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The Latest News |
| 12/31/2015 | Happy 2016!!! Meanwhile on the other side of the planet children were basking in the prayers of these American cookie-recipients. Our BCA-staff were closing off a four-week period of traveling from church-to-church among our twenty church plants, distributing gifts to our six hundred students. In each church children receive stuffed animals, food, toys, school supplies and clothing. The children also, in return perform their Christmas songs which they have painstakingly prepared over the months of September, October and November. 1/10: Speaking at New Life Assembly of God Church, East Greenbush, New York 1/17: Visit Grace Bible Church, Latham, New York 1/17: Teach Evening Bible Study, John 6, First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, NY 1/ 24: Visit Loundonville Community Church, Loudonville, New York 1/31: Teach Evening Bible Study, John 7, First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, NY 2/7: Speaking at New Beginnings CMA Church, Poughkeepsie, New York 2/21: Speaking at Calvary Bible Church, Yorktown Heights, New York 4/22-23: Elvie speaking at the CMA Northeastern District Great Commission Women Spring Refresh Conference at Holiday Inn, Auburn, New York. Now through July 2016- Missions messages in USA churches. 3/11- 4/15: Elvie returns to Philippines for one month: BCA Graduation Exercises and CAMACOP NBOT Trustee Meeting 5/31: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 7/24: Speak at Pineview Community Church, Albany, New York 7/25-28: VBS Pineview Community Church, Albany, New York 8/1: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
Present need: $121 for BCA Buss “M”: 2Pcs.Spring Canter: $55, Center Bolt: $4, Rubber Bushing, Metal Screw & Tire Wire: $14, Tie Rod End + Labor: $15, Overhaul Radiator: $18, Cross Joint Hacksaw blade, Sandpaper: $15. |
Rev. Paul, Elvie, PJ and Abigail Barner Paul’s USA cell phone # (518) 488-9601 Home address: 18 Eileen Drive, Rensselaer, NY 12144 For online giving: www.christianaid.org CODE: 801-BLC PLEASE NOTE: OUR PJLILTIM@SKYINET.NET ADDRESS IS DISCONTINUED. PLEASE INSTEAD USE BLCKIDS@YAHOO.COM THANKS! |
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| 12/24/2015 | Merry Christmas!!!! (12/25) Also PTL that when the Miss Universe Pageant Emcee made the mistake of giving the 2015 crown to Miss Colombia instead of Miss Philippines this week, the Emcee was discreet about apologizing. Meanwhile on the other side of the ocean in the Philippines… “They’re here!” BCA teachers brought two school buses full of gifts on the barge across the bay to nearby Samal Island a week before Christmas. Really, when our BCA staff gets to BCA’s Father’s House street kids home, we often wonder who has more fun… the twelve kids or the adults! We give out the Christmas gifts and sing Christmas hymns, play games and then roll out the huge shiny green banana leaves for “boodlefite”! That is when we have a table full of cooked rice and around the mountain of cooked rice we place little mounds of meat and cooked veggies. Then we dig in with our hands and ‘glom it down until we are full. Of course we ‘down it all with little refillable glass bottles of Coca Cola. Mmmmm, Mmmmm. Goood. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in New York State PJ was arriving home from Bible college for Christmas vacation. When some buddies were informed of his arrival, they suggested we go out to see Star Wars in 3-D. An hour later we were in the theatre with dark glasses on. Half an hour after the previews, the warning, “Please be sure your cell phones are turned off” reminded me to reach for mine. As I did so, it rang! Of course I answered it. In the noise of the theatre, I excused myself and could hear the distressed voice on the other end. “Pastor Paul, this is Alice. George just passed away.” Excusing myself from our movie buddies, I met up with Alice at the nursing home to comfort her. Over six decades, and he was now gone. Han Solo (in 3-D) could wait. These were real, real people. We cried together alongside the real George and I thought about Emmanuel. We really needed Emmanuel, just as Alice really needed somebody. She had tried to call her family, but her kids’ and grandkids’ smartphones were not answering. She felt very, very alone. The one very close person whom she had been with for over half a century was now totally unreachable. 86-yr-old witty George was a charming guy. Always had a grin. Always a snappy comeback. Now…nothing. She needed a shoulder and a prayer. Somebody. She needed…an Emmanuel. And just once, for her, I was that. I was Jesus for her. I couldn’t provide salvation. But I could provide help. “I feel like it is a dream and I am going to wake up…” No, Alice. It is not a dream. The day has come. And tomorrow will come too. And the day after. Cherish this day. It is a very special day. It is the day in which your beloved has walked through the gates of Heaven into the arms of His Savior Jesus Christ. This is the best day ever for Him. You knew it would happen and you do not want to have to go through it again. So please stay strong. For your family. For you. And for him. Alice cried on my shoulder for as long as it took in that room standing in that nursing home and we prayed and God answered our prayer and her daughter finally answered her phone and arrived and arrangements could be made and the fog began to clear. God was our Emmanuel that first Christmas Day. We were confused and in sin. Nobody could provide answers for our questions. He didn’t just give us an answer. Instead HE came Himself and Was the answer. That’s way He said I AM. Awhile later I was alone waiting for the family to get out of the theatre, and looked down at the stain of Alice’s tears where she had buried her face in my denim shirt. As they gradually evaporated and disappeared I smiled and thought, what a privilege God has given us to bear the joy of sharing the tears of others. Praise God as well that our 12 Samal street kids are not alone this year, because of Emmanuel. Praise God that our 387 BCA students are being schooled this year, because of Emmanuel. Praise God that our twenty churches are actively serving their communities this year, because of Emmanuel. And…Praise God that George’s prayer was answered…because of…Emmanuel.
BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
Present need: $13 for motor oil ($5), accelerator cable ($4), tie rod end & labor for installation ($4) for BCA’s Bus “Fi”. |
| 12/17/2015 | Merry Christmas!!!! (12/25)
BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. 3-Acre Property |
| 12/10/2015 | Pray Please- for Lucy, BCA’s school nurse who is due for cancer surgery in the upcoming weeks. Please also pray that the six huge boxes recently shipped by a Baptist church in Kentucky arrive safely at BCA in a few months. The church packed the boxes full of a few hundred stuffed animals for children at next year’s Christmas. 2016 will be our sixteenth year of giving stuffed animals. The kids love it! Praise God- that one of BCA’s teachers, Filipina, was operated successfully this week for cancer. Due to your prayers, the severity of the disease was rated at half the previously- rated stage. Also praise God that Elvie and Abby were able to help the ladies’ group at my home church in New York to pack over a hundred jars full of candy to sell for Christmas gifts and raise money for various worldwide missions. This same church also packed over a hundred shoeboxes full of toys for “Samaritan’s Purse’s” Operation Christmas Child. Praise God that Elvie has once again been chosen to be a guest speaker at a statewide women’s conference in New York. This one will take place next April and is titled “Great Commission Women Spring Refresh”. Praise God too that Flo, our senior citizen American friend who visited BCA last year to teach crochet to our BCA parents, recently had surgery to remove calcified bone spurs from her arm. The mass had been very close to the nerve and muscle, yet the use of Flo’s arm has not been affected at all, so she can return next year to teach another crochet class to make more much-needed “newborn caps” for the local hospital maternity ward. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “It’s a girl!” Orbina is one of BCA’s secretaries. She and Richard (her husband for nearly a dozen years) adopted a baby boy a few years ago, since they had no children of their own. Now, just this past Saturday, their new daughter was born. They named her Charina, as a combination of the two parents’ names. Blending parents’ names for a unique child’s name is a common Filipino practice. Family names bring back specially cherished memories of days long gone. Yet on the other side of the planet in New York, Elvie, Abby and I were attending an International dinner and enjoyed the fun of hearing unique renditions of American clichés. An Asian friend greeted, “Hi there! It has been a long time that I have not been looking at you!” It took me a few moments of deep thought before realizing he was saying, “Long time no see!” Back in Davao again, a third-grade BCA teacher was trying to express the great satisfaction which he felt at his students’ fantastic grades, yet brought across a deeper message by focusing instead upon the one problem student: “I feel personally drained when this boy does poorly on a test.” Oh, what a love these teachers have for their kids! After the school bell rings and the kids squeeze into their buses to head home, the instructors line their own bags with dozens of quizzes to grade and to remind them to pray individually for each child. Back in New York again, Abby was keeping her parents busy with her own schooling. Elvie and I had visited a homebound elderly church member, then afterward drove an hour away to Abby’s basketball game. We high-fived her awesome performance in a challenging evening game against virtual giants. Although Abby’s team scored only half the points of their opponent, Abby had stymied one of the very tall players when, cornered, she passed the ball right between the legs of the towering beanpole soaring over her! David and Goliath-style! The same evening we received a letter from Abby’s school principal to attend a celebration for her grades registering her in the top 5% of her class, as the “Principal’s Honor Roll” for academic achievement. Proud dad here. This past Sunday we spoke at an inner-city church about what God is doing through BCA in Davao City, Philippines. After my Bible message the pastor challenged his people, “We need to go to Davao. We need to send a sports team to help these children, and in everything we do, we will share Jesus in our words, our actions, and our prayers!” Truly, our words may mean different things to different people. But as the posters on BCA’s classroom walls state, “Our students won’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.” Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 12/13: Speaking at Ohio Community Church (CMA), Cold Brook, New York 12/13: Leading Bible Study at First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, New York 1/10/16: Speaking at New Life Assembly of God Church, East Greenbush, New York 4/22-23: Elvie speaking at the CMA Northeastern District Great Commission Women Spring Refresh Conference at Holiday Inn, Auburn, New York. Now through July 2016- Missions messages in USA churches. 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,950:
Present need: $72 for annual registration in Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). |
| 12/3/2015 | Pray Please- for Abby’s high school classmate Anesha who is considering visiting church with her. Also Abby asks prayer for continued guidance in how best to balance her studies with extracurricular opportunities (basketball, drama, choir, ministry, family…) 12/6: Speaking at One Body in Christ Baptist Church, Albany, New York 12/7: Speaking at Capital City Rescue Mission, Albany, New York 12/13: Speaking at Ohio Community Church (CMA), Cold Brook, New York 12/13: Leading Bible Study at First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, New York 1/10/16: Speaking at New Life Assembly of God Church, East Greenbush, New York Now through July 2016- Missions messages in USA churches. 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,800: 3-Acre Property Administration/Temporary Classrooms/Multipurpose Wing-East: Classrooms Phase One (First Floor South Preschool Wing/Cafeteria) $25,000 Present need: $449 for a 15-foot trampoline for the BCA campus (including shipping to Davao City, Philippines) |
| 11/26/2015 | Thanksgiving Day Pray Please- for “Filipina” the wife of our Davao associate pastor. She will be operated on next week for stage 3b breast cancer. Also please pray for the Philippine battle against China regarding the disputed Spratley Islands. Obama supported the Philippines amid tension with China as the USA President visited in Manila on 11/17. The USA gave 2 more ships/aid to patrol disputed Spratley Islands in South China Sea. China is building islands on low-lying reefs/shoals & using them to bolster claims to a vast swath of ocean. The USA is transferring to the Philippines a research vessel, “Melville” to help Manila map its vast archipelago, as well as a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, “Boutwell” to boost its small aging navy/coast guard. Pray also for our retired friends Dr Tom and Vangie Devol. They lead “No Divorce Ministries” and are empowering church plants in the North-Mindanao Santo Tomas area for six months before returning to New York. Dr Tom and Vangie were picked up at the Davao City airport by Elvie and treated with warm Filipino hospitality as she toured them around the BCA campus and also treated them to our favorite barbecue restaurant. The Devols are assisting their rural local mayor Dario in his new “Post-Typhoon-Pablo” Agricultural Development Program. Praise God- that Elvie, while flying from Davao to Manila to Hong Kong to New Jersey to Albany, spoke with a fellow passenger/nurse Carlo (of Chicago) who had married a Christian youth worker of one of our Davao friend’s jungle churches. Praise God as well that our daughter Abigail performed wonderfully in her high school fall musical (complete with solo), is enjoying girls’ freshman basketball and on her first-quarter report card received Straight A’s with all high 90’s and a 100% in art! Praise God also that Davao City’s Mayor Duterte’s men were able to abduct the kidnappers of Samal Island’s September kidnapping. Armed men had kidnapped Canadians John Ridsdel & Robert Hall, with Filipino girlfriend Marites Flor & Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad on the Island Garden City of Samal, just off Davao City. Duterte is chairman of Southern Mindanao Peace & Order Council. The couple had evaded abduction by jumping off their yacht. The kidnappers were allied with Abu Sayyaf. Duterte sought help of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari. Praise God too that our dear friend “Nono,” head of Evangelism Eplosion, Philippines led a successful Missionary Retreat in Manila where 400+ missionaries, young people and seminary students provided care to those on door-to-door evangelistic outreaches. Nono “just happened” to bump into Elvie at the airport in Manila where Elvie was speaking in the CMA National Board of Trustees meeting, defending retired-pastors’ pensions. Nono’s seminar challenge was to “Reach the Next Generation to Experience Personal Transformation & Be Agents of That Transformation in Churches and Families” was the highlight of the "Ignite Paranaque" Conference. They were revived & set on fire to win lost, plant more churches & send more missionaries. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “Thank you Jesus for my sponsor!” As Thursday morning began at Barner Christian Academy, each class of thirty uniformed students found his or her desk/chair and first stood alongside it to say in unison, “Good morning Teacher. Good morning classmates. It’s nice to see you today!” As they then sat in their seats before removing their daily books and supplies, the boys and girls folded their hands and closed their eyes to follow after the teacher in praying “Thank you Jesus for this beautiful day. Thank you for my dad and mom and my classmates and my teacher. Thank you for my sponsor and thank you for salvation in Jesus. Amen.” While November’s Thanksgiving Day is not a Filipino holiday, BCA’s hundreds of students give thanks on that day, as on every day as soon as they arrive at school. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in New York our family had much to be thankful for. It was to be the first time we were together as a family in three months. Abigail and I had just picked up Elvie at the airport a week previous from her 35-hour flight to the end of the globe for her mom’s funeral and also countless important meetings in the Philippines. Then a few days later we drove down south to get PJ from college for his Thanksgiving break. “What’s the feather for?” asked Elvie when she noticed PJ’s yarn-and-feather necklace. “Oh Mom, we had a spiritual retreat and each of us wore a backpack from morning until evening. In the backpack we each placed a rock. Mine was really big. On that rock we painted words to describe our burdens. At the end of the day at 10 pm we brought our rocks and placed them at the foot of a cross and painted over the words with red to remind us that Jesus’ blood takes or burdens away.” Over the weekend we spoke at a church in Western New York. En route we stopped at a friend’s house. He wanted to show his love for Jesus by installing four brand new snowtires on our borrowed-station wagon for free. Then from there we drove to a friend’s church to pick up boxes and boxes of children’s tapes and books. After speaking at another church the next day we loaded all the boxes on the roof of the car and headed 200 miles back to Albany, stopping every 40 miles to retighten the knots I had used on our roof-ropes. Back in Albany, the county health department had a few immunization shots to administer to PJ. While at their office, the nurse asked him, “So what’s with the feather necklace?” PJ first read the tiny slip of paper attached to the feather “Matthew 11:30: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Then he explained about the retreat. Intrigued, the nurse’s eyes moistened as PJ added a few facts. “A buddy of mine had given up his rocks earlier in the day, so when it was time to paint over our burdens at the foot of the cross, I carried my big rock back to his room and told him, “Please write your burdens onto my rock with this Sharpie pen. I will carry them for you to the cross, and then we can paint over them together with red paint.” As Americans enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, we will reminisce together about such special times we had in the past, thanking God for His wonderful provision. As we sit down to pray, often upon our lips are the times we are most thankful for…the times when we may have missed that special day…maybe we were apart as a family. Or maybe we were in grief. Perhaps we were traveling alone on business. It was when we were weakest that God’s strength came to us. Often that strength was sent through a friend who laid his hand upon our shoulder and whispered into our ear, “Here, please let me help you bring your burden with mine to the cross…” Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 12/6: Speaking at One Body in Christ Baptist Church, Albany, New York 12/7: Speaking at Capital City Rescue Mission, Albany, New York 12/13: Speaking at Ohio Community Church (CMA), Cold Brook, New York 12/13: Leading Bible Study at First Baptist Church, Rennselaer, New York 1/10/16: Speaking at New Life Assembly of God Church, East Greenbush, New York Now through July 2016- Missions messages in USA churches. 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,750:
Present need: $371 for materials and labor for repair of leaking 1st Grade roof/ceiling at BCA. |
