Disasters in our land+neighbours

The blog has been neglected in the last month however there are many other things that have been happening.

With the Queensland flood disaster in January followed by bushfires in other states and then now the earthquake in Christchurch which has been devastating for many, it is good to be reminded in times like this that we need to keep on relying on God.
It is hard to imagine what life might be like for those who are directly affected by natural disasters. We can continually pray for those who are suffering and lift them up to God who knows their every need.

Now I have been back for more than a week it is time to get back into the swing of things. It is good to know that God is in control of what lies ahead and also how 2011 will unfold.
There are times when it is good to reflect on what God is doing in your life but also how you might best serve him in the future.

Overview of time…..

After spending nearly 3 weeks in the Philippines the time came for the journey to conclude.

This journey challenged and encouraged me in ways I did expect and also in unexpected ways. It is a good reminder that God is in control and that he works in situations we don’t always expect.

Seeing the physical and spiritual needs of this place, I look forward to sharing this journey with others but also taking things to an extra level.
As a Christian, it is important to keep growing in your faith and through these experiences I want to continually put God first in my life and serve him forever. There are many opportunities to serve him locally, nationally and globally. Jesus could return anytime so not wasting opportunities to tell others about him is something to be constantly reminded of.

This photo is something to cherish, but the words are something to further mediate on God’s word and to be reminded of for as long..

Philippines Paglalakbay update 7 -Final update

A visit to a missionary kids school, a historical and cultural tour (on a horse!), and time again spent at the preschool concluded my time in the Philippines. It was great to spend some time with 2 other young women who are here doing short term mission work. They were able to help out also at the preschool in teaching some new songs. A highlight on the 2nd visit to the preschool was to learn more about incoming generating projects some of the women in this poor area are involved in. As a result of the collection of recyclable material, purses are able to be made. It is quite amazing some of the skills these women have in finding ways to support themselves and their families.



As I was reflecting on the last two days in Manila, i was reminded once again about the many physical and spiritual needs of this country. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. There is a need for more workers ( maybe you? ) to come to the Philippines either short term or long term to help in areas of church planting, teaching missonary kids, reaching out to the urban poor ......the list goes on
The time in the Philippines went very quickly with many lessons learnt through the joys and challenges of serving God overseas.



Thank God

* for the opportunity to serve him in the Philippines over the last 3 weeks and to see more of God's wonderful creation.

* for generally good health and safety throughout the trip.

* for the encouragement of many workers who are perservering despite some of the challenges they face in living cross culturally


Ask God

* for the other team members as they head back to QLD( 1 member is going back to a severe flooded area) that they would be a great encouragement as they share their mission journey

* that with this cross cultural experience, I will seek more opportunities to serve him back in Australia in reaching out to some of my Filipino friends.

* that as I get back to normal life, that I won't sit back and get caught up with Sydey life and forget about these experiences, but see this as another step in growing my understanding of mission around the world

Poverty in Welfareville

While many places in Manila are becoming more westernised with large shopping centres and many billboards, many locals are getting more accustomed to western thinking, doing and acting. There is however the other side and that is the poorest of the poor who are struggling with basic living skills.

While at Welfareville,the team visited a project called Bukang Liwayway.

There are a number of blocks which make up this area with many living below the poverty line. Each block, in total there are 41 is an area where people live,bathe,and do life together. The time spent visiting Welfareville was of great challenge as we saw the vast needs of the people, many living in small houses, often sharing facilities with others. There was an area which was being rebuilt as a result of a fire that destroyed a whole block. While walking around, I couldn't help but notice how people were smiling and asking us questions. It was like that people were content with things. Yes, they were in poverty but they showed lots of resilience, something which I can learn from. It is so encouraging to hear about what God is doing in this area with people coming to know God through the commitment and dedication of locals reaching out to the disadvantaged.

It is a good reminder to me to not worry about the simple things in life or to complain when things don't go exactly to plan. People have it far worse off then I do yet they are so humbled.

Below is the website with more info on Dawn for the poor.
http://www.bl.dawnforthepoor.org/joomla/



A clip can be found below of the founder of this organisation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BV2pmOu3l4

PHILIPPINES PAGLALAKBAY UPDATE 6

The last 2 days the team has been involved in some projects that the cross cultural workers here are working at to spread the work of the gospel. On Monday we visited a preschool (see pic) and the team sang songs, told them the story of Daniel and gave out a craft. It was well received. Praise God. Over 90% of these kids are from non-Christian backgrounds but what a great opportunity to show them God’s love. The kids were polite and respectful and the teachers were so enthusiastic as they taught the youngsters.





