God.
Pray for the ceiling repair.

September 2018

God has blessed our ministry. Our Wednesday mentoring group continues, and it is great to see them growing in the knowledge of God. Every Saturday the women gather for Bible study. They give their full attention while listening to the Word of God. I praise the Lord for all the work our members have been doing, inside and outside, to maintain and decorate the church. The women have made curtains, and my wife cut flowers and Bible verses to make the walls beautiful. A bulletin board was donated to hold the church announcements and details about the church activities. Outside the church, the women have brought beautiful hanging plants, and everyday Gemma stops by to water and care for the plants.

Gemma was a converted Christian long ago but stopped attending church because of family problems. She has endured a lot of discouragements in life which weakened her spiritually. Her first husband died, and she is now living with another partner who is a drug addict. I see deep sorrow inside her. She has six children; some are already married. We invited her to attend church and shared God’s love with her. Her passion for God was revived, and she attends the women’s Bible study and the Sunday worship service. She brought her children, her sister, and her sister’s children to church with her. The children attend the children’s Sunday school. Praise the Lord for her recommitment. We are thankful for her desire to make the church beautiful.

Give thanks for the women who have donated their time and resources to decorate the church.

Pray for Gemma and her family, for healing from past discouragement and hope for the future.

I praise the Lord for caring for his children. Lilibeth was dying and had to get hospitalized because she was suffering from diarrhea and weakness. We visited her and extended financial help. God answered our prayers and revived her strength. She has returned home, and when we visited her, we prayed with her and brought her bananas as a gift.

Another member we visited was Lucy, who recently miscarried. She had episodes of a high fever and was not aware that she was pregnant. We prayed with her and brought her fruit. Despite her loss, she was crying with joy from experiencing how the church cared for her.

Pray for the healing of Lilibeth.
Pray for Lucy to heal from her recent loss.
Pray for more spiritual growth and maturity among the church members.

Give thanks for the care the church members are taking of the church and their desire to create a beautiful place to worship God.

August 2018

The Wednesday Bible study is continuing. I gathered the employees from a local company for them to be spiritually refreshed. The employees are Roman Catholics, but the owner is a mature Christian who desired for his employees to be fed from the Word of God. Some of the employees also join us on Sunday. I have been teaching the Bible study for this group of many years and even though many of them are very devoted to their belief, I know that the word of God is planted in their hearts and in God’s time will grow and produce fruit.

Pray for these employees to understand the grace of God and come to an understanding of salvation.

I praise God for Jandro. He has five kids who are in school. Before he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, he had a lot of bad habits and was a very hot-tempered person. One day, he asked me for a favor and wished to have a small area to build a small house for his family. They were facing a great emotional and financial crisis. I gave them a little space and they lived near my house. He started attending Bible study and eventually came to church. Little by little, he and his whole family drew closer to God. Now every Sunday, they worship with us and his children are all active in the church service. His wife is involved in the women’s fellowship. Jandro expresses how his life is transformed compared to his life before. He is working as a security guard and always desires to help in the ministry.

Give thanks for the salvation of Jandro and his family. To God be the glory.

The men are serving God through various projects at the church. Every morning, Pepito is with me being trained as a leader despite his old age. The men’s fellowship studies God’s word and eats together. Last month, as their project, Alex and the men worked to finish the bathroom. The men are also practicing for Sunday worship. Sometimes their voices are not in tune, but they still did not give up. They choose different songs but still, they do not get the right tune, so they decided to add another day of practice.

Give thanks for the projects the men are completing and for their willingness to work together to improve the church.

Give thanks for the passion of the singers and pray for their voices to improve with practice.

Give thanks for the leaders who are working with me, Pepito and Alex.

Our first church anniversary celebration was very successful. Our theme was “Celebrating God’s Faithfulness” to remind us of the help of God and support of everyone. Everyone was very excited. The women cleaned and decorated the church for the occasion, despite some challenges with the decorations, they worked well together, and it turned out great. During the worship, four men from the church gave their testimony of how God had changed their lives. The children and youth gave a presentation on their part. We had a baby dedication and gave thanks for God’s healing of baby Tiffany. We ate lunch together and were blessed with so much food that many church members brought leftovers home. We played games for both children and adults and have a great time.

Give thanks for our celebration and for the work of God in this first year.

Pray for the future of our church and for the work that God is going to do in our community.