| 11/19/2015 | Pray Please- for Elvie’s sore back and neck after long hours of: 1) scrubbing some of BCA’s used clothing supply, blankets and towels, 2) deliberating at national religious planning meetings in Manila (Philippine National Capital City) and 3) flying halfway around the planet (41 hours!) from Davao to New York. Please also pray for a confused unbeliever to stop sending his negative personal facebook messages regarding God’s awesome work of educating poor Filipino children at BCA. Praise God- that Elvie’s “Women’s Sunday” message in Davao, as well as my three speaking engagements this past Sunday in New York all resulted in enthusiastic responses from God’s people to strive toward fulfilling God’s Great Commission to reach the uttermost parts of the earth with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Praise God as well that my brother-in-law John’s mom Gloria traveled to Heaven this week. Also thank God for a New York couple who gave $75 to help rebuild the walls of our jungle church which had been demolished by neighboring unbelievers. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “It is a birthday round the lei, randaleigh o-lay, happy holiday!” at 3am before sunrise on November 9, since Abby and I share the same birthday and since her alarm clock didn’t work, I was the one to surprise her by waking her up this time around… Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in the Philippines (13 hours ahead of us on the clock) our birthday was already half over. The BCA staff was resting as the morning had been a great and busy celebration time. Barner Christian Academy’s annual Foundation Day coincides with our birthdays and begins at 8am with a mile-long parade of hundreds of students marching in colorfully-matching t-shirts down local residential dirt roads. “BCA…Yay!...Jesus…Yes!” Drums, lyres, tambourines and banners kept the neighbors popping out their doors to see the excitement. Then were the competitions and performances, all giving glory to the God who led us to begin this institution 17 years ago in 1998. The night before Elvie and BCA staffers had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning printing 600 t-shirts with this year’s motto: Nurturing God’s Blessings”. This was preceded by a Pastors’ Appreciation Day celebrating God’s spiritual leaders in Davao City. Elvie had organized both days’ events and printed the hundreds of programs for the parents, staff and students. Add to that the arrangement for transportation/ferry ride of the twelve kids in our Abandoned Children’s Home from nearby Samal Island and she was ready for a nap... after leading the faculty in their weekly Bible study, that is. So, no matter which end of this enormous planet on which we reside, God is busy at work through His people, from early in the morning right through the day and into the night… the darkness is emblazoned with God’s incredible light. Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events:
BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,700: 3-Acre Property Need: $56,000 Raised-PTL! $56,000 Remaining: $0 Present need: $109 for renewal of the annual registration of BCA’s “Bus M”. |
| 11/12/2015 | Pray Please- for Elvie’s 41 hours of flights and layovers as she helps deliberate retired pastors’ pensions in Manila, speaks at a “Women’s Sunday” in Davao and also flies back to the USA 11/15-16. Also please pray for those who attended the Albany Missions conference events that they would go, give and pray for missions. All ages were challenged during the week of events: Fireside Chat, 6 Preschool chapels, Rescue Mission, Bible Study, visiting nursing homes, Ladies’ meeting, International Costume Parade and International Pot-luck dinner & dessert. Praise God- that our speaking engagements at a local Baptist Church are progressing well. Also praise God that I was privileged to share at a messianic church recently. Praise God too that, although our MagicJack internet phone stopped working, Elvie was able to contact us through a facebook call. We also called her at another time, with a phone card that a veteran gave us. “Pastor Appreciation Sundays” were so greatly appreciated in both Albany and Davao. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “Serve Like Jesus.” As Elvie organized over four hundred ladies in their annual convention in Davao City, Philippines, the speaker challenged them to keep faithfully serving God by serving others. There in the Bible College gymnasium, one woman in particular was struggling deep down inside. “Oh Lord,” she cried, “How can I serve like you served, as a mom of my second grade son, with my remaining time being so short?” Filipina (my associate pastor’s wife) had just received the prognosis from her doctor: Cancer, with perhaps less than a year or two to live. Elvie accompanied Filipina on additional doctor visits to cheer her up. “How did Jesus serve, even when in the shadow of the ever- looming completion of His work?” Just hours before His crucifixion Jesus led His disciples in celebrating the Passover; a time of rejoicing and recounting God’s protection. Thus Elvie has been leading Filipina in joyful times of service. They together gave an impromptu Bible lesson during the birthday party of 6 yr old Mariel, a BCA student. Then on to celebrate Abby’s and my birthday, even though we (Abby and I) are on the other side of the planet! The high point of this was the roasting and devouring of the lechon (pig) with lots of Filipino friends. Elvie herself was in pain due to a twisted ankle (when she gave announcements after BCA’s flag ceremony, she accidentally stepped through a weak spot in the wooden step). Then, even as she had helped Filipina during her emotional pain, others came alongside Elvie to ease her physical pain. A pastor massaged Elvie’s foot while BCA hosted a “Pastors Prayer Fellowship” in the second-grade classroom. Then BCA’s school nurse Lucy wrapped both Elvie’s feet with herbal leaves. Meanwhile on the other side of the ocean in New York, PJ was studying at Bible College, on a field Trip to the NYC Metropolitan Opera House and also joining his classmates in a dress-up time, looking like Scoobydoo and his gang (PJ was Fred). While Abby was doing High School homework and also practicing for extracurricular basketball and drama/musical practice, I attended three funerals. Though quiet, George was a true spiritual leader, while Les waited until the “eleventh-hour before becoming a believer. Steve showed his love for Jesus through his humor, so it was no surprise when Steve’s casket entered the earth, Karl whispered to me, “His final let-down” to which I responded; “Now there’s an uplifting thought!” What a delightful joy it is to seek new and creative ways to “Serve Like Jesus” As Thanksgiving makes its way gradually toward us on the calendar, may we ask God, “How can I serve like You did at this festive time?” Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 11/15: Speaking at All Nations Tabernacle, Albany, New York 11/16: Elvie’s return from the Philippines (her mom’s funeral, BCA Foundation Day events, Barner Ministry evaluations, CAMACOP Trustee duties - Philippine National Missions Organization). 11/22: Sharing at Lifespring Community Church Canandaigua, New York 12/6: Speaking at One Body in Christ Baptist Church, Albany, New York 12/13: Speaking at Ohio Community Church (CMA), Cold Brook, New York 1/10/16: Speaking at New Life Assembly of God Church, East Greenbush, New York Now through July 2016- Missions messages in USA churches. 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. |
| 11/5/2015 | Happy Birthday! (BCA:17 yrs/ Paul:54 yrs/ Abby:15 yrs) Nov. 9. 11/9: 18th Foundation Day “Nurturing God’s Blessings” Celebration at Barner Christian Academy, Davao City, Philippines 11/15: Speaking at All Nations Tabernacle, Albany, New York 11/16: Elvie’s return from the Philippines (her mom’s funeral, BCA Foundation Day events, Barner Ministry evaluations, CAMACOP Trustee duties - Philippine National Missions Organization). 11/22: Sharing at Lifespring Community Church Canandaigua, New York 12/6: Speaking at One Body in Christ Baptist Church, Albany, New York 1/10/16: Speaking at New Life Assembly of God Church, East Greenbush, New York Now through July 2016- Missions messages in USA churches. 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. |
| 10/29/2015 | Pray Please- that the grieving families of those hundreds of thousands of Filipinos and Mexicans drowned and/or homeless due to Typhoon Lando (Koppu) and/or Typhoon Patricia will be comforted, assisted and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit and His aid through Christians. Please also pray for Elvie this week as she returns from BCA’s annual staff retreat to speak at a Women’s Convention and also to host a Pastors’ Prayer Fellowship on the BCA campus. Two dozen pastors are expected to attend. Praise God- that International Psychiatrist Dr. Tom Devol and his wife Vangie have arrived safely at BCA from New York to be initiating an evangelistic outreach for 6 months in the nearby rural villages of Sto Tomas and Tibal-og. Praise GOD as well that I (Paul) had the privilege of visiting (unannounced) a New York church which meets on Saturdays and sponsors five poor BCA students. When they noticed my presence, they were overjoyed, applauded and requested that I share in their worship service about God’s miraculous Davao ministry! Praise GOD as well for the following blessings: A new portable water purifier device for trips to mountainous rural jungle areas; many unexpected gifts and cards from dear friends for Pastor Appreciation Month (October); my Aunt Irene, whose legs had been amputated a few weeks ago, last week received an entirely brand-new body in heaven; my younger brother Tim, whose wife Amy died of cancer last year, will have a brand-new wife (Becky) next June, 2016; and also the biweekly Bible Study I lead is a delightfully interactive time of opening God’s Word together from the book of John! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “Keep those pesky disease-ridden mosquitoes out!” While in the Philippines for a few months, Elvie is supervising our various ministries: the safe-house, school and churches. After she visited our open-air street-kids’ safe-house with the staff, she decided to build both internal and external walls to keep the two dozen children secure. The structure is four years old, but its iron bars, constantly exposed to the weather, are already rusting away. So after removing the bars, the carpenter replaced the worn-out iron with sturdy galvanized steel and covered them with all-weather indoor/outdoor paneling. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, my friend Pete was taking to God. “Lord, it has been a few weeks since I have seen any unbelievers come to a saving knowledge of You. If it wouldn’t be too much bother, might you please brighten my day with good news of another life or two transformed by becoming born again?” I arrived to Pete’s Bible study nearly half an hour late, as I had decided to listen-in on a friend who was speaking at the city rescue mission. John 14:6 (“I am the way, the truth and the life…”) was the passage Patrick was expounding. It was also the week of his 76th birthday. When he gave the altar call, fourteen inner city down-and-outers responded! Patrick exclaimed to me afterward, “I have not seen such a response in one evening during the entire three decades that I have been speaking here!” Patrick and I prayed for and counselled many who had “come forward” to become Christians. Two brand-new believers (Natasha and Wally) asked us to lay hands on them to pray for God’s additional intervention on their lives (domestic violence/pregnancy/family squabbles). Then I skipped out a few miles away to get to the Bible study. Pete was ecstatic when he heard about the newly-saved souls…an answer to his prayers! Back in the Philippines, Elvie was guest speaker at a Toril church’s anniversary celebration. Since Monday was to begin BCA’s semester-break, Sunday afternoon the teachers and staff piled into two of BCA’s school buses to spend the next half-week in a mountain cottage for their annual spiritual retreat. Meanwhile in New York USA, PJ had a surprise for Abigail and I. We drove two hours to see him at college and also speak at a local church there. Upon our arrival PJ asked, “Dad, did you check your email? The NY Government reconsidered my appeal as I reapplied for financial aid and they reinstated it!” We were overjoyed! What incredible news! The next day PJ brought with him to church over half a dozen college buddies, in addition to some relatives, and before my missions challenge he and his sister sang a jaw-dropping duet. As we have seen, there are pesky “bugs” that we face daily. Not all are physical ones like mosquitoes. Often the walls we depend upon for protection from sin are crumbling and insecure. And we wonder why we get spiritually sick. It is time to reinforce the walls: study God’s Word, pray and testify to His matchless grace (unmerited favor) upon our lives. Natasha and Wally rejoice in newfound purpose and protection. Pete and Patrick enjoy being “builders” in God’s Kingdom, as they preach and pray. BCA’s staff and PJ’s college classmates enjoy a time-apart from their busy daily school activities to receive God’s empowerment upon their lives. And God blesses. How are your “walls of protection” today? Need a little spiritual overhaul? Your Creator, the Mighty carpenter is listening and waiting, with tools in-hand… Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 11/1: Speaking at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York 11/1-4: Fall Missions Celebration at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York 11/9: 18th Foundation Day “Nurturing God’s Blessings” Celebration at Barner Christian Academy, Davao City, Philippines. 11/15: Speaking at All Nations Tabernacle, Albany, New York 11/16: Elvie’s return from the Philippines (her mom’s funeral, BCA Foundation Day events, Barner Ministry evaluations, CAMACOP Trustee duties - Philippine National Missions Organization). 11/22: Sharing at Lifespring Community Church Canandaigua, New York Dec. 2015-July @016- Giving Missions challenges in approximately 30 more USA churches. 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,550: 3-Acre Property |
| 10/22/2015 | Pray Please- for Ann and Nanay Carmen in our jungle church. A few neighboring unbelievers are jealous of the joyful music coming from this fifteen year-old church. So they had snuck over one Friday night and pushed-over the weakest of the small church’s four walls. Three walls are part cement, but the fourth is wood. Termites had already weakened the structure, but it was strong enough to remain for many more years…until the neighbors destroyed it. Now when it rains, the congregation gets wet, and thieves and animals can easily enter. Please also pray that Typhoon Koppu will end its present havoc in the Philippines. Praise God- that Dr. Tom and Vangie Devol (from New York, USA) arrived safely at our BCA school in the Philippines to begin their short-term six-month tribal missions trip in nearby Santo Tomas and Tibal-og. Praise God as well that Elvie has been able to resume connections of our BCA staff with various ministry groups in Davao: DCL (Davao Christian Leadership Foundation), etc. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “Look mom, I’m dressed-up like grandpa [a tribal mountain Filipino]!” On United Nations Day at BCA this week hundreds of students donned the outfits of different countries: China, India, Germany, Africa and even far-off New York, with suit/tie! Meanwhile on the other side of the planet the New York church I am working in as our home base for this year “stateside” is preparing for its November “Fall Missions Celebration”. Since we here are normally wearing “New York suit/tie” clothes, Filipino clothes are the foreign garb. Coincidentally the church’s International Missions Parade is the day right after Halloween. Kids aren’t the only ones who can have fun dressing up in foreign outfits, for their parents march alongside their children in outfits representing various cultures of the planet. This past week in Davao Elvie and Filipina began the day early by cooking suman (sticky sweet-rice) for our orphan kids. Elvie then drove our pickup truck piled-high with dozens of students, to drop them off at Libu-ak school, then popped in to see the engineer hired to install electricity in our orphanage. Yay! The kids will soon finally have light in the evenings to do their homework by! The boys had adjusted over the years to doing their school tasks during the daylight hours, but when the girls joined this year, their grades dropped because they were used-to having lights, which had allowed them to work after 5:30pm sunset. Now, hopefully their grades will shoot back up to normal. A thirteen-year old we met a week ago while speaking in a Pennsylvania church had lots of questions about Davao. This boy was so intrigued by missions work that he is now working on getting a passport so he can join that church’s upcoming outreach to Haiti! While Haiti is a whole lot closer to PA than Davao, it is still pretty far from home for him. Maybe God will call him overseas someday permanently to “carry the torch” of the Gospel message. The “harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…” Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 10/25: Speaking at First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, New York 11/1: Speaking at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York 11/1-4: Fall Missions Celebration at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York 11/9: 18th Foundation Day “Nurturing God’s Blessings” Celebration at Barner Christian Academy, Davao City, Philippines. 11/15: Speaking at All Nations Tabernacle, Albany, New York 11/16: Elvie’s return from the Philippines (her mom’s funeral, BCA Foundation Day events, Barner Ministry evaluations, CAMACOP Trustee duties - Philippine National Missions Organization). 11/22: Sharing at Lifespring Community Church Canandaigua, New York 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,500: 3-Acre Property Present need: $143 for BCA paint and water pipeline repair (materials and labor). |
