April '09 Update

Greetings from steamy Manila. Here are several updates on answers to prayer and requests for more. As you know we have a lot going on in which we are in the middle of and there is no way we can list them all in a prayer letter so these are the matters on our minds as I write this letter.

1. International Council Meetings in Calgary
Thank you for praying because we sensed much prayer while we met. Several long-standing agenda items gained traction and moved forward and are close to resolution for which we are all grateful. ACTION is a growing mid-sized mission and the International Council is grappling with how to govern our growth which will allow further expansion in a responsible manner. I serve as the IC Secretary and Mary Ann was a *big* help to me as she typed all the minutes. I am now working with others in finalizing the minutes. We continue to pray and trust the Lord for Mary Ann's expenses of roughly $1900, $20 of which have been given, so if the Lord leads you to give toward her expenses we would be grateful.

2. Micah's Visit
We were concerned about the timing of Micah's arrival in Manila since we thought she would arrive before we did but the Lord was sovereign in delaying her a couple of days. This allowed us to prepare for her arrival. While she was with us we celebrated her 25th birthday with friends which was a special day. We had a wonderful time getting caught up with each other. Before the church service at Greenhills Christian Fellowship (the church where she grew up) on her first Sunday back, Micah made this profound comment, "This is the first time in 5 1/2 months that I've gone to church without my weapon." This gives us great insight into the life of a Christian soldier.

She explored several possible ministry opportunities while she was here. After much prayer and discussion, Micah has decided to apply to ACTION and if accepted, return to Manila as a short term missionary for at least one year. She met with Faith Academy's Personnel Director and they are very interested in having her come and work in the athletic department. Along with Faith Academy, she is also looking at other opportunities within ACTION. Micah is also planning to work on her Master's Degree from Liberty University in Human Services while she is here. Pray for Micah as she pursues the Lord's will and fills out her application.

Micah has now returned to Iraq to continue her deployment and has been transferred to another base. Pray for her as she handles many responsibilities and is responsible for several people. We noticed right away how she has matured and grown as a young woman of God because she has handled her duties well and because of the prayers of many. Her unit will possibly return to Minnesota and Iowa in late July and Mary Ann and I are hoping and praying to be there when they demobilize.

3. Update on Amos
Amos is in Minneapolis now for a job interview so pray for the Lord's direction regarding this job. He is still hoping to graduate June 12 but that is yet to be determined, depending on several factors. We pray daily for Amos that the Lord will give him strength, perseverance and wisdom as he serves Him in his unique field.

4. Mary Ann's Moody Bible Institute studies
Mary Ann was excited to tell me recently that on her *first* college paper she received a 100% and "Excellent" remark from her professor. Currently she is studying Old Testament Survey, Elements of Bible Study and The Church and Its Doctrines. She is highly motivated and enjoying being a student. We are so grateful for Moody and other schools like them for their desire to train non-traditional students. I'm glad to carry my girlfriend's school books--even though this week we celebrated her 52nd birthday (just so nobody writes me about this, she gave me permission to mention her age :-) ).

5. Alternative Learning System (ALS) Update
Speaking of non-traditional studies, we praise God for 9 high school and 3 elementary school former street kids who passed their ALS exams which they took in October! I cannot stress it enough how *huge* this is! Even for those who did not pass, the character and knowledge they are learning through this process is very valuable. We thank God for the many donors, prayer warriors and volunteer teachers who have invested in the lives of these young people.

6. Street Impact Team break-in
While Mary Ann and I were in Canada and the entire ACTION staff was enjoying their annual retreat, our SITeam office was broken into. Our friends who live in an apartment below the office lost all their jewelry and several items. Our office was rummaged through and we lost all our computer equipment. We have now further secured the office and replaced the computer which cost $625. Our office and equipment is insured but it will take quite some time before we see any money so we needed to buy one right away. Security (both property and personal) continues to be one of my primary concerns and we do all we can to be "hard" targets but these things happen.

7. Three day training
Monday through Wednesday next week and possibly Thursday if needed the Street Impact Team along with International Justice Mission will be sponsoring and teaching 35 selected leaders and workers working with abused children. We will be discussing how to detect a sexually abused child, how to handle a case of child sexual abuse legally and organizationally, how to help an abused child, Philippine law regarding child sexual abuse and how to develop an organizational child protection policy. Pray for us because as you can imagine, these topics are delicate, sensitive and heart-breaking but we desire to work responsibly among children-in-crisis and improve our ministries.