In the ministry, prayer for each other is very important, especially for our church members and leaders. We thank God for these answered prayers and have several to share with you. Pepito had cataracts. We were praying for a free operation and it was done in God’s timing. There was a foundation that provides solutions to eye problems for free. We submitted information according to their requirements and waited patiently. There were moments that Pepito was discouraged but we encouraged him to trust God. He is now completely well. According to him, it is like going from darkness to light, he was blind and now can see.

Give thanks for Pepito’s successful cataract surgery.

Baby Tiffany was hospitalized for a week due to pneumonia. Her parents were very worried and asked for our prayers. We prayed with them and assisted financially. She has completely recovered, and they did not pay any amount. To God be the glory!

Give thanks for baby Tiffany’s recovery.

We have a new assistant teacher that does not have any children of her own. She was a student looking for a church to work at every weekend. We give thanks to God for the assistance in our children’s ministry.

Give thanks for the new teacher and pray for her wisdom in leading the children to an understanding of salvation.

Pray for our ability to repair the church ceiling, when the rain is strong, the water comes inside the church.
Pray for our regular discipleship training and mentoring programs.
Pray for the church leadership council before the end of the year.
Pray for increased spiritual growth and maturity among the members and church leaders.

July 2018

This month, my wife and I met and prayed with Roxanne. She is the girlfriend of an ex-drug pusher who was jailed and then acquitted. Now they are having a hard time financially and Roxanne is six months pregnant. We are encouraging Roxanne to trust God and to join our Bible study on Saturday. I see in her a longing and need for the stability that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for her to attend the Bible study and to learn about salvation.

Pray for Roxanne to attend the Bible study and for salvation.

Youth Ministry

Every Friday, the youth meet for fellowship. They study the Bible, sings songs and do activities that help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. My wife has been teaching them singing, dancing, and how to play instruments. They continue to work hard at preparing for the presentation for Sunday morning. Sometimes the youth get discouraged but they keep practicing. Pray for the youth to grow in their personal relationships with Jesus Christ and to continue ministering to the church even when it’s challenging.

Pray for spiritual growth and maturity among the youth and adult members
Pray for teachable and committed leaders to help in the Sunday school and youth discipleship.

Nothing is Impossible with God

Lucy has two children, a boy, and a girl. Her son plays the beatbox during our praise and worship. We have invited Lucy many times to attend church. She was very shy and was hesitant about attending the fellowship because of her one-year-old daughter. Recently, her husband was put in jail due to drug addiction. We helped by praying for them and providing food and financial help. God answered our prayer and he was released from jail after a month. We visited their home and encouraged Lucy to attend the Bible study. Thanks be to God that she been attending for the last two months! Lucy is very emotional during our personal thanksgiving and testimony. She has faced many problems in her family. She is very happy to have brothers and sisters in Christ who can help and pray for her. I see her smile every time we have our fellowship. To God be the glory!

Pray for good health and wisdom for Pastor Norberto’s family.
Pray for healing from the pain of arthritis for Pastor Norberto.

Spring 2018

Jorlyn is a young lady who lives near our home. She comes from a large family with seven brothers, and six sisters. Her family struggles financially, and both of her parents are jobless. Jorlyn oversees her one-year-old sister. When her mother goes out looking for food Jorlyn takes her sister to school with her.

Jorlyn attends bible study every Friday evening after school and has become one of my wife’s disciple students. It took a long time for her conversion because of the many discouragements in her life and the fact that her family is Roman Catholic.

One of her most significant struggles came when her youngest sister died because of Pneumonia in October 2017. She screamed at the nurses and doctors because of her emotional desperation and anger. She was so sad and even thought about quitting school. She missed school for a long time, but we continued to pray for her and would visit and pray with her. Jorlyn is in 11th grade right now, and we continue to encourage and even helped her with small financial assistance so that she can take the exams she missed. In December we brought her to Jollibee with other children who were being sponsored by our Christian brothers and sisters. She was so happy upon receiving gifts that she did not expect.

As of now, she is doing well by the grace of God. She continues to come to church every Sunday and joined the bible study and discipleship every Friday evening. According to my wife, she has become a steadfast believer in Jesus. She has many questions about her old religion which Roman Catholicism. She is very responsive to my wife’s discipleship and willing to grow in Jesus. Now, she always stays at home after school helping and taking care of her younger brothers and sisters. Even though she’s still new in her faith, I can see her eagerness to learn.