| 10/15/2015 | Pray Please- for A young lady in the Philippines whose father is a pastor. The woman is suffering drastic hair loss which has caused concerns whether there may be a deeper illness. Her mom also has the beginning signs of breast cancer. Please also pray that the Davao City Fire Department will soon give us the approved fire drill/inspection certification before the DepEd (Department of Education) inspects the BCA school. Praise God- that our “Father’s House” home for street children has saved up enough funds to build screened-in walls to protect the children from mosquito-ridden diseases such as dengue and malaria. Walls will open and close to allow both circulation of fresh air and protection from rain. Construction is slated to begin later this month. Please pray for “Junjun,” a little boy at the Father’s House who has been out of school with a perpetual cough. Praise God as well that, after the death of Pastor Damla (one of the volunteer board members for our microfinance loan program for small Filipino businesses), his wife Mercy agreed to replace him. The successful nonprofit program has seen ample return to provide a fifth non-collateral loan to yet another new small business prospect for a poor Filipino family. Praise God that the repair of BCA’s leaking 1st-grade classroom roof/ceiling is complete! Since the teacher’s wall-decorations had been destroyed from rainwater, Elvie supervised the carpenter’s replacement of the decades-old tin roofing. Now the first-grade teacher is replacing the wall décor with confidence that she can keep it up throughout the remainder of the school year. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “Fellow teachers, it is crucial that we establishing our main priorities.” ReaMae is one of BCA’s teachers. She was on the schedule to give the Bible challenge during the Monday morning staff devotional. “Ephesians 5:16 tells us to make the most of every opportunity that God provides. We do that by understanding our limitations, by embracing the Holy Spirit’s power and by being spontaneous when God wants us to respond right away. In essence, is God commanding you ‘No’ or ‘Now’?” Elvie has been busy clarifying “no-or-now” to our Philippine faculty, staff and pastors since she arrived there a month ago for her mom’s funeral. Just this past weekend (10/10-11) she spoke at six different churches: two for their annual thanksgiving festivals, two for their times of worship, and two for yet more funerals. At a previous funeral, Pastor Bert (who’d spoken at our wedding 19 years ago) stated, “Many friends are asking me to be the speaker at their funerals as well. Problem is that they are not giving me any dates to put on my calendar!” He then picked up a rose from the casket and asked, “At weddings, what does it mean when you catch the bouquet?” He then tossed out the flower to the listeners, but nobody reached to catch it! Meanwhile on the other side of the Pacific Ocean in New York our beautiful ninth-grade daughter Abby has been actively involved in a local public high school, determining God’s “no-or-now” approach. She joined the student council one Saturday morning as each grade level created a design to paint one of the four huge walled-pillars supporting the Thruway overpass just outside the campus. “Freshman Reign” was their choice, with the “IG” in “Reign” as “19” for the year they will graduate (2019). Pretty clever. After sufficiently cleaning up from additional paint on her face, jacket, jeans and gloves, she attended a ladies’ retreat a hundred miles away at a Bible camp. She was my messenger to retrieve PowerPoint files and pictures of TCKs (missionary kids) for our church to remember in prayer. Daisy (the resource for the files) told me a secret over the phone before the retreat- “All the ladies at the retreat are to surround Abby and pray for her as she ministers this year as a ‘missionary to America’” Is that incredible, or what?! Praise God as well for you. You have answered God’s Eph. 5:16 “no-or-now” command by going, giving and praying for this exciting worldwide ministry and thereby leading thousands of lost souls to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 10/18: Speaking at Community Bible Church (Congregational), Valley Cottage, New York 10/25: Speaking at First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, New York 11/1: Speaking at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York 11/9: 18th Foundation Day “Nurturing God’s Blessings” Celebration at Barner Christian Academy, Davao City, Philippines. 11/15: Speaking at All Nations Tabernacle, Albany, New York 11/16: Elvie’s return from the Philippines (her mom’s funeral, BCA Foundation Day events, Barner Ministry evaluations, CAMACOP Trustee duties - Philippine National Missions Organization). 11/22: Sharing at Lifespring Community Church Canandaigua, New York 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 8/1/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,450: 3-Acre Property Present need: $605 for one month’s gas/fuel for “Bus Ph”: $56, “Bus Fi”: $174, “Bus N”: $25, “Bus L”: $170, “Bus M”: $167, “Bus H”: $13. |
| 10/8/2015 | Pray Please- for the Davao Fire Department to release their inspection compliance permit for our school for the 2015-16 school year. Also please pray for Richard (the school’s carpenter), as he rebuilds the 1st grade classroom’s rotten, leaky roof. All the classroom’s wall decorations were destroyed. Please pray for Elvie, as she prepares trustee reports for important national meetings in November. She will also be speaking at many of our daughter churches over the month of October, although she has fever blisters in her mouth, due to sleeplessness from jetlag. Praise God-that although Elvie was slotted as one of the main speakers for a New York Women’s Missions conference, upon her departure to attend her mom’s funeral in the Philippines, the New York conference leaders were able to fill-in during her absence. Also, since our daughter Abigail was able to attend, they requested her to stand so that the other ladies could pray for her! Praise God as well that Elvie was finally able to get our “MagicJack” free internet phone to work again, so that she could call Abby and I here in New York, as well as PJ at his college dorm! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “You have been faithful…and for that I am thankful!” Elvie stood before the hundreds gathered at church in Davao City, Philippines. It was the annual Fall Thanksgiving celebration for our church. One by one, each ministry in the church was presented in a lively celebration of God’s effective outreach to lead lost souls to Himself. Two decades ago when Elvie and I started this church, most of those present now were not even born yet- physically and/or spiritually. “Thank you for keeping this ministry on fire for Jesus!” completed the message. Since Elvie had flown to Asia for her mother’s funeral, she was the one to read my acknowledgment of thankfulness. As soon as she finished, everyone present applauded. Many souls were touched as Elvie and the leadership team reflected upon God’s faithfulness over the years. Afterward was a big feast, complete with an entire roasted pig: head, tail and everything in between. In honor of Elvie’s deceased parents, she brought a variety of fruits that had been grown on their family farm: coconuts, durian, lanzones, and rhambutan. Elvie read the message which I had sent to them, and then she gave the thanksgiving prayer. On the other end of the planet (in New York) this week I was in the church office when the rain started pouring down and caused an electricity blackout. I went out to the church lobby just in time to see the FedEx truck cooming up the drive. After signing for his package, I waved goodbye and checked the recipient: wrong address! I ran out after the truck and returned the package, but the church door closed behind me. Since the security code is electronic, I could not get back in. So I trudged around the building in the rain to the back door to use my key to get back in. Scripture says to be thankful in all situations, even when they do not seem all that desirable at the time. When I visited a homebound “shut-in” I handed her the church’s weekly prayer sheet. She hesitated and responded, “Thank you, but what can I give to you in return?” How about a nice, big smile, I suggested. She looked up and gave a delightful smile that would warm any heart. On a recent Sunday morning I was at my closet glancing at my ties. I had only brought two with me from the Philippines, since it is typically too hot there for wearing suits. Yet now I have collected over a dozen ties. I finally decided on a unique tie with musical notes emblazoned across it. As I entered into the lobby of the church, who should be wearing the exact same tie, but the church drummer? We became temporary “identical twins” that morning! Yes, whether celebrating twenty years of watching a foreign pioneer church grow from eight to eight hundred, or watching a smile grow across the face of a nursing home resident. “In all things, give thanks!” Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 10/11: Speaking at St John (Barner) Lutheran Church, Oriental, Pennsylvania 10/18: Speaking at Community Bible Church (Congregational), Valley Cottage, New York 10/25: Speaking at First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, New York 11/1: Speaking at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York 11/15: Speaking at All Nations Tabernacle, Albany, New York 11/16: Elvie’s return from the Philippines (her mom’s funeral, BCA Foundation Day events, Barner Ministry evaluations, CAMACOP Trustee duties - Philippine National Missions Organization). 11/22: Sharing at Lifespring Community Church Canandaigua, New York 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 7/31/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. 3-Acre Property Present need: $311 for fire exit compliance: labor and materials. |
| 10/1/2015 | Pray Please- for our family’s new “International Friend” Ketan, who is a college student from India, studying computer science in this area of New York. We’re privileged to invite him to join our family for special events like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Please also pray for the upcoming surprise “Spot Inspection” which the Department of Education often sneaks-in during the early “-ber-months” Praise God-that Dexter (BCA’s Computer Teacher) was accepted to teach in public school! He has been a BCA teacher for eight years. Although we will miss him, the government pays up to 4x what BCA’s starting teachers make. This will greatly help their growing family to get by. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “39…40…41!” finally finishing up the scrubbing of blankets, sheets and towels by hand in the cool waters of a Philippine mountain stream, Elvie and half a dozen other ladies on the BCA staff finally gave their fingers a rest. After Elvie’s airplane landed in Davao a few weeks ago, she’d been picked up by one of our bus drivers in our family pickup truck and then driven directly to her parents’ small farmhouse in the jungle, 40 miles away. Since Filipino custom often requires a week or two of round-the-clock memorial vigils and evening worship services, Elvie also took some time to retrieve blankets and sheets from the Barner Christian Academy’s used-clothing room. During the past two weeks two other key people in this ministry left for heaven, so the beddings got extra usage as hundreds of well-wishers slept on the often-dirt floors of various huts, homes and churches. When the triple funerals were finally over, the freshly-scrubbed beddings were transported by BCA school buses to the campus. Both the washer and dryer are on the fritz, so the sheets and blankets are swaying to dry along clotheslines on BCA’s fourth-floor roof above the vegetable garden and chickens. Meanwhile on the other end of the planet, Abby and I were picking apples. Big apples. Some five inches in diameter! The event was sponsored by a local ministry which introduces international college students to American families and local culture. The event was scheduled for Saturday, so I left instructions for my Sunday sermon’s outline with staff at the church. At the orchard Abby saw a deep red, juicy apple far beyond her reach. So I cupped my hands as a step for her to gain the needed height. Wouldn’t you know it that was when my cellphone rang. Thankfully it was just a text message about the sermon outline. Changes have been made in American cellphones since the last time we had stepped foot on this continent. Now the phones try to type the messages for you. Takes a bit of getting used to, and you always have to double-check the spelling before sending it. The next day at church I explained what happened next: “I received the strangest message from Steve yesterday. He said, ‘Have fun shaking apples. Don’ let your muscles get too sore!’” So I rechecked the message I had sent to him. I meant to say “Picking apples with SUNY students. Instead, the text read “Shaking apples with PUNY students!” I’d caught the “PUNY” but the “Picking” was misspelled! Nevertheless, both events went wonderfully. During the after-picking picnic, Abby and I had a lively and delightful conversation with future engineers from Germany, Australia, Finland, Denmark and China. So whether you are picking, washing, shaking, or talking, may God give you insight on how best to do it to the Glory of God! Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: 10/11: Speaking at St John (Barner) Lutheran Church, Oriental, Pennsylvania 10/18: Speaking at Community Bible Church (Congregational), Valley Cottage, New York 10/25: Speaking at First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, New York 11/1: Speaking at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York 11/15: Speaking at All Nations Tabernacle, Albany, New York 11/16: Elvie’s return from the Philippines (her mom’s funeral, BCA Foundation Day events, Barner Ministry evaluations, CAMACOP Trustee duties - Philippine National Missions Organization). 5/31/16: Completion of duties as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church (CMA) in Albany, New York, USA. 7/31/16: Return to the Philippines. BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,350: 3-Acre Property Present need: $9 for miscellaneous minor maintenance needs of three of BCA’s school buses: “L” Bus, “Fi” Bus and “Ph” Bus. |
| 9/24/2015 | Pray Please- for three of our Philippine church plants. Pastor Damla (our “circuit preacher” over these churches) just died of a heart attack, which stretches our staff thin trying to fill the pulpits with our elders. The congregations in these dirt-floored churches are extremely poor and unable to support a fulltime pastor. Please Also Pray-for Elvie as she is guest speaker at many funerals which have occurred near the same timing as her mom’s in the Philippines. Praise God-that three senior couples drove a combined total of nearly three hundred miles (round trip) to join our New York worship service Sunday. One couple brought us dinner, the second paid for another dinner, and the third decided to sponsor a child, gave us a used laptop computer and five boxes of Christian books to add to BCA’s school library. Yay, God! Praise God as well that after the car we are using had two flat tires, and after spending four hours until after 1am trying to fix them, I borrowed a friend’s car and the next day we were able to get the tires repaired without any damage to the vehicle. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “Hurry up and load up another busload of students…the funeral will be starting in just a couple of hours!” Since Elvie’s mom Carolina had been a politician, and since her daughter (Elvie) is cofounder/principal of a Christian School (BCA) as well as a leader for the Philippine churches, BCA classes were cancelled as hundreds of well-wishers flocked to Carolina’s Friday morning burial service. Many dignitaries shared, and Elvie read memorials from PJ, Abby & I and clearly presented the Gospel message as well. Meanwhile in New York, I (Paul) was speaking at the burial service for a Vietnam Veteran who had recently died of cancer. “Tom fought valiantly for our freedom, and we can learn from him that we too should aggressively fight daily in the war against temptations to sin. May we gain courage from Tom’s example!” Just a few days later my dad and I were having lunch at a restaurant and God laid it upon dad’s heart to give “tip money” to a mother and daughter at a nearby table. As we spoke with them they shared how they would soon be burying their 92-yr-old WW2 veteran husband/dad in the very same cemetery where I had spoken for Tom’s eulogy, and likely in a plot right next to his! After a few hugs and prayers, we went our respective ways. The physically dead are not the only ones we need to remember. A few days ago a friend invited me to visit his cousin in a rehabilitation center. When we arrived, she was quite confused. Yet we joined her physical therapy session, and upon approval, even joined in the aerobics! It was fun! From there her wheelchair was ushered to the cafeteria where nearly sixty distracted residents were awaiting their lunch to be served. During the lunch’s delay, I decided to sing to our friend. Before we knew it, many residents had shaken out of their doldrums and began making requests, singing along! “How about You Are My Sunshine?” called Margaret from across the table. After about eight songs we finally noticed the lunch cart had arrived. So we prayed for the meals of all and then sang one more song. “O Holy Night.” Near the tail end of the hymn, I stopped to listen. Many of those in the cafeteria were singing along in their own way. Yet above them all could be heard the clear and crisp, pure second alto chords from the wheelchair by our side. Jesus was present in that place! He gave joy to us as this hymn had temporarily cleared the minds of our dear friends. Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: Now, through May 31, 2016: Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. Now, through 11/16: Elvie’s stay in the Philippines for her mom’s funeral, for BCA Foundation Day events, and for her semiannual board participation as a National Trustee in a Philippine National Missions Organization. 10/11: Speaking at St John (Barner) Lutheran Church, Oriental, Pennsylvania 10/18: Speaking at Community Bible Church (Congregational), Valley Cottage, New York 10/25: Speaking at First Baptist Church, Rensselaer, New York 11/1: Speaking at Pineview Community Church, Albany, New York BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,300: 3-Acre Property Present need: $47 for miscellaneous maintenance needs in the school: padlocks, electrical wiring, rat poison, faucets, pipes and connectors. |
| 9/17/2015 | PRAY please for safe arrival of a recent shipment of used books which was sent out by Christian friends in Kentucky/Pennsylvania to our BCA school in the Philippines. The shipment is to be followed with another shipment of stuffed animals/flip-flops, 500 wordless (5-color) Gospel booklets, 500 loom-band Gospel bracelets, 500 “pony-bead Gospel bracelets and 200 “ribbon bookmarks” with Bible verses for our Philippine church youth group’s monthly evangelistic outreaches in the park. PRAISE God that Lito, our Philippine church guitarist who had brain surgery due to being hit by a truck, is back playing in church and recovering nicely. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “This Sunday the whole church will be praying and fasting, and next month the theme each Sunday will be on prayer.” Wow. Praise God that this first Philippine church (which we started eighteen years ago) is doing so very well even in our absence. What an incredible answer to prayer! God is filled with surprises. Of course this past week’s two major events (the death of Elvie’s mom and also Elvie’s 48th birthday) have taken center stage in our focus. Over the course of the week beloved well-wishers had visited and/or offered condolences/congratulations, gifts and food. Dear friends also came over Thursday evening. As the clock was ticking close to ten in the evening, there was a knock at the door. Now, this was not just any old knock. It was the “PJ knock”. As our family has traveled to various countries cross the planet, we had to develop, even when the kids were young, a “special knock” which only we would know. For over fifteen years, that special knock, be it on a hostel bathroom door in Israel, or on a host family’s door in Scotland, meant that we were safe to peer through the peephole to see which family member was on the other side. After the “Barner knock” here in New York, I looked around in shock: Elvie was in the apartment with us. So was Abby. I was there. PJ was over a hundred miles (2.5 hours’ drive) away at college…or was he? Running to the door, we tore it open and sure enough, there stood our delightful college son, all smiles! He couldn’t bear to think that his mom was about to fly halfway around the planet for her mom’s funeral, absent for over two whole months, and also to celebrate her birthday, without getting the chance for him to give her one last “PJ hug”. Cool, or what? Our incredible God is just full of surprises! PJ stayed overnight and into the next day long enough to see Elvie off at the airport. We all even ran up the stairs to the observation deck to get on our bellies and catch one last glimpse of her through the elongated window as she glanced back, approaching her departure gate. Life doesn’t always flow just the way we’d anticipated. However, God seems to enjoy “dropping-in” nice little surprises, such as a Philippine church which is spontaneously dedicating themselves to a month of prayer, or like a son who takes time out of his busy college schedule to convince a friend to drive him five hours (round trip) late at night just to give his mom a hug. God is so delightful. I almost wonder if up in heaven they showed on a big screen in the clouds (for all the angels to see) a close-up of the tears of joy streaming down Elvie’s face as she hugged and hugged and hugged her son and didn’t let go… Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: Now, through May 31, 2016: Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. Now, through 11/16: Elvie’s stay in the Philippines for her mom’s funeral, for BCA Foundation Day events, and for her semiannual board participation as a National Trustee in a Philippine National Missions Organization. 9/20: Speaking during Missions Sunday at Pineview Community Church (CMA), Albany, New York. 10/11: Speaking at St John (Barner) Lutheran Church, Oriental, Pennsylvania 10/18: Speaking at Community Bible Church (Congregational), Valley Cottage, New York BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,250: 3-Acre Property Present need: $291 to revise the school’s office fire exit according to new government standards Please look up our newest video: (You Tube) "GIVE A LITTLE LOVE" - Ministry Music Video (Ladies' Garden Meeting Version) |
