Home Safe
/Made it safe to LA and are now on the 2.hr drive home. Thanks for praying and please continue to pray for the.ministry opportunities there. Need land in both locations!
Prayer Needed
/Please pray for Arnolds son in Dumaguete. For 2 days he has had fever, vomiting and today started bleeding from the nose. Arnold has been here with us. Also, Cody has some serious stomache issues and we are starting our long trip home. Please pray for him and our travels (right now you are probably all skeeping !)
Over the water
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We were sitting on the floor in a bamboo hut on stilts about 15 feet over the water that we had to walk on planks at times 4-6" wide between other huts and sometimes with nothing to hold on to. All to reach the.harder to get to homes since I figured they had less visitors - and for good reason! This women was listening to the gospel. (Some of the team stayed on dry land today a little freaked out over the plank walking yesterday).
Last Day in Badjao
/Great last day visiting the Badjao in preparation for a future church plant on Panglao. More sharing the gospel and encouraging the believers. Found a location next to the village where there may be land for sale. Pray for the Lord's provision. They need this church. Returned this eve for children's ministry with about 150 kids. Blessed!
Door to Door
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Had the opportunity to return for my 4th time to the Badjao village off Bohol. We went door to door sharing the gospel and praying with them. Some prayed to receive Christ and become followers of Jesus. Visited the chief and saw his twin granddaughters (now 4) that I dedicated to the Lord when they were 1. This is the community Arnold will be coming to. He will come once a month until full time after March. Tomorrow we will return here for more of the same.
Great Fellowship
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We reached Tagbilaran and this eve we were hosted by a wealthy Christian businessman at his estate on a cliff overlooking the ocean. He is a fellow Gideon with Reggie Tomoro and supportive of starting a Calvary Chapel on Bohol. Arnold and a few others from Dumaguete have joined us and tomorrow we will do some ministry in the future church area. Great time of food a fellowship with fresh cooked fish, crab, shrimp, squid and accessories.
Church Service
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Church service went well this morning but, the small church building was crowded. The team took kids to the pastors house while I taught adults. We celebrated Michelle's birthday today with the youth from church; great fun for all. Showed another movie tonight down the street and said tearful farewells. We are headed to Bohol in the morning. Please pray for safe travels.
Future Church Location
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Attached a couple outreach pictures and one of the church. Jungle is on a lot sown the street I would like to pray about a future church location.
Successful Outreach
/Had fun this morning with a class of 50 grade school kids. Gave out the gospel color bracelets and Cody shared a message.
Spent the afternoon inviting people to the outreach and gave out 200 the "Toys for Gods kids " wooden cars.
Outreach was a success with many giving their lives to Christ and receiving forgiveness of their sins through faith in the work of the cross and a relationship with Him rather than religion.
Multiple Opportunities
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We had the opportunity this morning to go to Tacloban Asterdome stadium and minister to a drug addiction group of men and.women. Shared the gospel and then did individual or small group counseling / encouragement. Last time I saw the Asterdome it was typhoon damaged. There is now a mass grave memorial just outside. We are asking for prayer to return to Tacloban for an outreach in the Asterdomen which can hold about 4500 people!
This Afternoon we visited a friend of sister Anita's husband who has terminal cancer. He is a prominent Chinese businessman in the city. Shared the gospel and confirmed his eternal destiny then had some sweet fellowship!
Tonight we went to a radio station and shared the gospel and why we are here with thousands. Got to share about tomorrow's outreach.
PRAY FOR NO RAIN FOR FRIDAY'S OUTREACH. It has rained every day so far.
Morning Devotion
/Pastor Emil and wife B-Ann leading worship for morning devotion.
Raining
/We have been here 2 days and it rained twice already - poured today. Working on the pastor's residence we are leasing which had everyone sweating in the humidity but it was good fellowship. We will sleep well tonight.
Making Improvements
/The pastor / missionary residence in Anibong, Tacloban is in worse shape then I thought - I originally believed more improvements had been done since we left. I'm going to try and make it better for Pastor Emil and his new wife B-Ann and the working of the ministry here.
Preparing to Leave
/Here is a pic of the entire team as we were preparing to leave.
Our Itinerary
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We are planning on working with a church plant in Tacloban City on the island of Leyte with pastor Emil from U-Turn for Christ. For the first 6 days we will do discipleship and encouragement of believers as well as evangelistic outreaches to unbelievers in the Tacloban area. We will work together with U-Turn for Christ for a pastors conference and make improvements on pastor Emil’s home. He was just married in June 2016 to B- Ann.
The house and Church in Tacloban are located on the family property of a sister from our church, Anita Frame.
Afterward we will travel to the island of Bohol for 4 days where a couple from our church, Reggie and Mary Jane Tamoro live and will be joined by our Filipino brother Arnold Bilion whom we are sponsoring in Bible College. Arnold is preparing for full time ministry and we will investigate the opportunities and possible locations for where the Lord will open the door for the next church plant. The primary target people are the Badjao who are know as “Sea Gypsies” because they build their homes on stilts over the water. Arnold’s wife Melissa is Badjao.