Back Home

Sorry for the lack of blogs recently. So many things have been happening in the last few weeks and we are just catching up with ourselves! The main reason we are back in Scotland is because Mary's dad - David - was diagnosed with a serious strain of cancer and we decided to come home to spend time with Mary's parents and help them at this difficult time.

We only had a few days to get things sorted out at Sefton. I think Mary and I had around 20 meetings with people in a couple of days. The great thing is that Keith & Anne are still there and will return to UK in April 7th. Matthew & Claire are also there, so we decided that we had a window of opportunity to come home ... and we did. We only have one life and we are often faces with difficult decisions ... but I often preach that 'people are more important than things." No regrets.

We arrived back to cold & snowy Scotland on February 13th. We spent the first weekend in Fraserburgh and had the opportunity to attend the Dedication of our wee niece Eve (Mary's brother's girl) This was a real unexpected bonus!


We then went up to Wick and were there for almost two weeks. David was diagnosed at the beginning of February and then immediately started his first treatment of chemo. Many are praying for him ... and we are seeing the results of prayer. He reacted very well to the fist treatment and felt much stronger. The pain in his hip went and he was able to walk and even drive. This gave him a real boost. We had a great time as a family, with the kids, and that alone was worth the air fare!

We drove him down for his second chemo two weeks ago and then I took the kids down to Fraserburgh to give David & Wilma some peace! Again, David reacted so well with the chemo. Mary stayed in Wick for a few days and then joined us in Fraserburgh. We stayed there over last weekend and I was able to minister in Elim and Emmanuel churches in Fraserburgh. Really enjoyed it!

We needed to get away as a family and we managed to book into a fantastic place called Crieff Hydro. All you Scottish people ... you need to come here! Amazing. Whatever the age you are ... there is something for you to do. It has definitely the best kids facilities in any hotel I have ever been to. Today, the kids went swimming twice, went to soft play, went to the outdoor adventure playground, ate at the amazing 'Kidz Buffet (with tons of good food and also Angel Delight etc!) and tonight they spent 2 hours at the Kids Club - completely supervised by staff. This is all free as part of your accommodation! Josiah told me that "it was the best day of his life!" If you don't believe me ... believe him!


We are going down to the Central Belt on Thursday to visit some friends down there. We will go back up to Fraserburgh on Saturday (I will be preaching at Fraserburgh AoG on Sunday) and then on to Wick Monday. And then ... we'll take it from there!

At the beginning of the year we were given a word from a good friend -"Take one day at a time." We didn't understand it then,but we do now! David gets his 3rd Chemo on Friday March 20th and we are praying for continued strength. If he does well we will plan to go back to the Philippines on the last week of March.

Pray for us as we learn to draw from God enough grace as we need for each day. Pray that we would do the right thing and not be impulsive in our decisions. Pray most of all for David as he journeys through these difficult days. For Wilma, as she supports him and tries to maintain her life. For Mary, as she tries to help her mum & dad at this time. It's not easy and she wants to do the best. For the kids, as they adjust to moving around and meeting new people. they are amazing really! For all at Sefton, as they have to adjust to us not being there.

Thanks for your love and encouragement at this time. Will keep you posted on any news.

Many blessings,

Mark

Medal of Hope

Probably every day here in the Philippines I hear of a sad story about poverty, sickness or death. I am thankful that on most occasions I am never actually involved in real life dramas or extremely difficult situations. But on some days, like today, I find myself face to face with tragedy and hopelessness.

Imagine the scene. There is a family we know that lives not far from Sefton Village. They live in a place called Mabini - which is one of the most dangerous and dark places to live in our city. Drugs and prostitution are norm. There are always police cars there and plenty of stories. But this family have made Mabini their home and they have two handsome little boys - Gio and Seke. They grew up and started attending our Kinder School - the KMGLC. This year Gio (above) is in Kinder 2 and is preparing to go to grade 1 at our new school. Seke (below) is in nursery class and he is a lovely wee boy. These pictures are taken from our class photos taken just last week.


