Christmas Day @ Sefton '07

what a day! Enjoy . . .

Merry Christmas!

Well, it's just turned 12 midnight here in the Philippines .... it is officially Christmas Day! The whole Philippines have been preparing for this day since way back in September 1 ... ridiculous really!

I was a bit shocked at some of the statistics I read concerning Christmas in the UK. I wasn't totally aware that it is becoming more and more of a social festival rather than a Christian celebration. I know that it has become totally commercialised and a good excuse to lose discipline, get drunk and behave pretty badly. But it seems as if people don't even know about what Christmas is all about any more.

I read a startling report in our Weekly Telegraph this week. They asked a cross section of British people four basic questions about the Christmas story. Here are the questions & results:

1. Where was Jesus born?
Can you believe that 27% of British adults surveyed could not identify Bethlehem! In fact 36% of 18-24 year olds got the wrong answer. Some said Nazareth and some said Jerusalem!

2. Who informed Mary she would have a baby called Jesus?
27% of adults said that it was the shepherds.

3. Where did Joseph, Mary and Jesus go to escape King Herod?
hardly anyone got this question right. Many said that they went to Nazareth and some even said Rome!

4. Who is the cousin of Jesus who was also born at the same time?
Over 50% had no idea.

Only 12% of all adults surveyed answered all questions correctly.


I also read some interesting UK statistics concerning Christmas:

• We consume around 10 million turkeys, 25 million Christmas puddings, 250 million pints of beer and 35 million bottles of wine in the UK at Christmas.
• 7 million children leave mince pies and a drink for Santa on Christmas Eve.
• The UK spends £20bn on Christmas with £1.6bn going on food and drink.

• Each person takes an average of 15 hours to complete his/her Christmas shopping.
• 4 million Brussels sprouts are usually purchased in the week before Christmas.
• £10 billion is the average amount borrowed across Britain at Christmas to foot the bill.
• 41% more alcohol is drunk during the Christmas holidays than the monthly UK average.
• Each person spends an average of £33 on last-minute panic purchases.
• 25% of all Christmas shopping time is spent in queues.

• And a recent survey found that one in 10 adults – around four million people – is still paying off debts run up last Christmas

• Hangovers cost the UK about £2 billion a year in lost earnings through sickness absence.
• At Christmas, higher alcohol consumption leads to a 0.4% increase in fatal poisonings for every 1% increase in sales of spirits

The post-Christmas season is traditionally busy one for Ebay, the world’s largest auction site with 168 million registered users. A survey released by the company in 2005 found that:

• Over 50% of Americans say they ‘re-gift’ presents they do not like, will not use, or do not fit.
• 11% say they have previously sold an unwanted gift online.
• Among 25-34 year olds the percentage of those who had sold unwanted gifts online rose to 22%.

In the UK, a Nielsen/Net Ratings survey found that:

• 15% of UK online shoppers planned to sell unwanted Christmas gifts online.
• A further 35% were considering it, with women more likely to do so than men

• Britons send nearly 1 billion Christmas cards every year.
• 6 million trees were bought in 2004, but only 1 in 6 were recycled, leading to an extra 9,000 tons of rubbish being dumped.
• Each year, Christmas leaves more than £1.2 billion-worth of unwanted presents in its wake.
• Nearly 2 million Britons will go abroad this Christmas, creating millions of tons of CO2 in the process.
• More than 8,000 tons of wrapping paper is used at Christmas, which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimates is enough to wrap the whole island of Guernsey.
• We consume far more bottles, cans and paper at Christmas than any other time of year, with more than 3 million extra tons of waste. Our bins overflow with an extra 750 million bottles and 500 million drink cans.
• About 80,000 tons of old clothes also get thrown out every Christmas.

• Calls to suicide and depression helplines increase by 10% during the festive period
• Loneliness, stress, family problems, financial pressure all takes it toll on millions of people who hide behind a smile.

I wonder what the Lord thinks of it all? I believe His heart breaks. It wasn't meant to be this way. We have made something beautiful into a monster that now has no control. What is wrong seems right and what is right seems wrong.

I was in a little church on Sunday (see Sefton Village You Tube channel for video) and we were singing that beautiful song 'When the music fades'. I really felt the spirit if God challenge me to change the words slightly. And I leave these words as a challenge to you this Christmas:

"I'm coming back to the heart of Christmas
And it's all about you
It's all about you Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
For it's all about you
It's all about you, Jesus"

Have a great day and remember to do the most important thing ... seek, find and worship the Lord!

Selah!

Walking the Talk

This week has been a busy week, with meetings every day at different levels of ministry. I've been in the car quite a bit and have been listening to a few sermons that I have downloaded to my i-pod. You know, there is a superb website - www.sermonindex.net - where you can find hundreds of wonderful messages by great men & women of God and download them ... free! Amazing. I downloaded one by a guy called Gehard DuToit called 'The Burden of God' and I have been deeply moved and challenged over the last few days.

