who among of these 3 mighty of men of David you identify yourself better?

This week's church staff meeting started with the question, who among of these 3 mighty of men of David you identify yourself better? cited in the verses in 2 Samuel 23:8-12

Josheb-Basshebeth
 - chief of the three
- killed 800 men in one encouter

*he fight and finished his task, no wonder he became the leader of others


Eleazar
- was with the David, The Israelites retreated but he stood in his ground
- his hands grew tired and frost to the sword

* He fight even people who were with him left him, he still stood in his ground

Shammah
- He too his tsand in the middle of the field
- He defended and struck the Philistines.

* He fight even no one wants to.


I meditated their actions, situations and their stand. I chose and thought that I identified myself with Eleazer. Because there were times in my life when numbers of people cheer me up, join me in my venture in serving God in His ministry, work with me, in the start. But in during the hardest days of ministry, when the going gets tough, people deserted me and I found myself with few people standing with me in the field. I was very discouraging. I cannot forced people to move to another calling, it's their personal dealing with the Lord and I cannot hold them back.

The feeling of being alone and deserted by people is my biggest challenge, I could say. But I didnt take this against those people, it is something I deal personally with God who called me to do this calling.

But on those times when I felt discourage. the grace of God overwhelmed me with His' promises and vision He put in my heart. I found myself on those times, I am so blessed because I still have this opportunity to run this vision. to carry the good news of hope and love and faith.

As we end our time of sharing, Pastor Joshua said, each one of us have choice. It is a matter of choosing what God can do to our lives, it is a matter of what God called you to do. As he sharing his heart regarding this matter, two words came to my mind.

CHOICE - everyone of us have choices. You can choose and believe what can you be. When opportunity comes and you decide what path you will take, it is CHOICE

TIME - Everyone of us have time. It is one of the great resources we have in our life. Question is how wise we spend our time.

This is just my thought  this day.

YM Newsletter September 2013

EMPOWERING CHURCHES

Youth Mobilization

Newsletter September 2013

I-B.I.K.E.

(I Believe In Kids Education)

A Three Wheel Mobile School

“From 3 wheels to their dreams”

A  worker of Youth Mobilization, Raymond, had a dream in his heart to bring education in front of kids' houses. Since the Daycare stopped, He felt God was bringing a new thing in his heart and that is to use a sidecar bike also known as pedicab to transport educational materials to places where his church ministers. This pedicab will stop over in a place, will bring out chairs, a table and educational materials like books, and they will invite children who would love to learn how to read and write.

Youth Mobilization Children Empowerment embraced this idea and made a project proposal and passed it to Extreme Response Asia. And praise God, just last week, on August 5th God provided a pedicab and school materials to start this project. With the help of the team from Coast Hills Community Church, this project, “I-BIKE” will be ready to go to places to teach kids on the streets in a week from now.

I-BIKE envisions educating kids by bringing school in front of their house. This project is aiming to reach out to kids, ages 4-7 years old who aren't going to a formal school.

Big vision yet small beginnings. This project will start with 3 workers and few school materials. But we are trusting God will provide teachers, workers and materials to this project. As we have been reminded by His' word, Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin  Zechariah 4:10

If God is leading you to help this project out through volunteer works like teaching, assisting kids and others, and/or through financial giving, you can contact Raymond.

EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS

Just recently, the Youth Mobilization (YM) team presented to the new vision of empowering churches to their partners. The highlight of the presentation is about the Empowerment Programs YM has for them. There are four (4) categories in this program, (Children, Youth, Leaders and Women). Each categories is aiming to empower each churches to reach out to their communities.

Here are the details of the empowerment programs and activities that we do for us to achieve its vision

Children Empowerment

Aims to empower children through education, health and recreational activities, and provide avenues where they can enjoy their childhood while they are being cared of.

Activities:

- Hygiene Day Clinic

- Vacation Bible School

- Christmas Party

We also aim to develop leaders involved in children outreach by providing strategic training, mentoring and coaching through an annual gathering.

Youth Empowerment

Aims to empower youth by providing training and mentoring on how they can effectively lead youth outreach.  We are also providing coaching focusing on enhancing their leadership capability through an annual leadership summit and by giving them opportunity to experience dynamic missions.

Activities:

- Overnight Modular Training (OMT)

- Youth Leadership Summit

- Windows YP

(Youth Missions Conference)

- Mobilization

 (Through Touch Trips)

Leaders Empowerment

Aims to empower leaders by guiding, training and mentoring them, by helping them develop their leadership, by giving them a community, and by letting them know that they are not alone.

