Free at a Cost

Our free school system here is public and for everyone.  There are many projects and lots of hidden expenses from PTA fees, to buying cleaning supplies for the classroom, and other misc things.  It is common for the poor to drop out because they cannot afford these minor expenses.  When they come up we try to find sponsors for the kids, and then they earn it working on their local activity area, Subangan.  We never have them work on our house or any of our private things it is always community or their play area so they are helping themselves as they earn the money.  This way it means more to them as they have invested in it.  Here are some of the boys bringing the dunk rims to put them up for a busy Saturday at Subangan.

Bible Doings

In sharing and caring, the relationships always turns to Jesus. Why? because Jesus changed our lives and when it comes down to it, it is who we live and will die for. So "Bible doings" happen, I like to call it that because I want to try to live the words not just study them. So we have 12 bible doings and they range from just kids, to just moms, to just teachers, to men and women and some discipleship thrown in there. We are all about application but sensitive to their culture. We have leaned so much teaching these that I know that I have grown as much if not more than them. Many times it is slow to get them to open up but God has done a lot in their lives and people that would not even speak, are now volunteering to give their testimony. God gets the glory.

They Like to Move it Move it...

Dance is a part of the culture of our area and of much of the Philippines. Many of our young men and our girls practice and preform for competition, church, or for ministry. We even built a wall that opens up with mirrors in our back room so that they can work on their steps when they preform. We also have battery powered portable  speakers to help them when they preform. Some times we help but it's about 99 percent their amazing ability. We like to encourage this positive purpose. Sometimes we find work for them to earn money for their dance outfit. We want them to earn it so that it means more to them rather than if it was just given to them. Recently our boys took first at the festival. We are so proud of them. Here they are practicing at Subangan for a upcoming festival.

Kids Raising Kids

Many 9-14 year old  are having to be responsible for the younger siblings (1-4yo).  A 10 year old packing around a 2 year old on their back every where they go.  Not being able to enjoy their own childhood because their responsibility demands are high. Many times not knowing the right thing to do also. This happens to be a picture of a young girl who is very good at taking care of her two little sisters and her brother. Her mother is a great mom but things like washing clothes by hand take a full day and some times two. Not to mention that many times you need to go to the market every day. Most of the children that are raising their siblings feel, stuck or trapped and many times will just let them go or do what ever they want. We get a lot of those kids because they need love and direction, and we love to love and give direction.

Eyes Wide Open and Ready to Go

A lot of times, as you find in the Gospels, ministry doesn't always take place in church, or according a planned schedule.  Many of the teachings and miracles of Jesus took place when he was going from one place to another.  As I have been learning and working on this I have found it to be very true. Today I went to the hospital to help a Nehemiah girl be treated, but while I was there I saw a patient I met a week ago being readmitted. She was swollen all over, revealing she is in renal failure.  She is young, probably in her 30s, and a lesbien.  A friend and I prayed together for her when we met last week.  So here she is today, and the way she look, I thought, "She doesn't have long for this world."  So with Annamae translating we shared with her the love of Jesus, and how He offers us forgiveness and the gift of Himself if we will receive Him. We asked her if she wanted Jesus, and wanted to follow Him the rest of her days.  She was hungry to say "Yes".  Right there, in front the busy ER, while she was sitting in the triage seat, we prayed together and lead her into the His Kingdom, and prayed for her healing.  I felt the presence of God all around.  He is so over joyed to welcome her into the family. With our eyes open, our hearts soft, and our faith in hand ready to seize the moment, it is great to see what the Lord can do. Please continue to pray for her! Thanks!

The Other Side of the Coin

So the stories are true, hundreds have come to the Lord, children are feed, the free clinic helps hundreds of people. But there is another side of the coin, injury, aches, pains, lice, amoeba, rats, cockroaches. This is a picture of me getting a couple of injures feeling better, and iced down so I can go back out. It is not much different from most people who get hurt and do what they have to do. We do it to, we don't talk about it much, because it does not really matter, when you get to see someones life change, it is all worth it. Your prayers and love keep us going. We relay on the Lord and His strength. Thanks so much for all your prayers and love it keeps us going because we need it.

Basketball as a Ministry

Basket ball to the young boys is like breathing. They love it and want to be like NBA players. I tried coaching a team and teaching them the right way to play, but all they wanted to do is be superstars. They don't even care if they miss as long as they look good. After three years every day of coaching them they refused to give up trying to be superstars. So I did some thinking and came with Sand Dunk, Sand basketball. It uses a volleyball and the rim is a 7 foot dunk rim that most everyone can dunk on. They finally get to be NBA players. This draws in the boys and gives us a chance to get to know them. They only have to dribble the ball once then they can run with it. They seem to love it and it allows a way for us to be in to their lives.

Freedom Ministries

There is another ministry here, it is inside the ministry, that is having a short-term team come and live with us for a short time. 7 days to 11months have been the groups we have hosted.  We take a different approach to this, in what we call it "freedom ministry," meaning what ever they want to do or learn or teach we let them pray about it and we go form there. What ever the Lord leads.  Many want to help on what we are already doing while others try new things or have new ideas.  The other way is fine where people come to help do what your doing. This way of freedom has brought ideas and people into our life that would have never happened any other way.  And the people that come become a new mission field, meaning, they may have things that you can help them with or they may have things that they can teach you. Our last group built and introduced a new game taught at Church and taught a self-defence class. It was great but nothing I would have picked, and the kids loved it.

Second Generation

To see young men that used to be on my basketball team 8 years ago bring their children to Subangan for them to play brings me great joy. Because the hole rason for basketball was to reach them and then to see there children being brought to a place that loves them and that was made just for them and that the would trust me is a great honer and a excitement it led them tho the loving arms of Christ.

Sanitation

There are many heath issues in our area and one in is a very obvious one.  There are not very many bathrooms.  So many people will just go outside, or in the bushes, or make what we call poop bombs (that is where they go in a plastic sack and throw it in the bushes or in the river or on top of a neighbors roof.)  Then when it rains and floods, all of the bombs make their way to the river and ocean.  Some will burst open and some will get stuck on the way.  This is why many times a year we get Amoebas, and other critters that get us sick.  The city has helped to build a few small outhouses, and Zoe has helped build six.  This lack of sanitation in no way reflects the character of these people. In fact this family in this picture is one of the sweetest and most faithful to Patti"s bible studies in the the area.  Her passion and love for Jesus is amazing. We are continuing to find ways to help and the city has been helping more than ever before.  So thank you for your prayers and hopefully soon we will get everyone a bathroom.