June and July

The Beginning of 2014-2015 School Year

At the beginning of June, the new academic year at PCL began. With more than 50 new students we now have about 130 students in all. Our new first years have made a great start to the semester. They had a bit of a shock, however, as it is a PCL tradition to throw a very dramatic welcome party for the new batch. It began when the student council called a meeting, which all students were required to attend. Some matters were discussed in a heated manner and a few students began to feel a bit tense. When the school chaplain and secretary became involved in an ‘argument’, the students really started to wonder about the school. Then some students from our senior levels came in, raised their hands and shouted, ‘Welcome First Year Students!’ With great relief, they realized that everything had been staged and it was actually a party in their honor. We had worship, prayer, an encouraging message, a crazy dance performance by the funniest students in the school and an activity where ‘old’ students write encouraging messages on papers taped to the backs of our new students. The students recovered quickly from their shock and thoroughly enjoyed their special welcome.

This year, I am only teaching two subjects, and have taught them before. I therefore have more time to focus on some of my other roles. The library is still undergoing a lot of change as we are in the process of going electronic and fixing the layout of the books, as advised by our visiting librarian. We are also monitoring the students’ library study hours more closely, and have seen a great improvement in this area. I am now in charge of the worship team, and am enjoying putting some ideas into practice to help make our rehearsals run more smoothly, develop our less-experienced singers and musicians, and foster a greater sense of unity within the team. I will also be setting up a web-page for the school, which is slightly daunting, but with the help of a simple ‘drag-and-drop’ website builder, I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do. I have two sessions per week with a Chinese student, Joseph, who is learning English, with the hope of enrolling in PCL next semester. 

My English Grammar class

Students using the data projector donated by DBC

Joseph, my Chinese student

Gethsemane Dweller Church – Hillside: New Building Dedication

If you have been following my updates for a while, you may remember that in 2012 we had a dedication at my church, as a new, two-level building was completed. Well, thanks to our generous Korean sponsors, Hillside added a third story and on June 17 we had another building dedication. The Korean sponsors came again, our church members were there, and all of our 3^rd and 4^th year students were invited. I have been so blessed to be part of a church that is growing in physical size and number, as well as in the way the Holy Spirit is moving through the services and activities.

Can you find me in this picture? I'm wearing black.

Typhoon Glenda

Typhoon season seemed to come a little earlier than usual this year, with Typhoon Glenda hitting in the early hours of July 16. Classes in Metro Manila were suspended for two days and most places lost electricity. Juls and I discovered that we weren’t really prepared for living without electricity, as our charcoal cooking stove we use as an alternative to our electric stove can only be used outside – not such a good idea in heavy rain and strong wind. We bought a little gas camping cooker and a bunch of candles. By the Saturday (19^th) evening, the electricity came back on.  This typhoon caused less flooding than some others I have experienced here, but the strong winds caused a lot of damage and affected many of our friends. We were very thankful that our house was not damaged, as it is a lot stronger than many other houses. 

Dinner by candlelight... because there was no electricity

Now we can cook without electricity

Answered Prayer

The month of July has been an unforgettable month in our prayer life. We have had some circumstances that have really tested us. However, we knew that God was giving us an opportunity to completely trust in Him, no matter what. We have already seen amazing answers to prayer and believe that He will continue provide for us and give us wisdom. We are so thankful for the way it has drawn us closer to each other and to God. 

Birthdays

June 14 was Juls’ birthday, and in an attempt to fit in with the Filipino tradition of dramatic surprises (well, that is the excuse I will use) some friends and I concocted quite a plan. Juls and I came home that night to find our gate open, the door unlocked, the television, DVD player and laptop gone, and some chairs knocked over. Juls checked our bedroom and started to go outside to ask the neighbours if they had seen anything suspicious. I stopped him and directed him to the kitchen, where his friends jumped out with a cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him. It took him a few moments to work out that it was all just a plan to surprise him. We had a lovely night after that, together with his friends. 

My birthday seemed to go by on a much more subdued level. My wonderful husband bought me my favourite doughnuts and lovely flowers, I received a lovely card from the 3^rd year students, I shared a cake with another staff member at the school and I was greeted with cake and cards at church. Then, a week and a half after my birthday, the 1^st years surprised me in my class with a beautiful, huge card, lovely cake, enthusiastic singing and prayer. I felt so blessed!

