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| 5/9/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “Ladies, please pray for the thief!” The biennial national women's convention last week in Manila had been excitedly anticipated by over a thousand pastor's wives and lay women all over the 7,107 Philippine Islands. Over 150 women from eastern Mindanao attended, pooling their resources to get a discount group rate on the 2-hr airplane flight instead of the equally-priced 3-day boat ride. Elvie is the national women's secretary, and also needed to arrive a few days early to visit the British Embassy to pick up her visa for our June “round-the-world” family speaking tour. So she was not included in the “discount crew” Yet the 150 Eastern Mindanao delegates did not arrive in Manila! Anxious phone calls revealed the horrible news that the secular discount agency “disappeared” with over half a million pesos, sacrificially given by the ladies for their plane fares. A missionary sending agency pooled its resources and pulled back on some projects so they could help the ladies, and also the other hundreds of ladies at the convention collected special offerings to make it possible for the ladies to take the boat. Arriving a few days late, the 150 victims were not angry. Frustrated, yes. After all, they had saved up for over 2 yrs from their husbands' meager pastor's salaries, for the trip. Yet thankful that God's people had sacrificed so that the victims could attend, the ladies' heartfelt desire was that their sisters-in-Christ would pray for the agency that had stolen their airfares. “May God touch their hearts, not only to return the stolen money, but that God will cause the thieves to become Christians so that, instead of hurting people, they will be led by God to make the world a better place.” Until next time… Present need: $585 for this month's medical coverage for our 45 BLC teachers and staff. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray. Praise God that we now have our plane tickets from Manila to London. Now please pray for the nine other reservations we have to make for our June travels to Manila, Scotland, Wales and New York. Please also pray for a meeting we're having with a landowner this week. This woman wants to donate land (22 acres) to our ministry, on a “loan” basis. The agreement is that, if the poor in our ministry can grow crops on the land, 10% of the food and animals grown will be given to the landowner, while the other 90% will feed the poor in our ministry. There is a glitch though. A cult has a compound near the land, and a few days ago, a family of five was massacred there. Praise God for God's blessings, poured out on two of the churches that we have planted here in Davao! These two churches (Asuncion and Purok Ocho) are celebrating their one-year anniversaries this month! Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's new 3rd-floor library: $18,905 received, $3,095 left to go! "Let the Islands Rejoice!" Rev. Paul, Elvie, PJ and Abigail Barner |
| 5/2/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “Pastor Paul, would you be willing to share your faith on the radio?” The grandfather of one of our poor BLC kids is a secular radio announcer. He recently started an early-morning Sunday program, “Ecumenical Moments.” Of course I agreed to participate. It meant waking up at 3:30 am, so I set my alarm clock the night before. I guess God wanted to be sure that I'd not oversleep, so the alarm went off half an hour early, at 3am. I used the extra 30 minutes to review my message and to pray. “Lord, may the Gospel be clear in this message!” In the early morning darkness, the gate was opened for me to enter into the radio station. While on the air after I finished my sermon, Announcer Ed asked, “Rev. Barner, what is the meaning of ecumenism?” Knowing that I had been invited as one of many speakers over the course of the next few months, I explained, “Ed, each of us is required by God to tell people about salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is in your heart, whether you were born Baptist, Alliance, Catholic, tribal, or even Muslim, once you have Jesus in your heart, you are responsible for sharing Jesus with the lost souls of unbelievers.” In closing, my prayer was the prayer of salvation. Everyone listening, any of the 1.4 million who live in Davao, was invited to join in the prayer to become a believer in Jesus. Perhaps in heaven one day a laundrywoman will approach me and say, I am here because in April, 2008 I turned on the radio at 4:30 in the morning while scrubbing clothes by hand, and prayed with you to be saved from my sins!” Praise God for answering my prayer that the Gospel would be clearly presented! Until next time… Present need: $1500 for 50 4'x8' “hardiflex” panels
to build a sign on the fourth-floor roof of BLC, with the name of the
school and its logo and mission. Without this four-sided sign, many find
it hard to find the school. All four sides combined, it will be 200 feet
long, and painted by our BLC teachers.
Please pray for strength for Elvie this week in Manila, as she is emcee for a national ladies' conference with attendance of nearly 2000 women. Please also pray for the ten new BLC teachers this year, for them to catch the vision and relate clearly the Gospel to the 600 BLC kids. Praise God for the church congregation in the USA which sacrificially gave $6,000 for the construction of our new BLC library! Only $3,100 left to go! Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's new 3rd-floor library: $18,900 received, $3,100 left to go!
