ACTION Philippines

Setting Our Course

Feb 042012

This past weekend, we were able to get away for a short Prayer and Planning retreat! The Brand New Day team–Krista, Mervi, and I–went to a retreat center where we spent good chunks of time discussing many aspects of our ministry, especially in regards to where we are heading. There is so much need in so many different areas, we need to be sure to stay focused on what the Lord has for us. God is good and we came up with some great ideas and a good solid plan. We also had some very sweet times of prayer and relaxation in the swimming pool and even hiking

Now for an update on our kids. This week is the town “fiesta” of Silang, so the kids don’t have school and we’ll reconvene our Bible study next week. We have a handful of scholars who have become pretty stable and are doing well in school. When we saw them last week, I was very happy to see how well they are doing since I left last September. They are better behaved now and really growing in their faith! Let’s pray that they finish out the school year well (end of March)! Another praise report is that a handful of our teens have become very active in church and were baptized just before Christmas!

This is an exert from Erin’s blog. Click Here to read the entire post.

Christ and Compassionate Care

Jeff & Mary Ann Anderson No Responses »

Feb 042012

In today’s [February 3, 2012] PhilStar newspaper there’s an article called “Number of malnourished kids in Sendong areas increasing” which affirms what we saw when we were in Cagayan De Oro City in January and suspected would be a growing problem. We praise the Lord for Feed My Staving Children’s generosity in sending us 30 Forex boxes of food this month which will be distributed through our partners involved with the Mindanao Street Children Ministries Network. We’ll look into this further when we do more survey work during the week of February 21-26 when we’re back in Cagayan De Oro City and visit Illigan City.

We’re also putting together our conference for 100 pastors and workers called “Why? Reflections on Evil and Suffering” which will be held February 22. We’re hoping this meeting will practically help and encourage those who handle difficult questions and hear heartbreaking stories from suffering people they shepherd and encounter daily. We thank the Lord for Eternal Perspectives Ministries who’s sending us 110 free copies of Randy Alcorn’s book “If God is Good…Faith in the midst of Suffering and Evil” for attendees plus $1000 to help with conference expenses. We are about Christ for the soul and compassionate care for the body and we have no conflict in ministering to both.

Taken from Jeff Anderson’s blog and can be Found Here.

A Full Circle

Pami Ellis No Responses »

Feb 022012

Mayette was a gal who was referred to me last week for an ultrasound who was quite large, but had been breastfeeding her first baby so we didn’t have an accurate way to determine her due date. That was supposedly my job…

I went through the preliminary questions and then placed the probe on her swollen belly. The baby looked beautiful with a good sized noggin and was most definitely a boy. I talked with her about labor, but she had been through it once before so I kept it brief. We closed in prayer and off she went.

Fast forward to today – I returned to Shalom this afternoon after a leisurely lunch and saw Mayette groaning on the bed. She was our only active labor. I kept watching her out of the corner of my eye as I chewed the fat with Mavis.

Hmmm…she’s getting pretty restless!

The 2pm midwife came on duty, took one look at her, and asked for sterile gloves while Mavis scrambled for her record. (The other midwife was out of the room sterilizing instruments.) Because we also had no nursing students at that moment, I grabbed a pair of gloves and prepared to assist. I was still putting them on when I heard the sharp cry.

I raced over in time to help place the little guy on his mama’s chest, dry him off, and snuggle him up skin to skin. In about 10 minutes, he was happily sucking away, warm and dry, safe and secure, finally in the arms of the one who carried him inside for 9 months.

Praise God for easy deliveries like this one!

After an hour, I grabbed a photo with Mayette, her mom, and little Kean Mike. What a cutie!

Taken from Pami’s blog that can be Found Here.

Table in the Wilderness

Carl & Lisa Loewen No Responses »

Feb 012012

Give Me a Voice

At Honest Hands we believe it is important for our students to have a chance to share some of their stories and prayer requests with you.

