The Story of Three Youth

This year’s Windows YP (youth missions conference) theme is, “Walk On Water”. With just a title we want to give you a great challenge to dare yourself to live the impossible. This challenge may seem hard to digest at first. And you may think that nobody will surely do it. Who would have thought with a right mind to walk on water? This challenge is very huge and overwhelming to take on.

But three youth from Family Christian Fellowship (FCF) in Bataan, took the challenge. These are Keshie, Queenie and Shervin. These youth accepted the challenge to walk on water. They applied the principle of faith and dared to live the impossible. Their act of faith brought fire to our hearts and truly impacted and encouraged us because we are seeing results of the training in the lives of youth. These youth are a good example of that.

We saw that they are really living the impossible. They’ve come from a province part of the Philippines to minister to youth here in the city. Though they have not a lot of resources like money, they live in faith, accept the big challenge, and they have ministered to the youth from IT Tender Ministry and helped in a church’s Vacation Bible School. Their faith moved them to respond to the call to touch the lives of the youth here in the city even without very much in their pockets.

As we concluded their mission trip here in Makati, we interviewed and debriefed them. From this interview, we heard great testimonies of their experiences ministering to youth. They have learned many lessons, their relationship with God has deepened, and their hearts have burned with passion for the lost. They said that they will take what they have learned and pass it on to their church and keep doing missions now with their own church. And if God will lead them to mobilize youth to respond to the call of missions, then, they will do it!

These youth are precious to us and we hope there will be more of them. More youth to respond to the call of missions and many youth to experience how to walk on water.




Keshie at IT Tender Ministry




Queenie with kids at VBS





Shervin with kid at VBS




Keshie, Queenie and Shervin at IT Tender Ministry

As a testimony!

I’ve been meditating lately on the word of God as to why God provides. What is the real reason why He provides for us all? Why He fulfills your need? Why He knows exactly when you need it? Why? Why? Why?

The reason why these questions are lingering on my mind is because I am amazed how God supplies all my needs. His provision comes exactly when I need it. He uses people to send His provision and I am very grateful to God for He is always on time.

I talked to my wife and both of us are amazed by our God and our thankful hearts are just witnesses of how God provides. As we have been counting our blessings these last few months, we end up with the question, WHY?

As I seek God in meditating on His word, there are several stories in the bible that have helped me find the answer.

When I read the story of Elijah, I learn that God sent provision to feed Elijah though ravens. Elijah also experienced provision through a widow who had nothing but a little oil. And in the New Testament, Jesus fed 5000 men though five loaves of bread and two fish from a young boy. These stories amazed me and at the same time made me realize that God sometimes uses the people we least expect. This is to help us realize that He is our provider. Both of these stories gave glory to God. The name of God was glorified because people and their stories helped people know that God provides. These stories are just but another testimony that God is our ultimate provider. These stories in the bible will never deny the fact that God does miracles in our lives. He provides!

There are many blessings in our lives that sometimes we forgot to give glory for. We forgot to bring back the glory to our God. When we experience God’s provision, we are overwhelmed and happy. And that story of provision is a great testimony to all people that God really provides.

If you are like me, wondering why God provides for your needs, remember that God wants to use your story as a testimony so that the name of the Lord will be glorified. So the next time you experience God’s provision, tell others how faithful God has been in your life, and who know, someday, people will come and believe in our testimony that God really provides!

Windows YP 2011 (part 2)

Windows YP 2011

WOW! (Walk ON Water) Windows YP 2011

I never heard such a passionate story ever! Just recently in the Windows YP 2011!

This year Windows YP had a theme, “Walk On Water!” (WOW). This is a challenge to walk on water, to dare yourself to live the impossible. Our lives are full of challenges, and it seems like you need to walk on water in order to overcome huge challenges. It is something beyond reality and requires a reliance on the miracles of God. Windows YP is a youth missions conference held by the Youth Mobilization team of International Teams Philippines.

Many youth were challenged, and it shows in every loud “amen” we heard whenever we asked if they are ready to go to missions. Actually, I always had goosebumps every time I heard them shout a loud amen. Considering they are native youth from the provinces, they have nothing in their pockets, and their families don’t have work to earn a living for them, I still heard a loud amen. It seemed so strange….

What really struck my heart so deep is when I heard a group of youth – five women’s testimonies, walking town to town, no money in their pockets to pay for their transportation, carrying a heavy speaker, preaching and proclaiming the Good News. Wow! Their story blew me away. It challenged me more than they could imagine. I have never heard such a passionate story ever! They are really missionaries in God’s Kingdom.

There were about 30 youth who attended this missions conference. I just couldn’t imagine how many souls and how many lives would be reached though the lives of these 30 youth. I am really looking forward to seeing them one day fulfilling their calling to their respective mission fields. I see so much potential in them. I hope and pray that they will live out their potential.

