Hello Everyone :)
So, this is going to be one of the last entries from team Philippines. We are very grateful for our time here! Though the outreach itself was completely different than we expected, we are reminded that though man makes his plans it is the Lord who guides his footsteps. This outreach has been just that. We would like to thank all of our supporters! We couldn't have done this with out the provision that you so graciously and sacrificially have made. We know that your reward will not be forgotten!
This last full week here in Olongapo, Philippines has been good. We started the week by visiting a tribal group who live in the mountains just an hour outside of Olongapo! Ryan and Britton had to prove there manliness by climbing a mountain. This mountain was both great and very terrible. The boys almost walked off a cliff in the process. But, with few cuts and gallons of sweat, the mountain was concurred :)
This week we did a lot of teaching! Tuesday through Thursday we took turns teaching 1 hour classes to the first year disciples here at the base. Britton taught 'Church History and the importance of Church'; Bria taught on 'The importance of Evangelism'; and, Destiny taught on 'Living A Sacrificial Lifestyle'. All did an amazing job! It was amazing to spend so much time with the first year disciples before we left. We love them :)
We also joined the Subic House of Prayer for the Global Bridegroom Fast! On Monday night we actually ran a Harp and Bowl intercession set for them. It was a lot of fun and they were highly blessed by our team.
On Tuesday night and Thursday night we went back out to the Red Light District to minister to the bar girls again!Pray that many will show up to Chow King this Sunday as we have invited many of them to come hang out with us before we go! We have now been joined by a team from Hawaii. On Thursday night they went out with us to the bars. Pray for their team as they have never done this type of ministry as well.
The team and I just spent the last two days with the staff of the Ywam Olongapo base. We went to a resort with a pool that had a massive water slide :) Though we did have fun! The 2 days were sat aside for our team to teach and minister to their crew! Everyone did an outstanding job teaching and preaching! Crestin taught on the 'First Commandment'; Kimberly taught on 'Mary of Bethany'; Britton taught on 'The Depravity of Man / Growing in Confidence that God Loves Us as We Mature'; and Kayla taught on prayer. We also did several times of soaking in devotional prayer! Our time was really awesome. Pray for this team that the Lord would strengthen them as they pursue His jealous love for them.
Kimberly and Britton will be preaching at a church tomorrow morning! Pray for us as we finish our last day of ministry.
Please also pray for travel mercies as we will be heading back to Manila on Tuesday to catch a flight back to New Zealand.
Blessings :)
Britton, Kimberly, Ryan, Destiny, Bria Crestin and Kayla.
P.S. I will get Bria to put some more pics up :)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Team Philippines
Happy New Year Everyone!
We had an awesome day and night down at the beach (11am-2am). At mid-night we watched a spectacular fireworks show! I'll make sure some of the pics and maybe even a video is uploaded within the next few days.
On January 4th we were scheduled to go to manila for the remainder of the outreach, but, the Lord spoke to the team quite clearly that we were to stay here in Olongapo and to continue to work alongside of Virgie and her crew! So we are doing Just that :)
Please pray for our team. We are in the home stretch with about 12 days left here in the Philippines :( We will continue to work with the 'bar girls' and with the disciples here at the base! As well, we will be going back up to the mountains to see the tribes people :) And, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we will be Joining in with the Subic House of Prayer for the Global Bridegroom Fast. I believe that on Monday night Ryan and few others will be leading worship for a 1-2 hour time slot. Last but not least, we will be helping serve at the orphanage as much as possible :)
Please also pray as our team still needs 3000.00 NZ. The Lord has been extremely faithful above all things.
Here is how you can donate:
http://www.iwt.co.nz/donate-online
Happy New Year,
Britton, Kimberly, Ryan, Crestin, Bria, Destiny, Kayla :)
We had an awesome day and night down at the beach (11am-2am). At mid-night we watched a spectacular fireworks show! I'll make sure some of the pics and maybe even a video is uploaded within the next few days.
On January 4th we were scheduled to go to manila for the remainder of the outreach, but, the Lord spoke to the team quite clearly that we were to stay here in Olongapo and to continue to work alongside of Virgie and her crew! So we are doing Just that :)
Please pray for our team. We are in the home stretch with about 12 days left here in the Philippines :( We will continue to work with the 'bar girls' and with the disciples here at the base! As well, we will be going back up to the mountains to see the tribes people :) And, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we will be Joining in with the Subic House of Prayer for the Global Bridegroom Fast. I believe that on Monday night Ryan and few others will be leading worship for a 1-2 hour time slot. Last but not least, we will be helping serve at the orphanage as much as possible :)
Please also pray as our team still needs 3000.00 NZ. The Lord has been extremely faithful above all things.