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| 4/25/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “PJ, here's five shells from Sarangani: 3 seashells and 2 bullet shells!” PJ and Abby hadn't seen Elvie and me all day long, since we'd left on our 3 ½ hour trip to Sarangani before they were awake, and now it was late at night when we returned. Our kids like seashells, so I brought some back to them from the beach of Southern Mindanao. We didn't think the area was safe for American children, which is why we'd left them behind. Before leaving Davao however, we visited a comatose friend of a friend in the hospital. After waking up the hospital receptionist, we were informed that the patient had already died, so we continued on our way. The “highway” we traveled was filled with detours and washed out bridges, so it was a very bumpy ride... but scenic, passing through a mountain chain. Since only one of the seven of us thought to bring shorts, we stopped at a roadside stand to buy clothes to wear while dedicating a boat. Through the assistance of Christian Aid Mission, I had been able to raise $1500 for this colorful, rainbow-striped motorized boat to be built. The motor of the “pumpboat” glided it like a big water spider over the ocean, with bamboo struts stretching out on both sides of it to give it stability in the water. After shaking hands with the appreciative vice governor of the province, the Honorable Mr. Solon, we waded out to the boat for its dedication. This vessel will be used to carry church-planting Filipino missionaries to unreached people groups on remote islands which can only be reached by boat. Dozens of believers joined us after the ceremony for a feast of appreciation, with a large roasted pig and cooked fish to fill us up. One of the pastors rushed to the head of the pig and reached his hand into its mouth to yank out his favorite part, the tongue. Some say that by eating a pig's tongue and ears, a person will be able to understand and speak pig language. When we prayed for the boat, it was christened “Charity Faith DSO”. “Charity” for the missions of mercy that it will be used for, to bring food and clothes to the needy poor on the islands. “Faith” for the Gospel message that will be preached by missionaries aboard this “Gospel Ship”. “DSO” for Davao Strategic Outreach, the arm of BLC that funds needs like horses, pigs, goats, bikes and this boat for church planting missionaries. Before prayer, I looked down into the floor of the boat. There was a cigarette and two bullet shells, left behind by the boat's builder. “We will not pray for these!” I said, throwing away the butt and pocketing the shells. I saved these shells to bring home to PJ. Now, whenever we see those shells, we pray for the safety of our Sarangani church planting missionaries, since this area of Sarangani is a dangerous crossroads for Islamic sea pirates. Until next time… Present need: $1153 BLC's monthly water and electric bill. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $12,900 received, $9,100 left to go! |
| 4/18/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “I'll be in heaven because of Elvie!” With tears streaming down her cheeks, and speaking with choking voice, Olive and a dozen other parents in church came up to the microphone on Pastor Appreciation Day to show their gratitude for our ministry here at Faith Fellowship. “One day, when I get to heaven,” shared Olive, “when God asks me how I heard of Jesus, I will mention how Elvie prayed with me to receive Jesus into my heart.” The leaders of youth, music and children brought a pot of dirt and a budding coconut to the church stage, planting it before the congregation of 700. “You have planted the seed of truth into our hearts. Now, watch it grow!” As 30 or so of the church men came to the stage to sing a chorus, the dad of two new BLC kids joined them. We'd found his ragged children selling onions on the curb of a gas station last week, and now the dad is already singing in church! Awhile later Abigail leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “Daddy, I'm hungry! Are we almost done? We've been here on stage for over two hours!” Just then, the parent giving the Bible message finished, and in response half the congregation came to the stage bringing gifts of fruit, vegetables, rice, mugs and framed certificates. “There's your food!” I whispered back to her. The 700 Club had come to Davao 2 wks ago to suggest that each church have a Pastor's Appreciation Day. Although we'd never mentioned the idea to our congregation, they secretively planed it behind our backs and gave us this delightful surprise! Until next time… Present need: $640 for 8 bald BLC bus tires which desperately need replacing. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray for required Summer classes, which begin this week at BLC.
