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!!!