Mission to Irosin

March 2010

Our team with some from Irosin

A group of nine of us from our churches took another trip to Irosin in mid-February to follow-up on the ministry God so graciously allowed us to join last year. Again it was wonderful to be given the chance to reach out to a new province, and since we had four new people on our team this time, it was an big missions eye opener for them as well.

Setting up for evening film show

During our two days in Irosin we were able to hold an evening evangelistic film showing, a couple children’s ministries, as well as a Bible study for adults. The number of adults in the study was down a bit from the last time we were there, but the kids were overflowing. The film showing went very well as well, and was a good step in c

Youth giving a special number at the outreach film showing

onnecting bit by bit to this community of rice farmers.

Please pray that God will lead us with regards to this ministry as we continue to keep Irosin as a missions target for our island churches.

The children’s ministry was very enthusiastically attended!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agricultural Development

Some of the vegies we’ve been growing

We continue to press on with our agricultural project. Because of an abnormally dry start to 2010 (El Nino) and lack of consistent help to oversee the planting project on San Miguel, we have for the first half of this year shifted most of our planting to our Santicon campsite, where we have developed another small planting area as well as turned two cement roofs into gardens as well! Meanwhile we are working on developing a better watering system on San Miguel that can deal with El Nino heat.

Some of our youth interns preparing soil for planting on one of our rooftops

God has been good, and the results of these past months have not only been fruitful (our tomatoes and pechay have been the best ever!) but have also been very helpful in getting more data needed for future plantings.

Graph showing the results of 5 techniques of tomato planting in our Santicon experiment

Our primary goal with this project at the moment is to determine which ways various vegetables can be best grown. We do this by planting each type of vegetable in a variety of ways, weighing the harvest of each group of plants over a period of time, and then comparing them graphically to determine the best method. Some of the results have been stunning!

Using this information, our next goal is, Lord willing, to work up reproducible planting models that can be duplicated by families in the churches. This is not easy. We have to be able to develop ways for insect control and dealing with varying weather conditions to try to prevent crop failures and arrive at similar

Covering one planting plot with netting to protect it from insects

results each time. As a result we are doing a lot with clear plastic tarps to control rain, netting and various organic concoctions as sprays to control insects, and rice-stalk mulching to control the heat hitting the soil. We are all just beginners, however, so every planting is a big experiment.

Finally, the ultimate goal is to help families actually design gardens that can basically meet their needs year round. It’s a big goal, but it’s fun to put in all into God’s hands and see what He does with it!

Thanks for all your prayers! God is faithful. I just read in Joshua 10:42 this morning that “Joshua captured all these kings and their lands AT ONE TIME, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.”

 It encouraged me that our God is not limited. He can multi-task – even defeating 5 kings at the same time! Likewise He is not limited to giving success in one ministry alone, but can do a lot simultaneously – and is glorified when He does! It’s my prayer that all these activities, though placed simultaneously on His altar, will by His grace and through His amazing power, all eventually bear lasting fruit for His glory – maybe in ways we could never expect!

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21)

End of Year Irosin Outreach

December 2009

Bible study group in Puro, Irosin

We continue to lift up the people in Barangay Puro, Irosin and seek what God’s will may be for us there.  The trip is a little long – a total of about 6-7 hours each way – and so making a trip takes some effort.  However, the openness of the people there seems to warrant the effort required.

Gilbert leading kids in a song

My third trip back I did alone with the Lord, during which the He gave me the chance to teach twice and distribute a few more Bibles to those who had requested them the last time.  All in all 27 people have asked for Bibles.  During the third trip I was accompanied by five others from the church, who helped with various activities like children’s ministry.

Teaching in Puro

This last trip was extra special because we were able to dovetail it with the visit of Maurice and Maria Carretta and their three kids. This was the family who introduced us to Irosin.  They now live in the US, but Maria’s family (mother and a couple siblings) live in Irosin and are quite involved in the lives of the people in Puro .  Thus the open door.

Maria Carretta (left) with two of the ladies of Puro. The one on the right, Fe, is our primary contact in Puro, and full of questions about the Bible!

After our two days in Irosin, the Lord opened the doors for Maurice, Maria, and family to make a special trip to San Miguel as well for the weekend, which we all really enjoyed.  Many in the churches knew them from the first mission trip, and so this visit was a reunion for some and helped others in the church become acquainted with our partners it the work of the Lord in Irosin.  God’s timing was perfect for their trip.

Lord willing, we hope to head back to Irosin around December 21 to hold a Christmas fellowship for the people there and do more outreach in Puro.  Please pray that the trip will push through and be God’s instrument to open more doors for the gospel!