It’s so hard to find a family that seeks God altogether. That’s why we’re so thankful to have the Miparanum family in our fellowship. We can see their sincere faith in the Lord. Mrs. Susana is the mother of Rose Ann and Mary Margarett, the three of them were baptized together last October. Rose Ann is a teacher and still working while Mary Margarette attends high school. During our worship, they joyfully sing and worship the Lord. Mrs. Susana was the one who offered her small area for our place of Worship. We can see their real dedication to Jesus.

God is so good to our Carreta Christian Fellowship. In November Rev. Steve Wheler visited along with Pastor Cris and other White Fields pastors. Everybody was happy upon seeing them. We sang gospel songs followed by testimonies from church members. We also gave 24 people baptismal certificates who were baptized in October this year. Finally, we listen to a message from Rev. Wheler (interpreted to Cebuano by Pastor Quimat). Praise be to God for the blessing he gave us that day. We praised God for the people God used for us to be encouraged and inspired in serving the Lord.

As we continue to work, God wants us to think of different areas where the gospel is shared. Prayerfully we recently planted a church near us in Kalunasan, Guadalupe Cebu City. This is an excellent opportunity for the Gospel; we are thankful because God was working and moving in our community. In fact, one Korean elder donated two sacks of rice for distribution to our pioneering church member. It’s a great blessing for us because this will serve and bless them with food. It’s a way to let them know God loves them that much because they receive a gift unexpectedly. When we distribute the rice, we will also share the word of God and let them know how blessed they are.

(2) Pepito is a man who was lost in this world for many years. At a young age after having five children, he left his home and chose to live a life filled with darkness. He was arrested and separated from his family for many years. His drug abuse and bad choices led him to homelessness. One day Pepito woke up, came to his senses, and decided to stop living his life in darkness. At 63 years old he traveled back to Cebu were his family lives. His family lives next to the church, and most of his kids and grandkids attend church. I decided to invite him to join our Sunday service and he accepted. He’s been attending our Sunday worship each week and usually joins me every morning for the Bible study and will follow me throughout the day. I recently asked him to lead a prayer during our Sunday service, and he was glad to have the opportunity to pray for the church. Pepito is strong, but at times you can see that his body is physically weak, he tells me that he wasted his life for so many years, and he is determined to follow Jesus for the rest of his life.

Our church was blessed with 40 trays of eggs. Once a week I do a Bible study at the Multipoint Company were they sell eggs. Alex and his wife are Christians, and their desire is for their employees to know the Lord. I invited some of the employees to attend church and a few accepted. Our church members were so happy and blessed to have received the gift.

(3) Station of Life has a lot to thank God for allowing us to work in the lives of his children. Even though, most of our brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing problems emotionally, physically and financially. This week we had a young baby in our congregation Kurt in the hospital due to a UTI and Dengue, and Pepito’s granddaughter was experiencing high fevers. We prayed as a church for the families during this difficult time.

Last week two women in our ministry disagreed. There was a misunderstanding that led to fighting. My wife addressed the issue since she is head of the women’s ministry. She talked with them and settled the matter right away. My wife spoke to them about forgiveness and having a healthy relationship towards each other. Praise God because they both cooperated and reconciled with each other. They are attending Bible study and even offered to sign for the Lord. Praise God because He’s actively working in Station of Life Church.

Mercy recently started coming to Bible Study. Mercy’s life has changed and continues to improve as she surrenders to Jesus. Her childhood has been devastating since she was young. Her family was destitute, and her mother was shot and died when she was seven years old. She didn’t complete high school and started working at a very young age. She took any job she found so that she can earn money. At her young age, she became pregnant and unfortunately decided to break up with her boyfriend. Her mind was confused that she had no idea how to take care of her daughter, she decided to bring her to her family in Negros.

When we started inviting Mercy to church, she was shy and didn’t seem to care much about it, but she didn’t stop attending on Sunday’s. Every Sunday she started joining our Bible study and is now planning to marry her boyfriend. She’s voiced that she desires her daughter back in her life so that she can lead her to Jesus Christ. Marcy is a faithful follower of Jesus Christ; her time is dedicated to Him by helping around the church by cleaning and making it look nice for everyone who steps in. To God be the Glory.

(4) We sent the youth in our church to a four-day summer camp. The youth came from the northern and southern part of Cebu for a time of spiritual renewal. I was the first speaker during the evening worship. This year the theme was “Run the Race.” It was an outstanding experience for every person that was there to learn the word of God. They were taught about discipline and exercising their faith to win the crown that will last forever. They participated in many activities, games, and heard testimonies from different young people.

