PHILIPPINE UPDATE December 7th 2012

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Again it is with pleasure and gratitude that I present this “Update” to you. I thank you for your continued support of the Advent Christian work in the Philippines.  The reports that I receive are most encouraging and I trust that you find them encouraging also.

From Pastor Roy Rocha, Novaliches, Manila comes the following

“I am so thankful on how you have helped us through the flood. First of all, your prayers, counts the most. And your generosity is a source of joy. Thanks for always being there in times we needed you the most. God in His goodness made all our connections with you. My family and I, are grateful in all that you’ve done for us! Truly, God works in ways we cannot see. 

Here are some photos of our new house. I am renting this for 4,500 pesos plus water and Light at 2,000 pesos. It has only 1 bed room, CR, kitchen, and sala. There is a sari-sari store (good for a little shop) that we used as our bedroom and at the same time open it as shop. 

With a grateful heart,

Roy

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The shop: serves as the entrance to the house.  We opened it hoping to help us a little each day.   Kitchen

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Sala: (Lounge) near the entrance door   Sala: on the way to the kitchen.

At the beginning of October Pastor Benjie Ragas transferred to Riverside AC Church, Calinan, Davao. He sent the following

“I had already my cousin to be with me and he is assisting me particularly of housework. The ministry doing well, we organized them particularly different auxilliary department. Last Sunday most of the members who are left are present and we already agreed our upcoming thanksgiving this coming 23 of December and I already assign them to their different committees. God really moving to the live’s of every people here especially to those members who did not come to the church long ago, some of them are 9 years, others 3 years, but now they actually come to the church regularly and participate in church activities. Visitation is one of the big factors that I consider helpful in terms of this area of ministry. Thanks for the prayers you’ve done because it is very helpful for this ministry. Please continue to pray for Riverside Christian Community Church as they look forward of their new challenge in serving God and as they seek the purpose of their calling in order to glorify God and you know already my special requestin my present life.”

Pastor Benjie’s need at the moment is for a computer.

As OBC enters the second semester of the 2012/13 school year Dr Mm Nely Gamayon sent this report

Dear Friends,
We thank and praise our God for His faithfulness to us His children. We ended the first semester well, the students and faculty have a grand two weeks off of school spending time with their families. I had a wonderful time meeting with Rowena and Erwin in Davao for our core group meeting and fellowship. I also had the time to visit a schoolmate at Oro School of the Bible. She lives in Davao and she had successfully undergone three sessions of chemotherapy for her breast cancer. We had time to fellowship together and prayed for her fast recovery. Praise the Lord she is really responding well to her treatment. I also visited Pastor Benjie Ragas, an OBC graduate who is now pastoring in Calinan Davao City. We also had a grand time sharing and praying together with him.

The second semester opened with registration on Nov. 5 and 6. We started classes on the 6th, but unfortunately I got sick with the flu and so I missed my first two days of class. The following week, we bagan the week with classes, and then orientation on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then we went to the Word of LIfe Bible Camp for our yearly retreat. The students had a wonderful time with the faculty and staff at the retreat led by our chaplain, Pastor Billy Comahig. The first day, after the orientation at the camp, the students were with their faculty mentors in small groups. Then we had an evening service of testimonies, worship, preaching, fellowship and communion. The second day we had games, mentoring groups, basketbal and volleybal; but the most enjoyable of all was the playing of volleyball using a very big ball. The chaplain grouped the students and faculty into two, the Joshua and Caleb team. The overall champion was the Joshua team led by Pastor Reniel Comajeg. We came back to the campus, refreshed and strengthened, ready to face the challenges for the second semester.
For the second semester, our enrolment for AB Theology is 19. Five of these will be graduating in March: Dennis Alzula, Eugene Rey Barete, Regelyn Dilag, Jedno Pabayo and Brenda Tuico.
Prayer Requests

1. The 4th year students as they prepare for the comprehensive and oral exams, the completion of their academic requirements, provision for their studies, and the place of ministry after they graduate.
2. The third year students as they prepare for their internship on the first semester of school year 2013-2014.
3. The first and second year students as they face the challenges in their studies and ministries.
4. The Bible studies in Buena Oro, Sta Cruz and Bohai community, as well as the children’s classes in these areas.
5. NSTP activities in the outreach community
6. Church planting in Alubijid Town
7. Funds for the 13th month pay of the faculty and staff to be paid in December 15, 2012.
8. Health of the faculty and staff
9. Funds for the next spray for termite eradication at the finance office, registrar’s office, chaplain’s office and the faculty apartments
10. Funds for the repairs of the offices and apartments destroyed by termites.

Submitted by: Nely A. Gamayon, Ph.D

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The students at the chapel area of the Word of Life Bible Camp for the orientation on the first day of the school retreat. (Hover your mouse over the images to read the captions)

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This is how the termites destroyed the offices in the administration building; similarly this is also how the walls and ceiling at the faculty apartments are destroyed. This one is in Pastor Billy’s office.

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This is the hive of the termites in the offices at the administration building. The biggest was found in Pastor Billy’s Office and another similar in size was in the bedroom wall at apartment No. 1 – From Pastor Billy’s office the termites went up to the chapel floors and started eating portions of the floor.

A post script from Roy Rocha

Dear Friends,

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:2-6

I am thankful for all your prayers and support. It gives us courage to face each days challenge. Praying for each other especially in times of crisis is priceless that gives lasting joy, so I really thank God doing it for us.

As of this writing, a strong typhoon is hitting Cagayan de Oro (lets PARY FOR CDO). This reminds me of our experience last August, but your prayers and support made the difference. After long prayers, God led us to a new home. We are now living in a good place far from the flood area. As we begun to settle here, we realized that we lost more dear things, small things but we consider it as treasure. Despite of this, we are now back on our feet and ready for next years’ challenge. As we live each day, we thank God for His faithfulness and we also thank God for the faithful saints, the Advent Christian family who continuously praying and supporting us.

Prayers works! As we begun PRAYER MOVEMENTS in our church, we saw peoples hunger, thirst and lives change.  People came to attend our services. Our discipleship class have increased in attendance as if it is Sunday Service. 15 souls are in our Baptismal Class ready for New Life as the New Year begins. Baptism will be on December 30, 2012. Please consider them in your prayers.

Please consider praying for our (1) ALL FILIPINO Christmas Celebration where all wears Filipino attire and prepare native foods. (2) For AC Christians gathering here in Metro Manila. This will be on December 27, 2012. This special gathering intends to unify AC people who are now living here in Manila and have not attended or joined church. To UNIFY in order to continue encourage, strengthen, share resources, in order to continue bring to live and proclaim Christ Return.  AC from Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, and Leyte/Samar expressed intention of joining this gathering and out of this gathering ADVENT CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT MANILA (ACMManila) may officially be introduced. (3) Pray for Cagayan de Oro and the rest of Misamis Oriental.

Thank you very much!

In Christ,      Roy