| 9/10/2015 | PRAY please for Elvie as she spends the next two months (9/11-11/16) in the Philippines for her mom’s funeral and also to assist in crucial decisions on the Board of Trustees for an international missions agency which plants hundreds of new Philippine churches annually. She’ll also be checking-up on the regular reporting and journals of over 30 of our pastors, volunteers, teachers and staff in the various ministries that we’ve begun and are under our care. Please also pray that while in the Philipines, Elvie will have opportunity to re-evaluate potential properties for our new BCA campus purchase in 2016. PRAISE God that a friend surprised PJ with 20% of the lacking tuition for college, after the state of New York denied PJ’s state tuition-aid scholarship! Praise God as well for the hundreds who have offered their condolences and prayers for Elvie and her family in the recent loss of her mom. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “I do hope you are well. I woke up in the middle of the night with you on my heart - a clear call to pray for you.” Oh, how could she have known? Our dear friend from Massachusetts (USA) was lifting our family up in prayer at just the time we’d found out that Elvie’s mom Carolina had died. The car had been so packed with “college stuff” on the trip that we seemed a little scarce on our return trip with one less passenger and also a whole lot more room in the station wagon, arriving home. Yet just a few minutes after our arrival early in the morning at 2:30am, Elvie’s cellphone rang and her grief was expressed in deep moans of anguish and tears when she received the call that her 85 yr old mom Carolina had just gone to be with the Lord. God’s influence upon our lives is so very incredible. He’d woken up Freddie (in Massachusetts) to pray for us at just the time of Elvie’s deep anguish. He’d also guided us delicately when our GPS misdirected us onto an impassible rutted gravel mountain road so that we had to retrace backwards nearly half a mile on the edge of a precipice Saturday while driving through the mountains. He’d guided again when our last big “family fun” event Thursday- a Broadway musical- almost didn’t happen… A glitch had arisen in our plans for parking the two cars and taking the train into New York City with a group of ten adults: the bus from our planned parking spot could not run after midnight for our return. We took a “shot in the dark” by calling a pastor buddy we’d known for decades. He agreed to help. However God also had an additional unexpected “angelic surprise” from above. My pastor fiend Bryan was busy tutoring yet contacted his wife to see if she could transport the ten of us to a train station a few miles away. She’d gotten two cars and her son to help in driving. But then when we got partway to their parsonage, the cellphone rang again…”hello, Paul?” came the voice on the line. “This is Vito. I’ve been getting your emails for a few years now, and I look forward to them every single week. But I don’t remember how we’d originally met. Can I talk with you about your exciting ministry? I live just north of New York City!” Vito met us at Pastor Bryan’s place and then led us to his own home, where we parked in Vito’s driveway within walking distance of the local train station! Is God incredible, or WHAT? Our time in the city was delightful, and just after midnight Vito’s wife kept an eye on their two slumbering toddlers at home so he could wait for us at the train station upon our return. After prayer before our 3-hour drive back home in the moonlight, I patted Vito’s back to exclaim, “How did you hide your wings? I thought all angels had wings, Vito!” God often does use His heavenly angels for his messenger work. Yet even as the word “angel” means “messenger”, God often uses us to be His “angels”. God has His messengers of concern and love everywhere: in Massachusetts, in and near New York City and along the Catskill Mountains just to name a few. And after a life full of serving their Lord, those servants of God have the delight, as Elvie’s dear mom Carolina did just a few days ago, to see God’s angels escort her home to hear His joyfully resounding “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: Now, through May 31, 2016: Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 9/8: Abby starts her freshman year at public high school in New York. 9/9: PJ starts classes in his freshman year at Nyack Bible College. 9/11-11/16: Elvie’s trip to the Philippines for her mom’s funeral, for BCA Foundation Day events, and for semiannual board participation as a National Trustee in a Philippine National Missions Organization. 9/20: Speaking during Missions Sunday at Pineview Community Church, Albany, New York. 10/11: Speaking at St John (Barner) Lutheran Church, Oriental, Pennsylvania 10/18: Speaking at Community Bible Church, Valley Cottage, New York BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,200:
Present need: $675 for fuel for five of BCA’s school buses during the month of August. |
| 9/3/2015 | PRAY please for all of the volunteer and professional ministry leaders whom we have acquired in the Philippines (over the past two decades) to run the ministries which we have started there. These personnel need to continue to faithfully submit to us via email attachments, their monthly and/or biweekly reports and journals for the school (secretaries, teachers, staff), street children’s home (house parents) and churches (member prayer reports/updates). Please also pray for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) of the New York State Government Higher Education Commission. They are now considering our family’s appeal for them to reconsider and revoke their denial of PJ’s application for over $5,000 in financial assistance to help pay for college. We explained that the reason for his residency in two countries simultaneously was due to the nature of the volunteer humanitarian aid work which we are carrying out internationally. PRAISE God that our son PJ successfully passed his driver’s permit test this week! Praise God as well that the USA government, due to the brevity of our stay in this country, has agreed to not charge us for the medical insurance which they are providing. Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) “Here, listen to him coo!” Last year we performed a special wedding in our Philippine church. It was extra joyful because the bride had spent over half a dozen or years of schooling in our Christian School; BCA. And now the little girl was starting a family… Half a planet of distance could not separate this poor family’s desire to spread joy to Elvie, the kids and I last night, as she borrowed a friend’s internet-friendly cell phone to call us so we could hear the couple’s newborn baby and see the tiny Filipino’s dark eyes. As we are stateside for a year, we have seen the planet seem to become a smaller place, as people of many different cultures are hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Schools and colleges are starting up their classes this September, so we have joined many campuses’ international religious events. On Wednesday our family attended a campus Bible study whose leader was teaching from Genesis. “What kind of rest did God have on the seventh day?” After lots of ideas from students I piped in, “His work of creation was finished, but His work of holding everything together still goes on. Otherwise everything would fall apart.” The simplicity of this concept was a unique twist for some of the Chinese and African students who were present. Last Saturday on yet another college campus, students were bussed to a local church for a fun fellowship time. During the “meet and greet” crowdbreaker games, I signed the papers of a dozen or so international students from Norway, Denmark, Sardinia and other global origins on line #6: “Find somebody who has visited over seven different countries”. Half an hour later, the accents from various places of Planet Earth joined in together as they learned to sing Christian praise songs. Varieties of Earth citizens, all in need of the Savior. Yet globally, God never sleeps nor slumbers. He uses His own chosen ones to “reach the unreached” and fulfill the Great Commission to spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the Earth. The joy of hearing a newborn baby coo…it is sweet to the ears. The joy of hearing a newborn Christian pray to receive Jesus into his or her heart, in whatever accent…how could anything be more delightful? Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Upcoming Events: Now, through May 31, 2016: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 9/6: Delhi CMA in New York.. 9/9: PJ starts his freshman year at Nyack Bible College. 9/8: Abby starts her freshman year at public high school in New York 9/20: Pineview Community Church, Albany, New York. 9/25-26: Elvie speaking at Great Commission Women Refocus, Delta Lake Bible 10/11: St John (Barner) Lutheran Church, Oriental, Pennsylvania 10/18: Community Bible Church, Valley Cottage, New York BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,150:
Present need: $88 for a roasted pig (for local business leaders) to assist a community outreach which betters the life of children. Please look up our newest video: (You Tube) "GIVE A LITTLE LOVE" - Ministry Music Video (Ladies' Garden Meeting Version) |
| 8/27/2015 | PRAY please for our twenty Philippine church plants. My Filipino-Associate Pastor (Callem) is supervising them (and their respective pastors) during our yearlong-stay in the USA. Upcoming Events: Now, through May 31, 2016: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA.
BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,100:
Present need: $115 for renewal of the annual registration for BCA’s “Bus L”. Please look up our newest video: (You Tube) "GIVE A LITTLE LOVE" - Ministry Music Video (Ladies' Garden Meeting Version) |
| 8/20/2015 | PRAY please for the submission of BCA’s annual application for permit renewal, due August 31. The Department of Education (“DepEd”) is requiring annual renewals every year until we are fully established on our newly-built campus. Final title signing for the real estate purchase is scheduled for December of 2016, and groundbreaking for the first building is planned for June of the following year. Now, through May 31, 2016: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA.
BCA has 387 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $94,050: 3-Acre Property
Present need: $377 for BCA busses: 2 headlights (sealed beam 24 v) @ $14 = $28, flasher 24v $7, 2 gallons Delogold oil @ $24 = $48, oil filter c-503 Sakuna $12, oil filter c-205 Vic $12, stop light switch $8, power steering pump assembly 4d32 brand new $225, reservoir tank surplus $24, 2.5 ft rubber hose 3/8” $5, one quart A.T.F. #51529 mix $8. |
| 8/13/2015 | PRAY please for the New York and Northeast USA churches as we share in many different denominations about God’s worldwide missionary outreaches. A great senior friend Bill made our life a bit nicer as he brought us to a second-hand Habitat for Humanity furniture shop and got us a few desks, shelves and beautiful china cabinet for the missionary apartment in which we are staying while in New York State.
Present need: $121 for BCA’s “FO” Bus: one set Hydrovac assembly with master p$95, one quart brake fluid $5, 8 pcs rubber cap ¾” $9, one set hub bearing $12. Please let me know if you would like to have an email address deleted from this diary’s database (or even if you are receiving duplicates), at blckids@yahoo.com. Thank you. |
| 8/6/2015 | PRAY please for one of our Filipino students, Joshua. The youngest son in a family whose mom had had brain trauma due to a motorcycle accident a few years ago, and whose two older twin brothers were almost burned alive a few years earlier at a birthday party, Joshua recently fell from a tree which he had climbed, and was then hospitalized.
Present need: $312 for BCA’s “FO” Bus: 4 tires @ $78 each. |
| 7/30/2015 | PRAY please for BCA’s faculty and staff as they pile into the school’s buses this week to ride to a nearby island and offer their condolences at the island funeral of the granddad of some of our students. In the Philippine culture, weddings, birthdays, funerals and baby dedications are incredible opportunities to show the love and compassion of Jesus, as well as to share the Gospel message of salvation to the lost. Now, through 6/14/16: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/27-31: Me, Elvie, PJ and Abby are involved with teaching and leading part of a Vacation Bible School. 7/31 (Friday): Nutrition Month Celebration Program/Competition at Barner Christian Academy 8/19-21 (Wed-Fri): BCA First Periodical Exams for SY 2015-2016. 9/8: PJ starts his freshman year at Nyack Bible College. BCA has 386 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. Need: $56,000 Raised-PTL! $56,000 Remaining: $0 Present need: $31 for some used media and office supplies from another Christian school: projector screen $5, white board $13, paper cutter $8, wood canvas divider $2, projector stand $3 |
| 7/23/2015 | 240th anniversary of US Postal System’s Establishment (7/23/1775) Now, through 6/14/16: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/23: At a local Christian Ladies’ Garden Party, along with two other lady missionaries (from China and Africa), Elvie will be representing the Philippines. 7/27-31: Me, Elvie, PJ and Abby are involved with teaching and leading part of a Vacation Bible School. 7/31 (Friday): Nutrition Month Celebration Program/Competition at Barner Christian Academy 8/19-21 (Wed-Fri): BCA First Periodical Exams for SY 2015-2016. 9/8: PJ starts his freshman year at Nyack Bible College. BCA has 386 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
Present need: $132 for BCA’s “Bus L”: clutch disc $74, release bearing $24, release bearing housing $12, one quart ATF $6, 2 pcs u-bolt @ $7 = $14, rubber cup $2. |
| 7/16/2015 | PRAY please for the BCA faculty as they spend extra time on the “non-reader kids” to bring them up to the level of other students in the extracurricular remedial reading program. Now, through 6/14/16: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/23: At a local Christian Ladies’ Garden Party, along with two other lady missionaries (from China and Africa), Elvie will be representing the Philippines. 7/31 (Friday): Nutrition Month Celebration Program/Competition at Barner Christian Academy 8/19-21 (Wed-Fri): BCA First Periodical Exams for SY 2015-2016. 9/8: PJ starts his freshman year at Nyack Bible College. BCA has 386 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $93,800:
Present need: $28.08 for 351 used books at eight cents each from a local international school library’s annual “Spring Cleaning Inventory”. |
| 7/2/2015 | Happy 18th Birthday, PJ! (6/29) Upcoming Events: 6/15/15-6/14/16: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/10: I speak as guest missionary at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, during one morning of Family Camp. BCA has 386 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $93,700:
Present need: $319 for used plastic chairs for students at Barner Christian Academy: 16 sturdy blue with arm-rests, @ $19 = $304, 5 regular white without arm-rests, @ $3 = $15. |
| 6/25/2015 | Happy Forgiveness Day (6/26) 6/15/15-6/14/16: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/10: I speak as guest missionary at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, during one morning of Family Camp. BCA has 384 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
Present need: $365 for BCA’s “FI” Bus: one set horn $19, 2 pcs plug-in bulb $1, bosch relay w/ socket 12v $8, 3 meters auto wire #16 $4, 2 rolls electrical tape $2, 5 plug-in fuses $2, flasher relay 12v surplus $9, velocity boots for multicab $8, velocity joint $63, 2 pcs shock mounting support $48, 2 pcs suspension arm assembly $38, one set tie rod end $13, 2 pcs outer bearing $19, one set hub bearing $37, 4 pcs strut bar bushing $12, 4 pcs rubber cup 15/16 $5, 2 pcs outer oil seal $13, 2 pcs inner oil seal $10, one can hitemp grease $7, one quart brake fluid $5, wheel cylinder assembly $14, one gal castrol oil $23, oil filter $5. |
| 6/18/2015 | Happy Father’s Day! (6/21) 6/15/15-6/14/16: One year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/10: I speak as guest missionary at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, during one morning of Family Camp. BCA has 384 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. Total Project (20-Year) Estimate $328,000: 3-Acre Property Purchase-$56,000;
3-Acre Property
Present need: $110 for four giant plastic storage containers to hold small miscellaneous delicate clothes in BCA’s used clothing room. |
| 6/11/2015 | Happy Philippine Independence Day! (6/12) 6/14: Church in Layton, Utah, USA. 6/15: Our family begins one year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/10: I speak as guest missionary at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, during one morning of Family Camp. BCA has 384 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. Total Project (20-Year) Estimate $328,000:
3-Acre Property
Present need: $133 for repairs and labor for one of BCA’s multicab minibuses: pull-out valve cover for tune up and adjust valve tuppet out of order, and install cover, etc. $11, drain oil and pull out oil filter to replace and install refill oil $7, pull out both side axle and dismantle to replace damages bearing, assemble install and sitting of clearance $20, pull out both side tie rod bar, dismantle to replace tie rod and damages assemble install and align $15, pull out both side lower suspension assembly to replace damages, bushing, ball joint damages, assemble install, sitting clearance $20, pull out both side shaft bar, dismantle and replace bushing damages assemble install $10, repair carburetor assembly out of order re-sitting of fuel pump defective, adjust timing and idling for balance of feeding $18, checkup electrical, signal, park, horn, wiper and others defective $13, pull-out brake master with booster to replace defective, assemble install and bleeding filling $19. |
| 6/24/2015 | “Go change your world!” As I handed a high school diploma to each graduate at Faith International Academy (FIA) one-by-one, I shook his/her hand and softly congratulated them, challenging them to use the knowledge that they’ve gleaned to “go change their world”. To my great pleasure, the first graduate was our son PJ, since his last name “Barner” comes near the beginning of the alphabet. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. 6/8: Church in Palm Desert, California, USA. 6/14: Church in Layton, Utah, USA. 6/15: Our family begins one year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/10: I speak as guest missionary at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, during one morning of Family Camp. BCA has 384 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $88,052:
Present need: $107 for annual vehicle registration of BCA’s “N” Bus. |