Our church also hosted a Vacation Bible School for children ages 2-14. They were split into three groups according to their age. They learned stories from the Bible, sang songs of worship, and had art activities. On our last day, everyone received a ribbon and a certificate. The children had a memorable experience during their summer vacation. Praise God for the financial provision as well as the volunteers who committed themselves to serve the Lord by leading these little children to God. These children are the hope of our nation, and that’s why it’s essential that their hearts be filled with God’s love and His Word. I pray that someday they will become church leaders and workers.

Rovelyn became a mother at the age of sixteen. Because she married young, she was not able to finish high school. Her parents were angry with her but accepted Rovelyn because she is their daughter. It’s tough to become a young mother, but I can see that she is growing spiritually. She was baptized with eight others last week. Every Saturday she attends Bible study and goes to choir practice every Sunday. Her life is changed, and her joyful spirit is evident to all.

(5) The Philippines was one of the recipients of the Samaritans Purse box donations. Children of different ages received toys, cloth, shoes, school supplies and other things. The children were thrilled upon receiving their gifts. Their partnership with us, the local church was a success, and we thank God for that because the children were blessed in return. We continue to have Sunday school with the children and youth. Every Friday we have a fellowship and disciple training to prepare our teens for God’s kingdom.

We invited the youth to our fellowship, and many of them attended for the first time. We had young speakers who shared the word of God, and my daughter Precious sang a song for Jesus, many of the kids were amazed that she was singing so young. We also had a child dedication in our church for the son of Renmark. My friend pastor assisted me, and family member and friends witnessed the dedication and birthday celebration. Also, the son of Nognog and Raymond celebrated his 1st birthday. Baby Kurt was very special to them since he is their first child. We prayed for him and celebrated together with the family and church members.

One personal testimony this month is that of Chacha who just gave birth to a daughter. Before Chacha became a Christian, it was normal for her to have children from different men. She had three children from her first husband and three children from her current partner. Her life is like that of other people who experience separation and brokenness due to unexpected circumstances. The three children from her first husband each passed away at a young age. That’s why her heart was broken. Every Saturday my wife visits the family and has a bible study with them. We can see her sincerity in listening to the Word of God. She has this great desire to learn and serve God despite her situation. She desires to come to church, but because of her newborn baby, she’s not able to attend. Chacha continues to send her four-year-old son to join the Sunday school. Her current partner is a security guard and is not able to visit every Sunday, but he attends a Saturday Bible study. Every time we visit we see that Chacha has joy inside of her knowing that someone is extending the love of God upon them. As of now, Chacha desire is to listen to God, and we can see that Chacha understand her need for Jesus. According to her, she has this hope and peace that did not have before.

(6) Every Friday our young teens and young people come together for fellowship. The children are learning how to open their Bible, sing joyfully for the Lord, play instruments, and especially how to have a right attitude as children of God. They are being molded with a Christ-like character even at their young age. Their confidence in the Lord must be built up for God’s glory. Praise be to God because this school year there were Christians from other countries who sponsored our kids with bags and school supplies. Every Sunday these kids went to church early and attended Sunday school, and during our worship time some of them sang special songs and danced for Jesus. We are so grateful to God to see these young teens growing in the Lord.

Every Saturday my wife gathers all the women to have a bible study. The women are learning how to open their Bibles, share their burdens with each other, and pray. After Bible study, we joined in prayer asking God for his mercy. We do a prayer of thanksgiving and testimonies to build up their confidence and practice speaking among the other new believers of Jesus. As mothers, their daily activities are going to school with their children and doing the household chore. Meeting on Saturday’s is a new activity for them.

Allow me to introduce you to Emma. Emma has five children who are all grown and married, sometimes though they still dependent on her. They live in a tiny house with lots of problems. Emma was a devoted Iglesia Ni Cristo member and decided to worship with us each Sunday. She is a hard working woman, and I often see her carrying hollow blocks or plywood as a day laborer. In our area this way of earning money is standard. Last Saturday she and her daughter cleaned our church. They wiped the windows and brushed the surrounding area. We are grateful for their gifts they use in the church and the example they set for others!

Winter 2017

Praise God because He’s always there to give us the strength and joy of serving Him. He always answers our prayers and faithfully leads people to us to disciple and assists in the ministry. Our new contact is Christopher, a motorcycle driver. He has four children, two girls, and two boys. Christopher’s having a hard time physically and financially right now. Physically he suffers from hypertension, and his work is affected because of the rainy season (less income), consequentially he has quarrels with his wife. He’s had many problems in his home. His wife and mother in law are ignoring and neglecting him, but the situation has opened him to Christ. We shared with him the gospel and encouraged him to surrender his life to Jesus. Right now he’s assisting us in the ministry in Carreta Cemetery. He controls the crowd during our children’s worship and giving of snacks to avoid any problems with the children.

