Student Sponsorship Ministry Updates

The students in SSM increased this school year, 2008-2009. We have 20 students now with the addition of 8 more students (5 girls & 3 boys). Two of the girls were prior students who stopped for one semester and came back to continue their schooling. Because of their number the apartment they had been housed in became too small for them as they have only one bathroom. In the mornings, the students (3 or 4 at a time) cue for their 10 minute use of the bathroom. With the suggestion of the building owner and after much prayers we decided to transfer the students downstairs to the 2nd floor with 7 rooms by faith. Their rent would be more than twice what they used to pay. The students are happier with more space and more restrooms.

Three of the students are due to graduate at the end of this school year on March 2009, 2 Crimonology students and 1 teacher. We thank the sponsors for faithfully providing for the food, rent, and other needs of the students. Special thanks goes to Ruth Ellen and Doc. Last summer (April in the Philippines) the students and the staff received 2 packages of clothings from the USA courtesy of Ruth Ellen & Doc. Thank you for continuing to pray for the provisions and needs of these students. Only seven among the 20 students have sponsors and whatever they received is shared among all the students.

Lisa Maxwell has been doing a good job teaching and sharing with the students on Tuesdays during discipleship nights. And on Fridays during fun nights, Tom has been ready with his teambuilding activities.

Og-okhod Bible Storytelling Festival

At the end of June, a team from Australia joined us at YWAM Mountain Province for the Og-okhod Bible Storytelling Festival which was held from July 6 to July 15.

The Og-okhod Bible Storytelling Festival was facilitated by three teams working together: the Core OneStory Project team from Mountain Province, the Australian Og-okhod Short-term Mission Team, and the Northern Philippines Mother Tongue Translators Association (NPMTTA). The team was divided into two groups. One group was dedicated to each of the target communities, Sadanga and Sacasacan.

At the beginning of the festival, the team was expecting the people to be tired from their work during the day to bring in the rice harvest. But they were excited to see how the people not only stayed awake but engaged in the stories throughout the festival. In fact, the nightly attendance grew from about 20 the first night to 50-60 adults and about 120 children in both Sadanga and Sacasacan by the end of the festival.
During the ten days in the villages there were many activities. Each afternoon the teams would visit people; building relationships, praying for them, telling the stories, and inviting them to come to the evening program where the stories would be retold. In the evening program, the stories were dramatized with songs. At the same time, people from each community were trained to tell the story and practiced so that they could share the story at the evening program. After the evening program, all who attended processed the meaning and implications of the stories in small groups and worked to memorize the stories. At the end of the festival, those who memorized 5 stories were awarded a t-shirt and a Bible for their hard work.

The Australian team supported the local team members by, among other things, serving meals, cleaning, and serving coffee and pandesal (a type of roll) each night. This allowed the local team members to share the stories in the tribal dialects. Many of the team became ill during their time in Sacasacan and Sadanga. But they worked through their illness to share the stories.

The Sacasacan group had to hike to and from Sadanga each day. That meant a 45 minute hike each night in the dark, and usually in the rain. One team member, Jason, made the trip several times a day as he brought the pandesal from a bakery in Sadanga to the team in Sacasacan then returned for the evening activities in Sadanga. Of course, he then had to return with the team later each night.

At the conclusion of the festival, a celebration was hosted. A fantastic meal of pork and chicken was served with all of the people of the community. The people from both villages remarked about how good it was to have believers from so many denominations and backgrounds coming together to share the Word of God. They are eager for the next festival so they can enjoy the stories and fellowship once again.

OneStory Partnership

One major ministry of the YWAM Mountain Province team is the OneStory Partnership. This is a global partnership involving YWAM, Wycliffe International, Trans World Radio, International Mission Board, and Campus Crusade for Christ. The mission of the OneStory Partnership is to develop, initiate and facilitate oral strategies to communicate God’s Word to oral peoples who are unreached or Bibleless, resulting in sustainable, indigenously led, reproducing church planting movements which transform lives and societies to reflect a biblical worldview. Patrick, Betty, and Walter spend several days each week serving as members of the Core Team for this project. The Core Team in Bontoc is composed of members from the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, YWAM, Pentecostal Church, and the Baptist Church. This One Story Project is overseen by the Bontoc Scripture Society of which Rufina is Board Secretary of the the Board of Trustees.

The team has worked to translate an initial 12 stories and is working toward a goal of 60 stories which can be communicated orally. The stories are designed so that the content and style is culturally appropriate yet accurate. The intent is that the stories are memorable so that they can be shared orally and dramatically.

