MISSION TO THE PHILIPPINES ‐ Randy

Andrew and Randy Hongo and eight other short term mission team members from their home church, Kalihi Union, will conduct a twoweek mission to the Philippines from June 10-25.

They will first visit the central islands of Bacolod for three days to help Pat McArdle and the Youth With A Mission group in that city with their outreach work to street children. Two outdoor programs with songs, Hawaiian hula, drama, balloon making, testimonies and a Gospel message are on the team’s schedule, along with the clean‐up of a local church.

The group will then fly to the province of Pangasinan for ten days. In the city of Dagupan, the team will partner with Pastor Rolando Santiago at the Kalinga Children’s Shelter, a ministry to orphans in the town that has been supported by Kalihi Union for the past seven years. Pastor Rolando will also have the team visit City Mayor Al Fernandez as well as conduct an outreach to street children, doing balloon ministry and teaching songs and Bible verses.

The team will next visit the city of Santa Barbara, participating in a flag ceremony with Mayor Velasco and visit the Eagle’s Nest Christian Academy to do a chapel service for the students. Also scheduled is a visit to the Primicias Church where the team will participate in the dedication and prayer ceremony for a new plot of land that was donated to the Church to serve the 100 families that live in the area. We will also be visiting different schools for VOICE (Values Orientation In Classroom Experience) where gifts of basketballs and volleyballs will be presented to the children.

San Fabian is the next city on the schedule with a program at the public school, a tree planting ceremony for the children of the village of Alacan, and a ground breaking ceremony for a school and a training center where the group will present offerings given by U.S. and Canadian believers. Another outreach effort is The Goat Ministry where funds are raised so that goats can be purchased for $54 each, with a family then chosen to care for and breed the goat. The goat yields two kids every eight months with the family returning one kid back to the mission sponsor to give out to another family to start the cycle again. Funds raised by the Hawaii team members ‐ enough to purchase several goats ‐ will be presented at a local ceremony.

In La Union, Cabantuan, Nueva Ecija, and Bongabon, there will be home fellowship, feeding children at the Olivete Elementary School, and a medical mission where vitamins and medicine for colds, cough and fever will be distributed to the people in those villages.

The mission will be a solid two weeks of hard work for the team members. Please be in prayer for Dennis Arakaki, Rowena, Romina and Chris Furr, Jackie Gamboa, Shelly Hokama, Waku Takemura, Yoriko Young and the Hongos as they reach out to minister to the souls, minds and bodies of the people of the Philippines. Their daily prayer is “Father, we pray that the people would hear Your voice and that they would not harden their hearts.” Psalm 95: 6‐8.

CHRISTMAS IN VIETNAM

Last December found the Hongo Family and Liliko Iizuka from the Kalihi Union Church Japanese department on a mission to Saigon, Vietnam. Invited to perform at a Christmas concert by Campus Crusade and several area pastors, the team spent two weeks singing for the city‐wide concert, for local churches and for small group meetings throughout the city.

The picture at right shows Gay and Liliko surrounded by girls from the Campus Crusade group, dressed and ready to perform an interpretive dance at the concert which was held at the 1000‐seat Saigon Cultural Theater. In addition to our Hawaii team, musical groups and guest singers from churches in the city took part in the program.

The theme of the evening was “Saigon Christmas meets Hawaii Christmas,” a cross cultural exchange of how the holiday is celebrated in our two countries. We shared hula and songs about a “green and bright” Mele Kalikimaka holiday and told of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Andrew gave a ten minute message in Vietnamese, testifying that the God who made the heavens and the earth around us was the same God that sent Jesus to be Savior of the World. A local pastor also gave a message, closing with an invitation. About 25 people came forward to accept Christ. Some came to the stage, others just stood at their seats in the balcony or from their upper level seats.

Other ministry opportunities included: two coffee house concerts, one for a local church, the other for an English class taught by Filipino missionaries; a morning service at the Gao Vap Church which Andrew was a member of during his years of missionary service in Saigon; an afternoon service at Immanuel Fellowship, a church that ministers to the hundreds of Filipinos who work in the city; a concert for an English class of Japanese housewives whose husbands are executives establishing their businesses in Saigon; home meetings where we gave our testimonies and shared our praise songs.

Liliko is a born missionary, pleasant, friendly, engaging, always ready to meet people and extend aloha to them, always ready at the drop of a hat to minister the love of Jesus. One day we were at a women’s dress shop ‐ shopping is a big thing in Saigon and of course, Gay and Liliko had to support the local economy. The woman who owned the shop was happy to meet us and gave a large discount for our purchases. I suggested to Gay and Liliko that we sing a song or two for the lady to express our thanks and to plant a seed for the Lord. Gay and I sang our song a capella, while Liliko whipped off a shawl she was wearing around her shoulders, tied it around her waist sarong‐style and proceeded to dance a hula as if this impromptu performance had actually been pre‐planned. That kind of on‐the‐spot readiness is the mark of a true missionary, always ready to give, act and move in an effort to win people’s friendship which we pray will lead to winning them to Jesus Christ. This kind of attitude was shared by all four team members and was a blessing to the local believers as well as to the non‐Christian friends we met. We pray whatever seeds were planted will bear fruit in God’s time.

What a privilege to serve with our brothers and sisters in Saigon in the city‐wide Christmas outreach concert. To the left is a picture of some of the concert personnel taken after our program including one of the local pastors that sponsored the concert, the emcees, the band and some of the stage crew. Donations from you ‐ our Christian Vision ohana ‐ went toward paying for rental of the theater and sound system, and for hiring buses that transported the elderly from nearby care homes and hospitals. We know good work was done for God’s kingdom glory.

Some of our most fervent ministry partners in Saigon since the years Andrew served there as a missionary (2004‐2006) have been the Filipinos who live and work in the city. In the picture at right, we are ministering at Immanuel Fellowship for Pastor Romel and his congregation. Filipinos love music, so the songs and dances of our Hawaiian culture and are faith are extremely well‐received. Here we are singing our highest praises to the Lord Jesus, with the congregation clapping and shouting their hallelujahs to the Lord as we corporately approach the throne of Grace.

Our coffee house concert to Vietnamese college students finds Gay below teaching “Pearly shells from the ocean...” to eager learners. The Hawaiian culture we share in every program has certainly been used by God to build bridges with people from other countries: the fact is, everyone in the world LOVES Hawaii.

On our final night in Saigon, we had a farewell party at Good Morning Vietnam, Andrew’s favorite local pizza parlor. Seated to Randy’s left is a Filipino missionary, standing is a local Vietnamese sister in Christ. Three nations represented, one Jesus Christ exalted and adored.

In addition to Takita Sensei’s church, we thank the following churches for receiving our ministry: Sagami Chuo Church, Kawagoe King’s Graden, Okegawa Evangelical Free Church (EFC), Shinkoiwa Baptist Church, Kashiwa EFC, Aoba Christ Church, Sakado Reformed Church, West Ageo Evangelical Church, Koshigaya EFC and Yashio Hopeful EFC. We pray believers’ hearts were encouraged and that non‐believers were touched by our songs and testimonies for the Lord Jesus Christ. A very special mahalo to Mr. and Mrs. Noguchi of Saitama who arranged our concert schedule, and to Mr. and Mrs. Iizuka from Kawasaki City, Liliko’s parents, who hosted us throughout our two week stay. The Lord blesses us with partners like these who enable us to serve Him for His glory.