In his message he deals with the whole area of brokenness and walking with God and he shares many of the dealings that God had been working through his life. At one point he challenged the fathers and grandfathers in the congregation -"Do your children see your brokenness before God? Do your children see a father who walks with God?" I began to think, "What do Lydia & Josiah see in me? Yes, I know they are young but is there anything I have shown in my life that as made them realise, "Daddy loves God so much." I asked Lydia, "What does Daddy do?" She replied that I 'teached down the back' and was a Pastor." Josiah thought Lydia was saying 'pasta' ... which made him laugh so much!

I have been praying today that my kids will grow up and will see that they have a daddy that knows God - not as a pastoral duty - but someone who knows the heart, voice and tears of God.

I planned to write a few blogs about being a Father a few weeks ago but couldn't. Maybe now is the right time. I want you to read the following account about a Scottish missionary called John G. Paton. This man was absolutely amazing and his motto was 'Lo, I am with you always." Even when surrounded by a tribe of cannibals he could stay calm because "they are not stronger than my Jesus and He will not let them harm us." If you want to be challenged and encouraged find out more about his ministry - do a yahoo or google 'search' or check out the following website:  www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biopaton.html

The following words describe the very beginning of Paton's missionary journey - going to catch the train in Glasgow! He talks about the relationship he had with his Godly father and of that 'long' journey they made together from Ayrshire to Glasgow. I will add my own thoughts tomorrow:

John Paton was a Scottish missionary to the Islands of the South Pacific. He died 100 years ago this year. He was born in 1824. He went out to the Islands at the age of 34 in 1858. And there he labored for the rest of his long life. After 31 years, he wrote his autobiography. In it, he remembered the time—almost 50 years earlier—when his dear father had walked him out of his village, and toward Glasgow, where his future lay. And with 50 years having gone, Paton was still obviously affected by this man who so trusted in God, feared Him, and delighted in pleasing Him.

I started out from my quiet country home on the road to Glasgow. Literally “on the road,” for from Torthorwald to Kilmarnock—about forty miles—had to be done on foot, and thence to Glasgow by rail. Railways in those days were as yet few, and coach traveling was far beyond my purse. A small bundle, tied up in my pocket-handkerchief, contained my Bible and all my personal belongings. Thus was I launched upon the ocean of life. I thought on One who says, “I know thy poverty, but thou art rich.”

My dear father walked with me the first six miles of the way. His counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting journey are fresh in my heart as if it had been but yesterday; and tears are on my cheeks as freely now as then, whenever memory steals me away to the scene. For the last half-mile or so we walked on together in almost unbroken silence,--my father, as was often his custom, carrying his hat in hand, while his long, flowing yellow hair (then yellow, but in later years white as snow) streamed like a girl’s down his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me; and his tears fell fast when our eyes met each other in looks for which all speech was vain! We halted on reaching the appointed parting place; he grasped my hand firmly for a minute in silence, and then solemnly and affectionately said:

“God bless you, my son! Your father’s God prosper you, and keep you from all evil!”

Unable to say more, his lips kept moving in silent prayer; in tears we embraced, and parted. I ran off as fast as I could; and, when about to turn a corner in the road where he would lose sight of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncovered where I had left him—gazing after me. Waving my hat in adieu, I was round the corner and out of sight in an instant. But my heart was too full and sore to carry me further, so I darted into the side of the road and wept for a time.

Then, rising up cautiously, I climbed the dyke to see if he yet stood where I had left him; and just at that moment I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dyke and looking out for me! He did not see me, and after he had gazed eagerly in my direction for a while he got down, set his face towards home, and began to return—his head still uncovered, and his heart, I felt sure, still rising in prayers for me. I watched through blinding tears, till his form faded from my gaze; and then, hastening on my way, vowed deeply and oft, by the help of God, to live and act so as never to grieve or dishonour such a father and mother as He had given me.

The appearance of my father, when we parted—his advice, prayers, and tears—the road, the dyke, the climbing up on it and then walking away, head uncovered—have often, often, all through life, risen vividly before my mind, and do so now while I am writing, as if it had been but an hour ago. In my earlier years particularly, when exposed to many temptations, his parting form rose before me as that of a guardian Angel. It is no Pharisaism, but deep gratitude, which makes me here testify that the memory of that scene not only helped, by God’s grace, to keep me from the prevailing sins, but also stimulated me in all my studies, that I might not fall short of his hopes, and in all my Christian duties, that I might faithfully follow his shining example.” (Paton, Autobiography, pp. 25-26)

All Dressed Up ...NOT!

