The Pringle Place!

Don't know why it is, but Sefton Village seems to be just as popular as Disneyland HK! Even though we are 'in the sticks' and literally hours (8) from Manila, the road to Sefton Village is always busy! We seem to have visitors, friends and family almost on a monthly basis! Our supply of Angel Delight, Salad Cream, Bisto and Tetley T-Bags never seems to diminish!

We were eating Pringles on the way up to Santiago and they have the catch phrase 'Once you pop ... you just can't stop!" And it's true! They are hard to put down after you peel back the wrapper. Claire was telling me that scientists did an actual experiment to find out why Pringles were so addictive. Well, sometimes I wonder if we should do an experiment about Sefton Village! People come ... and want to come back. And back again (with friends!) Why is Sefton so 'addictive'? Why do people always want to come here? We are in the middle of rice fields in the hottest valley in the Philippines. There are no tourist spots or nice beaches here!

Maybe you are reading this and you have been here already ... can you answer the 'Pringles' question for us???? Go on ... leave a comment for our survey!

Well, the Kerrs have arrived safe and sound and are settling into their new home, new surroundings and new lives. They have done so well. They arrived last Thursday near midnight but all of them slept well that night. And they have adjusted to the time difference with little problems. Amazing really ... but I guess that's what you call grace.

I showed them where to buy all the stuff they will need for their house and we shopped for two days solid! We managed to get 95% of what they needed so we were very tired ... but happy! We drove back up to Sefton on Sunday morning and the kids were great. It is a 7 hour drive and this time it took much longer as the people in Munoz decided to have the town fair right in the middle of the town and right in the middle of the main road! So there were tailbacks for miles. We were stuck for two and a half hours! Ah well, at least Matthew and Claire got to see the Philippines at its best! Can you imagine having a funfair right in the middle of the A92 in Scotland????? MMmmmm ... don't think so!

We arrived safe and sound on Sunday might and over the last few days they have been busy unpacking and getting organised. They have seen the great metropolis of Santiago. Keith and Anne have been great at helping out. The ex-pat community is growing ...

Next week more Brits will swell Sefton Village. My mum, dad, brother Paul and his wife Ashley, my two nephews Nathan and Aaron and my cousin's wife Monica will be arriving for a family trip to the Philippines. Mum & dad are regulars but it is the 1st time for the rest. Lydia and Josiah are totally excited about seeing their cousins here at Sefton. Every day Josiah wakes up and says, "Is Nathan and Aaron coming?"

The day they fly home we will be driving Dave and Madeliene Russon back up to Sefton. Dave is the new World Ministries Director for AoG and they have never been to Sefton. So we are looking forward to seeing them again. Two weeks after that we have Gillian Saunders from Bolton coming for a week. She is no stranger to Sefton and is a good friend. She help set up Powerhouse Kids Club here in Santiago so she will be checking out how things are going.

In December we have a short visit from Maureen and Brenda who are great friends form Cornerstone Singapore. They know Sefton Village well as they helped cover for us during our last itinerary. They are both very special and it will be good to see them again.

And then, before we know it, it will be 2008! And probably people from all over the world will (slowly) make their way to the 'Pringles Place'.

The Long Journey ...

Right now, I am writing this blog in an Internet cafe in Manila. At the very same time, a lovely family are in the air making their way to the Philippines ... and a brand new life. Matthew,Claire, Madeleine and Ariella Kerr will be arriving tonight with a few suitcases and a lot of mixed emotions!

For the last year they have been preparing their lives for coming to minister with us at Sefton Village. The Bible says that 'man may make his plans... but the Lord directs his steps.' How did this couple end up coming all the way to the Philippines?

Well, Matthew is from Shetland and I knew him when he came down to study in the mid 90's. He came to Capital Christian Centre ... although I was on my way to Africa when he arrived. He studies civil engineering and then felt the call of God to serve on the Operation Mobilisation ship 'Doulos'. When there, he met this lovely Irish teacher called Claire and they fell in love.

They came home to the UK after their two years of service and they married. Matthew wanted to finish the practical part of his civil engineering training and so they set up home in Shetland. Claire taught their at a local school ... but their heart was still on the mission field.

In 2003 they came to our Sefton Village Missions Weekend and it was great to see them again. I believe God put a seed of vision in their lives for Sefton at that wonderful weekend. They had a beautiful daughter Madeleine in 2004 and they began to seek God's face for the future. Matthew thought it might be back on the Doulos and even went to Estonia to see the new ship and pray. But things never worked out and they were back to square one.

In 2006, when we came back to the UK, we really knew that we needed help at Sefton. Things had grown so much and one couple was not enough. I was going to call Matthew but God clearly said 'No ... I will tell you when." One Friday, I felt the Lord prompting me to call. I called and got Matthews mum who told me she was waving Matthew and family off as they went on the boat to Aberdeen.

Next day Matthew called and said they were on holiday. I asked how things were going with OM and what their plans were. Matthew said that things had fallen through. Out of the blue I said to him, "What about coming and helping us at Sefton?" I think it shocked him because it went all silent! He told me he had two days free at the end of their holiday in England. So we decided to meet up in Edinburgh.

