Life Changing Revelation…does it also apply to you…?
I have just had one of those WOW times with God. The Lord gave me a message on “disciples” becoming “disciplers”, but making sure that they remain “disciples” themselves – always learning, always growing, always changing.
In the midst of Him speaking to me, He revealed to me that I was currently the biggest limitation, the biggest blockage, the biggest issue that I would have to deal with in order for those under us to grow and mature. Serious slap in the face. But what the Lord revealed was that the ministry had grown much faster than I had as a leader, and that I had actually ceased to grow – perhaps due to business, laziness, lack of discipline, or all of the above. And as I reflected on the last 12 months I realized that I have not grown all that much at all, ministry has gone ahead in leaps and bounds – but not me as a person.
Thank God that He loves me enough to show me that, that’s mercy and grace.
I wonder how many people in full time ministry, or just in christian life could be in the same place, but without knowing it…?
Mark
Flood Relief
We have started administering the flood relief finances that we recieved from AOGWR. We came up with a four stage plan, releasing certain aspects of relief and assistance on a weekly basis to the 100 selected fanilies in the Fairview area. The relief goods are being released over a four week period in an edeavour to ensure that target families are assisted in the best possible way.
The assistance is termed a “Re-establishment Package”, where the aim is to give 100 families the various items needed to actaully conduct life. Families will recieve pots, pans, gas cookers, various household items, various containers, food preparation items, things to wash clothes, school uniforms, bags, stationary and shoes. Twice during the next month families will recieve a 50kg sack of rice, plus weekly food allowances.
A secondary goal with the flood assistance is too purchase as many of the items as possible from the sourrounding area and so inject finances into the local economy.
Pastor James Troup has so far been the one administering the relief and has done a great job.
World Slum Tour…
Hi there guys, here are some people with a differance. Group of Christians who visit the worlds slums and rubbish dumps. Don’t know all that much about them, I’ll be honest and say I don’t know if they are interesting or odd…but either way they are coming to Baseco at the end of this month, and I have no doubt that if people “go into all the world with the purpose of preaching the gospel”, then God will bless them and God will use them.
Check out some of their videos on U-tube.
Flood Relief Video from Australian Christian Churches
Please check out this video, help as the Lord leads you…
Sponsorship for Mikes Reid
Hi there Mikes. In response to your email we are posting students currently in our sponsorship program who don’t have sponsor.
Costs for 1 primary school child is $90 per year, High School is $250 per year. Please bear in mind that we prefer people to sponsor a student for either all of their primary school (6 years) or all of their High School (4 years), this just ensures that that child completes basic schooling. Clearly you don’t have to sponsor all 10 students, but these are the only students without sponsors at this time. We won’t be collecting new students until the start of the school year next year.
The first five pictures are Primary School, the rest are High School. Thanks mate.
Reading photos left to right -
Elementary Students – Georgie Morados, Janah Abdulaman, Jasmin Villanueva, Jensel Duhay, Mark Carlo Villanueva.
High School Students – Armelita Librilla, Kathryn Lotoc, Marco Villanueva, Michael Cabral, Reme Cabico.
The Floods another week later…what a mess…
We have just a couple of Aussies representing ACC come to Manila and view Fairview, the small area where all our pictures came out of, to do a basic needs assessment. . The Australian Churches are aiming at raising $40,000 to help flood victims. After a few hours today walking around, taking promo video footage, it was more or less agreed that we would try to help up to 100 families in a complete re-establishment package.
So while details are still being worked out the goal would be to replace school uniforms, books, bags and shoes, cooking utensils, pots, pans, sleeping matts, mozzie nets etc…plus a sack of rice and some form of basic medical kit/supplies.
Scarey thing is that nearly two weeks on there is so little improvement in this one area. The river has been cleaned up alot, but damp, rotting rubbish is still piled up everywhere. Aide into this area has been small and sporadic …but we are going to change that by Gods grace.
Who can fix stuff like this…no-ONE person but lots of people working together…you are one of those people, find a way to help, donate to the Red Cross or any other reputable organisation, give to the ACC if you are an Aussie, together we can have an impact in restoring peoples lives.
Mark
Jesus Calmed the Storms that we sit throught” today”
Jesus Calmed Storms…we sit them out or suffer them…
It is interesting being in Manila for another decent typhoon. I was here for the 2006 super typhoon that levelled Baseco, this one will cause relatively little damage to us compared to that one.
