Our last day in CDO allowed us to reconnect with a long-time ministry partner who we had just worked with last month. Our friends in the Christian Businessman's Fellowship had scheduled us through Thursday, but our flight left on Saturday morning so we called Pastor Noel to help us connect with some Pastors and Churches to evangelize in their area on our last day.
Our first 2 games were at a small court in Barangay Bugo. Our first game was played against some kids from a local Christian orphanage. To keep it as fair as possible we only fielded the 6 smallest players on our team, but it was still a blow out. We played a set score, and the final was 30-16. After the game, we just had a sit down with the 6 orphans and did our best to try to encourage them in their Christian walk. All of them are professed Christians, so we gave them New Testaments and prayed with them. They seemed encouraged that we took the time to talk to them and we were happy to meet some of our Christian brothers.
The next game was at the same court against some of the adults from the community. The game was no match on the basketball side of things, but with the heat and sun it was fairly difficult to get people to come out. We did our best to put on a good show and try to make as much noise as possible to spark the interest of anyone who could hear us. In the end, we may have had 75 people there. We did our normal presentation and Micah F shared his testimony. We made sure everyone got a tract, even people watching from close to 100 yards away from across a field. We won the game 40 - 28.
One of the more interesting things about our 2 morning games was an older gentleman that we met. When we first arrived he was very excited to see some Americans in his little village. He ended up being the ref of our game, and while his calls were suspect, his friendliness and hospitality were not. After our two games, it was about 11 am, which in US time would have been 10 pm CST Thursday night. Those NBA fans out there will remember that this was about mid way through the second half of game 7 of the NBA finals between the Lakers and the Celtics. We ended up inside the man's house and watched the last 45 minutes of the game huddled around a TV in his tiny living room area. It was pretty exciting and we were all going back and forth about which team we wanted to win.
Following the game was over we headed out to the van we rode in, while we were leaving I saw Pastor Noel talking to the man. Noel shared with me later that this man had accepted Christ many years ago, but had not been serving Christ for many years. He told Pastor Noel that he felt like Zacchaeus, and was so encouraged that we had spent time in his home he vowed to return to serving God then and there. We connected him with the local pastor who we had partnered with for that game and we are confident that this pastor will help get him back on the right path. What a blessing that God allowed us to be a part of this story. I don't remember the man's name, but please pray for the Bugo Zacchaeus, as well as the many other people who heard the Gospel on Friday morning.
After the game we headed to the local church and had lunch: The Pinoy equivalent to rotisserie chicken... so good! We had a chance to pray with the local pastor and gave him a good size love offering to help with his family and his ministry in Bugo.
We had a chance to rest at the hotel before our last game of the trip, then we headed back out to the Barangay Hall in Bugo. It started out with a small crowd, but by the time we got to half time, the place was pretty full. I would say that over 400 people were there and we handed out at least that many tracts. Micah G shared his testimony and Pastor Noel gave a Gospel presentation in the local dialect. The other team was very physical and played very hard, but in the end, we managed a 77-62 victory. Please keep all the people in Bugo in your prayers. Those who heard our Gospel presentation as well as those who did not but might come into contact with one of the pastors there.
The final game of this trip went great and we know that God is going to use it to enlarge His kingdom. It was however, a bittersweet ending to what I guess could be called a bit of an era. One of the people who have been instrumental in starting Buhay Sports and bringing it to where it is today, played his final game as a full time missionary in the Philippines. Daniel was on our very first trip over 4 years ago, and while we wish Daniel the best as he follows God's leading back to the states (June 30), we hope God will bless his plan to continue coming back for short term trips in the future. Thanks Daniel for all the work you have put into making this ministry what it is, we are blessed that God allowed us to benefit from the talents and abilities He blessed you with.
We have another trip starting July 14! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for another great opportunity to share the Gospel with many who have not heard, and many who need to hear again!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Rain Rain Go Away... Day 4 Recap
Today was our last day with the Christian Businessman's Fellowship in Cagayan de Oro. We met up with a friend for lunch and then met with another fried for ice cream after that. We had some free time at the mall for a few hours and then we headed to our game. Thankfully, our game was just across the street from our hotel at Capitol University.
As we were heading to the court, I looked up and thought that I was sure glad that we were playing in a gym. It has rained every night since we have been in Mindanao and it looked like tonight would be no different. As we got closer to the court, I was disappointed to see that we were in fact, not playing in a gym, or even in a covered court. It was wide open. As our team huddled together to start the game, we said a quick prayer asking God to hold off the rain and give CJ the right words to share with the crowd at half time. Even as we were walking onto the court drops were starting to sprinkle down on the court. It was disappointing, but I just thought: "keep praying, God is in control of this." We were praying the whole game, and while the clouds never left and there was a little bit of lightning in the distance, after a few seconds of sprinkles, there was no more rain. It was amazing to see God answer that prayer within moments.
We got the game started against the Capitol College Varsity team. We extended the lead up to 10 or 15 on a couple of different occasions, but these scrappy players kept coming back and we had to hang on to win 85 - 80. CJ shared at half time, and because of the rain we had already handed out tracts to everyone in case we did get rained out. A local pastor again shared a message of salvation and led the crowd through the sinners prayer. The local businessman's fellowship and church members will be following up over the coming days/weeks/months. I hope we get a chance to hear how many people accepted Christ, but we know He did not hold off the rain for nothing! Keep Capitol University in your prayers!
CJ Sharing his testimony with the students and players from Capitol University. It is amazing how intently people listen when they know you can do a 360 dunk.
Our team listening as the local pastor shares the gospel with the spectators in their language.
Here is some of our team with the opposing team. Most of us were probably getting dragged off for other photo ops.
As we were heading to the court, I looked up and thought that I was sure glad that we were playing in a gym. It has rained every night since we have been in Mindanao and it looked like tonight would be no different. As we got closer to the court, I was disappointed to see that we were in fact, not playing in a gym, or even in a covered court. It was wide open. As our team huddled together to start the game, we said a quick prayer asking God to hold off the rain and give CJ the right words to share with the crowd at half time. Even as we were walking onto the court drops were starting to sprinkle down on the court. It was disappointing, but I just thought: "keep praying, God is in control of this." We were praying the whole game, and while the clouds never left and there was a little bit of lightning in the distance, after a few seconds of sprinkles, there was no more rain. It was amazing to see God answer that prayer within moments.
We got the game started against the Capitol College Varsity team. We extended the lead up to 10 or 15 on a couple of different occasions, but these scrappy players kept coming back and we had to hang on to win 85 - 80. CJ shared at half time, and because of the rain we had already handed out tracts to everyone in case we did get rained out. A local pastor again shared a message of salvation and led the crowd through the sinners prayer. The local businessman's fellowship and church members will be following up over the coming days/weeks/months. I hope we get a chance to hear how many people accepted Christ, but we know He did not hold off the rain for nothing! Keep Capitol University in your prayers!