They came with us to two churches on the Sunday and it was there that the Lord said to them, "This is it!" On Sunday night they said, "We feel that God is leading us to Sefton Village." On Monday we got together and talked about their call, their plans and practical things to do if they felt this was the way ahead. The amazing thing in this story is that the Lord asked Matthew to task his boss for two extra days holiday-even though he should not have got them. His boss said 'OK' ... and those were the two days that we spent together. The unforced rhythms of grace ...

And now... one year on they have quit their jobs, been interviewed, travelled around sharing the vision, finished the School of Missions at Mattersey ... and had another beautiful baby... Ariella. Wow, it's nit easy I can tell you.

At Sefton Claire will help Mary in the starting up of the new Primary School as well as help in the Children's Home. Matthew is a practical guy and there will be plenty work for him in our building projects, computers etc. And I know they will find other ministries within Cornerstone Church.

So pray for them today. Long haul flights with two small kids is not easy. Bought the T-Shirt. Pray for the peace of God for them, that all would go smooth and that God will take away all anxiety and worry. Pray for them (and me!) as we go around Manila in these next few days to buy furniture and things for their house .. which they have never seen! Is there a spiritual gift of shopping?

the Kerr family have their own web/blog site and it is well worth a look - www.leekerr.co.uk

Pray for Mary and the kids back at Sefton as I am here in Manila. Over the last week the enemy has really been trying his best to discourage and pull us down. He is really bringing on heavy blows against Mary ... as he knows that she is feeling weak with her arm etc. (By the way, the plaster is off PTL!) On Monday TWO teachers phoned in with German measles and yesterday one of our kids in the home-Ryan-was admitted to hospital with Dengue fever and Pneumonia. Most of the kids in the home are sick right now. We really feel under attack. Keith and Anne have been great and really supporting us through this week. They are doing great at Sefton and are really ministering to many in so many ways.

So please ... pray for Mary. It was her birthday on Tuesday and she had a great day. So many showed their love in so many ways. Pray for protection for Lydia and Josiah ... especially when I am away. Thanks for all your prayers .. it makes so much difference.

...and Matthew & family ... wherever you are right now ... know that we are all praying for you!

Emily

At the weekend I was talking to Pastor Winston and he had been really challenged by the story of a little girl who turned up at his house last week. I asked him to write his thoughts down ... so here they are:

"A little girl came to our house one morning and asked, “uncle do you have some plastic?” When I looked I saw this brown headed, dirty looking girl with a big sack on her back with some plastic things and plastic bottles she had pick up on the street. I said I don’t have, then she said “can I help you clean your sewer drain for 20 pesos (20p)” and I said “yes”, and she join me cleaning. My wife prepared some food for us since it was merienda (snack) time and I thought I’d ask some information about her. And I listened to this little girl tell the story of her life.

Her name is Emily Gutierrez (pic above). She started by saying her foot was so sore with athletes foot that she had because every time the rain come, their floor is all wet. Their roof is an old tent. Water is all over. Then she described about their little house and that there are 8 of them living there. Her mother got married and they gave birth to 2 girls, and Emily is the eldest. Her father was killed when she’s only 4 years old, someone hit her father with a hammer that causes the immediate death. After a few months, her mother married another guy. During the 6 years of marriage, they were able to produce 3 kids, then the husband was drowned in the river a kilometer away from their house, and so she became widow for the second time.

Again after a few months, the mother got married to a widower and they had a boy who is only 7 months old at the moment. Now the husband is accused of theft and is presently in prison here in Santiago City Jail. So Emily had 5 brothers and sisters plus two orphan girls who stays with them in this tiny house - plus her mom.

I ask her “how do you survive?” She smiled and said, "sometimes we eat 3 times a day, sometimes just once. Me and my other two sister, will walk daily in the streets of this compound to look for plastic and any rubbish from people here that we can sell in the junk shop. We have an average of P30 daily and we use to buy rice for our food the next day. We don’t go to school for we have no money, I only finished Grade 1. I can’t read nor write. Our mother stays at home to look after our smaller brothers and sisters.

My tears are falling as I listen to her story, and I said can I visit your house now? And she said yes. On our way to their house I bought some potatoes, eggs, fish, and rice to bring to her family who are waiting for Emily to bring food for them. I told her, “tell your mother to mix the potato and the egg for your lunch.”

She smiled at me and said “can we fry the eggs?” and I said yes. She look at me and said “I don’t think so - we never fry eggs we only boil them.” Then I realized that they don’t buy cooking oil so they have never had a fried egg before. It’s a bit funny, but it really mattered to Emily. And when she ate a fried egg for the 1^st time, it brought a big smile in her face.

That afternoon, I asked some of our Cornerstone Pastors to join me to visit this family. So we went there and prayed for the people there, for many are sick. At the moment, we are trying to figure out how can we help this family and all the people who live in this squatter area. Please join us to pray for this community and the family of Emily. Thank you, Winston."

...seems a million miles and a different world from Disneyland ... Mark.

Back to the Real World...

Well, this is officially the longest time without writing a blog! We came home a week ago from a family vacation in Hong Kong. Since then, the internet connection has almost always been off. I am beginning to get really annoyed with this whole situation. we seem to have internet for a day or so ... and then it is off for around five! Aaaaggghhhh.