Buboy (22) “I have had some hard times in my life. I really wanted to go to college, but it just hasn’t happened yet. So I am here at Honest Hands learning more about how to obey God, and how to be a friend to others. One of the best things in my life was when I followed Jesus, and when I was able to attend Honest Hands. My favourite Bible sessions have been on the life of Daniel and Joseph. My favourite tutorial class is science, and I also like playing basketball. At church on weekends I help set up the benches and also help clean up. Please pray that I can start Working Hands in June, finish my studies, help my family, and one day attend college. Also pray that our church would be able to buy land, and also complete the roof before our church anniversary. I will continue to trust God, whatever happens to me. My favourite verse is Jeremiah 29:11.

Onel (16) “When I was still on the street I had big time problems that I won’t forget. My family is still struggling as there is a lot of fighting and bad stuff going on. Pray that they would get to know Jesus. At Honest Hands I really enjoy the sessions about Jesus. I have been learning what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and what it means to be honest – especially by studying the characters in the Bible. I also like the math & history tutorial sessions. Basketball is my favourite sport, and I also like jogging to stay healthy. My dream in life is to become a businessman & help those in need. After Honest Hands I want to share what I have learned with others, especially my siblings. My favourite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Louie (18) “Probably the best thing that happened to me was that I was able to get into a home for former street youth and then they helped me attend Honest Hands. It has not been easy though as I am sometimes under discipline for what I have done. I have learned a lot so far – humbleness, patience, sticking to it. Before I had no idea of my future, and I just wanted to have a good time, being happy – now I have purpose. My favourite Bible session so far has been the book of Daniel – he was honest, and a servant of God. After graduation I hope to go to Working Hands. My prayer request is that I don’t return to my former way of life, and also that I stay out of trouble over the next few months.

Listening to His Voice

God continues to lead us as we work on plans for ministry after we return to Manitoba in May. God is making things clearer to us and we need your prayers as we follow Him in faith. We will share more details in the coming months, but right now we are still in the planning and vision stages of the next step. This is a challenging time: letting go of ministry here and trusting God for our family’s future. Second Mile has been our home for the past eleven years and it will be hard to leave our friends and ministry. But we are confident that God has a good plan for us in Manitoba, and we know He will supply all our needs. We appreciate your prayers during this time of transition.

Carl & Lisa Loewen

This is an exert from the Loewens January 2012 newsletter. Click Here to download the entire PDF newsletter.

Yes, Lord!

Jeff & Mary Ann Anderson No Responses »

Jan 302012

Dear Praying Friends,

This week, Monday-Wednesday, I wrote three 2011 ministry reports for the Philippine Board of Trustees and ACTION’s International Council (IC) which meets in Manila March 19-23, three drafts of a “critical issues” paper on disaster relief-development which I’ll present during the IC meetings and outlined another critical issues paper I’ll present to the IC on recruiting missionaries to work among the world’s 160 million street children and 145 million orphans including ideas on how to challenge the church to send out those called by God to work among suffering children and to support their work. Now that’s a lot of hours at my computer thinking and praying for a guy who’s a poor writer, has difficulty spelling and with bad eye-sight! But these reports and papers need to be *all* about what the Lord of the harvest is doing in our midst and if they aren’t I’m wasting my time as well as the time of those who’ll read them and they’re not worth the paper they’ll be printed on. Psalm 115:1 and 2 Corinthians 4:5 (NASB) motivate me to write: “Not to us, O Lord, not us, but to Thy name give glory because of Thy lovingkindness, because of Thy truth.” “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.”

O Spirit of the living God, help me to write for Your glory, for the edification of Your church and for the the spread of the gospel and compassionate care among the nations! Here are ministry updates for your continued faithful intercession which reflect what the Lord is doing and wants done.