Activities:

 - Leadership Training

- Leader Mundial Manila Summit

Women Empowerment

Aims to empower women by training and by giving them opportunity to know their value in life and in Christ.

We are praying and planning to hold a livelihood seminar that includes skills training, and any other training that will benefit women in the community.

PRAISE ITEMS:

1. Praise God for guiding and leading the team. God is giving us new ways to empower churches and to change people lives. It is God who enables us to serve with partner churches. Praise God also for churches who continually partnering with us.

2. Praise God for providing a pedicab, chairs and tables, and school materials for the “I-B.I.K.E.” mobile school project. This will surely help us to empower children thru education.

3. Praise God for sending teams to visit and bless the YM ministries and projects. These teams built friendship among the YM team and tremendously encouraged us to continue on what we are doing.

PRAYER REQUESTS.

1. Please pray for God’s provision of office for Youth Mob. We are in need of office. Please pray that God will lead us to a new place that we can use for office operations.

2. Please pray for the upcoming Christmas Parties with partner churches. Please pray for God's leading. Also, please pray for provision of people who will help in the program/activities and provisions of funds to buy Christmas gifts for kids. May this party will bring joy to hundreds of kids these year.

3. Please pray for the Empowerment Programs of Youth Mobilization. Some of them are new to us, but we are trusting God for His' grace to enable us to lead these programs. Also, please pray that these programs will surely empower churches to reach out to their communities.

Perfect day off

 Today is my day-off and this afternoon I had a great time with my three ladies (My wife and my two daughters).  We went to a mall to unwind and have a quality time. My wife and I just let Micah  play, run and enjoy herself. It was fun. We enjoyed it.

As we are having a relaxing time in a bay, watching sunset, and as I am looking to my family, I just can’t help but to say “Thank You, Lord”.  I am so grateful of having a great family. I felt so much gratitude because I know in my heart, my family is part of God’s grace to me.

I treasure Lerma, my wife, and my two daughters as special gifts to me. And I love them : )

Wonderful gifts!

Christmas is such a big and long celebration for Filipinos. You can hear Christmas songs as early as September and you can see Christmas lights and trees up as early as November. All proofs that Filipinos love festivities and signs that we are really looking forward to Christmas.

I received a very special early Christmas gift. Last November 21st, Lerma (my wife) gave birth to our second daughter. We named her Ruth Allison. It was an answered prayer that she had a normal and healthy birth. No complications whatsoever. Ruth Allison is a healthy and cute baby girl. We are full of joy when we see her. She looks so much like our first daughter, Micah. We are happy that God gave us another very wonderful daughter.

 Ruth Allison first picture

 Our first family picture with Ruth Allison

We also consider Micah’s 2nd birthday last December 5th as a very special early Christmas gift. She is growing so fast and is a very wonderful girl. All of the people who see her quickly agree that she is a jolly and lovable little girl. She loves to dance and that brings joy to people who see her dancing. Time flies so fast that we didn’t know where the two years had gone. Seeing Micah growing is a gift to us and we enjoyed every single day of those two years of her life. We are excited to see what she will become in the following years.

Micah with her cake.

As for Youth Mobilization in partnership with Extreme Response, we are happy to see the team coming from Sacramento, California, helping us in bringing the good news of Christmas to 1,500 kids amongst our partner churches. We are giving away gifts, playing games, showing magic tricks and presenting a Christmas skit to urban and rural poor kids. To see them with their big smiles as they enjoy their time playing and receiving gifts, I consider this a very special early Christmas gift. Every year, we are fulfilled by witnessing kids participating in our Christmas parties. They bring so much joy to us. Christmas is a very happy season in the Philippines.

  

As I am thinking about what to preach on at our church about Christmas, I remembered the passage mentioned in Matthew. It mentioned there that people will come to call Him Emmanuel which means, “God with us”. I am so overwhelmed by how God, who created the heavens and the earth, an unfathomable, all-knowing, wonderful and indescribable God, chose to be with us. Like in the book of Job 11:7-9, it says there, “who can fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?”. And like what we read in Psalm 8:4, “who is man that you are mindful of him?”. And to know that God chose to be with us, is a mind-blowing grace.

We are full of joy because we have received many special early Christmas gifts. We are excited for what God will bring on the coming year for my personal life and for the ministry.