JAPAN IN JANUARY

Following our two weeks in Saigon, the team moved on to Tokyo, Japan. Andrew had to return to Hawaii to teach at Hawaii Baptist Academy so we weren’t able to share hula duets like the above which featured the demonstration of Hawaiian implements. But Liliko was more than capable of presenting the hula solo to the delight of our Japanese audiences. After the heat and humidity of Saigon, we were looking forward to the cool weather of Japan. We didn’t realize it was going to be freezing! As you can see in the photo at right, we’re all bundled up with heavy coats and scarves. We are pictured with Reverend and Mrs. Takita in front of their beautiful new Katayanagi Evangelical Free Church. We’ve sung in the past at the former church, an older, smaller structure down a narrow lane. It was therefore a big surprise to drive up to a brand new three story edifice in wide open acreage with dozens of cars in the parking lot. God has blessed Takita Sensei as he has faithfully served and reached out to the non‐believers in his Saitama community.

We are privileged to be sent by our Christian Vision supporters around the world to bring Good News to those who are lost and in darkness. Thank you for your kokua in this important work for the past 27 years. Because of you, we are able to go and encourage young people ‐ like these high school students from Shibuya in the picture at left. They attend Hi‐BA, (High School Born Again), a ministry led by Paul and Carol Suzuki. Paul’s parents, Yokichi and Nancy are from our home church. Paul was thankful that we were able to speak and sing to his young people, especially since Liliko was a member of Hi‐BA during her younger days. Her powerful testimony touched the hearts of the youth at our concert and, we pray, drew them closer to Jesus. Because you sent us to preach the Good News to the people of Vietnam and Japan, they could hear the word of God and, we pray, will believe in Jesus one day. That is our prayer on behalf of all missionaries around the world.

Wednesday - June 10

From the moment we gathered at the Kalihi Union Youth House Wednesday morning to pack up all of the donations to bring to the people here in the Philippines, the presence of the Lord was strong and energizing among the mission team members.  There are ten of us and we all know we are called by the Lord to do something special for his Kingdom during the coming two weeks.  Team members are:  Dennis Arakaki, Rowena, Romina and Christopher Furr, Jackie Gamboa, Shelly Hokama, Andrew and Randy Hongo, Waku Takemura and Yoriko Young.

Meeting us at the Youth House to feed us breakfast, to help pack clothing and supplies in boxes and suitcases, to help transport and to send us off with a big Kalihi aloha are KUC ohana Glenn Nakasaki, Michi Arakaki, Aileen Asato, Darian Ching, Kendal Fong, Gay Hongo, Lisa Lee, Joel McClatchey and Michiko Takemura.  As the time for departure to the airport came, the mission team forms an inner circle while the KUC ohana stands around us in an outer circle to lay hands on us and to pray for God's protection and guidance as we left for the field.  

It is a true spirit of Christian unity that joins us together in that Youth House garage, reminding us of the passage from Ephesians that was the theme of our 95th anniversary last August.  Ephesians 4: 1-6 calls us to lead lives "worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in all."
 
We recall the unity of purpose and encouragement that we received from our KUC family throughout our support raising and preparation for this trip during the past year.  As one body, the KUC ohana prayed for our team as we met to study the Bible and prepare our hearts for the challenging work that lay ahead of us, to put together our Gospel bracelets and practice our drama and skits and songs for presentation on the field.  They came out to have their cars washed and to buy tickets to our luncheons (big mahalos to Craig Ikeda and Dottie Chong and their crew) and to donate clothing and household goods for our garage sales.  And they responded with generous hearts to the letters from mission team members seeking financial kokua for this Philippines outreach.  In so many ways, we felt the love and kindness of our brothers and sisters in Christ at Kalihi Union Church; we are one body, one Spirit, called to worship and love one Lord, one God and Father of all.  
 
Because of your example and support, we know the work ahead will be challenging, but we commit ourselves to serving with humility, gentleness and patience, always seeking the will and guidance of the Father through every joy and every struggle that will lie ahead.  And we know that as a mission team doing spiritual warfare in a needy land, the enemy will throw distractions and roadblocks our way.  We are committed to being more than conquerors, to binding satan and all of his minions from destroying the work God wants to do in and through us, and to do all in the bond of His peace.
 
Mahalo again to all our KUC family for your fantastic support for this trip - and for all the mission trips teams like ours have made through the years.

Friday - June 12

I write this early Friday morning from the Pearl Garden Hotel in Manila.  My roomie Dennis got up at 6:30, I woke at 7:30.  We both had a good night's sleep; neither of our snoring bothered the other brother so all will be well throughout the trip.  Andrew just called; his roommates Waku and Christopher are still asleep.  We will meet the whole gang for breakfast in the hotel dining room in about twenty minutes.  Our first meal in Manila, our first devotional time when we can praise God on Philippines soil for this marvelous opportunity to serve His Kingdom.
 
Before I sign off, I want to say a word of thanks to Japan Airlines - not to promote it in any way, but just to acknowledge the quality service and attitude the company has given to our team.  Or maybe it was just that Uncle Dennis is so well-known and has ukupaila connections that the red carpet was rolled out for us from Honolulu all the way to Manila. 
 
First praise:  JAL allowed us to bring 32 boxes and suitcases with us!  At a time when other carriers are charging $15 for the first piece of luggage or $100 for a suitcase over 50 pounds (isn't that incredible?), Japan Airlines waived all charges and allowed us to bring our personal belongings and our gifts to the communities here for free.  
 
Second praise:  JAL seated us in the top bubble part our 747 from Honolulu to Tokyo; it's a smaller, quieter area for about 60 passengers in the upper deck where the seats have a little more space and the service seems more personal and accommodating than in the main cabin.  It could be that the JAL flight attendants are more gracious than those at other airlines, but we all agreed that they took good care of us.  
 
Third praise:  JAL upgraded our group to business class for the leg from Tokyo to Manila.  Our team (with the exception of Christopher) was seated in the section right behind first class although the seats in our area seemed just as luxurious and ultra-padded as those in first class with ample leg room and storage space.  The food and drink were delicious and abundant, the entertainment options included a personal television at every seat, the service was exceptional and gracious.  Because Christopher had officially become a team member after the rest of the group's tickets were purchased, his seat was not part of our reservation and he was not able to sit with us in business class because of the full flight, even after efforts were made to upgrade him.  But caring and nurturing a mother as Rowena is, after the meal was served, she switched seats so that Chris could ride the second half of the four-hour flight to Manila in business class.  You notice I said, AFTER the meal.  Rowena may be a loving mama but she's a smart cookie at the same time, sharing some of her business class perks with her son but enjoying her share as well.
 
We don't know why Japan Airlines was so kind to us.  Perhaps it was the people that Dennis knew or the fact that people knew Dennis from his public persona as a politician and Hawaii Family Forum president.  Or perhaps JAL was aware of our reason for visiting the Philippines and wanted to bless us in a tangible way for the goodwill we will extend to the Filipino people.  Whatever the reason, we all praised God - I heard an enthusiastic "thank you Jesus" from Andrew as we entered the business class section - and acknowledged His goodness in enabling us to travel in such a comfortable, enjoyable manner.
 
We did speculate that all this blessing at the beginning might be God's way of balancing the struggles that may lie ahead on our mission.  Not sure how Scriptural that skeptical thinking might be, but if rough times do come, we are ready and empowered by the Holy Spirit to handle every battle.  We've been preparing for spiritual warfare for months and nine of us came on this mission last year so we know the frustrations the enemy may fling in our paths.  But whatever the reasons for our deluxe air passage to this Asian nation, we thank the Lord for giving Good Gifts to His children.  We receive all in the name of Jesus, and say, thank you, dear Father.  And now...off to the mission field!
 