1. Because I sent the 2011 evangelistic Christmas party and typhoon Washi-Sendong relief reports to you January 21 I won’t write much about these ministries other than to say keep praying for the follow-up of those who attended the parties and our preparations for our February 21-26 ministry in Cagayan De Oro City. An update on this though is Eternal Perspectives Ministries will send us 110 free copies of Randy Alcorn’s book “If God is Good…Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil” for those who’ll attend our one-day conference for pastors and Christian workers February 22. We’ve also decided to provide elementary level text books for a school that lost their books and school supplies for students residing in evacuation centers.

2. Update on Lori Rouleau: Lori, Mary Ann’s niece, arrived in good shape January 17 then spent several days with us getting her feet on the ground and over jet lag. She’s now staying with Pami Ellis an ACTION missionary nurse who works at our Shalom Birthing Clinic and is getting started on her ministry of entering patient records into a computer data base. Lori is a delightful godly young woman so pray for her as she adjusts to her new surroundings, makes friends and does her much needed work for God’s glory. She’s with us until May 6 so we’re all happy to have her with us for an extended time. Continue reading »

Devotions Out of Romans – Romans 1:24-25

Jim & Gloria Craig No Responses »

Jan 292012

I (Jim Craig) was recently invited to a birthday celebration of a gentleman who is a part of a group of foreigners residing here in the Philippines. The entire group (except me) was drinking steadily and the alcohol was starting to take effect. Before we sat down to eat I was asked if I ever was one to drink before I became a Christian and this opened up an opportunity for me to share my salvation testimony. Me sharing my testimony introduced the opportunity for religion to be discussed amongst the smaller settings within the larger group assembled at this celebration.

I heard different discussions taking place, such as “religion is the cause for many wars” to “the teachings of the Christians, the Muslims, and the Jews all lead to the same place.” The common attitude that I detected was everyone was basing religion upon their own thinking. Nobody was citing Bible passages but rather their own self-derived thoughts. None of the discussions had any shred of Biblical truth and this highlighted once again how far mankind can move away from God and the truth of His scriptures.

To make matters worse, I was able to witness some very troubling scenes. One was an older gentleman, who chain smokes, and how fear gripped him when any discussion focused on “death.” It was plain to see that he has an extreme fear of death. Yet what is illogical is the fact that he chain smokes. This will mean that he is not only shortening his life span here on earth but that he is increasing his odds of dying by a horrible illness that can be very painful; emphysema. He fears death yet he is rushing headlong into it. Continue reading »

Summary of Street Impact Team’s 2011 Christmas Party Ministry

Jeff & Mary Ann Anderson No Responses »

Jan 272012

Hello Beloved Prayer Warriors,

Here’s a summary of ACTION Philippines Street Impact Team’s 2011 evangelistic Christmas party ministry for street children and their families, out-of-school youth and underprivileged families:

1. Theme: “Christmas is filled with hope when we know Christ” John 10:10

2. Total parties: 30

3. Participants: 25 churches and 5 organizations who are involved with SITeam in other ministries such as camping, Fish and Bread feeding and relief-development

4. Total cost: $US11,139.00

5. Number of attendees: adults 683, youth 671, children 3,174 totalling 4,528

Homy’s Heartbeat #86

Ron Homenuke No Responses »

Jan 262012

Rejection or Acceptance?

“So shall the word be that proceeds from My mouth, it shall not return void.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Dear friends,

We make life hard. It’s actually very simple. The roadmap of life is laid out for us in black and white. We choose. Victory or defeat? Heaven or hell? Abundance or scarcity?

Such was the case in my hockey days. My forte wasn’t handling the puck. It was taking the man out, digging for the puck, shooting hard and keeping the puck low. My game plan very seldom varied. God spoke to Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…then you shall make your way prosperous and have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

The comparison? Simple. I listened to my coaches. Vic Stasiuk, Orland Kurtenbach, Phil Maloney and Dick Choyce. We didn’t win any Stanley Cups but we played some pretty competitive hockey. Now it’s a case of listening to my Father, the Lord Jesus Christ.

