Floods

While there have been many significant events since my last blog, which I will post about later, I felt I needed to make a special "Flood Blog" to show everyone in Australia a bit about what happened here, and also what was done with the generous donations.

For several weeks we have had heavy, continuous rain, which intensified with strong winds... I read that at least 60% of Manila was underwater. The church I have been sleeping in has been ok, but only a few minutes' walk away, the homes of some of my dear friends were completely covered. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced into evacuation centres... So many of my students and friends were severely affected.

My heart was really breaking. I didn't have the ability to physically help in the clean-up effort, but I decided to do what I could. I was so blessed when some generous and kind Aussie family and friends sent money to my account to help with the relief effort. These are just a few photos of what we did with the help of some people from the government and also the church I sleep in during weekends.

I am still praying for the people here and the recovery will take a long time... If anyone feels like they would like to give, the need is still well and truly there... You can read some information and follow the links on the Red Cross site if you feel so led....

http://www.redcross.org.au/philippines-typhoons-2012.aspx 

 Here are a few pictures

These homes were completely covered by water

The family of my dear friend, they were forced into an evacuation center

Well, again, I simply cannot believe how quickly time has flown! It is half-way through the year already! Vacation has finished and the new school year is well underway. Life is busier than ever and I am having the most wonderful time in this beautiful place.

This is not my puppy, but isn't he cute!

                              At the end of May I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a week in Quezon province, the home of several of our students. It took us about 15 hours to get there, but it was well worth the journey. I stayed with the family of one of the students, Brother Johnard, whose parents are pastors and also run a boarding house for students who study at the college just across the road. We had the most wonderful time! It is a very beautiful place, with beautiful beaches and far from the crowds and pollution that you find in Manila and surrounding areas. We thoroughly enjoyed going to the beach, going for a boat ride and eating breakfast, brunch and lunch in a ‘balsa’, which is like a floating picnic table with a built in waterslide. We cut down coconuts and drank the milk and ate the flesh; as fresh as you can get! We prayed at the beach, while watching the sun rise. We visited the homes of 5 PCL students, eating together with their families. What a wonderful vacation!

Sunrise in Quezon Province

Do we look ready for a vacation or what?!?!

Yep, definitely just a pose, I was not doing anything useful!

                             

While we were in Quezon province, we also had the wonderful privilege of participating in and sharing during Bible studies and church services. I was honoured when I was asked to share a word of encouragement at the Bible studies and even to share the message on the Sunday morning at church. I spoke about hope, as described in 1 Peter 1:3-5. My friends had the sometimes difficult job of being my interpreter. While I am certainly no preacher, I really enjoyed this experience.

Sharing the Word, with my interpreter

And a new interpreter on Sunday morning, Sister Marjorie

                             

Before I knew it, my vacation in Quezon province was over and it was back to the mountain for the new school year. It was so exciting to watch the students arrive. There was so much joy when everyone saw each other again. We were also excited to meet the new students, who are just beginning their 4 years of training at PCL. The first 2 weeks were so busy, making plans for the year, organising orientation for the students and gathering student information. At our first mid-week service, I was blessed to be the worship leader. I had not led worship since leaving Darwin in December, so I was so happy to be able to do that. We also had a welcome party for our 1^st year students, and I was asked to bring a message. This time, thankfully, there was no need for an interpreter (I just had to try to speak clearly and slowly). I shared about persevering by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, from Hebrews 12:1-3. Yes, the new school year was underway!

Oh I have missed leading worship!

                             

This semester, I am continuing with the roles I had begun at the beginning of the year. I have a new batch of 1^st year girls in my ‘Growth Enhancement’ class. I continue to have various administrative roles and I continue to build relationships with the students so that I can encourage and help them. I am so blessed that so many students do share with me and ask for prayer. Because I am close to the students, I have been able to identify when students are struggling and offer a listening ear, a word of encouragement and most of all, prayer! I bought myself a printer, and now, my desk is the most popular place in the school. I am so happy that I can help students by printing their papers. The printer was also very useful last week, as the process of becoming accredited through CHED steps into a higher gear. Finally, I have begun to teach English, which of course was my original plan. I found that a class of 70 students was a bit of a challenge, so I split the group into 2 classes. I am really enjoying teaching ‘English Communication’ to the 1^st and 2^nd year students.