Last Friday the SBTC students had their Christmas Party. They were all challenged to come 'dolled up' and looking bad! Well, they succeeded ... on both counts!

Check the girls out ... don't they look lovely? MMmmmmm.... Funny thing was that they decided (in true Filipino fashion) to have a time of worship before the party started. So you could imagine these lot with hands in the air, singing & praying away .. looking like this! Good job the Lord looks at our hearts!

The students are doing well and are home for their Christmas break. Please pray that they have a good time with their families and that they enjoy being back in their home churches. Pray also for their finances. Very few of them have been able to pay their fees and this has caused us big headaches inn the last few weeks. Our power was cut off for 5 days because we had no money to pay the bill. Really, really hard. Praise God, the District stepped in and paid the bill but the financial struggle still goes on. Their whole fees for the year - board, lodgings, notes, teaching and three good meals a day comes to around 175 pounds!!!!!! But they struggle so much to find it.

Next year is the 10th Anniversary of Sefton Bible Training Centre. Over 200 people have been trained for the ministry since we began and the hand of the Lord is upon us. We had a Board (not B-O-R-E-D) meting today and we planned next years events by faith. The greatest days are ahead of us!

Have great weekend. Hope you've bought all your Christmas presents by now. The shops in UK will be chocca blocka this weekend .. now hat's something I definitely don't miss! But here it does not feel like Christmas ... yes, there are Christmas trees and tinsel up in our house but the 30 degree heat makes it all seem a bit unreal. In fact, in our Cornerstone leaders meeting on Tuesday I announced that we would tackle a particular agenda "in next Tuesday's meeting" to which they all shook their heads and said "Christmas Day!"

We are really looking forward to having our great friend Catherine Young here for Christmas. She is here for a whole week... a miracle if you know Catherine's travel schedule! We are also having friends who are SIL missionaries from Northern Ireland here for boxing day ... so it should be a lot of fun for us ex-pats!

By the way, if you double click the FLIKR photo badge on the right, you will be able to see a lot of our Sefton Village photos. I have downloaded a lot recently so have a wee look!

Take care and take time for your family this Christmas...

... and be thankful you won't meet this lot in your travels!

FEBC ... All Systems Go!

Last week was an exciting week because after 4 years of planning, waiting and talking, we finally signed the contract leasing FEBC some of our land. The photo above shows me signing the legal contract along with Em Perez from FEBC and Pastor Laurence Nanglegan of the AoG District. At the bottom of Sefton Village a large radio antenna will be built. They will also build a studio building for recording all the radio shows.

We have had several meetings with FEBC Director Dan Cura and I have become good friends with him. The first time we met was in 2003 and it was a hoot. I never knew who Dan was but he was the new FEBC Director. He wanted to meet me and so when I was in Manila we planned a meeting. I decided to go early and sat at a small table across from a guy I thought I recognised. After ten minutes I asked him, "Aren't you the guy who reads the news on Channel 35?" He said, "Yes, are you Pastor Mark Ritchie?" Then I felt like a real twit. I had literally watched Dan read the national news every night for 3 years on the biggest TV Station in the Philippines and I still didn't realise that this was the same Dan Cura as I was going to meet. We still have a good laugh about that meeting!

There is a lovely couple called Em & Miriam Perez and they have worked for FEBC for 30 years. They have been assigned the responsibility of setting up the new radio station. They have had many training events for potential programmers here at Sefton. They have also been involved in a lot of the practical details of setting things up. There is a guy from FEBC called Peter MacIntyre and he is from Edinburgh ... and his wife from Tain just north of Inverness. He came to train our programmers once and couldn't believe that we were also Scottish and that Mary was from Wick! Small world!

The plan is that we will start to build in Jan/Feb. We hope to start recording radio programmes by Easter and go on air in June 2008. Many of our Cornerstone pastors & leaders (Winston, Marlou, James Bastian, August, Danny, Jane) are going to have their own shows and they have went through all the training. They all speak different dialects and will reach out to their own people groups. It is so exciting!

We have leased out the land on a 50 year lease at P1 per year! I want to make sure that the radio station will have no problems even when I am no longer at Sefton. So when I am 88, if I am still around, I can come to the Philippines to see how the new negotiations are going!!

You have to realise that there is absolutely no Christian Radio any more in the Northern Philippines. Many pastors and leader had their own shows on local FM radio stations but a false prophet (all self proclaimed messiah) bought up the rights for all local radio in the Philippines and the first thing he did was remove Christian Radio. So for three years there has been no proclamation of the gospel or christian music.


The Radio Station is called Cagayan Valley Missionary Radio an the frequency will be 1143 AM. It will reach out for hundreds of miles and most of Northern Luzon will hear that 'Jesus Christ is Lord' again! This is not a radio station to tick the ears of Christians ... its main purpose is to share the gospel for very people group in northern Luzon. That is about to change ...

