God has been protecting us on this trip!!! Thursday night Adam and I went to a couple's house for dinner and it was pouring rain. The street is very narrow and when we got out of the vehicle to enter there house we noticed there was no door bell and we were getting soaked so we ran back into the truck and i texted to let them know we are there and to open the gate so we ran out of the truck to enter. Friday after being at Bucana working with the children Adam dropped me off at Barb and Fred's house to help set up for the couple's cell group we are now leading and he had to go to the dentist. After two hours Adam had not yet came back so i looked for my cell phone in my purse to text him to see if he was ok and I couldn't find my phone. So i was praying I left it at home but couldn't remember if I took it out of my purse at home. So the couples meeting started and I asked Adam when he returned if he remembered where i put my phone and couldn't but a little later on Barb's cell phone rang and it said Ashley. So my heart dropped my cell phone was in someone's hands. At that point we didn't know if it was stolen or if I dropped it. But the only place i was friday was at Bucana so we were afraid one of the kids took it. Anyway we involved Pastor Johnny and Tata so they started calling my cell phone to talk to the lady who called barb's cell. They were in their house while we were still recieving calls on Adam's cell or barb's from the lady. She started to ask for me by name she wanted to nagotiate so we all thought it really had to be at Bucana. Well Tata and Pastor Johnny came to Barbs house so that they could talk with the Lady who had my cell and so I could talk with her as well. We found out after she asked alot of questions us that when we were saying Bucana she didn't think it was my phone because she never was near Bucana. She was trying to get the real story on my phone before she would give it back because she thought i thought she stole it and she didn't want to get into trouble. The true story came out and realized that I dropped my cell phone without knowing and her brother who is a tricycle driver found it at the couple's house Thursday night. He really liked my blackberry so he took his cell phone to a pawn shop and sold it so he could have mine. He was using my post paid sim card and everything. When his sister found out what he did she got convicted and that is why she started to call my contacts to find the owner and talk with that person. She asked for me to give them the amount money his brother got from the pawn shop for his cell phone(that he already spent) so that he could get his cell phone back now that she is giving my cell phone back to me. It was so amazing. So Pastory johnny took us to meet this lady and we only gave 1100 peso which is $25 and got my cell phone back.. Normally when your cell phone is stolen or you lose it you never get it back and it would have cost me alot more money to replace it. God did an amazing miracle that night. It really strengthens my faith and Trust in Him! We first thought it was stolen cuz that is very common here but ended up i dropped it! Silly me!
Just thought it would be great for you to hear a great God story to demonstrate that God is still God and in control of all circumstances.
As well Adam had to go to the dentist this week because on Thursday he woke up with a big chunk out of his bottom left side back molar. The dentist had to reconstruct his tooth. It only cost us $85 in total. Amazing. He had a filling on that tooth before and another cavity was growing and decayed the tooth which caused part of old filling to break off hence the chunk missing. The dentist had to dig deeper to get rid of the new cavity as well. It took over 2 1/2 hours to finish and ended up going back on saturday to have it filed down a little more. But all is good now!! So that has been our adventures this week!!
many blessings!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Past Week
This past week has been great. We have been doing Language and Culture training. The filippinos who we will be working with the most is doing the training so that is been good cuz while they are doing the training we are getting to know them. This week we have been good but overwhelming in observing all the activities that go on in Bucana. Which is the street ministry. We went with Che and Cha who are a nurse and a teacher who are doing the feeding programs and tutorials for the children. They took us to this community and they feed 20-25 kids. Many of them are extremely malnurished, the one little boy that i have posted a picture was bed ridden for months due to not eating and his mom died of TB. he is now walking and gaining some weight. The children are very precious. They go and feed them once a day. We have gone twice with them this week. Right now with the training we do not know what our roles will be but are seeing everything that goes on day to day. the kids are out of school for summer now so they are planning skills training programs daily for the kids to learn how to play instruments, cooking, dancing, preaching, drama and art. to keep them off the streets during the summer. So we will be helping with that for the month. the pictures below are the children from the community they do the feedings and Che does health teaching twice a month which she did when the pictures were taken.
Devotion Sharing
It has been amazing how over the past 3 and 1/2 weeks God keeps bringing His word to give comfort and peace. These past couple of weeks we have been just living each day at a time. We really don't know what we are going to be doing so we have been learning to just take each day at a time and know it is a gift from God. Being here getting in the culture has been overwhelming and continues to open our eyes but it also brings on doubt and fear. We have been going through spiritual warfare the past couple of weeks and Fred said it is very critical to keep drawing to the Lord cuz Satan is going to work his hardest to defeat us while we are here. When I first came I was getting to busy and never gave time to God and after a night of being very overwhelmed and going through emotions i opened my devotion book and it read:
Refresh yourself in the Peace of My presence. This Peace can be your portion at all times and in all circumstances. Learn to hid in the secret of My Presence,, even as you carry out your duties in the world. I am both with you and within you. I go before you to open up the way, and I also walk alongside you. there could never be another companion as devoted as I am.