| 5/28/2015 | FIA (Faith International Academy) First Graduation Day (5/28/2015) “You Can’t Take it with You!” The title of the school play which PJ acted in this past week described many instances which we have encountered in this exciting ministry over these past few days. First, PJ played the 75-yr-old Christian grandfather (Martin) in the play, explaining to a wealthy millionaire merchant that helping others and enjoying family time together are more enjoyable than collecting massive sums of cash. Money after all, gets left behind when we die. But precious memories last for eternity. The day after the second (final) performance, Elvie and I invited the staff of the Summer School and VBS to Hagimit Waterfalls, to go swimming, along with the residents of our home for street children, the “Father’s House”. I dared some of the kids to dive off the cliff into the deep pools of water below. I even did handstands and flips off the edge to show them how easy it actually was. A little guy named July was gutsy enough to try, but a little girl kept standing on the edge, and never boosted up her courage enough to take a flying leap. Finally I held her delicate little hand in mine and counted with her to three. Then we jumped off the edge together. Later when it was time to go, I was crossing the stream to get to the changing area. In my arms were my dry clothes and towel. As I gingerly crept each step carefully, crossing the slippery rocks, someone suddenly called my name. Breaking my concentration, I looked up and misstepped, falling between the rocks into a deep pool and drenching my dry clothes while scraping off some skin on my arms and legs in the process. Dry clothes, carried across a wet stream? You can’t take them with you! Over the previous week, Elvie had visited half a dozen churches each day for tree consecutive days, wearing herself out as she awarded completion/ participation certificates to nearly a thousand students in VBSes sponsored by our Barner Christian Academy, over a radius of around twenty miles of the school. In each church the children performed, sang and listened as she shared a Bible Story with them and their parents. So many of the BCA staff wanted to accompany Elvie as she visited these churches, that they had to bring both our family pickup truck and one of BCA’s large “jeepney” school buses. I had baked over a thousand cupcakes which Elvie and the staff fed to the hundreds of children. Elvie could not take to food with her entourage in the pickup truck, since the vehicle was so crowded already Finally the teachers’ annual retreat brought the BCA staff on an eight-hour drive to the villages of Surgao, Mati and Cateel. These three places were hit extra hard by Typhoon Pablo in 2012. Back then, Elvie had brought huge crates filled with emergency food and clothes to this area. Now, nearly three yeas afterward, the homes which had been washed away by the surging floodwaters had been rebuilt with brand new materials by generous Christian volunteers. Praise God for the new and productive lives these survivors are now living, even in the throes of the recent tragedy. Finally, just a few days ago I waited for the umpteenth time at the computer printer repair center. They have had my printer since last December (2014) under the excuse that they had to wait for a part to be shipped…but I asked, Why did it take nearly half a year to ship one little part? Realizing that I needed to pick the printer up before our extended upcoming visit to the USA, I just decided to wait in the service center’s repair waiting area, until the unit would be finished. I waited over an hour. Finally thinking, “I might as well give up, since I can’t bring the printer with me on the plane, so why wait any longer?” I countered with, “But the school needs the printer while I am gone.” Just then, the repairman came out from the back room with my long-lost printer in his hand. Yay! Finally! Truly, as PJ (playing the 75-year-old Grandpa Martin) explained to the millionaire, we can’t take with us into eternity most of the things that we have striven so hard for in this life. However, we can make the world a better place while we are here, so that we leave behind much to help those who remain. Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for an anonymous young parent who has temporarily left her four young children in the care of our home for street children, so that she can try to get her life straightened out. She has recently made some irreparable moral mistakes and needs a few months to evaluate her life and heal relationships. Praise God that my brother Phil and his family of four (Sandi, Emily and Elissa), have arrived safely to Davao, Philippines from Andover, New York (USA). Phil’s family will be training our teachers and staff in puppetry workshops this week. Praise God also that the BCA teachers and staff arrived safely from their retreat in Surigao (an eight-hour drive away). Some got sick on the five-day journey hopping from town to town, but all enjoyed an exhilarating time. Upcoming Events: 5/23-31: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. 5/28: PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/2: Kiwanis Club of Davao City prepares a “despidita” (goodbye party) for our family. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. 6/15: Our family begins one year as Missionaries-In-Residence at Pineview Community church in Albany, New York, USA. 7/10: I speak as guest missionary at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, during one morning of Family Camp. BCA has 383 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $87,952: Present need: $135 for repair of one of BCA’s buses: UV-VCB-856 pull-out propeller and down transmission, dismantle, for replace clutch disc, release bearing damages assemble install, sitting clearance $88/ repair selector handle and rod, out of order cutting, welding, for re-alignment and sitting of clearance $17, pull-out steering and clutch tubing for re-install, out of order, cutting and welding of position, deference, bleeding of fluid $9, check-up electrical, signal, park, stop light hazard, head lamp, replace parts, damage install and topping $14, pull-out u-bolt top spring, front left portion to replace damages install, sitting and topping as far as per instruction $7. |
| 5/14/2015 | Memorial Day (USA) 5/23 "A virtuous woman, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies…" Sunday's Mother's Day celebration at church was preceded by recognition of the birthday celebrants during our "Preliminaries". Preliminaries include recognition of visitors and also birthday/anniversary celebrants. Bebing is the mom of a few of our BCA students, and she often has bleached her hair so that it looks different than all the other black-haired Asians in the congregation. This Sunday however, it was more orangey than usual. So before I prayed God's blessing on her birthday I quipped, "Yes, a virtuous woman is worth far more than rubies. However, today's birthday celebrant does slightly resemble a ruby with her bright red-orange hair!" After prayer, I whispered to Abby seated next to me, "Good thing Proverbs 31 didn't say that a virtuous woman is worth more than emeralds. Bebing would look kind of funny with bright green hair!" Later in the morning the stage was filled with moms in the church, as we commemorated their special day. Since my own mom died last year, this is my first Mother's Day without a mother of my own. But just as I rarely saw Mom on Mothers' Day, being a missionary half a planet away, it doesn't mean she didn't still exist. I still had a mom on Mother's Day…she's just a tad farther than half a planet away…she's celebrating the holiday in Heaven, along with Sarah, Mary and Eve. As dozens of Filipino moms stood side-by-side on BCA's stage, Abby approached the microphone to sing a solo of "Our Only Hope is Jesus". Elvie wasn't on stage with the other moms, for she had gotten up before the sun to make hundreds of sandwiches for one of our daughter churches' (Panantongun's) closing Vacation Bible School ceremonies. We have nearly 20 churches whose VBSes are staffed by our BCA teachers and church youth. Many of the churches who started out with just a handful of worshippers three years ago now have packed sanctuaries and have subsequently birthed their own daughter churches. In essence, these baby churches are now our "granddaughter churches". Kaputian planted Bandera and Sion. Pinaplata planted Limaw. Tocana planted Kacuswagan. Babak planted San Vicente. Lasang planted Oceanview, and there are also Bangkal, Matina, Washington, Bolton, Assuncion, Panacan and Panantongun, Agdao and Laverna. Please pray for each of these vibrant new worship centers. After Abby finished her song and children brought hand-picked wild flowers onto the stage to hand to their own moms, as I and many dads serenaded our wives with a hymn, Elvie arrived and rushed up to the stage to be pictured with the other celebrants. She is in many ways like a “Mother Superior" as she represents BCA at each of the 20 churches we have helped to start. Over a thousand children have been inspired by her tireless efforts to drive our sturdy pickup truck over dusty gravel roads to remote places where shanties are bursting at the seams with dozens of children. She has taught them Bibles stories and awarded them with certificates of accomplishment, as well as presented the Gospel to both children and parents. This Mother's Day morning she'd been delayed, for a cult group has their “worship center" right next to our Panantongun jungle church. Since that particular group specializes in drawing in children to brainwash them, their leaders were perturbed by the joyful noise of nearly a hundred children singing praises to God from our jungle church building. They tried to hold their monotonous chants and incantations adjacent to our worship center, but the kids were not fooled. Why sit in boring chants when vibrant children's voices reverberated through the fresh morning air from our own church, with praises to God? Finally the cult group had given up and told their members their kids could attend our VBS as long as they repented afterwards at their own services. Praise God that His Holy Spirit is penetrating strongholds that the enemy has held for centuries, as entire families are reached with the precious message of Christ's salvation. As it says in Isaiah, “And a little child shall lead them." Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for my brother Phil and his family of four, as they fly to Davao from New York. Phil is a pastor and his wife is a nurse. They and their two daughters will be training our teachers and staff in puppetry workshops. Praise God that a new chairman has been elected to take my place as chairman of Faith International Academy Missionary-Kids school. Praise God for the “homegoing" death of a dear 95-year-old former missionary to the Philippines, Bea Cartmel, this past week. Praise God that a retired American pastor purchased a 50-volume Bible commentary set to give to me for use over the next year as I will be preaching in New York over the next year. Praise God for the privilege I (Paul) had in baking over a thousand cupcakes for VBS and Summer school kids here at BCA this week. The dozens of mixes had been sent by friends in the USA. Hmmm, talk about sweating over a hot stove! Upcoming Events: 5/15,16: PJ is plays the grandfather in the school play, “You Can't Take it with You". 5/16: VBS, Church leadership and BCA volunteers celebrate a half-day retreat at Hagimit Falls (waterfalls). 5/17-20:BCA teacher's retreat in Surigao (an eight-hour drive away). 5/22: Abigail's eighth-grade commencement ceremonies to graduate from middle school (Junior High) to high school at Faith International Academy. 5/23-31: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. 5/28: ;PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/2: Kiwanis Club of Davao City prepares a “despidita" (goodbye party) for our family. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. 6/11-14: Speaking in Utah Churches 615/15-6/14/16: Speaking in Pineview Community Church, Albany, New York 7/10/15: Speaking at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, Rome, New York BCA has 383 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: $88,052:
Present need: $375 fuel bill for half a month for BCA's school buses. |
| 5/6/2015 | Happy Mothers’ Day! (5/10) 4/20-5/15 BCA month-long Summer School (all 382+ sponsored students required to attend) 5/21-31: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. 5/12: Faith International Academy Board Meeting (I chair). Includes turnover of responsibilities to the new board of trustees. 5/18-22: BCA teachers’ retreat in Surigao, Philippines 5/22: Abigail’s eighth-grade commencement ceremonies to graduate from middle school (Junior High) to high school at Faith International Academy. 5/28: PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. 6/11-14: Speaking in Utah Churches 615/15-6/14/16: Speaking in Pineview Community Church, Albany, New York 7/10/15: Speaking at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center, Rome, New York BCA has 382 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $88,002: Present need: $36 for BCA’s “L” Bus: 2 tail lights @ $18 each. |
| 4/26/2015 | April 30, 2015: Israel’s 67th Year of Independence - Yom Ha’atzmaut (4/23), Flores De Mayo (Mexico: 5/5), USA National Day of Prayer (5/7), Seventieth Anniversary of International V-E Day (5/7/1945). The Philippines has already been hit by many typhoons. We are thus preparing for future calamities by organizing ourselves to become “first responders” to bring both relief and belief to the lost and dying in areas hardest hit. Reports from pastors where Typhoon Pablo vented its wrath at Compostella Valley, Mindanao in 2012 reflected (with pictures) churches which were destroyed, and families who were devastated. Yet pictures also showed people restored and churches rebuilt with help from many generous friends who came to use their God-given talents and also gave time, talents and treasure. The thousands of pastors present in the Grand Assembly where we were meeting applauded with tears, as they were sitting side-by-side with many of the pastors who were portrayed in the pictures. Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan which hit Tacloban City and surrounding areas in 2013 also was presented in a report by a pastor in that area. He’d been tasked to find other pastors who risked their lives by motorcycle thru muddy flooded areas, resembling war-zones. His bike had hit an obstruction in the still-flooded, destroyed road and he was found and brought to the hospital for a week with compound fractures. Since his hands and arms were rendered unusable while in casts, his wife had to feed and clothe him. Others had taken over where he had left off his search, facing dangers of desperate, starving civilians who often attacked and/or ambushed passers-by and aid workers, since local government leaders were hoarding international aid for themselves and their own families. Compassion welled up in the hearts of the delegates as we sat side-by-side with committed pastors who had, in chest-deep muddy water when offered escape refused to be airlifted from the devastation, saying of their congregations, neighbors and friends, “They need us now, more than ever…we can’t abandon them. We will lay our lives on the line to see these souls reached with the love of Christ in this crucial hour!” The speaker itemized the hundreds of truckloads and sacks of rice, clothes, cans of food and generators we BCA had sent (along with others). Missionaries in struggling works at other countries worldwide had raised funds in their tiny congregations in a variety of differing currencies to be sent back to the Philippines, quoting the multiple varied cultures’ responses: “You are the reason we are believers. Now we will return the favor in your time of need! Some missionaries refused their monthly food allowance stipend and went hungry so that the people back home in the Philippines could be helped. And now, praise God that a system has been set-up for future calamities which are expected to arise. 4/20-5/15 BCA month-long Summer School (all 382+ sponsored students required to attend) May: Turnover of board responsibilities to the newly-elected board members for FIA. 5/1: Davao Christian Leadership Foundation’s bimonthly community prayer meeting. 5/3-5 WASC International Christian School Accreditation Inspection of Faith International Academy of Davao City (FIA). As chair, I present the FIA Board of Trustees to the WASC at an evening dinner engagement/interview 5/6: I am guest speaker at the devotions of the Faith International Academy’s staff devotions. 5/12: Faith International Academy (I chair). 5/28: PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. BCA has 381 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $87,952: Present need: $650 for increased amounts of food to feed the extra (non-sponsored students at BCA for five weeks of Summer School. |
| 4/15/2015 | “Two second-lifers!” During testimony-time at church in Sunday morning, Jenny and Faith (2 moms of BCA students) stood side-by-side praising God for His protection in recent car accidents. Both were on their “Second lives” as they had come so very close to entering into eternity. I fact, death is very near this week. Last Wednesday morning Damaris died. She and her husband Tiburcio hosted our first church plant, back in 1997. In Filipino style, her casket is in their home for a week, with different pastors speaking in the funerals each evening. I spoke the first night, Wednesday. We moved prayer meeting that night from our church to their home. Yet on Sunday morning in church I prayed before the church in thankfulness to God for sparing the lives of these two survivors (Faith and Jenny). “Maybe God spared the lives of Jenny and Faith,” I suggested, tongue-in-cheek to the congregation, “because we really need them on our volunteer VBS staff! So if you are to be in a car accident, be sure it happens before VBS is over, so God will spare your life!” As an aside I added, “Of course, if you have not yet volunteered to help during the VBS week, well then maybe, just maybe, God might take you home!” The church people knew that I was just joking. Yet seriously, as we serve God He not only adds years to our life, but He also adds life to our years. On Sunday morning the stage was filled with over thirty of those who had volunteered for VBS, as the congregation commissioned them for their upcoming week of strenuous work for the Master of the Universe. On Saturday one of our former preschool students, now a young adult, stood on stage in a glistening (borrowed) white gown with a train which flowed past fresh flower displays, colourful pastel decorations and the smiling boys and girls in her bridal party. Life’s process begins, endures and ends. On Saturday evening Elvie and I drove Abigail (dressed in red gown and mask) to her middle school masquerade party. My Bible message to the 48 middle school students at Faith InternationalAcademy was on the Gibeonite Deception (Joshua 9:7-15). “What mask do you wear?” I asked the colourfully-dressed students. “May we be true to the world as we share the wonderful testimony of God’s salvation for us at the cross.” God keeps us strong as we reflect His purpose through our lives. The Gibeonites had deceived the Israelites with moldy bread and broken sandals. But the Gibeonites repented when discovered and their lives were spared. Yes. God does spare His followers who are true to Him. Jenny and Faith were spared. The Gibeonites were spared. And we are too. Now, what will we do with this “bonus” of a “second life” that God has granted us? Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for Mike, our guest from New York, as we apply this week for his Philippine Alien Certificate of Residency (ACR Card). Mike has been busy as volunteer guest photographer for many of BCA’s varied ministries. Please also pray for the Vacation Bible School this week at Barner Christian Academy. Hundreds of children will be learning Bible lessons and the truths of Jesus. Due to Damaris’ funeral Monday, the classes will last from Tuesday through Saturday with a closing program on Sunday, April 19. Five weeks of Summer School begin the next day (4/20). Praise God that Flo, our hard working 82-yr-old guest from Kentucky, will be headed home this week. She had put in hundreds of hours of work for the past six weeks at BCA. Please pray for a safe trip back to North America for her. She also requests, after folding thousands of prayer letters (one of her many duties), that God will touch someone’s heart to donate a folding machine. Praise God as well that I was invited as guest speaker on Teacher Appreciation Day at Faith International Academy. The passage was Deuteronomy 11:16-21. These precious teachers are the “Protectors of the Planet” as they please God by teaching His doctrines and other truths to generations of future leaders. Upcoming Events: 4/13-19: BCA Vacation Bible School 4/20-5/15 BCA month-long Summer School (all 383+ sponsored students required to attend) 4/21-26: Elvie and I attend a Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City. May: Turnover of board responsibilities to the newly-elected board members for FIA. 4/24: PJ and Abby will be in Faith International Academy’s annual Talent Night. 4/27: Open Community Meeting at Faith International Academy. I chair. 5/1: Davao Christian Leadership Foundation’s bimonthly community prayer meeting. 5/3-5 WASC International Christian School Accreditation Inspection of Faith International Academy of Davao City (FIA). As chair, I present the FIA Board of Trustees to the WASC at an evening dinner engagement/interview 5/6: I am guest speaker at the devotions of the Faith International Academy’s staff devotions. 5/28: PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. BCA has 382 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