8. Musical Drama Update
The Musical Drama, which I've written about, has been pushed back to June 5 for several reasons with practice continuing each Saturday and starting next week, almost daily. Everybody is excited and working hard to tell the story in music, drama and dance the plight of street children and the hope offered to them in the Gospel and newness of life that they can have through faith in Christ. We are praying that this presentation will stimulate God's people throughout Metro Manila and beyond to stand up on behalf of the poor and oppressed and befriend them as Jesus did.

9. Second Mile Ministries Update
Working Hands Discipleship/Vocational Training Ministry for Auto Mechanics and Wood Tech are now recruiting students for their next classes which start May 18. Auto Mechanics will be admitting 30 students, Wood Tech 10 students and a new class Computers 5 students. All of the students are young men from very poor and difficult backgrounds referred to ACTION by pastors, Christian workers or missionaries. Pray for this ongoing recruitment process because there are many more applicants than can be admitted to these 10 month courses.

Honest Hands, our Life Skills Discipleship Training Ministry for former street boys, will be having 2 one-week boot camps in May and June which are used as their selection process for their next class which will open in August. Pray for their recruitment process as well.

Mustard Seed, our Discipleship/Vocational Training Ministry for young women teaching sewing, started their current class in January with 7 students in the program. Pray for the Mustard Seed team and students as they are growing in Christ and learning new livelihood skills.

*Pray for funding for each course because we trust the Lord for funds so we can provide free room and board and training

10. Nichol's visit
Doug and Margi Nichols, ACTION Founder and International Director Emeritus, arrived Thursday for a 3 week ministry visit and it is always good to have them with our team. Yesterday they treated several staff and a few of us missionaries who were available to a very nice lunch along with rich fellowship. Pray for Doug and Margi as they have a hectic schedule while they are here as they deal with jet-lag and of course the big change in weather from Seattle.

11. Follow-up thoughts on Ron's article called "The Cubao Years"
Recently you may recall I sent you Ron Homenuke's article describing our ministry in Cubao in the early 90's which caused me to later reflect on how is it that Ron and myself are able to persevere and carry on a ministry to street children and their families over the long-haul. The *only* reason we are able to do so after more than 20 years is because of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ and the power and hope that this gives us on a daily basis. While Micah, Mary Ann and I took a 3 day break in the country earlier this month, I started studying Ephesians. Chapter 1:15-23 (which I studied days ago) continues to pound through my mind and heart, particularly verses 19-20. The Apostle Paul's prayers in his Epistles as well as this one for his readers then and now can be ours as we walk with the Lord. We continue on in the battle for the lives and souls of street children simply and only because of the resurrection power and ascension of Jesus Christ which provides us daily hope and transforms lives like yours and mine. Praise the Lord! Jesus is alive! Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

Sincerely in Christ,

Jeff

The Cubao Years

Our long-time friend and ACTION co-worker among street children and their families, Ron Homenuke, recently wrote this article which brought back many memories of our days ministering together in Cubao, Quezon City. I'm passing Ron's article on to you so you'll be reminded once again of the plight of the160 million street kids around the world of which 1.5 million are Filipino. Ron is now serving in Olongapo City, the location of the former sprawling US Subic Navy Base, among street children in a soon to open drop-in center and he's appealing for prayer through his Warrior on the Walls ministry.

ACTION Philippines is praying for 20 additional missionaries to join us in reaching children-in-crisis with the Gospel and compassionate care plus another 80 to serve in Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, India, Cambodia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico and Colombia. Join us in beseeching the "Lord of the harvest" to thrust out more workers (Matthew 9:38) who "know their God will display strength and take action". (Daniel 11:32b)

I trust you'll have a joyful Easter celebration this Sunday because in this dark world Jesus is the ever shining Light.

Your yoke fellow,

Jeff

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The Cubao Years (1991-1993)
by Ron Homenuke - April 4, 2009

From 1991-1993, Jeff Anderson and I patrolled the streets of Cubao, Metro Manila, at least one day a week, learning as much as we were able to about the "yagit" (trash, a name given to street children) in the Philippines. Today, I'm helping to build a Drop-in Center in Olongapo, about three and a half hours north of Manila. Lord willing, we'll open our center in May to up to 20 drop-ins, five days a week. Then, in June, we also plan to house ten kids in need who will attend school.