Be praying for us as we make our way this afternoon to Bacolod to work with Pat McArdle and the Youth With A Mission team in that city.  Next week Monday, we will travel to Pangasinan to serve with Pastor Rolando and Christ Our Life Missions in that province.  To God be the glory for the miracles and victories He will accomplish in the days to come in and through these earthen vessels.
 
Aloha in Jesus our Lord,
 
Randy Hongo

FRIDAY-June 12

The Lord is blessing as we begin our mission work here in the Philippines.  After a restful night at our Manila hotel, the team is ready to fly to Bacolod to help Pat McArdle.  

Eight young men had come from Pastor Rolando's Christ Our Life Ministries (COLM) mission in Dagupan to meet us at the airport upon our arrival late Thursday night.  They brought three vans with them to transport the 32 boxes and suitcases we brought with us to our hotel (they spent the night), then will transport everything back to Dagupan.  They will hold our individual suitcases for us as we are taking hand-carries up to Bacolod with us, and will hold the boxes with clothing and supplies for distribution to the community when we get to Dagupan on Sunday.

Everyone wakes up in time for breakfast at 8:30, then our devotion time at 9:30 am.  Andrew leads the devotion, reading from John 14:  12:  "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will also do the works that I do; in fact he will do greater works than these because I am going to the Father."  We are asked to share what we expect God to do with our gifts here on the field, and are reminded from the Word that we will do the great things that Jesus Himself did, and even greater things as He is "going to the Father."  As we consider the experiences from last year (nine of the ten team members served in 2008) the questions are considered:  can we pray and heal the sick?  can we pray and make the dead rise?  what type of needs do I think God will lead me to pray for, general needs or specific needs like cancer or family dysfunction or sexual struggles?  The thought is shared:  Jesus said "feed my sheep," so we will feed and minister as God leads.  Then we have prayer time.  The group is committed to being God's patient, flexible and mutually encouraging servants during our time on the field.  An excellent beginning for an already unified, bonded team.

At 11 am, the eight men in three vans drive us to the Manila Airport for our 1:30 pm flight, then return to Dagupan.  Two of the men - Mike and Glenn - will go with us to Bacolod.  We need their manpower in the tasks Pat has planned for us, but it is also good for them as members of Pastor Rolando's ministry to see what mission effort is being done in other parts of the Philippines.  Kalihi Union supports COLM in its own outreach in Dagupan and surrounding areas, but it is beneficial for COLM servants to gain a vision of God's work beyond their community.  It will help them become better servants for the Lord and we are happy to have them join the team; Mike and Glenn are both young, musically talented, good fun to be with so they easily fill out our team.

Our flight to Bacolod aboard Cebu Pacific Airlines is about fifty minutes.  The group is hungry (amazing, since we ate a full breakfast at 8:30 am) so sandwiches and meals are purchased for the flight.  Waku Takemura sits next to me grinding on his pork and rice with gravy.  Some of these young people can really put that food away.  The boys, too!  No joke, Romina and Jackie have healthy appetites.  But of course, they "need the nourishment" for the work to come (we're all using that excuse...).  

The flight is calm and uneventful, except for the active interaction of the flight attendants with the passengers.  First they come down the aisles and serve us drinks - which we need to purchase.  Then they come down a second time to offer souvenirs - which we need to purchase.  Then they come down a third time with another array of souvenirs for our consideration.  Talk about high-powered sales.  I know, I know:  bad pun - high...altitude...I can hear you laughing.

Anyway, the clincher comes as the three attendants - young, slim, attractive - grab the intercom and face the passengers:  it's game time!  Game time?  On an airplane?  Never had the experience before, but we're all looking forward to it because there is a competition-in-fun streak among our team members.  Actually, we all have had the experience of playing the "guess what time is half way to Hawaii" game on trans-Pacific flights, but writing your guess on a piece of paper and handing it in to the flight attendant is acceptable game playing on airplanes; silent, anonymous, low-key and you are never doing something as tacky and gauche as actually playing "with" the people around you.  This is something new for us.  "So Filipino," one of our team intones.

On Cebu Airlines, the young ladies stand upfront like sleek-dark-hair-pulled-back-in-a-bun, almond-eyed Vanna Whites talking to the people and explaining the rules:  "whoever is the first to show us the item we will be naming will win a prize...as offered by Centrum Products."  Aha!  The lightbulb over our head goes on:  it dawns on us that the cart that rolled down the aisle in triplicate was festooned with stickers and labels all trumpeting 'CENTRUM.'  This airlines must be owned by Centrum Products and company hotshots are trying in every way to promote their array of vitamins and minerals to the stuck-in-the-cabin passengers:  talk about a captive audience.  We have nowhere to run.

So now we know why there is so much interaction between attendants and travelers.  But, we can handle - we're Hawaiians.  Let the games begin.  

First question:  "who can show me a...chocolate bar?"  Rowena and Yoriko are searching through their backpacks, Dennis is scrambling through his candy lei to see if there is a Hershey's wrapped among the red cellophane...but before we can locate one, a Filipina in the back thrusts her bar up in victory.  "Shucks," go the mission team.  "Let's try harder."

Second question:  "who can show me a...jacket?"  We fumble through our belongings, Andrew is the fastest, grabbing his black windbreaker from his backpack and holding it high in anticipated victory.  "The winner is the gentleman in the back," intones Miss Cebu Pacific.

Okay, Hawaii team - we know we can do it.  We're gamers...we're players.  One last try.  

Third question:  "who can show me a.....book?"  Randy, having the item in hand just in case, thrusts up his passport in a nanosecond, assured of victory, instead earning a withering glance of disapproval from Vanna Manila.  Because we are seated in the first few rows, the flight attendants can easily see and hear the Hawaii gang, expressing a possible hint of disdain at the over-enthusiasm of "those loud Americans."  Apparently my passport does not count as a book.  Come on, Hawaii team - wasn't anyone reading their Bible on the flight?  Surely one of you has God's Word in hand, ready to hold high the Holy Treasure and claim the victory laurels.  But no, scrambling again in futility, the Hawaii team comes up short.  A Filipina "in the back" wins the prize, probably lifting up the latest Danielle Steel melodramatic tome that has earned the already affluent author another two million dollars.  Sorry God, we weren't fast enough with our Bibles - we lost this round to a potboiler romance novel.

Darn, we felt that victory should have been ours at least once - Andrew was fast with his book and jacket, holding them up, we thought, as soon as the objects were called.  But the victory always went to someone "in the back."  Of course we could not see "in the back" since we were up front but apparently we were slower than row twenty or row thirty-three.  

Still, the innocuous question was posed to one of the passing attendants post-game:  "is this game only for Filipinos or can Americans win too?"  Another withering glance that could melt steel.  Oh well, you can't win them all.  Or in our case, you can't win any of them.  Easy victory for Centrum.

Enough of high-altitude whimsicalities.  

We land in Bacolod, it takes awhile for our few suitcases to come off the carousel.  As we're waiting, I spot Pat McArdle in the throng outside the glass door and wave to her.  She smiles back and waves enthusiastically.  We finally get our luggage, walk into the Bacolod heat - actually it's not as hot as we thought it would be - and greet Pat and one of her assistants, a young Filipina named Lod Lod.  We board a jeepney - long like a limousine, open on all sides, and rustic in the manner of an old jalopy although painted in fresh fluorescent green - and head for our hotel.  

It's a half hour ride from the airport into Bacolod City and as we ride, we notice how much this area with its abundant verdure and waving sugar cane looks so much like Hawaii - especially the big island where I'm from.  This really is a beautiful place.

