Invited to Mozambique, Africa

I am so excited to announce that my mentor and spiritual father Dr. Jack Tuls invited me to travel with him on another short-term missionary trip in October. This time we are going to Mozambique, Africa. I have dreamed of going to Africa as a missionary since I was just a boy. I can’t wait to go to this continent to establish new Bible schools for the Kingdom of God. I will need about $2,500 above our normal missionary support to go. I will fly from the Philippines across the Indian Ocean and we will find contacts in three cities there to establish new Bible schools. Please prayerfully consider supporting this trip as October is coming fast.

 

Civil War in Mindanao

Civil war in Zamboanga Mindanao PhilippinesAbout three weeks ago, a group of about 200 to 500 Radical Muslims tried to make a declaration of independence, but when they were blocked by the police, they took 200 hostages and burned down the parts of  Zamboanga City that they took by force. Zamboanga has a population of one million people. Over 118,000 of the residents are now refugees as their homes were burned down as they became part of the war zone.

Philippine Army Forces fighting Muslim rebels in Zamboanga City.

Philippine Army Forces fighting Muslim rebels in Zamboanga City.

After 20 days of civil war, 183 rebel combatants died, 18 government troops were killed and 12 civilians tragically died. Also, minor skirmishes with Muslim rebels have broken out in Cotobato.

Not to be forgotten, the communist rebels (NPA) attacked a military unit in Northern Mindanao in Balingasag killing five soldiers. I have been to Balingasag in the past when I used to travel the island by bus preaching the Gospel. Mindanao is in tumultuous disorder and we need prayer to bring peace right now.  Please pray for the evil rebels to be stopped and for the safety of Christian Believers on this island.

Just to make things clear, we live in Davao City (400 miles from the conflict) which has its own military detachment with strong leadership. We feel safe here and it would be nearly impossible for a rebel attack to have any success in this city. Nonetheless, we covet your prayers and we thank you for your support.

There are 118,000 refugees from the civil war in Zamboanga City.

There are 118,000 refugees from the civil war in Zamboanga City.

 

 

 

We Finally Got a Vehicle!

1995 Toyota Tamaraw FX

I just want to praise God that we were finally able to purchase a vehicle!

2-IMG_4577

It is a very reliable 1995 Toyota Tamaraw FX with a diesel engine. These SUV-type vehicles are known for being workhorses and very rarely let you down. Also, the diesel engine is very economical as diesel fuel is much cheaper than gasoline here.

Although it is a 90’s vehicle, I have that feeling like I just drove off the lot with a brand new car.

I am so relieved that we can finally use this large vehicle to transport up to nine volunteers or lots of much needed supplies to around Mindanao. In the past, we have had to leave large amounts of supplies behind because either we didn’t have the space to move them and quite honestly sometimes not enough money for fuel to make the trips.

I’m so thankful to those of you who donated and prayed for us to help make this possible. I know God will reward you greatly.

Elijah is happy that we got what he calls a "Truck." We probably won't let him paint it though.

Elijah is happy that we got what he calls a “Truck.” We probably won’t let him paint it though.

Revival Atmosphere

I recently had the privilege of speaking at our home church in the Philippines, His Mission Christian Fellowship, during their retreat and had a wonderful time.

HMCF Retreat

I spoke on the Baptism of The Holy Spirit and He really moved in the church. The whole the church experienced a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit including several people who were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time.

Revival Atmosphere at HMCF

One was a twelve-year-old boy who reminded me of myself as I was the same age when I was first filled with the Holy Spirit at a similar meeting at a youth camp and it changed my life forever. The cool thing about this is he started coming to the church because of the feeding program there. The church is in an impoverished area and feeds children several times a week.

This awesome church was originally founded by missionaries who came from the historical Pensacola/Brownsville Revival. I think it is just awesome that those same revival fires are still burning in the Philippines many years later. Elijah enjoying the Revival Meeting

Thank You for Helping Us Help Others

In December the monster category five Typhoon Bopha locally called “Pablo” hit our island and killed thousands of people. It destroyed entire towns, buildings, and infrastructure for miles in every direction. I just want to quickly review what we have been doing in response.
 Typhoon Pablo Destruction
For the past eight months we have focused primarily on disaster relief. From the start, several ministries teamed up together to bring urgent disaster rescue and relief. It is quite amazing how the various missionaries from different backgrounds have come together in unity.
Typhoon Pablo Destruction Cateel
Through this teamwork, we provided medical teams and saved lives. We brought food, tarpaulin shelters, clothing, hygiene kits, toys, and literally tons of construction materials to rebuild.  Along with the natural help, we were also able to bring spiritual renewal as well. Among the countless times we preached, we were also able to hold a big evangelistic concert with approximately 500 salvations with many youth added to the church.
We had to drive over this scary partially-collapsed bridge to get there.

We had to drive over this scary partially-collapsed bridge to get there.

Of the countless trips we have taken, getting there has never been easy. We have driven over partially standing bridges, drove though floods, avoided landslides, survived accidents, and floated on bamboo rafts getting in and out of there.
We had to use this bamboo raft to cross the river.

We had to use this bamboo raft to cross the river.