Then tragedy. Last weekend both boys fell sick with vomiting and a fever. Mum took them to the doctor and they were given anti-biotics. But over the weekend there was little improvement. On Tuesday mum & dad again took the boys to the doctor and they were given blood tests. It was dengue - a terrible disease similar to malaria except far more dangerous and potent. It begins with a mosquito bite and soon the body is under attack.

Gio got worse. He was soon at stage 3 ... very serious. His platelet level fell dramatically and soon it was a fight for his life. Thankfully, Seke responded quickly to the anti-dengue medicine and began to recover. But the problem fro Gio is that he has already had dengue 2 years ago and when it comes for a second time ... it is far more dangerous. Added to this, he has a heart problem that has weakened him.

Mary went in last night. Gio was concious, although weak. He asked his mum to hug him and said, "Don't worry mum, I am not going to die. I won't leave you here. Anyway, I haven't got my medal from school yet!" if a child attends our school for all three years they get a Loyalty Medal - and this is the desire of wee Gio's heart!

But things worsened overnight. His body began to fail. The family ran out of money and Mary asked me to go and pray for the family and see what they needed. When I got there I was so sad. His mum was waiting for us and when she saw us she bust into tears and crumbled into our arms. "Please help my baby," she sobbed. Winston and I went up and saw Gio. He had tubes going into his nose, hands and feet, a ventilator was breathing for him and I counted five medicines going to his body by drips. It was a terrible sight. I managed to pray for him on a couple of occasions - in between nurses and doctors working away at him.

I know the doctor and she said it is a very serious case - 50/50. I spent most of the afternoon there, encouraging the family, trying to find blood donors and praying for the boys. I am getting our Cornerstone Pastors to be at the hospital for 24 hr prayer and support. Tonight and tomorrow are critical. This morning hos platelet level was 15 ... near death.

Will you pray for these two little boys - especially Gio? Take time to lift him up in prayer. Can you get the people in your church to pray? Inform the prayer chains and intercesors. Send this blog to your friends and ask them to stand with us. This is a spiritual battle. Pray that Gio pulls through and recovers fast. He needs us ...

His medal is waiting.

Pray for Our Little Ones

Hi folks. Well, I thought it was too good to be true. Our Internet was off for almost a month and we had it back for a whole 6 days! But on Saturday night it was cut off and it hasn't returned. I am back in Manila in an Internet cafe trying to write this very important blog in an environment of very loud heavy music! Aaagghh .. I admit it .... I'm getting old! Please forgive me for any spiling mistakes or bad grandma.

I have some urgent requests for you to pray about ... all concerning kids. Over the last three weeks so many of the kids at Sefton have been so sick. Many in the nursery had severe diarrhea, sickness and fever. Josiah and Jonathan's son Daniel ended up in hospital as well as Karis, a daughter of one of our staff. Then two of our teachers' kids ended up in hospital. So much to take at one time.

And this week has been just as bad. Please pray for the following:


* Mona Lisa - not a pretty picture!

Mary had a very hard day on Tuesday. A mum was brought by the Social Work Department with her two young kids. The mum was mentally unstable and was a manic depressive. She had 6 kids but was not capable of looking after them. When it came time for her to leave she went hysterical and almost broke the little girls arm.

Mona Lisa is a beautiful girl but her mother has tried to cut her her and made a terrible mess. Little Mona Lisa has been on a very poor diet and when Marilyn went to see the home last week her mum was feeding her sand. Hard to believe, but true.

She is VERY malnourished and does not have the will to eat. She is a lovely girl with a beautiful personality. We need her to start eating to have a chance. Please pray.

* Margarita - Dengue fever

Margarita is our oldest child in the Children's Home and she is never ill. But this week she has had high fevers as well as other flu like symptoms. She started having nose bleeds... and we began to worry. Our worst fears were realised when we took her to hospital. She has dengue .. worse than malaria and very serious.

She is in hospital now but her blood platelet levels are dropping. We need you to pray that the Lord would touch her body and that this dengue would disappear.

* July - the rice sack kid!

