Project Destiny Drop-in Center

We're working on getting our new building ready for the opening of the Drop-in Center. This video shows the progress we've made so far....and leaves room for you in the end...:)

Blessings on your heads today.

Yep, I was in Thailand TOO!!!

From Hong Kong, where our other trip began and ended, I flew to Bangkok for the Cutting Edge conference on "Invisible Children". It was my first time in Thailand, and I spent the majority of my time at the conference location. One evening we were able to take a trip into the city to spend a few hours at a night market...super fun!!

The conference was excellent. It's quite a sensation to be in a room with 300 other people who have a heart for Children at Risk...The conference was for leaders of Christian ministries to children in Asia. It's put on by the VIVA network. www.viva.org Since I am fairly new to working in this type of ministry, this conference was a valuable experience for me. I was exposed to all kinds of things that were new to me. It was also quite overwhelming, and I just did my best to SOAK up all that God had for me, and remember that I couldn't learn it all at once. It was definitely another one of those moments in life where I wish I could implant the chip in my brain and then be on the same page as everyone else...wouldn't that be a marvelous invention??

There are so many children in such tragic circumstances around the world.The theme of the conference this year was "Invisible Children," meaning the children in our world who are unseen...who slip through the cracks and don't end up being noticed. I learned about "grooming" children for web porn. There are thousands of internet cafes in Mindanao (the island I live on) alone, and there are people who will get street kids and have them chatting with foreigners in exchange for a meal and then doing things that the child may not even understand. Sometimes the child even ends up in a slavery situation, where they are unable to break free from the perpetrator. The foreigners have to pay money to view the child, so the easiest way to spot a cafe where this is happening is to look if there is a Western Union next door. It's so heartbreaking to know that children are caught in such a filthy trade...

Please pray for the children who are on the streets right now. They need hope.

Our God is a GREAT BIG GOD!!!

I realize that it's been quite some time since I have posted. I've been off on an adventure around Asia. I just got back about 2 weeks ago, and as usual it has been pretty busy around Butuan and, as usual, my brain needed some time to process what happened before I could write about it coherently.

During the first 3 weeks I was gone, I was leading a short term adventure in C (for security reasons let's refer to it here as C). Our group of 9 was comprised of church members from churches in California, Wisconsin and Washington. We traveled by ferry, train, bus, tricycle (motorcycle with box on the back for passengers) and airplane during our time together. We were able to encourage and bless the people we met along the way. We prayer walked through cities. We met many people in English corners in places. We laughed and cried and laughed again.

This was my favorite trip to C so far. Father was so faithful to each one of us in our time together. He spoke clearly to each of us in personal ways. One of the team members even saw a picture of an old man- quite specific detail was given in the picture about what he looked like and what he would be wearing. She really felt like God was saying that she needed to watch for that man. About 2 days later she met him on the street. She didn't know exactly what to do, but she ended up praying for him right there on the street. We may never know the outcome of this encounter in the life of that man, but I know that Kari was so encouraged, knowing that God spoke to her and she heard Him so clearly...

In my case, I had a very specific dream about a baby with a throat problem (cleft throat...unheard of, but so clear in my dream), who was in front of a building with a green railing. I shared the dream in our morning meeting, unsure of what significance it had, but knowing that God was saying SOMEthing. There was a suggestion that maybe it wasn't a literal dream, but that the baby had something wrong in that area....maybe no voice. That day we got on a bus and rode into the countryside. When we got off the bus, I saw the building from my dream. As we walked in the area, we met a baby who was very sick. She had a throat problem...the translation from the parents was that she couldn't get the phlegm out and that she had a sore throat. So we prayed for her and blessed her to know the Father, and to grow into a mighty woman of God. Again, I may never know the outcome of what happens with that little girl, but I do know that I was in awe of my SuperFatherGod who spoke clearly to me that day. By the way, later I went to the building from my dream....it was a nursery school....so we talked with the kids...and of course we prayed for them too...(the top two photos are of the kids, with the green railing from the dream at the bottom of the photo, AND the baby...:))

Of course there were alot of things that went on in that trip, but if I share that all here, what will I tell you when I come home and see you all?!?!?!?

GO GOD!!!

Street Kids Outreach in Butuan

After 5 successful days of training in the evenings during the week, the volunteers all came back to our house on Saturday at 8am for a full day of training and practise followed by a two hour outreach in two locations in the city.

The video is just to give you an idea of what the ministry looks like and to see some of our fantastic volunteers in action.....:)

At the end is a photo of OUR NEW BUILDING!! We have been approved by leaders to sign the papers to rent the building for one year and then buy it....to use for our Drop-In Center.....

GO GOD!!!!

And We're Off!

Project Destiny has officially been launched. Last night we held our first night of training for 25 local church volunteers, who have been selected by their pastors. We will be having training every night this week from 6-9 and then all day Saturday we will have our first outreach. The training is being held right here in our sala (living room). In discussing the different venues for this time, we realized that we wanted to build relationship, so instead of a large, impersonal meeting hall, we chose to gather in our tiny sala.

Our scripture for the ministry is:

"HE lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. HE sets them among princes, even princes of his own people." Psalm 113:7-8

The next few paragraphs are part of the training manual... I just want you to know what our focus is....:)

Our theme for this training is "Knowing that HE is the God who does the work, HE has a plan and destiny for my life and HE wars on my behalf to see it come to pass." My job is to cooperate with Him in all that I do, keep my heart and motives right and continue to grow in Him, understanding that HE is the worker and I am onl a tool in His hand.