The best doughnuts ever... do you like our beautiful candle holders? 

My class praying for me

San Mateo Progress

We are very excited (and a bit nervous) to say that a lot has been chosen for our future ministry. It is in a subdivision in San Mateo called Divine Mercy. How’s that for a name! This subdivision is in the very early stages of development – the road is very rough and there are many vacant lots. There are people living there, however, and there is no church in the area. It is our intention to visit the lot regularly for a prayer walk and to slowly get to know the people in the community. In time, we hope to open Bible-studies and other ministries while we wait for our building to be constructed. Due to bad weather this month, we have only had a few short visits. We honestly feel a bit overwhelmed, but we strongly believe that this is God’s plan for us and that He will give us wisdom and strength. Papers for the lot should be signed within the next month. We also pray for the Korean sponsors who are financing this new church.  

March, April and May

Farewell Class of 2014

This March was a very busy month as we prepared to say farewell to our 4^th Year students. On March 21 the graduating students had their Baccalaureate Service, a special opportunity to celebrate their 4 years of study, remember the special times, and reflect upon the way in which God has changed them. It is also the time for them to pass on the leadership to the next group of students. The 4^th Year Student Council passed on ‘The Book of Wisdom’ to our new P.R.O. , ‘The Candle representing the Light of Love’ to the new Treasurer, ‘The Pen of Knowledge’ to the new Secretary, ‘The Sword of Discipline’ to the new Vice President,  and ‘The Key of Responsibility’ to the new President.

The graduating student council (left) and the new batch

March 31 was the graduation of the 4^th Batch from PCL. As with the last two graduation ceremonies, I was privileged to be the MC for the event. The Thanksgiving Speech made by our High Honors student was particularly emotional. As an Australian from a supportive home who had access to government financial assistance in the form of Higher Education Contributions Scheme, my experience of completing university seemed so simple. My heart filled with pride for these amazing students, so many of whom had persevered amidst financial hardship (meeting basic needs such as rice) and family pressures to achieve their goal.

Some of the staff and faculty

I had the privilege of being the MC (unfortunately I couldn't find a better photo of this!)

 Pastor Jhone with his mother

A week after the graduation, Juls and I, along with many staff and professors, had the opportunity to join the new graduates on their mission trip to Pagudpud, a 10-12 hour bus ride north. In cooperation with the local church, we did 2 crusades. It included the students singing songs of praise, performing powerful dramas, showing moving video clips, and sharing an evangelistic message, followed by sharing food and juice. At first, the crowd was very small, but as we prayed, the people came. We also did a prayer walk and thanksgiving service. We ended the trip with a lovely day of sightseeing. It was wonderful for Juls and I to be involved in the trip.

Praying for the church and community on the mission trip

Our Aussie Adventure

On May 1, the day we (particularly I) had been waiting for finally arrived. Juls and I began our Aussie holiday. We spent 3 weeks in Perth and 1&½ weeks in Darwin.

It was so precious for us to spend lots of time with family, with Juls again seeing my parents, my sister and her family, and finally meeting my brother, his wife and their four children, who were unable to make it to our wedding. He met extended family and friends, who were so excited to see him. While some of my nieces and nephews were a little bit shy at first, they very quickly warmed up to him, watching him make an octopus out of a honkey nut and sticks, finding that he could be a wonderful mechanical bull on the trampoline (his back hurt after that), and laughing at his antics when he was using a banana as a phone. They loved teaching him all things ‘Aussie’, especially kicking a footy and toasting marshmallows on a campfire. I enjoyed feeding him meat pies, lamingtons, tim tams and roast lamb, and introducing him to Australian experiences such as camping, as well as the beautiful wildlife and landscapes.

A Medling Camping Trip

The kids loved teaching Juls how to toast marshmallows

Collecting Firewood

Fun at Nan-Nan's Park (For some reason, it's not called that on the maps)

Juls' new best mate

 After our 3 weeks in Perth, we went to Darwin. We were so excited to visit Darwin Baptist Church and see some people who have been to the Prayer Mountain. We loved having an opportunity to share some of our PCL and Philippines experiences at church, and thank DBC for the support extended towards us. We were so thankful for the kindness shown to us during our stay there, especially by Viv, who we stayed with.

