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| 12/26/2019 | HAPPY 1ST DAY OF WINTER (12/22) HAPPY NEW YEAR (1/1) “Be still my heart, how can it be… why would our God have chosen me?” Our own daughter Abby sang a solo as Mary in my New York, USA, home church’s annual Christmas cantata a few days ago. Our son PJ played the town crier who sang, “Hear ye…every man shall return to his home & pay a tax to the coffers of Rome...so shall it be!” While the congregation was giving accolades on the culmination of our choir’s 3-month-long accomplishment, our staff back in the Philippines was busy with its own Christmas gift-giving to our 600 students. Each class had prepared songs & dramas & also recited Bible verses before receiving gifts of stuffed animals, toys, food, & this year, for the first time ever, a brand-new type of gift…gym outfits! Each, in their own size- & gender-appropriate BCA-embroidered sweatpants & t-shirts! Maybe next year will be sneakers? Actually though, the entire $9000 needed for these 600 gifts has not yet come in from donors, but a very large gift just a week ago brought us quite close, & since often people’s gifts even arrive shortly after New Year’s Day, I am sure that the final $465 still lacking will arrive. In BCA’s Teacher Bonna’s prayer (which she included in her daily journal) she proclaimed, “Most Gracious Heavenly Father, thanks for Your blessings & salvation. Thanks too for these delightful kids you have placed in my care each school day. I will miss them during the holiday break. As the 2020 New Year dawns, I will be thrilled to see my bright-eyed & bushy-tailed brood once again!” Although Bonna was scheduled to speak for the weekly teachers’ devotional meeting, she left her notes at home. Fortunately, she had memorized it, “Be A Good cheer in the New Year” from Paul’s shipwrecked-journey in Acts 27:22. After Bonna was done, the teachers left for home to prepare their gifts & songs for BCA’s faculty Christmas party that evening, as well as that Sunday’s special Christmas events at church. Merry Christmas & a Happy 2020! BCA’S New Campus Construction Fund (Phases D): $13,600 received of $25,000 needed. Present Need: $250 for (installment #4 of 6) $1,500 overhaul of BCA’s Bus “M” which broke down during a run in November. $500 remaining. # of students sponsored at BCA: 508 Triathlon bus fund: $1,473.19 received of $20,000 needed. |
Support us through Amazon Smile! Go to smile.amazon.com and type "Paul M Barner Ministries Inc" as the charitable organization you want to support. That's all you have to do! Now when you shop, 0.5% of the purchase price will be automatically donated to our ministry, at no additional cost to you. Thank you! PayPal Merchant ID for Paul M Barner Ministries (Barner Christian Academy) is Z89E34M2ZBQM6 OUR ACTIVE MINISTRIES: Abby- Youth Group President, Church Music team, High School Varsity Volleyball team PJ- University of Albany Student Elvie- National Board of Trustees for CAMACOP, Principal at BCA, Sunday School teacher Paul- Senior Pastor at FAF church, Board of Trustees Recording Secretary & Professor at FIA Missionary School, Spiritual Aims Chairman at Kiwanis Club, Vice President at DCL Prayer Foundation, President at BCA, Honorary Member of PI Eagles FOE, President of PMBMI, Half-Ironman Triathlete Paul & Elvie- Founders & Directors of 25 churches & FHF orphanage, Kiwanis members, DCLFI Community Prayer team members & vice president, Professors at DABC College, Board members at FAF church. Rev. Paul, Elvie, PJ and Abigail Barner BCA Landline: 011-63-82-234-4000 Home address: 18 Eileen Drive, Rensselaer, NY 12144 PLEASE NOTE: OUR PJLILTIM@SKYINET.NET ADDRESS IS DISCONTINUED. PLEASE INSTEAD USE BLCKIDS@YAHOO.COM THANKS! |
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| 12/19/2019 | MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Dec. 25) BARNERS’ speaking/singing: DECEMBER 22: Albany, NY 2019 BCA CHRISTMAS “Gym Outfit” PROJECT: $3,535 received of $9,000 needed. Please pray for the Dabawenos (residents of Davao) during the daily earthquakes. The tremors are getting stronger & even roads have six-inch thick cracks in them. Praise God that, before speaking at a New York church last Sunday, PJ & Abby sang incredibly “Carrol of the Bells” & taught Sunday School. During the luncheon after church, many shared how blessed they were. Also, at the preschool where Elvie teaches while “stateside”, we attended the kids’ Christmas concert & the place was packed. Standing room only! "Oh, come let us adore Him…” As the Filipino church sang during their Christmas celebration last Sunday, suddenly a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit & the walls came tumbling down! This is the church of one of BCA’s teachers, Mae. So, the congregation continued worshipping Jesus, among the rubble…outside under a mango tree! At a Davao Barbecue Restaurant, the walls remained standing, but the customers rushed outside where it was safe from falling debris, & brought their rice with them. Appropriately, Angel (BCA’s 4th-grade teacher) was preparing her students for their concert. But first they read the biography of Maria, a jungle girl who creatively came up- with ways to protect her environment. She’d transplant tiny plants that she found near the chicken pen; plants that otherwise would have been devoured by