For more information about the OneStory Partnership, please visit: http://ywamonestory.org/partnership.htm.

Brief History of YWAM Mountain Province:

The work of Youth With A Mission in Bontoc was started by two foreign missionaries, Jackie Schori (Swiss) and Paulina Brown (Guam). Responding to the suggestion of then YWAM Director Jeff Romack, the two ladies who first worked in Benguet moved to Bontoc in 1986 and quickly established relationship among the Bontoc and nearby Kalinga people. Aside from Jackie and Paulina, the first YWAM Bontoc base staffs included a Filipino couple, an American couple, and three Filipino single guys as staff. The focus of the ministry was on church planting in the villages and mercy ministry. From 1986 to 1990, Bible studies were held weekly in Maligcong and in Dalican, Bontoc. Two churches were planted during that time – one in Anabel, Sadanga and one in Bugnay, Kalinga. In the late eighties, more staff joined the base and the student ministry was added to the existing ministries.

In the 1990s, YWAM church planting extended to Pakak in Rizal, Tabuk; Caneo, Bontoc; Buscalan, Tinglayan and Kadaclan, Barlig. YWAM outreach teams from different nations were a big help. It was also in the 90’s when YWAM leaders with emerging church leaders conceptualized the idea of coming up with an independent organization to manage and supervise the churches planted by YWAM missionaries for sustainability and autonomy. Hence, the Tribal Christian Churches Association was born and most of the YWAM planted churches became members under the umbrella of this newly formed organization. Church planting work continued in the late 90’s to include Ableg, Pasil and outreaches this time included Saclit, Sadanga; Payag-eo, Sagada and Balili & Mainit both in Bontoc municipality.

In 1998, the first Tribal DTS was held in Cada, Mankayan, Benguet directed by Ferdie & Dee Sim. The directorship was eventually turned over to Patrick Fegcan in 1999 and the next TDTS was held in Bontoc, Mountain Province in January 2000. Since then 3 Tribal DTS were conducted until 2002 when most of the staff finished their commitment and left for furlough or further training. Due to health & other reasons of staff concerned, the TDTS stopped for a while. Meanwhile, Discipleship Training Courses, Marriage Enrichment Seminars and Kids & Youth camps were regularly conducted by the remaining staff.

In 2001, the Stairway to Heaven Ministry which is a student sponsorship program supported by a Korean missionary became an attached ministry of the Bontoc Base concurrently handled by Patrick Fegcan. The program became a full YWAM Student Sponsorship Ministry in June 2005 when this was left by the supporter.

At present (2008) the on-going ministries of YWAM Mountain Province include but not limited to church planting & strengthening (Caneo & Payag-eo), student sponsorship ministry, discipleship training courses, family enrichment seminars, summer youth & kid’s camp, missions mobilization, discipleship training school, Nehemiah Network, Moral Recovery Program and the latest addition, the One Story Project.

We Serve a Living God

We praise the Lord! The Lord we are serving is alive and real here on earth and in heaven.

On February 26th night, we just finished our Students Discipleship Training Course at 10PM when one of the students complained of headaches. We walked him home to his boarding house. Kevin my son and Ptr. George, our speaker assisted him going up to his room as he is feeling weak and dizzy but before they reached it, Marben collapsed and stiffened on the stairs. Pastor George did a CPR on him because he stopped breathing. When he was revived a bit they put him on his bed but after a couple of minutes he again convulsed and stopped breathing. In between prayers and casting the spirit of death we called some guys to bring down the boy down from the building to bring him to the hospital. The guys carrying him down all the way panicked as he stopped breathing all the way down the narrow stairs. Upon reaching the side of the street, George continued to do CPR on him until the police mobile car arrived after 10 minutes. (By the way, George is the only one among us who knew how to do the CPR which he learned from Bible School). We got a prodding in our spirit to continue binding the spirit of death and claim back his life because during the DTC that night after a lecture on 'Worship' he testified that he now understands the purpose of his life and want to serve God more.

In the hospital, Marben was still unconscious. Patrick & George praying all the way followed him to the hospital 30 minutes later as they cannot fit all in the mobile car. I had to go home and pray and send SMS messages to all friends and brethren to pray for Marben praying all the way while walking. From 11.30PM to 1.30AM Patrick & George prayed and reminded him of the Word of God through he was still unconscious. After 2 hours, he became conscious and can move his limbs. Yesterday, we learned from the doctors that he had a stroke (at 19yrs old!) and has very low blood sugar level. We thank God for what he had done, what if he was alone going home last night? What if nobody knew how to do CPR when he collapsed? God knows everything so he did not allow the enemy to snatch Marben from us just like that. He still has a purpose for this boy's life. We were so encouraged with the miracle God allowed us to witness that night. From all we know anyone who has stopped breathing for a few minutes can develop brain damage and may be paralyzed. But it is not for Marben. My son Kevin who was with him watching him all night is a witness to his instant recovery. He wanted to eat when he woke up, laughed and told stories to my son and said he feels very normal. Now his blood pressure is stable and might go home today. To God be the glory for everything!