Because I am your constant Companion, there should be a lightness to your step that is observable to others. Do not be weighed down with problems and unresolved issues, for i am your burden-bearer. In the world you have trials and distress, but don't let them get you down. I have conquered the world and deprived it of power to harm you. In Me you may have confident Peace. Psalm 31:19-20, John 16:33
I want you to learn a new habit. Try saying, "I trust you, Jesus" in response to whatever happens to you. If there is time, think about who I am in all My Power and Glory; ponder also the depth and breadth of My Love for you.
This simple practice will help you see Me in every situation, acknowledging My sovereign control over the universe. When you view events from this perspective-through the Light of My universal Presence-fear loses its grip on you. Adverse circumstances become growth opportunities when you affirm your trust in me no matter what. You recieve blessings gratefully, realizing they flow directly from My hand of grace. Your continual assertion of trusting Me will strengthen our relationship and keep you close to Me. Psalm 63:2; Isaiah 40:10-11; Psalm 139:7-10
It is very easy to keep going on our own strength but for God to be God he wants us to let Him be in control. That is very hard to do but it is amazing when you can surrender and let your guards down and say Lord im weak be my strength. Then we empower God and He shows us through Actions, People and through His Holy Spirit. It can be very hard especially when in our human nature we believe that we are not believing in God if we are getting overwhelmed but that isn't ture it just means we have to go to God and show Him our emotions and lay it at the cross and then God can come in and Be God in our Lives!
We have been doing the 5 levels of Fasting. the church has been doing it the past couple of years once a year. 5 levels of fasting is 3 days of no food just drink then 5 days off the 7 days of partial (one meal a day) then 5 days off; 14 days of partial 5 days off; 21 days of partial 5 days off; 40 days partial and then it is completed. fasting here just allows people to keep getting closer to God. spending more time in prayer and showing God that we will scrafice everything for Him to move in particular issues in our lives. I was afraid to fast due to my past stomach issues cuz even though i haven't had much issues i need to eat and if I don't eat i can get into alot of pain. So i didn't know if i should and i knew i wasn't trusting God in His power. I started the partial on monday but i only missed lunch thats all i thought i could do well by wednesday i was in alot of pain and i cried out to God and said if you want me to fast you need to take the pain away and show me I can trust you with my physical body. Since then I have only done the one full meal in the evenings and i have no pain. God is showing me trust and power and it is great. I am sure to go back to old habbit of just trusting myself but by God's grace I will brought back to Him and his power and i am thankful.
I just felt I needed to share this to encourage each one of us to know God and to trust Him and give up our control. and to know that we are not alone when we are struggling to know what we are doing and what our purpose is.
Refresh yourself in the Peace of My presence. This Peace can be your portion at all times and in all circumstances. Learn to hid in the secret of My Presence,, even as you carry out your duties in the world. I am both with you and within you. I go before you to open up the way, and I also walk alongside you. there could never be another companion as devoted as I am.
Because I am your constant Companion, there should be a lightness to your step that is observable to others. Do not be weighed down with problems and unresolved issues, for i am your burden-bearer. In the world you have trials and distress, but don't let them get you down. I have conquered the world and deprived it of power to harm you. In Me you may have confident Peace. Psalm 31:19-20, John 16:33
I want you to learn a new habit. Try saying, "I trust you, Jesus" in response to whatever happens to you. If there is time, think about who I am in all My Power and Glory; ponder also the depth and breadth of My Love for you.
This simple practice will help you see Me in every situation, acknowledging My sovereign control over the universe. When you view events from this perspective-through the Light of My universal Presence-fear loses its grip on you. Adverse circumstances become growth opportunities when you affirm your trust in me no matter what. You recieve blessings gratefully, realizing they flow directly from My hand of grace. Your continual assertion of trusting Me will strengthen our relationship and keep you close to Me. Psalm 63:2; Isaiah 40:10-11; Psalm 139:7-10
It is very easy to keep going on our own strength but for God to be God he wants us to let Him be in control. That is very hard to do but it is amazing when you can surrender and let your guards down and say Lord im weak be my strength. Then we empower God and He shows us through Actions, People and through His Holy Spirit. It can be very hard especially when in our human nature we believe that we are not believing in God if we are getting overwhelmed but that isn't ture it just means we have to go to God and show Him our emotions and lay it at the cross and then God can come in and Be God in our Lives!