In 1994, I put together a 34-page journal with 62 picture stories of the kids who we worked with. As I glance over the pictures and reread some of the tragic stories, tears come to my eyes. Some of the reasons why they left home: Step-father drank and beat him; abandoned by parents and raised by an uncle who beat him continually; his mother was a lesbian and always fighting; broken family, beatings, no food; his dad put him in a sack and threw him away; his father beat him continually; his mother beat him continually; mother left, house too small, no food; beaten by parents; family always fighting; drunken father beat him and on and on.

Several of the kids we dealt with were salvaged (killed, usually by police who'd grown tired of arresting them for various reasons). I've included a picture of a boy who had kerosene poured on him by a drunken traffic aide (he was burned badly) and of a boy (Roger) who was salvaged by the police. The tragedy of his short life was captured on camera as his street kid chums carried his coffin to the burial site. I'd met Roger and he'd already had a brother brutally salvaged by the police in 1979. Jeff and I met with several street kid workers from the same general area. His mother of twelve, Flor, was there and she shared how she washed clothes to keep them in food. They lived in a one-room shanty, about twelve by twenty feet. The father was an excessive drinker.The last three pages elaborate on the importance of putting on our armor and lists eight kinds of prayer and amplifies how to use each method.

March '09 Update

We returned home last night from our team's annual field conference and today Mary Ann and I are preparing for our departure tomorrow to Calgary, Alberta for ACTION's International Council meetings. We're unloading some suitcases while packing others as we move from tropical to winter weather for two weeks. Here are a few ministry reports on previous prayer items coupled with more prayer requests:
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1. Working Hands' Wood Technology graduation:

March 7 nine young men graduated from Gary Root's 10 month wood tech class. Eight of the 9 previously graduated from our living skills discipleship home for former street boys called Honest Hands. This was a huge day of celebration and recognition for a job well done for each graduate who are now entering into the six month on-the-job training portion of their learning. Pastors, mothers, siblings, friends, ACTION missionaries and staff along with church mates attended the service but noticeably few fathers came which shows the need in the guys' lives for godly men. Pray for God fearing men to enter the lives of the grads to model and teach what it means to be Christ-like in the family, work place, church and community.

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2. Nathan Hooper's visit:

Nathan Hooper, an ACTION appointee from Toronto, Ontario, has been with us for 13 days seeing our ministries and meeting his future teammates. He's been a joy to get to know and we look forward to meeting his wife Carol and their children Caleb, Miriam and Hannah when they join our street children ministry team hopefully later this year. They have about 30% of their support so pray for God's provision as they continue to share their calling to minister to Filipino children-in-crisis.

*Along this line pray for Praise Goh as she now writes her research paper on how we go about networking with churches both here and abroad after a grueling 2 month visitation and interview schedule. She leaves us Friday and will graduate from Fuller June 13. Lord willing we will see her in Pasadena around that time.

*Continue to pray for Erin Johnson as she studies how our street children ministries function. She's been plagued, however, with a sore throat and fever for several weeks and can't seem to recover from it. Pray for her health. At the end of April she travels to Cambodia to visit friends and the ACTION team so pray that the Lord will make His will clear to her as she determines if she should remain in the Philippines or join the Cambodia team. She is certainly very welcome to stay with us.

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3. Real, Quezon wilderness camp-site development:

Last week several of us toured the wilderness camp-site to see the development thus far and discuss future plans. So far lots of brush has been cleared, land leveled by hand, stairs with 66 steps put in up a steep incline, plants planted to deal with soil erosion and a lavatory started. We have four guys regularly working the land three of which are from the barrio and new believers in Christ and Pastor Benny who is pastor of Real Christian Fellowship the church started as a result of our years of ministry in the area. We'll keep developing the property as funds allow and we're planning to have a discipleship-work camp hopefully in May for older former street boys who would enjoy this type of activity. Pray for funding for this project because many groups are hoping to use wilderness camping as a means to enhance the development of young followers of Christ.

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4. May 15 musical drama:

Thirty five former street kids along with pastors, church workers and para-church workers are continuing their Saturday practices for our May 15 musical drama which we mentioned in our February letter. Pray for needed funds for food, transportation, printing flyers and promotional materials and renting the church we'll use. Everyone is excited, working hard and expecting God to move His people with His compassion for street kids and their families scattered around the Philippines and world.