CJ Sharing his testimony with the students and players from Capitol University. It is amazing how intently people listen when they know you can do a 360 dunk.
Our team listening as the local pastor shares the gospel with the spectators in their language.
Here is some of our team with the opposing team. Most of us were probably getting dragged off for other photo ops.
Finally, A Little Break!
This morning we woke up and headed back to Cagayan de Oro, the city we had originally flown into. We had to leave very early so Kirk could get to the airport in time to catch a flight back to Manila and then get to class at Ateneo. We met up with our hosts in CDO, the Cagayan de Oro Chapter of the Christian Businessman's Fellowship. After we dropped Kirk at the airport we headed to the hotel where we will be staying for the rest of the trip. We finally had some real time to relax. Up to now, it has just been a few minutes here and there, but because we had left so early we had a good amount of time at the hotel before our next appointment. We ate lunch together as a team at Pizza Hut. Real Nice!
We headed to our game at 4:30 pm in Barangay Puerto. We arrived about 5:30 and there were a few people around, but there was no opposing team to be found. We waited and waited and by 6:45 there was still no team. I talked to our hosts and told them that if no one was there by 7:00 we would just do a dunk contest and play some games with the kids instead of playing a full game. I am not sure if that had anything to do with it, but the team showed up right at 7. One benefit of sitting there so long was that word had gotten out that there were Americans at the court. By the time the game started there were close to 2000 people crowded into the little covered court.
This is just a small section of the crowd. See how people squeeze in just to get a glimpse of the game?
Mark getting mauled by fans who want pictures, or autographs... or a lock of his hair
We had a great game, and while it was not a close score, the rims were back to regular size and CJ and Josh were able to keep everyone excited with some dunks (mostly CJ). The final score was 84 - 64. Micah F shared his testimony at halftime and we gave tracts to everyone. A local pastor shared a Gospel presentation and we invited everyone to visit the local church on Sunday. Pray that the words we spoke and the tracts we gave out will lead someone to give their life to Christ or stop in to church on Sunday and hear more about it.
Vince handing out tracts to spectators in Barangay Puerto
We headed to our game at 4:30 pm in Barangay Puerto. We arrived about 5:30 and there were a few people around, but there was no opposing team to be found. We waited and waited and by 6:45 there was still no team. I talked to our hosts and told them that if no one was there by 7:00 we would just do a dunk contest and play some games with the kids instead of playing a full game. I am not sure if that had anything to do with it, but the team showed up right at 7. One benefit of sitting there so long was that word had gotten out that there were Americans at the court. By the time the game started there were close to 2000 people crowded into the little covered court.
This is just a small section of the crowd. See how people squeeze in just to get a glimpse of the game?
Mark getting mauled by fans who want pictures, or autographs... or a lock of his hair
We had a great game, and while it was not a close score, the rims were back to regular size and CJ and Josh were able to keep everyone excited with some dunks (mostly CJ). The final score was 84 - 64. Micah F shared his testimony at halftime and we gave tracts to everyone. A local pastor shared a Gospel presentation and we invited everyone to visit the local church on Sunday. Pray that the words we spoke and the tracts we gave out will lead someone to give their life to Christ or stop in to church on Sunday and hear more about it.
Vince handing out tracts to spectators in Barangay Puerto
Tuesday: Big Games and Big Waterfalls
We woke up today at 6:00 AM to meet our hosts from the Iligan City Businessman's Fellowship. They have a weekly meeting where they play and this week they invited us to join in a quick game with some of their friends. By 7:30 we finished a short friendship game which we won 62-40. Immediately after we played a local barangay team that was made up of several local star players. Although it was 8:00 in the morning we had a pretty large crowd. It was by far the most competitive game of the trip and we came back from a 20 point deficit to win 132-120. Afterward, Kirk Long was able to share his testimonies with the local players and some of our security team that has been following us around for the last 2 days.
Our team posing with the guys from our morning games in Iligan City
Daniel with the guys from the Army who were assigned to our team while we were in Iligan City. No worries parents, this is just something that the local mayors like to do to make us feel welcome. We weren't really in danger, although, it should help you sleep a little better at night knowing we have 24 hour armed guards :)
After our game we had meetings with the local mayor and the congressman of the area. Then were able to take in some sightseeing and we visited Tinago falls. Tinago Falls is a great local waterfall where we were able to swim and cliff dive. Some of the missionaries who have grown up in the Philippines said it was the nicest nature spot they have seen in all of the country.
All of the guys who made the journey to the waterfall. It was a blast! There were a few kids who showed us how to climb the rocks for a good high jump into the water.
When we returned from Tinago falls we headed to our 3rd game of the day. As we pulled up to Tibangan court we could hear that the crowd was ready for us. The court was completely packed with well over 1000 people. Vince Burke challenged the crowd to give their lives to Christ at halftime and we handed out tracts to many eager fans. Generally we are able to get the crowd excited with lots of dunks, but the goals at this court were well over 10' 6" high... no one was dunking tonight, but the crowd stayed excited because the game was close... after a few scares, we pulled out an 85-80 victory.
As we left the game we headed to a short dinner where we were able to meet with our opponents in a smaller setting and Daniel was able to share the Gospel with them. Please pray for these players as we challenged them to make a decision for Christ.
Our team posing with the guys from our morning games in Iligan City
Daniel with the guys from the Army who were assigned to our team while we were in Iligan City. No worries parents, this is just something that the local mayors like to do to make us feel welcome. We weren't really in danger, although, it should help you sleep a little better at night knowing we have 24 hour armed guards :)
After our game we had meetings with the local mayor and the congressman of the area. Then were able to take in some sightseeing and we visited Tinago falls. Tinago Falls is a great local waterfall where we were able to swim and cliff dive. Some of the missionaries who have grown up in the Philippines said it was the nicest nature spot they have seen in all of the country.
All of the guys who made the journey to the waterfall. It was a blast! There were a few kids who showed us how to climb the rocks for a good high jump into the water.
When we returned from Tinago falls we headed to our 3rd game of the day. As we pulled up to Tibangan court we could hear that the crowd was ready for us. The court was completely packed with well over 1000 people. Vince Burke challenged the crowd to give their lives to Christ at halftime and we handed out tracts to many eager fans. Generally we are able to get the crowd excited with lots of dunks, but the goals at this court were well over 10' 6" high... no one was dunking tonight, but the crowd stayed excited because the game was close... after a few scares, we pulled out an 85-80 victory.
As we left the game we headed to a short dinner where we were able to meet with our opponents in a smaller setting and Daniel was able to share the Gospel with them. Please pray for these players as we challenged them to make a decision for Christ.