the chicks. “Here are ways to be a world-changer…” One by one the kids wrote down the suggestions: Be godly, kind, say please and thank you, & obey your parents. Then they acted out, one by one, how to do these things. “In short,” responded Angel, “we should follow 1 Corinthians 16:14, ‘Do everything in love.’” Meanwhile I (Paul) was baking Christmas cookies with a 6th grade class which I was substitute teaching for. “Ray, lean on the tree-shaped cookie cutter to get a clean cut. Awesome! It looks like Shelby!” Oops. I had to explain that we named our Christmas tree this year “Shelby.” Ray responded, “Did Shelby want to be cut down?” I explained that, since Shelby was planted in a tree nursery, its purpose in life was to be cut down eventually. Since it was public school, I couldn’t parallel the story of Shelby with the story of how Jesus came to be born so that he could die for our sins. However, when we sang Happy Birthday to a teacher & Ray said, “Birthdays do not belong at Christmas time.” I corrected him. “Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birthday.” Ray insisted that Christmas has nothing to do with birthdays. I am sure that Ray asked his parents later for more details! Church walls in Davao may be coming down from the earthquakes, but walls of misunderstanding are tumbling down in New York this Christmas! Until next time…Let the islands rejoice! BCA’S New Campus Construction Fund (Phases D): $13,550 received of $25,000 needed. Present Need: $300 for (installment #5 of 155) $46,500 flood-proof (4-foot-high backfill) raised garage next to BCA’s present building, to protect our school buses. $45,000 remaining. # of students sponsored at BCA: 507 Triathlon bus fund: $1,473.19 received of $20,000 needed. |
| 12/12/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking: DECEMBER 15: South Westerlo, NY. 2019 BCA CHRISTMAS “Gym Outfit” PROJECT: $3,535 received of $9,000 needed. Please pray for BCA’s new, government-mandated “Drug Abuse Prevention & Intervention Plan”. Its General Objective is that, at the end of three years, every school in the city will be able to achieve full implementation of the “Drug-Free Workplace Program.” Praise God that, after the Philippines was hit by some of its worst flooding in decades, with torrents of muddy runoff forcing 66,000 from their homes, rescue efforts began for trapped locals. Storms & monsoon rains from Typhoon Kammuri, with landslides cutting roads, emergency crews in boats which were able to rescue all but the 13 who died. "Princess, I’ve stopped your bloody nose with tissues. A good way to make your blood thicker is to eat more dark green vegetables.” Lucy is BCA’s school nurse. Although she has inoperable cancer, she still is directing hundreds of BCA students to stay healthy. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in New York, I (Paul) was “substitute-teaching” “special needs” kids in a local elementary school. One boy has very limited speech abilities, yet when I gave him a hands-on activity to do, he pulled out pictures of his dogs & had the pictures do his work for him! Jonny (not his real name) would hold a picture in his little fingers & say “Rover, move this piece.” Then, once it was moved, Jonny would perfectly mimic my voice, saying, “Very good, Rover. Now can you do that again?” And then our son PJ (who with his sister Abby has final exams this week) directed his university class’ “Gothic Art” team to make his mom a saint… using a computer program to convert her picture into a stained-glass painting! “St Mom!” As I explained in the church we spoke in last Sunday, all believers have the privilege to follow God’s command to change the lives of others…for the better! And then, like Elvie, others will copy you and call you a saint! Until next time…Let the islands rejoice! BCA’S New Campus Construction Fund (Phases D): $13,500 received of $25,000 needed. Present Need: $250 for (installment #3 of 6) $1,500 overhaul of BCA’s Bus “M” which broke down during a run in November. $750 remaining. # of students sponsored at BCA: 506 Triathlon bus fund: $1,473.19 received of $20,000 needed. |
| 12/5/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking: DECEMBER 8: Nelliston, NY. Praise God that the church we spoke at this past week has a Sunday School class which is planning to send used stuffed animals & children’s books & also to pool their funds weekly to sponsor a BCA student! As the Barner family gathered over turkey & stuffing, we enjoyed being surrounded by loved ones whom we had not shared this holiday with for many years, having been on the mission field. A few days later after speaking at a church in Rhinebeck, NY, the snow began falling & soon led to a few days of school cancellations due to the storm. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, a different storm was brewing. 21 died from Typhoon Kamuri (locally named Tisoy). One man died after being electrocuted while attempting to fix his roof. Another when hit by a falling tree & yet another by a sheet of metal roofing material, blown off by the mighty winds. Strong winds, heavy rains, flooding, landslides, & dangerous driving conditions were the cause of numerous other fatalities. The capitol’s International airport also was closed. Meanwhile BCA’s Secretary Inday was diligently balancing caring for her sick son & also assigning 13 replacement children to the sponsors of kids whose families had moved to other regions due to dangerous flooding conditions. Since the school has a new policy to send quarterly mailings containing the monthly communications, every envelope contained pictures, letters & cards from the hundreds of grateful students. Just this Monday alone, 74 letters were delivered from the BCA office to the Davao City post office for their trans-Pacific journey. The school’s printer machine did object somewhat, until Inday used a lighter- bond of copy paper. # of students sponsored at BCA: 505 Triathlon bus fund: $1,473.19 received of $20,000 needed. |