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5. Our daughter Micah's leave with us in Manila:

Sometime the first few days of April Micah will arrive for her two week leave. For security reasons we don't know when she'll actually arrive and we won't know until she boards her plane in Kuwait. She's looking forward to some R&R, home cooking, fellowship with us and friends as well as look into possible future ministry opportunities in the area of sports training and discipleship. Pray for her as she carries on with her deployment and is seeking the Lord for His future direction.

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6. Our son Amos' graduation:

Amos has asked us to attend his graduation June 12 from CalTech with a Ph.D. in Chemistry so we're looking into buying tickets. His public defense which is the last step to graduation is sometime in May so pray that he prepares well. Amos has been at CalTech for 5.5 years and is eager to to move on in life so he's requested prayer for the Lord's clear guidance as he plans his future and seeks employment.

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7. Field Conference:

Thank-you for praying as our team gathered for our annual field conference. Pastor Tom Crouse's clear, plain speaking and understandable Bible teaching with the theme "honoring God as we serve together" was powerfully challenging. Our well planned worship times lead by ACTION missionary Adam Hussey were Spirit-inspired, Praise Goh our intern from Fuller Theological Seminary along with the help of a few high schoolers provided fun and learning for our little MKs, we had a meaningful communion service, seasons of prayer, some business, lots of free and recreation time and for those who needed some sleep (like me) time for that. Mary Ann did a great job coordinating the entire conference. This was our 20th field conference and Mary Ann has either served on a committee or been the over-all coordinator for all but the first one of those 20 and she continues to serve with a smile.

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8. ACTION's International Council (IC) meetings:

As mentioned we leave tomorrow for our IC meetings at which I'll represent the Philippines and serve as secretary. Mary Ann will join us and will type the minutes since I'm a poor typist and want to be fully engaged in the discussions. Pray for God's wisdom as we tackle several items concerning ACTION's 26 fields of operation and over 250 missionaries. We need to resolve several items in such a way the that God is pleased and will facilitate the spread of the Gospel and building of the church around the world. Pray also for the $1,900 that's needed to cover Mary Ann's travel and on-the-ground expenses.

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9. Conclusion:

Some take-home truths from our field conference are various expectations that you our dear prayer warriors have of us simply because we're missionaries. Some of them are:

* we know and love God

* we love and read our Bible daily

* we pray daily

* we preach and demonstrate the gospel daily to the lost

* if we're married we love and are faithful to our spouses and if we have children we're godly parents

* we get along with our ACTION teammates and Filipino colleagues

* we'll be transparent and accountable with God and others

By God's grace we intend with all our heart, mind, soul and strength to live *up* to God's standards for His followers and not dummy them *down* and make excuses when we fall short. There are many areas of prayer you can pray for us and other missionaries you know and love but John 15:8 is on my mind as I write: "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." (NASB) Pray that we walk with the Lord daily in humble obedience because there's too much at sake to be lost if we don't and His glory among the nations to gain if we do.

In His service and your friend,

Jeff

February '09 Update

This has been a month of writing reports, preparing for March's conferences, a major consultation, speaking several times, hosting guests, receiving and orienting new missionaries and following up contacts made during our recent Christmas evangelistic party ministry. Even though February is a short month it flew by! Here is a summary to show how God has and continues to answer our prayers.

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1. Erin Johnson:
Erin arrived on the 9th to start a 10 month investigation on how the Street Impact Team goes about mobilizing, equipping, engaging and partnering with local evangelical churches and agencies in ministry with children-in-crisis and their families. Erin is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in physics and Bethany College of Missions in MN. She did her internship in Cambodia for 16 months with a ministry working underprivileged children. Now she is seeking the Lord's direction but she knows she is called to work among children-in-crisis so pray for Erin as she works alongside us over the coming months.

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2. Praise Goh's research:
Praise is doing very well gathering information on how ACTION works with churches as she visits our ministry partners with her Filipina assistant Dianne. Her research is an assignment for a Master's degree at Fuller Seminary and she's also been commissioned by 180° Global Alliance for this project. Praise was clearly called by the Lord to work with street children when she attended the Urbana Missions Conference in '00-'01 and is praying about her next step after returning to California March 20 so pray for her please.