We check into the Tamera Plaza Inn, unpack and rest a bit, before we catch another jeepney to go to the Youth With A Mission headquarters that is a short distance from the hotel.  We meet the whole team - Rose from Canada, Sonya from Germany, and David, Ami, Ligaya and Shelley from the Philippines.  Their home is a two-story, spacious Spanish mansion with high ceilings and dark-wood floors.  Because it was old and thought by the locals to be inhabited by ghosts, the building was considered "undesireable" and YWAM was able to purchase, remodel, upgrade and physically and spiritually cleanse the home for God's use.  We all sit down to a spaghetti dinner with vegetable salad.  Christopher offers the prayer in a clear, confident voice.  I'm blessed to see how Chris has grown since last year - physically yes, but more importantly in spiritual ways.  I see him as a young man with a bright future as God's servant.   Lively discussion ensues as everyone devours the delicious Bacolod spaghetti.  

After dinner, we go to the Charise (ka-reese) Community Church for a program to the youth group.  About forty-five children and youth attend, all enthusiastic, most of them from the church but a few of them non-Christian friends of the church members.  The children thoroughly enjoy our presentation:  praise songs like Lord I Lift Your Name and Cast Your Burden, Hawaiian hula like Holo Holo Ka'a (the men) and Lord of the Islands (the women), Waku's virtuosic ukulele playing, testimonies by Jackie, Rowena and Mike from Dagupan, the pantomime/drama to the song "King of Glory" and Andrew's message on giving your heart to Jesus with translation by Rowena.

Following the message, the invitation is given for the young people to come up for prayer - boys from our team standing on the left to pray, girls on the right.  A handful come up at first, but as the invitation is extended a few more walk forward to receive prayer.  I'm at the keyboard providing background music, Mike is on guitar, Glenn is on drums.  The young people are encouraged and ministered to during this time.  

After the program during the fellowship hour, Rowena comes and asks me to pray for Ken, a 15-year old struggling with sexual purity.  Rowena and I lay hands as I ask the Lord to help this young man overcome temptation whenever it enters his heart.  Ken really wants to lead a pure life but as a young man dealing with surging hormones, it is a struggle.  I add in my prayer that when Ken weakens and falls, that he will confess his sin as John 1: 9 instructs, knowing that the Lord will hear his confession and be faithful and just to forgive his sins and cleanse him from all unrighteousness.  The enemy's tactic is to make a person feel so defeated from falling to sin that he gives up the desire and effort to lead a life of purity altogether; I wanted to let Ken know that he can turn to God in his sinful state and be restored by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Ken was thankful for the prayer.  I see him a few minutes later passing out baked goodies that he had brought for everyone to enjoy - a thoughtful young man whom we will keep in prayer.

After a blessed evening of ministry, we head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. 

SATURDAY - June 13

The team is divided into two groups.  Group one will go to to the town of Don Salvador Benedicto, two hours away in the mountains outside of Bacolod.  The team will clean up an old campground in preparation for YWAM's first pastors' conference to be held in two weeks.  This hard-working crew consists of Yoriko, Rowena, Shelly, Dennis, Mike and Glenn.  Group two has the physically less taxing job though equally important as it will be doing an outreach to children in a public plaza.  Members of this group are Jackie, Romina, Christopher, Waku, Andrew and Randy.  

Group two spends the morning at the YWAM center in praise, worship and prayer for the mountain team.  We are assigned to create signs, posters, thank you cards and greeting cards for the pastors that will be attending the conference.  Yes it sounds like easy craft-type work, coloring and drawing, but it takes time and effort - especially for those of us who are artistically challenged.  Following lunch at YWAM, we prepare for our afternoon outreach.  

The mid-afternoon program is held at a public park called The Plaza, with our audience being street children that Pat and the YWAM team regularly minister to, partnering with another ministry led by Sister Aileen and Sister Melba.  About forty children gather at the appointed hour - many dirty and not having recently bathed, but all brimming with the joy of childhood despite their lowly physical station.  We are happy to be with them.  

Our program consists of lively praise songs - Father Abraham, This Is The Day sung in English and the local Ilongo tongue, Cast Your Burdens - as well as Hawaiian hula by all and Waku's ukulele showstopper which the kids watch with mouths agape.  

The message is delivered by Christopher in the form of his personal testimony; Sister Aileen translates.  Chris tells how he came to Christ through hearing the Gospel message preached at a Summer Fun program at Kalihi Union Church, how at first it was a challenge trying to understand his faith, but how he slowly has learned more of the meaning of God's love for him and how he prays the same for the young children listening.  Although the range of the children is from about 3 to 12 years old, they all listen reasonably intently, with the rest of the mission team praying from the sidelines as Chris speaks.

We also pray for the people on the periphery of our grassy area - another forty, by rough count, bystanders:  a few mothers of the children being ministered to, cigarette-smoking older and younger men wondering who these people in bright orange t-shirts are and in what part of the Philippines "Kalihi Union Church" is located, two young couples in different stages of amorous embrace, and an older woman sitting on a nearby bench with a goiter the size of an orange protruding from her throat.  In addition, there are people constantly walking by our gathering.  

We are praying because we want God's Spirit to permeate the space and for the anointing to fall on whoever is near us.  We know God can reach out and touch people's hearts in miraculous ways and we pray that is precisely what He is doing as Chris shares his story.  Following Chris, sister Romina gives a short presentation of the Wordless Book - showing different colors representing different aspects of the Christian life.  This teaching will be repeated in a few minutes in a craft form.

After Chris and Romina finish, Andrew invites the children to accept Jesus.  He says a prayer, the children say amen, and we trust that important work has been done for the Father's Kingdom.  Surely, God loves His little children.

We then lead the children through their craft, the making of their own Gospel bracelet - a piece of cord with colored beads representing different aspects of God's plan that Romina explained a few minutes earlier:  yellow, the color of heaven that Christians will go to when they leave this earth; black, the color of sin that prevents entrance into heaven; red, the blood of Jesus that forgives sin; white, the purity that we can know in Jesus as we accept Him as Lord and Savior; green, the color of new life that we can know in Jesus; blue, the color of the Holy Spirit who guides us as we live as Christians.  The children are thrilled at the craft, at being able to own something given just to them, something new that they can call their very own  They ask for extra bracelets to share with their moms and dads.  A review is made of the different colors, then children are asked questions.  Correct answers earn a prize - a Jesus sticker.  Of course, everyone gets a sticker.  They are all winners.

During this craft time, Sister Aileen distributes Gospel tracts in Ilongo to the bystanders still in the area, still watching and wondering who these strangers are.

After the craft and stickers, it's balloon time.  Making balloons for such a large group is a challenge to process speedily, especially with only one pump.  But the children are patient - they have nowhere to go - so they form a line of boys, a line of girls and they wait patiently for a sword or a flower made for them by the team out of long, slender, brightly-colored balloons.  When the last balloon is dispensed and goodbyes are shared, it's time for further ministry.

The team talks with some of the bystanders who have been reading the tracts.  Are there any questions?  Would they like to pray to receive Jesus?  No one prays to receive Christ, but they readily receive prayer for God's help in their poverty and need.  

Andrew and Pat go to the bench where the woman with the goiter is still sitting.  Sister Aileen and I join them in a minute.  The woman is 60-ish, obviously living on the streets, in faded housedress, unkempt yet still with a smile that gives her a composed dignity.  Sister Aileen translates what Andrew is saying to the woman, telling her the story of the woman with the issue of blood that Jesus healed in an instant.  Sister Aileen follows up with words of encouragement of her own - God is healer, He can cure her.  The four of us lay hands on the woman and pray for her.  Recalling the Scripture we studied during the previous morning's devotions at the Manila hotel, we wonder:  God, will you really heal this woman and allow us the privilege of seeing that goiter melt before our very eyes?  But no, God has other plans.  The woman receives our prayer, thanks us, has a few more words in Ilongo with Sister Aileen, packs up her belongs, and makes her way down the sidewalk toward the north exit of the Plaza.  We trust that God will heal her heart and her body in His perfect time.