It was so special for him to see my country, my life before, and to spend time with family. I know that it was overwhelming at times - culture shock is to be expected and he was also speaking his third language to people with a much stronger accent and more abbreviations and slang words than I usually use. However, we had an amazing time in Australia, and we pray that we can go back next year. 

Other Happenings

April was supposed to be the quiet, restful month in between the busyness of graduation and the excitement of Australia. Of course, it ended up being busy too. One of the wonderful yearly events here is Holy Week Camp, where all 18 Gethsemane churches gather on the Prayer Mountain from the Thursday til the Saturday of the Easter weekend. There were so many people that they had to sleep everywhere – in classrooms, meeting rooms, dorms and even outside. A focus of the camp is the ‘Seven Last Words’ of Jesus. Juls and I enjoyed the camp very much, and we pray that by the next Holy Week Camp, there will be a new church there: Gethsemane Dweller Church – San Mateo, with Juls and I hoping and praying for our ministry.

Another activity during April was being the guest speaker at the graduation from Pre-School and Kindergarten at the Bright Learners Christian Academy. We also took a bunch of friends in our car (11 of us, plus a guitar and all of our baggage) for an overnight trip to the province of Pangasinan, where our dear friends were getting married. We attended church anniversaries and before we knew it, April had gone.

The Birthday of Althea, a very sweet member of my Faith House Family (the church where I used to sleep)

Congratulations Henry and Maribel! 

Our Progress

We have just arrived back in the Philippines, in our little home in San Mateo. We are still praying for the right lot, with a new area being considered by Pastor Lee. While we have a way to go, we are starting to feel more connected in the community here, especially for the 1 & ½ weeks we stayed here without having to leave for the prayer mountain, province, or some other place. One sweet cultural practice is to share food with our neighbour – we do a swap. She brings over a bowl of soup she cooked, and we bring her a dish of what we have made. It’s a small and simple gesture, but I like the way it builds relationships. Juls and I continue to pray for wisdom and open doors, that The Lord may guide us in San Mateo.

We love our new home! 

February 2014

Preparing for the Next Chapter

With mid-term examinations over and less than two months before the end of the academic year, February saw the beginning of many preparations for the transition of students. A major event was the election for the new student council. We held an information evening on Wednesday February 19^th, where students who were running for the various positions could share with the student body their ideas for PCL and the different roles that needed to be filled. Six days later, the students voted, with the graduating students running the election. The results were announced to a very excited student body on Wednesday February 25^th, after the mid-week service. The voting for the role of president was very close between two students, Bro. Franklen and Bro. Edison. In the end, Bro. Edison was elected to lead the students in the next academic year. Again, I reflected on the wonderful leaders that are being trained and equipped in this college, and I commend the team that has served in student leadership for the past year, as they prepare to pass on the baton.

Thinking very carefully about their vote

The New Student Council for 2014-2015

We have also begun preparations for the Baccalaureate Service and Graduation Ceremony of Batch Numbers (the 4^th batch to graduate, they follow the books of the Bible). There are many things to do. We have formed a small choir to sing in the ceremonies, organized a media team to put together a presentation for the students, allocated various roles for the traditional parts of the ceremony, hired togas… the list is quite long. Then, from the second week of March, the students will have several practices to ensure that everything runs smoothly. This is a busy time of preparation for students and staff alike, considering there are the regular classes, assignments and routines to complete, as well as preparations for finals. We appreciate your prayers!

Student Sponsorship

One of the things I do here at PCL is pass on sponsorship from a number of Australian sponsors from Darwin, Perth and Sydney. This semester the Aussies have been supporting 10 PCL students (as well as a child, 2 adults serving in Christian ministry, a student in another college and the group of people I call my ‘Faith House Family’, who live in the church I stayed in until getting married). The $30-$40 monthly sponsorship helps these people immensely and they identify this sponsorship as the direct answer to prayer that has allowed them to continue studying. I am blessed to be the one who gives them the money from the sponsors who send it to me. There are many students who are still praying for a sponsor, as their churches or families simply do not have enough resources to help them financially. I am challenged as I see some of them skipping meals or eating only cracker biscuits, as they try to save the small amount they have to pay for their fare to come here. I try to help when I can, as I am blessed to have the financial support of DBC and some individuals from Darwin and Perth. However, my budget is limited and I often wish that I could do more for these students who have such a heart to be equipped to serve The Lord. If there is anyone reading this who would like to help a student achieve their dream of graduating from PCL in order to serve the community through education, pastoring or mission, please contact me through email or Facebook. I can even pass on the student’s details if you would like to have communication with him/her. I am always praying for the spiritual, academic and leadership development of the students, but I also pray for their financial provision, as it is a very real need.