Also through a lengthy construction project, we have almost rebuilt a 2,000 square-foot church. None of this could have been done without your help and donations.  Thank you so much for your support.
Baganga Church Roofing Project
If you would like to support our work, please take the time to donate online here:

If you would like to support us through the mail, please send your checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders to:

Extreme Mercy International
P.O. Box 72266
Phoenix, Arizona 85050
U.S.A.
 

Thank you and God bless you.

We Built a Roof for This Little Boy

After our latest disaster relief  trip to Baganga, we are thankfully almost finished with the church roofing project. We covered the final rooms of the parsonage including this little guy’s room. It will likely take one last trip to put up the finishing touches on the roof.

Uriah Faith Tabernacle Baganga

On our last disaster relief trip to Baganga, Extreme Mercy International built a roof for this little boy named Uriah.

As far as functionality, everyone can worship under a dry roof and the families that live there can sleep under a stable dry roof. There are just a few things that need to be completed to add support beams to handle the weight of the roof and do some finishing aesthetics.

Baganga Church Roof Progress

This had been one of the costliest undertakings our ministry has tried to accomplish, and it will be wonderful when we are done with it. It has cost us thousands of dollars to pull this off and we are basically out of money for it.

The cost has not only been financial— It has been hard on my young family to have me gone so often and come home often exhausted, sick, and even injured from these trips.

Truthfully, most of the big aid agencies have pulled out of the area leaving half of the homes still covered with tarpaulins seven months after the storm. Even many of the government buildings and schools are still in shambles.

Church Rebuilding Team

We are one of the few organizations still helping. I spoke to a pastor who said 42 evangelical church buildings were destroyed and the congregations are still displaced. I would love to help them all, but praise God that through your generosity and giving we were able to help this one church and can hopefully help more as God provides.

If you would like to support our work, please donate here:

If you would like to support us through the mail, please send your checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders to:

Extreme Mercy International
P.O. Box 72266
Phoenix, Arizona 85050
U.S.A.
 

Thank you and God bless you.

Unstoppable in Bulacan

Unstoppable 3

Last January, I was invited to be the guest speaker at a big youth event in  Pulilan, Bulacan. The theme of the event was Unstoppable.

I shared about unstoppable people in history and lead into the unstoppable love of Jesus who died on the cross for them. I also did a human video about the crucifixion for them which really touched their hearts.

Unstoppable 2

120 youth came to the event and all 120 youth responded to the salvation altar call. They have a huge youth group for such a small town. It is remarkable to see what God is doing there. What is happening is nothing short of a revival.

I Went to Jail in the Philippines

This month, God opened an awesome door of ministry to me. My friend, Pastor Andy, invited me to speak to the leaders of a church in the local Davao City Jail. I was honored to be able to enter the facility and walk through the jail full of men in orange T-shirts.

I spoke to the leaders on faith. The pastor of the church has been in the jail for four years awaiting his robbery trial. Two of his main leaders are serving six years for drug abuse and are still awaiting their trial. The youngest inmate there, Mark, told me he regularly borrows a radio to listen to Edge Radio.

There are three religious places of worship there: a Catholic Church, a mosque, and the born-again Christian church. Until recently, the Christian church had no roof. Thankfully, they just finished the roof the week before I arrived. They were so happy to have a foreigner visit them and were respectful and attentive as I spoke through an interpreter. They invited me to come back as soon as I can.

The Refuge Goes On

During the past few months, despite going through a paralyzing time, the Refuge is still running. The Bible and Missions training there graduated their first class of students and Edge Radio is still holding public events there. We are also having evangelistic film viewings.

One of the biggest challenges we have at the Refuge is a lack of equipment. Every time we hold an event, we have to borrow two or three guitar amplifiers, instruments, a LCD projector, drum cymbals, etc. We also have no furniture for our huge downstairs fellowship area. We are hoping to convert the downstairs into a coffee house where youth can come at all hours to study, have fellowship, and receive counseling. We are also hoping to remodel the upstairs with some acoustic foam to help with the deafening reverb during the concerts.

James 4:2 says, “You have not because you ask not.” Well, I’m asking now for help. We immediately need a LCD projector, amplifiers, guitars, and a new drum kit. We also need to furnish our downstairs so we can have a place for the youth to hang out. I envision having a coffee bar with lots of furniture, games, and for it to be a fun place.
With your help, we can transform this place into a greater soul-winning machine with ongoing discipleship and change happening in the hearts of the youth of this city.

Our Website Was Hacked, but it’s OK Now.

Five days after our youth center was burglarized, our website was temporarily down during a cyber attack.

Our website hosting company was hacked and taken down for a few hours on Saturday night and Sunday morning by a cyber terrorist hacker known as Tiger M@te.

If you visited our site during that time, I want to apologize for any inconvenience you experienced.

Our site remained intact and it was only the server company that was damaged. The website was restored within a few hours.

Please rest assured that it is still safe to donate here.

If you still have concerns, you can always donate through the mail to:

Extreme Mercy International
P.O. Box 72266
Phoenix, Arizona 85050
USA

Thank you for your prayers and support. It was a rough week.