June 2010, Trip to Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao Island
Today was a long, long day. We woke up at 2:00 a.m. to meet up and load the van for our trip to the airport. We headed out at 2:30 and arrived at the airport at 3:15 for our 4:20 flight. We made it through check in pretty quick but by the time we got through all of the security checkpoints it was time to board the plane.
Our plane landed at 5:30 a.m. and our hosts from the Iligan City Christian Businessman's Fellowship were there to pick us up. They really rolled out the welcome wagon! As we walked out of the airport they had a large banner welcoming our team and they gave us all medallions to wear around our neck. As we went throughout the day, this treatment would continue. It was such a blessing to see people so excited about getting involved in ministry to their community.
One of the biggest blessings was reconnecting with Brother Nelson, who Josh has worked with the last couple of years. He was the one who helped coordinate the details of our trip. He is a local businessman in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro, but his passion for ministry is evident and the smile never left his face as we traveled around to our different events.
After stopping for some breakfast we headed 2 hours north to Iligan City, where we will spend our first two days. We got situated and had about 30 minutes to relax, then we went out for the motorcade. This consisted of driving around to the main parts of town and throwing out fliers from the back of the trucks we were riding in. It was going great until it started raining. We still did our best, but by the end it was pouring so had that we all got inside the trucks and rolled the windows down to invite people to come to our games. We also stopped at the mall to hand out fliers and invite people to the games as well.
The view of our motorcade from the front vehicle. This is before the rain came pouring down!
At the mall inviting people to come to our game. Everywhere we go, people want to take pictures of us with their cell phone cameras! Isn't technology wonderful?!?
After the motorcade we traveled back to the hotel and prepared for the game. We had a few minutes to relax, and then we headed to the game. We arrived and the game went as normal. It was a pretty tough team, but we maintained control pretty easily with the help of our late addition CJ, who is a friend who does sports ministry in Cebu City. Josh shared his testimony at half time and a local pastor followed up with a Gospel presentation in the local language. We gave the over 1000 people in attendance a gospel tract that the pastor also explained in detail. We went on to win the game 87 - 75.
After the game, we met the opposing team for dinner at Ritzas. After a great meal of Lechon Baboy (Whole Pig Roast) we had a chance to tell them about Buhay Sports and then share a more specific challenge to them as athletes to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. CJ is a friend of ours who is just out of college in the states and is spending the coming months in Cebu City helping out with sports ministry teams there. He told him that when his life was centered around basketball it was never going to last forever, but when he committed his life to join the team of Jesus Christ, he was on a team that would be playing for eternity. It was a really great perspective to share with athletes. After CJ spoke, we had a local pastor who came up and led the players in the sinners prayer. We don't know how many of them said it and truly made a decision to give their hearts to Christ, but a few of them talked to our hosts after the dinner was over and said they had accepted Christ. Our hosts and the local pastors will continue to follow up and hopefully we will get a full report down the road, but at this point, even to know that 1 or 2 have professed salvation makes the long long day worth it!
Here is CJ at the restaurant sharing his testimony with the team we had just played
Keep the people from Iligan City who heard our presentation and the players who we shared with after the game in your prayers. While some of them made professions of faith, there are still more who need to give their life to Christ.
Our plane landed at 5:30 a.m. and our hosts from the Iligan City Christian Businessman's Fellowship were there to pick us up. They really rolled out the welcome wagon! As we walked out of the airport they had a large banner welcoming our team and they gave us all medallions to wear around our neck. As we went throughout the day, this treatment would continue. It was such a blessing to see people so excited about getting involved in ministry to their community.
One of the biggest blessings was reconnecting with Brother Nelson, who Josh has worked with the last couple of years. He was the one who helped coordinate the details of our trip. He is a local businessman in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro, but his passion for ministry is evident and the smile never left his face as we traveled around to our different events.
After stopping for some breakfast we headed 2 hours north to Iligan City, where we will spend our first two days. We got situated and had about 30 minutes to relax, then we went out for the motorcade. This consisted of driving around to the main parts of town and throwing out fliers from the back of the trucks we were riding in. It was going great until it started raining. We still did our best, but by the end it was pouring so had that we all got inside the trucks and rolled the windows down to invite people to come to our games. We also stopped at the mall to hand out fliers and invite people to the games as well.
The view of our motorcade from the front vehicle. This is before the rain came pouring down!
At the mall inviting people to come to our game. Everywhere we go, people want to take pictures of us with their cell phone cameras! Isn't technology wonderful?!?
After the motorcade we traveled back to the hotel and prepared for the game. We had a few minutes to relax, and then we headed to the game. We arrived and the game went as normal. It was a pretty tough team, but we maintained control pretty easily with the help of our late addition CJ, who is a friend who does sports ministry in Cebu City. Josh shared his testimony at half time and a local pastor followed up with a Gospel presentation in the local language. We gave the over 1000 people in attendance a gospel tract that the pastor also explained in detail. We went on to win the game 87 - 75.
After the game, we met the opposing team for dinner at Ritzas. After a great meal of Lechon Baboy (Whole Pig Roast) we had a chance to tell them about Buhay Sports and then share a more specific challenge to them as athletes to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. CJ is a friend of ours who is just out of college in the states and is spending the coming months in Cebu City helping out with sports ministry teams there. He told him that when his life was centered around basketball it was never going to last forever, but when he committed his life to join the team of Jesus Christ, he was on a team that would be playing for eternity. It was a really great perspective to share with athletes. After CJ spoke, we had a local pastor who came up and led the players in the sinners prayer. We don't know how many of them said it and truly made a decision to give their hearts to Christ, but a few of them talked to our hosts after the dinner was over and said they had accepted Christ. Our hosts and the local pastors will continue to follow up and hopefully we will get a full report down the road, but at this point, even to know that 1 or 2 have professed salvation makes the long long day worth it!
Here is CJ at the restaurant sharing his testimony with the team we had just played
Keep the people from Iligan City who heard our presentation and the players who we shared with after the game in your prayers. While some of them made professions of faith, there are still more who need to give their life to Christ.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Day 8: Finishing Strong
Our first game today was at 9:00 a.m. Since we arrived in Cagayan de Oro last night, we were assured that we had no chance of beating our opponents. The team was made up of alumni/former players from Xavier University. We definitely looked sluggish at the start but rallied for an even score at halftime. During halftime we introduced ourselves, and shared our testimony with the opposing team and all of those in attendance. Then as we handed out tracts the Christian radio station who promoted the game (The New J) gave away free merchandise such as CDs, T-shirts and Coffee Mugs. They had promised over the radio that the first 300 guests would get a chance to win prizes as a way to help build the attendance. It was a great time of ministry and we made a lot of good contacts for one of the radio station's partnering pastors. Please keep pastor Kevin in your prayers as he follows up the contacts that were made at our game. We also would like you to pray that those who were in attendance would also switch their radio station to 103.3 fm, and be ministered to even more through the Christian music that is played on the radio. After all of the halftime festivities, we started the second half. We had to overcome a power outage for a while, and some interesting calls from the officials, but we managed to pull off a 90-77 win.