In 1999 the Lord showed me in a vision that one day we would have a radio station at Sefton Village. At that time I had absolutely no idea how it would come to pass. But I knew what God had showed me and believed it with all my heart. And now, I have been amazed at the faithfulness and plan of the Lord in bringing this exciting project to pass.

Whatever the dream or vision God has shown you ... don't give up! You don't have to know how God will do it, when He will do it or even what he will do. Just believe. Hold on. Survive the storm. Don't give up ... the fulfillment is coming!

Here is a verse to encourage you today: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Gal 6:9 - NIV)

KMGLC Christmas Programme 2007

This is our School Christmas Programme taken this morning. What a brilliant morning we had. Sit back ... and enjoy!

Deal or No Deal?

Yup ... that wonderful TV show is here as well!

And it is taking the Philippines by storm. Even little Lydia & Josiah are hooked! So on Sunday, our Cornerstone Christmas Party had a DOND feel about it. We had a great crowd there from our Cornerstone Churches and everyone was so excited. There were over 400 adults and 350 kids there and it is good to see everyone mix and mingle so well. It is wonderful for people from our smaller and newer church plants to experience the bigger family and be part of the bigger picture. Our family is growing!

Cristina and the worship gang led us praise & worship and we sang a song I haven't heard for ages - 'Great is the Lord'. It was so brill to sing that song again - especially the line "And Lord I want to thank you for the works you've done in our lives'. Brought me back to the youth meetings in Fraserburgh quite a while ago! By the way, it is OK to sing older songs in churches; God doesn't mind as long as the words don't trip off our tongue but resounds from our hearts.

We had a drama from the youth entitled 'Real Me' and then all our Pastors sang a song as the people came and gave their offerings (miracle that they gave anything really!!)

Then we had Deal or No Deal ... and what a show it was! Jimmar (the computer guy who is just absolutely ablaze for the Lord) designed a Cornerstone DOND computer program - graphics, music, bankers offer ... the lot! It was amazing. We randomly picked someone out of the audience and Winston was our host. He had trained the Cornerstone DOND girls (see them below) how to do their dance and it looked so professional with their cardboard suitcases and Christmas hats.

Well, the congregation loved it! They really got involved and made some racket! The first lady won P750. I was the 'banker' and also the one who donated the prizes. So I didn't lose too much. Top prize was P3000 so I couldn't complain.

After a worship song (had to re-focus quickly!!!) I preached about 'Deal or No Deal. There are many times in the Bible when people were faced with DOND situations ... and how they responded changed their lives, their destiny and even the future of their nation. I pointed our some areas that I really feel God is challenging us at Cornerstone for 2008:

Compassion
Compromise
Prayer
Commitment
Temptation
Finances
Anointing
Reputation

After every point I gave a 'Cornerstone Challenge for 2008' and simply said "Deal ... or no deal?"

Many responded to the challenge. I told the people that they didn't need to come out to the front but before I could even get the words out of my mouth three guys came rushing out and started weeping and crying out to the Lord at the altar. Many responded for salvation. A great sense of God's presence AND purpose.

We all ate lunch together by church groups. Good old Henry had cooked 350 meals for the kids and 100 meals for the Young Soldiers and visitors. What a guy. What a day!

In the afternoon we had many games and songs. We did DOND again ... and this time the person randomly chosen by Mary was Severo (the officer from a few blogs ago). Guess what? He won the top prize ... P3000. A paradox moment for me ... I was delighted for Severo, but sorry for myself!!!! Joke. It was worth every Peso just to see all our Cornerstone family so happy, excited and animated as they urged Severo to say "No Deal!' It worked. You can see the incredible moment on our YouTube site.

I went to bed a happy - if poorer - man. It is great, as a leader, to go bed on a Sunday night knowing that the people whom you lead have been blessed, challenged, encouraged ... and are happy!

Hope to catch up with more blogs over the weekend. If I blog, will you email your friends, leaders and family and ask them to check out our Sefton blog?

Deal ... or no deal?

Sefton Village

In May-June 2006 I shot hundreds of video clips in order to make a DVD of Sefton Village for our itinerary. It was such a painful time for me because at the same time my friend Pastor Abe was dying. I felt absolutely wrecked in those last few weeks.

In the end I sent all the 10 video tapes to a guy called Craig Lomax. What he did was truly amazing. I had no time to even select the scenes I wanted ... I just said, "Craig, ask the Lord to show what to out in!" And the Lord did. Thanks Craig ... your hard work and fantastic ministry has blessed thousands who have seen this video. You are a star!

Enjoy...and share it around!