Marbenson in the photo (in black Tshirt) while he was worshipping the Lord that night before his stroke.

Praise Reports and Photos

Hi everyone,

As I promised here are some photos and a praise report and a staff update. At the left is Hazel and my new granddaughter by my eldest son....

Hazel Up and About:

For those who did not know yet, our eldest daughter, Hazel Grace had an emergency surgery due to a nearly ruptured appendicitis on the last week of January. Initially, she was hospitalized due to vertigo and acute Urinary Tract Infection and was due for discharge from the hospital after 3days of confinement. However, her doctor was puzzled due to a stubborn back pain that refused to go away even with medications. She was then submitted to more laboratory exams and ultrasound and the appendicitis was found. The surgery left us with a huge hospital bill. But as usual God came to our rescue. Families, friends, and brethren prayed and help did not took too long to come. We are happy to announce that everything had been taken cared of now with all the medical bills paid. Hazel is now back to school after weeks of absences and hopes to graduate as a Nursing student on May this year. She continues to regain her physical strength and resumed her hospital duties. Thank you so much for all your prayers and help. Indeed we have a very big God, and a big family in the Lord!

Rufina

Maxwells and Hines Coming on Staff

Tom and Lisa Maxwell with their four lovely daughters who were supposed to join us on February this year were not able to make it but are preparing to come end of May or 1st week of June. They were part of the Crossroads DTS team from Salem, Oregon who came for outreach in Bontoc on October last year. Please pray for the right housing for their family and ministry and for God to give guidance all the way. The Maxwells are from Michigan, USA.


Another family is coming on staff to Bontoc!!! This time Noel and Mandy Hines with daughter Sarah is coming from Queensland, Australia, true blooded Aussies. They had been praying to start a Family DTS in the Philippines and had been asking God for the best place. After visiting us in Bontoc in January last year it was decided that Bontoc is the place. Like the Maxwells, they submitted their applications and references and were accepted as staff. They arrive on June and will start a family DTS towards the end of the year. Hallelujiah!!! these are all answers to prayers as we had been praying for more staff to work with us in Bontoc. Thank you for your prayers friends and families.


Here are a few of the photos, I will add some more next time, the computer is so slow in uploading photos and we need to be at the DTC now....

The DTC staff Kevin and John as they facilitate their squad members in processing the lectures they just had heard.

The DTC students listening to the Davao DTS outreach team sharing during the second week on the Character and Nature of God. The Davao team is composed also of young people so they bonded well together with their dances, testimonies.

The DTC enjoying their sanck after the lecture on the second day. Sorry the camera is not so good. Just imagine...

February News Updates

TEAMS, TEAMS AND MORE TEAMS...

Since month of January we had been receiving visitors from all over. We had Koreans, English and of course Filipinos. On January we had one team, a Korean Pastors' DTS team. This February we have three teams, the England DTS team and another Korean DTS from Kona, Hawaii. The teams with an average number of 10 per team came one after the other and stayed for two weeks each sometimes overlapping each other. Their ministries varied from prayer walks/rides to the villages, open air and church ministries both in Bontoc and in the villages, young people ministry, hospital and jail. They had blessed us through their prayers, encouragement, testimonies and for practical help in the present ministries.

Since last week, we are taking care of a team from YWAM Davao, Philippines right now who are staying at the DTS house. They are 9 passionate and dedicated Filipino young people. Next week they will go home and yes!!! we can at last rest from taking care of teams. Don't get us wrong, taking care of teams is an opportunity to serve and bless but if you do ite every week, it take its toll on a small team like us. Pray for more staff to join us (big smile)...

New!!! STUDENT DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING COURSE
At present we are conducting a Discipleship Training Course here in Bontoc for more or less 50 young people mostly students from the local college and high school with ages from 16 to 24. The DTC began on February 11 this year. We meet twice weekly for 2 hours each day, on Monday and Tuesday evenings after the students classes. Their backgrounds vary and they come from the Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and Pentecostal churches. The DTC is like a shortened DTS for those who cannot attend the regular school. Our speakers are mostly from YWAM who were our speakers also during regular Tribal DTS. The students expect to graduate from the DTC this April after 10 weeks of lectures and hopefully a short outreach. Pray that their lives will be transformed by God's Words and love.