The training is not like other trainings, where the focus is achievement. This is a time of equipping and nurturing, and a time of revelation and tranformation in our lives. We believe that one of God's greatest purposes for us, as His children, is that we are increasingly transformed into His likeness. Our goal is that you would grow not only in understanding of street children and ministry, but most importantly you would grow in their relationship with God and continue to develop a godly character, resulting in changed lives.

So, please keep us in your prayers during this crucial time in our ministry... we expect that there will be more participants coming as the week goes on... and we are MORE than excited to see what God wants to do during this time...

So, What Does a Drop-In Center Sound Like?

The bamboo flute in the background is being played by one of the youth who comes to the center for help…he is gifted in music, and in art…he even has some of his paintings posted in an at studio in the city… Also in the video you’ll see how relaxed the environment is there…a map on the wall reminds the kids how much bigger the world is than what they encounter everyday…Go God!!!

So, What Does a Drop-In Center Look Like?

Even more than what it looks like, what does a drop-in center feel like? These are two of my many questions that were answered in our trip to Cagayan de Oro City. Monday afternoon we took a five hour bus ride to the city, where we were scheduled to attend the YWAM base staff meeting on Tuesday, followed by a visit to a drop-in center for street kids.

After the meeting with the other YWAMers associated with the base (nationalities represented in the staff: Filipino, German, UK, USA, Sweden) where we prayed, worshipped, shared an update on our ministry and heard from the others as well, we rode over to the ministry center.

And there it was there that I had my first encounter with ministry to street children. The pictures show you what the center looks like....the kids come in and can play pool, watch a movie, sleep and eat some much needed food. In the center they are in a place where they know they are safe, where they don't have to watch their back constantly making sure no one is coming to hurt them...there is peace, in room with staff who love them and want the best for them, where the name of Jesus is lifted up as THE hope for our lives...there is rest for the weary little bodies who struggle daily on the streets to survive...

We met kids ranging from about 6 to 21 years of age...it's startling to come face to face with a child is a STREET CHILD...after hearing that term for so many years, and seeing random kids on the street, in bus terminals and ferry ports is one thing. But to look in the face of a child and be able to talk, hug and listen to them, puts a whole new stamp of REALITY on the problem millions of kids are facing.

It was heartbreaking to hear the story of one boy, aged 16, who as result of being used at the age of 6 to dive into the ocean carrying dynamite used for fishing, was stricken deaf and now lives on the streets.

I'm still processing all that I saw and felt during our time in the center. We're talking about how we can be a blesssing to the YWAMers serving with those kids and how they can bless us with their wisdom and experience in working with this unique group of children. I'm excited to see what our center will look like in Butuan...and to see God transform a generation of children who don't know yet that there is a God who knows how many hairs are on their heads, who has engraved them on the palm of His hand, and has a DESTINY for each of them....

Safe Arrival in Butuan

This is MAX, the guarddog and pet and friend and entertainment in our house....he dances, sits, and scoots backward when commanded to "STAY"........


After 22 hours of travel I arrived in Manila, Philippines, where I stayed for three nights visiting with friends who had traveled eight hours by bus to greet me before I headed on to Mindanao, Philippines.
Last Saturday, I took the one hour flight south from Manila to arrive in Butuan City. My friend and partner in ministry, Teresa Woodard, picked me and all my luggage up, and brought me to our house. We traveled by tricycle over the river and through the woods...or so it might seem...:)

The photo above shows our kitchen....and the photo below shows the view from the kitchen into the sala...


When I arrived at the house, there was a fiesta for my welcome party, where we had a feast...shrimp, BBQ pork, squid....cake AND ice cream!!!....and pizza too....and the kids had made a lovely sign outside and decorated everywhere with balloons.....so nifty!!!

This week I've been focusing on getting adjusted and settled in....going to local shops for supplies, waiting patiently for 6 days for the internet to be hooked up....visiting the "mall" (not what you're thinking) down the street and being thrilled to discover they sell cheese, and tomato, not banana, ketchup........

We also took the overnight ferry to Cebu City on Sunday, where we processed our Philippines immigration papers and I applied through a travel agent for my China visa...the China trip is coming up in less than one month!!!

PRAYER POINTS:

• please pray for us as we prepare for the training of the church members for the Drop-In center
• please pray for the people joining the tour in November, that they will be successful in all their travel preparation
• please pray for the street children---that God will prepare their hearts for hearing His truth

Palanan 2007

As an application of what has been learned during Crossroads Discipleship Training School, after 12 weeks of lecture we lead the students on an 8 week outreach into remote areas in the Philippines to serve in the name of Jesus. This video shows what part of that experience can look like through the eyes of one of the teammates....me.:)

My favorite part about what I do is seeing what God can do when people are fully yielded to Him. He transforms lives, and continues to transform mine as I choose to serve Him. I especially love to see children have a powerful encounter with their Heavenly Father. As I look towards the future I am excited to see where God will lead as I serve Him...

How great is the lovethe Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God!1John3:1

Worship on the Mountain

Last Saturday we went to Santo Tomas, the highest point in Baguio City, Philippines for worship and intercession. We prayed over the city, asking for God to move, bringing this city back to the truth of the gospel. Our Father desires the people of the Philippines, Asia and the world to join together in worship of the one true God.....Please take a moment right now to pray that God's glory will fill the earth, as waters cover the sea.......thank you...