“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.”
Psalm 71:14-16 (NIV)
Last year, when the teams of Bless Philippines Mission 2013 came back and shared the things they had done in the Philippines, there was a stirring in my heart that wanted to be part of this mission. This year, I finally had a chance to be part of the blessing. Upon reflection, instead of claiming that we blessed the people of Philippines, I must say that it was us who were truly blessed.
Before the trip, Jasmine had a vivid dream of bad weather in the Philippines. In the dream, our leaders, Peter and Harriet, asked her to pray. It was God telling us to persevere in our prayers. We prayed for good weather and traffic conditions for the entire duration. God definitely answered all our prayers and we were blessed with excellent weather and reasonably smooth traffic conditions throughout. God is good, all the time!
At Changi Airport, ready to go!
Peter and Harriet were especially glad that their son, Calvin, came along and the whole family served together this year. In addition, we also had our adorable 5-year old ambassador-in-Christ, Ian, who joined us in serving the Philippines.
Before we left, our leader reminded us that coming on this mission trip would allow us to witness the faith of others, as well as our faith in action. “Standing united, we can build on one another’s faith. We can be strong because we are united in Christ. If we believe with all our hearts that whatever we pray for will happen, we will see our prayers coming true. We are responsible for praying for the people and we will commit the rest to God. That’s all we are called to do: to serve.”
Seeing God’s Faithfulness
Our team was overwhelmed by the warm welcome by the villagers when we arrived in the afternoon.
Pastor Weng could not wait to tell us of the miracle that had taken place in Barangay[1] over the past year. When 2013’s team was in Philippines last year, they prayed for the villagers. Many hoped for their lives to be changed and for their dreams of having houses be fulfilled. Where 2013’s team once saw rubble and ruins, stood before us new and colourful rows of houses. Pastor Weng shared that an American sponsor had sponsored the building materials and the villagers united to build them. It was certainly not an overnight miracle for the mighty warriors from Pastor Weng’s cell group who had been making their rounds in the Barangay faithfully every week to bless the people. They were the ones who laboured in love and faithfulness to lay the groundwork so that God’s blessings could penetrate through the walls of the community.
It was the power of united prayers and definitely a mighty demonstration of God’s faithfulness in the people’s lives. Praise God!
Not only did we see the physical transformation with our own eyes, Tabitha also met up with a lady she prayed for last year. The lady wanted God to bless her so she could continue to study. This year, the lady shared with Tabitha how God had come true for her: She found a job and was able continue studying because God blessed her through her boss who sponsored her education. This was but one of the many testimonies we heard along the way. How could our hearts not be blessed? As Psalm 71:5 (NIV) says, “For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord”.
Kindling The Fire
[1] Barangay : slum
God moved all of our hearts that day:
- As a new believer, Kim Peng gained confidence in praying for others.
- Jinyi was so deeply encouraged that she wanted to bring this heart of prayer back to Singapore so that there will be no more reservation and fear in praying for strangers again.
- Through the lens of the camera, Farrell was touched by numerous scenes he managed to capture. The myriad of expressions – people’s joy, gladness, pain, and thirst for God – was all frozen in time.
- Tabitha was humbled by how giving the Filipinos were. They strived to make our stay as comfortable as they could. She was reminded again how she had to be a blessing to the people around her.
- My husband, Yong Khiam, and I were amazed at how the people hungered for God and prayers. As we made our way around the village to pray for the people, they were so open to us. The villagers even queued up and invited us into their homes for blessing. It was an incredible sight to behold for us who were encountering this for the very first time.
- Harriet believed that God would continue to bring blessing to the people of Philippines through this team and we would also experience love for others who are so different from us, who had so little and yet so joyful in every way.
- Kim Seng and Michelle were full of gratitude for the mercy and goodness of God, especially in answering our prayers for the weather, traffic conditions and work that God had done in the Barangay. Their daughter, Angela, saw the miracles God performed for His people with her own eyes and it did wonders for her faith at her young age.
- Ethan and Jasmine had their son, Ian, with them and both wanted this trip to be meaningful for Ian. Jasmine was glad that Ian could muster courage and use whatever words he knew to bless the children. It was a touching sight for the proud parents. Ethan reiterated that more good times and pleasant surprises would await us every day. We claimed it in Jesus’ name for we believe God will not leave us void if we believe!
This trip was also an example of G12’s focus on the family as couples like Peter and Harriet, Kim Seng and Michelle, Ethan and Jasmine, and Yong Khiam and I served together in one spirit.
