Final Filipino Fellowship

Day 11 and 12

On Sunday we enjoyed our last fellowship with the Church here – every first Sunday of the month they sing hymns (with only keyboard), and partake in the Lord’s Supper.  A guest speaker came all the way from New Zealand, and he tried his best to share about Jesus Christ and the worthiness of Him.  It was indeed harder to preach with a translator, because you can’t really get into it, you have to pause a lot.  Gary and I were able to give a love gift (financial) to the Church that morning, and it brings us much joy to give what our supporters have given.  We are convinced that the ministries here are Christ-like, and we know that they are advancing the gospel in this community! Praise God.

In the afternoon Gary shared a message to the youth group about how God is better and how we don’t have to look elsewhere.  We taught them a game (ninja) and it was good to pray with them too.

On Monday we took a day of rest.  We visited Taal volcanoe – it was a very hot day, but worth the walk (I raced (ran) down the volcano J).  We then went to Taytay waterfall and enjoyed icy cold water under a powerful waterfall – the day long trip was worth both experiences.

I have been able to share with our security guard at the place where we are staying.  He has many questions about things in the bible and it is a joy to talk with Him – knowing and hoping that Christ will convince him, not me.  We were able to give him a full bible, which he was very pleased about.  I will not forget too soon the comment of his: “The bible is so hard to understand – I wish a missionary would come and speak Tagalog AND English and teach me so I could understand!” 

Gary and I have also been enjoying studying through Jude together – though we don’t have much time to.  A truth to heed is the warning in Jude (1:4) about those who have ‘crept in’ to the church and they deny Jesus Christ – note that they do not deny that He is the Christ, nor do they deny his life or death on the cross, but they deny Him by using God’s free grace as an excuse to sin more!  So ask yourself, as we are: am I denying Jesus this way?  Do I know anyone who is doing this whom I should speak to?  I hope this encourages you towards a closer walk with Jesus Christ.

Please pray for our security guard – Rezol, that he would submit to Christ, and accept the gospel.

Please pray for safe travels for us – we leave on Friday the 6^th back home from KL.

Give thanks that Gary and I have come out of our sick spells each day, and have enough strength to carry on.

There are 2 Ways to Live..

Day 9 and 10

Yesterday we took off early to visit three campuses.

We only made it to two before lunch, spending a fair chunk of time back at the University Polytechnic of the Philippines (which we visited on Tuesday).

The university is certainly the most open to the gospel. We first talked to the dean of the college who asked us some pretty searching questions. I thought she didn’t want Christians on the campus, because of the way she was grilling us, but at the end of the discussion she said she too was a Christian and simply wanted to protect her students. The doors are open here. We then went around six classes with maybe 40 or 50 students in each class, sharing a testimony and presenting the gospel with the two-ways to live presentation. Chris gave the presentation and the reception was good, many were listening intently and prayed with Pastor Cesar to ask Christ into their lives, and forgive their sins (in Tagalog the national language), and PRAISE GOD that some have given their hearts to Jesus!!  They have an ACTS (Alliance of Christian Truth Seekers) meeting at the campus and they will follow up for discipleship.

Chris has become infatuated with a teddy bear dog that barks, which he bought. He says it’s cute. It is now broken after flying 30m through the air. I did it to protect him from losing his manhood. The gesture was not appreciated however and I was forced to buy him a new one. The broken one went to a young girl, pastor Topher’s daughter, so I suppose it’s not all bad.

Today we had two feedings with maybe 100 children. It rained harder than it has all trip today. Even though it stopped after 30 minutes the lack of drainage in the community we visited left giant puddles around many houses. I can only imagine what would happen if it were to rain for a day. The children love pastor Topher; he is a seasoned veteran. Chris shared about God being a good shepherd who cares for their needs after Topher’s songs. We also held two bible studies. The second one went very well, thank the Lord, but the first was a shocker.

