November 4, 2007
Mary Ann, Dave and Becky Majam their daughter Elisa and I visited the kick-off feeding today at Floodway, Cainta lead by Pastor Marlo Magbanua and his wife Rochette of Agape Christian Church. The location is formerly flood prone land built-up along the Pasig River. However many of the homes are on stilts over this out of the way swamp land and the 300+ families are very poor eking out a living scavenging recyclable items from the nearby garbage dump or in nearby factories. Kids are everywhere with many sickly and malnourished.
There is no church in the area so Marlo and his team of diligent workers are holding Bible studies and visiting families during the week and recently started simple worship services Sunday afternoons. Many of Agape's workers are young people Marlo recruited to attended ACTION camps over the years where they came to know Christ and are now trusted workers.
I met also Marlon today who came to know Christ in 2002 at an ACTION family camp and is now working in Saudia Arabia. He arrived in Manila last Friday and he gave his testimony at today's feeding. He said before he trusted Christ he was a trouble maker and a headache to a pastor friend of Marlo's but today he made it clear to the parents of the kids involved in the feeding he loves and serves Jesus. Many parents expressed their appreciation to the Agape team and us from ACTION for our ministry among them.
To me there are two questions that go closely together in our ministries among the poor:
1. Friend have had anything to eat today?
2. Friend do you know Jesus as your Savior?
When a hungry person is given something to eat and his stomach is full he can see the Gospel in action and listen with comprehension to it's proclamation.To be clear we don't use food as a manipulation to get people to listen to the Message but we do feed them in the name of Christ whether they listen or not. Pray that the seeds of the Gospel will take deep root in the hearts of these dear people living in the swamp land along the Pasig River.
There is no church in the area so Marlo and his team of diligent workers are holding Bible studies and visiting families during the week and recently started simple worship services Sunday afternoons. Many of Agape's workers are young people Marlo recruited to attended ACTION camps over the years where they came to know Christ and are now trusted workers.
I met also Marlon today who came to know Christ in 2002 at an ACTION family camp and is now working in Saudia Arabia. He arrived in Manila last Friday and he gave his testimony at today's feeding. He said before he trusted Christ he was a trouble maker and a headache to a pastor friend of Marlo's but today he made it clear to the parents of the kids involved in the feeding he loves and serves Jesus. Many parents expressed their appreciation to the Agape team and us from ACTION for our ministry among them.
To me there are two questions that go closely together in our ministries among the poor:
1. Friend have had anything to eat today?
2. Friend do you know Jesus as your Savior?
When a hungry person is given something to eat and his stomach is full he can see the Gospel in action and listen with comprehension to it's proclamation.To be clear we don't use food as a manipulation to get people to listen to the Message but we do feed them in the name of Christ whether they listen or not. Pray that the seeds of the Gospel will take deep root in the hearts of these dear people living in the swamp land along the Pasig River.
Colossians 1:28 is our motivation: "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ".
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