Up Close and Personal with the Local Authorities
Head of Barangay Escopa 3 Committee, Danny
We would never have thought that it was possible to have a chance to meet the government officers, much less pray for them. However, Pastor Albert managed to arrange a meeting with three officers! We prayed for them and their staff in their offices. Thank God for the open doors! The first official we blessed was Danny who was the head of the Barangay Escopa 3 committee. He mentioned that education was a problem in the village and he wanted God to give him wisdom and direction to tackle the problems the people were facing.
Barangay Captain, Vicente
The second official we prayed for was the Barangay captain, Vicente. We went into his office unannounced but he still welcomed us warmly. We heard that him and his wife were childless after many years of marriage so we blessed him with fruitfulness and boldness to conduct his duties with faith.
Quezon City Police Distrct Station 10 Commander, Superintendent Limuel Obon
The third official we prayed for was totally unexpected. We were praying for the villagers in Barangay Escopa 3 when we were told to go to a police station. There, the official we blessed was none other than the Quezon City Police District Station 10 Commander, Superintendent Limuel Obon. It was Pastor Albert that paved the way for this meeting to take place as Pastor Albert leads a cell group in the Superintendent’s office every Monday. Thank God for this opportunity and His divine favour.
Transformation was taking place at the authorities’ level. We believe Quezon City is definitely at the edge of revival and it will take faithfulness to see it through.
Claiming God’s Promises for His people
We were scheduled to have a teaching session for the traffic enforcers on the second day. We were very surprised to hear that they were already at Jesus Christ Saves Global Outreach (JCSGO) at 8.00am when the session was supposed to start at 9.00am. It was their day off but they came nonetheless. We were awed by their enthusiasm and believed with our hearts that they would be blessed by the sessions.
The sessions on integrity, commitment and family by Ethan, Yong Khiam, Kim Seng, Michelle and I were a personal sharing of our lives. I was captivated by the sharings that laid bare their hearts and souls. Many of the traffic enforcers took a pledge to recommit themselves to their families. They also went forward for prayers at the end. Many of them needed healing for their families. We prayed for the men to rise up and lead as the head of the household – take up the responsibility for their families, and that the families would grow from strength to strength. We need the next generation to rise up as godly warriors and take the nation for Christ!
During the sharing to the Barangay villagers in JCSGO church, it was the first time many of the team members heard the testimonies of the miraculous healing of Yong Khiam; how God healed Michelle of the tough times she went through in her childhood which had repercussions in her later years; and how her husband, Kim Seng, supported her with love. Indeed, we may not be aware of the greater purpose God has for us, however we came to realise that we were all made for a time like this when our testimonies would bring hope to the people who heard them.
We could all see Yong Khiam’s testimony moving the hearts of the villagers tremendously. They never expected to hear such a testimony from someone like us. According to Peter, they probably thought that illnesses and bad things only happened to poor people like them. That is a lie! They were trapped in that lie for so long and that day, they saw a glimpse of light and hope.
We prayed for the villiagers claiming the promises of Ephesians 1:18-21 (NIV):
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
Going Forth In Faith
Typically, Singaporeans like us prefer things to be organised and planned. However, in Philippines, it was nothing like that. Everything was fluid, and Peter advised us constantly that we had to be ready to go with the flow. True to his words, everything we did was mostly impromptu and we had to rise to the occasion frequently.
Kim Seng shared that his equipment did not work well during the balloon sculpting at the children ministry. With every three balloons he blew up, one would burst. It was not going well. It was not what he had expected but he had to continue with whatever he could manage. For this was what going with the flow meant!
Ethan reflected that though this trip was originally meant for Ian, it turned out that God was working in his life. He felt that there were so many things he wanted to learn in his life as well. He wanted to learn to be eloquent, to be attentive and intuitive to God and to speak forth His words in faith. He wanted to be used by God.
His wife, Jasmine, aimed to support the leaders. Although it was not easy to do so while caring for Ian during this trip, she and Ethan managed that without much problems.
Farrell shared that he was really glad he signed up for the trip. He shared that even though this trip was way more intense than any other mission trip he had gone on before, he had no regrets. He learned to go forth in faith to pray for others. If he did not take the step, he would not know how God could and would use him. Once, while he was busy taking pictures during a prayer session, he was shocked to find a queue forming in front of him when he turned around. Knowing that he had to do something, he put aside his work and started praying.
It was a great experience serving with everyone. For we believe:
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 (NIV)