But, in my times of utter frustration I have to remember that the missionaries who were here before us had it so much tougher. They didn't even have a phone! They had to drive for 3 miles, order a call and wait for hours for a line to become available. Now that is difficult ...

However, as my dad would say, "you have to work with what you have." Really got me thinking about the power of choice. Every one of us are the products of our own choices. Maybe I will reserve writing anything else right now and do a blog about this important subject!


We had a great time in Hong Kong. We met up with Brian & Jennie Milne from Fraserburgh and started our week in a Hotel in Kowloon. We were beside the famous Nathan Road shopping area ... the night markets were amazing! We went to the Flower, Bird and fish Markets ... pretty spectacular.

We all went to Ocean Park ... a beautiful place that was ideal for families. It had animals, aquariums, dolphin shows, bird shows, kids play areas, theme park rides, etc. The cable cars were totally breathtaking. A must for anyone coming to Hong Kong.

On Sunday we went to a park that was built where the Walled City used to be. We walked around the beautiful parks and ponds and stood where the most horrific and wicked part of Hong Kong used to stand. It was ruled by the Triad gang and even the police would not enter this drug infested area. But as we stood at the Jackie Pullinger Rock inside the Park, we read again about a young lady, who in 1966 gave up everything to serve the Lord in the Walled City. Again .. I will be blogging about this remarkable story soon.

We shifted after 3 days to another Hotel beside the beach in Lantau Island. It was like a different world. We ate seafood by the sea .. although Josiah was pretty chuffed that there was also a MacDonalds there too! It was so quiet and the fresh sea air was a welcomed bonus to this North-East Loon!

We took the kids (or did they take us?) to Disneyland Hong Kong. We have never been to either of the other two Disneylands, so we did not know what to expect. But it was a great experience. According to many, this park is much smaller than the others but it was great for a day out. The kids were amazed as they met character after character and ride after ride. I have never been anywhere so clean. We had a blast and I recommend it to anyone ... and any age! Young Brian seemed to enjoy it more than anyone else!

Anyway, now we are back to reality! This morning we baptised 29 people who want to be followers of Jesus. Next Thursday a lovely new family arrive to start their new lives serving the Lord in the Philippines. Two weeks after that my mum, dad, brother and all his family arrive for 3 weeks at Sefton. The day they leave we pick up Dave and Madeline Russon, (Dave is our AoG World Ministries Director) and drive north. It is all happening!

I will blog about all the above soon. Until then ... i have to say goodnight! Have a great weekend and pray that no-one nicks (steals, takes, robs, chores, 'borrows'!) our internet wire.

If all is well I will blog in next couple of days ... the days of miracles are not over!

Mmmmhhhh...

Happy Birthday To Us!

Sorry for the lack of blogs this week. Been a touch manic. I was meant to go to a Leadership Conference in Palawan on Sunday but because of Mary's 'break' I decided it was far better to stay put and help out my family. Good decision! We are in Hong Kong right now enjoying a week's family holiday.

The extra couple of days were a blessing because it gave us time to tackle our newsletter. Sometimes it is so hard to do the 'extras' when you are busy with Sefton life. The constant heat just sucks the life and strength out of you and by night time very often we feel exhausted.

But .. let me tell you about our wonderful Cornerstone 3rd Anniversary last Sunday. First, I must say that the team of Pastors and leaders God has given us at Cornerstone did a magnificent job on Sunday. There was so much to prepare ... but they did it.

The fist part of the day was our Church Service. All of our six churches were there ... a great 'family time'. There were over 1000 people there - including over 500 kids! I think Pastor Jun and his team will need a week to recover!

The Praise & Worship team looked great in their new outfits - light brown for the musicians and white for the backing singers. And Cristina and her team brought us right into the presence of God. We are so blessed. The congregation were blessed (ahem) as all the Pastors sang a song during the offering. Well, we are meant to make a joyful noise .... we were happy, but it was a noise!

The guest speaker was a lovely man of God called Rick Zachary. He was over for a month in Singapore speaking at their Bible School. Pastor Yang invited him to come and speak at our Anniversary and he willingly came. He was a true gentleman. A great man to have in our home ... our kids loved him! He is married with two grown up sons and four grand kids - he is the youngest and most handsome granda I have ever met!

He is involved in a tremendous ministry. In the early days of hos ministry he was a missionary in Haiti and also in Nigeria. After 7 years he went back to Baton Rouge to help his pastor build up the church there - Bethany Prayer Center pastored by Larry Stockhill. Rick was missions director for 14 years and travelled all over the world. Bethany is now one of the best churches in the USA - in terms of prayer, cell church and missions.

Five years ago God gave rick a vision of reaching the nations of South Asia. So every year for the next 20 years his goal is to plant a church in a major city in Asia. So far they have planted four - including Sri Lanka, Pakistan & Nepal. He wants to raise up central/model churches that will plant churches in the villages around where they are. Great vision.

Anyway, we were so blessed to have Rick minister - both to the leaders on Saturday night and at our Anniversary on Sunday morning. He spoke about Vision on Sunday and gave us 7 steps to Living in Vision. At the end, he gave an altar call for 1st time commitments to Christ... and 50 people gave their hearts to the Lord (see picture at start)! Hallelujah! Fifty new believers around Santiago!

