WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP?

Wonderful news...all the funds needed for the sound system came in and was forwarded to the pastor. He has purchased the system. Thanks to those who generously donated.

One of the churches that I work with in the Philippines is in need of a used sound system. They purchased their current system 15 years ago and it was used then. No idea how old it actually is. The system was going off and on for a period of time and currently is dysfunctional...it is dead. So, the church is needing another used system.

Well, good used systems are hard to find. The pastor has found a sound system and two speakers for 15,250 pesos or around $300. To put that in perspective, their offering each week is around 800-1000 peso or less. Along with that income comes paying for utility bills, food, and clothing for the needy, school supplies and hygiene kits for children, and helping some with medical bills, So you can see the church, on its own, will probably never see another system if left to them to purchase.

I have been there to worship and they have a multi-talented praise team which depends on the system. The system does enable the praise team to do their part in adding to each service. So, there is a big need.

I put this info on here to see if anyone would like to give a donation to this worship need. If 15 people would give $20, 10 people would give $30, 5 people would give $60, or one person would graciously give $300, then provisions would be made for this need. What do you think? PM me if interested. Thank you.

Mission 2019: Just Gets Better Every Year! (Part 1)

Hello,

The heading is totally true. Every year just gets better. I come home ready to plan, prepare, and go on another trip back. I never knew that international missions could be so fulfilling and enriching. On the top of my bucket list is the desire to be able to make two trips a year or just stay longer on my one trip. I wish that everyone could experience the smiles, the joy, the laughs, the tears, the disappointments, and the discouragement of those who live on very little to nothing. Although, not one time did I ever hear anyone complain. Every day is a new day. They cannot live on yesterday or tomorrow. Only what can be accomplished today. This is their way of life. They have accepted their lifestyle which is to live day to day with great hope.

Mission 2019 has come and gone. I look forward to this time for a year and then the trip goes by so quickly. Every year is different. My desire is to never to just duplicate the year before. There are always different activities, different people, different places, and different situations that are planned and then some things happen that are not planned. I am a planner but some of my plans never happen, which is okay. God really knows the needs there more than I do.

I wanted to spend more time with the pastors so I stayed with them in their homes. How long I stayed depended upon how busy they were with their own church. Also, my intent is to never be a burden to them or their families. Their gracious hospitality was awesome and humbling. They are a group of gracious, Godly men who love their people and have sacrificed much as their pastor. Their congregations think well of them and follow them as their spiritual leader.

The churches are all church plants. Some are churches in their infancy (3+ yrs.) and some are well established (25+ yrs.). The current pastors are all the founding pastors. The church attendance ranges from 30 to 150. Those attending are predominantly children and teenagers. Evangelism and children/youth ministries are the major focus of each church. Some are buildings that have been around a long time and some are fairly new.

Worship styles are generally close in nature. All are upbeat joyful music. Each church has some kind of instrumentation from just a guitar to a full praise team/band. The singing is strong in each setting. The churches are of different denominations and independent but all focus on the teaching of the word of God and a strong relationship with Jesus. Because of poverty, all churches intentionally seek to help those in need.

What I found interesting was the involvement, the service of the people in each church. Their service was as natural as breathing. I did not see just a few people doing all the work. In one church, there is a devotion time for all leadership in the church at 5:00 am every day except Sunday. There are worship services every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. Home Bible studies are held several nights a week. Every Saturday a different family cleans the church. When there is a church meal, everyone does their part in the preparation, serving, and cleanup. A big need is to bring water from the well into the church for cooking, for drinking, and for the restroom facilities. The men seem to know when it is time to "fetch" a big bucket of water. If no men are around, two ladies will get the job done. The church functions like a well-oiled machine.

During the day, every church had teens and children hanging around. Children would play out on the road in from of the church coming in and out of the church. The teens had found a place to hang out as a group to use phones and play games.  I enjoyed hanging out with them and hearing their personal stories of family and school. They were out of school from April to June so they would tell of their fun activities. They were NOT looking forward to their break from school coming to an end.