Some of the students sponsored by Australians

Filipinos love the 'Look Up' pose... apparently except for Hernan at the front who chose to look down

 New Library System

A theme of several of my newsletters has been moving, sorting books and generally fixing the library. It has been a hugely time-consuming project, as everything has been done by hand, with pen and paper. Now, we are updating our library to an electronic system. There will be many benefits in the long run, including monitoring loans and overdues, searching for resources by different categories and compiling reports for CHED (Commission on Higher Education). On Saturday, February 15^th, Sis. Mahalia, our library assistant, and I participated in a day of training with the librarian who is helping us. We are excited about going electronic but also daunted at the thought of putting the records of more than 10,000 books onto the system. Thankfully, a new assistant, Bro Jess, will join PCL in March, help us transition to the new system.

Indoor Games

One of the most enjoyable subjects I have ever taught is P.E.2 – Indoor Games. As a minor subject with few academic requirements, we have a lot of fun as the students practice their skills in chess, dama (a Filipino game similar to checkers), scrabble and word factory. The students were also required to run some games of their own, and the results were quite hilarious and very enjoyable.

Our Progress

Juls and I have found a lovely place to call home for at least the next year. We have moved to a new rental house in a safe, clean and quiet subdivision in San Mateo. A wonderful advantage of our new home (apart from it being slightly bigger and cheaper than our home in Novaliches) is that it takes only 40-50 minutes to drive to the Prayer Mountain. This is much nicer than the 1&½ to 2 hours it used to take. Of course, the purpose of moving to San Mateo is that we have been asked to open a new ministry there. As we settle in the area, we will begin looking for the right lot on which to build our new church. We hope to open Bible studies soon (a major Filipino strategy for community outreach and church planting). We ask the Lord to direct us in this new, challenging and exciting endeavour. We are back at Hillside, my former church and part of the Gethsemane umbrella, for this time.

Prayer Points

·        Preparations for Graduation and Baccalaureate Service

·        Finding the right place for our new church  in San Mateo

·        PCL students – that God will provide all of their needs: academic, emotional, spiritual and financial

·        That I may be effective in teaching, admin and encouraging the students

·        Continued development in my language and culture learning

·        Johnnyboy and Elaine – our ‘adopted’ students from Pangapasan Island

God bless :) 

January 2014

DBC Team visits PCL

After a wonderful two-week Christmas break, PCL classes started up again on January 6^th. One week later, the team from DBC came to PCL for a Mission Trip – to encourage and have fellowship with the students, and especially to teach them some skills in music. The team was Josh and Sarah Ingrames, and JR and Robyn (with their daughter Eden) Del Rosario.

I had been very pleasantly surprised in December when I was checking my budget and looking at my internet banking, when I found an unexpected deposit from DBC. After communicating with DBC, I was thrilled to be able to purchase a keyboard and a projector for the school, and to have some money to set aside for any mission activities the team might want to be involved in. The keyboard was to be integral for the music activities with the DBC team, as well as every worship service in the future (in the past, we have literally hooked up my iPad and a phone in order to use the keyboard aps during our worship services!) The projector could be used by the team, as well as by professors in the future - with a class of 70 students, I am excited to have a new medium for presenting information.

Using the new projector in my biology class

The team arrived on Monday 13^th in the afternoon and rested that evening. By Tuesday morning they were ready to begin their time with the students. There were plenty of opportunities for breaking the ice and beginning to build relationships. Josh and JR joined some of the boys in basketball a few times, while Sarah, Robyn and I cheered them on. Eden was a student-magnet, and playing and talking to Eden was a great way for many of the students to get to know the team. The team was involved in the Wednesday mid-week service, with Sarah playing keys, JR playing guitar and leading, and Robyn and I singing. Josh was the preacher, giving an encouraging and also challenging message about preaching the Word, using his best American accent and speaking slowly, so that the students would be able to understand him. (The Aussie accent is quite difficult for them.)