Mark

The Wonder of YouTube

As you have noticed recently, my blogs have been scattered by a a few video clips from YouTube - some my own and some by other people. I have just realised how easy it is to bring the world to your computer! I simply grab my mobile phone, shoot some video with it, download to my computer and then upload to YouTube and - hey presto - you can see special moments in front of your eyes!

I plan to take some footage every weekend and at special occasions or events. The quality is not absolutely brilliant, but good enough to give you a taste of what is happening here. It adds a new dimension for you to see what the Lord is doing! Some videos will be of the kids (especially good for friends & family) and some will be of the ministry here. Should be great ... broadband permitting!

I have made around 9 videos so far. Just go to Sefton TV:

www.youtube.com/seftonvillage

The video above is the one that our friend Craig Lomax made for our 2006 itinerary. It is really brilliant and he is an amazing guy who is very active at The Bridge Church Bolton. Check out his Youtube site - www.youtube.com/user/lomaxc

Hope you enjoy our YouTube videos! Better go now. Please let me know what you think of the videos and PLEASE sign our visitors book if you haven't done so or leave a comment to let us know who you are and how you are doing.

Also, if you would like me to take some video of anything you would like to see - Sefton Village, any particular people or ministries etc. - just let me know. If you or your church have a YouTube site and would like to let me and all who read this blog know about it, just write a 'comment' and I will publish it. The whole world is opening up! Catch the wave!

Blessya!

Jail ... A Place of Freedom!

Last Saturday was a great day for many of the men and women at the local BJMP (jail). We have been ministering there for almost 7 years and now we really feel we are beginning to see fruit for our labour! Let me tell you this brilliant story ...

In 2001 a team from the N-E Scotland came to Sefton Village. One of the team was a lady called Anita and she had been ministering in prisons for a number of years in Scotland and wanted to find out if she could reach the prisoners here. To be honest, I had never really been to the BJMP before but I had heard many rumours that, shall we say, indicated that it was not a nice place to be!

I went to the jail with a letter asking if we could hold some services with the Scottish team. The Officer in charge was a lovely man called Captain Dornogan and he was a true gentlemen. He really had a heart for these people. He showed me around the jail ... something I will never forget.

The first thing he told me was that these people were not actually convicted prisoners. They were simply awaiting trial! Some of them had been there for 7 years and were accused of simple things like shop lifting! One guy was there for 5 years and when he was sentenced he was ordered to spend one month in jail. What a waste of 4.9 years. The judicial system here in the Philippines is so slow and so corrupt that it takes years to bring someone to a trial. Tragic.

And the conditions .... were like a living hell. In a cell where 12 men should be I found over 30. They slept side by side because there was not enough room. The lights did not work, they had no fans and the place looked terrible and so scabby. the inmates only got out for a few minutes every day to wash.

We had a great mission there and during that time the Lord out a burden in my heart for these 'forgotten ones." My dad and uncle Billy were over and we painted the cells, put in some basic fans & lights and aunty Betty and my mum made huge pots of home made soup. They were so grateful. One guy said, "You have made me feel human again."

Sefton Village began to minister there every Saturday and the work was eventually taken over my Mel & Mercy Bareng. They are a lovely couple with such a heart for these inmates. In 2003 Pastor Jim Dick came to Sefton Village and I took him to the BJMP to have a look. He was so moved and challenged by what he saw. He went back to Kilsyth and promised that he would help these men, women and young people. And they did! They raised a lot of money for the jail and we accomplished so much - new paint, new fans, new lights, a basketball court and sports equipment, water pump for the new garden, an aviary for the visiting area and money to plant trees and bushes. The place was transformed!

The men began to get out to play basketball twice a day and the whole atmosphere of the place changed. God was at work. The Bible says that 'It is God;s kindness that leads us to repentance." We try and shout and shove people ... sometimes 'acts of kindness' will arrest someone in their tracks. They began to ask me, "Pastor, why do you want to help us? Why did you come? What is your reason for changing our lives?" It was then - when they saw we were the real deal - that we could speak about the real reason why we were there ... because Jesus loves them enough to send us.

We opened the basketball court with the presence of the mayor of Santiago. Captain Dornogan was so blessed that he had rented a huge tent and made it a massive event. What a day.

Over the last few years Mel & Mercy have been ministering faithfully every Saturday (their day off!) They always go the extra mile. They were joined by one of our young Pastors called August who has a real burden for the inmates. August believes that if it wasn't for the grace of God he would be in BJMP right now! (August is in left of above picture and Mel is on right)

They are always collecting toothpaste, clothes etc. for the inmates. Every Saturday the inmates will give Mel handwritten notes with a family members' mobile phone number written on it. Mel & Mercy will text every message personally to the family member. Then they will handwrite any response from the family member and give it to the inmate the next Saturday. Now that is true love.