BCA’S New Campus Fund: $87,702: |
| 4/9/2015 | Happy Araw Ng Kagitingan (Philippine Holiday) 4/9 4/11: I (Paul) will be the guest speaker at the Middle School Masquerade Banquet at FIA. 4/13: I am guest speaker at the morning chapel on the day of the FIA Teacher Appreciation Day” 4/13-19: Vacation Bible School begins 4/14: Florence, our octogenarian friend (and “everybody’s grandma”) heads back to the USA after almost two months of effective ministry here at BCA. 4/14: Board meeting for Faith International Academy (I chair) 4/17: “Passing the gavel” from me as the president of Davao Christian Leadership Foundation to the newly-elected president. I have held this position for eight years 4/20-5/15 BCA month-long Summer School (all 383+ sponsored students required to attend) 4/20-5/15: Mandatory BCA Summer School 4/21-26: Elvie and I attend a Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City. May: Turnover of board responsibilities to the newly-elected board members for FIA. 4/24: PJ and Abby will be in Faith International Academy’s annual Talent Night. 5/1: Davao Christian Leadership Foundation’s bimonthly community prayer meeting. 5/3-5 WASC International Christian School Accreditation Inspection of Faith International Academy of Davao City (FIA). As chair, I present the FIA Board of Trustees to the WASC at an evening dinner engagement/interview 5/6: I am guest speaker at the devotions of the Faith International Academy’s staff devotions. 5/28: PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. BCA has 383 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
BCA’S New Campus Fund: $87,652: Present need: $117 for BCA’s “Fi” Bus-One 9-plate battery. |
| 4/2/2015 | Good Friday (4/3), Resurrection (Easter) Sunday (4/5), Passover (4/3-11) “I will get that rat!" I woke up to the sound of banging and, droopy-eyed, wandered out to the kitchen to find out the source of the noisy racket. Elvie, towel-covered hammer in hand, was banging the walls and cabinets, chasing a rat across the top of the curtain hanging from the wall. Finally she thought she had caught one in a towel, another in a box, and pounded the hammer on the towel to smash its contents. But then she saw the rat up on the curtain again. Later in the afternoon, she went to hang up the towel and the rat (which she thought had escaped) jumped out at her! The next morning, the other rat had chewed his way out of the box. Unexpected surprises often catch us unaware. Jairus is the parent of a few BCA students. As Jairus taught in adult Sunday School, he explained from Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 19:9-14. “The Pharisee was a proud man who figured that his good works would get him to heaven," Jairus explained. “But the despised tax collector, a man who knew all to well that nobody liked him, also knew that in his humility he deeply appreciated Jesus' forgiveness of sins." As Elvie this week visited the shacks of some very poor squatter families who live in a makeshift settlement behind the open-air vegetable market, she grew accustomed to seeing rats running around, overflowing from the putrid heaps of discarded rotten mangoes, carrots and cabbage. Yet every time she visited a poor family who had newly-enrolled at BCA for the new 2015-16 school year, they insisted on demonstrating their appreciation by borrowing a few pesos from neighbors to buy a snack for their visitors (a slice of bread and a Coke). As Flo, our 82-yr-old guest from the USA accompanied Elvie on these visits, the newly-enrolled children raced over to give her (the oldest person many of these kids had ever seen) group hugs. There are many things we can be proud of, and rightly so. But pride should ever get in the way of giving to God the glory for all of “our" accomplishments. PJ could be proud that he was able to lead in the combined Easter chapel at Faith International Academy before over 200 students, staff, faculty and visitors, He also could be proud that, during a recent week-long High school retreat (where they built houses for poor families on nearby Samal Island), he serenaded his fellow high schoolers as he took his outdoor shower and sang at the top of his lungs. Or how about PJ's participation in the two upcoming performances? He is the director of the Easter musical/cantata at our church, and at the same time he is memorizing nearly a hundred lines for his part as a very godly grandfather in a school play at Faith International Academy (FIA). Abby received four ribbons for her outstanding performances during FIA's field days where she placed first in hurdles, discus throwing, 15-yard sprint and relay races. And Elvie, as she joined the graduation for the boys in our home for street children, took pictures of the many ribbons of accomplishment in their local schools. These boys would not even be in school had we not rounded them up from the sidewalks where they formerly wiled out their days begging. A few days later Elvie joined the baccalaureate service for nearly two hundred students whose scholastic expenses we sponsor in local island churches. On my part, I could be so pleased that a president was finally elected to replace me after I have held the position for the past eight years in a 35-year-old Christian Leadership Foundation originating here in Davao City. This was a deeply-needed replacement position, since I will be leaving the country in June for a 14-month stateside ministry. Also, along with the lawyer (and fellow board members) of a local Christian school I and a few other believers were able to decide appropriate wording to revise documents which had previously been in question with heated debates for over a year. As graduates from all grades (even college) sat side-by-side on the stage at church Sunday morning during our baccalaureate service, and one-by-one gave their personal testimonies and thanks to God for the accomplishment, great pride swelled up in the hearts of all those in the congregation. I remembered so well when many of these graduates were born. I dedicated many of them to Jesus. I watched them grow. Our family travelled around the world to find sponsors for their education. We felt that their accomplishments were, in a way, our accomplishments. Every day we face triumphs and trials. Sometimes we feel like the proud Pharisee and other times like the repentant Tax Collector. Yet as we give all the glory and credit, all the praise, all the trials and triumphs to Jesus, our hearts are pleasantly at peace. After Elvie's unsuccessful “rat struggles" last Saturday, on Sunday morning one of our “church rats" had drowned in our bathroom, and had sunk down to the bottom of our water barrel. After all of Elvie's efforts to kill the rats, God took care of the problem Himself. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for wisdom for Elvie, who flew up to Manila as a National Board of Trustees member for three days to represent an international missions organization responsible for organizing and maintaining over 3,000 Philippine Churches. Please also pray for the retreat which ten members of our church's ministry team will be having this weekend on the nearby island of Samal. One of our church elders (Jairus) was in the hospital after being involved in a car accident. He may still be recuperated enough to attend, however. Please ray too that our family will be able to wake up early enough on Sunday morning for our 3am Easter Sunrise Service. I'll be preaching on a comparison/contrast of the three believers who first came to the empty tomb (Mary, Peter and John) from John 20:1-9. Praise God that Flo, our American octogenarian visitor from Kentucky, USA extended her visa so that, instead of assisting our ministry for 2 weeks, she'll be here a month and a half! She has been a delightful assistant both in the office work here and also in teaching crochet to the parents of BCA students. Wish we could keep her! Praise God also that Harold, our visitor who taught microeconomics a few weeks ago before heading on to Indonesia, has finally arrived safely back home to Iowa, USA. Also Mike, a retired soldier from New York State has arrived safely to begin his computer/internet ministry here at BCA. Praise God also for the fun we had as, sitting in the front row at church Sunday morning, Elvie and I watched the children's choir singing, and it was not until halfway through the first song that a little four-year old girl in ruffly dress in the front row noticed her folder of music was upside down and she turned it right-side-up! Praise God too that, as board chairman I joined the Principal and others on the nominating committee for a local Christian school to review new nominations for board members. We have ample, fully-qualified replacements for the full board. One of the positions we will be replacing is my own as chairman, and also my vice chairman, who will be moving to a ministry in Singapore. Praise God as well that the Philippine government has recently banned the crucifixion of any foreigners during Good Friday ceremonies. Last year a Danish moviemaker was nailed to a cross as a publicity stunt, and many considered it sacrilegious. One Filipino man has been crucified 29 yrs in a row, since nobody else in his town was willing to be nailed to a cross to take away their town's sins. Please pray that God's Holy Spirit will reveal to the members of that town (and all others across the country) that Jesus' one-time sacrifice on the cross was efficient to cover the sins of all people for all time who accept that gift of salvation. Praise God that, last Sunday Abby led the singing during the music portion of the worship service, while PJ ran the church's PowerPoint projector. They also taught the children during Wednesday evening prayer meeting and during Children's Sunday School time. Upcoming Events: 4/1-3: Elvie flies to Manila as member of the National Board of Trustees for over three thousand Filipino churches. 4/2: Mike, A retired American soldier will arrive in Davao as a career missionary for BCA. 4/3-4: Good Friday Worship Service, followed by Church board (CMT Church Ministry Team) Family retreat at Father's House Boys' Home on nearby Samal Island 4/5: 3am Easter Sunrise Service at Church 4/11: I(Paul) will be the guest speaker at the Middle School Masquerqade Banquet at FIA. 4/12: Florence, our octogenarian friend (and “everybody's grandma") heads back to the USA after almost two months of effective ministry here at BCA. 4/13: I am guest speaker at the morning chapel on the day of the FIA Teacher Appreciation Day" 4/13-19: Vacation Bible School begins 4/14: Board meeting for Faith International Academy (I chair) 4/17: Passing the gavel" from me as the president of Davao Christian Leadership Foundation to the newly-elected president. I have held this position for eight years 4/20-5/15; BCA month-long Summer School (all 383+ sponsored students required to attend) 4/20-5/15: Mandatory BCA Summer School 4/21-26: Elvie and I attend a Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City. May: Turnover of board responsibilities to the newly-elected board members for FIA. 5/1: Davao Christian Leadership Foundation's bimonthly community prayer meeting. 5/3-5 WASC International Christian School Accreditation Inspection of Faith International Academy of Davao City (FIA). As chair, I present the FIA Board of Trustees to the WASC at an evening dinner engagement/interview 5/6: I am guest speaker at the devotions of the Faith International Academy's staff devotions. May: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. 5/28: PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their fourteen-month 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. BCA has 383 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: $87,602: 3-Acre Property Present need: $326 for BCA's “M" Bus-2 pieces of 11-plate Enduro batteries @ $163 = $326. |
| 3/12/2015 | “What did we learn from this passage?” Our son PJ, during our family’s daily Bible reading, often would ask this same question. Yet since our Old Testament reading as from the book of Leviticus, we figured he was referring to our day’s later New Testament reading instead. Still, he asked again, “When we read about mildew spreading in a house and having to tear the house down, what do we learn about our own lives? Abby responded, “Sin, like mildew, spreads in our lives and must be destroyed before it messes up everything.” Please also pray that I will be able to finish the design for the Faith International Academy graduation Announcement, and also print over 2,000 copies for the students to distribute among their families and friends by graduation on May 28. Please also pray for the Philippine military, as the BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) has declared an all-out war against Mindanao to try and force our island to become a separate Muslim nation. Praise- Praise God that Elvie, PJ, Abby and I represented dozens of Kiwanis businessmen at San Pedro Cathedral’s Memorial service for the “Fallen Forty-Four” soldiers who were massacred by Terrorist rebels in January. Our American friend Florence accompanied us and stole the attention f camera crews as she was the only white-haired American among the thousands attending the memorial service. Present at the event was also the city mayor, who is a candidate in next year’s national presidential elections. 3/12: I visit as guest speaker for the Faith International Academy Elementary School Chapel 3/14-15: Navigators’ National Convention in Manila, Philippines. 3/16-21: We fly with PJ & Abby to Manila to process his dual citizenship application as an American-Filipino 3/23: BCA Graduation Exercises 3/29: Baccalaureate service at church for all 2015 graduates 4/1: I am guest speaker at the devotions of the Faith International Academy’s staff devotions. 4/1-3: Elvie flies to Manila as member of the National Board of Trustees for over three thousand Filipino churches. 4/2: Mike, A retired American soldier will arrive in Davao as a career missionary for BCA. 4/3: I lead Davao Christian Leadership Foundation’s bimonthly community prayer meeting. 4/3-4: Good Friday Worship Service, followed by Church board (CMT Church Ministry Team) Family retreat at Father’s House Boys’ Home on nearby Samal Island 4/5: 3am Easter Sunrise Service at Church 4/6: BCA month-long Summer School Begins (all 383+ sponsored students required to attend) 4/13-19: Vacation Bible School begins 4/14: Board meeting for Faith International Academy (I chair) 4/17: I lead Davao Christian Leadership Foundation’s bimonthly community prayer meeting. 4/20-5/15: Mandatory BCA Summer School 4/21-26: Elvie and I attend a Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City. 5/1: I lead Davao Christian Leadership Foundation’s bimonthly community prayer meeting. 5/3-5 WASC International Christian School Accreditation Inspection of Faith International Academy of Davao City (FIA). As chair, I present the FIA Board of Trustees to the WASC at an evening dinner engagement/interview 5/6: I am guest speaker at the devotions of the Faith International Academy’s staff devotions. 5/28: PJ graduates and I as Board Chairman, award the diplomas to the entire graduating class of Faith International Academy. 6/3: Classes begin at BCA for the 2015-2016 School Year. 6/4: Barner family leaves for their 2015-16 USA Missionary-in-Residence/furlough/speaking tour. BCA has 383 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
BCA’S New Campus Fund: $87,452: Present need: $675 for a 15-foot-diameter heavy-duty, industrial strength trampoline (with attached standing side nets and also pads), which has just recently become available locally. This would be a great addition to the school gym class, especially with Vacation Bible School just a month away. |
| 2/19/2015 | Would you like a cookie?" While PJ was recovering from his surgery on both knees at Davao's local “Tebow CURE" Hospital, our Barner Christian Academy (BCA) teachers were training ten select first-grade students to give a presentation at the hospital. I'd baked dozens and dozens of chocolate chip cookies and brownies for staff and patients, and also for our own BCA students who would soon be arriving. Our BCA bus arrived and the colorfully-uniformed children piled out with BCA teachers/staff. PJ was still in recovery, so the kids went from room to room in the hospital to sing with the patients. “Praise God you came!" one of the floor nurses exclaimed. “Please visit this little three-year-old first. She had club foot and was just operated on this morning. She is still in some pain, and keeps crying." As the BCA children marched single-file into the female pediatrics ward, Elvie handed the girl a stuffed animal and then the kids began to sing. The little girl's whimpering settled down as she listened intently to Christian worship songs. After each child greeted her individually, we then prayed for her healing and went on to the next patient. The staff was very touched, and then the kids stood around the staff and serenaded them as well, cheerfully reciting Bible verses and singing. After the children spent a few minutes in the hospital playroom, PJ finally was wheeled back from the recovery area to his room. The BCA kids came up and gathered around his bed, singing for him as well. Cookies, brownies and juice followed, and after the kids all prayed for him out loud, they piled back onto the elevator, climbing into the BCA bus and headed home. The next day the floor nurse came into PJ's room. After accepting an oatmeal/chocolate/carrot/peanut butter brownie we offered, she expressed her deepest appreciation for our thoughtfulness in inviting the BCA students to sing. “It had been a long day for all of us," she confided, “and something about the little children's voices and also your prayers for so many individual members of the staff, really lifted up our spirits and made our day! Praise God for your BCA kids!" Thank you Lord that these little children were able, through their smiles, laughter and voices, to bring the light of Christ into the lives of many whose bodies are “on the mend". Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for PJ's speedy recuperation. Since the tendon in his right knee was tightly wrapped around the calcified growth, the surgery to remove the growth became somewhat complicated. The resulting recuperation time and physical therapy is expected to increase substantially. Please also continue to pray that Nyack Bible College will provide a favorable financial aid package so that PJ can fulfill his dream to attend there this fall, even though he is the son of missionaries. Please also pray for a confidentially life-threatening personal request of some of BCA's long-term staff. Praise- Praise God that PJ was informed while at the hospital that he has officially had more visitors and well-wishers come to share and pray with him than anyone else in the history of the hospital! Yay, friends and Christian fellowship! Praise God also that we were able to have Wednesday evenings' church prayer meeting in PJ's hospital room with him! Upcoming Events: 3/6: Annual Board meeting for Davao Christian Leadership Foundation (I chair). 3/8-9: Faith International Academy Board Retreat with guest Speaker Paul Campey (I chair) 3/12: I visit as guest speaker for the Faith International Academy Elementary School Chapel 3/15: Harold, a retired CPA from Iowa, will be visiting BCA en route to Indonesia to teach seminars on Christian budgeting and personal financial management/poverty alleviation. 4/1: Mike, A retired American soldier will arrive in Davao as a career missionary for BCA. 4/3-4: Good Friday Worship Service, followed by Church board (CMT Church Ministry Team) Family retreat at Father's House Boys' Home on nearby Samal Island 4/2: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. April 21-26: Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City BCA has 383 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: $87,302: Present need: $636 foe fuel for BCA's buses in January. |