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3. Strategic Planning Consultation:
February 3-6, 45 key children-in-crisis ministry leaders gathered to study the Word of God, pray, worship, fellowship and plan strategically on how we can better work together over the next 24 months. Pastors, missionaries, social workers and ministry heads represented five networks at this consultation. While we had a great time we also worked late into the evening working out joint plans and praying. Several commented how difficult planning is but also how vital it is to develop long-range objectives.

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4. Children-in-Crisis video:
We finally finished ACTION's new DVD on our work with children-in-crisis worldwide. Yesterday I sent by Fed-Ex a nine, six and four minute version of the DVD to Doug Nichols so if you're interested in receiving a copy contact him at ACTION's USA office. Hopefully soon it'll be posted as well on ACTION's web site so you can view it there too. Let us know if you would like a copy of the DVD.

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5. Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes:
Recently our team was able to get 194 Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes which we'll be distributing soon from our partner ministry Sowers of the Word. Sowers has also provided quality ministry materials over the years so we're grateful for their generosity to us.

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6. Children-in-Crisis club:
Under the leadership of Doug Nichols ACTION is starting a CIC club in which people can contribute $15 a month to assist our ministries world-wide in providing food, clothes, Bibles, Bible study materials, medicines and the like. If you're interested in joining this club you can contact Doug for more information.

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7. Field Conference and International Council:
March 14-17 our team will have our annual field conference with Pastor Tom Crouse as our speaker with the theme "Honoring God as we serve together". Pray that our days together will be rich in learning, fellowship, prayer and fun. Then the 19th Mary Ann and I leave for Calgary, AB for ACTION's annual International Council meetings. I am our field's representative as well as serve as the Council's secretary so I need Mary Ann's help in taking the minutes since I'll be fully engaged in the deliberations. I'm also ACTION Associate International Director so I need to be fully prepared for the meeting when we arrive in Canada. Please pray for physical strength, clear thinking and God's wisdom as representatives representing ACTION's 25 fields and over 250 missionaries meet together.

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8. Musical Drama:
Since December 35 former street kids along with pastors, church workers, teachers and agency workers have been practicing each Saturday for a musical drama that our Manila based network will be presenting in order to raise awareness of the plight of street children among church people and society at-large as well as raise funds. The drama was written by the principal of a Christian school based on interviews she did of kids who were on the streets but now residing in ministry centers and/or have gone on in their new lives in Christ. Several local Christian artists will also perform so this is a big undertaking, by faith, for those leading this production. We have no funds and are scrapping together money among ourselves and soliciting food from friends who are involved in food production so we're making it Saturday-to-Saturday. Pray for God's financial provision and blessing on this effort. We really want to tell the world, especially the church, that street kids are not garbage but people made in God's image and many have been transformed buy the miracle working power of the gospel.

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9. Dedication of the Lifehouse Village Drop-in Center in Olongapo City:
January 30 a few of us from Manila attended the dedication of a drop-in center to be run by my good friend and long-time ACTION colleague Ron Homenuke. Ron has faithfully served with ACTION Philippines working among street children for over 23 years and he said to the 60+ who came to this special service "God brought me to the Philippines for this." Ron has endured all kinds of tests and trial over the years and God has brought him through all so he is a shining example of perseverance and focus.

Before the meeting began a young pastor's wife from Olongapo excitedly said to me after I introduced myself to her " Kuya Jeff, I have your name in my Bible and I pray for you all the time!" Now I don't know her and wonder how she got my name and why she prays for me but she does and I was stunned. What a blessing and very humbling.

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10. 1st Quarter Fellowship:
Yesterday we sponsored our 1st quarter fellowship for 40+ people who work with us among street kids and their families. We worshipped the Lord, I gave a message from John 7:17 and Hebrews 11:6 about living and ministering by faith, ACTION missionary Jim Craig taught on the content of the gospel, there were several ministry updates for prayer and further planning and we enjoyed a nice lunch together.