Praise God for our trip to Sarangani (S.E. Mindanao) this next Thursday to christen the motorized boat that we raised the money ($1500) to build. Church planting missionaries will now be able to reach island areas that are impossible to reach without a boat. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $12,895 received, $9,105 left to go! |
| 4/11/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “Dad, are we low on gas?” PJ wanted to stop at the gas station on our way home from a birthday party, so he could see if they had any kids' magazines. Since we were low on fuel, we stopped at the station. After filling up, Elvie noticed two very cute small children sitting on the curb with a backpack. “Why are you out so late at night?” she inquired. It was 9pm. “We are poor and have a backpack full of onions and garlic to sell. But we lost, through a hole in our pocket, the 120 pesos ($3) we earned, and we are afraid to go home!” As half a dozen gas station attendants came outside, big smiles appeared on their faces as Elvie invited the two kids to come home with us for dinner. When Jeff and Jen arrived at our apartment in the BLC school, their eyes grew really wide as they saw our shoes, all lined up inside the door, as well as PJ and Abby's bedroom with bookshelves full of his book collection and Abby's doll house. “You know, these clothes we are wearing were given to us by people that we sold onions to,” said the girl. They ate as if they hadn't eaten anything all day, and played with PJ and Abby and their toys. Then Elvie brought them home after we replaced the money they'd lost, and bought the rest of their onions. “Please come back on Tuesday with your parents,” Elvie said, “and you can apply to come here to BLC as free students!” They leaped into the air and gave Elvie a big hug. Jen explained that Jeff had taken three years to complete 2nd grade, since the family kept running out of money for school. Bigger than we'd seen them yet, their eyes revealed their surprise when the truth hit them once again. They asked for clarity, “Libre?” (free?) And again, “Libre, Yes! LIBRE!” Until next time… Present need: $2653 for the final payment of our 2007 BLC schoolbooks. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray for the construction of our third floor BLC library, and the conversion of our home economics building, to be completed by May 15, when the teachers will prepare their classrooms for the new school year. Please also pray for Elvie's visa to Scotland to be approved when she goes to Manila for a pastor's wives conference there, in two weeks. Praise God for the ten thousand Gospel tracts and school fliers that our teachers, staff and students' parents distributed door-to-door all over Davao City today. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $12,890 received, $9,110 left to go! |
| 4/4/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “Look at who has the camera!” I leaned over and whispered to Elvie as we sat side-by-side on the BLC stage during our 2007-8 graduation ceremonies last week. One by one, the parents of the 6th grade graduates accompanied their children as they filed forward down the aisle, across the stage, and back to their seats. At the center of the stage, each graduate stopped to be handed his or her diploma and shake hands with Elvie, Dr. Ayoc, the official representative from the Philippine Department of Education, and me, before having his or her tassel transferred from one corner of the “mortarboard” hat to the other. Most of these graduates come from very poor households, and many as well from broken families. One single mother had had an affair with a married man, years ago. The result was that the same father has daughters of similar age, yet from different women. These 2 children (half-sisters) are both enrolled at BLC. Yet BLC provides such Christian teaching as forgiveness and repentance of our old lifestyles. Both mothers showed these qualities during graduation. As mother #1 walked across the stage with her daughter, mother #2 took their picture. As mother #2 walked across the stage with her daughter, mother #1 took their picture. Praise God for His forgiveness! Praise God for showing us how to repent, how to forgive, and how to go on with life! Praise God as well for our BLC graduates, “Batch 2008!” Until next time… Present need: $5000 for our flight to the USA for furlough in June. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray for churches who are still planning on having us speak during the Summer to schedule one of the 24 still-available weekdays available in our 92-day furlough. Please also pray for Mark and Mary Ann's wedding (and marriage) to go smoothly, beginning this Friday. Praise God for the cement of the 12 columns for our 3rd-floor library have been poured and are dry. Now the reinforcement bars and molding are being built for the roof slab to be poured next week. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library:
$7,885 received, |
| 3/28/2008 | Davao City, Philippines "What was THAT?" Elvie woke up with a start, and I grinned in the very early morning darkness with a knowing, yet tired smile as my cell phone played the military bugle wake-up revile at 3am Easter Sunday morning. Elvie and I had had errands late into the night, so waking for our 4am Sunrise service, we'd only had 2 hours of sleep. Just outside our door, early worshipers had already begun to arrive. In the church sanctuary, just 40 paces from our front door, the hundreds of plastic chairs began to fill up with worshipers. The Resurrection Sunday message focused on the resurrection that we will face when the trumpet of Jesus' archangel blows, and the dead and alive in Christ will rise to meet Him in the air. As we sang in the Easter choir, “Up From the Grave He Arose,” I looked out on the poor BLC families. Some live in only shacks. Some sleep with no walls, only a sheet between them and the damp night air and mosquitoes. Many had to walk a great distance in the morning blackness, down forest pathways to get to church. But now we were here, together, as a church. After we sat down, PJ leaned over and whispered to me, “Dad, we should have a trumpet player here in church, like there will be when we get to heaven!” One day the trumpet will sound. But it will be much louder than my cell phone trumpet, and on that Great Resurrection Morning, oh, what a heavenly choir we will be! From the forest, from the city, from the mountains and from the continents of the world. Day or night, we'll all be gathered up together to attend that awesome, final Sunrise Service! Until next time… Present need: $4878 for iron reinforcement bars for construction for our new 3rd floor BLC library, before the cement is poured next week. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray for my clarity of mind during the pre-defense of my Master's