Church/Community feedings are wonderful events. The people tell their friends and neighbors to come to worship service followed by food and drink. I am not sure if that possibly might be the best or only meal they would have that day. There are some children who are fortunate to get a handful of rice each day. So, they worship and they hear the gospel message. Then they receive two meals--a  spiritual meal followed by a physical meal. One pastor normally had around 60 in attendance on Wednesday night. He estimated that the attendance might rise to 90. So the food supply was planned for 90. When the night arrived over110 people had arrived. The church was literally packed. Community feedings do work. People come into the church for the very first time. Some may hear the gospel for the first time. Some may be in the church for the first time.

One inspiring event was the delivery of foods into homes. Families were chosen prior to my arrival. Then we personally went to the market to purchase quantities of food and went to the church to separate out the amount needed for each family. In the afternoon, foods were taken to each home and the foods were delivered. Several homes literally had nothing in the house to eat and no money. Joy and amazement shined through their faces. Such a fulfilling ministry to these individual families.

Well, I could go on. So many meaningful things happened. Thank you if you have read this far. I can promise you that NONE OF  THIS would have happened without the generosity of some mission-minded people. I am a team of one and, of course, cannot support all that happens on these trips. I am so thankful that God places an urge within people to contribute to helping these people.  Many of you walk alongside me in this way and we do much together.

This year I had some funds that I could use for children, food, and school supplies. Also, I had some funds I could use for another purpose. If I went into the home and saw other needs which would help the family,  I could make the provisions available or partner with others to get what was needed.

I want to get into what was accomplished but first I want to share something really encouraging. I have not been back even a month and have had three people already send donations towards Mission 2020. Wow...that just has not happened before. AS A RULE, no donations are given until maybe two months before the trip. This is such an awe-fulfilling moment towards the next trip.

In my next blog, I will get into the happenings/results of Mission 2019. Thank you for your interest and support.

The Time Has Come!!!

Months of planning, preparation, communication, and determination will come to fruition in just a few weeks. The friendly skies and people of the Philippines are calling my name. LoL  My heart is longing to reunite with pastor friends, church friends, and new friends. I am so looking forward to all the activities planned for this trip. 

I am so grateful for the prayers of many friends. I am so overwhelmed by the generosity of financial partners.  Without you, the ministry plans could not happen. I would love for you to be with me when I enter homes with food and meds for the poorest of the poor. They will know the food is a gift from God given through friends from the USA.  I will also be looking around the house to see what other necessities are needed and provide what I can.  Thanks for all you have done and for being a part of Mission 2019.                       

Doing For One What You Wish You Could Do For All.                                  

Mission 2019 Expands

Good news!!!

New opportunities continue to come since I made my first list in January. The updates are marked with underlined bold letters. Please continue to pray for these events. Pray for people to be encouraged. Pray for hearts to be changed for/by the gospel. Pray for God's provisions for these events.

1. Spend one-on-one time with six pastors providing encouragement and listening to their dreams

    for future ministry in their churches.

2. Visit in at least 15+  homes providing groceries and other basic necessities for the poorest 

    of the poor. (This will depend upon funding.)

3. Help to fund and participate in two feeding programs for the poorest of the poor.

4. Speak in four churches.

5. Speak at a VBS commencement and provide a  youth camp message.

6. Lead two workshops.

7. Visit a newly found orphanage for disabled children. There is a high probability these children

    will never be adopted.  (This may not materialize. CEO leadership in Guam are not comfortable 

    with outsiders making visits even if one person.)

8. Help fund a business training event for the Mangyan Tribe to give them another avenue

    for making household income. (The funds for this have not come in.)

9. Lead baptism worship with five candidates. 

I am so grateful that more opportunities are becoming available. I seek to be a vessel for the Kingdom. 

All Prayer Partners and Financial Partners please continue praying for Mission 2019.

helpingFUNDmissions

 helpingFundmissions for the "Poorest of the Poor"---$50 per family who do not know where their next will come from.