I thank God for my team mates and I am proud of them.

I am proud of my team mates. Even though they don’t have professional cameras, only simple ones, and sometimes capture blurred pictures, but they captured perfect smiles from the people we help. People from poor communities, people who always find ways to smile through their helplessness, not because they’re ignoring the pain but because they have found hope in Jesus. My team is sharing that hope to them. Those smiles are picture perfect, regardless of the quality if the camera.

I am proud of my team mates. Even though they don’t have “must-have” gadgets like iPhones. They are deeply connected to the people we serve. They connect to their hearts and minds in an amazing way. That’s why people welcome them in their homes even when they are homeless. They offer their food even when they don’t have much. That’s how my team mate is connected to people and create such a big impact in their lives.

I am proud of my team mates. Even though they don’t have cars, they arrive in time to be there to help the people, to stand beside the broken, to share hope from God to people and to find ways to cheer them up in their difficult situations. Nothing beats the time we spend with people who need hope. That’s the best time to share Jesus with them. Because they are seeing Jesus every time we help them in difficult times. Even though they don’t have cars, they are there just in time, exactly when people need them.

I am proud of my team mates. They are not well paid, but they share what they have. Jesus and everything He is to them – that’s what they share. Even though they don’t have access to travel, God provides His ways to treat us to travel. Most of the time, their travel costs do not come from their pockets but from treasure in heaven. Even though they are not well paid, they share their resources to the people we are serving. Sometimes, we don’t know how it’s possible for us to travel, to eat in neat restaurants and to experience good treats. The only thing we know and we are sure of is that God provides and will never fail.

Sometimes I’ve been disappointed, seeing people enjoying luxuries in life. They have professional cameras, must-have gadgets, cars and money to travel, but they are not using these advantages to serve people. Even though they have these advantages, they don’t know to connect to people, to help them and bring hope to them. But then I always focus not on what we don’t have but what we have.

There are three things we have.

First, we have Jesus in our hearts. Jesus is what people need in their lives. That’s what we share, why we serve and what we preach. Next is, we have people. People who welcome us in their lives, who we are serving and people who become part of our lives. And last, we have each other. I have my team. Same as me, who experience what I experience. They are humble, serving and loving. They are not desiring luxuries in life but they embrace the simplicity of serving and loving God. That’s why I am proud of my team.

A dream, a bible school.

Do you ever experience a certain excitement in your heart, when you know that something you are doing – it could be a profession, work, study or business, or whatever you are doing – that you could take it to a higher level? There is some kind of a rush inside of you, like you couldn’t sleep unless you either write it down, tell it or share it to all people. That is an absolute thrill!

When God opened my eyes and I saw the need to equip the members of our church, I dreamt to set-up a discipleship program in our church. I called it “Be:E”. Derived from it’s purpose, “Be Enlightened, Be Empowered, Be Equipped”. I couldn’t expect it would be something that people would support so much. But, by the grace of God, this ministry keeps on going and growing. Many people saw great positive results from students who were attending. The fruit of this ministry is truly undeniable. I am thankful how He uses this ministry to develop disciples and help people become deep-rooted followers of Christ.

God keeps on putting oil in my lamp and keeps on pushing me because I know He will reveal doors of opportunity to put this Be:E on a higher level.

My mentor never forgets to encouragement me every time we meet to have a time of mentoring. He always fans the fire in my heart with his words of encouragement and by guiding me on how this can be attained. One question he asked that ignites the passions again is, Wwhy not make Be:E a bible school?” He never knew that was actually my desire ever since I started Be:E. That question is like a confirmation that makes me excited and to plan to set up a bible school. Who would have thought that a small church like ours couldn’t have a bible school. To some people, it might be impossible. But we know, in God nothing is impossible.

I remember the words in the bible, Luke 1:37, “For nothing is impossible with God”. There are a lot of times when we were blinded by the reality. We cannot deny the reality. It will surely hinder us from what God can do in an impossible situation. Most of the time, it will break us, tear us down and make us overwhelmed. That is reality! How can we overcome reality?

I have learned that in times when reality crippled me, I hold on to what God can do and what God says. For when things are getting impossible, He intervenes and lets us experience His power. For He is beyond anything we could ever grasp or imagine. Soon I focused myself to God’s word, the impossibility became a stepping stone for me to get what God has promised. His word became some kind of rush in my heart. A rush, a thrill, and an excitement.

What makes me feel this rush or excitement is that this passion is from God. We will see this thing that will come to pass. He will fulfill what ever He puts in our hearts. I know this bible school is a huge thing for me and for our small church. But we are believing in a huge God.

That is why I couldn’t sleep, and I am excited to see the fulfillment. God will definitely put Be:E to a higher level. I could feel the rush. Let us all be in prayer.