Jimmar, our new Christian & computer specialist made a 'Cornerstone So Far' video presentation (it took him 35 hours to make!). It was amazing! Three years ago we started with eight people in Pastor Marlou's garage ... and look how the Lord has blessed us! I gave a presentation about our future Vision ... but it wasn't near as flashy as Jimmar's effort!

We ate lunch and then enjoyed part 2 - songs & dramas! What a great time. Many of the church departments had songs and every church also had to sing a 'special number'. We had a Raffle ... but don't worry it was not for lottery money but for books and bibles! What joy as they received their gifts. After this we had part 3 - games and sports.


What a day! What a celebration! What a God we serve. As a Pastor, there are some nights you go to bed absolutely contended, happy and delighted at what God has done. Sunday was such a day for me.

Thank you for your prayers for Cornerstone. Please pray that at our 4th Anniversary there will still be 50 disciples who have been serving the Lord for a whole year ....

Selah.

P.s. - I just discovered that our youth leader at Santiago - Daben - has started a blog also. I looked at it ... pretty good! I need to speak to him about his English grammar - the use of full stops, sentences and actual paragraphs! - but you can feel his heart as he writes. Check it out for his view on our Anniversary and more news ..... www.ccsgenerations.blogspot.com

What's on my I-pod?

Just want to recommend a CD that has blessed and encouraged me so much. When I was in Singapore one of the music team encouraged me to buy a CD called 'All the Earth' by Parachute Band. We sang 'All the Earth' in the conference there and I was so uplifted by the words and music.

Parachute Band are from New Zealand have made around 6 worship CD's.... mainly live. Their music is excellent and their lyrics touch your heart and spirit. This CD is recorded live in front of 25,000 people at the Parachute Conference in New Zealand. In this CD there are many excellent songs. Like I said, 'All the Earth' is so uplifting and is one of those songs that you can repeat again and again. 'High Above' has a lovely melody .... really beautiful!

There is even 'O Come Let Us Adore Him' ... sung in a new way but full of zeal and passion. My absolute favourite song from the CD is called 'Complete'. It has really ministered to Mary & I over the last couple of months. It is one of those songs that sounds better every time you hear it. I have copied the lyrics below for you to read:

COMPLETE
Here I am, Oh God
I bring this sacrifice--my open heart.
I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you, Lord
In Your strength will I break through, Lord
Touch me now, let your love fall down on me
And I will be complete in You.

Here I am, Oh God
I bring this sacrifice--my open heart.
I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord.
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you Lord
And by faith, I will walk on, Lord
Then I'll see beyond my Calvary one day,
And I will be complete in..

I look to You, Lord
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you Lord
In your strength will I break through Lord
Touch me now, let your love fall down on me
I know your love dispels all my fears.

Through the storm I will hold on Lord
And I pray I will hold on, Lord
Then I'll see beyond my Calvary one day
And I will be complete in
I will be complete in
I will be complete in You

If you would like a wee sample before you splash out ... then go to www.independentbands.com/cd/parachuteband/alltheearthlivefromnewzealand.html

Well ... I recommend that you get yourself out to the Christian Bookshop (or Amazon!) and get hold of this great CD.

Enjoy ...

The Vineyard

Just thought I would give you a quick update on what is happening at Sefton ... starting with Cornerstone Church. Things are really happening here. Heidi Baker prophesied last year that 'the Lord had given us grapes ... but now he was about to give us a vineyard.' I really believe in my spirit that this was a word for the ministry of Cornerstone. We had one church -and the Lord clearly challenged us that this should be a model or central church - but now we have another 5 churches that have begun in the last 2 years!

Last week we started a brand new church in a town called Ramon, just outside Santiago. Two of our pastors have had a burden for Ramon and so we have been working hard setting things up to give birth to our newest 'baby'! Pastor Winston is actually from Ramon and has had a real desire to reach his friends & family. In the Philippines most Christians have a tremendous burden to go back to wherever their family is located to win them for Christ. This is the heart of Winston. Pastor James Bastian ministered in a Bible School in Ramon for 3 years and built up relationships with many of the young people in the town. Sadly, when he left ... the work with the young people was dropped. So he has a burden to find and shepherd these young people again.

We have found tremendous favour with many of the people in Ramon. We found a small (and I mean small!) hall to rent ... but it is right in the heart of the town. As they say on TV, "Location, Location, Location" Last week they had a 'pre-launch' and next week we will officially open the new church. I was the speaker last week and I told the people, "You are History Makers!" Students from the Bible School supported us as well as some young people from Cornerstone San Isidro. A great morning and a good start ...

So now we have 6 churches ... Santiago, Nagassican, San Isidro, Pangal, Ramon and Cauayan. The leadership team are doing well and we are adjusting to the continual unfolding vision given by the Holy Spirit.