Ball Hog Count: 913 + 90 = 1003
Our second game of the day was in Balulang, a small community just outside of CDO. The game was played against a selection (all-star) team from the area. The New J radio station had also done a lot of work to prepare for this game. The crowd was pretty good for a small covered court outside of town, and the team we were playing was very talented. We were up about 10 at half time. It is amazing how excited people get during a half time presentation that includes free gifts. They really seemed to be into it and were excited to hear what we had to say as it was leading up to the raffle for free stuff. For our part of half time, we all introduced ourselves and then Alvin gave a brief Gospel presentation. While we handed out tracts The New J gave away Christian music, Tshirts and coffee mugs. As the buzzer sounded to start the second half, what we had come to do was complete! We still however, had 20 minutes of basketball left to play. We did our best against a very talented team and despite some excellent play by our opponents we hit a couple of late shots and some free throws to take a 3 point lead into the final buzzer: 85 -82.
Please keep the city of Cagayan de Oro and the province of Bukidnon in your prayers. We layed a lot of groundwork that pastors will follow up, but they need your prayers as they work to bring in the harvest. We are so thankful for those who have been following along have prayed and will continue to pray for the work in Mindanao. Salamat Po! (Thank You)
Ball Hog Count: 1003 + 85 = 1088
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Ball Hog Count: 913 + 90 = 1003
Our second game of the day was in Balulang, a small community just outside of CDO. The game was played against a selection (all-star) team from the area. The New J radio station had also done a lot of work to prepare for this game. The crowd was pretty good for a small covered court outside of town, and the team we were playing was very talented. We were up about 10 at half time. It is amazing how excited people get during a half time presentation that includes free gifts. They really seemed to be into it and were excited to hear what we had to say as it was leading up to the raffle for free stuff. For our part of half time, we all introduced ourselves and then Alvin gave a brief Gospel presentation. While we handed out tracts The New J gave away Christian music, Tshirts and coffee mugs. As the buzzer sounded to start the second half, what we had come to do was complete! We still however, had 20 minutes of basketball left to play. We did our best against a very talented team and despite some excellent play by our opponents we hit a couple of late shots and some free throws to take a 3 point lead into the final buzzer: 85 -82.
Please keep the city of Cagayan de Oro and the province of Bukidnon in your prayers. We layed a lot of groundwork that pastors will follow up, but they need your prayers as they work to bring in the harvest. We are so thankful for those who have been following along have prayed and will continue to pray for the work in Mindanao. Salamat Po! (Thank You)
Ball Hog Count: 1003 + 85 = 1088
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Day 7: Radio Personalities
Today, we had a game at 9:00 in the morning in Kiburiao. There was not a huge crowd, as is generally the case this early in the morning, but we still took advantage of those who were there and made sure they all got a gospel tract and heard a testimony from our Filipino teammate Alvin. Alvin has been such a crucial part of this trip and we could not be more thankful that God has blessed us with such a great friend and ministry partner. Alvin is employed by Faith Academy as a computer technician, but he still makes time in his schedule to help share the Gospel across the country. He is the head coach of our Buhay Bombers Basketball Team, and has joined us on other ministry outings. On this trip, Alvin has followed up each players testimony with a short recap in the local language and an explanation of the tract we are handing out. Please keep Alvin in your prayers, he works so hard to be a part of our different ministries and we want to bless him by praying that God watches over him and his family.
We won the game 43 - 31. Please also keep the people in Kiburiao in your prayers. Pastor Noel will be following up with them over the next few weeks!
Ball Hog Count: 875 + 43 = 913
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
After our game we headed back to Cagayan de Oro. Those of us "veteran" missionaries had to take the bus while the rookies got to ride in the nice air conditioned truck with Pastor Noel.
We were met at the bus station by our local contact John, another American Missionary. He is the manager of the local Christian radio station called The New J. In our past visits to CDO we have commented to each other that it would be so nice if we could get a station like The New J in Manila. No Luck Yet.
John had set up a live interview for some of the players with the early evening DJ Charlie. It was a lot of fun for some of the guys to be on the radio, but it was also a great opportunity for us to invite the listeners to our games the next day.
Tomorrow is our last day! 2 games and a flight back to Manila all in a few hours.
We won the game 43 - 31. Please also keep the people in Kiburiao in your prayers. Pastor Noel will be following up with them over the next few weeks!
Ball Hog Count: 875 + 43 = 913
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
After our game we headed back to Cagayan de Oro. Those of us "veteran" missionaries had to take the bus while the rookies got to ride in the nice air conditioned truck with Pastor Noel.
We were met at the bus station by our local contact John, another American Missionary. He is the manager of the local Christian radio station called The New J. In our past visits to CDO we have commented to each other that it would be so nice if we could get a station like The New J in Manila. No Luck Yet.
John had set up a live interview for some of the players with the early evening DJ Charlie. It was a lot of fun for some of the guys to be on the radio, but it was also a great opportunity for us to invite the listeners to our games the next day.
Tomorrow is our last day! 2 games and a flight back to Manila all in a few hours.
Day 6: Morning Off
This morning we finally got some time to rest and relax. It seems we hit the ground running and through the 3 games yesterday our bodies were starting to really get worn out. Thankfully, our 2 games today were both after lunch so we were blessed with some time off and each person spent the morning however they wanted. Most of us slept in, and then took advantage of the different pools at the resort where we were staying. After lunch, we gathered around 1 pm and headed to our first game.
We arrived in Maramag, and stopped to visit the captain of Barangay Base Camp. We had a nice visit, and got a taste of local ice cream sandwiches... literally! Take some bread, throw some ice cream in there and voila! Ice Cream Sandwich! After visiting with the barangay administration, we took a trip over to the covered court and got the game started. The game was not too tough, especially since we were energized from the morning off. At halftime, Ben shared his testimony and talked about how his salvation at the age of 20 changed his life. We handed out some Bible tracts and got started on the second half. We let it slip a little and it got close, but in the end we held on to a 47-46 win.
Ball Hog Count: 758 + 47 = 806
After our game at Barangay Base Camp we took a short break then headed over to Barangay North Poblacion in Maramag. This game was in a good size gym and there were quite a few people there. We had a little scare at the beginning of the game when the team we played seemed to make every shot they put up. We recovered though and were in pretty good control for the rest of the game, we won 69-56. Craig shared at half time and we handed out tracts. We had the pleasure of meeting a local city council woman who was a Christian and she was so excited that we had come. She invited us to the Barangay Hall after the game for dinner and we had a great time visiting with some other city officials.