Thesis this Friday morning, 3/28, as well as my final oral defense on
4/7. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library:
$7,830 received, $14,170 left to go! |
| 3/21/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “He was so young!” Burley died last week. He was a young dad, with four
kids. Two are students at BLC. The other two are not enrolled, as one
is blind and the other is a baby. Burley died of a heart attack while
sleeping. Friends from school and church came to visit their tiny hut,
as we prayed for and sang with the family. Next, two lizards were on another wall. One ran around, catching bugs. The other just popped his head out of a crevice, waiting for “the big one”. It never came. Like the poor, the big opportunities are just not to be found. Next, a small mouse skittered across the white coffin. Down to the floor, it then climbed up the rungs of the wooden stand for the funeral guest book. Pulling itself up with its from claws, it lost its grip and...THUMP! It hit the floor. Like the poor, he kept falling short of his goal, running out of strength. As Callem went on with his message, a scruffy dog wandered in from the dirt steps outside. Snooping around for scraps of food and finding none, he moseyed back out the doorway. Like poor beggars, the dog was skin and bones. After I gave the closing prayer, Elvie asked Ruthie Joy (the widow, with her sleeping baby in her arms) why the casket didn't have a picture of Burley propped on it, as is the Filipino custom. “We are too poor to have a camera” was the answer. Instead, the one who made the coffin gave her a wallet-sized painting of Jesus, which was propped where Burley's picture should be. I thought, “Hmmm, In just a few days is Easter. Imagine if Jesus was in that casket.” Then I saw the age of Burley: 33 years old. That was the age Jesus was when he hung on the cross. Jesus had said, “Whatever you do for the least of your brothers, that you do into me.” I looked up to see a big, hairy spider in the corner of the ceiling with a massive web. A mosquito got caught and, as quick as a wink, was wrapped up in webbing and devoured by the spider. Why were the cockroach, the lizard, the dog and the mouse unsuccessful, while the spider was fat and full? Because of his network web. Although Burley is now gone, Ruthie Joy is not alone. Her “network” is her BLC family, the church family, and Christians around the world who are supporting her kids and praying for her. In memory of Burley, and in honor of our living Jesus, we continue to reach out to hundreds of “Ruthie Joys” and their kids, here in Davao City. Until next time… Present need: $400 for extra BLC graduation expenses (awards ceremony on 3/28). Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray for my Master's thesis pre-defense (on BLC's preclusion to juvenile delinquency), this Friday (4/28). Please also pray for the construction which we started this week, on the outer shell of our new 3rd floor library. Since we still lack $14,000 for the finished library, we are only building the roof, walls, windows and bathroom at this time, so it can be used for much-needed temporary overflow classroom space. Praise God for three new sponsors this week! Also for over 300 stuffed animals that were given! Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,825 received, $14,175 left to go! |
| 3/14/2008 | Davao City, Philippines HAPPY PALM SUNDAY! (3/16) HAPPY DAVAO CITY ANNIVERSARY! (3/16-ARAW NG DABAW) “Daddy, I want to memorize that verse!” PJ was looking over my shoulder as I was doing my email. An attachment quoted Philippians 3:14 (“I press on toward the goal...”). When PJ saw the verse, he wrote it down, repeating over and over, “Philippians 3:14...Philippians 3:14...” A few weeks ago our family started a new tradition. Since the beginning of the school year I have been challenging the BLC student body in a Bible verse memorization competition. It is so successful that I thought, why not quiz my family as well? Every morning and evening we recite Bible verses. This is in response to Psalm 1:2, “...on His law he meditates day and night...” If I fall asleep before evening verse-time, Elvie gets me up with, “We didn't say our verses yet!” If I spend too long at my computer, PJ comes up to my office, “Daddy, it's time to say our verses!” PJ and Abby get up half an hour earlier in the morning before getting ready for school, so they will have time to say their morning verses. For each verse, they each get one peso (two cents). Elvie is up to 300 verses per day. PJ is at 80, and our seven-yr-old Abby recites 20. Even though I am the one listening to the verses, I also quiz myself on 137 verses. I bought each of our family members a small Bible with cover and handle so we can each carry them wherever we go, as we practice. The all-time favorite verse, aside from John 3:16, is John 11:35...”Jesus wept!” Until next time… Present need: $2447 for salaries due 3/15. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray for the preliminary stages of our library construction to begin this month. Since we are still lacking $14,000 for the final 3rd floor library's construction, we'll use the funds you have given to build the initial shell (walls and ceiling), so that we have temporary overflow classroom space. We'll continue renovating the space as funds arrive, until the library is complete. Please also pray for acceptance of our furlough visas, as we plan to stop at Scotland on the way to the USA in June. We have Scottish prayer warriors who would love to have an update of God's ministry here in the Philippines. Praise God! Last week I asked you to pray for Mark to find a place to