We have started a new evening service in Santiago which is open for all the churches. Last Sunday there was a tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit! The ministries within the churches are doing great - we are seeing such a blessing in the Hospital Ministry and the jail ministry. The picture below was taken inside the jail when the Holy Spirit began to minster to the inmates!The feeding Programme has seen over 8000 kids given a meal this year and the Powerhouse Kids Club is reaching a whole new generation of children in Santiago. The fields are ripe, ready and waiting to be harvested!

Probably 60-70% of our members are involved in one of our local church ministries. We are training an army ... not an audience!


Pray for us on Sunday ... it is our 3rd Anniversary! We will gather all the churches together in the Fire Center and have a day of worship, impartation, prayer, fellowship and fun! We have an excellent speaker coming from the USA (via Cornerstone Singapore!). His name is Rick Zachary and he has been a missionary in Haiti and Nigeria for 7 years and is the former mission pastor at Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA for 14 years. (Check out his website - www.rickzachary.com) He now runs his own missions organization and has planted successful churches in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He has authored several books on the subject of Discipleship and Relationships and has a strong passion in this area. I have never met him but I feel this is a divine appointment!

Pray for Cornerstone. We are in the process of change at different levels and I am being released more and more from the main church in Santiago in order to minister to the other churches. The Lord has placed other places in Isabela where He wants us to plant His vineyard ... all in his perfect time.

Breaking News!

You will never believe this blog today ...

Sunday was a funny old day! It started off with bad news. Pastor Winston's wife Mary Jane is only 28 weeks pregnant but this last week she has stared to bleed a bit. Winston was worried and so on Sunday morning she was admitted to a local hospital. Mary & I were so worried and we prayed for them as we drove to church.

On Sunday we all went to Cornerstone Santiago as a family and we had a great service. We are doing a series of teachings called 'Building Strong Relationships' and I was preaching about "Living at Peace with Yourself'. There are so many Christians who are hurt, wounded or have been misunderstood .. and they cannot move on in their christian walk. At the same time, there are so many Christians who have been forgiven by God for something they have done ... even forgiven by those they have hurt - but somehow they cannot forgive themselves. Sometimes WE hold they key to OUR freedom, but we never use it. We stay locked up by ourselves.

So many people responded to the message and I believe many were released from their own chains. We will never do anything for God is we cannot live in peace with ourselves.

After the service we went and bought food for Winston and all their visitors in hospital. Mary went up to Mary-Jane's room and I stayed in the car with Lydia & Josiah. She was there for ages .. and the kids were getting more and more naughty! You know how it is being cooped up in a car. Every button and lever is a big temptation for little hands! Aaaaaggghh...

After 50 minutes Mary arrived ... in tears. I feared the worst for Mary-Jane but Mary cried, "I'm sorry Mark, but I've had an accident!" She was trying to rush down to the car to see me and the kids and she was wearing high heels. On the stairs she slipped and her full weight landed on her right wrist. She was in agony. We went to A&E and the Doctor was sleeping when we arrived. I could see from Mary's face that she was suffering. She went really pale and couldn't talk. Well, there are only two times when Mary doesn't talk ... when she is sleeping and when she is in agony ... so I knew it was the latter!

They took x-rays and they confirmed it was broken. Funny thing is, they gave Mary an injection and it kinda made her a bit high! It dulled the pain .. but elevated her spirits shall we say! All the visitors arriving to see Mary Jane on the 2nd floor were shocked to see Mary in a bed on ground level. Mary seemed so happy (!) and even told this old Pastor that the advice she would give is to never wear high heels in hospital. OK advice ... but the pastor is over 60 years old, quite straight-laced - and a man!!

Mary had her arm put in a fibreglass cast and is walking around with a sling. It was very painful yesterday but not so bad today. Doctor said that the pain would subside tomorrow. But I want to assure you that I am the one who will continue to suffer. Looking after the kids - washing them, taking to toilet, cooking for them, feeding them, etc. etc. etc is an pretty hard job. Added to that, I have had to take out Mary's contact lenses, help her with her clothes etc. Man, it's bad! Maybe the Lord is trying to show me that I shouldn't take many things in my life for granted. My mum used to say, "A woman's work is never done." I used to nod with my head but now I believe it in my heart! Hats off to all you ladies. I am the new No1 fan in the Mum's Appreciation Society.

Mary will be fine. Already she is laughing about the day she went to visit a friend in hospital and ended in hospital herself! But please pray for Winston & Mary Jane. She was discharged today and has to have 2 weeks complete rest. They will decide whether she goes back to work or just rests for the endurance of her pregnancy. Pray for Mary and the teachers in school as they have to juggle new schedules and classes due to Mary-Jane's absence.

I leave you with one little blessing form Sunday - Josiah aka Elvis Pressley. After the service, when everyone was almost gone (PTL), he picked up the mike and started singing "one Way ... Jesus". We were all blessed and prayed that this little boy would grow up pointing people in the way of Jesus and that he would live up to his name ... "The Fire of the Lord"

Keep praying for us all ... and please remember - don't run when you wear your high heals (even Pastors!)

Laughs Along the Way ...

First ... good news! On Friday, after my request for you guys to pray, an almighty storm came and it rained, and rained, and rained! These two boys (below) were pretending to swim on the road just before I snapped them! Our parched yellow grass at Sefton turned green almost overnight! And over the last few days there has been regular rainfalls ...which is great. We are still in a 'critical' situation here in Isabela, but keep praying that the Lord will send consistent rain in the next few weeks. Thanks.