The team is spent, exhausted - we've been standing and ministering for about two hours straight.  But God is gracious.  The weather has been balmy and breezy all day; a gray cloud cover has been threatening rain from the beginning of our program, but God withheld the showers and in fact by the end of our meeting, the clouds have gone and the cobalt blue of an early evening sky hovers overhead.  Pat instructs us to walk to a nearby Jollibee (like a MacDonald's) for a time of debriefing.  We order soft drinks - a few of the hungry toilers a burger with fries...after all, dinner is a whole one hour away - and sit down to discuss the day.  

The general consensus:  a total blessing to be able to share our faith in Jesus with these poor and needy children.  We only wish we had facility in the language to make our the sharing of our words clearer.  But with the help of Sister Aileen and Sister Melba and with the understanding that comes from non-verbal communication as the children saw how happy we were to be spending time with them, we all agree that our love for them was evident, that is, God's love in us for every child.  

We make our way back to the hotel and find that the mountain group has already returned.  We listen to the account of their day - they really had to work hard, cleaning many rooms and toilets and windows, moving beds and furniture, doing as much as they could to help the YWAM team prepare for the pastors' conference.  The several YWAM workers who cleaned with the Hawaii team were very thankful for the efforts and humble attitude of team members to do whatever needed to be done.  One YWAM-mer said, "Dennis is the most humble politician I've ever met - he cleaned all the toilets with no complaint."  Indeed, Dennis and all the other team members labored with joy for the Lord.  In fact, Rowena, Shelly and Yoriko said the praise songs led by Glenn from Dagupan and the running laugh-a-minute commentary on life's varied topics by Mike from Dagupan helped the minutes fly by.  Mahalo mountain team for doing such a fantastic job.

After a quick shower and brief rest, the YWAM team comes to pick us up to take us to eat a local specialty, barbecued chicken.  Yes, it's meal time again and the forces are expectedly famished.  After a long day's arduous journey into night, bodies need nourishment, strength needs replenishment.  Our team of twelve plus the YWAM family are the only ones in the large restaurant.  That gives us license to be even louder than normal as we discuss the days event, replay humorous moments from the mountain and the plaza, drink and eat and share in the joy of the Lord.  The pastor of Charise Community Church who was not able to attend Friday night's program because of a prior commitment joins us at Pat's invitation, so we want to share with him a song and hula.  Putting chicken breasts back on the plate and wiping sticky fingers, the hula dancers take their places in front of the dining table as the men stand to one side and sing an a capella rendition of Shout To The Lord.  

After three hours of fellowship and food, we all head back to the Tamera Plaza to say our goodbyes.  Before the YWAM team departs, Andrew asks Pat to sit on a chair as the Hawaii team surrounds her with the YWAM friends behind us.  Pat is an inspiration to us all.  She is from Kaneohe, an older woman living with a debilitating physical condition.  Yet she serves on the foreign field as the Bacolod field coordinator for YWAM.  As one of the missionaries Kalihi Union Church supports, Pat has a special connection with our mission team.  We want to bless her with our prayers and encouragement before we leave.  We lay hands on Pat and thank God for this faithful servant.  We ask God to continue to provide for her and the YWAM team as they minister at the upcoming pastors' conference, as they work with Sister Aileen and Sister Melba with their children's outreach and have a vision for a building dedicated to street children ministry, as they pray for new workers to come - especially male leadership - and help build up the work in Bacolod.  We pray for God to bless Pat's body, to revive her and restore spiritual strength with each new morning that she might be His able, faithful, empowered servant in this city.

It's time for goodbyes to the YWAM team, time to hit the sack after a good working day.  We will all sleep well tonight.

Until next time, I remain your reporter from the Mission Field...

In Christ's service,

Randy

Dear Church Family and Prayer Partners,
 
The work continues to go well.  Thank you for your prayers and aloha that sustain us every day.  We are blessed by your love and support.

WEDNESDAY - June 17
 
Andrew will write you the activities for this day.  It was a hike up to the mountains to minister at a school and church.  I stayed back to catch up on correspondence and to work on my sermon for Father's Day.  
 
My day was spent in Bible study in my room, then hours at the computer.  The group did not get back from the mountains until after 7 pm with stories of how stormy the weather was, how the rain got everyone soaked as they hiked and forged their way along a raging river.  You can read the details when Andrew writes to you.  After the group returned, we all went for a late dinner and shared with each other the events of the day.
 

THURSDAY - June 18
 
Our first activity for the day was doing a program for a gathering of educators of the Ligeyna school district.  Some students will be in attendance, but it will mostly be a meeting with adult teachers and school administrators.  We are told on the drive to Ligeyna that these meetings with government and educational administrators are a major step forward in Pastor Santiago's evangelistic outreach.  A few years ago, it was unheard of for such leaders to receive and spend time with Christian missionaries, let alone allow themselves to be prayed over by religious workers from abroad.  Because of Pastor Santiago's steady efforts over the years to build relationships with these civic leaders, a team like ours is able to go into different offices and share Jesus openly with these leaders.  It is a sign of progress - Pastor Santiago wants these leaders to come to Jesus and their openness year by year to receive an audience of missionaries is testament to the fruitfulness of his efforts.
 
On our way to the Ligeyna district meeting, we stop at the Santa Barbara police station.  Police Chief Eric Noble is a college buddy of Pastor Santiago; he is a Christian and he wants to meet us and accompany us during the day.  Chief Noble also enjoys singing church hymns very much and throughout the day, he and I duet to old favorites - Old Rugged Cross, What A Friend We Have In Jesus, Amazing Grace.  The team spends a few moments with Chief Noble before we all go to Ligeyna.
 
The district meeting is held in another open-air pavilion.  About 150 people are in attendance.  We do our musical program of Hawaiian songs and hula, Christian songs and hula, and a Christian message from Andrew.  Following our program, we offer prayer for the school leaders.  
 
For the children in the audience, we do our balloon ministry, shaping oblong colored balloons into a flower, a sword and a hat; concurrently, we pass out tracts and Christian stickers.  The thirty children have suddenly swelled to fifty, then in a few moments to eighty, and more after that.  Where are these children coming from? we wonder as we exhaustedly pump up and shape the balloons as fast as we can.  Apparently, the lunch bell rang sometime during our program; when word got out that we were making balloons, dozens of students rushed to the pavilion to line up for balloons.  It turned out to be a riotous crowd, students screaming and pushing.  There were a few moments when we felt at risk, the burgeoning crowd moving as one mass, reaching upwards to receive balloons, tracts and stickers; if we had slipped and fallen, a stampede of students' feet could have injured us.  
 
Shouting to maintain order, we ask the students to line up.  That doesn't work.  Finally we realize the situation is getting out of hand; we decide to stop making the balloons.  Even though many students are disappointed, we feel that is the best move to quell the mob.  After we stop, one of the teachers grabs the microphone and gives instructions to the students in Filipino:  it would have been good if she had done that sooner while we were struggling rather than just sitting and talking story with the other teachers.  We learn a lesson for future meetings:  if things are getting out of control, grab the microphone, try to bring about order, and stop the distribution.  It was our first time experiencing this, but we are quick learners.
 