live, since we are gutting out the interior of the Home Economics Building
to make more Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,820 received, $14,180 left to go! |
| 3/7/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “Our humble home...” The woman in rags parted the tattered old, discolored sheet which covered the opening that served as her doorway. There was no door. Elvie accepted the invitation and ducked her head to enter in. The walls were just remnants of plastic tarps, hung from clotheslines. No wood. No cement. Just pieces of thin plastic tarps. A colorful picture from a five-year-old calendar was the sole decoration, hanging on one “wall”. Laying on a floor on a mat was an old, toothless woman, who also lives with this poor family. “Aches and pains are my alarm clock which wakes me up in the morning. It's okay that we have no electricity,” she told Elvie. Without running water, the tiny dirt-floored, windowless home was just a shack. Not even. And yet it held three generations. Four small children with matted hair and in drab t-shirts (but naked otherwise), came in from playing in the alleys “outside”. One-by-one they humbly pressed the back of Elvie's hand to their foreheads, in the Filipino sign of respect from the young to the old. “May we pray with you?” Elvie asked the mother. Gathered in a small circle hand-in-hand, they prayed that God would provide for this family, and also that He would send sponsors to pay the $25 per month for the schooling of these and other destitute children. Our goal for 2008-9 is 500 sponsored kids. Elvie visits the home of every new BLC pupil to see if the family is poor enough to qualify for the free schooling program at BLC. After a busy and tiring day, Elvie was laid-up with fever and “sore eyes” (pinkeye), which she caught from the hands of some of these poor kids. We reach out to forgotten and abandoned...the refuse of society. After all, isn't that what Jesus would do? Until next time… Present need: $320 for the monthly medical insurance for our 45 teachers/staff. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please pray for Mark, our missionary from California. He's getting married next month and is trying to build a small place for them to live in before their wedding date. He's been staying with us for the past 8 months. Please also pray for the case studies I'll be doing on 20 BLC students for my thesis defense, to be presented in two weeks. I've now completed 150 pages of my pre-defense. Praise God for the family from America which received a company bonus and sent over $900 to BLC to help us cover increasing operating expenses. Praise God for another family who gave to BLC a portion of their tax refund! God is sooo good! Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,780 received,
$14,220 left to go! |
| 2/29/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “The tribal chief is demanding a sacrifice!” I'd sent Mark, Doug and Callem up to the mountains to request land for our juvenile detention center, the “Father's House”. After months of getting government permits in office after office in the city of Davao, it was now time to go up to the mountains and approach the chieftain. Never did I imagine that he would demand a sacrifice! In my studies of this tribe, I'd researched how other tribes had practiced human sacrifices against at least one member of this tribe. They also practice animal sacrifices (mostly chickens) on a regular basis, to get the opinion of the gods in pertinent matters. Yesterday Mark shared with me the other details of his report. “They demand not just one, but FIVE sacrifices, over the course of the next six months!” This couldn't be right. How could we kill someone so that the land could be released, and these child criminals' lives could be saved? At least once a month, here in Davao City, a child is massacred when marked by vigilante groups as “criminal”. Drive-by gunmen then exterminate the child by shooting him in cold blood. Suddenly I had an idea. “Mark, did they say HUMAN sacrifice, or ANIMAL sacrifice?” Mark assured me, “Neither. The chief did not say SACRIFICE. He said he needs a SACK OF RICE to feed the tribal dignitaries when they make their decision! Hmmm, that is different! The human sacrifice was already made by Jesus, when he gave Himself for the souls of these precious kids! Until next time… Present need: $191 for postage stamps. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please also pray for the tribal leaders to release the land for the Father's House with fewer community meetings. The longer the facility is delayed, the more children's lives are lost. Praise God also for 300 birthday cards sent by a church in New York for a BLC school project, and also for a church in Utah which sent nearly 100 brand new shop tools to BLC for our industrial arts lab! Praise God also for the fellow missionary who gave Mark a brand-new motorcycle for his ministry! And praise God for our 10 yr old son PJ! He won first place in the Faith Academy (Davao) “Battle of the Books” (BOB) school wide competition! Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,785 received, $14,215 left to go! |
| 2/22/2008 | Davao City "We love our teachers!” How appropriate that our annual BLC Teacher Appreciation Day should land on Valentine's Day this year! Each class called its teacher to the stage and sang for him or her, as well as giving him handmade cards and flowers. When the science teacher (Daisy) was called forward, Artjil sang her a solo. It was quite touching for everyone, since this student is autistic. Although he fears crowds, he nonetheless sang, without stammering, before all of the 600 parents and students present. A hush fell over the crowd as Artjil gave Daisy a flower and she kissed him on the cheek. “Awww....” said the audience, in unison. Then a burst of laughter followed as Artjil wiped off the kiss from his cheek with his t-shirt, with a mighty grin on his face. We actually had two autistic students volunteer to perform. The second