After the challenge about 'desperation', I thought I would lighten the mood by sharing some of the funny moments over the last few weeks (there have been many!) When we have visitors, funny moments are never far away. Usually these are to do with communication or sometimes just cultural differences.

Before the team from Fraserburgh came out I phoned John Watt ... one of the team. He was telling me how excited they all were and that for David Strachan it would be a great trip because while he was here, he would celebrate his 40th birthday. Quote ..."Aye, when his big day comes he will be on a long haul flight to Asia." My goodness, what commitment!

I began to think, "If David is sacrificing his big 4-0 to come to Sefton then we are going to give him a day he will never forget. On the first real night that they were here I wrote in the Mission Plan that we would have a 'Welcome Service'. But really, it was going to be a birthday party for you-know-who!

I had it all organised ... we had 40 students with 40 candles, 40 roses and a Birthday song. We had a special 40th birthday cake made. We bought a lovely leather Bible as a gift. The students all wrote a 40th birthday message for him. The Children's home kids were going to do a dance. We had forty 'Happy 40th birthday David" balloons. This was going to be a night to remember.

Only one problem. It was his 39th Birthday ... he wasn't going to be 40 for one whole year! We found out an hour before the big event by his wife Grace. Good old John had got his facts a wee bit mixed up and put 2 and 2 together and got 39!

Anyway .. 'the show must go on' as they say. Everything went like clockwork. We sang a few praise songs and then suddenly the lights went out, music stopped. I shouted, "Ladies & gentlemen, you thought you were coming to a welcome service tonight ... but it's really a Birthday Party!" In marched the students with their candles, roses etc. etc. David was completely shocked. And, bless him, he went along with the whole '40th thing' until we finally confessed our sins. What a laugh. We will never forget that special night for a special guy. (The students were a bit smart and put a -1 after the 40 on every balloon!)

Mis-communication. It's a funny old world. It brings a lot of laughs. Even last Sunday, I was speaking passionately about the plight of 6 miners in Utah and Pastor Marlou was translating that there were 6 kids (minors) trapped in a mine in America. MMmm....

I had another classic recently when I was preaching in the Chinese Church in Cornerstone Singapore. I thought I would be smart and have a snappy title to my message. Jesus said that his meat (ministry) was to so the will of the one who sent Him. I was challenging the people about not only seeing the power of God in the church ... but on the street. So I named my message, "Our Meat is on the Street" (John Wimber was the original author of this title I believe!) Anyway, my Chinese interpreter was having a real time of it trying to explain my sermon title. In the end he said something and everyone started to laugh! I asked the Pastor what the guy said and apparently the had translated my message as "Our hamburgers are on the Pavement!" How on earth could I preach after that??!

So much for being smart Ritchie! Well, have a happy day today and watch our for those hamburgers on the pavement!

Desparation

Desperate. What a terrible word. It brings to our minds the picture of strained faces, shouts of despair and tears searching for hope. Ever been desperate? Ever been at the end of your rope .. depending on something or someone else to bring you through?

I remember Mary was doing a teaching series about the beatitudes with the aunties in the Children's Home. She came to the part where it says, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness ..." and , as an icebreaker, she asked them all if there had been any time in their lives when they had been desperate to eat but there was no food in their homes to cook. She was shocked with their answer. Every one of them had faced hunger at certain times in their lives. They had known what it was to go without food. Mary & I cried as we realised the blessed and comfortable lives that we have had ... we have never been to the point of real hunger.

This week, the Province of Isabela has been placed under a state of calamity. We are in desperate trouble. Most of the Philippines has been blessed with an abundance of rain, but here in the middle of the Cagayan Valley the rain has not arrived. The rain season is already 2 months late. Billions of Pesos worth of corn harvests have been destroyed and, if the rain does not come in the next two weeks all the rice fields will also be completely destroyed. The Magat Dam, which provides irrigation for all the rice fields in the province, is at a 7-year low. Please pray for us.

People here are desperate. Farmers are really desperate. Here is a latest report in the Philippine Star yesterday:

"The water level of Magat Dam in this province remains critical and Cagayan Valley farmers continue to pray for more rains to offset the effects of the two-month dry spell, which almost dried up the region’s farmlands, especially in the southern parts where the bulk of rice and corn production comes from.

“We pray for more rains to rescue us from this crisis. The recent rains were not enough to relieve our heavily dried-up farmlands,” said Mang Fortunato, a farmer in the Mallig region.

The drought placed Cagayan Valley, which lost nearly a billion of pesos in damaged crops, including fishery products, under a state of calamity."

Strange. This week in Manila there is a typhoon with so much rain that it caused flash floods. People left their cars parked on the road because the rain was so heavy and the water levels were so high. Yet, just 200 miles away, people are desperate for even a fraction of this rainfall.

Really got me thinking about the whole area of 'desperation'. I have been trying to think of times in my life when I have been desperate. Or times in my life when I have encountered desperation. Here are some instances that I can remember:

* In Africa, there was also a drought when I was there in 1998. The electricity was off for 3 days at a time and the rains had not come. Terrible.