We have been doing the 5 levels of Fasting. the church has been doing it the past couple of years once a year. 5 levels of fasting is 3 days of no food just drink then 5 days off the 7 days of partial (one meal a day) then 5 days off; 14 days of partial 5 days off; 21 days of partial 5 days off; 40 days partial and then it is completed. fasting here just allows people to keep getting closer to God. spending more time in prayer and showing God that we will scrafice everything for Him to move in particular issues in our lives. I was afraid to fast due to my past stomach issues cuz even though i haven't had much issues i need to eat and if I don't eat i can get into alot of pain. So i didn't know if i should and i knew i wasn't trusting God in His power. I started the partial on monday but i only missed lunch thats all i thought i could do well by wednesday i was in alot of pain and i cried out to God and said if you want me to fast you need to take the pain away and show me I can trust you with my physical body. Since then I have only done the one full meal in the evenings and i have no pain. God is showing me trust and power and it is great. I am sure to go back to old habbit of just trusting myself but by God's grace I will brought back to Him and his power and i am thankful.
I just felt I needed to share this to encourage each one of us to know God and to trust Him and give up our control. and to know that we are not alone when we are struggling to know what we are doing and what our purpose is.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The First 2 Weeks
Wow these past 2 weeks have gone by so quickly. We believe we have finally caught up in our sleep boy were we tired, we would go to bed around 9 wake up around 8 and then start the day and not stop until night. The first week we were going around buying everything for our apartment. We needed air conditioners, hot water heater for the shower, a stove, and a bed. We also set up cable and internet to get our vonage phone set up so we can call people in canada.
In the midst of setting up the apartment we have been included in pastor meetings, a couples cell group led by Fred and Barb and the 1st tier leaders meeting. The way the church is set up here is that Pastor Fred and Barb both discipled 12 people into leaders and then they branched off and gathered their 12 leaders and so on. So Fred and Barb gather their 12 leaders each saturday to continue to minister to them to keep them on fire for God. Last Saturday during the meeting they had a welcoming party for us, they gathered into groups and acted out different cultures of the Philippines for us to guess and then they had to make up a jingle of welcome. It was so fun. It is so amazing how God created flippinos to be so welcoming and will sacrifice everything to make others feel so special.
Adam has been practicing driving with Fred's old mazda standard truck just around the neighbourhood. He has been doing very well with me giving directions. We have been learning quickly that the North American courtesy is not applicable, we have been honked at a few times when we were waiting for a way to be clear. They don't do that here they just force themselves through the traffic, but we don't want an accident.
It has been a great priveledge to be able to sit in the pastors meeting every thursday. We are hearing many testimonies and just continue to see what OLM's (oceans of life ministries) vision is. We have to be honest that we have struggled to not feel inadequate in their ministry and knowing our role in their ministry. This has been a huge step of faith but now that we are here, we can lose the fact that we still need to maintain faith to keep building our ministry role and it is God the Almighty that will guide, give wisdom and knowledge. When hearing the testimonies from Pastor Johnny and Pastor Bill (Youth Pastor) in what God is doing in the Children and Youth from their street ministry church continues to inspire us that we are not ministering to people for our sake but to show them the Glory of God so that He recieves the credit. We should not be reaching out for others to notice us but for them to notice God. These Children who are only ages 7-12 are on Fire for God that one of the 12 yr olds have gone out on the streets and have preached the word of God which crowds have gathered to hear. Another 14 year old boy was a prominent gang leader in the area that has been lead to the Lord and is now bringing some of his former gang leader members to church with him. His is an amazing testimony that you need to check out. Its on the http://www.olmfmc.com/ website please read his and a fe of the other testimonies as they will break your hearts.
Today we had the opportunity to meet these street children. Oh they are so precious!! They had a huge welcoming party for us with songs and games. It was sooo much fun and seeing their little faces smiling and laughing was just amazing. Its these kids who have been ministering to their parents to get them to come to church. They even go so far as knocking on doors!! Its just so amazing that these little kids are doing the work that we as adults should be doing.
In the midst of setting up the apartment we have been included in pastor meetings, a couples cell group led by Fred and Barb and the 1st tier leaders meeting. The way the church is set up here is that Pastor Fred and Barb both discipled 12 people into leaders and then they branched off and gathered their 12 leaders and so on. So Fred and Barb gather their 12 leaders each saturday to continue to minister to them to keep them on fire for God. Last Saturday during the meeting they had a welcoming party for us, they gathered into groups and acted out different cultures of the Philippines for us to guess and then they had to make up a jingle of welcome. It was so fun. It is so amazing how God created flippinos to be so welcoming and will sacrifice everything to make others feel so special.