was Pershey, a sixth grader who is the age of a high schooler. Since she
is shy, she spoke very softly. Her fellow students so wanted to hear her
during this momentous occasion, that they knelt down on the floor next
to the loudspeakers to hear her whisper! Praise God for opening the shell
that these two autistic children have hidden in from birth! It is so true
that each and every one of us blossoms with beautiful new abilities when
Jesus touches our lives with His Until next time… Present need: $87 electrical rewiring for our “new” second-hand school security monitor system. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Please also pray for the tribal conference which is meeting next week to formally approve of Mark and Doug to move onto the tribal land 2 hours away and begin landscaping for a satellite tribal BLC school. Once the school is built and running, construction for the Father's House Juvenile Detention Center will begin. Praise God also for my finishing the second chapter of my master's thesis! Only two more chapters (including BLC case study) to go before my March defense! Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,775 received,
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| 2/15/2008 | Davao City, Philippines "Sorry, I don't have any pesos today." Every day that I stop at a certain signal light in town, a kind, dark-skinned teenage beggar boy looks through my windshield to see if I have a peso for him. Typically I try to have at least one in my pocket to give to him. But sometimes I forget, and just shrug my shoulders. He gives me an understanding grin as if to say, "That's ok. Maybe tomorrow." Today, I was busy. Very busy. I had a forum to attend and also 21 pages to write for the first chapter of my thesis revision. This morning also was a prayer breakfast downtown, and this afternoon I had to turn in my paper to the university before they closed for the day. I printed the 21 pages on my computer, and suddenly noticed on page ten, that it was invisible! No ink. After changing the cartridge and starting the slow printer again from the beginning, I collected my things and jumped into the multicab. Once in the driver's seat, I noticed that a bird had targeted the windshield. Not on the corner, not on the passenger side, but right in the center of my line of sight. It was already dried on hard, and I was in a hurry. No time to clean it off. After a few miles of driving, I hardly noticed it. Almost to the university, I hit a red light. Looking at my watch, I saw that I was cutting it very close. Then he came. My beggar friend. His shirt and shorts were dirty rags. He had a tattered cardboard box, folded under his arm: it was both his bed and house for the night. I shrugged my signal to him after feeling in my pocket: no pesos. He came anyway, reached over with his finger, and scratched the dried-on bird dropping from my windshield. We made eye contact for half a second. The light changed. I smiled. "Salamat" (thanks), I said. He smiled back and muttered, "maybe tomorrow." I arrived at the university in time, and with a clean windshield. I also felt really, really good inside. A man (the beggar) who had nothing, had given me something. Jesus cleaned my windshield today. Until next time… Present need: $138 mattresses for PJ and Abigail. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also for $30 which came in this week for construction of BLC's library!Also please pray for Mark, as he visits the mountainous tribal areas this week to map out the location for construction of the first buildings of the Father's House juvenile detention center and school. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,770 received,
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| 2/8/2008 | Davao City, Philippines "Daddy, can I sleep in the box to night?" Abigail's words
seemed ironic to me. While children who live in boxes wish they could
sleep in a house, kids who live in houses want to sleep in boxes. I've
actually seen many beggar children sleeping Until next time… Present need: $342 biweekly gas bill for our 7 BLC busses. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also for a successful 3rd Board Meeting for the Father's
House (FHF) for CICL (Children in Conflict with the Law). My presentation
on the multifaceted Also please pray for our plans for our New York furlough in June-August. June is now fully booked with speaking in churches and helping in VBSes (Vacation Bible Schools), and now we are working on July and August. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,735 received, $14,265 left to go! |
| 2/1/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “Pastor Paul, I'm worried!” Imelda (Mel) and Doug are newlyweds. Doug is American and Mel is a Filipina. Doug was bitten by a dengue mosquito and contracted the virus. Due to his fever and senior age, he was confined to the hospital. “Pastor Paul, Doug's blood platelet count is already down to 117!” We went to thehospital to pray for Doug. His legs were so very white, like a ghost. But the next day his count was even lower, down to 95. Then on Wednesday, it hit 80. Plunging this fast, the doctor told us to get blood ready for transfusions. But Doug has “O negative” blood type, which is very rare. Since Filipinos have only Rh positive blood, Doug would have to get blood from a missionary. Although I have given blood here, I am A positive, like the Filipinos. After a few hours of searching, through a “missionary blood hotline”we found 6 potential donors! But before getting them together, we sent emails around the world to you last week, asking for prayer. We had those at prayer meeting pray as well. Thursday morning, we stopped by the hospital and prayed again. As soon as I got home, a message came from Mel. “Yay, Pastor Paul! Doug's blood count shot back up to 110! PTL!” The time which his blood went back to normal, due to the international time difference, would be the time of prayer meetings around the world. Imagine the great, collective voice of prayer, reverberating against the interior walls of heaven, and echoing against those gates of pearl, into the very throne room of our Creator God!! Yay, God is soooo very good! This week Doug is back to work, praying with a paralyzed stroke victim in the hospital. Until next time… Present need: $5,000 for our family's round-trip flights for furlough to England, Scotland New York from June-August. