Last Saturday's UDM Event

Last Saturday we finally conducted the Spiritual Formation Seminar with the students of the College of Nursing in Universidad de Manila. Truly the Lord moved all throughout the program and even before it was very clear that He was at work as we prepared and interceded for this first major event of Firebrands UDM. Everything just fell into place. It was supposed to be held a week before with "everything in place." We've already invited a resource speaker and an American mission team will be doing an evangelistic presentation afterwards. But the Lord had other plans. So He delayed it for another week and with that delay we lost both guest speaker and team. That time I was quite curious what He's up His sleeves. I know it's always better because He's already seen it. So I just trusted and waited as time unfolded. Finally the go signal from the school arrives. We have seven days to prepare. Everyone's up in their feet, excited and expectant.

It's very true that when God is going to do something good. The enemy will try all his best to destroy the faith of His people. It was the seven days where we felt the hand of the enemy trying to discourage us and put us down. First day of the week one of our core leaders called to inform me that she got sore-eyes. Another had high-fever that she didn't go to work all week. Middle of the week the one with sore-eyes called to tell me that her two sisters also caught sore-eyes. These leaders have a major movement in UDM Carecells. And because of the weather, some of us also suffered from cough and flu. It was like a symphony of germs just decided to spring up together on us. Coincidence? I don't think so. During that time God led me to claim Luke 10:19--"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you"--and trusted by His promises and believed that when the time comes everything will be ready. Meeting one day before event, the weather was not on our side, and a fight breaks loose in the team. We realized what the enemy is trying to do. So we put our tasks aside and worshiped him and prayed as a team. After that the tension faded and we made declarations that charged up the whole team. (I learned doing declarations when I was in Jakarta where one person declares his vision in faith and everyone agrees with an all-out "amen!") Each one made their declarations that really came to pass the day after!



The next morning my brother and I were already at school 7:30AM. We had just had a few hours of sleep from last night. One by one the team arrives. Everyone present--all sickness healed. By 9AM the hall was packed with 250 nursing students from all year levels. Their classes for the whole day were preempted for this seminar. After a quick team prayer our emcees graced the event with an icebreaker. Chi-Alpha Team Recto led by Ptr. Sur, Ate Merla and Joan started the first seminar on "Maximizing Your Learning Power". By 12NN, Firebrands led the second seminar on "Discovering Your Purpose in Life." The students were very responsive and upbeat. By 2PM, we prepare to close with a one-hour evangelistic presentation, but suddenly the admin arrives to inform us that electricity needed to be shut down. It was a scheduled shut down uninformed to us. We pleaded that we be given more time because it was the "main event" of the event. But they only allowed us to wrap it up in 30 minutes. As I informed the team it brought much pressure and stress to us that some attitudes began to show and flare up. I know that God will not allow His Word to be hindered by that. So we just proceeded with an redrafted program praying that we will not be shut down just yet.



We had songs, skits and a testimony. By the end of the last human video "Tomorrow" most students were already ripe, some already in tears. I deliver the gospel challenge and finally when I asked if they would commit their life to Christ, one by one hands were raised in surrender. The place was holy ground. I stood in awe of how God moved in the hearts of the students. We prayed a prayer of acceptance and after that I challenged them to pursue knowing God through follow-up where they will be cared for and grow. We also gave out Book of Hope to each student. Among the 300 books that were prepared, only one was without a recipient.

The next day as we sort the evaluation form, more that 80% students have responded to our challenge to commit their lives to Christ (one of our declarations). Around 50% committed to Carecells. Some will be connected to existing Carecells and we will be birthing 6 new Carecells this week. We still have 49 students who committed on a Saturday Carecell, but we're already thinking of connecting them to a fellowship because each leader has their hands already full. Praise God for this harvest! Also during the event, we were visited by the university's vice president and the department head of the College of Physical Therapy who invited us to conduct the same event in their college ASAP! Praise God for all that He has done!