Adam has been practicing driving with Fred's old mazda standard truck just around the neighbourhood. He has been doing very well with me giving directions. We have been learning quickly that the North American courtesy is not applicable, we have been honked at a few times when we were waiting for a way to be clear. They don't do that here they just force themselves through the traffic, but we don't want an accident.
It has been a great priveledge to be able to sit in the pastors meeting every thursday. We are hearing many testimonies and just continue to see what OLM's (oceans of life ministries) vision is. We have to be honest that we have struggled to not feel inadequate in their ministry and knowing our role in their ministry. This has been a huge step of faith but now that we are here, we can lose the fact that we still need to maintain faith to keep building our ministry role and it is God the Almighty that will guide, give wisdom and knowledge. When hearing the testimonies from Pastor Johnny and Pastor Bill (Youth Pastor) in what God is doing in the Children and Youth from their street ministry church continues to inspire us that we are not ministering to people for our sake but to show them the Glory of God so that He recieves the credit. We should not be reaching out for others to notice us but for them to notice God. These Children who are only ages 7-12 are on Fire for God that one of the 12 yr olds have gone out on the streets and have preached the word of God which crowds have gathered to hear. Another 14 year old boy was a prominent gang leader in the area that has been lead to the Lord and is now bringing some of his former gang leader members to church with him. His is an amazing testimony that you need to check out. Its on the http://www.olmfmc.com/ website please read his and a fe of the other testimonies as they will break your hearts.
Today we had the opportunity to meet these street children. Oh they are so precious!! They had a huge welcoming party for us with songs and games. It was sooo much fun and seeing their little faces smiling and laughing was just amazing. Its these kids who have been ministering to their parents to get them to come to church. They even go so far as knocking on doors!! Its just so amazing that these little kids are doing the work that we as adults should be doing.
Here is the ministry team that we will be mainly working with, left to right: Tata, Pastor Johnny,Che Che,Pastor Bill and Cha Cha
Here is a picture of the clinic/office that they surprised us with this morning. They built it in preparation for our ministry.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Arrival
Hello Everyone,
Yay we made it!! It was a very long journey here and by the end of it we were both feeling quite queazy as we hardly had anytime between flights to find our legs before getting on the next plane. All our luggage arrived with our plane with nothing lost or broken which we were very greatful! The only glitch for the whole journey was that when we came out of the airport there was nobody to great us as Fred and Barb(the missionaries that we are working with) mixed our arrival day up so thought we weren't coming til friday. So we took a taxi to their place and surprised them. They were preparing a big welcome for us so were a little disappointed when we suddenly showed up but all is good. Today we went to look at our apt, went to the bank set up our account, went shopping for a few things for our apt and went to the pastors meeting to ment the local pastors we will be working with as well. Taking a bit to adjust to the warm weather as we were used to winter temps. Anyway more to follow and will get some pics up soon. Blessings!
Yay we made it!! It was a very long journey here and by the end of it we were both feeling quite queazy as we hardly had anytime between flights to find our legs before getting on the next plane. All our luggage arrived with our plane with nothing lost or broken which we were very greatful! The only glitch for the whole journey was that when we came out of the airport there was nobody to great us as Fred and Barb(the missionaries that we are working with) mixed our arrival day up so thought we weren't coming til friday. So we took a taxi to their place and surprised them. They were preparing a big welcome for us so were a little disappointed when we suddenly showed up but all is good. Today we went to look at our apt, went to the bank set up our account, went shopping for a few things for our apt and went to the pastors meeting to ment the local pastors we will be working with as well. Taking a bit to adjust to the warm weather as we were used to winter temps. Anyway more to follow and will get some pics up soon. Blessings!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Preparations
In a week from Monday we will be starting the adventure to the Philippines. The past couple of weeks have been a challenge. We have been finding that our first reaction is too take tasks on ourselves istead of allowing God to guide us. Even though there is alot to do to finish all the preparations we are continually trying to give everything up to God and just sitting back and enjoying our friends and family. We are getting very excited. It still seems very surreal that we are going to the Philippines for a year but is becoming real with seeing pictures of where we are staying. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us this year. It has already been great to see what God has been doing in our lives with growth and healing of past hurts so we can be ready to do His work for others. For your enjoyment here are the pictures of where we will be staying!
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