* The Hillsborough disaster. Desperate faces crushed against an immovable barrier.

* I remember a fisherman fell down between the boat and the pier one cold frosty night. The desperation of his fellow crewmen to save him was incredible.

* I remember how desperate me, my family and my extended family were to see my cousin come through a terrible car crash.

* September 11 2001.

* I remember a small boy fell down a well in Italy and I can still remember seeing the desperation on the faces or the rescuers as they tried to pull him up.

* I have sat in a car with a little boy dying in the back seat, miles and miles from help on a dangerous road. I remember Winston and myself crying out to God, "Don't let Pepito die." Desperate to find a Doctor or a hospital.

* A year after we came to the Philippines many Christians went to a Joyce Meyers Conference in Manila and were put up in hotels. One hotel - The Manor Hotel - caught fire and the people could not escape because of steel bars across their windows. The Fire Brigade had no cutting equipment. Desperation on those inside to get out and the desperation of the people outside to rescue them. Terrible. Over 50 believers died ... live on TV.

* I remember being in France on a beach with thousands of people. One of the guys in our group lost his little girl in the middle of this mass of humanity. I remember his desperation as he paced the beach crying her name.

And there is more. I suppose that desperation is not something we face on a regular basis ... but when it comes it changes our lives, our perspectives and our future. On reflection, maybe there are three sources or reasons for desperation:

1. Because of Someone We Love
Every one of us has paced hospital wards, hoping and praying that someone we love will recover or be restored from illness. I remember when Josiah had extreme Pneumonia and the doctors tried every anti-biotic and he would not respond. The Doctor told us, "If Josiah does not respond to this last anti-biotic be prepared for the worst." Imagine. We were so far from the comfort of family and friends. Desperation. Emotional torment. Deep prayers to our father.

Our love for people is the greatest reason for desperation. When those whom we love suffer, or are ill, or are hurt ... we take desperate measures. We re-mortgage our homes, we offer our own vital organs, we organise support groups, we arrange special prayer meetings, we give everything we possibly can.

2. Because of a Need that We Have
We all have deep needs at some points in our lives. Some people would do anything to look more beautiful, become richer, be famous, live a certain lifestyle, to be accepted, to be noticed. Some people become addicted to substances such as alcohol and drugs ... and they will stop at nothing to get the money to feed their habit. They become desperate people who will steal from their own family for another high.

3. Because of a Passion that Consumes Us

Many people develop a passion that becomes the central point of their lives. I remember watching a documentary about Maradonna, the great footballer. Remember him as a 11 year old boy doing those keepie-ups for hours on end. In the documentary, even as a small boy, he said that every night he sleeps with the ball in his bed! he was desperate to become a great footballer ... and he did. (who can forgot that amazing goal he scored against England in '86! And in the same match he scored another one where he beat the whole English team!!!)

Businessmen are passionate about their profits, sportsmen are passionate about reaching a certain goal, salesmen become passionate about targets, fishermen become desperate about catching the most, Pastors become passionate about big churches, ... and sometimes, in the process, we get desperate. Sometimes we cut corners. Sometimes we make the wrong choices. Sometimes we listen to the wrong people.

Sometimes our passion drives us past the state of desperation. Who can forget the British sprinter Derek Redmond get up from a terrible fall in the Olympics and limp the last 300m to the finish line? what is our dream? Our passion? Our desires? These are the things that will drive us to desperation,and further.

Desperation will cause us to do things we have never done before. Desperation illuminates the real you. Desperation ignores dignity. Desperation must be seen and heard. Desperation swells emotions we did not know we had. Desperation doesn't care what other people think. Desperation eliminates the trivial and focuses on a positive outcome. Desperation pulls away the seemingly important and elevates the absolute essentials.

Get my drift? Desperate people change the world. Desperate people cannot be stopped. Desperate people are people who will not take no for an answer. They will fight, cry and believe until there is an answer or a conclusion.

Abraham was desperate to follow God ... wherever; David was desperate for the heart of God; Moses was desperate for the presence of God; Daniel was desperate for his relationship with God; Enoch was desperate for God Himself; the early church were desperate for the kingdom of God to be extended; the apostles were desperate for God to stretch forth his hand with signs, wonders, healing and salvation; ... the Early church fathers, the martyrs, the Covenanters, John Wesley, DL Moody, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, William Booth, Smith Wiggleworth, Billy Graham ... all desperate people desperately living for their generation.

I read a book by Reinhard Bonkke called 'Passion for Souls" that deeply challenged me. Bonkke is a man desperate for Africa to turn to Christ. Cut him in half and every part of him will cry out "Africa will be saved". Heidi Baker .. passionate about the lives of thousands of orphans. Desperate for Mozambique to be touched by the power of God.

Mark Ritchie? I need to become more desperate. More desperate for God Himself. For His presence. For His power. For His anointing. I am not satisfied with who I am at this point of my life. There is so much more. I know, deep in my heart, that there is another dimension that God wants for my life ... and without desperation I will never see it. I need to know again what it is to groan. To weep. To be broken. To pray for souls to be won for Christ. For a deeper walk with the Lord. I know that in the busyness of ministry and life ... I have lost something of who I am, or was, in God. Now, I want it back. Desperately.