Now, despite his problems at home, when he’s with us we see him laughing because he has found a new friend whom he can depend. To God be the Glory.

Prayer Requests:

Christopher will grow spiritually
Financial provision for his family, and health
Peace and reconciliation with his loved ones

Maysa who attends our church shared with me her testimony,” I am Maysa; I live outside Carreta Cemetery. I am a single mother with one son. I currently work different jobs to provide for me and my son’s needs. Life is so tiresome and lonely because of the problems I’ve encountered especially my financial issues. But I thank the Lord because one day my aunt and uncle brought me to the cemetery to attend the worship service. At first, I refuse to go, but they insisted, so I decided to attend the service. When they started singing, and I heard the songs and saw others singing to them, I felt very strange. The feeling was new to me, and then I listened to the pastor telling everyone about having a personal relationship with Jesus. I attend worship service with my uncle each week now, and when I hear God’s word, it fills my heart with joy. I can smile despite problems in my life. Our pastor visited us in our house, and I was so happy that he came to our home.

What I desire now is to fully surrender my life to Jesus and trust Him all the time. I will always thank Him for the salvation that He freely gave me. I hope and pray that my son will also understand the joy that I have right now. Together with my family, we will continue to serve Him.”

Prayer Requests:

Maysa will continue to grow spiritually
She will become a channel of blessing to others
Financial provision

Water Baptism in October
I praise the Lord because we have ten people who will get baptized in October at Wigis beach. It was hard to determine who would get baptized because the people at the cemetery are not permanent residents. But of course, there were some who remain faithful in the fellowship. Our church is praying for financial resources so that God will provide the needs for the upcoming activity. Our primary concern right now is that the new believers will stay strong in their Christian faith.

Pastor Norberto Palmerola

August 2017

The Lord amazes me how He continues to work in the hearts of every member of the Carreta Chinese Cemetery Church. We are continuously urging them to be faithful to the Lord and be committed in their service to God no matter how hard their situations may be.

Last week we had heavy winds and rain which brought torrents of water that caused flooding in different areas of Carreta. Most of the houses of our church members were affected by the flood which tested their faith. We joined together and worshiped our living God on Sunday despite our situation, many of our members crossed the flooding in knee-high dirty water just to obey the Lord. To God be the Glory!

Prayer Requests:

Carreta fellowship members will continue to be faithful to God.
Spiritual growth in our Lord Jesus Christ for each of our members.
Pray for the reconstruction of homes that were affected by the heavy rains.

Praise God for He has answered prayers for our ministry in Carreta Cemetery. We’ve had some challenges within our leadership, but we are also aware that when great things are happening in the body of God, Satan is active as well. One leader who was responsible for the preparation for our Sunday service comes from a large family of daughters some of whom live inside the cemetery. We thought she would be a positive influence and bring her loved ones to worship and learn of our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, she became a stumbling block for them because of her negative attitude. As a leadership team, we talked with her and told her we appreciated her involvement in the church activities, but a true believer of Jesus Christ would not gossip or display jealousy towards people. She said she understood and would pray and change her attitude. We are careful who we choose as leaders for our church because we want peace and sincere hearts serving the Lord. We also have an active member named Roger. He is diligently inviting his neighbors and reminding other neighboring people to come worship on Sunday’s each week. He shows up early to church despite his asthmatic condition. Roger was very sick last year, but now he is getting well. He always brings his wife and niece to church with him. Roger will be baptized this coming October 2017. Our newest leader is Mrs. Elvie who is a terrific singer. We trained her to be our praise and worship leader, in addition to this we found she is an excellent temporary church treasurer. Please help us pray for our Leadership team that the Lord will continue to strengthen their abilities and leadership skills.

Praise the Lord we have leaders and members who would like to get baptized. We had prayer time together in our Sunday worship asking God to strengthen each one of us and bless our plans in the ministry, especially our baptisms this October. We encouraged them with the need to be baptized first before they can be on the leadership council. We have candidates for deacons but no elders.

Prayer Requests:

Our plans of baptisms this October, that the Lord will guide us through this process.
Leader’s growth and spirituality in God’s word.