How about you? Do you meditate on the Word day and night? If you don’t, try it. Pardon me if you’re tired of getting my Warriors on the Walls or my Homy’s Heartbeat. Perhaps you’re too busy or too occupied in other things.

A quick note here. If I’m getting “under your skin”, take it up with the Lord. As Paul says in Phil. 3:12,“Not as though I’ve already obtained, but I follow after….”. God bless you and give you victory in every area of your life. Comments from my readers are always appreciated.

PRAISES:

The Lord, in His unfathomable grace, has allowed me to coordinate this excellent ministry…which, without faithful prayer and financial supporters would not function.
My knee is not 100% yet, but my former rotator cuff problems have been completely resolved.

PRAYERS:

The kids (except for three) are home on a week-long regional track meet. Pray that they would return motivated to do as well as they can in school and in following the Lord.
For the good financial support to continue as after the “sewer” project is finished, the following will need financing: Jude’s room, reframing of the Center’s front, extension of the boy’s dorm and finances for our school van.
For our very important Lifehouse Center Board meeting to be held in the first part of February.

Thanks and God bless,

In Christ,

Ron

Ministry Primarily is About God, the Gospel and People: Our Challenge

Jeff & Mary Ann Anderson No Responses »

Jan 252012

Biblical ministry is about God, His gospel of grace and people primary. Secondarily it’s about organizations, programs, budgets and job descriptions. Ministry leaders *must* keep this straight or God glorifying ministry which leads others to Christ and grow in Him doesn’t take place. If it isn’t there’s not much different between what so-called “Christian” ministries do from secular programs. We may be doing a lot of good work but is it gospel driven? That’s our challenge as we minister among the poor because we want to make a difference in people’s lives for now and eternity.

Taken from Jeff Anderson’s blog that can be Found Here.

First Week

Erin Johnson No Responses »

Jan 242012

This time last week I was just a few hours from landing back here in the Philippines! These first few days have flown by, and it’s if I never left. Well, except for the fact that I’m staying at the guesthouse on Second Mile Campus, a different place than in 2011. Everyone has been very welcoming and accommodating, easing my transition a good bit! Most of this week I’ve been moving my stuff from our office in Silang, and going through/organizing/cleaning…it’s not over yet but progress has been made!

IN and her brother in front of their house

Ministry-wise, we’ve taken it a bit easy this week. Our kids are now rounding out the last few months of their school year, and the ones still in school are doing well and fairly stable. I enjoyed visiting them at school this week! Both IN and JP have really been struggling the past few months to stay in school. Although their teachers have been exceedingly gracious, it seems they’ve both missed so much school that they won’t be able to catch up, especially since they missed their periodical exams last week. We can still see God moving in their lives though, so we are excited about that. We visited IN’s house this week, and although they still have troubles, it’s obvious that God is working in IN’s relationship with her mother. Please keep praying for IN’s family, and for her and her friends to resist the temptation and pressure to get back into drugs.

Another prayer request is for one of our youth, CL, the one who has been doing so well spiritually and wants to be a pastor someday. His health has not been good lately, so we will be taking him to a special clinic this week and he will likely need long term meds.

Also, next weekend (Jan 27-29), Krista, Mervi and I will go away for a small retreat to pray, brainstorm and plan together for the upcoming year and about our future direction. Please pray for wisdom and clear guidance from the Lord during this time as we “set our course”…and pray that my car will make it there and back (about 50 miles each way).

Thanks for checking in!

Taken from Erin Johnson’s blog that can be Found Here.

Older Entries

Setting Our Course

Christ and Compassionate Care

A Full Circle

Table in the Wilderness

Give Me a Voice

Listening to His Voice

Yes, Lord!

Devotions Out of Romans – Romans 1:24-25

Summary of Street Impact Team’s 2011 Christmas Party Ministry

Homy’s Heartbeat #86

Rejection or Acceptance?

Ministry Primarily is About God, the Gospel and People: Our Challenge

First Week

Missionary Posts

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ACTION International News

Pastor Leadership Development

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