| 2/12/2015 | American Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday (2/12), Happy Valentine’s Day (2/14), 86th Anniversary of Sir Alexander Fleming’s Introduction of Penicillin (2/14/1929), American Presidents’ Day (2/16), Religious Season of Abstinence/Lent Begins (40-days preceding Easter/Resurrection Sunday) 2/18. “Are you hungry?” Elvie asked the three grown common laborers who were digging out tons of gravel and sand from the community drainage canal. Sixteen months after the devastating 6-ft-deep floods of Halloween, 2013, our family car is finally released from the repair shop. The BCA library roof has been replaced after winds and rain had compromised the rotten beams which we’d built 15 years ago. Yet the cause of the floods; the ever-filling of the open community sewage canal, is being excavated by Along, Jerry and Loloy. Cheerful guys, these poor, common laborers rarely eat anything before coming to work, so they often have only a hundred bucketfuls of dirt dug after an eight-hour day of labouring in the hot tropical Philippine sun. They take turns as Loloy digs and fills each rubber bucket (made from sewn-together tire treads). Then Jerry hoists the bucket up eight feet into the air to Loloy to dump onto the dirt mound along the side of the road, to be removed a week later buy a dump truck. One day I had made some homemade bread and the kids were not eating it fast enough. Elvie decided to give it to the canal workers so that the bread would not be wasted by going stale. Feeding them became a daily practice, and we even intentionally cooked up extra food at dinnertime so that we could feed the “canal guys” lunch the next day. Then something amazing happened. The canal guys started staying after-hours to help BCA staff paint walls, weed BCA’s rooftop garden, carry groceries and even do odd chores in the school, all this after a hard day of intense labor! They even occasionally fed our two dogs and washed our pickup truck without being asked. A rash of burglaries have recently been hitting our neighborhood, but the canal diggers have become like security guards, keeping an eye on whoever comes in and who leaves the campus. Even the hundreds of BCA students have befriended the canal guys. Sunday was a special day for our church (which meets on the BCA campus). We celebrated 18 years since beginning worships services in an alleyway a few blocks away from the present BCA campus. It was February 9, 1997 when we gathered eight believers to celebrate God’s salvation. This week, with nearly five hundred worshipping together, we looked for the canal guys, but they’d gone home to the mountains, as is their weekend practice, to be with their families. During Sunday’s church celebration, many BCA students sang Christian songs which they’d memorized, after which their parents performed choreography. Eleven tambourine dancers, all aged less than ten years old, performed to a worship hymn. Our own two kids, PJ and Abby sang a duet of “God is in Control, as PJ also accompanied with guitar and a young lady from the youth group hid behind him to hold the microphone for him. Since Filipinos celebrate Valentine’s Day for the whole month of February, the theme of the occasion was “God’s Love”. As God’s faithful followers, we thank God for His great love for us (John 3:16 & 1 John 4:8) by feeding hungry canal diggers, schooling poor Filipino children, and praying for God’s Holy Spirit’s upcoming global revival of repentance and salvation across this great planet. Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we’ll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for our son PJ, who will be having surgery on both of his knees this Monday (2/9). Since he was a toddler, His mom Elvie noticed the pain he had in walking. He is now seventeen and about to head off to college. Just recently, American Football player Tim Tebow built a paediatric orthopaedic “CURE” hospital here in Davao City. Bringing PJ for an appointment, he was diagnosed with excisidyostosis in both the right and left tibias. Kind of like ever-growing bone spurs, located where the tendons overlap, which can often be quite painful (and could eventually lead to bursitis or tendonitis. The doctor said the operation is relatively simple, involving a small incision after which they will chisel, cut and sand down the extra bone, followed by coating it with wax so the extra growth will cease. It doesn’t even involve a cast, just a covering of soft pads and then he’d be on crutches for a few days. No heavy exertion for 3 wks though. Perfect timing, as in three weeks PJ is slotted to join a school field trip in which they will be building houses for the poor. PJ has never been anesthetized during a hospital operation before, so he was pleased to be informed that he’ll be asleep for the entire operation. He’ll fall asleep and wake up with those troublesome growths gone for good. Since this is a busy week for PJ, it is fortunate that his teachers have given him his homework in advance. Being a member of student council, he is supposed t deliver goodies to families for Valentine’s Day, as well as help baby-sit children of young couples who want to date on February 14. Praise God as well that, after last week’s email diary about boxes of aid that have arrived from American friends, two additional families have inquired about how they too could possibly send boxes of aid for our CA kids. If you are also interested, please look for an “Oriental store” in your city or town. Or if you know a Filipino, ask them how to send “balik-bayan” cargo boxes to the Philippines. These boxes are quite large and only cost $80-120, regardless of weight. They are shipped door-to-door and require no customs fees. Compare that to even small packages sent via the Post Office which require BCA to pay $3 apiece for customs. There are hundreds of international shippers of Philippine “balik-bayan” cargo boxes, yet the most common is “LBC”. Upcoming Events: 2/22: Flo, an American sponsor of a BCA student, will arrive to minister at BCA for a few weeks. 3/6: Annual Board meeting for Davao Christian Leadership Foundation (I chair). 3/8-9: Faith International Academy Board Retreat with guest Speaker Paul Campey (I chair) 3/12: I visit as guest speaker for the Faith International Academy Elementary School Chapel 3/15: Harold, a retired CPA from Iowa, will be visiting BCA en route to Indonesia to teach seminars on Christian budgeting and personal financial management/poverty alleviation. 4/1: Mike, A retired American soldier will arrive in Davao as a career missionary for BCA. 4/3-4: Good Friday Worship Service, followed by Church board (CMT Church Ministry Team) Family retreat at Father’s House Boys’ Home on nearby Samal Island 4/2: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. April 21-26: Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City BCA has 383 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund: $87,252: Present need: $28 for BCA’s “PH” Bus: 1 quart brake fluid ($5), 4 rubber cups @ $2 ($8), 3 Spark Plugs @ $5 ($15) |
| 2/5/2015 | Canadian Family Day (2/9), New Zealand Waitangi Day (2/6), 63rd Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation (2/6/1952), 23rd Anniversary of Western Europe's Maastricht Treaty Creating the European Union (2/7/1992), 55th Anniversary of Hollywood Walk of Fame (2/9/1960), Silver Anniversary of Nelson Mandela's Release from 27 years in prison (2/11/1990). “We have boxes!" Each month, God touches the hearts of friends in other countries to ship boxes to Barner Christian Academy…sometimes one or two boxes and sometimes more. Opening these boxes is always exciting, as you never know what surprises will be inside. Could be used clothes, stuffed animals or hundreds of colourful, bread new flip flops for our orphan children and poor families. Toys, canned food, books, stuffed animals and school supplies are all special treats for our needy BCA students. Two large boxes were recently waiting for us one evening as our family of four arrived back home from errands downtown. The shipper had been a friend in Kentucky whose Senior Citizens group in her church pastes Bible verses onto used greeting cards. “For God so loved the world…(John 3:16) began a shiny Christmas card, typed in one of the Philippines' 365 different languages and dialects. The very next day (Tuesday) a pastor from the mountains made the 3-hour trek to the city and to our school to visit our family and to pray for our ministry. The husband, wife, daughter and grandmother came. Before they left (5 hours later) we'd had lunch and put together a few bags of clothes and food (including a fragrant loaf of my fresh-baked bread) for them to take with them back to the mountains. After the family left, Elvie and I continued to pray for their ministry. The very next day (Wednesday) FIVE more boxes arrived from Utah, USA! We give and God replaces, like with King Solomon of old with the Queen of Sheba, receiving more than we gave! We can never out-give God! On Thursday night after picking up PJ and Abby from school, it was our family night-out. So we ate at our favourite barbecue restaurant. Then when we got home, as PJ and Abby did their homework in the BCA library, they also helped us to open and sort-out the contents of the five newly-arrived boxes. Yay! The paper shredder I've been patiently anticipating and praying for over a year now finally arrived, waiting for me inside one of the huge boxes, wrapped in a blanket to give to the poor. The next afternoon I filled a dozen bags with shredded documents! Friday morning was PTA meeting day at BCA, so classes were cancelled. The parents listened to Alex, BCA's discipleship coordinate for men. He shared from 1 John 3, “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called the children of God!" Yes, God lavishes upon us (His children) many gifts in this life. We have these various abundant gifts not to hoard, but to give away. Yet the one most valuable gift cannot be given away…only shared. That is the gift of His adopting us as His very own precious children! Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for 32 new believers who were baptized at our tenth church plant (San Vicente, Babak, Samal Island) this past Sunday afternoon! It was followed by a church picnic and was a joyous celebration for us, since these families all had come to church a year ago when we'd extended our student sponsorship program to their island. Our ten church plants include: 1-Lamano, 2-Laverna, 3-Purok Ocho & 4-Communal (closed), 5-Emily Homes, 6-Panantongan, 7-Asuncion (reorganizing), 8-Agdao, 9-Golden Hills, 10-San Vicente. Our 11th we are planning in Babak, Samal at our Boys' Home. Please also pray for our plan to combine our two orphanages so that we can rent the one to bring funds into the other for initial capital to raise crops. Praise- Praise God that the church family to whom we presented the invitation to become the new houseparents/ administrator of our Father's House orphanages is strongly considering accepting the position. Praise God also that, after church Sunday over a dozen young people came to the parsonage to watch Christian videos and have lunch. They feasted on a Filipino lunch along with American snacks (chips, dip, cake, cookies, sandwiches, Koolaid and popcorn). Also praise God that, when the speaker PJ had chosen for giving the Bible challenge at High School Chapel backed out last minute, he asked one of the parents to be the replacement. The parent agreed and gave an inspiring, emotional challenge on the Biblical topic of forgiveness. Upcoming Events: 2/13: Annual Teacher Appreciation Ceremony/Presentations at BCA 2/17: Bimonthly Board meeting for Faith International Academy (I Chair) Discussion: “Global Ends and Moral Owners" (Revision of Board Manual, Section One), plus proposed Teacher Appreciation/Incentive package & Budget Presentation. 3/6: Annual Board meeting for Davao Christian Leadership Foundation (I chair). 3/8-9: Faith International Academy Board Retreat with guest Speaker Paul Campey (I chair) 3/12: I visit as guest speaker for the Faith International Academy Elementary School Chapel 3/15: Harold, a retired CPA from Iowa, will be visiting BCA en route to Indonesia to teach seminars on Christian budgeting and personal financial management/poverty alleviation. 4/3-4: Good Friday Worship Service, followed by Church board (CMT Church Ministry Team) Family retreat at Father's House Boys' Home on nearby Samal Island Easter, My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. April 21-26: Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City BCA has 384 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: |
| 1/12/2015 | 93rd Anniversary of the First Insulin treatment on a Diabetes Patient (1/23/1922), 110th Anniversary of the Discovery of the World's Largest Diamond in South Africa (3,106 carats in 1/25/1905), Australia Day (1/26), First Prohibition Law passed (Tennessee-1/26/1838), United Nations' International Holocaust Remembrance Day (1/27), Space Shuttle “Challenger" exploded (1/28/1986) “Give up!" During a recent ministry seminar, we sixty delegates were challenged to carry-out the Great Commission of Jesus (to share the Gospel of salvation out to the uttermost parts of the earth) by “giving up" and to “think smaller". At first I and the other delegates sat stunned by such a statement, but the explanation was just around the corner… To “give up," it was explained that we believers should sacrificially “give up" what we can afford to give to others so they can be empowered to do more for Jesus. To “think smaller," it was mentioned that most sinners who accept Jesus into their hearts do so when they are children. Yet a majority of the resources used for evangelism are designated for adult ministries. Instead we should also “think smaller" and evangelize the “little people" (children). Elvie and I brought PJ and Abby with us as we recently visited a government detention center for juvenile criminals. A big difference between this government home and our own Father's House children's homes is that we get the street children before they get caught breaking the law, while the government home is to hold the kids after they have committed crimes. Since PJ and Abby had accompanied us to the event, our son PJ nudged me, pointing to a chubby boy in the front row. “Hey, That's Jason!" A year ago during an evangelistic outreach on the streets of Davao City late one night, we had befriended many “dirt-poor" street-children. A few days later four of those boys found their way miles away to our BCA school campus and even stayed overnight as we ate dinner together and watched Christian videos. The next day they sat-in on BCA's first grade class. They had such a good time, we researched whether they could join the boys in our Father's House children's home. But since the boys are not orphans, their parents insisted that the boys continue begging on the streets and sleeping on the sidewalks amidst dangerous prostitutes, gays and drug dealers. Yet ten-yr-old Jason is so very talented, it is a shame that he is stuck in a government detention center (he had been caught by the police for stealing). Even though the juvenile male delinquents have a roof over their heads and food and clothes, the home is boring for them. So during our visit there, we played games with them and distributed gifts. We even were given permission to share a Bible message! “Jason," I challenged, as I was finishing up my Bible challenge, “I know that you are an excellent rapper. Can you please perform for the other 39 boys here?" Through cheers and applause, Jason was convinced. You could hear a pin drop as his housemates waited in rapt anticipation for what this ten year old boy could do. Suddenly he began and gave an incredible performance. His words all rhymed, and congested together rapp-style in an incredible montage of supersonic skill. Thunderous applause deafened us as a huge smile spread across Jason's face. His housemates: murderers, rapists and drug “messengers" now considered this newly-arrived resident as a superstar. Why? Because we and our friends “Gave up" some of our time and “Thought smaller" thus carrying out a portion of Christ's Great Commission! Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for our upcoming board meeting for our Father's House children's homes, as we schedule renovations of the boys' personal lockers, electrical connections and beds (presently made from tree branches and thin sheets of plywood). Also our administrator will present what is yet lacking to finalize government paperwork and personnel changes, which will make it possible to have children (like Jason) sent to us to make their juvenile detention homes less crowded and also make the children's lives more Christ-focused. Please also pray for the distribution of “Samaritan's Purse" Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes in local churches during the months of February and March. Please also pray for the Governing Board of Faith International Academy as we plan our upcoming March Board retreat, during which our goal is to pin down the policies surrounding the decision-making process for the new organization. Upcoming Events: 2015: 1/23: Annual Tree Planting by BCA students 1/24: Local Kiwanis Centennial Celebration: People's Park, Davao City 2/2: Annual Board meeting for Father's House Orphanages. 2/4: I speaker for the Faith International Academy Faculty/Staff Devotions. 2/11: Flo, the retired Kentucky sponsor of a BCA student who has been leading her church Women's group in making Gospel tracts out of used greeting cards (for our evangelistic community youth outreaches) will be fulfilling her dream to visit BCA for a few weeks. 2/13: Annual Teacher Appreciation Ceremony/Presentations at BCA 2/17: Bimonthly Board meeting for Faith International Academy (I Chair) Discussion: “Global Ends and Moral Owners" (Revision of Board Manual, Section One), plus proposed Teacher Appreciation/Incentive package & Budget Presentation. 3/6: Annual Board meeting for Davao Christian Leadership Foundation (I chair). 3/6-7: Faith International Academy Board Retreat with guest Speaker Paul Campey (I chair) 3/12: I visit as guest speaker for the Faith International Academy Elementary School Chapel 3/15: Harold, a retired CPA from Iowa, will be visiting BCA en route to Indonesia to teach seminars on Christian budgeting and personal financial management/poverty alleviation. 4/3-4: Good Friday Worship Service, followed by Church board (CMT Church Ministry Team) Family retreat at Father's House Boys' Home on nearby Samal Island Easter, 2015: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. April 21-26: Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City BCA has 380 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: $87,102: 3-Acre Property |