This week I meditated on Luke 10 where Jesus sends the 72. Jesus said, "The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers to the harvest field..." Often times we think that our only obligation is just to pray that others will be called by God to the mission field. But few people continue on reading Jesus' next words, "Go! I AM sending YOU..." He is not asking you to pray for laborers to go, he's commanding you to go yourself. I remember a pastor said, "You are either a missionary or a mission field; a harvester or a harvest field." I rejoice that most of the Firebrands team has owned the vision of reaching young people for Christ and I marvel at how God rewards hearts that cry for his lost children with a bountiful harvest. So I challenge you to go ... now! Another faith milestone that testifies to God's faithfulness. Truly NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with God.

Links

• Photos
• Firebrands Youth
  

Prayer requests

• Please pray for the successful birth of the 6 new Carecells this week.
• Please pray for my strength spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally.
• Please pray for our leaders that they will continue to be passionate for young people and that God will strengthen each one to fulfill His work for each of us.
• Please pray for possibilities of starting our Youth Service.
  

A Tribe Finds Jesus

During the conference, there were a lot of testimonies of miracles and conversions that were happening in Indonesia. One story was from one of our speakers Jim Yost. Jim and his wife were American missionaries to Papua formerly Irian Jaya. I really like this guy, animated when he speaks but very humble, he stays in our hotel also (too bad we weren't able to meet him personally).

Anyway, he tells how they spent three years with the Papuan tribe they were trying to reach without any sign of interest and conversion. One day while he was in their house, he heard a loud scream from the jungle. So he ran through the forest towards that loud wailing. After 30 minutes of running he finally arrives in the riverbank and behold, there were many tribespeople already gathered. A family gathered crossed the river to the other side of the forest to gather food. When they returned, the family left their youngest member of one-year old in the canoe to carry their provisions to their house. But when they had returned the child was gone--he fell on the dark, algae-covered water. That's when the mother began crying out for help.

As Jim scans the area he sees the men wading through shallow but dark water trying to find the child. And the women now were calling on their gods, cutting themselves, dancing in ecstacy, to call the god's attention in vain. Finally they spot a body, it's stomach swelling because it drank to much water. They bring it up the bank to perform more rituals to revive the child. Finally Jim's wife steps up and gives the boy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 5 minutes ... 10 minutes ... 30 minutes she tried. It was too late. The boy is dead.

Jim was desperate. Three years of reaching out to this hard-hearted tribes people ... In a sudden surge of supernatural faith--which he tells us he hasn't done before--he prays to God, "God, these people may not believe in You, but I know You love this tribe very very dearly. Please let them see that You are real and alive, bring this child back to life." And immediately the child's color turned warm. He coughs. And finally he spews out all the water that he ingested. The boy is alive!

The mother runs to the child and weeps, her child alive. The tribes people were amazed. They began making clicking sounds at the back of their throats--Jim say that's what they do when they see something amazing. They needed explanation. This is the moment. After three years of what seemed to be a pursuit in vain, God opens a door of opportunity. He begins to speak, "This child did not rise from the dead because of me. Jesus Christ, the God I am serving, who sent us to you, whom I am telling you about these years, He wants you to know Him because He loves you very, very much."

Thus one by one, families began to believe in Jesus. In the first week, six families gave their hearts to Christ. The next week, more. Until finally, by God's abounding grace and steadfast love through time, an entire tribe is won. Now, Jim and his family has spent 35 years with these tribes, continually teaching them and discipling them, and even sent missionaries from these tribe to other nations including the Philippines.

"Praise the Lord, His mercy endures forever!"

"I Was About to Take My Life Until I Met You"

This evening, Netty and I visited the University Belt church planting team in their home base in Paco and we heard this testimony from one of the volunteers. Today, a Mapuan student in Intramuros was about to take her life that same night if someone hadn't shared to her the gospel. In tears she tells her contact worker that for two weeks she's been praying that someone would talk to her. Plagued by family crises, she decided tonight is the night that she would buy a sodium-based poison and that she'll drink it when she gets home and never wake up again. She was approached by one of the volunteers in the field who's roughly same age as her, she heard the gospel, gave her life to Christ with a new sense of hope and tomorrow, she's getting water baptized! Words cannot describe my amazement and overwhelming awe of God's move in that student's life. Hallelujah!