Following our meeting, Mrs. Malou from the district office has ordered a lemon-yellow bus to take our group to lunch at a cafeteria style restaurant, then on a Heritage Tour to visit different government buildings.  Mrs. Malou shows us the capitol building, the governor's office, the hotel where dignitaries stay when they visit the city of Ligeyna.  We learn that Pangasinan means "the place that makes the salt," salt being the major industry of the area.  We learn other historical facts, visit a souvenir shop, watch a video on the myriad splendors of the Pangasinan province, and are treated to a snack of bibingka, a dessert made of coconut. 
 
Following our tour, we return to the hotel to change for an evening dinner with the dozen core staff from the children's shelter.  We go to a coffee shop/bakery called Jeck's, are given our $5 limit for the evening, and order our favorites from the menu.  This is a time when we can spend with the workers thanking them for their ministry at the shelter.
 
We return to the hotel following dinner for devotions, then an early time to bed.  We have a busy day tomorrow.
 

FRIDAY - June 19
 
This is a big day.  Tonight is our outreach concert to be held at the Orbos Recreation Center in Santa Barbara.  Every Friday night, Christ Our Life Ministries holds a movie night for the community, showing Christian films; two recent favorites are FIREPROOF, the movie starring Kirk Cameron about the struggles a Christian fireman has in his marriage, and LIFE WITHOUT LIMBS, the inspiring story of Nick Vujicic, the Christian brother born with no arms and legs who spoke this past March at the Hawaiian Island Ministries annual conference.  Pastor Rolando tells us that the weekly attendance has been about 150 people who regularly support the movie night.  Tonight there will be no movie but a Christian outreach program to be presented by our mission team from Kalihi Union Church.  We are praying for God to work in the hearts of the people that come to hear us - Andrew has been fasting since the night before because he is to be the main speaker tonight.
 
The morning is spent in rehearsals for the concert.  We're doing some new material - two new pieces are Amazing Love with Romina singing the lead while the rest of the group provides back-up harmonies and The Box, a pantomime skit depicting how people can be trapped in their addictions and self-centeredness until they discover the life-changing love of Jesus Christ.  The third is a series of pantomimed scenes about parental love enacted to the background music of me singing Celine Dion's song, "Because You Loved Me."  It is a fitting presentation for Sunday's Father's Day service and we think the neighborhood audience will enjoy it as well.  We also "Lord Of The Islands" and "I Will Worship With All Of My Heart."
 
In the mid-afternoon, we are to visit some students and teachers at Central East Elementary School in Santa Barbara, across the street from the Orbos center.  A steady rain has started to fall from about 1 p.m. and we are in prayer, again, for the Lord to hold back the rain so we will have a good attendance.  The program at Central turns out to be a very simple one since there was a time mix-up and by the time we arrive, just a few teachers and handful of students have waited for us.  The rest have rushed home before the rainfall got heavier.  We sing two songs for the small gathering-Pearly Shells and Lord of the Islands-and present some gifts to the teachers.
 
After the truncated school program, the group splits - some go to Orbos to prepare for the evening, four of the team go riding in a police van, broadcasting the evening's program so we can get a good sized audience.  Roy, Andrew, Jackie and Romina enjoy their time in the van, sticking their heads out, waving to the people, and shouting their announcements over the van microphone.  Romina is the big hit:  15 years old, half-Filipino and half-Caucasian, she makes a fetching passenger aboard the canvassing band and is met by intermittent spontaneous and loud applause as locals think Romina is a look-alike of the young Filipina/Spanish actress Marian Rivera.  Young men shout out, "I love you, you're beautiful!"  Romina is pleased to attract attention if it will bring people out to our evangelistic outreach.
 
Because the rain is still falling albeit lighter than before, thank the Lord, the concert sponsors move the starting time a little later and have arranged for us - not previously announced - to have dinner at a local Christian family's home.  We drive to the home, meet the gracious family, enjoy a multi-course meal of delicious Filipino food, then make our way back to Orbos to see if enough people have showed up to begin the program.
 
That's one thing about life on the mission field in developing nations like the Philippines - the people's concept of starting on time and following a previously arranged timetable is very different from the U.S.  It is not ungracious to simply say there is no concept of time.  
 
For those of us westerners who have been trained to be clock watchers and who follow a prescribed planned agenda, it can be very frustrating to have the schedule changed unexpectedly on a moment's notice.  Several times a day.  That is why one of the key character traits every missionary must develop is flexibility.  And we were very, very flexble - learning to "go with the flow" and do whatever the sponsor dictates.
 
Waiting and being patient are qualities we had to develop, especially those of us type-A personalities that have to "do everything just as planned."  If the bus comes to pick us up late at the hotel, we get to the concert site late and the program will just start late.  No apologies - everyone just accepts the time change.  If our host for the day decides to add a tree planting ceremony before we go a school gathering, we'll take an extra fifteen minutes to find a shovel, dig a hole, plant an ilang-ilang tree, say a prayer, then go back to our schedule.  If it's raining, we'll wait out the storm and have a meal.  No problem.  Life goes on..later that planned, but it still keeps on chugging.  Why get excited?  It's only time.
 
This is a good lesson for all of us from the U.S. - we need to be patient, to trust and rejoice in the Lord, to put aside our need to control the situation and to rest in the decisions of our hosts.  It's not easy, believe me.  But the need to look to and trust in Jesus is an ongoing important one and we are given daily opportunities to pass that test.  
 
So the Orbos concert that was supposed to start at 5:30 with the Christ Our Life Missions band kicking off with a lively praise set is suddenly starting at 7 p.m.  The people who came at 5 expecting the program to start at 5:30 simply wait quietly in their seats; they have nowhere to go, they came to see a program and by golly, they will wait until whenever it begins.  It's almost freeing when you don't have to stress about starting "on time."  You start when everyone's ready to start.  It's as simple as that.
 
And wouldn't you know it?  The rain has stopped and a good sized group of about 100 has shown up.
 
We go through our program of songs, hula, drama and testimonies.  Andrew gives an impassioned call to commitment to Jesus Christ.  It was worth every moment of his fasting.  Following the message, there is an altar call, people are invited to come forward for prayer.  About twenty people rise out of their seats and stand in the prayer lines.  We minister to all kinds of needs - family problems, out of work husbands, sickness, sexual struggles, financial needs.  We are thankful we can remind people of God's power to work in every needy area in their life.
 
By the time the meeting is over and we pack up the vans with our costumes and equipment, it's almost 10 p.m.  We have a two-hour ride ahead of us to the city of Bongabon where we will be ministering on Saturday.  A few miles out of Santa Barbara, our weary band of missionaries falls off to sleep as our 12-passenger van ambles along in the darkness on the two-lane road to Cabanatuan.
 
The trip takes longer than expected, and we arrive at the Microtel Hotel at 12:30 a.m.  We quickly check in, mumble hurried "goodnights" and hit the hay.  It has been a long day.
 

SATURDAY - June 20
 
The Microtel queen-sized beds have been a blessing to our rest-deprived bodies.  Everyone wakes up cheerful, re-energized and ready to tackle the tasks of the new day.  The joy is short-lived when it is discovered that, because of a conference in the hotel and the large group eating breakfast in the banquet room next door, some of our group's breakfast order has been "misplaced" and it will take another 45-minutes to prepare easy-over eggs and breakfast sausage.  Even a no-talent greenhorn chef like myself could whip that order up in maybe 15 minutes.  But 45?  Hello!
 
Rather than wait, Dennis makes the executive decision to leave immediately - a quick stop at a service station convenience store can feed the hungry few whose breakfast orders were lost.
 