People are suffering from hunger across the globe in any country you want to choose. I have seen first hand the poverty that exists in the Philippines. I have seen faces light up when presented with food because the cupboards are bare. Many children and adults are blessed to have just a hand full of rice per day. My heartbeat is to go to the "poorest of the poor" and provide food and meds. My goal is to provide 2000 pesos ($40) of food and 1000 pesos ($10) of meds to a minimum of 20 families.  I have four Filipino pastors who will make the decision of who is in the greatest need.  My goal is to receive funds by April 24, 2019, as I will be leaving the following week for Mission 2019. How many families I can help will be determined by the amount of funds received. Any donation would be greatly appreciated. 


https://www.gofundme.com/to-the-least-of-these


https://gregorybunn.blogspot.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/mission2PhilippineandHaitiPastorsand2orphans/?eid=ARAMPMWBY4Zk7jL4xKGI0IXPsiCoFdCZ3BU66kohshvvFIw2W12tJzQxJkqHf9PBQOW_3VhlgYiOboj6&timeline_context_item_type=intro_card_work&timeline_context_item_source=1231890529&fref=tag 

A Humble Opportunity in 2019

This blog is much like the last one except for a new event which has been added. One of the pastors has asked me to lead in a Baptismal service while I am there. This will be my third year in his church. Many people already know me. He has had new people to join as well. So I think some of the new believers are some of the folks I have met and some which I have not. Either way, I will be my honored to lead in this service. Currently, there are four people awaiting baptism.

This year's trip will keep some of the usual events as well as incorporate a new focus. Spending one-on-time with pastors, speaking in churches, leading workshops, and occasional visits in homes have been a part of each trip. One year, there was the feeding of a Mangyan tribe (200 people) along with providing school supplies and clothes. Last summer, funds were sent for school supplies and hygiene kits. Several Financial supporters were led to fund these special needs.  I appreciate their help. Without them, so much would not be able to happen.

There are several new directions this year. One is focused on individual families and orphans. Two, is a focus in getting into homes to provide basic necessities. Three, is to provide a training event for people to learn how to make money for themselves through a small business adventure.

In my last blog, I listed some of the goals for this year's trip. In this writing, I want to expand a little with some updated info for each goal.

1. Spend one-on-one time with six pastors.

    

    (Sometimes pastors need a person to come alongside them in their work offering support and

     encouragement. They need someone to listen as they share present struggles and future 
     dreams for their church. Sometimes a pastor needs a pastor who has been where they have
     been, where they are, and where they hope to be. These pastors serve in places that are very
     difficult. Some of the work is slow in trying to grow the church. Some of their people are very 
     poor. The pastor will buy food from his own money to help. Most churches are not able to pay
     a pastor or even pay for the utilities. So the pastor finds work in order to support himself, the 
     church bills, and  help families. Pray for the pastors in the Philippines. 

2. Visit in at least 10-15 homes providing groceries and other basic necessities.

     (As you can see, my original goal was to get into at least 10-15 homes. These families would be
      among the poorest of the poor. I did not feel that was very challenging. With the number of 
      places I will be I changed this to a goal of 20+ homes depending available funds. In visiting

      with several pastors, we determined that 2000 pesos worth of food and 500 pesos worth of
      meds would be a good provision for each family. So, each family would get 2500 pesos ($50)

      worth of food/meds. So this ministry project would need a minimum of $1000 to meet the needs
      of the 20 families. The amount of funds available will determine how many families can be
      helped. I am praying that God will provide the funds so that 20 families and, hopefully more, 
      can receive some much needed food.) (If you would like to help with funding this project,

      please let me know.)      

3. Speak in four churches.

4. Lead two workshops.

5. Visit a newly found orphanage for disabled children. There is a high probability these
    children will never be adopted.

     (This was going to be one of the highlights of the trip meeting the children/workers and learning
      how I might be able to help in the future. Interestingly, the main office is located in Guam where
      I had to make communication. Long story short, I would not be able to make a visit to the
      orphanage unless some of the leadership from Guam was there. I was told that some
      leadership would be on the property in April but my trip is scheduled for May. I was told that
      they would like to meet me but maybe at another time.) 

6. Help fund a business training event for the Mangyan Tribe to give them another avenue

    for making household income.

    (Some of the Mangyan tribe have jobs in Naujan. Most, however, get their food and income from
     the large gardens they have. But even with this income, for most families, there is not enough
     money for support. They receive some help from other venues but there is a need for each 
     family unit to have a way of self-support. One pastor would like for them to receive training in
     order to begin their own family business of candle making and selling. I don't know the final 
     amount yet but will be in the area of $300-$400 for the training, the equipment, and the 
     supplies. The tribal people are excited about this opportunity to have a way to further provide 
     for their families. Please pray that God will provide for this event to take place and that it will 
     be fruitful for all of them.)     
     (If you would like to help with funding this project,  please let me know.)      