PERSONAL

Praise Items

1. Praise God for giving us a new baby girl. Ruth Allison is a healthy baby. She is a cute and wonderful gift from God. We are happy to have and to hold her.

2. Praise God for another year the Lord brought to our daughter Micah. We celebrated her birthday with her cousins. She enjoyed her day. She is growing fast and we enjoy every moment of it.

3. Praise God for Lerma’s strength. She recovered fast from giving birth to our daughter.

4. Praise God for the provision of a laptop I could use. The team from Sacramento brought two laptops with them. One for my co-worker and the other one is for me. I am using it now while typing this Prayer Letter.

Prayer Requests:

1. Continue to pray for the provision of rent for a house. We still feel like God is leading us to a new house. Since the place where we are staying has health issues because of cases of Dengue Fever, Lerma and I want to move to a new house. And the fact that our family is growing, it is timely for us to find a new house that suits our growing family.

2. Pray for our personal support. We are still personally raising 50 percent of our budget. The family is growing and our needs are growing as well. Please pray that God will bring more donors to support us financially.

3. Pray for our health. Ruth Allison will have a series of vaccinations. Please pray that these vaccinations will be available for her in our local clinic. Micah is adjusting from being breast-feeding to bottle feeding, please pray that she will adjust easily. Lerma and I have sleepless nights because of Ruth Allison. Please pray that God will give us strength to help us cope with our work.

MINISTRY:

Praise God for…

1. Bringing the team from Sacramento, California here to the Philippines safe and sound.  They are a blessing for our team and community. And praise God for blessing 1,500 kids who will receive gifts in our Christmas parties.

2. Providing all the needs for the Christmas parties for our partner churches. This will certainly strengthen the partnership of Youth Mobilization with our partner churches.

3. God’s faithfulness to the Youth Mobilization throughout the year. We have seen His’ direction, grace and provision. Even in every member’s lives in the Youth Mobilization team, we have witnessed His’ faithfulness.

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray for God’s leading and direction for the Youth Mobilization team, IT Tender Ministry and Jesus King of Kings Community Church. We are excited abour what God will bring next year to our teams. Please pray for us to have unity in our diversity.

2. Pray for provision for our rent for the YM office, Daycare Center, Student Center and for the church. We are raising funds for us to be able to rent a building that is near the community. Please pray that God will lead us regarding where and to provide for the provisions we need for the place.

3. Pray for provision for our YM team members and church staff. Most of them are receiving less than what they need. Please pray that God will increase the harvest for us to be able to cope up with the budget we need.

4. Pray for the approval of the Project Proposal we will pass to Extreme Response. ER is coming alongside with YM to empower churches. We have a series of meetings that give us a clear direction of the project we can do next year. Please pray that the ER board of directors will approve our Project Proposal.

Get up and eat (for the journey is too great for you)

Youth Mobilization in partnership with Extreme Response gathered again the partner churches of Youth Mobilization and ministries of IT tender for the third time for the Leader Mundial Manila Summit 2012 last October 17-20. The theme for this summit was called Renewing Your Passion.

There were four sessions that deal with calling, vision and passion led by very inspiring people. I was so encouraged, strengthened and empowered. All of these sessions renewed my passion in serving our Lord. It was fantastic. The pastors also admitted that they were empowered. I could feel it everytime we had our open discussions and sharing time.

