Spider Bite from the Enemy

In June, the Presbyterian Church that I preached in last December in Maragusan, Compostella Valley graciously invited me back. I preached two services there and many were physically healed and filled with the Holy Spirit.

During that trip, I somehow acquired a dangerous MRSA (Staph) infection in a wound left by a spider bite just above my knee.

To make a long story short, MRSA can be life-threatening and over the course of weeks, I needed to have several tests, tons of antibiotics and medicine, painful cleanings, and finally an IV sedated surgery to close the wound. Surgery is never fun anywhere in the world, especially in an emerging nation. I had to walk with a cane for about a month after the surgery. I’m currently walking, and stretching every day until my full mobility comes back. Overall, I’m so thankful to God to be MRSA-free and getting better every day!

Maragusan Awakening

I was invited to be a part of a youth revival and prayer conference in Maragusan, Compostella Valley. This place was once known as a haven for communist rebels. Not sure as what I would find, I was surprised to find thriving churches and tremendous favor with the local government. I spoke on Sunday morning to Faith Tabernacle Church, and Sunday evening to a youth revival. Many young people rushed to the altar for salvation and repentance. The next day I was invited to meet the mayor and vice-mayor and they asked me to pray for them! I was able to openly and boldly declare blessings over them in the Name of Jesus.

In the morning and afternoon I was able to join and support our dear friends from Global Impact as they gave their anti-human trafficking school assemblies in the elementary school and high school where the Gospel was also preached in the schools! That night, I spoke in a Presbyterian Church and I gave an altar call where the Holy Spirit moved powerfully. Almost everyone was slain in the Holy Spirit and stayed in the altar for a long time after that. God is moving in Mindanao. Hallelujah!

Her Jaw Grew Out Right in Front of Me!

While driving a ministry team between cities, someone told me that a young lady in my vehicle named Lovely needed healing. She had a deformed jaw from a dentist’s mistake. Her jaw was out of place and it restricted her breathing. They explained that a normal windpipe has the passage about the size of two fingers, but hers was now about the size of a pinky finger. I started to pray for her while driving, but told her I would pray for her once we reached Davao City. About two hours later I was unloading their suitcases in front of a hotel when the Lord reminded me, pray for her now!

Throwing away all ministry protocol, I laid hands on her head in the street and began to pray. She got slain in the Holy Spirit and started to fall down in the street. I caught her and held her up for a while and realized she was really out. I had to lift her into the back of my SUV where she stayed under the power of the Holy Spirit. I sat in the front seat and continued to pray for her as the Holy Spirit did a deep work in her.  After that, She went out in the power of the Holy Spirit a second time for maybe 5 or 10 minutes.

Then she peacefully said, “Kuya (brother), I feel my jaw moving!” I then commanded the jaw to grow out and go to its normal position by the Stripes of Jesus! I watched her jaw grow and her face change right in front of me! I almost could not recognize her face after I prayed. The whole team said her face changed! She went to a doctor about a week later and he said her jaw changed and asked her what happened. She told the doctor a missionary prayed for her and God healed her! Praise God!

Uprising Mindanao

United Prayer Rising (Uprising) Mindanao was an awesome event where we gathered about 1700 people mostly whom were youth to pray for the Philippines. There were many high profile speakers from all over the world, and I also had the honor of speaking. I was given the opportunity to lay hands on and pray for everyone there. The atmosphere was absolutely charged with passion as the crowd was so hungry for God.

There was a special emphasis on praying for the tribes of Mindanao and several tribal members who attended wore their official tribal costumes. They shared many powerful testimonies of how God is reaching the tribes of Mindanao. During the last night, we were crying out to God for each province by name. When I was given the microphone to my voice was gone! I realized that I prayed so hard for so many people for three days that I literally lost my voice. God is moving in Mindanao!

Massive Bible Distribution

Through a partnership with Bible League, I was able to fill my SUV with 650 Bibles and help put together a massive Bible distribution in Baganga. Four vehicles carried a total of 2,400 Bibles and pastors from 48 churches in three towns came to Faith Tabernacle Church (the church we rebuilt after Typhoon Pablo) where we gave those Bibles to their churches! That means each pastor left with about 50 Bibles in their language for their people! Just imagine of all the churches and thousands of lives that will be changed by the Word of God! Hallelujah!

Joy over her new Bible

Formerly Crippled Boy Can Now Walk!