Update: CONFERENCE ON FRONTIER MISSIONS
From the 25 young people who prayed and diligently raise some funds for the Conference on Frontier Missions in Changrai, Thailand come April 7-11, there are more or less 9 survivors who are now ready to apply for their passports. Some of the SSM students who wanted to go discovered that they have defective birth certificates or was not registered correctly. Some failed to obtain the necessary documents and some do not have any money to process their supporting documents. Among the 12 survivors, 3 already have their passports, 3 have completed their papers ready to lodge passport applications and 3 are still completing their papers. The plan is for these young people to attend the COFM and then go for a short missions exposure trip in Laos.

Please pray for this missions exposure trip team: For God to provide for the tickets at an earlier date so we can avail of budget fares. The students had been selling balut for weeks now and went caroling last Christmas so they can raise finances for their passports processing. But they need to raise more support for their air tickets and conference fees and the exposure trip to Laos.

As usual we want to venture out in a faith journey to let this young people experience trusting God all the way through. We planned last year to bring out some young people but it did not work. This is a part of our mobilization efforts for young people to catch the vision to become missionaries as stated in the vision of YWAM Mountain Province.

Thank you so much for your partnership and prayers. We would appreciate any Word from God for us. And we welcome prayer requests and news from you, too. Sorry we cannot post photos for now but will do it next posting, hopefully this weekend, promise!!!

New Year Update

Hi Everyone,

We are sorry for the long silence. After the TDTS graduation and reunion on December 17, the students and staff went on holiday and joined their families for Christmas Celebration and New Year festivities.

The staff returned back to Bontoc and buckled down to work on the second week of January. We started the year by evaluating what we had accomplished last year. We thank God that we were able to post a 98% accomplishment of the planned ministry activities in 2007 even as we have overshot our targets for the year. This week we finalized our action plan for the year 2008.

We thank God for 2007:

1. For allowing us to accomplish almost everything we planned last year.
- outreaches, youth camp, village church seminars & DVBS, discipleship trainings, etc...
2. For love, care and good relationship between and among the YWAM Mt. Province team. For allowing grace to take the better of us during difficult and/or crisis situations; and for sustaining us spiritually.
3. For good health and for providing our material and financial needs as we walked by faith.
4. For allowing and providing finances for the TDTS team to go to Sabah, Malaysia for outreach (through the CDTS Salem leadership & Norma). God bless your hearts!
5. For providing the material needs of the Student Sponsorship Ministry like bed cushions, beddings, kitchen gas stove, chairs, clothings and for additional sponsorship for 5 students.
6. For bringing teams to Bontoc base that provided much help through prayers, encouragement and ministry to the villages and ministry areas.
7. And for everything that was allowed to happen that made us more intimate and dependent to Him in all aspects of our lives.

For all of this to God be the glory! More next posting....

The Tribal DTS Outreach team is now back

Yes, the TDTS outreach team is now in Bontoc. They arrived on December 11 at Clark and stayed for one day in Baguio. The staff and students came to Bontoc on December 13 and had their graduation on December 15.


The SSM students roasting the pig for the graduation party and 1st Tribal DTS Alumni Homecoming.


We invited graduates of the TDTS since Year 2000. Not all responded but it was a time of reminiscing, sharing and encouraging one another as each alumni shared what happened to their lives after graduation. For the record, graduates of the TDTS are now working as overseas missionaries in Indo-China, as pastors in their local churches and as YWAM staff in the Philippines in different locations. We are excited on what the new graduates will choose as they are now undergoing debriefing and re-entry lectures today.



The Tribal DTS graduates presenting a number for the visitors in their orange outreach T Shirts.




Patrick and Rufina emceeing and directing the Tribal DTS graduation and Alumni Homecoming program.










And of course, the teambuilding activity was part of the program. TDTS alumni doing one of the team building activities introduced by Thom & Lisa Maxwell.