Some of my 1st Year girls

               

As I mentioned in my last blog, my dear friends Alex and Suz visited me at the beginning of April. We spoke about the many challenges that the students here face, including the lack of computers. Alex and Suz had the wonderful idea to fundraise for some new computers. I am so grateful to my beautiful Aussie church, Darwin Baptist Church, and everyone who contributed to this cause. Last week, we put 6 new computers in the library. Already, they have been well used by the grateful students. We will make sure that these will be well looked after so that they can be of use to many students for many years to come. Once again, I want to thank Darwin Baptist Church and everyone involved for their kindness and generosity!

Students using the new computers

              

Last week we had a mission team from Korea stay with us at the school. Our 3^rd and 4^th year students joined them in their medical mission, which also included feeding and outreach. It was a wonderful experience. We enjoyed a Philippines vs Korea Basketball game, which was won by the Philippines whose outstanding skill was more than a match for the Koreans’ enormous size! (Yes, I’m biased.) We then played another game which was like a cross between soccer and volleyball. It was very interesting! The Koreans showed that this was more up their alley! On Friday, some of the PCL students stayed on the mountain (classes are Monday to Thursday) to help the Koreans with cementing the floor of our sanctuary. The floor was cracked and when there is heavy rain the water can seep up and make the floor wet. As a team, we made a line and threw buckets of cement and gravel up to the sanctuary at the top of the mountain. We did this from 9am until 4pm, but we were rewarded with a delicious lunch! We will all miss our new Korean friends.

They're so much bigger than Filipinos!

But our guys can jump!

And I am doing the very important job of spectating

Put a little Smack Down on it. Haha! Love the shirts our team wore!

Food for the feeding program

With the children in Yagit

So we have to get how many truckloads of this to the top?

The line, pass the bucket to the top of the hill 

And it's so much more fun eating off banana leaves!

              

I am so happy about all the wonderful things that God is doing here on the Prayer Mountain and in the lives of our wonderful Bible School students. I appreciate the prayer support that I am receiving. Please continue to pray for me and for our students. The first few months of the school year is often the most difficult, as the students are making a significant transition and many are without sponsors. Please pray that God will provide all of their needs, financially, spiritually, emotionally and academically. Thank you so much! God bless you!

April/May

Well, I can’t believe how quickly time has flown. The past 6 weeks has been an absolute whirlwind! Where to start…

My beautiful place in the Prayer Mountain, complete with goats!

Firstly, I am very proud of our 4^th year students, who have now graduated and are ready to begin the next exciting part of their journey in serving the Lord. On March 27 we held a Baccalaureate Service, where the graduating students “passed on the baton” to the next batch. April 12 was the graduation ceremony. I was very honoured to be the emcee at both events. The graduation of these students is such a wonderful achievement, a real testimony to God’s faithfulness and a wonderful inspiration to the rest of the students, who find study difficult due to financial, family or other circumstances. As someone who grew up with a wonderfully loving family, never having to worry about my next meal or where I will sleep at night, I am truly inspired by the perseverance that these students demonstrate and their dedication to complete what they know God has called them to do. They have to trust God for their next meal, their fare to travel to school each week, to provide for them in every way. Our God is good and faithful, and He is with them every step of the way. I believe that God uses these challenges to mould them into His servants who put their hope in Him, rather than in people or circumstances, and He is training them to listen to and follow His voice. I continue to learn so much from these beautiful people. I will miss them very much, but I know I will be able to keep in contact with them and hear about their wonderful adventures in serving our great and loving God.