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also for the goal of my university mentor (Dr. Gloria) that I will be able to finish my thesis by the end of February, so that I can graduate with my Master's in March, before we leave for furlough! Then I'll be able to begin work on my doctorate when we return in September! Also please pray for our Father's House 3rd annual board meeting this Saturday (2/2). I'll be presenting some of my thesis research on juvenile delinquency (and the need for early intervention) in Davao City. Mark will present his bureaucratic accomplishments in getting the paperwork done, and some government reps from Social Welfare will also present. The tribal chief who is donating land may also come down from the mountains to be present. Mark is traveling there today to invite her. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,730 received,
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| 1/25/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “January is a month of joy!” 2008 is a brand-new year, spurring-on great expectations. That's why I focused our January Sunday sermons on the topic of evangelism. “There are so very, very many ways that you can share your faith!” I told the congregation about the blind beggar who had never been trained in evangelism. All he did was say, “I don't really know who this Jesus is, but one thing I do know. I once was blind. But after I met this Jesus guy, now I can see. Wanna be His disciple too?” Itemizing for the congregation the many other ways we can share our faith with others, I explained the “Four Spiritual Laws”, Evangelism Explosion (in brief), Roman Road, and other methods of sharing their faith. Yet looking out on the hundreds of worshipers, I pictured in my mind the 150 more destitute families who would be waiting in line outside Elvie's door on Monday morning, to enroll their kids at BLC. God is using the 5,000 sponsorship cards I'd mailed around the world from October-January, to both believers and non-believers alike. With an average of half a dozen new sponsors a month, we'll be ready to increase or student body by 30% this next school year. Since the school year begins with Summer School in April, the cut-off for new sponsored kids' applications is February 1 (next Friday). Every needy child, every loving mother, and every concerned father who enters Elvie's office is given the opportunity to receive Jesus into his or her heart. Evangelism comes in many forms here at BLC. Hundreds are being saved! Until next time… Present need: $132 Repairs on one of our BLC buses. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also for Mark's safe return from his mom's funeral in California. We made a mistake with his visa, so he almost lost it. Since we re-routed his return trip to Davao, he had to sleep two nights in the Singapore airport, and a third night on the plane. But he's back, and his visa was not canceled. Praise God! Also please pray for Pastor Doug, in the hospital. His platelet count is down to 80, with Dengue. And please pray that I can finish my master's thesis by graduation in March. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,725 received, $14,275 left to go! |
| 1/21/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “January is a month of joy!” 2008 is a brand-new year, spurring-on great expectations. That's why I focused our January Sunday sermons on the topic of evangelism. “There are so very, very many ways that you can share your faith!” I told the congregation about the blind beggar who had never been trained in evangelism. All he did was say, “I don't really know who this Jesus is, but one thing I do know. I once was blind. But after I met this Jesus guy, now I can see. Wanna be His disciple too?” Itemizing for the congregation the many other ways we can share our faith with others, I explained the “Four Spiritual Laws”, Evangelism Explosion (in brief), Roman Road, and other methods of sharing their faith. Yet looking out on the hundreds of worshipers, I pictured in my mind the 150 more destitute families who would be waiting in line outside Elvie's door on Monday morning, to enroll their kids at BLC. God is using the 5,000 sponsorship cards I'd mailed around the world from October-January, to both believers and non-believers alike. With an average of half a dozen new sponsors a month, we'll be ready to increase or student body by 30% this next school year. Since the school year begins with Summer School in April, the cut-off for new sponsored kids' applications is February 1 (next Friday). Every needy child, every loving mother, and every concerned father who enters Elvie's office is given the opportunity to receive Jesus into his or her heart. Evangelism comes in many forms here at BLC. Hundreds are being saved! Until next time… Present need: $132 Repairs on one of our BLC buses. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also for Mark's safe return from his mom's funeral in California. We made a mistake with his visa, so he almost lost it. Since we re-routed his return trip to Davao, he had to sleep two nights in the Singapore airport, and a third night on the plane. But he's back, and his visa was not canceled. Praise God! Also please pray for Pastor Doug, in the hospital. His platelet count is down to 80, with Dengue. And please pray that I can finish my master's thesis by graduation in March. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,725 received, $14,275 left to go! POTENT PRAYER: A gorgeous 20 acre campus at
the foot of the tallest mountain in the Philippines (20 miles from BLC)
is available for a high school/Bible Campground, if we can come up with
$80,000. |