Bontoc Updates

TRIBAL DTS OUTREACH AND MISSIONS EXPOSURE TO MALAYSIA



Sorry for the long silence, it had been a busy time preparing paper works, appearing in the Malaysian embassy and booking flights. The TDTS staff and students finally left on November 21. They were supposed to leave 2 weeks earlier but requirements and the letter of approval that came in late delayed them. Thank you so much for all your prayers, God provided generously for everything that the team needed for land transportation, airfare and food budget for the whole outreach, God is so good and faithful indeed! Thank you for obedient and willing hearts, God bless you Salem DTS leaders and Ruth Ellen. Patrick reported that they are working with missionaries pioneering a church in Sandakan. Their regular routine starts in the morning when the guys help as carpenters in the church building. The afternoon is preparation and evenings are ministry times. It seems they are more busy there than when they were in Bontoc. We are glad for this opportunity for the students and staff to experience working in a Muslim community. I am sorry we have no photos to show as they do not have a digital camera with them. We hoped to get one but it did not happen.


STUDENT SPONSORSHIP MINISTRY


This 2nd semester(October 2007-March 2008)we have 18 students under our sponsorship ministry. Through God's grace, there are 7 students now who have sponsors from the 3 students last semester. Which means that their house rent now will be paid and have only to contribute a minimal amount for their food budget monhtly. We continue to pray for more sponsors. If all of the students have sponsors, their rent, food budget and school fees will be covered for the whole year. One unfortunate thing is that a graduating student encountered a problem. She was enrolled but when she checked her only subject which is her practicum to enable her to graduate, she found out that it was dissolved and was instructed to take it next semester. We have 4 graduating students this school year (March 2008) but because of the problem only 3 will graduate. These would-be professionals are praying to take the Tribal DTS before they finally decide on what to do in their lives. Please continue to pray that the regular discipleship program we ran for them will help them grow spiritually and walk in Christ likeness. There are five students missing in the above photo, Joseph, Brett, Gerald, Nora & Irene.

Thanks to a very generous benefactor and sponsor, the students received each a brand new pair of pants, t-shirts, flipflops, and undies. They now also have bed cushions on their beds and new bedsheets as they had been sleeping on hard beds for years and even at home. They had only one burner gas stove before but now they are blessed with a 2 burner gas stove, halleluiah, let the blessings continue to flow. Again God bless you our dear sponsors.







Another point of prayer: The students are praying to respond to an invitation from the YWAM Frontier Missions to attend a Conference for Frontier Missions in Thailand. The COFM aims to mobilize youths from IndoChina and the Philippines to go to the last frontiers. The one week conference runs from April 7 to 11, 2008. All our 16 students are praying and willing to go. Pray that they can raise enough funds for airfare, registration fees and travel expenses. By faith they filled up their application forms and tomorrow we will be sending them. Thank you for praying.

PROPERTY FOR YWAM BONTOC

We have sent a prayer letter via email to all friends, intercessors and those who have come to Bontoc for their outreach concerning a lot for sale which we believe in our hearts is very appropriate for the ministry we are doing in Bontoc. Thank you for praying. The latest update is that the owner suddenly decided he would not sell. However, we are still trusting God that if that property is for His work here that the owner will sell at the right time. Our Father knows best and we will just wait as we have not yet received the word NO as His answer.

NEW STAFF COMING

YES!!!! the Maxwells are coming halleluiah. They are a wonderful couple who came on outreach to Bontoc on October 2007 with the Salem DTS team, with their 4 beautiful girls. Their coming on staff is a real answer to our prayers for more workers to join us in Bontoc. Please pray that God will order everything in their coming, including housing, financial support, etc.

Till next entry....

Caneo Church Anniversary

This Sunday morning, the staff and some SSM (Students Sponsorship Ministry)students went back to Caneo through a hired jeepney to join the celebration of the 2nd Anniversary (church building anniversary that is). Harry and Dee with their pastor went ahead of us using Rudy's pick up truck. Yesterday, our DTS students spent the day cutting letters and preparing decorations for the stage, and one of the students went ahead to Caneo to place the decorations on stage.

The church was already full with people when we arrived. After the morning service, we held a program where everyone enjoyed the dancing to the beat of the gongs. Some sang songs and the young people presented a drama on how the church came about.

As portrayed in the drama, there was a missionary in the 1970's who went to Caneo but was frightened and driven away by the people. Then in the 1980's another group came but did not prosper. In the early 1990's YWAM came in, the Fegcans (Patrick & Rufina with their 4 children) committed to plant a church and stayed in the place for 6 years and then baptized the first 21 believers.

Welcome to YWAM Mt Province Philippines Blogspot

This is our first day of constructing this blogspot. Through this we hope that we will be able to update friends, families, intercessors and prayer partners of the YWAM Mountain Province Team. We will be posting activities and events and we hope you will enjoy them. Suggestions on how to improve the blog would be most welcome. God bless you.