On Tuesday night I got a call from a member in Nagassican that there was a 4 day old baby there that was almost dead and was convulsing. Pastor Danny ruched there and brought this baby boy to hospital ... all the family had to wrap him in was a rice sack (see picture above). Story is this. This baby was born and the mum could not produce milk. They are very poor, so they went to the little store and bought some packets of Coffee Mate. Yup, that's right. So for four days this baby had water and coffee mate. He dehydrated and almost died.

Thank the Lord we got him to hospital in time. Pastor Danny said that they should name him ... so they called him July! Strange but very Filipino.

PLEASE pray for all these kids and also that all these bouts of illness would go. Pray for our protection. Even for us as a family the last thing we want is for our two kids to catch dengue as it is very serious for western kids if they catch it.

Thanks for standing with us. I am going to Singapore for a conference on Saturday so please pray for Mary and the staff as they minister at Sefton Village.

Be blessed .. and stay healthy!

PS - Thanks to the 35 folk who have signed our guetbook ... but what about the rest of you?? Come on .. it will only take a minute! Thanks ....

Tabitha

Hi stranger! My fault ... not yours! I just want to thank everyone who prayed for Josiah. He was discharged from hospital on Saturday morning and since then his eating has improved, he is gaining strength ... and he certainly has his singing/shouting voice back again! He is a real character ... a wee comedian!

Been down in Manila and the Scottish Team are well and truly home now. We had a great couple of weeks and my two kids loved having other Scottish kids around. We had a really good programme organised for them - a mixture of ministry time, kids time and learning time. I will write a blog with a report on all the great things that happened.

In the meantime, I want to totally inspire and encourage you by an amazing story that happened here this week. As you know, one of our ministries at Cornerstone Church is our Hospital Ministry every Wednesday morning. I asked the Lord, "If you came to Santiago, where would you go?" I felt in my spirit that He would go to the place where there is the most helplessness and need ... the local Government hospital. A terrible place. Every time we go there, desperation hits us in the face.

For example, the lady at the bottom of this blog was in a desperate situation. She had to have a cesarean as there were complications with her twin babies. She had the operation and the kids were healthy. She, however, was not. She had an infection that was so severe she was at the point of death. Listen to this .. when we talked to her she told us that she had to sell one of her twins just to pay the medicine to keep her alive. Tragic. This week, Pastor Danny said that she was not there. We don't know if she is even still alive.

I have been challenging the leaders, and myself, not to pray 'safe' prayers - "Lord, I pray that by this time next week he'll be out of this hospital" or "Lord guide the hands of the surgeons" or "may she wake up tomorrow feeling better". Know what I mean. We are excellent at safety. Keep our pride and dignity at all costs.

But ...we need the Peter & John anointing - right here, right now. In the Name of Jesus ... walk, be healed, blind eyes open, asthma be gone, high blood pressure become normal, heart disease flee etc. I have been challenging the leaders to ask "How do you feel, what is happening" after they pray. These people literally need a miracle now. Some of them are teetering at the edge of life and death ...

There was a little boy called Joshua, only 8 years old from Santiago City. He cut his thumb on a piece of rusty iron and it became infected. In the UK, tetanus jab, no problem. In the Philippines ... life threatening. His thumb became black and septicemia began to run through his body. Two weeks ago Pastor Danny, Pastor Winston along with David & Grace Strachan from Peterhead prayed with the boy and his family. David left a card with a verse on it to encourage them.


Last weekend, wee Joshua's conditioned worsened and his family was called to the hospital. They watched helplessly as the poison took the last breath from the little boy ... he died. The Doctor pronounced him dead and the family were distraught.

Five minutes after he died something amazing happened. Joshua's grandmother began to hold this boy in her hands and began to cry out to the Lord. She said that she began to 'pray the same prayers as the Cornerstone people'. She rebuked the sickness and cried out "God, if you are there ... have mercy on this boy and hear my cries."

Whenever she prayed this prayer, Joshua's eyes opened. He was back! Over the next few days the poison in his body began to disappear and last Wednesday his grandmother was waiting to tell our pastors the amazing story. Look at the picture at the start of this blog. His thumb is completely healed! No puss. No black poison. Our God is a healing God. Hallelujah! The book of Acts is still being written ....