Ball Hog Count: 806 + 69 = 875
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Please keep these 2 barangays of Maramag in your prayers and for the different people who will be following up with those who heard the Gospel at our game.
We arrived in Maramag, and stopped to visit the captain of Barangay Base Camp. We had a nice visit, and got a taste of local ice cream sandwiches... literally! Take some bread, throw some ice cream in there and voila! Ice Cream Sandwich! After visiting with the barangay administration, we took a trip over to the covered court and got the game started. The game was not too tough, especially since we were energized from the morning off. At halftime, Ben shared his testimony and talked about how his salvation at the age of 20 changed his life. We handed out some Bible tracts and got started on the second half. We let it slip a little and it got close, but in the end we held on to a 47-46 win.
Ball Hog Count: 758 + 47 = 806
After our game at Barangay Base Camp we took a short break then headed over to Barangay North Poblacion in Maramag. This game was in a good size gym and there were quite a few people there. We had a little scare at the beginning of the game when the team we played seemed to make every shot they put up. We recovered though and were in pretty good control for the rest of the game, we won 69-56. Craig shared at half time and we handed out tracts. We had the pleasure of meeting a local city council woman who was a Christian and she was so excited that we had come. She invited us to the Barangay Hall after the game for dinner and we had a great time visiting with some other city officials.
Ball Hog Count: 806 + 69 = 875
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Please keep these 2 barangays of Maramag in your prayers and for the different people who will be following up with those who heard the Gospel at our game.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Day 5: 3 Games in 1 Day!
Tuesday's schedule had us going all day. We originally scheduled 2 games per day, but in order to accommodate some of our traveling requirements, we opted to move our Thursday game to Tuesday, rather than have to rush around and possibly miss some important events.
Our first game was in Salawagan. We showed up and met the coach of the local team who informed us he was a Christian. We did our best to encourage him and thank him for his efforts to coach these players and minister to their spiritual needs as well as their physical/sports needs. While we were waiting for the game to starts, some of the guys walked through the surrounding villages and invited the players to come to the game. The game was fun, Evan shared his testimony at half time, and we handed out tracts. We had control for the duration of the game and won 69 - 65.
Ball Hog Count: 507 + 69 = 576
Our second game of the day was in the Municipality of Quezon. This was a very exciting game, as the local administration had done a fantastic job of promoting the event and helping set everything up. The game was in the middle of the town square, and the court was well shaded as large trees lined both sides of the cement. We arrived, to see a very big physical team warming up on the other end. We knew we would be in for a tough contest. The game was close the entire first half. We went into half time up by 5, but knew we were going to have another tough half ahead of us if we were going to win. Daniel shared his testimony at half time, and we handed out tracts. Our host pastor, Noel Colita, has a church in Quezon and has a regular ministry in town. Please pray for him as he follows up the contacts we made during our game in Quezon. He will also be coordinating the follow up from all the areas where we played. Of all the pastors we work with, he will have the most work to do after we leave. We will bless him with a nice love gift to help with some of his expenses, but more than anything... he needs your prayers! We started the second half by hitting a few good shots and getting some key defensive stops. It was no cake walk, but we managed to keep command through the end of the game, winning 77-72.
Ball Hog Count: 576 + 77 = 653
Our final game of the day was in Kiburiao. We arrived in the middle of their town festival, so everyone in the area was there. We estimated that there were close to 1000 people in attendance during the game. As we warmed up, we looked at the other end of the court to see a young team, that did not have a single player over 6 feet tall. Given our lineup of 6'8", 6'3", 6'2" and so on, we were pretty confident that we would have an easy battle on our hand. We could not have been any more wrong. Before the game, Dave, our musician for the trip, sang a tagolog song called "Superhero" that everyone loved! Shortly after his song we started the game. We were excited to see that the the same coach from our first game of the day was also the coach of this team. It is great to know that there are Christian leaders in this community getting involved in the lives of young people. We had a tough game from the start, with these quick little guys running circles around us. Going into halftime, we were losing by 12 points. During halftime, Dave shared his testimony to go along with his musical stylings. we also handed out tracts. At the start of the second half we made a nice run, but we still battled until the very end. It was like these guys could not miss! They hit almost everything they put up, especially the crucial shots. With a minute left we were up four, only to have one of their players hit his third consecutive three pointer. We came down, got fouled and hit one of two free throws to go up two. Finally they missed a shot, and had to foul us. We hit both free throws and took the four point lead to the locker room, so to speak, the final score was 105-101. After the game, we were so blessed by our hosts, they brought out boiled bananas, and buco (coconut) juice in the natural shell. The most encouraging thing about our game, was just after, while we were waiting to take a remembrance photo with the other team, we had to wait, as their coach led them in prayer. Leaders like Coach Raymond Mercader are the people that are going to be crucial in seeing this country come to Christ. Please keep coach Raymond in your prayers, as well as the ministry he helps with in Bukidnon.
Ball Hog Count: 653 + 105 = 758
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Our first game was in Salawagan. We showed up and met the coach of the local team who informed us he was a Christian. We did our best to encourage him and thank him for his efforts to coach these players and minister to their spiritual needs as well as their physical/sports needs. While we were waiting for the game to starts, some of the guys walked through the surrounding villages and invited the players to come to the game. The game was fun, Evan shared his testimony at half time, and we handed out tracts. We had control for the duration of the game and won 69 - 65.
Ball Hog Count: 507 + 69 = 576
Our second game of the day was in the Municipality of Quezon. This was a very exciting game, as the local administration had done a fantastic job of promoting the event and helping set everything up. The game was in the middle of the town square, and the court was well shaded as large trees lined both sides of the cement. We arrived, to see a very big physical team warming up on the other end. We knew we would be in for a tough contest. The game was close the entire first half. We went into half time up by 5, but knew we were going to have another tough half ahead of us if we were going to win. Daniel shared his testimony at half time, and we handed out tracts. Our host pastor, Noel Colita, has a church in Quezon and has a regular ministry in town. Please pray for him as he follows up the contacts we made during our game in Quezon. He will also be coordinating the follow up from all the areas where we played. Of all the pastors we work with, he will have the most work to do after we leave. We will bless him with a nice love gift to help with some of his expenses, but more than anything... he needs your prayers! We started the second half by hitting a few good shots and getting some key defensive stops. It was no cake walk, but we managed to keep command through the end of the game, winning 77-72.