Again before the meeting began, Lolit, whom I haven't seen for quite some time, told me with tears in her eyes she clearly remembers when Aries Reginio (a former ACTION staff man and dear friend who's now with the Lord) and I visited her November 1, 1991 and challenged her to work with street kids. Lolit was a very successful businesswomen and faithful worker in her church but she was challenged by seeing this Americano working among street kids. After awhile she joined our ministries and eventually started her own in her area of Manila. To make the story short, she eventually migrated to Canada, which was her dream, and had a comfortable life but she was miserable. Lolit knew she was out of God's will and abandoned the work the Lord called her to so she repented and returned to Manila in '05. Since then Lolit and her small team have started four schools for out-of-school youth and as a result a church of 84 worshippers has been planted among people who were relocated from squatter communities to the outskirts of Manila. Their church is now planting a daughter church so she was excited to tell me about this.

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11. "Yes, Lord!" hard-copy prayer letter:
Thursday our first quarter "Yes, Lord!" hard-copy letter was mailed from the USA office so you'll be receiving it shortly. However, if you'd like to view on line log onto http://www.jeffmaryann.com

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12. Amos & Micah:
Please continue to pray for Amos’ work toward graduation. Next week is a significant one. He is also applying for jobs. Pray for God’s leading.
Micah was recently switched to night duty. She is not a night person so it may be a challenge for her. She is looking forward to joining us in early April. We hope we get back from Canada before she arrives but I’m sure the team will take care of her if she gets here first.

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Closing: I'm working through the book of Proverbs and today I studied chapters 22 and 23. Proverbs 22:9 got my attention because I'm praying about starting a project to assist ministries who are providing shelter to street kids and need help with the huge amounts of rice they need to feed those under their care. The verse reads: "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." (NIV) A 50-kilo of rice costs approximately $35 and would be a huge blessing for our faithful partners in ministry. Prayerfully consider providing rice please because God's standard of ministry is sacrifice not convenience by giving through the CiC Club fund.
Sincerely in Christ,
Jeff

January '09 Update

I trust by God's grace you are off to a good start in this new year. We praise the Lord that we are citizens of God's Kingdom which is not all shook up by the events of the kingdoms of man. We thank Him that we are secure in the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. With that assurance I share with you the following answers to prayer and updates for more prayer. Thank you for being for being a *solid* team of prayer warriors and supporters.

1. '08 Evangelistic Christmas Party Report
This report was sent to you last Saturday and again I want to thank you for your prayer and giving because as you can imagine a lot of work went into coordinating this huge effort. If you have any questions about the report feel free to write and go to our personal website to see photos.

2. Mustard Seed's Batch 4 Opening Today
If you recall in the recent past we wrote about ACTION's Discipleship Vocational Mustard Seed ministry for underprivileged young women and their need for funding in order to open their next batch of students. I am thrilled to report that today is the opening day of class for 10 young women and the budget has been fully met. Oh how we marvel at God's faithfulness in providing for His work!

3. Birthing Clinic Ground Breaking
Speaking of marveling at God's provision, Wednesday January 28 is the ground breaking for ACTION's Shalom Birthing Clinic which we have also written about recently under the leadership of Mavis Orton and Cindy Gingerich. This doesn't mean the budget is complete for the completion and outfitting of the clinic, but we have enough in hand to get started. You can refer to our personal website to download their brochure.

4. New Drop In Center Building Purchased and to be Dedicated to the Lord
My good buddy Ron Homenuke, longtime colleague in working with street children, along with his co-workers in Olongapo City, will be dedicating to the Lord a new drop in center which they have purchased for ministry to street children. The dedication will be this Friday. If you want to learn more, go to Ron's webpage.

5. Praise Goh and Erin Johnson
Praise arrived last Thursday and is now starting her research project commissioned by 180° Global Alliance and to meet an academic requirement for her Master's Degree in Cross-cultural Studies at Fuller Seminary. She will be with us for 2 months and will also lead our children's program at our Field Conference in March. She is a delightful young woman.

Erin will be arriving February 9 to work with our street children team into November. She will be learning how we go about mobilizing churches to work with street children while being involved in ministry.

6. Cagayan de Oro City Relief Operation
The week of January 11, northern Mindinao was hammered by days of torrential rain which caused landslides and severe flooding. As a result there was much damage to infastructure and personal property, death and thousands of families relocated to temporary shelters. Several years ago we helped start a network of churches and evangelical agencies in CDO City to work with their street children called Mindinao Street Children Ministries. To make it short, we ramped up a relief plan as we monitored their situation from Manila and sent them $2250 on January 16. The next morning they were able to purchase and distribute blankets, sleeping mats and cooking pots to 220 families. We were not able to send personnel there to assist because flights in and out of CDO were cancelled for days but the operation was carried out smoothly and now the funds are accounted for. This is the value of developing strategic partnerships with bretheran throughout the country as we carry out the Lord's work with mutual trust, accountability and fellowship in Christ which is forged in the trenches.