Here is how you can donate:
http://www.iwt.co.nz/donate-online
Happy New Year,
Britton, Kimberly, Ryan, Crestin, Bria, Destiny, Kayla :)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Team Philippines
Hello Everyone,
We hope that this letter finds you well in His grace and daily fighting for His love to abide fully within your inner-being.
We also hope that you all had an awesome Christmas and are having a blessed week as the year comes to a close; remembering always that His shed blood is the reason we have hope and life.
The team had an amazing Christmas. We got away from the city and spent the day swimming and getting sunburnt :) We ate heaps of food and spent quality time as a team. We are very thankful for the day that the Lord had given to us to enjoy. We are now back into full gear! We spent today (Monday December 28, 2009) helping out in an orphanage! Half of the orphanage is an elderly home for women. So, we split into several teams and helped out where needed. Ryan and I (Britton) spent the morning playing with children aged 1-8. Though we had fun with the kids it was highly exhausting. For more than 2 hours these loved starved kids never stopped jumping on us or crying for a cuddle!!! God gave me a picture of something that Dalton Lifsey had said earlier in the year; "God has the capacity to enjoy us forever". As these kids relentlessly pursued our attention/affection I quickly ran out of the capacity to enjoy these kids. Yet God demands that we worship Him in the same manner that these kids pursued us because He simply has the capacity to enjoy our persistent worship forever :)
As for the girls; Kimberly, Bria and Kayla served up stairs with the infants. One of the babies had just been left there on Christmas day! Due to the mass amount of poverty in the area a lot of these children get left here in hopes that they will at least be fed and have a place to sleep other than the streets. Destiny and Crestin served with the elderly women. They not only talked with these ladies (who upon arrival they were silent and in a state of oppression), they also helped clean their physical body wounds! They served with great compassion! When we left all the women were joyful and asking for us to come back. We are scheduled to return in the morning. Please pray for the team. This ministry is very difficult-not many people have the capacity to spend more than a day serving in orphanages and in bars with go-go dancers/Prostitutes. The weight of this ministry has been quite hard for the team. Please stand with us in prayer! We don't want to take on any unhealthy burdens. We also need continual prayer for an hourly revelation that God is a good, good Father!
I will end this entry with 2 awesome stories. So, we are a house of prayer dts! We desire to see the DNA of the house of prayer flow in and through our ministry! So with that said:
1. The base director (A man from Norway called Haavard Sand) here in Olongapo has followed Mike Bickle since the early 90's and has a burning heart and revelation for the bride of Christ and what God is doing in this age! The base here is Ywam, but strangely soaked with the bride of Christ reality and the Forerunner message! Haavard Sand started a small publishing called “Arise and Shine” where they sell books like "Seven Longings of the Human Heart" by Mike Bickel, for really cheap. Anyway, I talked with this guy for several hours at the base Christmas party! What an amazing guy! The thing that stuck out the most was this guy’s vision for the future. In August 2010 Haavard and his Filipino wife Karen will be moving to Norway to pioneer a forerunner dts! They already have a house of prayer that runs several hours a week and hope to see the house go night and day!
2. We went to the Subic House of Prayer in Olongapo today!!! They have a house of prayer here!!!! (Sorry, I forgot the guy’s name) This Filipino guy goes to America back in 2005 to raise support for his ministry. On his birthday he decides to fly over to KC and see what this International Hose of Prayer is about. Upon arrival he meets Andy Hickman! Andy and Bec take this guy under their wing and show him around for 3 days. Then, he also meets Graham Walsh. Andy and Graham left such a huge impact on this guy that he came back to the Philippines and threw away his other ministry and moved to Olongapo to start the "Shop" (Subic Hose of Prayer).
So, we came to the Philippines and landed in the middle of a prayer movement :) I thought that this was very incredible.
Karen Haavard told Kimberly "that it is no mistake that our team came here! Americans paved the way for prostitution in this city and now there are Americans here" reversing that decree in the Spirit. She also said that there are 2 camps at the end of the age; those who side with the great harlot and those who are the bride of Christ-in this season our team has helped turn some harlot's into bride's of Christ!
Finally pray and consider donating to our team! We need 3000.00 NZ! We are actually down to 50.00 NZ
Here is how you can help: http://www.iwt.co.nz/donate-online.
Happy New Year :) Love and miss you all.
Britton, Kimberly, Ryan, Bria, Crestin, Kayla and Destiny!!!!!!!
We hope that this letter finds you well in His grace and daily fighting for His love to abide fully within your inner-being.