You? How about you, my friend. Are you desperate? Maybe it is time, like me, to check our 'desperation level'. In the same way as we are desperate for physical rain here in Isabela ... may our lives cry out for spiritual rain that will touch our lives and the overflow will touch the world around us.

Become desperate.

Selah ...

Me Church

What do you think about this kinda church???

I saw this when I was home in UK but just stumbled across it again as I was looking for something on YouTube tonight.

My good friend Pastor Yang from Singapore always challenges us by asking a simple question: "Are we trying to build a church for our needs and reputation or is He building a church for His presence and His glory?"

Mmmmmm....

Any thoughts?

A Warm Hello from Alison Tait ...

Hi everyone ... well, true to her word Alison Tait is going to do the first ever 'Guest Blog' on the Real Deal. Alison, her husband Michael and niece Jemma Rose have been here at Sefton for the last week and we have had a great time with them. Here is what she wants to share ... well done Alison!

" A warm hello from Sefton Village - a place where you never know what will happen next. This is our third visit here and we always enjoy spending time with Mark, Mary, Lydia and Josiah and our Filipino friends. We have also enjoyed fellowship with Keith and Anne, who just cooked us Paprika Beef and trifle for tea. It's very hot here - some rain is always welcome. There is so much to tell you about, but here are just a couple of highlights.

On Tuesday we set off to a local school where we met the Cornerstone team who fed around 700 children some rice mixed with lots of nutritious ingredients (5 hours of cooking was eaten in 15 minutes!) The teachers were desperate for us to do a programme for the children, so pastor Jun spontaneously arranged some games, singing and prayers with the children. They loved it and their smiling faces showed it. That's when you know you're in the Philippines - when unplanned stuff happens with such blessing.


Today (Wednesday) we had an early start, first to the Cornerstone office for a short time of worship and prayer, before about a dozen of us went to the local government emergency hospital. We were told that the patients would be laying in the corridors but nothing prepared me for the smell and to see these people, most of them on drips, laying on their own camp beds outside, with a small roof covering them. The team went in twos into different wards and corridors, getting to know the needs of the people and praying for them. They did this with such love and respect for these patients honouring the name of Jesus.

Sefton is a colourful place in many ways with beautiful people...

Our 3 Year Old Bundle of Fun!

What a fantastic time! Yup, so great to spend time in Singapore and Malaysia again. Went to the Cornerstone Pastors Summit in Joho, Malaysia from Tuesday-Thursday last week and there was a feast of great fellowship, tremendous preaching and encouragement. The Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Singapore, Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong was the speaker and he tackled the issue of Transforming a Nation, Revival v Reformation, Finishing Well etc. ... inspirational stuff.

Left Malaysia on Thursday night and met Michael, Alison & Jemma Rose in Singapore. Had an early flight to Manila on Friday morning and I was desperate to get home. It was my wee boy Josiah's 3rd birthday on Friday! And, even though Daddy didn't arrive until 9pm there were two very exited children peeping out of the window! What a welcome (although I am still not convinced that Lydia was more excited about the giver of the gift rather than the gift itself!)

Josiah had a great day, according to mummy. He opened lots of presents before school and here, if it is your birthday, you don't have to wear a school uniform. So he went to school all togged up with new clothes from his Granny Mary! At the end of class they all sang Happy Birthday and we ordered a beautiful 'Lightning McQueen' cake. Wow. He was so happy. And just to end a perfect day, Daddy brought home some more Lightning McQueen toys from Singapore.

On Saturday we had a lovely family day an finished with a special birthday McDonalds for the staff & kids in the Children's Home. Great stuff. Josiah is doing great now - thanks to your prayers. He is a wee comedian and loves to laugh and make people laugh. he is doing great at school and he is centre of attention (Mmmm, wonder where he gets that from???) He is a handsome wee guy and his 'thing' right now is to wear shades and spike his hair ... just like a certain cartoon character he loves. Well, at least he doesn't speak like Pingu any more!

He is doing well health wise as well. He has the odd snuffle but he is gaining weight and eating much better. Thanks for your prayers.

On Sunday we had Cornerstone United and many came to celebrate with us. Keith Pointon spoke about the 'Christian's Survival Kit' and many were blessed, challenged and ministered to. Great to feel and experience the power of God.

So here we are, just starting another week. So much to share and so little time to blog. As I was reading some other blogs that Michael showed me, it seems that most people who blog are always apologising for not blogging consistently! So I don't feel quite so bad now. Rumour has it that some of our visitors here at Sefton now are going to do a 'Guest Blog' in the next day or two, but we'll see!

Hey, if any of our visitors who were here in June/July - Singaporean or Scottish - want to write an article about their experiences here at Sefton then just email it to me and I will stick it on the blog. That would be a nice change ... so come on Deborah, Faye, John, David, Kirsty or any of the team members ... up for a challenge?

Goodnight ...

p.s. - Had to laugh the other day. Our internet was off for a week ... again ... and the phone company informed us that our line had been cut and that the thieves had stolen our whole cable - over 300 metres of it!! This is the 3rd time this year. Only in the Philippines ...