7. Strategic Planning 3
ACTION's Street Impact Team and 180° Global Alliance are jointly sponsoring our 3rd Strategic Planning Workshop February 3-6. We will have key workers from around Metro Manila as well as from Bicol, Cagayan de Oro, Marinduque, Pampanga and Bulucan to strategize how to move our ministries forward together over the next few years. We will work on policies like child protection, accountability of funds, among many other topics as we seek to improve our work. There will also be several times for prayer and study of God's Word so pray for us as we grow and learn together.

8. Gallon of Care Update
Recently we received a few more boxes of Gallon of Care from Minnesota for which we're grateful. Last Friday we gave 25 packs to Ver Reyes who is the pastor of Breath of Life Church, a long-time faithful partner in ministry to street children. Pastor Ver has a school for the children of dump dwellers at the Payatas dump site where these packs will be used and greatly appreciated.

Speaking of students, the other day I received a note from Angelica Cunanan, the deaf/mute teenager we are helping to sponsor in school. She says, "thank you very much for your continuing support for my studies. I am dreaming some day to finish my studies and be a teacher to my co-deaf." Angelica, if you recall, was saved at a camp a few years back and this is our second year of helping her with her studies. It's a joy to see her growing in the Lord at her church, Agape Christian Fellowship, where she ministers to other deaf people.

9. ACTION's Week of Prayer
January 11 to 17 our mission had a worldwide week of prayer with the theme verse being Colossians 4:2. "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving." (NASB) It was a joy to pray not only for our team members here, but colleagues serving around the world with ACTION in 21 countries. Mary Ann did a great job collecting and distributing prayer requests along with my secretary Olive Fornoles.

10. Mary Ann enrolled at MBI
Mary Ann is offically now a working student. She is currently enrolled at Moody Bible Institute taking 3 classes and she is loving it. She has lots of reading assignments and papers to write so she is busy. She is able to do this because she received 2 large donations to cover these costs for which we thank the Lord.

11. Swamped with reports
With the new year comes required year end and new year reports, audits and preparations for our March International Council meetings in Calgary, Alberta. We also a have few evaluation forms for supporting churches to fill out. I don't think we have ever had so many reports to write at one time so pray for us as we manage our time and keep our heads clear as we tackle these several at a time. Being in administration we do understand the necessity of reporting but we sure wish the deadlines could be spread out over the course of a year. Please don't misunderstand, we're not complaining. It is just the reality that these reports are on top of everything else we do daily. We need God's enabling.

12. Update on our kids
In early January, John Mark and Micah decided to call off their engagement after much discussion and prayer. We agree with their decision. As a result, Micah will be visiting us for her 2 week leave, Lord willing, in April to take a break from her duties in Iraq and to explore possible ministry opportunities for after her demobilization in July. We are praying and looking into the possibility of her returning to serve in our ministries as well as work on her Master's Degree online.

Amos' graduation is just around the corner and he is seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel after 5 plus years of graduate studies at Caltech. Lord willing he will graduate June 12 and at least Mary Ann will attend and perhaps me if I can work out the time and if funds are available for airfare. Amos continues to look at various job opportunities so he would appreciate prayer.

Closing:
Since our 2 week Christmas and New Year break I have been reading some good books, namely "Marriage to a Difficult Man" about Jonathan and Sarah Edwards, "A Crime so Monstrous" about modern day slavery, and "Proverbs" a commentary written by Charles Bridges which is one of our recent Bookshare titles. If you can get ahold of these books, I recommend them to you. I am not a good reader but reading good books refreshes and challenges one's mind and soul.

The other day when Mary Ann and I were having breakfast with Praise, I told her with all sincerity, I am still amazed at God's grace for choosing the likes of me to come into a personal relationship with Christ and to serve Him as a missionary. I pray I never lose that sense of wonderment. Today I read John 15:16 which sums it up well "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, and that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you." It is an awesome privilege to be sent by the Lord of the harvest to serve Him and others as a missionary. Thank you for being a part of our sending team.