Camp in Santicon, and Open Doors at Bicol University

December 2009

Campers in our new 95%-completed campsite ministry center

In October we were privileged to loan our campsite to the Bicol region Campus Crusade for Christ group for their annual  5-day leadership camp.  Attended by 40 university students, the camp gave us a chance to put into use our latest additions to the campsite, all which worked well.  It was really a joy to see the months and years of construction bear fruit again not only for our churches but now in a small way to the whole Bicol region!

P.J. sharing to one of the Santicon high school classes

Besides just using our campsite, however, the group networked with us in other ways.  First, God allowed us to get them into the local highschool, where they were able to do classroom teaching on how to get better grades followed by an evangelistic presentation.  I was able to contribute too, sharing sharing twice to the delegates, many who were engineering students and so could easily relate to my testimony of following Christ

Sharing the gospel with students on school grounds after formal class teaching

in college.  After this the contact with Campus Crusade led to an additional opportunity for me to share with about 150 engineering students at Bicol University in Daraga (next to Legaspi City about 1 hours south of Tabaco).

Posing with campers after the camp

This recent invitation is somewhat significant to me.  For many years I have felt a burden to see a church planted near the university that could reach out to students with systematic teaching of the Scriptures.  However, because God’s call for me has been these islands, I could not entertain any such burden at the time.  However, after starting to pray I watched as God brought two good friends from Manila to Legaspi, one of whom is actually working now as a professor at BU!  Both of these friends also have  strong burdens to reach out to university students.  Then, at the very time the churches here on the islands are being turned over bit by bit to the local leaders, I begin to get invitations to speak to university students, some of whom are now texting me regularly for advice.

     Is it a leading from the Lord?  I don’t really know.   Now both Irosin and Daraga stand as potentials for extending our work past San Miguel.  Yet there is still enough to do on these islands to keep me busy maybe for the rest of my life!  So, I will just continue to wait on the Lord.

Back to Irosin

Back to Irosin!

Once just wasn’t enough.  After a wonderful first mission to Irosin, Sorsogon in early August, we just had to go back for another round!

Preparing materials for distribution in Irosin

This time there were nine of us, and our purpose was three-fold:  first to distribute Bibles to those who had an interest from our previous trip, second to give more instruction on how to know Christ and how to use the Bible to learn more about Him, and third, to get a better feel for the responsiveness of the people in the area to determine if further follow-up should be carried out.

As with the first mission, we saw the Lord work.   God opened the door for me to share two times with a group of about 20 in the community of Puro,  Irosin while the youth with our team held more children’s ministry for the kids in the area.  This time we concentrated our activities in the community building – a half finished cement structure, not all that attractive, especially since wood for a community project was piled up in half of it, but good enough for sharing God’s Word.  As with the first trip, our host family opened their home for us and showed us wonderful hospitality.

Kids having fun in children’s outreach in Irosin

The response of the people in Puro to the message was great.   I used the two days to give a brief overview of the Bible – the first day about the New Testament and the second about the Old, each time emphasizing Christ’s centrality in it all and how it all points us to Him for salvation.  It was very well received, and after giving out the 19 Bibles we had brought, we had requests for 8 more from newcomers!  The children’s ministry was attended by 30 children one day and 50 the other.  As before the kids were very excited for the chance to attend!  Our workers did a great job leading them.

At present we are praying about the next steps for Irosin.  It has so far been a good start, but we need God’s specific guidance as to how to work this into our already pretty full schedule.  Thanks for praying with us for this wonderful open door!  God is great!

** Note:  Although the information on the Irosin trip is current, the photos, I must confess, are actually from our first trip.  A computer glitch erased all of my second-trip photos, so I had to improvise with these older photos.  I thought that better than no photos at all.  Anyway, not much difference except that my hair is a little longer in the 2nd trip! 🙂

The Road to Irosin

July 2009

From a wild and windy boat ride…

It was a long trip – by boat through white-capped waves, then an over-cramped jeepy, a full bus, and then cars.  But by God’s grace we made it.  It was a first for our churches on San Miguel and Cagraray Islands.  Up to now we have always been a missions-receiving church; now we got to be a missions-sending church!

to a jampacked jeepney…

August 3 marked a first in our ministry on San Miguel and Cagraray Islands. From the very beginning of the work here it has been my prayer that the church here would one day be able to send out missionaries.  It seemed impossible, since usually places like this, which are so remote and

impoverished, can hardly raise up teams to go to other places.  And yet God, wholoves to do things in unusual ways, is actually beginning to fulfill that dream.

to bumpy bus…

On August 3-6, the Lord opened a door for the churches here on the islands to participate in an outreach to an area in Irosin, a town in the province of Sorsogon, on the southern tip of Luzon Island.

The opportunity opened up with I was contacted by a church, Calvary Chapel – Downey, California, which was planning a small outreach there but really needed local help.

to 2 cramped cars… we made it!