7. Lead a baptismal service for candidates awaiting baptism.

    (This will certainly be a trip highlight for me. These are some wonderful people who have given
     their hearts and their life management to Jesus and several are already working in the church. 
    Currently, there are four people who are waiting to be baptized.)

Please pray for this trip which will be taken in May, for each of these events, and for God's provisions for each event to be fulfilled. 

All Prayer Partners and Financial Partners please begin praying for Mission 2019.

Progress on Mission 2019

This year's trip will keep some of the usual events as well as incorporate a new focus. Spending one-on-time with pastors, speaking in churches, leading workshops, and occasional visits in homes has been a part of each trip. One year, there was the feeding of a Mangyan tribe (200 people) along with providing school supplies and clothes. Last summer, funds were sent for school supplies and hygiene kits. Several Financial supporters were led to fund these special needs.  I appreciate their help. Without them, so much would not be able to happen.

The same events will be included this year along with a new focus.....on individual families and orphans. In my last blog, I listed some of the goals for this year's trip. In this writing, I want to expand a little with some updated info for each goal.

Each year there are some new things added to the mission trip. This year, there is a new focus in getting into homes to provide basic necessities and to provide a training event for people to learn how to make money for themselves through a small business adventure.

1. Spend one-on-one time with six pastors.

    

    (Sometimes pastors need a person to come alongside them in their work offering support and

     encouragement. They need someone to listen as they share present struggles and future dreams        for their church. Sometimes a pastor needs a pastor who has been where they have been, where
     they are, and where they hope to be. These pastors serve in places that are very difficult. Some 
     of the work is slow in trying to grow the church. Some of their people are very poor. The pastor 
     will buy food from his own money to help. Most churches are not able to pay a pastor or even 
     pay for the utilities. So the pastor finds work in order to support himself, the church bills, and 
     help families. Pray for the pastors in the Philippines. 

2. Visit in at least 10-15 homes providing groceries and other basic necessities.

     (As you can see, my original goal was to get into at least 10-15 homes. These families would be
      among the poorest of the poor. I did not feel that was very challenging. With the number of 
      places I will be I changed this to a goal of 20+ homes depending available funds. In visiting

      with several pastors, we determined that 2000 pesos worth of food and 500 pesos worth of meds 

      would be a good provision for each family. So, each family would get 2500 pesos ($50)

      worth of food/meds. So this ministry project would need a minimum of $1000 to meet the needs
      of the 20 families. The amount of funds available will determine how many families can be
      helped. I am praying that God will provide the funds so that 20 families and, hopefully more, 
      can recieve some much needed food.)      

3. Speak in four churches.

4. Lead two workshops.

5. Visit a newly found orphanage for disabled children. There is a high probability these
    children will never be adopted.

     (This was going to be one of the highlights of the trip meeting the children/workers and learning
      how I might be able to help in the future. Interestingly, the main office is located in Guam where I
      had to make communication. Long story short, I would not be able to make a visit to the
      orphange unless some of the leadership from Guam was there. I was told that some leadership
      would be on the property in April but my trip is scheduled for May. I was told that they would 
      like to meet me but maybe at another time.) 

6. Help fund a business training event for the Mangyan Tribe to give them another avenue

    for making household income.

    (Some of the Mangyan tribe have jobs in Naujan. Most, however, get their food and income from
     the large gardens they have. But even with this income, for most families there is not enough
     money for support. They receive some help from other venues but there is a need for each  family
     unit to have a way of self-support. One pastor would like for them to receive training in order 
     to begin their own family business of candle making and selling. I don't know the final amount 
     yet but will be in the area of $300-$400 for the training, the equipment, and the supplies. The 
     tribal people are excited about this opportunity to have a way to further provide for their 
     families. Please pray that God will provide for this event to take place and that it will be fruitful 
     for all of them.)

Please pray for this trip which will be taken in May, for each of these events, and for God's provisions for each event to be fulfilled. 

All Prayer Partners and Financial Partners please begin praying for Mission 2019.