Well, that's OK in the Philippines... but it wouldn't really happen in the West. Really? Who prayed? Who had the faith? Who believed against the odds? An old grandmother in the depths of despair. She wasn't a member of a Pentecostal Church. She wasn't in a cell group. She isn't even an evangelical. But she thought ... only Jesus can hear me.

In Scotland, England, Ireland & Wales .. in the USA or Australia ... wherever you may be, God is searching for those whose hearts are fully committed to Him .. so he may strengthen them. Why don't you ask the Lord, "Lord, if you came to my town ... where would you go?" or "lord, can you use me?"

It will open your eyes and change your life. In the meantime, there are people in hospital right now who need the same miracle as Joshua; they need love' ... they need to know someone cares. The church MUST break out of her four comfortable walls and begin to walk the streets. For there you will find needs you never knew ... and at the point of need you will find a saviour waiting for His people to speak faith into the most helpless of situations.

Got a cup of water? An old jacket? An extra meal? A bit of time? A letter of encouragement? An shoulder to lean on? A prayer of faith? (Please read Matthew 25:34-46)

Go ... the world is waiting for you. If you won't go ... what will happen to the Joshuas of your generation? Miracles are waiting for you ... only believe.

Selah

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:42

Bringing Hope to our Hospital

Three years ago, my little girl Lydia became sick with pneumonia and was admitted to hospital here in Santiago. The sad thing was … it was on Christmas Eve! Poor wee soul. She was admitted at around 4pm, and for 12 hours Mary & Lydia did not get a single visit from anyone – except for a few nurses’ visits to take Lydia’s temperature. When I arrived at 4pm on Christmas Day, they were so delighted to see me!

In 2005 I challenged the members of Cornerstone Church to give up a few hours of their Christmas Day and spend time visiting the sick in hospital. I was amazed at their enthusiasm! So we found out how many people were in the 4 main hospitals in Santiago. We bought gifts for them all – fruit and biscuits for the adults and toys for the kids. After we had our Christmas Morning service we divided the church into 4 groups and sent them to the hospitals.

Well, they came back rejoicing with many stories to tell. In the hospital where I went, the patients could not believe that we would care enough to visit them on Christmas Day. They were amazed as we sang Carols gave gifts and prayed for them. The whole experience really touched the lives of our members as they saw the effect of their love on the patients. We repeated this ministry last December.

When I was home on Scotland, the Lord challenged me to set up a consistent Hospital Ministry programme – not once a year, but once a week. I spoke it over with Pastor Marlou who is our Cornerstone Spiritual Life Director. Finally, two weeks ago we began our new ministry. It all happened quite miraculously. A month ago we went to school to do a feeding programme – only to find that most of the kids were not there as it was their last day before summer. What would we do with all the food? Henry shouted, “Let’s go to the Hospital next door.”

The Hospital is called the General Emergency Hospital … but it is not like any hospital you know. It is for the poorest of the city and is run by the government. There are just as many people out in the corridors as there are in wards. Hygienic conditions are terrible and it has been many years since the walls have seen a lick of paint. Inside this hospital are desperate, needy and sick people of all ages. It is hard to even walk around and see the desperation on people’s faces.


But we went and fed everyone in the hospital – even the staff! The chief of the Hospital wanted to see me and we spent 30 minutes with him. I shared our vision and he was so touched. We agreed that every week we would go and pray for the sick and once a month we would feed everyone as well. Listen to this – he asked us to build and decorate a House of Prayer in the hospital!!! Amazing.

So a fortnight ago we started. First, we had a small service in the Out Patient waiting room! I preached to doctors, nurses, staff, cleaners, patients, carers and family members. Chaos! But I really enjoyed it. We then fed everyone and began t o pray for the people. Our team of Pastors and Leaders prayed for everyone in the hospital. We felt the presence and peace of God in that desperate place.

