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.