We also hope that you all had an awesome Christmas and are having a blessed week as the year comes to a close; remembering always that His shed blood is the reason we have hope and life.
The team had an amazing Christmas. We got away from the city and spent the day swimming and getting sunburnt :) We ate heaps of food and spent quality time as a team. We are very thankful for the day that the Lord had given to us to enjoy. We are now back into full gear! We spent today (Monday December 28, 2009) helping out in an orphanage! Half of the orphanage is an elderly home for women. So, we split into several teams and helped out where needed. Ryan and I (Britton) spent the morning playing with children aged 1-8. Though we had fun with the kids it was highly exhausting. For more than 2 hours these loved starved kids never stopped jumping on us or crying for a cuddle!!! God gave me a picture of something that Dalton Lifsey had said earlier in the year; "God has the capacity to enjoy us forever". As these kids relentlessly pursued our attention/affection I quickly ran out of the capacity to enjoy these kids. Yet God demands that we worship Him in the same manner that these kids pursued us because He simply has the capacity to enjoy our persistent worship forever :)
As for the girls; Kimberly, Bria and Kayla served up stairs with the infants. One of the babies had just been left there on Christmas day! Due to the mass amount of poverty in the area a lot of these children get left here in hopes that they will at least be fed and have a place to sleep other than the streets. Destiny and Crestin served with the elderly women. They not only talked with these ladies (who upon arrival they were silent and in a state of oppression), they also helped clean their physical body wounds! They served with great compassion! When we left all the women were joyful and asking for us to come back. We are scheduled to return in the morning. Please pray for the team. This ministry is very difficult-not many people have the capacity to spend more than a day serving in orphanages and in bars with go-go dancers/Prostitutes. The weight of this ministry has been quite hard for the team. Please stand with us in prayer! We don't want to take on any unhealthy burdens. We also need continual prayer for an hourly revelation that God is a good, good Father!
I will end this entry with 2 awesome stories. So, we are a house of prayer dts! We desire to see the DNA of the house of prayer flow in and through our ministry! So with that said:
1. The base director (A man from Norway called Haavard Sand) here in Olongapo has followed Mike Bickle since the early 90's and has a burning heart and revelation for the bride of Christ and what God is doing in this age! The base here is Ywam, but strangely soaked with the bride of Christ reality and the Forerunner message! Haavard Sand started a small publishing called “Arise and Shine” where they sell books like "Seven Longings of the Human Heart" by Mike Bickel, for really cheap. Anyway, I talked with this guy for several hours at the base Christmas party! What an amazing guy! The thing that stuck out the most was this guy’s vision for the future. In August 2010 Haavard and his Filipino wife Karen will be moving to Norway to pioneer a forerunner dts! They already have a house of prayer that runs several hours a week and hope to see the house go night and day!
2. We went to the Subic House of Prayer in Olongapo today!!! They have a house of prayer here!!!! (Sorry, I forgot the guy’s name) This Filipino guy goes to America back in 2005 to raise support for his ministry. On his birthday he decides to fly over to KC and see what this International Hose of Prayer is about. Upon arrival he meets Andy Hickman! Andy and Bec take this guy under their wing and show him around for 3 days. Then, he also meets Graham Walsh. Andy and Graham left such a huge impact on this guy that he came back to the Philippines and threw away his other ministry and moved to Olongapo to start the "Shop" (Subic Hose of Prayer).
So, we came to the Philippines and landed in the middle of a prayer movement :) I thought that this was very incredible.
Karen Haavard told Kimberly "that it is no mistake that our team came here! Americans paved the way for prostitution in this city and now there are Americans here" reversing that decree in the Spirit. She also said that there are 2 camps at the end of the age; those who side with the great harlot and those who are the bride of Christ-in this season our team has helped turn some harlot's into bride's of Christ!
Finally pray and consider donating to our team! We need 3000.00 NZ! We are actually down to 50.00 NZ
Here is how you can help: http://www.iwt.co.nz/donate-online.
Happy New Year :) Love and miss you all.
Britton, Kimberly, Ryan, Bria, Crestin, Kayla and Destiny!!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
FIJI TIME
December 12th – 20th:
Almost one week ago we set out on our outreach adventure to Fiji. We left early from Auckland and arrived in Nadi (pronounced Nahndi) with a new friend from Austria who was stranded at the airport. Off we went to the YWAM base where we hung out with Barry and the other staff, had dinner and then headed to bed to get ready for our “long” 45 minute flight to Labasa (pronounced lambasa). As we arrived back at the airport the next morning the suspense of finally getting to Labasa was killing us, even Bob our travel buddy was on the edge of his seat. With our hand-written plane tickets and our bags on our backs we headed to the bubble gum airplane that would miraculously land us safely at the smallest airport known to man.