| 1/15/2014 | January 15, 2015: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (1/19) “Wake up, Pastor Paul!" Little First-grader JC put his two hands on either side of my head (from behind) and gave me a tender shake. Since our family car and pickup truck are both in the shop for repairs, Elvie and I were riding downtown (to do our errands) with the students in one of our BCA school buses. It'd been a very busy few days, so I was somewhat drowsy. “At least I can get some shuteye here in the front seat" or so I thought… “Wake up, Pastor Paul!" Eight times (until JC finally reached his stop) my friendly “human alarm clock" gave me a running commentary and shook me back from dreamland when my eyelids got heavy. This past Sunday during church I had preached on the first commandment “Only one true God" from First Corinthians 8, reminding the congregation to Worship, Work for, and Welcome the One True God in our lives. These three commands seem obvious to a believer, but often we need somebody like JC to keep an eye of accountability on us to shake us awake from straying from God's clear commands. And the most obvious one, mentioned over and over in scripture is to keep God: (1) First and (2) Foremost as the (3) Focus of our lives. While at the store I had to pick up a t-shirt, but forgot my size. So I tugged on the back of my t-shirt and confronted a man passing by, “Excuse me sir, but I can't remember my size. Could you look at the tag and tell me what it says?" Of course the man was friendly enough to comply. Sometimes the reminders needed for integrity in our lives are not to shake us awake, but to come alongside a fellow believer to remind us of where we stand as a follower of God: what our special identity is with the Creator. Also this past week we received notification from three American donors, two from Florida who gave for BCA's new building. The first wanted to bring our “Remaining Funds Needed" down below $7,000, so gave $110! The next gave another $1,000! That brings the still-needed total for the BCA building down to below $6,000! Is God awesome, or what? One of these two donors is trying to convince her church missions committee to pray regularly for the exciting work God is doing here in Davao City. The third donor (from Vermont) was challenged by last week's email which mentioned the need for funds for fuel for our school buses. So they gave $500 for fuel, library paint and school supplies. There are so very many ways to “Keep God First" in our lives. Like CJ, we can shake others awake when they stray from their main focus. Like the “t-shirt man" we can assist others when they request help, and like the three donors, we can help carry other's burdens so that their attention can stay focused on the purpose for our existence: Pleasing Our Creator. Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for the ongoing succession of “Surprise" inspections anticipated over the course of the next few weeks. The government is especially strict when it comes to inspecting private Christian schools like ours, even more so than during their inspection of government public schools. We work with the very poor, who cannot afford to pay the tuition and expenses required of students in public schools. Also please pray for comfort for one of BCA's secretaries, Orbina, who had a miscarriage this week. Upcoming Events: 1/15-18: Pope Francis visits the Philippines 1/17: Church Leadership Team's (CLT) Vision-Casting Meeting for 2015 (I chair) 1/18: Church Ministry Team's (CMT) Planning Session Meeting for 2015 (based on CLT's vision: I chair) 1/19: Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Day-long follow-up seminar in Davao City. 1/23: Annual Tree Planting by BCA students 1/24: Local Kiwanis Centennial Celebration: People's Park, Davao City 2/2: Annual Board meeting for Father's House Orphanages. 2/11: Flo, the retired Kentucky sponsor of a BCA student who has been leading her church Women's group in making Gospel tracts out of used greeting cards (for our evangelistic community youth outreaches) will be fulfilling her dream to visit BCA for a few weeks. 2/13: Annual Teacher Appreciation Ceremony/Presentations at BCA 2/17: Bimonthly Board meeting for Faith International Academy (I Chair) Discussion: “Global Ends and Moral Owners" (Revision of Board Manual, Section One), plus proposed Teacher Appreciation/Incentive package & Budget Presentation. 3/6: Annual Board meeting for Davao Christian Leadership Foundation (I chair). 3/12: I visit as guest speaker for the Faith International Academy Elementary School Chapel 3/15: Harold, a retired CPA from Iowa, will be visiting BCA en route to Indonesia to teach seminars on Christian budgeting and personal financial management/poverty alleviation. Easter, 2015: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. April 21-26 Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City BCA has 375 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: $87,052: 3-Acre Property Present need: $145 for ongoing library renovation: (for “loft" storage room) 6 sheets ¾" plywood @ $22 = $132, 1 kg #2 finishing nails $2, 2 kg #4 common nails @ $2 = $4, 1 kg #3 common nails $2, 1 quart Polytuff sealer/hardener $5. 2014 Donor Receipts: Have now been mailed out for all who have donated to BCA in the past year (not including funds given through Christian Aid, since they send their own receipts). You should receive yours before February 1. If you desire a copy sooner, please email me at blckids@yahoo.com with your request. |
| 1/8/2015 | January 8, 2015: Happy “Clean off Your Desk" Day (1/12) and “Be Kind to Food-servers" Month (January) “I came to bring you life…more abundantly!" As BCA kids received their brand new, packed-full backpacks, I explained the similarities between these special Christmas gifts and also the new life we have when we become believers in Jesus Christ. “Open yours up and see how many awesome treats are inside! There are toys, food, stuffed animals, school supplies…so much stuff!" The faces on the little BCA kids, hundreds of them, reflected the wonderment that only a child's eyes can contain. Turning my thoughts back to my own growing up years when I had gifts with my name on them under the family Christmas tree, it was exciting to see that same type of satisfaction on the faces of children who may never have had Christmas gifts before. Friends in the USA experienced some of the exciting joys that God provides for believers recently as well, when packing up some much-needed supplies to ship to our Davao ministry: “We finished packing a fifth box yesterday, loaded up the truck, and headed for the Asian grocery store...the new owner asked me how many we had, and if this would be our last shipment for the year. We brought in the boxes while she waited on a customer (the store was jam-packed with 30-40 boxes waiting to be shipped). "I couldn't figure out why she would ask me that, so when I went up to the counter and she asked again, I said I never know what donations would be coming in, but we'd probably have a few more before the end of the year. She said the previous owner had told her (nicely) to give us a free box before the end of the year, so since we had five, she only charged us for four...and handed me back a $100 bill. God is so good (and so are the store owners)." Our American friends also mentioned that lots of the stuff they'd sent came from generous gifts and donations from their pastor. As we are now getting used to writing “2015" instead of “2014" on all our paperwork, we can ask ourselves, “How will we use this delightful New Year God has granted us?" While challenging our church members on the last Sunday of the year, I also set sixteen goals for myself to accomplish these next 365 days (listed at the end of this email). I'd listed among these goals to get PJ enrolled in an American college and also to acquire dual citizenship (USA and Philippines) for him. Like PJ's prospective dual citizenship, we are citizens of two worlds: Heaven and Earth. While here, we learn and grow in our relationship with Jesus. But one day we will say goodbye to this world and enter into our glorious new home. Like those 373 backpacks filled with special treats, God has so many exciting surprises in store for us during this brand-new year of 2015! Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for God's favor regarding PJ's college applications. The schedule for most of the institutions' notifications of acceptance and financial aid is January/February. Also, please pray wisdom as we transition our girls' orphanage into a home for widowed families. Please also pray for the two orphanages' administrator Callem to get our Government Social Services permit for the two homes processed at the beginning of the year. Praise: for an American family who, during their holiday reunions challenged each sibling to give to this ministry at the same time. What an exciting blessing, as over $200 was given, and was used for fuel for our school buses! Upcoming Events: 2/11: Flo, the retired Kentucky sponsor of a BCA student who has been leading her church Women's group in making Gospel tracts out of used greeting cards (for our evangelistic community youth outreaches) will be fulfilling her dream to visit BCA for a few weeks. 3/15:
Harold, a retired CPA from Iowa, will be visiting BCA en route to Indonesia to teach seminars on Christian budgeting and personal financial management/poverty alleviation. April 21-26: Philippine National Missions Assembly in Iloilo City BCA has 373 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: $85,941: Present need: $150 for the remaining balance of our school buses' fuel bill for December.
Paul’s Goals for 2015:
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| 1/1/2015 | January 1, 2015: Happy New Year 2015! (1/1/15), First New Year's Day as the Julian Calendar takes effect (1/1/45 BC), President Eisenhower's Proclamation includes Alaska as a portion of the USA (1/3/1959), Epiphany-celebration of the arrival of the Magi to Bethlehem to see the Christ-child (1/6) “Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." Sharing from Matthew 3, I challenged our listeners to consider the gifts that we give to others at Christmas time as given to Jesus as His birthday presents. Because of the many who have given for the backpack distribution this year, we are able to reach out to hundreds of BCA kids. But the gifts themselves have not been the only presents we have provided for our Redeemer. It has also been the time involved to give out these gifts, which in the “Third World" always seems to take twice as long. Consider this past Monday: it was to be the busiest day for our Christmas giveaways: five different locations! We got up early and were ready with our BCA staff at 6:30am. We loaded up one of the BCA buses and also our family pickup truck, with gifts for nearly 200 kids, and then drive it all to the pier. After waiting at the pier an hour (the previous ferry filled up to capacity and left just as we had arrived) we drove our vehicles onto the boat for the 20 min. ferry ride. Landing a mile away across the bay at Samal Island our first stop was Babak. But when we got there on the bumpy dirt road, the church and its gate were locked up! Elvie asked our school secretary if she had confirmed with the local pastor about our visit, and although she had sent him a text message, he had never confirmed and therefore knew nothing about our arrival date or time. Driving to the local fresh-foods open-air market we met some of the Babak church members who were surprised that we were there. So we rescheduled for the following Sunday afternoon, and they assured us that all the kids sponsored by BCA's school program from their church would be there. Elvie and the ladies bartered with the ones running food stands and got fish, bread, rice, noodles and banana leaves. After stopping at a tire-fixing “Vulcanizing" corner shack to pump air into our soft tires, we headed to our Fatehr's House Boys' home to while away the time until our afternoon program was to start at the Pinaplata church (also on Samal Island). Our bus and pickup truck were greeted much differently at our second stop than at our first one. Instead of locked gate and doors, Eleven orphan boys ran out to meet us, hugging and “blessing" each adult of our dozen-member team. Elvie led in games with the kids, and the five or six kids with us learned from the orphans some fun games that were made-up by our creative orphan boys. After lots of games, we all sang Christmas hymns and then Pivy (our sign language teacher visiting from New York) taught the kids how to sign “Hark the Herald Angels Sing". As the kids all played some more and some of the adults cooked-up the groceries they'd purchased at the fresh market, I curled up across two of the boys' small wooden beds and stuffed a backpack under my head to catch up on some of my sleep hours sacrificed for our early-morning departure from the school. Shaken awake oh, too soon, we all gathered around two end-to-end tables and (after saying grace for the smoked fish, noodles, fruit and rice spread before us) dug our hands and fingers into the community pile of food laid-out on huge banana leaves. No silverware nor plates to wash when you eat with your hands off of a community six-foot long banana leaf! Before heading off back to the bus and truck, Pivy taught the alphabet in sign language and each boy, one-by-one spelled out for her (she cannot hear) their own names in sign language. Elvie also promised the orphan children that we would all return Sunday after our visit to the Babak church, and stay overnight to play games with the boys. We'd even bring the orphans from our girls' home along with us! Our fourth stop, a half-hour drive away to Pinaplata, required us to pass under a bridge, on a very narrow cement low-water bridge. The big BCA “jeepney" bus would have trouble turning around, and the pickup truck would have to wait to cross until the ordeal was completed in giving the monster bus an about-face. So we sent a scout ahead first to see if the church was locked up like the first one was. Sure enough, it was. The families had decided to take a public bus to the last church so we could meet with those from four different locations at once: Pinaplata, Kaputian, Sian and Bandera. So another forty minutes later to the other end of Samal Island we finally unloaded our huge boxes of Christmas backpacks. En route, since the day was getting quite sultry, we stopped at a corner “Sari-sari" store to pick up some cold bottled water for our New York guest and fresh tapwater in cellophane bags for the rest of us. Boy, that water wetted our whistles! After the boxes were unloaded Pivy taught the sign language for “Hark the Herald Angels" again and the island children also performed Christmas songs and recited Bible verses for us. After their performances, Elvie read from Isaiah 9 about the names prophesied for Jesus: “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God and Prince of Peace". Using my notes from a message I had given a few weeks earlier (added to some of her own), she translated into the local vernacular for their island families (mostly moms and their kids) Then the children excitedly awaited their names to be called for the long-anticipated backpack giveaway. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, a friend whose husband was about to enter hospice for the final stages of cancer, sent me a message on Facebook, “How many backpacks are you still lacking?" The answer was 53, which I would inform her about when I was to return home a few hours later. Name-by-name the Island children picked numbers to receive boy or girl backpacks filled with toys, school materials and food appropriate to their respective genders. We were served a small meal (of fish and rice) prepared by the pastor's daughter and her husband and son to celebrate my dedication of their small new house. Then we walked to the Oceanside to analyze the condition of the boat we'd purchased last year for pastors to reach and evangelize remote areas of Samal Island as well as the neighboring one, Talicud. It was dark when we got back home, but most of the huge boxes were empty and our hearts were truly filled. Ensuing days would include distributing piles of wrapped gifts of clothes and toys for poor children on an overnight trip to Panabo (we slept side-by-side with about fifty adults and children on a hard cement floor). A dozen different locations, nearly five hundred children in total reached, as we not only gave backpacks to BCA kids, but also personally provided food and clothes to sea gypsies, mountain tribal beggars along the sides of the road, and juvenile criminals in local government containment camps. We ate breakfasts of assorted meats while traveling: pig intestines, chicken necks, lots of fish (bones, head and fins) rice, Coke and almost no vegetables except cincamus (Philippine turnips). On our way home in the afternoon, the day after Christmas we watched as trucks emblazoned with “City Engineer's Office" parked along the roadside to pick up the thousands of mountain tribespeople and drive them back to their mountain villages. They'd been sleeping on the sidewalks, in public parks and under the bleachers of open-air basketball stadiums, so they could beg from shoppers during November and December. Then on Saturday evening we had church members and their kids sharpen 200 of our leftover pencils to have the congregation write on index cards their goals for 2015. Gold, frankincense and myrrh may not be the presents this year which we'd provided as gifts to Jesus, but alternate gifts are the ones we have brought: backpacks, food, clothes, time and energy. Oh, and our American Facebook friend whose husband is entering hospice? She paid for all the lacking 53 backpacks! Praise God for the wise men of today, who are still giving birthday presents to Jesus! Until next time… Let the Islands rejoice! Please pray: (as you stay on your knees, we'll stay on our feet!) Prayer Request: Please pray for the hundreds of BCA kids (of all grades) as they work on their holiday assignments in preparation for their return to school January 7, 2015. Also please pray for them as they travel. One year while ridging to a remote swampy area to visit with relatives, one of our BCA pupils was fatally bitten by a dengue-ridden mosquito. Praise: for the last 71 lacking backpacks for us to distribute to poor Filipinos this week: donated by funds from friends in Singapore, Pennsylvania and New York! Also praise God for the restful week our family is able to enjoy in nearby Guam as Elvie renews her semiannual American visa. Upcoming Events: 1/6: Barner family returns from Guam. 1/7: Faith International Academy classes resume. 1/7: Faith International Academy Identity Celebration. (I speak as board chairman) 1/20: Mike, a Christian retired single soldier from New York, will visit BCA and may stay as a career missionary. 2/11: Flo, the retired Kentucky sponsor of a BCA student who has been leading her church Women's group in making Gospel tracts out of used greeting cards (for our evangelistic community youth outreaches) will be fulfilling her dream to visit BCA for a few weeks. 3/8: Harold, a retired CPA from Iowa, will be visiting BCA en route to Indonesia to teach seminars on Christian budgeting and personal financial management/poverty alleviation. Easter, 2015: My brother Phil arrives from New York with his family to teach and train in a series of puppetry workshops. April 21-26: Philippine National Missions Assembly in Ilioilo City BCA has 373 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA'S New Campus Fund: $85,891: Present need: $104 for paint for decorating BCA's external wall and also to seal library roof: $31 for 2 gallons paint acrylic base latex brown cap, $22 for 1 gallon paint happy glow yellow island prima, $18 for 1 gallon fortune red island paint roofkote, $16 for 1 liter paint for outside wall black island prima semi gloss acrylic. $15 for 1 gallon white island prima semi gloss acrylic and $2 for 3 paint brushes (3/4 inch). |
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March 5, 2016
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