News From the Philipppines

I received the report below from a pastor I was with in the Philippines. He and his church has had a difficult time since the Typhoon last November but God has done some amazing things. Briefly, the typhoon took out MANY home, churches, and businesses. Since no one has insurance, everyone where on their own to get funds to rebuild dependent on contributions from anywhere.

This pastor lost his home and church building. The night of the typhoon his home was looted and set on  fire.  This family had to live in a another small house while kids were in a tent. The church began meeting under a big tent. Little by little the church has began to rebuild. The people have remained faithful and have grown in number. Churches tend to thrive under a crisis. His story is more detailed b below....really God's story.

I am looking forward to 2017 when I will be able to attend his new church and see how God has brought in new people into the kingdom.
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Our house was hit by typhoon Nona and was collapsed to the ground. However, we were still able to recover all the books, clothes documents, all the papers and all our things inside the collapsed house. But in the second night after the typhoon, while we were sleeping at the guest house that is far from our collapsed house, thieves came in and burned our house and we don’t save anything. When the neighbors awakened us and informed us what happened, the whole house was almost consumed. All the books, Bibles, important files, legal document, clothes, kitchen ware and all our things inside the house were all consumed by fire and became ashes. Nothing left to us.

                                  

The roof of the Church building of Bagong Buhay Christian Church, Bagong Buhay, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro,  blown out by typhoon Nona on Tuesday at 11:00 o’ clock in the morning December 15, 2015. Only the flooring left with the debris scattered inside and outside the building.

Despite of what happened in our church building caused by typhoon Nona and the pastors’ house was burned by the thieves, all these circumstances did not hinder the zealous members of Bagong Buhay Christian Church to celebrate our church anniversary yesterday December 20, 2015 even in just under the makeshift tent. Our fervent prayer is we could construct a new and durable church building and the house of Pastor Jun Falla be reconstruct as soon as possible. 

1st pic-Construction begins....           ..2nd pic-August 2016                3rd pic-Completion Fall 2016

      

                                               

Did you know? An update on Haiti happenings.

Did you know....

Haiti
1. That Pastor Astene's daughter died of Typhoid Malaria at 17 years of age. She had battled this illness for about three weeks but there is no cure...just treat the symptoms. She was a very sick girl. She will be missed by not only her family but all children of the orphanage. Please pray for the family.

2. There was a couple who had been living together. Some of the ladies shared with her that the Bible teaches that lifestyle is a sin. She has no idea. She really hadn't heard much out of the Bible. She went home and talked to her live-in. They said they would think about marriage. While I was there in 2015, she told the ladies she was ready to get married. While teaching the pastors/wives conference, I led a Lord's Supper and led a marry ceremony. Yes, she and her boyfriend were  married and crowd gave them a standing ovation. All of them knew of the situation and were so pleased to be able to observe this ceremony of commitment. I have heard that the wife still attends church and the husband does not. He is very intimidated and self-conscious because he cannot read. Maybe someday someone will work with him as his tutor.

   

3. While I have been in Haiti, Rousier has been my interpreter. He is also the Routon's interpreter and Haiti guide. He purchased a little piece of property to build a house for his young family. When I was there in 2015, the property had been marked of, some trenches dug, and some dirt hauled in as well as some blocks of cement. The plan was to "pay as you go". I have been amazed at what has happened in a year. As you can see from the pic below, the lower part of house is complete. The walls of the upper level need finishing and the roof put on. Prayerfully, the house will be finished this fall.

            


4. This past Spring, Terry and Carolyn received a huge blessing. For the last ten years or so, they have stayed with their daughter when in the states and visited friends and  family.  A couple they know gave them a fixer upper house.  WOW. Their plans are to remodel the house as it will be their retirement home but immediately they have their own place for stateside lodging. They are totally in awe so what God has done.