Some ministries do not always go well. All the pastors were there for the first study, with maybe 10 ladies, and I was hoping to share a gospel message around Zacchaeus, who gave up all he had to gain Jesus. The message came across without the gospel I thought. I felt sorry for the ladies in the study because it seemed like a tax for them to listen. I think among it all I still want to be praised for my work and so even the ministry had become an idol for me. I was a bit downcast. But I want to write this because it may encourage someone. The truth is God knows I’m a poor missionary but he still looks at me through Jesus. I am stilled loved by him and am perfect because of Jesus’ work. Simply making that the point of joy and strength helps when trying and sometimes failing to uphold the name of Jesus well.

*

Chris is preaching tomorrow, pray that the Lord would speak through him and the church would understand the truths he is sharing.

Thank the Lord that we were able to meet the physical needs of many children and pray the gospel message would be more satisfying to them.

Rich in Christ

Day 7 and 8

On Wednesday morning, we searched for the street children who sleep next to the road.  They were hard to find because the police had kicked them out early in the morning.  We eventually found them begging near McDonalds.  Gary shared with them that God is not a concept, but our father, as Marcelo and I went and bought some buns and drinks for them.  I shared with them also, about being rich in Christ and it was good to see the concern in their faces for the message that can save.  The kids enjoyed the food, and it is hard to support these children.  If you give them only money, they will spend it on solvent (to sniff).  If you give the kids nice clothes and gear, it gets stolen from them.  Marcelo even tries to look after street children at his Church, but many prefer the freedom of living on the street rather than being accommodated and educated.  However there is some hope for these children; Marcelo has a few success stories who are working for the church – these boys came from the street.

We then visited the prison to hand out more hygiene packs.  Gary was to share a testimony and I was to share a message after him.  I had previously talked with Gary about the message I would share and about how the soap and toothpaste cleans the outside, and the gospel cleans the inside.  After Gary shared his testimony to the women of the prison (100 women in a long bedroom size room), he continued to share my message that I had prepared!  “Sorry mate” he said to me as he continued on.  However the gospel message can be owned by no man, so I learnt more humility, and to depend on Him for a message.  I shared with the women about the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4.  The women were very receptive as we led them in prayer, and they sung us a song on request; “Give thanks with a broken heart”.  Gary and I both had tears in our eyes; never before had we seen such a response to the good news and to hear them plead for more bibles was so encouraging.  We also prayed for the prison guards, and I asked them all to read the book of John.

Thursday Marcelo agreed that we should have a day of rest!  So we only went to one campus to look around and talk to the classrooms in the morning about why we have come (“not for mangoes, not for a wife, but for Jesus sake”), and visited the PTS – Philippines theological seminary, meeting many from different countries there including Burma, Vietnam, Bangladesh – many of whom are being trained to share the gospel in their home country!

I want to encourage our friends and family and supporters back home with a poem.  This is how Gary and I are seeking to find our rest as we carry on with His work here.

The fount of everlasting rest,

Here must we drinketh everyday

The fount of Christ, it is the best,

For in it, we shall hear Him say: 

“Rest here in Me, my troubled child,

Forget thee not I am the One

In whom there is a spirit mild,

My arms have room for every son. 

Why should thou work so hard thyself?

Have thou forgot? Can thou not see?

Thy work which is thy soul’s true wealth:

To ever come and rest in me.” 

“How can I rest in thee” you ask,

“Look at my work done on the cross,

For whom can add to this great task:

To die for sin to save the lost.”

Please pray – that tomorrow’s ministry would bear fruit in an eternal perspective (we are going to 3 new campuses and sharing at PUPP again (Polytechnic University of the Philippines).

Pray for the children in the photo – the street kids that they would pray to the father and receive an inheritance in Heaven that can never be stolen or faded.

Give thanks – that so many are open to hearing the message here – the harvest is indeed plentiful

Give thanks - That we were able to share in a catholic school this morning about Jesus Christ our hope of glory

Doors are open

Day 5 and 6

The last couple of days have included some great ministries for Chris and I to enjoy.

Yesterday morning we rose early at about 6.30am, feeling a bit overwhelmed with the full-on day ahead.