Ball Hog Count: 576 + 77 = 653
Our final game of the day was in Kiburiao. We arrived in the middle of their town festival, so everyone in the area was there. We estimated that there were close to 1000 people in attendance during the game. As we warmed up, we looked at the other end of the court to see a young team, that did not have a single player over 6 feet tall. Given our lineup of 6'8", 6'3", 6'2" and so on, we were pretty confident that we would have an easy battle on our hand. We could not have been any more wrong. Before the game, Dave, our musician for the trip, sang a tagolog song called "Superhero" that everyone loved! Shortly after his song we started the game. We were excited to see that the the same coach from our first game of the day was also the coach of this team. It is great to know that there are Christian leaders in this community getting involved in the lives of young people. We had a tough game from the start, with these quick little guys running circles around us. Going into halftime, we were losing by 12 points. During halftime, Dave shared his testimony to go along with his musical stylings. we also handed out tracts. At the start of the second half we made a nice run, but we still battled until the very end. It was like these guys could not miss! They hit almost everything they put up, especially the crucial shots. With a minute left we were up four, only to have one of their players hit his third consecutive three pointer. We came down, got fouled and hit one of two free throws to go up two. Finally they missed a shot, and had to foul us. We hit both free throws and took the four point lead to the locker room, so to speak, the final score was 105-101. After the game, we were so blessed by our hosts, they brought out boiled bananas, and buco (coconut) juice in the natural shell. The most encouraging thing about our game, was just after, while we were waiting to take a remembrance photo with the other team, we had to wait, as their coach led them in prayer. Leaders like Coach Raymond Mercader are the people that are going to be crucial in seeing this country come to Christ. Please keep coach Raymond in your prayers, as well as the ministry he helps with in Bukidnon.
Ball Hog Count: 653 + 105 = 758
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Day 4, Arrival in Bukidnon, Mindanao
Today we woke up at 6:00 a.m. and headed for the airport. Our plane departed at 8:15 and we arrived in Cagayan de Oro at 9:30. Pastor Noel picked us up and we had a 3 hour drive to Valencia.
Our first game was with the Valencia division of the PNP (Philippine National Police). We started off well and going into half time we had a commanding lead. Alvin shared his testimony at half time and we handed out tracts. There was maybe only 100 people in attendance, but throughout the trip, we have talked about the fact, that it only takes one unsaved person to hear the message for the Holy spirit to use that message to change their heart. In a results driven society it is so difficult to stay focused and not be driven by numbers. As the leaders of the team, we do our best to relay to the new players our experiences where God has moved in big ways, even though it looked like it could only be small from our perspective. Who knows what God did in someone's heart on Monday morning? We may never know this side of heaven, but we trust that because God sent us and provided the way for us to go, our part was a success! After halftime, fatigue from the day's travels seemed to set in. Despite our efforts, we found ourselves down 12 points with 4 minutes to go. We have been in this position before, but never against such a physically strong team. We fought hard, and with seconds left we regained a 2 point lead. Winning a hard fought game by both teams, 76-74.
Ball Hog Count: 379 + 76 = 455
Our second game of the day was in Dologon. We arrived just as dark was setting in, and it seemed like we would have to modify our ministry since the covered court appeared to have no lights. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there were lights and electricity for our sound system. We got the sound system set up and started the game. We could tell early that we had our opponents outmanned, but there is definitely a "Home Court Advantage" for the teams we are playing against. Even on cement courts, there is rough terrain, uneven goals and spotty lighting. Specifics to each court are new to us, but very familiar to the teams we are playing. Using all of these factors to their advantage, our opponents stuck in the game until the end. We had a great halftime presentation, with Craig sharing his testimony. The crowd seemed very interested and excited to receive the tract that gave the details about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. After halftime, we were still battling the team and the surroundings, not to mention the crowd that was started to get excited that their team might pull off a win against the visiting Americans. It went back and forth, but in the end we pulled off a 52 - 41 victory.
Ball Hog Count: 455 + 52 = 507
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Please keep the members of the Valencia PNP and the town of Velencia in your prayers. Also, remember to pray for the people in Dologon who were at our game and heard the Gospel.
Our first game was with the Valencia division of the PNP (Philippine National Police). We started off well and going into half time we had a commanding lead. Alvin shared his testimony at half time and we handed out tracts. There was maybe only 100 people in attendance, but throughout the trip, we have talked about the fact, that it only takes one unsaved person to hear the message for the Holy spirit to use that message to change their heart. In a results driven society it is so difficult to stay focused and not be driven by numbers. As the leaders of the team, we do our best to relay to the new players our experiences where God has moved in big ways, even though it looked like it could only be small from our perspective. Who knows what God did in someone's heart on Monday morning? We may never know this side of heaven, but we trust that because God sent us and provided the way for us to go, our part was a success! After halftime, fatigue from the day's travels seemed to set in. Despite our efforts, we found ourselves down 12 points with 4 minutes to go. We have been in this position before, but never against such a physically strong team. We fought hard, and with seconds left we regained a 2 point lead. Winning a hard fought game by both teams, 76-74.
Ball Hog Count: 379 + 76 = 455
Our second game of the day was in Dologon. We arrived just as dark was setting in, and it seemed like we would have to modify our ministry since the covered court appeared to have no lights. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there were lights and electricity for our sound system. We got the sound system set up and started the game. We could tell early that we had our opponents outmanned, but there is definitely a "Home Court Advantage" for the teams we are playing against. Even on cement courts, there is rough terrain, uneven goals and spotty lighting. Specifics to each court are new to us, but very familiar to the teams we are playing. Using all of these factors to their advantage, our opponents stuck in the game until the end. We had a great halftime presentation, with Craig sharing his testimony. The crowd seemed very interested and excited to receive the tract that gave the details about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. After halftime, we were still battling the team and the surroundings, not to mention the crowd that was started to get excited that their team might pull off a win against the visiting Americans. It went back and forth, but in the end we pulled off a 52 - 41 victory.
Ball Hog Count: 455 + 52 = 507
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Please keep the members of the Valencia PNP and the town of Velencia in your prayers. Also, remember to pray for the people in Dologon who were at our game and heard the Gospel.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Church, Shopping, and Game 4
Today (Sunday) we were able to bring our team to worship at a local Filipino church. Pastor Better Labuca shared a message on Philippians 2, which was a great reminder to do all things without grumbling and complaining. This meant a lot to our team as we are about to head out to remote areas to play for the next five days. We will spend a lot of time in the sun, playing hoops, and traveling many hours each day through rough terrain. It will be very easy for us to get tired and start complaining. Please pray for us as we go through the most difficult time of the trip.
After church we headed to the local market for the boys to pick up some souvenirs for the friends and their families. They had a great time experiencing the culture and negotiating lower prices with the shop owners.
Our last event of the day was our final Manila game at Barangay Quirino. As soon as the ball was tipped we knew we were in for a track meet. Each team pushed the ball up the floor and shot a high percentage from the field. With a strong last five minutes we prevailed with a 124-108 victory. Most importantly we were able to share the Gospel with the locals and interact with some fellow Believers. Please pray for the people of Brgy Quirino and those who took interest in the Good News.