The two most inspired moments for me at this summit were our alone time with the Lord and the Worship Night. Summit gave us two hours of alone time with the Lord. This was provided for us to have an intimate time with Him, praying and meditating, alone with God. It was very personal for me. I took advantage of this time to seek God’s will for me in terms of leading my family, the Youth Mobilization team, and pastoring the church. I dealt with the Lord regarding one certain thing. It has something to do with the leadership of Youth Mobilization. I always thought that I am young in leading such a huge ministry of empowering churches. This task is huge and I am overwhelmed by it. I told God that I am no better than my father ("father" referring to the former leader of YM who is Pastor Joshua). For in six years of YM, Pastor Joshua led it to the peak of it’s height. I never thought I would be able to bring it to a higher level. That is what I am dealing with God in my alone time with Him. In that alone time, God gave me peace that He will be with me through this journey of empowering churches. I know in my heart that the peace I am experiencing is enough for me to go on, to continue on the legacy of YM. Then in Worship Time, we had the privileged of hearing from a pastor from Ecuador. His name is Jean David and he speaks Spanish, which is why Russ Cline from ER translated the message in English so we could be able to understand. The Lord used the message in our Worship Night to speak further and to encourage me more, and it was absolutely inspiring. He used the story of Elijah. After a powerful miracle Elijah experienced upon calling a fire to burn the offering he made and to show people that the God he is serving is the true God, he had this moment from a peak to a very low moment of his life. When he heard the message from Jezebel, he hid himself and he told God, “I am no better than my father”. This is the exact phrase I told God in my alone time with Him. I know in my heart that God is personally talking to me through this message. He is assuring me with this message that He cares about what I am experiencing and it is completely fine to be vulnerable with God. Just like Elijah when he was ready to give up his calling from God, ready to throw in the towel and tell God to take his life. I read this story many times but the message I was hearing this time was phenomenal and very personal. And just like the story of Elijah, God encouraged me to get up and eat for the journey is still long. I consider this message as an embrace of the Lord, a tap on my back and food for my soul for surely the journey is still long. The message that night was concluded in praying for one another. And a pastor came to me and prayed for me. I never told him what I was experiencing but he prayed all the things that I am dealing with the Lord. I know that God put words in his heart and that made him pray for me exactly what I needed to pray. It was amazing, truly it is the hands of God moving in our midst. Right then and there, my passion was renewed. The Word of God at that time embraced me, fed me, and it was enough for me to keep on continuing what God called me to do, to empower churches. I know the journey is still long, there are still many churches waiting to be empowered and I still want to be part of it.

I also know that it is not only my passion that was renewed, but also the passion of many pastors that were there was renewed. Russ gave a final message on our last day of the summit that we are not alone, but we have a community of pastors and leaders that aim to bring change in the lives of many people in our community. And Pastor Joshua exhorted us to continue to be connected with one another and to take advantage of the community that we have by helping one another, praying and encouraging one another.

I am so blessed, inspired and empowered by this summit. I am grateful to have this time of renewing the passion, keeping the vision and pressing on with the calling I have in our Lord. Thank God for this wonderful community!

Me and Pastor Joshua:
Making a formal announcement to the partner churches regarding changes of leadership of Youth Mobilization

The Leader Mundial Manila Summit 2012 Participants

Russ Cline of Extreme Response, My wife Lerma and I

Sent from India….

A friend of my bestfriend John Coffey came here to the Philippines from India just for a visit. I never knew him before he came. I randomly received a message from John three days before he arrived that John wants us to meet his friend visiting from India. I met him in a mall with John for dinner the night he came. And from his story and the way he talked, I knew he is a great friend to have.


One night when he was still here in the Philippines, I invited John and him to have dinner in my house so he could meet my wife and my daughter. My wife cooked a Filipino dish called “adobo”. He liked the food and we had a good chat while eating.


After we ate, an answer to my prayer arrived. I was praying before for the addition of financial support to come. Knowing that my family is getting bigger and our expenses today are getting larger, we need to raise more financial support to cover our expenses. He talked to me and expressed his desire to help us though financial giving. This came as a surprise because I never mentioned to him that I was in need of support. It was great news for me.


I know God orchestrates things in His own way and in His own time. God never fails to meet our needs. I am a witness of His faithfulness. I am praising God because of who He is in my life.

There is a saying when blessings come our way, we say, sent from heaven. From what happened to me a few weeks ago, I could say, it was sent from India.

Bible Study in Our Community

We opened our house for a weekly small group bible study in our community of Bangkal. We started it a month ago. We had around 10 people in our first meeting. A co-worker in the church and I are leading it. We decided to have a small group bible study because we desire to disciple the people from our community who are attending our church.

As God gave me the desire to reach out to the families of my brothers and sisters, this bible study is one of the steps I want to do. I want to share with them how God changed my life and somehow share the blessings I have in Christ Jesus. I saw their lives and I am seeing the need of taking steps to building a strong relationship with them, winning them in Christ and helping them however I can.

From the time I moved into the community where my brothers and sisters live, I see how they look at my lifestyle. I was able to connect to my brothers and sisters in a better way. I even gained respect from my nephews and nieces which is very nice. I know I still have more to do in helping them to develop our community. One of my desires is to help them renovate their houses to have a safe home for their children and so they could realize that my desire is for great changes in their lives. I am still praying for wisdom on how I would be able to collect funds for renovating the houses of my brothers and sisters. I can only do the thing I could do. And right now, it is though the bible study.