The inmates have really been discipled by Mel, Mercy & August. I went there a couple of months ago and the inmates took the whole service - leading the meeting, praise & worship, testimonies, three preachers and even the offering! August told them that if they can be faithful in their giving when they have little they will be faithful in giving when they have much.

Last Saturday was a great day ... August and Mel baptised 21 of the inmates! It wasn't pretty and the tank was neither heated or tiled. In fact, it was an old rusty drum. But the presence of God was there and 21 people wanted to show the whole world that they belonged to Jesus; no matter what they had done - whether guilty or innocent - their lives have now changed because they have met someone who has set them free.

There are three inmates who want to go to Bible School when they leave the jail. We have plans to run discipleship classes and simple Preaching Seminars. These people are hungry for God!

Pray for Mel, Mercy & August as they continue to touch the lives of these forgotten people. If you want to give a gift to help this ministry (we desperately need a simple PA system and some Bibles, toothpaste etc.) you can send a cheque to our agent (Dr. Norman Reid, 'Hazelbank', 83 Marjoribanks Street, Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, EH48 1QH) made out to 'Assemblies of God - Sefton Village' and just write that it is for the jail ministry. Your little can go a long way here! I don't usually do this but I feel I should give the opportunity for anyone to give as the Lord leads.

Can the Lord transform a jail? Can he still set the prisoner free? Can revival come in a place no-one would expect it? Watch this space...

Selah!

Attention!

Doors are opening everywhere for Cornerstone! There are so many people groups that are asking us to come and minister to them ... not in 1's and 2's ... but in hundreds and even thousands!

We have ministered and shared the gospel to over 2000 young people over four Saturdays in October, we have open doors into the hospital and the jail. Henry is still feeding thousands of kids every month and has a real burden to see children transformed by the Lord...

...but one of the surprising things to happen in the last month is that we are beginning to make an impact in the military. Amazing story really! The prophecy of Cindy Jacobs is beginning to be realised in a small way up here in Santiago!

When the church began, one of the first families to accept the Lord was the Singun family. The mum gave her life to Christ followed by the rest of the family. I baptised them all in 2004 including the father, Severo (left). He has been in the army for many years and is now responsible for training new soldiers in a barracks 10 minutes from here.

To be honest, Severo has been a bit in and out of church life because of his postings and moving around. But since he has been based in Echague (the town next to Santiago) the family have become much more regular in their attendance. The Lord has been really challenging and moving in his life and he has developed a real burden for these young soldiers.

A few weeks ago, one of the young soldiers was killed on a motorbike as he made his way back to the barracks. This had a sobering affect on all the young people there. Severo bagan to share the gospel with them and there was a real hunger from them to know more about the Lord. To cut a long story short, for the last 3 weeks we have gone there and picked up 15-20 soldiers every Sunday morning to attend the service at Cornerstone Santiago! Many have given their lives to Christ and Severo is more like a pastor now!

The great thing is that they wanted us to go to their barracks regularly to take a service. So we wrote to the Commanding Officer and so now every Friday at 6:30pm we have one and a half hours to minister to these 122 young soldiers in whatever way we want. Last Friday night was our first service and around 10 leaders went from our Cornerstone Churches. I preached about the prodigal son and even when I was speaking I could see that God was touching many of their lives. They are all 'far from home' and many realised that they needed to come back to the 'fathers house'.

I would like you to pray for on girl in particular. Her name is Lorna de la Cruz (right). I could see while I was preaching that God was really dealing with her. At the end of the service she came and said, "Pastor, I am the prodigal daughter! Every word you said tonight was just for me." She began to tell us some of the terrible things that had happened in her short 19 years. She had been abused in so many ways by her family, her friends and she was broken. On Sunday she came to the service and afterwards Pastor Danny and Pastor Marlou had to cast out demons that were manifesting themselves. She has given her life to the Lord and has started a new life but I feel there are many battles ahead. Please pray for her - and us - as we commit her life to the Lord. The prodigal has come home! She was dead ... but now alive. She was lost .. but now she has been found!

On Sunday over 35 young military came to Cornerstone United and many of them came forward for prayer at the altar call. Tough men and women with tender hearts. This group finishes their training in January and a new group will come in the first part of the year.

Pray for Severo as he seeks to pastor these young soldiers. Pray for the Pastors as we put together a programme to teach them the ways of God. Pray for this batch of soldiers ... that although we only have a few weeks left with them they will all find the lord and that the impact of God in their lives will transform their futures. Pray for us in the future as we seek God for His plans; this is only the beginning!

Prophecy of the Philippines

This is a prophecy that was given about the Philippines. It is very powerful and we are beginning to see some aspects of this prophecy take place.

Watch it and pray.