In the morning we will jump on an early flight and will be updating you tomorrow from the southern Philippines. Thanks for all your prayers.
Ball Hog Running Count: 255 + 124 = 379
After church we headed to the local market for the boys to pick up some souvenirs for the friends and their families. They had a great time experiencing the culture and negotiating lower prices with the shop owners.
Our last event of the day was our final Manila game at Barangay Quirino. As soon as the ball was tipped we knew we were in for a track meet. Each team pushed the ball up the floor and shot a high percentage from the field. With a strong last five minutes we prevailed with a 124-108 victory. Most importantly we were able to share the Gospel with the locals and interact with some fellow Believers. Please pray for the people of Brgy Quirino and those who took interest in the Good News.
In the morning we will jump on an early flight and will be updating you tomorrow from the southern Philippines. Thanks for all your prayers.
Ball Hog Running Count: 255 + 124 = 379
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Day 2: Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City; Tanza, Antipolo
This morning we started out our day with a fabulous American breakfast and devotion from one of Josh and Daniel's good friends and ministry partner who lives in the Philippines. Eggs, Toasted Pandesal, Jimmy Dean Sausage - oh yeah! It was great!
We were challenged with a passage of scripture from Matthew 25. We were encouraged and reminded that whatever we do to the least of these, we have done for Christ. It was such a great reminder as we are heading out to the poorest of the poor, that we are the hands and feet of Christ!
Our first game of the day was in Pasig City, Barangay Pinagbuhatan (barangay is a term for small village, numerous barangays make up a city).
Since we arrived in the Philippines 5 years ago, we have gotten involved with some local uniform tailors who make athletic uniforms. We have used this as a way to help other ministries across the world with their uniform needs and also as a way to fund some of our ministry activities. Somewhere along the line, I (Joshua) had the opportunity to meet Dioni (pronounced Johnny). He runs one of the bigger uniform shops in our area and he has helped me tremendously as I have learned the ins and outs of making uniforms. Recently, Daniel and I started to play with the basketball team he sponsors. We have really enjoyed getting a chance to know Dioni and the players on his team. When we join a team like this, it is always with the intentions of building relationships and sharing the Gospel.
While we were working on setting up this trip, we immediately inquired with Dioni about our guest team Buhay Sports playing against his team. This would be a great way to continue building that relationship, but also a way for the players that we usually play with, to hear why we really live in their home country. It was great! It was back and forth the entire game. We shared the Gospel at half time and handed out tracts to everyone there, probably over 300 people were in attendance. In the end, we let a late 3 point lead slip away and ended up losing by 5, 80-85.
Ball Hog Count: 104 + 80 = 184
After the game, Dioni took us back to his uniform shop and fed us a fantastic lunch of Chicken Adobo, Barbecue Chicken, Fish, Watermelon, Mango and of course - Rice! We are so excited about the friendship that we will continue building with Dioni and all of the players on his team. We know that this event has helped us tremendously in that area. We are also excited about the many people who heard the Gospel and were given a tract about how they could have a personal relationship with Christ.
After our first game, we headed home to relax. We then headed out to our second game of the day in Tanza, Antipolo. Many of you have heard us talk about Tanza before. Tanza is one of the areas where we have a regualr ongoing ministry. Church, feeding program and widow care are just a few of the things that First Love is involved in there. Our first pig farm livelihood project is also in the Tanza area.
There were only a few people there when we first got to the court, but as we set up our sound system and turned on the music and the lights, more people started to wander over to see what all the fuss was about. The game was fun, and we won easily 71-50. During halftime, we shared the Gospel with almost 200 people. We gave them all a Gospel tract and invited them to our Church service on Sunday.
Thanks for keeping the people in these two areas where we played games in your prayers as well as the players on the team that Daniel and I play with. We trust that the Holy Spirit will use our efforts to touch someone's heart regarding their need for Salvation.
Ball Hog Count: 184 + 71 = 255
Click here for info on our Ball Hog Fundraiser.
We were challenged with a passage of scripture from Matthew 25. We were encouraged and reminded that whatever we do to the least of these, we have done for Christ. It was such a great reminder as we are heading out to the poorest of the poor, that we are the hands and feet of Christ!
Our first game of the day was in Pasig City, Barangay Pinagbuhatan (barangay is a term for small village, numerous barangays make up a city).
Since we arrived in the Philippines 5 years ago, we have gotten involved with some local uniform tailors who make athletic uniforms. We have used this as a way to help other ministries across the world with their uniform needs and also as a way to fund some of our ministry activities. Somewhere along the line, I (Joshua) had the opportunity to meet Dioni (pronounced Johnny). He runs one of the bigger uniform shops in our area and he has helped me tremendously as I have learned the ins and outs of making uniforms. Recently, Daniel and I started to play with the basketball team he sponsors. We have really enjoyed getting a chance to know Dioni and the players on his team. When we join a team like this, it is always with the intentions of building relationships and sharing the Gospel.
While we were working on setting up this trip, we immediately inquired with Dioni about our guest team Buhay Sports playing against his team. This would be a great way to continue building that relationship, but also a way for the players that we usually play with, to hear why we really live in their home country. It was great! It was back and forth the entire game. We shared the Gospel at half time and handed out tracts to everyone there, probably over 300 people were in attendance. In the end, we let a late 3 point lead slip away and ended up losing by 5, 80-85.
Ball Hog Count: 104 + 80 = 184
After the game, Dioni took us back to his uniform shop and fed us a fantastic lunch of Chicken Adobo, Barbecue Chicken, Fish, Watermelon, Mango and of course - Rice! We are so excited about the friendship that we will continue building with Dioni and all of the players on his team. We know that this event has helped us tremendously in that area. We are also excited about the many people who heard the Gospel and were given a tract about how they could have a personal relationship with Christ.
After our first game, we headed home to relax. We then headed out to our second game of the day in Tanza, Antipolo. Many of you have heard us talk about Tanza before. Tanza is one of the areas where we have a regualr ongoing ministry. Church, feeding program and widow care are just a few of the things that First Love is involved in there. Our first pig farm livelihood project is also in the Tanza area.
There were only a few people there when we first got to the court, but as we set up our sound system and turned on the music and the lights, more people started to wander over to see what all the fuss was about. The game was fun, and we won easily 71-50. During halftime, we shared the Gospel with almost 200 people. We gave them all a Gospel tract and invited them to our Church service on Sunday.
Thanks for keeping the people in these two areas where we played games in your prayers as well as the players on the team that Daniel and I play with. We trust that the Holy Spirit will use our efforts to touch someone's heart regarding their need for Salvation.