In my last newsletter, I reported that several people were healed while ministering in Polomolok. When I wrote my last newsletter, I did not report that during the ministry time, I prayed for a little boy named Reuben who could not walk. He was born prematurely and had not developed the ability to walk even though he was three years old. When his parents handed him to me my heart broke for him. He looked at me and cried in anguish with sad eyes because he could not play with the other children like a normal little boy.

When I prayed for him one of his feet straightened a little bit, but he did not walk well immediately. He took about seven steps and fell down. This bothered me– a lot. I left that church with a bittersweet feeling in my heart. I felt happy for all the other people who were healed, but left a piece of my heart broken there with Reuben. I continued to pray for his healing every day for almost a month. Right before I left for the Indian Ocean, and after my ordeal with the rebels, his family contacted me and sent me pictures showing he is finally standing and walking— and playing with other kids! The parents said the healing started in that service in Polomolok!
Hallelujah!

Running from Communist Rebels

While doing ministry in Davao Oriental, I stopped to meet with my pastor friend who is 76 years old at his family farm on the main highway. Just after we met with each other, one of his family members came running towards us, gripped in terror screaming unintelligible words at us. We finally deciphered that she was saying the NPA (communist rebels) were coming over the ridge and she wanted us to run! Rebels here are known for kidnapping foreigners for ransom. I quickly turned my SUV around and lined it up to go in the opposite direction. Then we hurriedly got my pastor friend into the back of my vehicle as his two daughters tumbled inside after him with their shoes flying everywhere. I waited for a few seconds for his son and son’s wife (the women who was screaming) to get inside, but they weren’t coming. I then felt a strong urgency that I couldn’t delay another second, so I left. We raced for their home town about two hours away.

On the way there, I was low on gas and made a bad decision to buy some unleaded gasoline for my old Ford. Unfortunately, the gas attendant put diesel in my tank in the confusion. Unlike America, you are not allowed to touch the gas pump at gas stations. I normally watch the attendants closely, but felt it was wise to stay behind my tinted windows this time. After I delivered the pastor and his family home safely, I started on another route home. My vehicle started running terribly after that, and I had no idea why. About three hours after the close call with the rebels, I received a call from the pastor’s family saying just a few seconds after we fled, five men with guns took their brother hostage, robbed him of everything (including his clothes).

They also set up a false checkpoint (ambush) on the highway and shot and wounded a policeman. The policeman and his partner drove off a cliff to escape! The Army finally came and ran off the estimated 300 rebels, and our friend was released safely. Thank God I was protected, and the pastor and his daughters were spared too! After that, It took me two days to limp my diesel-infested SUV home. It overheated and blew the radiator hose off twice, and I fixed it myself with my tools and water from the jungle river. Unfortunately, my SUV still needs a lot more expensive repairs now and it really is quite disrupting to my traveling ministry. However, I am most thankful to be alive. Praise God!

(A Lot) More Bibles for Baganga

The Bible distribution trip to Baganga opened up an incredible new partnership with Bible League Philippines. After buying 400 Bibles from them, I was able to meet with their national director. He told me that if I can gather forty churches in a town or city, they will donate 1,500 Bibles to divide equally among the churches. In one or two days I am returning with him to Baganga with 1,500 Bibles to distribute among the unified pastors. Not only does this provide much-needed Bibles to the churches, but it promotes unity among the churches. Faith Tabernacle (the church we helped rebuild after Typhoon Pablo) will host this gathering of churches and Bible distribution. It is amazing how God maps out these divine partnerships all over the Philippines. These Bibles are in the local Cebuano language which is widely used in Mindanao and is the most widely spoken dialect in this region.

Our God Reigns Youth Camp

The our God Reigns youth camp was amazing. I was given the opportunity to speak to about 200 youth and at the ministry time, the Glory of God came in a mighty way. The young people were vocally crying out to God in hunger for more of Him. When I pray for them, they fell down in waves under God’s power. I have rarely seen this amount of power manifested like this. It was so indescribable. Praise God!

 

The United Prayer Rising Philippines

The United Prayer Rising is a huge worldwide prayer movement that unites believers to pray for their nation. Usually whenever there is an event of this magnitude, it is held in Manila. This event is unique that they felt the whole nation of believers should come together from everywhere in the Philippines to assemble in Davao City! They invited me to be part of the team to help put it together. Our whole message is to unite the nation in prayer. We will hold a conference September 8– 10 in an indoor stadium, and have a huge outdoor event on September 11, 2017. We are expecting multiple thousands to come. I truly believe this will be a nation changing event and I’m so excited to be a part of it.