| 11/28/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking: DECEMBER 1: Rhinebeck, NY. Praise God that a British man & his wife were rescued this week from Islamist captors in the Philippines after being chained for two months & threatened with beheading on Jolo Island if they didn't deliver a ransom. “I’ll meet you half-way.” After returning to Upstate New York from our Sunday speaking engagement, the pastor called to let me know I’d left my laptop computer at the church. Gratefully, he was willing to drive up to a midway point an hour away, where I drove to meet with him, pray together & retrieve the computer. A few days later, while substitute teaching, one of the kids joined the school’s Thanksgiving feast. Unfortunately, every time the cooks asked what he wanted; his response was “pumpkin pie.” Finally, when it was time for dessert, he was asked, with a full plate of food, “What else would you like?” When he yelled out, “PUMPKIN PIE!” the entire cafeteria was silent…then burst out laughing! I got a phone call from a publisher asking if I’d like to be among the Who’s Who of Businessmen. When they suggested I pay a thousand dollars for my copy & a plaque, she changed her mind when I explained how many thousands of children could be fed with that thousand dollars. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, BCA’s bus driver Ben was busy driving students to school. Headed from the city out to the countryside, Ben thanked God for each & every child who got on the bus. One student tripped on his way up, but gratefully another older boy wrapped both hands around the waist of his school mate & boosted her up. Meeting halfway…even when there is no pumpkin pie! Until next time…Let the islands rejoice! # of students sponsored at BCA: 505 Triathlon bus fund: $1,448.75 received of $20,000 needed. |
| 11/21/2019 | Happy Thanksgiving! (11/28) “That Christmas tree looks gorgeous!” Our BCA school nurse Lucy & also one of the BCA workers, Doris, unpacked the school’s (prefab) Christmas tree from storage & affixed its lights & ornaments & garlands. Oooh, did it look great. While looking through the stuff stored away for the last year in BCA’s storage loft (above the library), Doris found lots of other odds & ends that had been missing since last Christmas. Tools for the buses, paint brushes & rollers, pails, a small shovel & even a power sprayer, to wash the vehicles! She transferred most of the items to the downstairs storage room. Even though it is more prone to flooding there, at least the staff now knows where the items ate, & can move them at a moment’s notice if the rain begins menacingly falling in torrents. Parents of some of the poor BCA students pitched in to help sweep up the mess on the library floor after the tools & things were removed. They also decorated the school stage with lights, crèche & other colorful Christmassy stuff. Once finally finished with all the decorating & cleaning, Doris had another cleaning job to fulfill: a 3-yr-old preschooler had wet his pants! Right down to his shoes! Must’ve had an extra helping of water this morning to wash down the rice at breakfast? Dropping by each classroom, Doris asked the teachers what they needed for decorating: the ladder, spare garlands, used Christmas cards to decorate the walls, crayons for the students to draw their own nativity scenes… Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, another special Christmas gift was arriving… Pastor Nate from Pennsylvania drove over 6 hours to Upstate New York to bring a minivan for the ministry! Since their church was replacing it with a newer model, they were willing to sell it to us for a very low price! And it has half the mileage of our present vehicle. Also, at a church this past Sunday, where we had been speaking in Central NY State, the pastor was about to take a special love offering & informed the congregation that the church would match every gift given for the ministry! Whoa! And then, a retired widow on her way out the door after the service, informed us that she wanted to give us the funds we needed to get (& to insure/re-register) the van! Yay, God! And just in time, too, as I received an urgent phone call from our college-aged son PJ while I was finishing up a day of substitute teaching for troubled children. A few friends had helped PJ to practice drive, especially K-turns & parallel parking. Sure enough, on his fourth attempt, PJ passed his road test! We now have another licensed driver in the house! Yay! As we approach both Thanksgiving & Christmas seasons, may we also count our blessings, & especially the blessing of the free gift of God’s Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ!