Marcelo and Simon picked us up to visit the mayor of San Pedro and pray for him at his home. He has a great relationship with Pastor Marcelo and he was happy to let us pray for his leadership of the city. He has a heavy burden and it was great opportunity to pray that he would look for guidance and strength in God. I am finding the openness to the gospel and to Christians is far greater here than in New Zealand. 

We then went to a small suburb in San Pedro to attend a women’s bible study. Pastor Topher lives in the area and would love to see the women start attending the church. Chris gave his testimony and I gave a short teaching from the word. Be praying for these ladies that they would grow to treasure Jesus above all things.

We spent time going around visiting people in the church and praying for them. It was great to see how encouraged they were to have support from Marcelo and the other pastors.

The cost of food here is unbelievable compared to back home. We had a big lunch between 6 of us, with coke, and it cost $7NZ (300peso). We found out minimum wage for workers here is just over $10NZ a day. After lunch we went to the prison.

We previously bought 200 bars of soap and 400 packets of toothpaste to give to the prisoners here in San Pedro. On entering the lock up it was hard not to be shocked. There were two cells, one the size of a walk in wardrobe and the other the size of a bedroom. In the cells there were 50 men and women. This was a great opportunity for the gospel. Chris shared about being a prisoner of sin, and the prisoners prayed with him. We also sang a song ‘Give me Jesus’. I told them a story that highlighted loving your enemy. The response was very good, everyone to my knowledge took a New Testament bible. I remember hearing one prisoner say “stop giving us soap I want the bible”.

My accent is a continual struggle for the Filipinos to understand. I am now talking at a pace similar to a snail. I am slowly learning how to get across messages in English so they can understand however, Chris is doing better with the language and he puts on a hearty American accent to help people understand him.

Today we had our first contact with a uni campus. One of the reasons we are here is to survey the need and opportunity to share the gospel in the campuses. So this was going to be a great day. The doors are wide open for the gospel in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines San Pedro. We were given a whole class for 3 hours today to talk about God. Of course we did not talk for that long haha but we shared a testimony and Chris shared two-ways to live, a six picture guide explaining the gospel. Pastor Cesar, a very funny man who is continually trying to get me married, shared a message in Tagalog. After fun and games with the students we were invited into another class where they gave us 30 minutes to take over and share the gospel! I did a testimony and Chris shared two ways on the black board.

During the games with the students the punishment for losing was having to spell your name with your backside. Chris stood in the middle of a circle of 30-odd students waving his bum around to most people’s elation. I don’t think many people thought they would see that when they woke up this morning. Pray that it has not damaged too many dreams.

 It is a huge encouragement going place to place with Chris. He is struggling a bit with dizziness but when ministries come God continues to give him strength. The Filipinos really appreciate his interest in the language and God is really using his messages of the finished work in Jesus and resting in Him. We are growing as brothers in Christ.

This afternoon we took part in a small bible study in a suburb called Estralia to finish off the day.

Please pray:

Thank God that he has given us so many opportunities to share the gospel. Thank Him for Chris finding strength enough to preach

Pray for the students we talked to that we would see them again and they would accept Jesus as their saviour.

Pray for the prisoners who invited Christ into their hearts that they would be set free.

Rest in me

Day 3 and 4

Marcelo has given us a schedule of activities that we will do with His ministry.  We are overjoyed that there is so much to be done, and that we can be a part of it, yet we are heavy laden because of the full day of ministry each day.

Gary and I have been growing in our relationship, sharing our folly of pride and weaknesses with each other last night.  During the flight to the Philippines, we considered 14 prayers that we would petition our Father with, and pray 2 prayers per day.  One of these prayers is that we would grow closer to one another in love.  Another is that we will grow in humility, and 'see how big God is, and how small we are'.  These prayers are being answered faster than we can pray for them!

To share a funny story:  Gary was preaching and sharing his testimony to the street children, as part of the 'feeding' ministry.  First the gospel would be shared, songs sung of Jesus, then they would receive soup and bread.  As Gary talked about his love for soccer, he said that he used to score a lot of goals, to impress people.  I am learning Tagalog at a fast rate and heard the translator say 'babae' which means "Girls".  I laughed my head off - the Filipino's looked a bit confused, and to top it off, Gary said at the end that now he scores girls (kiwi = goals) for Jesus!!