Notes:

Mindanao - the island at the south of the Philippines where there is much religious battles. Many Christians have lst their lives there.

There are many Muslims there and they want Mindanou to be a Muslim state. Because of the problems, Mindanao is the poorest and least developed and most neglected.

Josiah Singing the Grace in the Orphanage

Is wee Josiah contemplating the mysteries of God ... or just plain hungry?????

MMmmmm.....

Touching Base!

Hi folks. Well, as promised, here is a few recent 'catch up' news items from Sefton Village.

* Visit of my family!
We had a great time with my family. Mum, Dad, Paul, Ashley, Nathan & Aaron all came to Sefton ... along with Monica Jack (my cousin's wife). We had a good mixture of mission/ministry along with some good old family time.

I am so proud of Paul & Ashley for bringing the boys here. They will never forget their trip I am sure. The boys made a great friendship with Pepito and it was a very sad day when they left.

Dad & Paul did a lot of preaching and sharing in the churches and at the Bible School. Monica sang every day I think ... in the churches, hospital, jail, Fire Centre etc. She went home hoarse ... but happy!

We loved having the gang here. It was great for Mary to have Mum, Ashley and Monica here. They enjoyed a good blether over a cup of tea on many occasion. We will never forget their visit.


* Visit of Dave & Madeline Russon from AoG World Ministries
The day we said goodbye to my family was the same day as we said 'Hi' to Dave & Madeline. We drove with them up to Sefton Village where they spent 6 great days with us. They spent individual time with all three families at Sefton ... and we ate so much along the way!

Dave and Madeline also ministered a lot - in the hospital, jail, st a Youth Camp and also at Cornerstone Utd. on the Sunday. Dave's message was spot on ... we need to sow our seed on fertile ground which the Lord will show us.

Their visit was a great blessing to us as a family. They encouraged us so much and we know that they are right behind us as a family and also the ministry at Sefton Village. Their counsel and advice was wise and we felt the benefit of their long journey here. Lydia and Josiah thought the world of them and Madeline was great with them. Madeline and Lydia still keep contact via text (and I'm not joking!)

* Visit of Gillian Saunders
Two weeks ago we had the blessing of having Gillian stay with us for 6 days. She is truly a friend of Sefton Village and she has visited us many times before. She has really helped Pastor Jun set up Powerhouse Kids Club and she was able to bring advice and wisdom to the team again.

It was good to see here again .., it was 2 years since we last saw each other. Unbelievable! Again we had lovely times of recollection as well as planning ahead. We took Gillian 3 times to the new Italian Restaurant in Santiago ... the owner is an Italian and he was amazed at the way Gillian spoke fluent Italian (without an English Accent!!) The food was authentic too by the way!

* The Pointon & Kerr families
Keith and Anne are doing well and have found their niche here at Sefton. Keith is doing a great work with the Cornerstone Pastors and runs a cell group for them every week. He is also very involved with the Bible School where he teaches various subjects, including English. He also preaches around the Cornerstone Churches every week and has a real burden for a German inmate at the local jail.

Anne is also doing great. She teaches English every day at the pre-school as well as teaching English once a week at the Bible School. She also is getting very involved in the Children's Home now and helping Mary a lot.

The Kerr family are adjusting to Filipino life .. not easy I can tell you! Their house is looking lovely and lots of their bits and pieces have arrived from UK. Madeline has been going to school for the last couple of months and is making some friends. Pray for her as it is not easy. She and Lydia are always together ... either best friends or best enemies! Usually you can find them dressing up, playing school, splashing in water somewhere or pasting on make up! Ariella is just beautiful and always has a smile for Uncle Mark.


Matthew is finding out what the Lord wants for him here. There are many avenues where he, and myself, feel he can really help us. He is going to take charge of all visitors and missions teams that come to Sefton Village. He will be in charge of Maintenance at Sefton and will be team leader to Heny, Jonathan & Edward. He will also be in charge of building projects in the future. He has a burden to help in the ministries in the Fire Centre and he will be responsible for the PE for the Bible Students every Wednesday afternoon. He will also be in charge of organising the Cornerstone pastors. Someone said that trying to organise pastors is like trying to herd cats! Matthew will also be helping is in the 'tecky' side, hopefully getting a website up and running at some point. So he will be a busy man!

Claire is finding her feet as a teacher in the pre-school. Things are a bit different here and it takes time to get behind life here. Claire has been spending a lot of time at KMGLC and has been getting to know the teachers. She will be responsible for the Christmas Program at the school this year and Mary says she has lot of good ideas! Mary and Claire are also spending time getting the plans and ideas for the new Elementary School organised. We are hoping to have grades 1-4 by June next year and there is much to do. Pray for them as they work out the way ahead.

