Monday, April 21, 2008

Update April 21, 2008

Greetings once again to you all. The Lord is so good and faithful and we continue to see His blessed hand at work in our lives. We certainly appreciate your prayers for us, especially with the trips back and forth to Manila, it can be a rather hazardous times sometimes.

We arrived back from Manila on Saturday after spending two days in
San Juan visiting doctors and such. It is always so nice to get back to the mountains after spending a few days in hot Manila.

Yesterday I was the speaker at Navy Base Christian Fellowship in the morning, then in the afternoon we continued our Mini Bible School session down in Baguio Gold. Both went very well, for which we thank and praise our Lord.

I was only able to attend one of the VBS sessions because of the unscheduled trip to Manila. But it went very well and they had about 60 plus kids each day and the gospel was shared both during the week and to the parents on graduation day.

Five from the assembly traveled down to Pangisanan this morning for two weeks of Christian Training Camp. They are five key folks at the assembly and we pray that this would be a profitable time for them all.

My schedule this week is a bit lighter than past weeks so I am looking forward to a time of study in preparation for the week of Bible School I am teaching here the first week of May.

Joyce is doing well, but is facing another more extensive surgery in the months ahead. The doctor has given his ok for here to travel home in May and have the surgery performed when she returns in late July. Since the cancer is in the early stages the delay is not a problem. Joyce is not asking the Lord for healing, but simply that His perfect will be done in her life. She is facing this with strength of character and faith, as she has faced each and every obstacle in her life. The challenges are real, but “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the might waves of the sea” (Ps, 93)

April 21, 2008 Pics, Part 1, VBS and the Mini Bible School at Baguio Gold




April 21, 2008 Pics, Part 2, VBS and the Mini Bible School at Baguio Gold




Monday, April 07, 2008

Update, April 8, 2008

Greetings to all, and thank you so much for checking in from time to time so that you can pray effectively for the Lord’s work here in the mountains of central Luzon.

We are thanking the Lord for a wonderful week. The bible study in Fatima went very well this week and several of the ladies who were unable to make the last meeting were back for the study. Most of them are believers from the assembly there, but there are a couple of women who attend who, as far as we can discern, have never accepted the Lord as Savior. So continue to pray that the saints would be encouraged in their faith, and that those who have not yet come to know Him will recognize their need for the Savior.

The “children’s worship” Sunday went well. Once a quarter the assembly at Navy Base has the young men of the assembly lead the Family Bible Hour. They did a very good job. I spoke on the heart that Sunday, seeking to explain what we mean when we say, “Ask the Lord to come into your heart” or “The Lord is in my heart”. We trust the Lord encouraged His people through the teaching of His word.

Yesterday we had a joint fellowship with the saints meeting at Baguio Gold, Fatima and Navy Base. We met down at Baguio Gold, with the goal of encouraging those dear saints that have been through so much these last months. The ladies had a good time together in praise, fellowship and a bible lesson taught by one of the women from the assembly at Navy Base. The men used the time to do some evangelism below and above where the assembly in located. It was a profitable time. The area is quite poor with several small homes scattered about. The Lord opened up several opportunities to share the gospel with whole families, two of which desire to have home bible studies started. The assembly at Baguio Gold will be doing the follow-up and the elders will be teaching the home studies. We will be doing some follow-up as well in the next couple of weeks, Lord willing.

I begin a new mini bible school at Baguio Gold this coming Lord’s Day. The first session, which will cover the introduction and first three chapters of the book of Hebrews, will run on consecutive Sundays until May 4th. Then May 5-9 we will have evening classes at Navy Base each evening from 7-9. This is the second session for them and will cover chapters four through seven, Lord willing.

So we are excited to see the Lord at work in the hearts and lives of His people, and in the lives of those who have not yet put their trust in Him. Continue to pray that fruit may continue to be produced in both these areas by means of His Spirit.

Joyce is doing well. The pathology department at the hospital in Manila needed to do further testing on the mass removed a couple of weeks ago as the tests they concluded were deemed inconclusive. So we are still in the waiting period. Continue to pray that the mass will be benign. But our faith and trust is in the wisdom of one greater than us, so we will trust in Him whatever may come. Love to you all, and thanks you so much for your prayers.

April 7, 2008 Pictures - Ladies Joint Fellowship