God is good and has blessed the people of Carreta Cemetery. We had a Korean Christian group visit our church. The message of love and passion through Jesus Christ was preached to the people. However, not only by words but by the actions that our visitors displayed. Before giving them food, they gave the gospel bracelet and explained the meaning of every color. They sang and danced just to let them see the goodness of God through them. The people in the cemetery enjoyed every part of the performance. After enjoying the spiritual food, they received a pack of food for lunch.

Prayer Request:

The people in Carreta Cemetery will understand the gospel that is presented to them each week

Thank you for your partnership with national pastors like myself. Because of your prayers, we see the power and results in our ministry.

Pastor Norberto Palmerola

July 2017

Praise the Lord for our answered prayer. Our family was praying that the Lord would provide a place of worship outside the cemetery. We prayed for a different location because of the dirty surroundings inside the cemetery. When the Miparanum family offered their home for us to use on Sunday’s we were overjoyed and thanked the Lord for answering our prayers. He’s been so good and faithful to my family. He always gives us the strength to continue serving Him despite the problems life brings. I praise God because He makes His way so that His ministry will grow and go on. I can see how sincere the Miparanum family is about serving the Lord because of their sacrifices in opening their home to our people. This week I visited their house, and they were so happy to be serving in this way. They have a store as their source of income, and some of our members live near their house. The family is a source of encouragement to their neighbors as well. To God be all the glory.

Prayer Requests:

Miparanum family will continue to be committed to God.
Our new Sunday worship will bring more people to listen to God’s word.

I thank God, this month for the visitors who came to visit and witness the ministry in Carreta Cemetery during the feeding. The visitors enjoyed watching the children sing and worship the Lord. I’m happy to see my kids leading the worship especially Precious. I praise and thank the Lord for the undying love of God towards us and the ministry. To God be the glory.

Prayer Requests:

That the ministry in Carreta will continue to grow and more people will join.
The people who live at the cemetery will understand the Word of Salvation.

The ministry in Carreta has become a big part of our life as workers of God. There are many misunderstandings towards the members and other unexpected situations in the ministry. Still, the Lord has given me strength and wisdom to survive in this spiritual field. Only God knows everything and His plan will always prevail. His ways are not our ways nor are His thoughts our thoughts that is why we must completely trust in Him. I thank God for the opportunity of serving Him wherever He leads my family and I. To God be the Glory.

Prayer Requests:

Strength and wisdom in the ministry.
Guidance, protection, and good health for my family and me.

Yours in Christ, Pastor Norberto Palmerola Jr.

June 2017

Glory to God for HE is good to my family.

The Lord continues to meet our needs in extraordinary ways. My children are blessed because they’re growing healthy and strong by the grace of God. Sophie my eldest is in 3rd grade, my second child, Precious is four years old, she stays at home with Princess, our youngest child. My wife home schools the children. Precious my four years old enjoys singing and is part of our praise and worship team, she also participates in the different Christian gatherings. People enjoy listening to her gifted voice. My wife is an instrumental part of our children’s lives, she takes God’s word and applies it to the training of our children and teaches them the way they should go so that when they become old, they will not depart from it. My wife is a blessing to our family as well as myself, she assists me in every ministry that God has entrusted, and always reminds me about my commitment to the Lord. Thanks be to God for all His blessings.

Prayer Requests:

Good health for my family.
Daily financial provision.
Prayer for the studies of Sophie that she will be successful and get higher grades.
Constant love and devotion to God.

Praise be to God because He continue to encourage us as workers in the Carreta fellowship. We have discouragements especially when it comes to the dirty surroundings and people with bad attitudes at the cemetery. But God reminds us that they have souls that need to be fed by the Word of God. We do have people who serve faithfully and join us in fellowship despite the harshness. We have our adult bible study every Saturday and our worship service every Sunday. Our attendance fluctuates at times due to unexpected circumstances, we understand that some situations cannot be avoided, but we remember that our Lord is in control of all circumstances. I am so thankful to God because He is faithful and encourages me through His Word.

Prayer Requests:

Spiritual growth among the members.
Pray that more souls will come and worship with us.

God certainly moves in mysterious ways. He knows just what we needed. This month we partnered with the Department of Health and CFFI Foundations. I donated blood, and they mentioned that it is a good cleansing for the body, they also offered a free steam massage which helped relieved me of some of my body pains, I also received a free acupuncture. Praise God. As a servant of God, we need a healthy body so that we can do great things for the Lord. And by His grace we can continue to follow and obey His will. Just this month I distributed bibles to some of the Carreta fellowship members. They were so estatic and joyful upon receiving it. To God be the Glory.