I have been keeping in close contact with some of the students from “Batch Genesis”, who graduated last year, and I have seen the amazing, life-changing work God is doing through their ministries. For example, Pastor Garlan graduated from the Bible School last year and has established a church in a very poor and difficult area. I have met and heard testimonies (in Tagalog, I needed someone to help me understand) from his youth who were formally involved in gangs. Jesus has transformed their lives and given them new hope. Just last week, they told me that one of the boys ran into a former enemy who held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger 5 times. Praise God, the gun malfunctioned every time, and this young man lives to tell of God’s goodness in taking him away from that destructive lifestyle. That is just one example of the way that God is truly changing lives and bringing about hope and restoration in the lives of many people in this country. I am so excited to see what God will do through the ministries of “Batch Exodus” as well.

On April 16 I had the privilege of going on a Mission Trip to Pangapasan Island with the graduating class for a Mission Trip. This tiny island was absolutely beautiful and the people, though very poor, were wonderful and welcoming. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know and working with the local church there. We held a special service on the Tuesday night. We are excited about the connections we have made with the local Christians on the island and ways we can continue to support their ministry. We met some very special children on this island and we have the desire to support their education by bringing them to the Prayer Mountain, where they will receive educational opportunities that they do not have on the island. We are praying for sponsorship for these two precious children.

Pangapasan Island

At the end of April, I had the wonderful privilege to go on a youth camp in a place called Zambales with Pastor Jhun, from Batch Exodus, and his two ministries in Montalban and Caloocan. He brought more than 100 young people to the camp, the majority of which were unbelievers. This camp is absolutely incredible. It is financed by an American Pastor. The facility is absolutely huge. They have two or three thousand campers at a time. It’s a two day camp… as one batch leaves, the next batch is arriving. Hundreds of thousands of youth must have gone through it already this year, as we were batch 68. The camp sends buses to collect the young people… it was a 6 hour trip! It is very much an evangelistic event. I felt like a teenager again, and I loved it! The music is LOUD, the emcee is very funny, there were dances and dramas and I think the speakers were great… but I couldn’t understand them because it was all in Tagalog. When the young people were given the opportunity to respond to Jesus, it was just amazing. From our 2 buses, more than 70 gave their lives to Jesus and around 30 were baptised. What I love about this event is that because it is organised through churches, where people are invited by the youth from the churches, there is follow-up and discipleship of these new believers. What an incredible event! I am looking forward to hearing how our young people are growing in their faith. Please pray for them!

Another few wonderful highlights were having Aussie visitors! I had a wonderful few days with my dear friends Alex and Suz, at the beginning of April. We visited the mountain, met with friends and visited churches. It was so wonderful to spend time with them. Also, Kirk, who has been one of the sponsors of the Bible School students, came for their graduation. It was great for him to get to know some of the students and see what life is like for them. I have a dear friend, Cathy, who is staying here for a few months after spending a year in India.  I am so blessed to spend time with wonderful people from home J

Alex, Suz and I with some of the members of Pastor Garlan's church

 

Apart from those events, I have been busy. I had this crazy notion that during vacation, I would have a lovely, peaceful time where I could study Tagalog, practise guitar and prepare for the upcoming semester. Instead, I have gone from one place to another, often on the spur of the moment. I have learnt to pack my bag and just go down the mountain, not knowing exactly where I will stay that night, but knowing that a great adventure awaits me. In this country, people are so hospitable and I love spending time with different people in different places. At one stage I slept in 10 different places in the space of 13 days. I believe that God is using this time during vacation to teach me many things. I am learning to be flexible. I am learning to let go of control (how can I have control when I don’t even understand what anyone is saying). I am learning to ask for help. I am learning to be humble. I am learning to turn to God when I feel lonely.

Cos if you can't fit everyone in the car, just have them hanging onto the back!

I have a church now and I am very excited because I will be joining their worship team this Sunday. Our church will also hold a concert at the end of the month. My church members are lovely, friendly and kind. Communication is not always easy, because some of them have limited English, and of course, I can only speak Tagalog if the conversation goes something like this “This cat here is eating. That dog there is running. I am hungry. I would like a cup of coffee. Why is the child angry? Are you teasing me?” Unfortunately, my limited Tagalog doesn’t lend itself to deep and meaningful conversations. I pray that communication will become easier so I can feel more connected with these beautiful people.