We travel for 45 minutes to the city of Bongabon and meet Pastor Noel of the Nueva Ecija Church.  We are there to pray for Pastor Noel, to ask God to send finances to complete the church building so that outreach can begin to the families in this mountainous part of the Philippines countryside.  The church is "in development" - there are four walls of concrete blocks standing twelve feet high, but the floor area is still grass and rock, and there is no roof.  Pastor Noel and his few church members work on the church as money is available to buy supplies.  In the meantime, they meet in private homes.
 
The Hawaii missionaries gather around Pastor Noel and one of his church members, a rather edgy-looking tall slim Filipino named George with a pony tail, a black Yamaha motorcycle jacket, and lean jeans tucked into black rubber boots.  Interesting outfit to find in the foothills of Nueva Ecija.  But his smile and gentle voice exudes the love of Jesus; this is our brother in Christ.  We lay hands on Pastor Noel and brother George and pray for God to complete the work on the church building so that many souls may come to Jesus Christ.  The two men are grateful for the encouragement we share with our words, our prayers and our smiles.
 
Indeed, one of the greatest gifts we have brought to the people of the Philippines these past ten days is not the music, the hula, the testimonies, the messages from the pulpit:  it has been the encouragement believers have received from our prayers and encouraging words.  Their hearts are so uplifted to know that a small team of every-day multi-aged Christians from islands far away have taken time and expended funds to come and pray for the daily challenges these local believers meet in their service for the Lord.  The contact with other encouraging Christians is limited here - so to think that we have traveled from Hawaii to the Philippines, then from Santa Barbara to Nueva Ecija in the dark of night to spend twenty minutes on a Saturday morning praying for their small yet-to-be-built church affirms them more than we can imagine.  We are honored to be used as the Father lead us.
 
We then drive to Pastor Noel's church at Olivete, about twenty minutes away.  The church structure here is complete, the fellowship having been meeting here for a number of years.  The people of the church - about 40 adults and 22 children - are seated inside, waiting for us to come and bless them with our music, testimony and the sharing of God's word.  We present a full program, the people respond with hearty applause and radiant smiles.  The children especially are delighted with the hula, the energetic praise songs, and the crazy motions of of Cast Your Burdens when we sing "lower, lower, stomp satan lower" and our torsos twist left and right with knee-bended legs descending to the ground, fingers pointing downward, as we stamp strongly on one foot to drive the devil and his minions to the pit of hell.  The room erupts in a frenzy when we pick up the tempo to break-neck speed and the entire audience gets involved.  
 
Time to slow down the pace as we present Lord Of The Islands, a song I wrote back in 1983 based on Isaiah 42: 10-12 about the inhabitants of Sela giving glory to God and declaring His praise in the islands.  I received the message from God at that time that I was to share my music ministry in the Hawaiian Islands and I included island references in the lyrics of the song which has become our repertoire's signature song.  Now 26 years later, I adapted the lyrics to the Philippine Islands and found the Filipinos thrilled to hear mention of places in their own island home:
 
"From Alaminos to the hills of Pangasinan
His name is truth to everyone
Santa Barbara sings to the Master's delight
Nueva Ecija smiles for the Son
Hear the praises of Bacolod and Bongabon
Join the hallelujahs heard from Manila Bay..."
 
We are claiming these islands of the Philippines for Jesus Christ, believing for the day when every Filipino and Filipina will call the name of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  
 
Andrew then shares a salvation message with people coming forward for prayer led by team members.  Following the ministry time, we close our program with the passing out of tracts, stickers and balloon creations.  
 
When we are done, the church serves a delicious lunch of pansit (noodles), chicken and rice.  We are blessed by the hospitality and kindness of these villagers. 
 
Eight members of our mission team came to this same church one year ago and remember people in the village for whom they prayed.  The team wants to revisit some of those same homes again so we have planned a prayer walk down this unpaved country lane, asking God to lead us as we go.  
 
We stop and pray for a man in his 60s, sitting on his front porch, whose legs were injured in a recent car accident and still has trouble breathing from the crash.  Inside, his wife receives the women on our team to pray for her injuries from the accident.  
 
Jackie Gamboa recalls, "I was so touched to see this lady, struggling to get to her feet so she could receive our prayers.  It was like there was no other hope for her physically, but she wanted to stand out of respect for these missionaries who had come to pray for her.  I started crying as soon as she started trying to stand.  It was emotional for me."
 
The husband and wife are grateful that we stop to pray for them.
 
Next we pause at a gully on the side of the road where rushing floods in the past have brought great destruction.  We face the mountains, stretch our hands over the land and pray for God's protection upon this village - that no raging waters will ever harm the village and its inhabitants.  
 
We encounter a group of village children - about twelve - and a few mothers on the side of the road.  Rowena, our expert translator, explains we are from Hawaii, visiting friends in Nueva Ecija.  Realizing this is a group to reach out to, we put together a quick program - a capella versions of Pearly Shells and Lord I Lift Your Name On High.  Andrew has run back to the Olivete Church to get our Filipino-language Jesus tracts.  We share testimonies and do balloon ministry with balloons we have on us.  Andrew returns, we pass out the tracts, pray for the villagers, then move on our way.
 
At different points, we pause and stretch our hands over people's houses, gardens and properties, praying the blood of Jesus over this neighborhood, praying that hardened hearts will be open to Jesus, asking God in the name of Jesus to break the bondage of sin and evil that satan has in this community.  We recite Scriptures to strengthen our prayers.
 
Our prayer walk comes to an end at the childhood home of Pastor Benjoe, one of the pastors on staff at Christ Our Life Ministries.  Mike, one of the COLM volunteers who has been driving us around, knocks down some coconuts and offers the fresh meat and milk to everyone.  Those who consume say it's just as delicious as in Hawaii.  In a few minutes, the heavens open up and the rains come pouring down as we all seek a dry space on the Benjoe family's porch.  The vans parked at the church then come to pick us up, we say goodbye to Pastor Noel and the church family, then head back to Cabanatuan.
 
We stop at a Filipino buffet restaurant in a shopping center in Cabanatuan - the hour is late, almost 9 p.m. and we want something fast.  We eat quickly then had back to the Microtel, anticipating another welcome full-bodied encounter with our queen-sized beds.
 

SUNDAY - June 21 
 
It's Father's Day.  I wake up and go to greet Andrew in his room.  He has two cards waiting for me, one from him, one from Gay back home.  Of all the gifts I've ever received, the ones that have meant the most are the cards that are filled with words of aloha.  I have every material thing that I could ever want - what makes me happy are my wife and son telling me, "I love you and appreciate you."  Those words are lovingly written in abundance in my handsome cards.  God has given me such a full life and wonderful family, praise Him.
 
We have a two hour drive back to Santa Barbara.  Service starts at 9:30 am (or so they say) and we hope to leave by 7:30 am.  To ensure an on-time departure, Dennis has given our breakfast orders to the hotel staff the night before.  "May we be served at 7 am since we need to leave by 7:30 am?" Dennis graciously asked at the front desk late Saturday.  "Of course, sir," comes the confident reply.
 
7:00 am comes - breakfast does not.  Nor does it come at 7:15 am, nor at 7:30 am.  By then we are all uneasy; we know we have a long ride ahead and need to be back at the Santa Barbara Church at 9:30.  At this point, we are having stern dialogue with the front desk workers and the kitchen crew.  Apparently, there was a communication break-down and the order was not received by the kitchen crew.  They are scrambling to get food on our table.  Should we just leave, we ask ourselves, and catch breakfast on the road?  But we've already paid, we think, plus they assure us they are working quickly to feed us.
 