Rehearsing for the Mid-Week Service

Bonding with the students through basketball

The students found out that riding a unicycle is very difficult!

Of course, the students were looking forward to some music lessons so on the Wednesday evening we split into three groups. Robyn taught a group some principles of singing in harmony, and they really enjoyed learning ‘2^nd voice’ or even ‘3^rd voice’ to some beloved songs. Sarah and Josh followed up on the brief lesson Anna had taught them in October, looking at notes, rhythm and some other aspects of written music. JR took some of the more advanced students and taught them how to match what they can hear with some music principles. Thursdays at PCL are a bit messier, with students having classes at different times, so this was a fantastic opportunity for the most enthusiastic students to have some individual or small group tutorials as their schedules allowed. Many students also stayed on the Thursday evening for an extension of JR’s tutorial. It was really incredible seeing the penny drop, as the students, who have incredible talent, excellent ears and great musical memory, saw the power of the principles JR was teaching. I personally also had a few ‘Ahah!’ moments. Too soon, the students went down, back to their homes and churches. But the DBC team had more experiences to look forward to.

DBC Team Feeding Program

A real highlight of the trip was an evangelism and feeding program held at my former church, Gethsemane Dweller Church – Hillside. We simply could not have done this without the wonderful pastor (Pastor Judy) and church members, who helped us make a program, set up the outdoor area, and provided man-power. Also, the staff at Gethsemane Prayer Mountain were amazing – they cooked enough food for more than 300 people, transported it, helped serve the people and packed away afterwards. We sang some favourite songs (One Way and Happy Day), JR and Robyn sang a special number, we had a few dance numbers from the GDC-H youth and then the part they were very excited about – Josh’s circus tricks. It was FANTASTIC and the kids loved it. Our dear friend Pastor Anthony, who had joined us for the day, was quite afraid when he had to lie down so that Josh could jump over him ON A UNICYCLE!! The kids loved interacting as well. After a brief evangelistic message by Pastor Judy (in Tagalog), the feeding began. It was full-on, with 300-400 (it was hard to tell) people there, but it was an amazing experience and the people were very thankful. 

Preparation for the program

Pastor Anthony was quite scared

DBC Team Out and About

We had some other opportunities during the week. We joined with members of Pastor Lee’s church, Gethsemane Dweller Church – Taytay, which is the main Gethsemane Church, to lead the praise and worship in their Sunday Service. JR preached a wonderful message entitled ‘Our Hope, Our Call’. The wonderful thing about both the Sunday at GDC-T and the Friday feeding program, was that we were together with some of the PCL students, so the relationship was already there. We also went to a local zoo (and got some awesome footage of a snake stalking, catching and eating a live mouse) and visited Juls and my house. I must thank my wonderful husband Juls for driving us everywhere (if you’ve seen Manila traffic, you will understand why I don’t drive). I want to thank the DBC members who came, and everyone at DBC for supporting this trip. Pastor Lee and I would dearly love to develop this further if there are future trips and I have heard that there is interest from DBC for it to be an annual event. I’ll pray for that!

At Gethsemane Dweller Church - Taytay

A New and Exciting Opportunity

Since getting married three months ago, Juls and I have been very seriously praying about our ministry. We have been in Novaliches, in a small outreach church that Juls’ senior pastor had assigned him to. However, we felt that this was not God’s long-term plan for us. It seemed like doors were closing and we didn’t have peace that God was calling us to stay there.

While we were visiting Pastor Lee’s church with the DBC team, Pastor Lee, without knowing how seriously we had been praying for direction in this area, offered us the opportunity to minister in a new Gethsemane Dweller Church, in the San Mateo area. We immediately felt joy and excitement, and after more prayer, felt strongly that this is God’s plan for us. So we have happily accepted this offer. We are now looking for the right place to build our church, and also for a home in the area. While, in our humanness, we have some nerves, we are very excited and know that it is truly The Lord who has brought this to be, and that He will be our strength and our guide.  


Please keep Juls and me, as well as PCL, in your prayers. Thank you for all of your support. God bless you!