| 1/18/2008 | Davao City, Philippines “Cali-fornication...” The song was repulsive to me. It implied that a lascivious lifestyle was acceptable. We were attending the birthday party of a one-yr old little girl, and I was asked to speak. First however, some of the invited guests chose songs to sing on the kereoke microphone. Over and over again in one of the songs the teenage boys laughed and sang out very loudly, “Cali-fornication!” Sometimes in the Philippines, American off-color songs are sung without the intended meaning being fully understood. Thus I see one of my ministries, as a missionary, in Ezekiel 44:23, “They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” In my birthday challenge, I began the short message. “As believers, we follow our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Our words, our actions, and even our attitudes should be like Jesus. As this little birthday girl grows, you all need to sing good songs that will teach her the right lifestyle to live.” After prayer and dinner, someone handed me the microphone. There were no longer any songs containing profanity. The little girl's father made sure that praise music and hymns were all that was sung for the rest of the evening. Now, through this tiny circumstance, everyone present understood the difference between the profane and the holy! Until next time… Present need: $27 Minor roof repair for BLC gym/chapel. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also for the four new sponsors that were added to the sponsorship program in the month for December. They live in New York, New Jersey and Illinois. Also please pray for Elvie as she daily interviews hundreds of poor families to see which children will qualify to fill the 150 new slots for student sponsorships in the 2008-2009 school year, which begins in April. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,720 received,
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| 1/11/2008 | “Daddy, can we have a beagle?” For over a decade, we've avoided pets, since we live in a school. But looking into the cute eyes of PJ and Abby, and reminiscing the joy our own pets were to us when we were kids, we gave in. Two items concerned me: 1) American dogs are expensive in the Philippines, and 2) Dog food is not cheap. Then one of the Faith Academy teachers mentioned in passing, “I'll give you a free puppy!” Now THAT was an offer we couldn't refuse. Feliz (the puppy) is a light brown female, of “whatever” ancestry. She gets no end of affection from over 400 BLC students and staff,and has become somewhat of a school mascot. There always seems to be someone else petting her, cuddling her and giving her “puppy love”. Even the neighbor pups occasion by, but I ran over one of her puppy friends this week with the car, by mistake. Feliz is getting over it. We're training her to be a “school dog”, without barking or biting. We took down the Christmas decorations to avoid temptation for her. Since some Filipino drunkards eat roasted dog, we will keep Feliz on a chain as she grows, for protection. While she does like to chew on PJ's shoes, her preferred diet is also okay for my wallet: fish and rice (both very common in the Philippine Islands). God knew just what we needed! We've used the money some friends gave us for getting a dog, for her dog-dish, shots and so forth. Oh, and where did the kids get the name “Feliz” for our Christmas pup? From “Feliz Navidad”, of course! Praise God that Elvie was given an all-expense paid trip by plane and boat to the beautiful Island of Bohol (made famous by their dozens of natural, volcanic brown “chocolate mountains”, which resemble Hershey's kisses) a few hours from BLC, this week. The three-day trip was hosted by one of the five book companies that we use for our students' curriculum. The delegates also attended a series of seminars on the company's new materials for 2008-2009. Until next time… Present need: $167 locking storage drawers for under the BLC stage. Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also for Mark, our missionary friend. While in the USA a month to attend his mother's funeral, he was able to find six new sponsors for the 2008-9 school year, which begins in April! Yay God! Also please pray for three of our BLC staff whose contracts will be ending this year, that they can find other employment elsewhere which will make full use of their gifts. Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,715 received,
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| 1/3/2008 | Davao City, Philippines "Bring your whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be
food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and
see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so
much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi
3:10) Pointing to the back of the BLC gym, I told the congregation at
prayer meeting, "It's true!" There in the back of the gym, was
a pile of furniture, stacked four pieces deep. Desks, filing cabinets,
couches and tables were proof that God "passed the test" of
Malachi 3:10. We'd bought over 100 large pieces of discarded furniture
from two local banks that merged. We'd obeyed the tithe challenge of the
Old Testament by "putting God on the payroll" of BLC during
2007. Every BLC employee received, in addition to his/her salary Praise God that PJ and Abigail came in second and third place (with medals) with Elvie and me in the 3K Family Fun Run in Davao! Until next time… Present need: $94 Shelves for educational videos/dvds/cds for BLC Please pray for the upcoming BLC events:
Praise God also that Elvie is enjoying her weekly piano lessons that a dear friend in New York paid for. Also please pray for us to reach 500 sponsors for poor kids who can receive a free education at BLC this next 2008-9 school year. We have mailed out 5,000 sponsorship cards for people to give their friends worldwide! Status of $22,000 needed to build BLC's 3rd-floor library: $7,710 received, $14,290 left to go! "Let the Islands Rejoice!" Rev. Paul, Elvie, PJ and Abigail Barner POTENT PRAYER: A gorgeous 20 acre campus at the foot of the tallest mountain in the Philippines (20 miles from BLC) is available for a high school/Bible Campground, if we can come up with $80,000. |
| Archived news from 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 Last edited
May 9, 2008
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