Only Three Terms Left

Praise God! We just finish first term* of this school year and we are now on a short break. Elena and I are already counting our remaining terms here at the seminary. There are only three terms left and we'll reach our goal of finishing "the race marked out for us!" Again, we would like to thank you for all your prayers and support. You are all our living "cloud of witnesses" that encourage us. Each day we are blessed with strength to run the race with perseverance.

This term was a great ministry opportunity for us to work with PBTS-AVSTM (Asia-Vision Short Term Mission). The Lord has wonderfully blessed us with a team of fellow students with the same passion for missions. In the last two months we have visited 6 churches - doing ministry report, sharing our stories from the field and preaching the word of God. It is our prayer that out of these churches God will raise up missionaries. 

*a TERM is equivalent to 8 weeks of classes. 

Please pray for Filipino churches to send out more laborers into His harvest field (Matthew 9:38).

PBTS Chapel Service

Short-Term Missionaries 2012 singing Grace Alone. 
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      Last July 10 was a momentous event for students and faculty of the seminary as STM 2012 was officially closed and STM 2013 was inaugurated. Dressed in different Asian costume, we sang our ministry theme song Grace Alone (by Scott Wesley Brown and Jeff Nelson). The song reminds us that it was through His grace that we were able to minister to at least 7 countries in Southeast Asia last April and May. Everyone of us has his/her own memorable experience of His grace while in the field. During the service, five students shared their ministry experience in Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos and Thailand. 
      We ended the chapel service with a challenge for another batch of short-term missionaries next summer. Many said that they were blessed and challenged after hearing our different stories.

with Inae Lee and Dadai Dela Paz (Thailand & Myanmar Team)
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      Though most of the time Thailand was our country of ministry, here, we are wearing the traditional dress of Myanmar.

Here is the chorus of the song Grace Alone: Grace alone which God supplies. Strength unknown He will provide. Christ in us, our cornerstone. We will go forth in grace alone.


With much joy and thanksgiving,
Ef and Elena

Back in PBTS, Baguio City

Together with students from Bangladesh
during the PBTS acquaintance party.

We are now back again in seminary life after two months of short-term ministry. First week was a difficult adjustment. It was like our minds were not ready yet to engage in study. Thanks God we are now quite okay. Thanks God also for what had happened in the last four weeks since we arrived here in Baguio City. We were given opportunities to share our report and testimonies about our internship in Thailand and Myanmar. We are now part of a team (PBTS-Asia Vision Short-Term Mission) that visits different churches here in Benguet to give report and share our ministry stories. This is a new and challenging ministry for us because in a way we are mobilizing the churches for missions. Many churches are still yet to be involved in missions and we are glad that our stories can be used by God to a spark that desire on them. 

Prayer Requests:

1) Please pray for our team. We will be in the ministry of missions mobilization for the whole school year of 2012-2013.

2) Please pray for opportunities to conduct missions education in churches especially among pastors and leaders.

3) Please pray for God's guidance each time Ef preaches in churches.

Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers. Kop kun kha/krap (Thank you in Thai).

Ministry in Phitsanulok

Pilgrims all over Thailand come and visit this temple in Phitsanulok.

Phitsanulok is the capital city of Phitsanulok Province located between Bangkok and Chiangmai. It is one of the oldest cities in Thailand founded over 600 years ago. According to our host the population of the city is more or less 1 million people. We stayed in Phitsanulok from May 23-31 in the house of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) staff. Taa (pronounced as Ta), our Thai host introduced as to the city through prayer walk. Four of us including IC, beat the heat of the day as we walked around the city, visiting major religious places. Phitsanulok is noted for the presence of the second most important Buddha image all over Thailand. While inside the temple, we can really feel the spiritual blindness of Thai people - "they need to hear the good news," we cried in our hearts.

This is Taa, he started YWAM's ministry in Phitsanulok among breakdancers and skateborders two years ago. He wants to see a new generation of discipled believers starting new churches in Phitsanulok and the surrounding provinces.





During our stay, Taa involved us in discipleship/mentoring of new believers, home visitation, prayer gatherings, church service and jail ministry.

Jail Ministry

  
< We went out from this jail overwhelmed with joy that God opened a door for us to proclaim the gospel among teenage prisoners.

Prayerwalking in Myanmar

Female monks on the street of Tachileik.

We went back to Myanmar last May 18-20 for visa purposes (just the three of us). We need extra days in Thailand so we have to cross the border and go back again to obtain another 15 days of stay. While in Myanmar, God prompted us to explore the town and pray for the people. So we went to some of the key places of Tachileik, like temples and pagodas. There are two areas that we felt God want us to focus during our prayerwalk. We have to pray for the people - those who are yet to hear the good news and for the Body of Jesus to be the light and salt of this town. As we walked one early morning we were greeted by the sight of young female monks lining up the streets of the town. It was notable and heartbreaking at the same time.

It was also an opportunity to encouraged IC to pray for the children. Even at his age we want to teach him that children need to know and worship God.

                                                                             




This is the Tachileik Shwedagon Pagoda located on top of a hill overlooking the whole town. We went inside the premises and spent time in prayer as our eyes observed how people revere the place.

Stopover in Chiangmai

With Pastor Steve Knudtsen

After our ministry (May 21) in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai we went to Chiangmai for a couple of days of visit with the Knudtsens, Bethany International m's. Steve and Alberta are long time friends and mentors of Elena since youth at Bethany San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

For many years we just communicated through e-mail while they were still in the U.S. but finally we had the opportunity to meet and chat with them. In many ways, the Knudtsens serve as our encouragers, model in the ministry (specially in the area of missions) and partners as well.

With Manang Alberta

They brought us for a day of trip to a beautiful safari in Chiangmai. The place is so nice and relaxing and most of the animals we saw for the first time. We enjoyed feeding the giraffes and touching the deers that just roam around.

We learned in our journey that there are times in our service to God that we go through difficult situations but  there are also times that God would shower us with wonderful gifts such as our stopover in Chiangmai. We never expect of receiving gifts like this one. After our time with the Knudtsens in Chiangmai we cannot helped ourselves but offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his generous gifts through them.

Out of I.C.'s gladness, he drew pictures of our time in the safari.

A Short Visit at Karen Refugee Camp

On our way to Mae La Camp (click picture for bigger size).

Last April 4, the day after we arrived in Bangkok we traveled to Mae Sot for 10 hours by bus. It was a memorable experience for Ian Carlo because it was his first time to ride a double deck bus. In Mae Sot, we had the opportunity to minister to Karen (Myanmar tribe) believers living in Thailand. We also visited Mae La Camp, a large refugee camp for Karen. "The camp is very wide. I think thousands of people living there. We sang our outreach theme song in one of their high school class. While we were singing the song 'Grace Alone,' I cannot control my tears. It is because by God's grace that we were there singing in front of the refugees - face to face." - journal entry of Elena, April 4, 2012. 

The result of civil war.

We also visited the Karen Handicap Welfare Association which house the victims of the Civil War. Again, we sang the song "Grace Alone" and they also sang to us a Karen Christian song which really moved our hearts. Their physical condition is very sad as a result of war. Most were blind and amputated, either of hands or feet but they were an encouragement to us because despite of their condition they still manage to make handicrafts which they sell to visitors. We left the camp sad about the plight of the refugees but also blessed that Karen Christians are strong in their faith to the Lord.