Breakfast is finally served at 7:45 am.  Despite the possibility of indigestion - i.e. rushing nutrients into an aggravated body system - we chomp quickly.  By 8 am we are on the road.  Although we say thank you sincerely - Filipino workers really are sweet and kind and always say "sir" and "ma'am" when addressing guests or retail customers - we will not likely to return to this hotel in the future.
 
Almir, our driver, knows the challenge ahead of him:  driving us back to Santa Barbara at top speed, but not wanting to endanger his passengers.  He also knows a higher than normal speed in our van on the bumpy country roads could yield several motion-sickness riders.
 
Long story short, we arrive very late:  it's almost 11 am when we reach the Sapang Church.  The church members are seated listening to the praise band - they greet us with smiles and the patience of saints.  The songleader begins another praise song and we prepare for our Father's Day program.  
 
Romina's solo is on-pitch, confident, heartfelt; the back up singers remember their claps and choreography.  The Box earns scattered, enthusiastic applause throughout the mime; background musical sound effects on the keyboard make the presentation even more vivid as Jesus lures the two downtrodden central characters out of their addiction into his freedom and light.  
 
Because You Loved Me is even more wonderfully received.  In the first vignette, a father (Glenn from Christ Our Life Ministries) comes across his two young "sons" fighting over toys; he breaks them up, reads a passage from the bible about living in harmony, prays with them and hugs the boys.  Applause.  In the second vignette, Roy the "son" is practicing his ukulele with little success; Dennis the "father" is doing some home remodeling behind him.  As Roy yells out in frustration, Dennis comes to him, reaches for the ukulele, demonstrates the proper fingering of a chord, comforts Roy's frustration, reads from Scripture and prays with him.  Their closing hug elicits another strong round of applause.
 
In the especially moving third vignette, Rowena and her "husband" Pastor Eddie from COLM enter the platform and face the audience.  In a few seconds, daughter Romina dressed in wedding white walks down the center aisle, is greeted by her "parents," they present her with a Bible as a wedding gift, all three read, all three hug.  The applause is deafening, the tears are flowing.
 
All three sets of characters now face the audience; as Andrew reads from Scripture, the characters read from their Bibles.  Next Andrew prays with all the characters and congregation.  At the end of the prayer, the cast sings one closing line, "I'm everything I am...because you loved me."  A touching tribute to fathers - and mothers - on this special Sunday.
 
It's now time for the sermon.  I've been preparing all week, taking as my text Matthew 1: 18-25 and Matthew 2: 13-15, the sections that described Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.  My sermon is entitled A FATHER TO FOLLOW and I share different character traits in Joseph that were honorable and should be followed by us all:  
 
1) he was a man of obedience - when God explained His plan for Mary, Joseph obeyed and "did as the Lord commanded him."
2) he was a man who acted immediately - God told him to take his family and leave for Egypt immediately; "by night" Joseph did just as God told him, not wasting any time, not taking any chances.
3) he was a man of faith - he trusted God's direction, leaning not to his own understanding; when God said "there's trouble," Joseph immediately took his family to Egypt even if that was a totally new and unknown experience.  He may have had a lot of questions, but he trusted in God's plan to take care of him and his young family.
4) he loved Mary even when he thought she was unloveable, "unwilling to expose her to public disgrace" - just as his son Jesus was one day going to give His life for unlovely sinners.  We should do the same with the unlovely in our lives.
5) in his short life, Joseph used the time wisely as protector of the baby Jesus, trainer in the family carpentry trade, teacher in the home of the religious law.  We too are to use our time wisely in these last days - making every moment count as we reach out and share the Good News with the people we meet every day.
 
If the message were delivered in outline form and brief as above, it would have been fine.  But with a full translation and with five points to make and several illustrations to describe, I was too long-winded.  The team jokes about it afterward - "we had whiplash trying not to fall asleep."  I apologize to them and to God about my insensitivity.  I should have really editted and trimmed all my thoughts and points.  Length does not mean quality.  And a rural audience like the Sapang Church might have gained more from a tighter-presented, three- in stead of five-point message.  Brevity would have been a blessing.  Andrew told me knew I was going long when our usual indefatigable translator, Pastor Rolando's wife Sister Kathryn, was starting to perspire profusely.  
 
So sorry Lord.  Help me to learn to preach with more sensitivity to the congregation I'm addressing.  I desire to be your teachable servant.
 
And I know, as you're reading this novel, you're thinking, "yes, yes, we know he is a man of too many words."  
 
I won't be specific as to how many minutes my pulpit sharing was, but suffice to say, the ministry time following the service with the closing hymns ended about 1:30 p.m!  Our part was two and a half hours.  
 
Still, I would like to believe that a word or thought or illustration shared in my wordy presentation will be received and remembered by a few souls gathered that morning.  I prepared with much prayer and study and trust that God will honor my efforts, no matter how I misjudged the appropriate length of my sermon.  To God be the glory, even in my weakness.
 
After the sermon, Andrew leads into the prayer time:  flashing a picture onscreen first of Gay holding him when he was a nine-month old baby, her face a picture of maternal joy, the showing a picture of Andrew as an eight-year old with a smiling me hugging him with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, Andrew talks about how a parent's love for their child is exactly like God's love for us.  Only magnified many times over.  He then encourages all who need prayer to come forward.  The aisles fill immediatey, people are aching to receive a touch from the Lord.  The team all prays:  Shelly, Romina, Rowena, Jackie, Yoriko, Dennis, Andrew, Christopher, Waku and me.  Our hearts reach out to the many in need.  It's a special time of ministry.
 
A delicious lunch is served on the church's second floor after our marathon presentation - we are all hungry after the long ride and long service, and eat voraciously.
 
We go home for a rest before the evening's event: a farewell party for the full staff of Christ Our Life Ministries.
 
We meet at a local restaurant - nearly 50 in attendance.  Games are prepared for the group:  a musical game where five small groups must sing at least seven words from a song that has the word "Lord" in its title; we go seven rounds before we find a winner.  We have a great group of singers and musicians - everyone knows a lot of "Lord" songs.  
 
Pictionary is next - drawing pictures of different items from a list, the first group identifying all eight drawn items correctly is named the winner.  First list has Hawaiian things - a pineapple, an ukulele, a flower lei.  Second list has Filipino things - a banana leaf, bangus (a fish), President Gloria Macapagal.  Third list is all-American - hot dog, an ice cream cone, the Statue of Liberty.  The people enjoy the game immensely!  Prizes are given - macadamia nuts, key chains in the shape of a surfboard, Hawaiian candies.
 
We then enjoy a delicious Filipino dinner - each person has a 50 pesos limit, about $6 which can buy a feast in the Philippines.  At the end of dinner, we share a gift with each COLM volunteer - a journal in which they can write daily entries; a photo of our group graces the first page with all ten of us sharing our autographs.  Everyone is happy to receive such a personalized gift.
 
It's time to say goodbye.  We hug our friends goodbye, mentioning that some of us might return next year if God so chooses.  Our team then boards our van to ride back to the Leisure Coast Hotel.  We stop at the shelter to pick up some of the sponsored children so they can spend the night with their sponsors at the hotel.  About twenty children are thrilled to be at the Leisure Coast - double beds with sheets, color tv, air conditioning...and a flush toilet!  Wow, how modern.
 
Cartoons are enjoyed by the little ones, but the time has come for everyone to say goodnight.  Another long and fruitful day.  It has been a Happy Father's Day for Dennis and me.  
 
I close now with gratitude for taking the time to read these words and for praying for our team.
 
From your mission field reporter,
 
Randy Hongo