I must carry on with one more story, Gary woke up last night at 3am in the morning to prepare today's sermon for the afternoon services at the Church.  I wondered why he was working from 3am to 4.30am, and then found out in the morning that he woke up at 3am and saw his NZ cellphone time at '7pm' - Whoops - You guys (NZ) are 4 hours ahead of us.  These are joyous times, and we need much laughter to keep us well spirited here.

We are also learning to 'rest in Jesus' because we were so overwhelmed by the fact that we would preach and teach and run bible studies every day!  So this lesson is a must.  We have learnt more that our work is not to do a 'new' work - but to point others to the three nails that represent Christ Jesus' finished work.  Our rest is found when we accept that we cannot add to his wounds ourselves, but we can show others His wounds.

Matthew 11v28 seems such a household verse, but this is so necessary for us.

I however, am struggling to find much laughter at this time.  I have become ill and my illness is in my head (dizzyness).  However the Father saw fit to use me still today; I was able to share the gospel with our security guard at our location.  Though I am weary and could not preach at Church this afternoon, the Lord still uses me!

Please pray as we go about the campuses, community leaders, street children, prisoners, and policemen, that we would overflow with joy and love for our Lord, the same Lord worshipped in New Zealand, and in the Philippines.

Pray also for my health - for Our Father has the power to heal

Give thanks that we have been able to wisely invest our money into the ministries here, and please give thanks that the Church here is so welcoming of us and desiring us (already) to return and work on the campus full time!!

In Christ I will rest tonight, with my brother Gary, for there is no other rest to be found in such a setting.

Chris (and Gary)

P.S. please encourage others to use this blog if they want to follow our ministry - Gary and I are choosing to place our energy here for sharing all the Lord is doing

Arrival

Day 1 and 2

And so the Philippines 2012 trip has begun.

Chris and I left early yesterday morning from Christchurch into a sea of cross-culture and difference.

We stopped in Melbourne and Singapore before flying to Kuala Lumpur to spend our first night.

The KL airport was a joke, we had to take a train ride just to find our luggage.  Found a good few chairs to sleep on and nothing was stolen that night.

The culture along the way became more and more shocking as well.

At one stage in the airport we walked through the food court to see members of the Malaysian army sitting down for some Maccas. One of the blokes sits his M-42 Assault rifle on the table pointing it across the room and leans over to take a sip of his coke.

The following morning (today) we got up early. The bus we were supposed to catch (5.30am) didn’t turn up on time so we ended up catching a taxi.

God’s sovereignty was awesome because by the time we got to the plane (at a different airport across town, go figure) we were well late. We only had 40 minutes until the flight left and the check -ins had closed. We were sprinting around and stressing out, but then went to the Father in prayer.  5 minutes later, after more prayer, Chris opens his eyes…

A lady stood next to him and he asked her for help. She surprisingly took us off to a private line and checked us in, saying the check in had closed but for some reason saw it fit to open it back up again.

This exemplifies the point of our trip, resting in God’s sovereignty as we seek to have him glorified. He is in control and all we need to do is call on his Name.

Only a few hours ago we ended up in Laguna, Manila. The pastor of the “Holiness of Jesus Christian Church” from Laguna drove 4 hours to pick us up then drove us 4 hours back to where we are staying.

Marcelo has already expressed a desire to see a campus ministry and to see someone come to begin the work here permanently on the campus.

We will begin helping out in Marcelo’s various ministries tomorrow. We are volunteering at a soup/feeding kitchen for the local street children and families. Marcelo says we will be able to share our testimonies and are eager to do so.

Give thanks that our whole trip was funded fully by the body in New Zealand.

Please pray today that our testimonies tomorrow would shine God’s grace.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog for the short term Mission trip that Gary Hamilton Irvine and I will be embarking on in Late June!!

Please "follow" our blog if you are interested in praying for us or following what we are doing/experiencing over there