The YWAM base here has truly been a blessing for us so far and the staff are amazing! Gee, Tuvula, Mili, Miraia, Kasi, Seni and Lo have been such an amazing help with all of our cooking, cleaning, translating for us, and sharing ministry opportunities, honestly we would be lost with out them. So far we have been through: a category 2 hurricane (cyclone) & flood, walked miles outside of town hand-delivering food and vegetables to a poor Indian Village, gone door to door to pray with Hindus, we’ve helped hand out Christmas presents for Samaritan’s Purse, ministered at a prison, visited an old folks home and we’ve done street evangelism in town… because of the holiday season, a lot of our work is just meeting people, building relationships and finding creative ways to show them the love of Jesus.
Fiji, so far, has been a humbling, eye-opening, and heart changing experience for all of us. We have grown so close as a team reading, praying, and discussing as we prepare our hearts for our ministry times to come. From climbing the mango tree in the front yard, baking brownies to take to the elderly, and eating amazing homemade dishes of chicken curry to rehearsing our Christmas play in the living room, the Lord continues to bless us with great experiences, amazing people, and beautiful weather as we press on being the hands and feet of Christ here in Fiji.
Before we sign off, here’s one quick story from one of the team…
“The “Old People’s Home,” just like anywhere, was filled with helpless abandoned people who needed human connection. One particular older Indian lady started telling me her life story, which I had to have translated from Hindi to English... She told me that when her husband died her family played a trick on her by dropping her off at the home and said that they would return later to visit, but a year later they never have checked on her. She said her children are the most important part of her life and she longs to visit them and make sure that they are doing well. “Stop a taxi right now and lets go check on them” she said, but after I told her that I wasn’t allowed, she told me “ when you leave please remember my children.” Those words really made me sad for her and I promised her I would, even though I have no idea where they live. I will evangelize to as many people in Labasa I can, and show them the love of the Heavenly Father.” – Brandon, 24, from Texas.
Almost one week ago we set out on our outreach adventure to Fiji. We left early from Auckland and arrived in Nadi (pronounced Nahndi) with a new friend from Austria who was stranded at the airport. Off we went to the YWAM base where we hung out with Barry and the other staff, had dinner and then headed to bed to get ready for our “long” 45 minute flight to Labasa (pronounced lambasa). As we arrived back at the airport the next morning the suspense of finally getting to Labasa was killing us, even Bob our travel buddy was on the edge of his seat. With our hand-written plane tickets and our bags on our backs we headed to the bubble gum airplane that would miraculously land us safely at the smallest airport known to man.
The YWAM base here has truly been a blessing for us so far and the staff are amazing! Gee, Tuvula, Mili, Miraia, Kasi, Seni and Lo have been such an amazing help with all of our cooking, cleaning, translating for us, and sharing ministry opportunities, honestly we would be lost with out them. So far we have been through: a category 2 hurricane (cyclone) & flood, walked miles outside of town hand-delivering food and vegetables to a poor Indian Village, gone door to door to pray with Hindus, we’ve helped hand out Christmas presents for Samaritan’s Purse, ministered at a prison, visited an old folks home and we’ve done street evangelism in town… because of the holiday season, a lot of our work is just meeting people, building relationships and finding creative ways to show them the love of Jesus.
Fiji, so far, has been a humbling, eye-opening, and heart changing experience for all of us. We have grown so close as a team reading, praying, and discussing as we prepare our hearts for our ministry times to come. From climbing the mango tree in the front yard, baking brownies to take to the elderly, and eating amazing homemade dishes of chicken curry to rehearsing our Christmas play in the living room, the Lord continues to bless us with great experiences, amazing people, and beautiful weather as we press on being the hands and feet of Christ here in Fiji.
Before we sign off, here’s one quick story from one of the team…
“The “Old People’s Home,” just like anywhere, was filled with helpless abandoned people who needed human connection. One particular older Indian lady started telling me her life story, which I had to have translated from Hindi to English... She told me that when her husband died her family played a trick on her by dropping her off at the home and said that they would return later to visit, but a year later they never have checked on her. She said her children are the most important part of her life and she longs to visit them and make sure that they are doing well. “Stop a taxi right now and lets go check on them” she said, but after I told her that I wasn’t allowed, she told me “ when you leave please remember my children.” Those words really made me sad for her and I promised her I would, even though I have no idea where they live. I will evangelize to as many people in Labasa I can, and show them the love of the Heavenly Father.” – Brandon, 24, from Texas.
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