We went again on Tuesday – very humbling experience. I prayed with a little girl whose finger had been cut off by her brother. She is only 4 years old. I prayed with a man who had been beaten up by his brother in law with steel bar – his face was horrendously cut and bruised. I prayed for many with diabetes, high blood pressure and one man who had been shot by his friend. And so much more …

In the heart of this hospital … people are finding hope. Jesus is there. Keith had a great point at our leader’s cell group the other day. Many people say, “Jesus the answer!” And of course, He is. BUT, the Bible says “Christ IN YOU, the hope of Glory.” In you. You.

You are also the answer. Your life. Your hands. As the song says, “So many lives depend on what I do…”

In your village, town or city there are many who are lonely, or desperate, or sick, or needy. Don’t pray, “Draw near to them” – you draw near. Don’t cry, “Lord, touch them” – you touch them. Don’t say, “Lord lift them up” – you encourage them. May Christ IN YOU minister to them.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Selah...

Easter Weekend Remembered!

Wow, right now the heat is killing us over here. I know that it has been hot back home .. an answer to prayer to many of you! But here, we are praying for clouds and rain ... funny world eh? Keith was telling me today that his thermometer touched 40C (104F) inside!

I know that Easter has come and gone, but I forgot to share about the wonderful Cornerstone weekend we had at Sefton Village on April 7-8. We met on Sunday afternoon and had an afternoon of games and sports. The Helga Mosey aunties won the volleyball tournament ... but I did point out that they were playing 'at home!!'


The church supplied the meals for our members and we enjoyed fellowship. On the Saturday night we had great Celebration in the Fire Centre and Keith preached. Afterwards, we had a fun/talent night followed by a bonfire. Check out our Cornerstone actors!


We woke up at 4:30am and started our Sunrise service at 5:15am. The guys took up all the instruments and we had a great worship time on the volleyball court! The sun rose and we were filled with thankfulness and awe. We went straight to the pool for our Easter Sunday Baptismal service... yup, at 6am!!!


I had the joy of baptising around 20 new believers. Fantastic. One funny moment ... one of the guys getting baptised had just come from the hospital where he had a small operation to his arm. He was desperate to get baptised but wanted to make sure his arm did not go under the water! (see pic below) I told him we believed in total submersion and that we would baptise his left arm at the next baptismal service!! Pastor Marlou dunked him while I held his hand in the air...the things they didn't teach you at Bible School!


After breakfast we had our Easter celebration and it was full of testimonies, songs and drama. I preached about the Power of the Cross, and around 12 people responded to the Lord for salvation. I have discovered that when I preach about the cross ... amazing things happen and people always respond to the message. We prayed for many who were sick. What a wonderful weekend we had. What a celebration!

Jesus .. STILL IS the resurrection and the Life! Let me share an amazing story that proves that there are no hopeless cases with God! In one of my first ever blogs, I asked you all to pray for a lady called Pastora Julie ... remember her? She ministered in the mountains around an hour from where we lived and had planted a church there. She became very sick after the birth of her 3rd child and the pain would not go away.

She went for tests at the beginning of 2006 and they found a huge malignant tumour. She underwent two sessions of Chemotherapy, but her body was too weak. In April, the Doctor sent her home to die. he wrote in her records that she was a 'hopeless case' and that he did not expect her to live very long.

When I found this out, I felt in my spirit that she would be healed! We texted her to come to the House of Refuge in the Fire Centre. They had to carry her in - she could barely speak and was so weak. As me and two other Pastors prayed, God showed us we must rebuke the spirit of death. As we did this, Pastora Julie felt something happen in her body.

For three months we prayed and prayed ... and she got stronger and stronger! She began to walk, her hair began to grow and her appetite returned. When we came back to Scotland last July .. she went back to her family ... healed!

Well, I hadn't seen Pastora Julie for nine months - but at the Easter Convention we saw her again! She said to me, "Do you know who I am" This threw me, as I did not have a clue. But when she smiled, I knew. I could not believe it! Her hair was beautiful and she had put on weight. She was doing great and feeling strong. Isn't that amazing?

He was, still is and always will be ... the resurrection and the Life! Trust Him....

Bits and Bobs ...