Prayer Requests:

Good health for my family and also for every believer.
More love and commitment from the Carreta Fellowship members.

Yours in Christ, Pastor Norberto

May 2017

Praise God for the Carreta Ministry. God continues to bless our church and ministry. Our bible studies and Sunday worship continue to attract new hungry souls. They come and enjoy the fellowship of the brothers and sisters. At first it may be awkward for them, but later they accept and enjoy worshipping God through action songs, and God’s word. One visitor we recently had is Elizabeth, she is 35 yrs. old with two children. Last Saturday was her second time joining us for worship, and we encouraged her to come on a regular basis and join the worship. We did pray for her family and reminded her that Jesus loves her and her children. She replied joyfully and said she will continue to come.

Prayer Request:

Pray that Elizabeth will be true to her words and will become a true follower of Jesus
Pray for a commitment in her walk with Jesus Christ

We recently had a personal testimony from a lady who attends the free meal and teaching.

“I am Celia, I’ve live inside Carreta Chinese Cemetery for the last 3 yrs. I have a daughter and I have raised her alone. My life has been full of trouble and pain. It’s not easy to find a job when you only have an elementary education. Looking for a stable job with a higher wage is impossible. I take any job offered no matter how hard it is. I accepted laundry, helper, caretaker, and I sale different kinds things just to survive. I feel very tired, but I have no choice because I have a daughter and I love her so much. That’s why I’m so thankful to have been invited by my friend to join their feeding. She said there is a burger and rice soup and it’s free. I joined with my daughter and I’m so happy because I heard about the love of Jesus. Even though, I have felt like a reject in my life, I’ve learned that there’s hope and real joy in Jesus. Now, I promised to myself that no matter how busy I am I will give time to God and know Him more. I will continue to call upon Him, especially during my sad moments. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me hope and putting a smile on my face knowing that you are there loving me. To God be the glory.”

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for Celia’s spiritual maturity
Please pray for a stable job

Vacation is nearly finished and classes will resume once again. Knowing that the children in Carreta are poor our main concern was the children’s school supplies. We prayed that God would open the opportunity for the school to supply the children with the supplies needed. Indeed, God is good because He granted and answered our requests. City Church was used by God and our children in Carreta were provided with school supplies. In His own time, he will answer our prayers. The children went home very happy while bringing their new bags and school supplies. To God be the glory.

Prayer Request:

Please pray for the children in Carreta will acknowledge the goodness of God
Please pray that the children will become true followers of Jesus

Yours in Christ, Norberto Palmerola Jr.

March 2017

It’s so wonderful to see families worshiping the Lord. Inside the cemetery where our church is located, it is rare to see a whole family being one in faith and belief. Most of the people living in the cemetery are just after the material blessing they can receive especially food. That is why I am always encouraging everyone to invite a family member to our Bible study and worship nights. I’m thankful because Francisca Malapit and her two daughters Geralyn and Nida are always there. Francisca’s husband is not as faithful because of his work, but there were moments that their family was complete during our fellowship. They listen attentively to the Word of God and sings very cheerfully during our praise and Worship.

Prayer Requests:

Pray the Malapit family will grow spiritually
Pray that they will invite friends and neighbors

I praise and thank the Lord for our Wednesday prayer meeting and Bible study where we gather their prayer requests and thanksgiving. We let them participate in every topic that we have so that they can have a deeper understanding of it. They’re also free to ask questions, and we listen to their suggestion as to how to improve our fellowship.

Prayer Requests:

Pray Each group and family will grow spiritually
That they will follow the schedule and participate
Pray they will invite others

Serving with you, Pastor Norberto

February 2017

I thank the Lord and praise Him because He continually blesses my family and the ministry He entrusted to me. My wife and children continue to help in the ministry. My wife teaches the children the Word of God and leads them in worship songs. My children help in the church as well, my second child Precious will often sing alongside my wife at church. I am so blessed to have them because they make it easier for me to do work that God has for me. To God be the glory!

Prayer Requests:

Good health for my family
Wisdom and Protection
Consistent dedication and commitment to God

It’s amazing how God works mysteriously in the life of each one in Carreta. Our Bible study meets every Saturday, and all of them are very attentive to understanding and obeying the word of God. We have several new people who have joined our fellowship. However, some will not participate because of personal reasons. On Sunday we have twenty to thirty adults attending. Praise the Lord!