Holy Monday on SLEX

Holy Monday. I was on my way to Laguna for an overnight youth leaders meeting of our district. We were 7 in the car, with me are 6 of our youth staff. It was a fine day, no rain; traffic in SLEx is light. It was my second time to traverse the highway with much confidence and prayer. 8 kilometers to Calamba exit, Suddenly we heard a huge explosion. It was an old black delivery fierra just front-right of us, it was the rear right tire that exploded. As it tried to turn to the shoulder side of the highway he went out of control. Right before our eyes, he spun out of control and turned over many times crushing its passengers in the front end. Speeding at 100kph, the massive metal was heading straight toward us! On my mind I said that that was it, we are going to die. A few inches toward impact I swerved a little (we were on the left-most lane) and missed the wreck which by that time already stopped. Swerving more than that we would've ran over the central gutter and suffered similar fate. As we drove away the cars behind us began to stop in aid of the accident.

As we drove off, we were left with total shock. It was like being in a Steven Spielberg episode. We were witnesses to a tragedy as it unfolded. My hands and feet were cold and stiff. And because of immense fear my chest began to stiff up as if having a heart attack. The thought of the fate of those two unfortunate passengers was frightening. Arriving at the toll gate, I told the personnel about what happened so the authorities would know.

It was out of question that God has protected us from the accident. I reflected about what if the wreck did hit us and killed us. I felt a sense of grief of not having spent time with the people I love. It was not about the physical and the material, but in face with death, there are more eternal things that matter - my relationship with God. It is during these "brushes with death" that we are awaken to re-evaluate our direction in life. Living today like it was the last. Doing the things we really wanted to do. Pursuing our personal legend. During our meeting we recounted our experience and testified of His saving protection. The Psalm 139 verse about God's hand enclosing me from behind and before with has become more alive to me. I live today given another chance, another opportunity, just like before, to give Him glory. God has proven it again and again. He lives and is on the move. Indeed He is the God of Second Chances.

(This was my account of the recent concert we had in youth as written to Firebrands yahoogroup.)

Praise God for a very, very successful All-out Praise and Worship.. The Lord really moves in MIGHTY ways! It was all God's working. I want to congratulate every person who was behind this concert and all who supported in any way. I know all of us have a story to tell. So let me share mine..

Weeks before I'm already praying for APAW. My prayer was, "Lord, you know how much people (souls) we could accomodate, so I have no qualms whatsoever how much you have determined to send." Sabi ko Lord kayo mas nakakaalam kung ano ang kakayanin namin, kaya wala akong reklamo kung kaunti man yan o marami, but let us be good stewards of your blessings.

Days nearing APAW, I begin to hear some good and bad news.. May bibring na friend si ganito.. tapos yung buoung Lorenzo Ruiz Academy hindi darating kasi tumama sa exams (Pero anjan pa din si Daryl at Andrew! :P), some people from Metro e hindi din darating. Tapus yung mga CD promotion natin nagloloko pa! So it was a 50-50 projection on my part. But I was postive of a good outcome, but not like THIS!

So nung kinaumagahan, paggising ko, bumabagyo.. lakas ng hangin at ulan. Isip ko 'tsk, eto na naman'. Umalis kami ni Lawrence ng house mga 10.. mejo tumila yung ulan, pero along the way palakad sa church inabot kami at nabasa. In a sense na-dampen din yung spirit namin, kasi we're placed in a situation na hindi namin matakasan. Basam-basa kami, sapatos, pantalon, t-shirt... tapos wala pang dalang extra. Nakakadrain ng patience. I sang worship songs within myself. I was thinking about Jesus and how he calmed the storm and His other miracles because in Him all things are possible! But during those ordeal I felt God was saying, "I can cause the sky to rain that people would not come to the concert, but so that you may not glory on yourselves (human ability), you need to trust me, and watch what I WILL DO." Pagdating sa church, kasama namin si Mark & Richard, inaayos yung place tapos out of nowhere namatay lahat ng kuryente (parang overload pero hindi kasi wala naman maraming nakasaksak). So kinabahan na naman kami. Pero after calling pastor & bro juanito, naayos din namin yung kuryente and we're back... So by 4PM.. people started coming and the rest was history ika nga (More than 100 young people came!) And throughout and after the event, I pondered, this was not work of people, lest of individual persons, it was the work of the Lord. Ika nga we sow, "but God makes it grow."

Talagang nakaka-amaze si God ano? Sana maencourage po kau sa testi ko. Let's pray that this will be a start of greater things to come from God!