Check out their blog for more news from Sefton - www.leekerr.co.uk

This blog is long enough already and my fingers are getting sore! I will blog about the following soon:

* Fantastic ministry opportunity at the hospital
* Nagassican feeding program for malnourished kids
* FEBC Update
* August Manio
* Great opportunities to minister to thousands in Santiago
* New kids in Children's Home

I am going to blog about the challenges of being good parents this week, so to bless you I have put a video of wee Josiah singing the grace this morning. He's a wee peep! Enjoy!

Tesco Is Cheaper! Asda Announcement

Hi folks ... well after the stresses and worries of typhoon MITAG, I thought that we all could do with a bit of a laugh!

The YouTube clip is hilarious and the 'Japanese Bank' was taken from my friend Stevie Roy's blog this morning. I loved it Stevie!

Here it is:

Following the problems in the lending market in America and
the run on Northern Rock BS in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan.

In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up
and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived.

Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

Sheltered in His Arms

Today, I am incredibly amazed at the grace and mercy of the Lord. Yesterday I preached at the SIL (Wycliffe) base in Bagabad, one hour south of here. I preached about the peace of God. When we left SIL, the winds were becoming stronger and there was an incredible amount of rain. Some parts of the road were flooded and very dangerous. I knew that a major typhoon was on its way ... and I was more than a bit anxious!

Every news and weather station - both locally, nationally and internationally - had plotted the typhoon 'MITAG' to pass through Isabela at around 2-3am. It looked like a monster! Winds were going to be from 160-210 km per hour and heavy rainfall was expected. In the Philippines, when you get wind AND rain during a typhoon... it's a killer.

They said that it was slow moving - only 2-13 km per hour, so we would have terrible storms all Sunday night and right through until Monday night. We were told it was best to only travel if in emergency.

So, like a good dad, I sat the kids down and said that it could get rough during the night. We let them sleep in our bed just for one night, so they wouldn't be scared. I slept on the couch because our old house is falling apart at the seems and there are so many leaks everywhere when it rains. I was prepared with my torch and a few basins! Man of faith!


I was going on what the professionals told us. I was going on what everyone else said was going to happen. What I didn't know was that many many people in Santiago were interceding before the Lord that He would change the course of this typhoon and postpone disaster. Pastor Marlou and all at Cornerstone Santiago had a time on the service when they got into groups and cried out to the Lord for His help. Marlou said that he felt a deep sense of assurance. They prayed again in the evening service and asked God to cover Santiago with His hand... and again they felt the peace of God.

But there I was in my house ... ready for whatever. I watched the football and tried to stay awake through the night. Every hour I went outside and checked the weather. Every time I found a light breeze with light rain. I saw every hour ... 1am, 2am, 3am ... but still no typhoon. At 4am I went out again. Same situation. I felt God speak into my heart ... "Go to sleep, it's OK." So I did. I left it with the Lord and abandoned my post!

I woke up this morning and rushed through to see the news on TV. I was amazed the TV was still on! Even more amazing .. the internet was still on! Usually, the slightest breeze would knock it off for days. I checked for news about Isabela ... we were on signal 3 (very severe storm) and we were warned of danger. I saw pictures of towns all around us who had been through a nightmare time with the typhoon. Roxas, Cauayan, Aurora, Dinapige ... all towns in Isabela who were 'hit'. Still no news about Santiago.

I had a Leaders meeting at Cornerstone Church followed by a Government Hearing about our land in Nagassican. When I drove to the church I was amazed! It was a beautiful day! In fact, it turned out to be the hottest and best day we have had for weeks! Check out this picture below... see the blue skies? And at that time we were under signal 3 ... severe stormy weather. All around us I could see the storm clouds in the mountains that surround us. But in Santiago we had fantastic weather.


Jonathan Batayan, our wonderful Maintenance Man, went out at 6am this morning to see 'the effects of the typhoon on Sefton Village." What he saw amazed him. He didn't see gray skies full of rain and great gusts of wind. He said the sky was a beautiful shade of yellows and orange and he felt the peace of God. The Bible says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." (Psalm 23) Today, the Lord put His hand over Santiago during a storm that was due to hit us hard; that's mercy. He actually changed the course of the typhoon so that it went north and ended up in the ocean ... that's grace.

No matter what we go through in our lives - whether physical storms, spiritual storms, emotional storms, financial storms, relationship storms .. there is always a place of rest and a dwelling of peace - even right in the centre of the storm. That is the place to be. I once read ... better the storm WITH Christ than calm waters WITHOUT him.

I leave you with the beautiful Psalm 91. I was going to cut and paste some parts of it out but I felt I needed to let you read the whole passage. This is our testimony of what the Lord has done for us in the last few days. Enjoy ...

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

They will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Thank You for your Prayers and Concern. We Love You.