Well, over the last few days we have had the old Internet problems again... off for hours/days and then on for a few minutes! Aaaaggh. So annoying. Anyway, like my granny used to say, "Ah well, you can't make a better of it." I am hoping that this is a temporary blip and that normal service will soon be resumed. Pray this is the case for my (and Keith's!) sanity.

Apart from that, we are doing well. This is a bit of a catch up blog and I hope to get back on course with my blogging next week. Why do I always seem to say the same thing every week? I should know by now that there are no 'normal' weeks here at Sefton and you never know what is around the corner.

Here is some up to date news and reports:

* Well, recently Mary and I celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary! Haven't I ... I mean she... eh, I mean we done well! We were married in Wick on March 30th 1996 and the amazing thing is that is the exact place and date of Mary's mum & dad's wedding 30 years previous! Imagine my surprise (and horror!) when we found out that the gentleman who was going to take our photos was the same guy who took my in-laws 30 years earlier!! But, he was very good and the pictures were great. If you are reading this and you were at our wedding, why don't you 'comment' on anything you remember about the weekend. It would be good for us to reminisce!

As you look back on married life, there are many milestones - our honeymoon, our first house, our ministries, our call to the Philippines, our first child ... followed by our second, the vision of God for our lives etc. Yet, alongside these there are many difficult days, things to work out and through, trials and difficulties. I just thank the Lord for Mary and her commitment to me, our kids and the Lord. Not many would leave the UK to come to an uncertain future in a far away land. I am a blessed man and I pray for many more years together as our family grows up.

* Selina - Selina's arm is healing up really well. She has been on a strong course of anti-biotics and also we have been applying antiseptic cream on her burned arm. So it is looking much better now and is much more tender. We hope to get her operation next week as the Doctor is back in town. Pastor Winston is going to see him today to set things up.

Selina is a happy & beautiful little girl. She loves coming to Powerhouse and she has a cheeky wee smile! This photo was taken a month ago so is a little out of date, but I will get new picture next week.

Pray for her family situation. Her father is not coping well with his son's death and has turned to drink. He cannot control himself when drunk and he becomes very abusive towards his poor wife. Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom to handle this delicate situation.


* Mary Grace - Well, thanks for your prayers. The Lord has rescued this little girl from the brink of death, and now she is thriving! She was 4 kilos before .. and now she is over 6 kilos after only 3 weeks. Her skin is beautiful, she is always smiling and she has become so content. Marilyn, our Social Worker (above), cannot believe the difference in a few weeks. Even our local Pediatrician did not recognise her and took photos to show her fellow doctors. She was amazed. It is more than a medical success ... it is a miracle of God. Please continue to pray for Mary Grace and all the aunties.

* Judah Benjamin Kooistra - Mary has been very busy this week as good friends of ours from the Wycliffe Base in Bagabag gave birth here in Santiago. Jan came to Santiago with David her husband and two of their three kids. What they thought would be a regular check up ended up to be the real deal! Jan gave birth to Judah, David was there with her and the two kids stayed overnight in our house. As you can see, Lydia and Josiah are delighted with their 'sorta cousin'!


*Celebrations - This time of year is full of all sorts of parties and happy events and in the last week I have been busy doing all sorts of great things. We dedicated two houses, celebrated a birthday of a little girl from Cornerstone and on Tuesday we dedicated the little son of Marlou and Cristina Javier, who are two of our Church staff. What a great afternoon. As I dedicated Mark David Javier (what a fantastically superb name eh?) he just gazed into my eyes and laughed for ages. Wonderful moment.

* Next few blogs - in the following days I have so much to share about ...

An amazing testimony of healing
Cornerstone Easter Celebration
SOS Evangelistic Programme
Another amazing testimony of God's protection
A vision God gave me a few years ago about the Cost of the anointing
Our kids update
Keith & Anne
Matthew & Claire Kerr

I have just noticed that we have had over 10,000 visits to the blog since June 2006. Wehey! Another celebration...please tell your friends and family about our blog and spread the news about what the Lord is doing here.

But right now I am happy to even get this blog out! Lord, keep the Internet going and make this blogger patient...

Blessings and have a great weekend.