I am very excited about the coming school year. I will take the 1^st year girls for “Growth Enhancement” and I plan to use this time to really encourage and disciple them. Many of the 1^st year students are new Christians. I want to support them in their Christian walk, to talk about real issues and allow them to be honest about their struggles, rather than feel pressure to be a perfect Christian because they are Bible School students. I will also be taking the 1^st and 2^nd Year students for English Communication. Again, I am excited about the opportunities I will have in this role. This is the reason I came to this country, to support these men and women who have been called by God and have a desire to serve Him. God has a great plan and I know that He will transform many lives through the future ministries of these people. How exciting to be part of that!!

That was a long blog, because so much has happened and I have barely been home to write about it. So thanks for bearing with me. Please continue to pray for me and these beautiful people in this wonderful country.

God bless J

March

Hello friends,

Well, time has flown. It is already half-way through March. There is only 1 week left of regular classes, followed by exams and then graduation and mission trip next month. Wow!

On 2nd March, PCL had its outreach/fundraising concert. The students put in a tremendous effort. I know that God will bless the students for the many (many, many) hours of rehearsal and preparation for the night.  It was called "Harana sa Hari" which means "Serenade the King". The concert included Praise and Worship, video testimonies, theme songs, performances (some English but mostly Tagalog), a girl band, a boy band, dancing and a musical drama. The night was fantastic. There were some technical problems, but everyone had a great time, and when there was a call for prayer, many young people came forward to receive prayer. I believe that God was really moving in the hearts of those people and I pray that He will continue the work He started on that night.

PCL Champions

Boy Band

Me

We had an outing on 9th March to celebrate the year's work, thank the students for their efforts and enjoy fellowship. It was such a wonderful day. These students sure know how to have fun. The day began with prayer and a message and also included games, swimming, karaoke (which I enthusiastically participated in... I'm sure that nobody is surprised about that!) and of course, a big feed!



This doesn't quite capture the amazingness of how many people they can manage to fit into a van!

 



So those are some of the events at PCL... now about me.

I am still enjoying my stay here. Much of my time is spent in the office, where I help with general administration. My Chinese student has gone back to China, which gives me more time to do some of my other roles. I am enjoying my 1 class, "growth enhancement" every Wednesday with the 1st year students. Most of all, I am really enjoying getting to know the students better. I feel so blessed that students have shared their stories with me. I am continually amazed at the work that God is doing in their lives. I love the passion with which they pray, their generosity despite how little they have materially, their hope throughout challenging circumstances, their love of God's Word, their enthusiasm during worship, their joy in the simple things, their openness, their dedication to ministry for the glory of God and their faith in our Saviour! Every day, I thank God for the work He has begun in their lives and His faithfulness to sustain them. While hearing the stories of some of these students breaks my heart, I am also filled with hope because I know that God works all together for good, for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. I can't put into words how I feel about these students. With all of my heart, I believe that God will do mighty things through these men and women of God!

As I have been completing my tasks, settling in and getting to know the students and staff, God has been speaking to me about my purpose in this place. I have been happy to help with the administration, I enjoy my 1 class and I am very excited about beginning to teach English in the new semester. However, I believe that God is showing me more ways that I can be a support to these students. I am still praying about these things, and would really appreciate your prayer as well!

I have been to many different churches since I arrived, visiting friends and praying about which church will be my home. I am leaning toward a particular church and hope to speak with the pastor soon. Settling into the right church family is very important to me, so I would appreciate your prayer in this matter.

Please continue to keep these students in your prayers. We have the mission trip coming up in April. This is a big expense and I am continuing to pray that God will provide for them financially and that His will will be accomplished during the trip.

Ok, that's it for now... I hope I will have time (and adequate internet access) to write more soon. God bless and thank you for reading :)