Tuesday was spent visiting a slum area in Welfareville ( see pic) Locals have set up house churches and are also involved in some income generating projects to help support the poor. (http://www.dawnforthepoor.org) There are about 41 blocks that make up this area and each of these have immediate crisis needs but also the spiritual needs are quite evident. The team went on a prayer walk (first time I have done this) and learnt many things through this. The team prayed for church leaders and other individuals who were struggling. It was encouraging hearing about a couple who have given up so much just to reach out to unbelievers and to the disadvantaged in Manila.
It was an encouragement and joy to finish off the day at a fellowship night at the guest house. Many workers shared and we had a great time of praying for one another.










With only a few days left on the mission trip , below are some prayer points.

Thank God

For the opportunity to observe and practically help out in various projects
For the believers who are reaching out to kids who come to the preschool and also in the slum areas. It is hard work but praise God they have been persevering.
For the way God has been working in my life so far on this mission trip and for giving me renewed enthusiasm to serve him mission wise in the future.
for many people who have gone out of their way to serve and encourage us.

Ask God
for continual patience and flexibility with one another
that the remaining time in Manila will be beneficial and encouraging to the furthering of the gospel here.
for a number of short term and long term workers who have been struggling with their health that they will trust God in times of sickness.

PHILIPPINES PAGLALAKBAY UPDATE 5

OMF Philippines Field conference has concluded in Davao. It was an extremely busy, tiring, joyful, exciting and challenging time. God taught me some big lessons where I was reminded that I need to keep trusting in Jesus and continually have him as a priority in my life no matter what happens in life. God was faithful throughout the conference and I am keen to continually serve him through the ups and downs of life. The teens were reminded about the importance of bible study and prayer in their relationship with God in how they can continually grow closer to God. It was great to see them practically live out their faith. The social outing was a real highlight. The adults conference theme was “ I will refresh the weary” . I found it a great joy and encouragement chatting to different missionaries throughout the 4 days. They are so humble in the way they do things, I can definitely learn heaps from them. One of the families travelled 16 hours by road/sea just to get to conference.
There have been many exciting experiences including travelling in a pick up truck(see pic) to the airport. Even on the plane, there was a singing competition with the cabin crew! Manila is crazy and busy compared to Davao, and already a few minutes into the trip, we already noticed the major differences in the poor and rich. We found that out yesterday arvo when we arrived. The distance from the airport to the guest house wasn’t a very long way,but we took 2 hours in peak hour traffic! Below are some prayer points.

Thank God
*for the teaching sessions for the children, teens and adults at the field conference and that each age group was catered for and the encouragement and blessing many people were to our Aussie team. It was overwhelming being showered with gifts and encouraging words.
* for safety on the social outing with the teens and for the teens faith in God.
* for our safe arrival in Manila and for the hospitality and kindness of the staff at the Manila Guest House

Ask God
* for continual patience and flexibility with one another (we are ½ way through our trip)
* for the missionaries as they return to their places of work that they may be refreshed from the time away. Also for the children and teens as most of them return back to school for 2nd semester beginning next week.
* that God will continually use my strengths and weaknesses to serve him faithfully in the Philippines.
* for the ministries the team will be visiting next week to some M areas and some other slum areas in Manila that we would love and serve the people there.

Newspapers

Was reading the newspaper a few times in Davao and on the 3 plane trips. There are some common articles that are coming out of the newspapers relating to local Filipino news as well as articles from the provinces. There has been some flooding in the southern provinces which have affected ½ a million people. This has made front page of the paper. It is a clear reminder to me that people here suffer from natural disasters and that due to poor infrastructure and corruption it seems like a constant thing that is happening on a yearly basis. Corruption and issues regarding the military also surface in some of the news articles. I think about some of our newspapers back in Aus. Yes there is news, but I wonder if it really is ‘news’. That’s my opinion, people may disagree, but it would be great if real news was on the front page. I know with the floods that it would make front page, but other generic news also sometimes appears on our front covers of papers.
Even in Filipino newspapers inside the middle of each paper people have superstitious sayings which appear. This one(see pic) just shows that people need to have Jesus in their lives and not rely on Mary. It is sad when around the Philippines you will see many churches, at airports you will see Bible verses however deep down in peoples hearts, they are lost.

It is my prayer that people would understand who God really is and that they won’t rely on the quote in the newspaper which says they need to worship Mary but only Jesus.