But the thought “Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and there was a great calm” Matt 8:23-27, takes on new meaning in this context. Sitting through a decent typhoon you see incredible, nearly unresistable power via wind, rain and floods – everything in it’s path, moves, very little can resist. But Jesus stood up in a boat during a storm and commanded it to change it’s course of action and it did just what it was told to do…incredible. And then Jesus intimates that what He had just done was not really any big deal, just basic FAITH.
And even Elijah, a man just like us, prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain until he prayed again three years later…wow.
I struggle often with faith for my basic needs, do we have any idea what real faith is…?
Mark
Tatura Team
We have just had a huge team from Tatura, Victoria, 16 young people. They were great, they all got so involved, they built homes, built a church shelter, cemented a floor, built benches, preached, testified, sung, helped run a sports day including volleyball, basketball and silly games. Preached at a three night crusade, de-wormed nearly 1,000 children – they just got involved.
Most of the team did really well, some struggled with the heat and general yucky conditions, but they kept going. Everything they did was funded by their church, which was very generous of them. Below are some photos of the various activities that they were involved in…but most importantly they got involved with people. They played with kids and got involved in the community. Not all team members are in the photos, but the lack of a photo does not mean they were not involved – they were all great.
One of the challenges with modern day missions is that it is not about money or projects, it’s about people, people should never be seen as projects.
Flood Pictures 5 days later in Fairview
These pictures were taken today, Friday the 1st of October, five days after the floods in Manila. This is is one small area that was severely effected. Cement buildings were completely destroyed, lives were lost and devastated, animals killed and left to rot in the river, which is itself jammed up with rubbish and various other refuse. Hundreds are still missing. Basketball courts have been turned into refuge centres and in some places they are even morgues with coffins lined up.
Some aids has come into this area, but not alot (it could never be enough), some people literally lost everything. Rich and poor were both effected, but the rich will simply rebuy and pay others to clean up for them…the poor will work it out for themselves, they have to.
Check out some of these photos. There are photos that if you look into the trees you will see rubbish, giving you an idea of the height of the water in this area. Other pictures contain dozens of dead animals in the river (you have to look for them, they are not easy to spot, but once you see one, you will be able to find heaps), 100m from this watery tomb, there are mothers washing and kids swimming in water that will soon be incredibly diseased. Some photos just look like a mass of rubble and rubbish, they were actually houses before the flood.
Look at the pictures, pray for the people…what are the needs…everything…
The Troups are here
Well James, Cathy and co’ are all here…huge step, huge challenges, huge blessings are all attached for them.
They have been here 2 weeks now and are prob’ starting to settle in. The kids are getting to know the locals, and playing is playing anywhere for kids, so that is working well. The older ones are getting involved in the children’s ministry and relating to some of the youth well. James is James, he sort of fits in anywhere and it has been good to have some one to pray with in the early hours of the morning. He has taught a few new songs, our leaders love him and are coming to love and know his wife as well. Cathy is finding her feet and has began teaching mothers stuff on health and nutrition for babies in the womb.
Unfortunately all of the children have sort of rolled through sickness, headaches, vomiting and tiredness, which has made it hard and alot slower for them to get involved in everyday Baseco life. Alot of this can just be put down to the huge climate change and general filthiness of Baseco living.
James has brought a small scooter (picture still to come), which looks even smaller when James and Cathy ride it together, quite a funny sight (in a nice way of course). James is handling the kaotic traffic well and the kids seem to enjoy being on the back with him. Super convenient for them just to buzz in and out of the shops when they need too. They are beginning to see things they can do, small projects, work out ways to help people and get involved in peoples lives. Which is really all any of need to do, where ever we are – BE A GOOD CHRISTIAN (be the best one you can be) and then GET INVOLVED IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE, not just church. If all we do is get invloved in the life of church, but not the lives of people, we have some how missed the boat, taken a wrong turn – because church/God is all about people – not programs, not projects, not events – IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE FINDING GOD THROUGH THE EXAMPLE THAT YOU ARE AND THE THINGS THAT YOU DO… some of these things might never happen in church…!
James and Cathy have both preached and shared in various services and have so far been well accepted by the locals. It’s an incredible thing that this family is doing for 3 months, but it will be even more incredible seeing what the Lord does “through them” and also “in them” over the next 3 months of their lives.
Mark