Prayer Requests:

More souls will come and worship
They will grow spiritually
Carreta members will also lead others to Christ

I praise and thank the Lord because it was an answer to prayer to see the ministry in Carreta growing. We’re praying that once a week we can gather and have a midweek prayer meeting, and praise the Lord one has already started. Through this gathering, I trust that new believers in Jesus will know how to pray and communicate with God. They need a strong weapon to grow in the Lord. Through prayer, they can cast all their worries and cares on Him. Sharing their prayer requests is a new thing for them because they are not used to others supporting them in prayer. This is one of the core truths of the Gospel I am trying to teach them.

Prayer Requests:

Midweek prayer meeting will continue.
The people will be encouraged to grow in Prayer

Pastor Norberto

December 2016

It is really amazing to see God at work in the Carreta Cemetery Christian Fellowship! The ministry here has not stopped, but instead continues to grow. Thanks be to God! One family that has been active is the Malapit family. Three of the sisters were new in our fellowship, but I can see their eagerness to learn from the Word of God. Every Saturday and Sunday, they are there very early and excited to be in the fellowship. They are interested to hear and participate during our worship. These three sisters encourage me to be always faithful and keep on believing that there are souls being prepared by God; hungry and thirsty souls that will really come to Jesus. By the grace of God, I will not stop the inviting the people inside the cemetery. Even though many may reject, some will respond, in God’s timing. To God be the Glory!

Please pray that the people will continue to be active in the fellowship, grow spiritually, and bring friends with them.

Every year, Christians from different part of the Philippines will gather together to celebrate the goodness of God. This event is called “Jesus Reigns.” Here in Cebu City, Christians from the north and south had a grand celebration as well as a time of fellowship with believers. The members from the Carreta Cemetery Christian Fellowship joined this event and experienced the love of God from other brothers and sisters in Christ, from different churches. There was a parade, and during the evening, a speaker gave a wonderful message that encouraged and reminded everyone of how powerful our God is and that He can make things possible, according to His will. Everybody enjoyed the presentation as well as the praise and worship time. It ended late, but we were still very blessed.

Please pray that our members in Carreta will not forget the wonderful message, and that they will encourage others to attend next time.

Praise God as Sunday worship attendance has been increasing! It’s really an answered prayer to have 20-30 adults joining the worship. It’s good to know that they were responding already to the call of God. I know that our place of worship could be cleaner and more presentable, but what’s more important is that God’s Word must be preached. Even though the living situation inside the cemetery is a temporary solution, I believe that wherever the people go, the Word of God will remain.

Please pray that we can find a place where we can worship outside the cemetery.
Please pray that our members will become spiritually mature.

December 2015

“The name of the Lord is to be praised.” These are the words that I have heard from the mouth of Mrs. Pelaez who is a widow. She has four children who are married, but are still very dependent on her. She is the one who takes care of her grandchildren even at her old age. I can see the sadness in her eyes as she shares her struggles in her family. Even though she is tired, she desires more strength so that she can still take care of her family. She is very thankful that she has joined the fellowship and hears God’s word. She is encouraged to know that there is a real God who is always there for her and her family. Every feeding and worship time, she brings her grandchildren so that together, they can receive physical and spiritual nourishment.

Please pray for Mrs. Pelaez, that she will really understand the Gospel.
Pray that she and her whole family will be saved.

Praise be to God for He is good and indeed a great healer for all of us! This past month, my three children were in bad health. My eldest daughter suffered from mumps and fever, she was absent from school for a week. She had missed a lot of school activities. I brought her with me to the Jesus Reigns event, and then after to Jollibee to eat her favorite food. She was so happy. The other two children suffered from a cough, colds, and fever. Then, my second daughter was suffering from mumps. She could hardly eat because it was painful. Thanks be to God that my 11 month old baby is doing well, by the grace of God.

Please pray for good health for my whole family.
Pray for God’s provision and spiritual preservation.
Pray for strength and wisdom for the ministry.

God wants His Name to be exalted to every part of this world! This past November, Christians from every part of the Philippines gathered together for an event known as Jesus Reigns. Every year, Christians have made this commitment for Jesus’ Name to be glorified. There is a grand parade and presentations to exalt and lift up His Name; He is alive! Thanks be to God because every year, thousands of Christians join together for this big event to celebrate God’s greatness and goodness for everyone. To God be the glory!

Please pray for the unity of all Christians in proclaiming the Gospel.
Pray for no divisions among each church.

Pastor Norberto