Having just finished Hebrews 11 in our Sunday study, I was inspired by the example of Abraham, who was willing to follow God to a new place in obedience to His call.  So, wondering if this mission opportunity might be a way God desired for us to step out in faith, I announced to the churches the opportunity, never prepared for the response I would get. Planning on taking a team of maybe four, I was shocked when 26 people signed up for the mission!  Apparently the churches were more ripe for missions than I had thought!

Both teams during an evening time of communion, praise, and prayer. Altogether we were 39 that night.

Calvary Downey approved of the increased number, even though none of us knew how it was going to work with so many people,  I’m sure glad they did! God’s hand was all over the mission!

 

First, we saw His hand on the accommodations.   This was really one of my concerns before we left.  Housing 27 people with only a few days notice isn’t the easiest thing to do.  And yet God was so faithful.  Months before the mission was envisioned, the host family in Irosin — relatives of those from the US team — had decided to build a new house on the lot facing their first home.

Never too old for a new experience! Ate Lising, Ate Lourdes, and Tiya Caring enjoy the comforts of an air-conditioned room!

It had just been completed and painted when we arrived, and we ended up having the privilege to be the first people to occupy it — even before the owners!  Since two of the rooms had air-conditioning as well, it was a special treat for those who joined us from the island, almost none of whom had ever slept in an air-conditioned room in their lives.  All — including myself —  were amazed at how God provided!

Next we saw His hand on the weather.  It had been raining for 5 straight days in the area we visited. Had the rain continued, it would have made all of our ministry impossible. However, on the morning we arrived, it stopped, and the weather remained clear the whole time we were there.

Then and most importantly we saw Him work in opening doors and hearts.

When we arrived in Irosin, we found it much more open than we had

Like most Philippine communities kids are not hard to find! The US team leads the kids in Puro in some fun songs.

expected.

The main area of outreach was a small community up the mountain a little ways called “Puro.”    The only religious building in the area was a small Catholic chapel, which had not been visited by a priest since last September.  Cult groups were regularly visiting, seeking to win people to their groups by giving food and other physical needs, and yet their ulterior motives were clear to many of the people in the community.

Two children quite happily look on the happenings during the outreach

Thus when we arrived, many of the people were so hungry to hear something from God’s Word without strings attached, and it was not hard at all to gather a group of people for Bible studies.  And the kids came even without invitation!

I was given the chanced to lead two studies from John 1 for 20-30 of these adults in the Catholic chapel, emphasizing that it isn’t religion that saves us but rather a personal relationship with Jesus.  He is the bridge to God!

Second day of teaching in the small chapel

Meanwhile the youth from the US did skits, led some worship and worked with our team in two outreaches to the children at the community center (a half-finished cement building) just near the chapel. During the evening we were able to show the Jesus film as well, which was also very well received. It was a full mission.

US team performs powerful mime

Half or more of those who attended the Bible studies prayed to receive Christ.  One lady was in tears after hearing our song at the end of the outreach and begged us to teach her more.  Others repeatedly requested that we come back and teach them again.

Babet telling the story of Jesus’ resurrection to the kids

The work of God in  the kids was amazing.  Though they were also like normal kids, loving to jump and play and be noisy, we also saw an amazing hunger even in them to know the stories in the Bible.  It was great!

Children listening intently to Bible stories

Our second outreach in the city center of Irosin also was fruitful, with a number of people also praying to receive Christ there.  It was definitely a successful outreach!

We also saw God hand on the effect on the team itself.

Some of our youth overwhelmed by the kids. When they returned they shared and others shared that their hearts had also been overwhelmed by the experience.

Perhaps one of the biggest blessing was the effect of the mission on those of us who joined.  It was the first time for nearly everyone in our churches here to travel to a different place to serve the Lord, and all came back more on fire for the Lord than ever.  For some it was their first time to lead someone to Christ, and they were bubbling over with joy afterwards.

One of the men on our team, Jerry, came back with a recommitment to start sharing with his neighbors on San Miguel Island, and the second day back started circling his community, in which several more people prayed to receive Christ!

I personally was revived by seeing people so hungry for God’s Word.  Getting to know Maurice and Maria Carretta, the leaders of the team from Calvary Chapel Downey, was also a great blessing to me.  To hear how God works to call people out of their comfort zone to bring God’s Word to places like Irosin is always inspiring to me and reaffirms to me again that I did not make a mistake coming here to serve God in the Philippines.

As for the next steps concerning Irosin, we are still seeking the Lord.  My initial thoughts, however, are that since God did open some doors, since the group from California cannot continue regular follow-up, since there is no one else to do follow-up yet, and since the impact of this initial mission on our churches was so positive, I see it as a good possibility that at least initially we will be going back.  Please pray that God will make clear to me to what extent He wants us to do long-term follow-up, since that is not so clear.  I simply know that this country is so desperately in need of God’s Word, and open doors should never be overlooked. Thanks for your prayers!