Ball Hog Count: 184 + 71 = 255
Click here for info on our Ball Hog Fundraiser.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010: Marikina
After some flight delays that led to an arrival 14 hours later than expected. Our visiting players arrived in Manila, Philippines, ready to spend a week serving Christ and sharing the Gospel with countless lost souls. We are so excited to have them here, and help them experience the joy of working for His Kingdom.
Please keep them in your prayers as they adjust to a new climate, new culture and the many other factors that can make going overseas a challenge. We know that God has brought each of them here for a reason and are excited to see how he uses each of them to change the lives of Filipinos, and how he uses Filipinos to change each of their lives.
After getting everyone back home from the airport and going over some need to know information regarding living in the Philippines, everyone headed up to Josh's place for a fabulous meal of Bicol Express. There are a lot of fun things to do in the Philippines, but if you leave the country without trying Bicol Express, you have missed out on a major cultural treasure. There is also a restaurant in Mindanao that serves another variety of the dish, that we will most definitely visit during a later part of our trip.
After dinner, we loaded up and headed to the game. Here is the recap:
In 2005 when our family first arrived on the mission field in the Philippines, we met Eddie. He had recently been led to Christ by another First Love International missionary who was also discipling him in his Christian walk. Throughout the last few years we have watched Eddie grow in his faith and currently, in the absence of a church in his area, Eddie leads a Bible study in his home and has a men's fellowship Bible study once a week with another First Love International missionary. It has been exciting to see Eddie develop as a Christian man of God.
As we were canvassing areas where we would take our short term missions team to play games, we were excited to partner with Eddie in an effort to evangelize and help recruit new members to join the different Bibles studies that Eddie holds in his home.
Tonight, we tipped off the first game of our current ministry trip in Marikina, at a court that is just outside the back wall of Eddie's home.
The game went well. We had over 100 people from the small community courtside to see what all the fuss was about. As the 3 new guys (Evan, Ben and Craig) were introduced to Filipino basketball, we were able to share the gospel, hand out tracts and invite everyone to join one of the Bible studies that Eddie hosts.
It was a fun game, and in the end, we pulled off a win 104-100. Everyone watching was excited to see a few dunks and some long range three pointers. As a team, we were excited for an opportunity to share the Gospel. With God's blessing, Eddie will have a few more people at the Bible Study this week asking questions and learning how they can have their own, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Thanks for joining us in praying for the people in Marikina who were at the game tonight. That the Holy Spirit would touch their hearts and they would take advantage of the life changing information that was given to them.
Tomorrow we will be playing 2 games, 1 in Pasig City, and 1 in Tanza.
BALL HOG RUNNING COUNT: 104
Click here for info on our Ball Hog Fundraiser.
Please keep them in your prayers as they adjust to a new climate, new culture and the many other factors that can make going overseas a challenge. We know that God has brought each of them here for a reason and are excited to see how he uses each of them to change the lives of Filipinos, and how he uses Filipinos to change each of their lives.
After getting everyone back home from the airport and going over some need to know information regarding living in the Philippines, everyone headed up to Josh's place for a fabulous meal of Bicol Express. There are a lot of fun things to do in the Philippines, but if you leave the country without trying Bicol Express, you have missed out on a major cultural treasure. There is also a restaurant in Mindanao that serves another variety of the dish, that we will most definitely visit during a later part of our trip.
After dinner, we loaded up and headed to the game. Here is the recap:
In 2005 when our family first arrived on the mission field in the Philippines, we met Eddie. He had recently been led to Christ by another First Love International missionary who was also discipling him in his Christian walk. Throughout the last few years we have watched Eddie grow in his faith and currently, in the absence of a church in his area, Eddie leads a Bible study in his home and has a men's fellowship Bible study once a week with another First Love International missionary. It has been exciting to see Eddie develop as a Christian man of God.
As we were canvassing areas where we would take our short term missions team to play games, we were excited to partner with Eddie in an effort to evangelize and help recruit new members to join the different Bibles studies that Eddie holds in his home.
Tonight, we tipped off the first game of our current ministry trip in Marikina, at a court that is just outside the back wall of Eddie's home.
The game went well. We had over 100 people from the small community courtside to see what all the fuss was about. As the 3 new guys (Evan, Ben and Craig) were introduced to Filipino basketball, we were able to share the gospel, hand out tracts and invite everyone to join one of the Bible studies that Eddie hosts.
It was a fun game, and in the end, we pulled off a win 104-100. Everyone watching was excited to see a few dunks and some long range three pointers. As a team, we were excited for an opportunity to share the Gospel. With God's blessing, Eddie will have a few more people at the Bible Study this week asking questions and learning how they can have their own, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Thanks for joining us in praying for the people in Marikina who were at the game tonight. That the Holy Spirit would touch their hearts and they would take advantage of the life changing information that was given to them.
Tomorrow we will be playing 2 games, 1 in Pasig City, and 1 in Tanza.
BALL HOG RUNNING COUNT: 104
Click here for info on our Ball Hog Fundraiser.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Let the Games Begin!
This month we will start off our summer of basketball ministry trips. We have a few trips planned and we are trying to finalize a couple more teams from the states who are trying to work out the details and finances for trips.
Our first trip will be in Metro Manila and Bukidnon Province, Mindanao. We will be working with some local contacts for the Manila portion of our trip and then reconnecting with Pastor Noel Colita for the Bukidnon portion of the trip. Pastor Noel was the organizer of the very first Buhay Sports ministry trip, which was also in Bukidnon, Mindanao and we are excited to partner together with him and the members of his pastors conference. Please remember to keep the team in your prayers from May 14 – 21. We will be traveling a lot, mostly by jeep, but also by plane and some boat. We will also be sharing the Gospel in close to 20 areas and each game working with a different local pastor who will work with his church to follow up our event. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but with your prayers we know God will bless our efforts to see people come to know Him!
Stay tuned for daily updates from our trip as internet access allows!
Here is a recent picture I have of Pastor Noel, for you dog lovers out there!
Our first trip will be in Metro Manila and Bukidnon Province, Mindanao. We will be working with some local contacts for the Manila portion of our trip and then reconnecting with Pastor Noel Colita for the Bukidnon portion of the trip. Pastor Noel was the organizer of the very first Buhay Sports ministry trip, which was also in Bukidnon, Mindanao and we are excited to partner together with him and the members of his pastors conference. Please remember to keep the team in your prayers from May 14 – 21. We will be traveling a lot, mostly by jeep, but also by plane and some boat. We will also be sharing the Gospel in close to 20 areas and each game working with a different local pastor who will work with his church to follow up our event. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but with your prayers we know God will bless our efforts to see people come to know Him!
Stay tuned for daily updates from our trip as internet access allows!
Here is a recent picture I have of Pastor Noel, for you dog lovers out there!
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