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present Need: $300 for (installment #3 of 155) $46,500 flood-proof (4-foot-high backfill) raised garage next to BCA’s present building, to protect our school buses. $45,600 remaining. Please don’t forget: When you order anything online from Amazon.com, please use “Amazon Smile” & designate Paul M Barner Ministries (which is Barner Christian Academy) as the recipient of a portion of Amazon’s profits. Preliminary (Tentative) 6-month Schedule for USA Speaking Tour 2019-2020: 2019:
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Support us through Amazon Smile! Go to smile.amazon.com and type "Paul M Barner Ministries Inc" as the charitable organization you want to support. That's all you have to do! Now when you shop, 0.5% of the purchase price will be automatically donated to our ministry, at no additional cost to you. Thank you! PayPal Merchant ID for Paul M Barner Ministries (Barner Christian Academy) is Z89E34M2ZBQM6 OUR ACTIVE MINISTRIES: Abby- Youth Group President, Church Music team, High School Varsity Volleyball team PJ- University of Albany Student Elvie- National Board of Trustees for CAMACOP, Principal at BCA, Sunday School teacher Paul- Senior Pastor at FAF church, Board of Trustees Recording Secretary & Professor at FIA Missionary School, Spiritual Aims Chairman at Kiwanis Club, Vice President at DCL Prayer Foundation, President at BCA, Honorary Member of PI Eagles FOE, President of PMBMI, Half-Ironman Triathlete Paul & Elvie- Founders & Directors of 25 churches & FHF orphanage, Kiwanis members, DCLFI Community Prayer team members & vice president, Professors at DABC College, Board members at FAF church. Rev. Paul, Elvie, PJ and Abigail Barner BCA Landline: 011-63-82-234-4000 Home address: 18 Eileen Drive, Rensselaer, NY 12144 PLEASE NOTE: OUR PJLILTIM@SKYINET.NET ADDRESS IS DISCONTINUED. PLEASE INSTEAD USE BLCKIDS@YAHOO.COM THANKS! |
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| 11/14/2019 | Happy Veterans Day! (11/11) It’s snowing!” I’d already been up a few hours preparing lunches for Elvie, my dad & the college kids in the house. But I hadn’t looked outside yet. Dressed & ready to go, I peeped out the window & called upstairs, “Guys, we’d better hurry as traffic will be slower due to the snow!” When Elvie got outside, she was excitedly taking “selfies” in her winter jacket & surrounded by big fluffy white flakes descending from the sky. I did make it to the elementary school with a few seconds to spare, after dropping Elvie off at the preschool where she works, & PJ at the university where he is studying. But as I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that there were only two cars present. Amy the janitor called out the front door, “Paul, I guess nobody told you that school is delayed 2 hours this morning, due to the storm!” Always ready with a backup plan, I started one of my many projects, in the warmth of a 1st- grade classroom, surrounded by alphabets, scissors & crayons. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet in Davao, one of BCA’s bus drivers (Gilbo) was thrilled to hear that we had already raised enough funds for a brand-new (used) school bus, as a result of the completion of my recent Ironman triathlon in New Jersey. The reason he was so happy about it (even though we will not be getting it until next fall) is that he was hard at work adjusting the brake drums & rubber caps for BCA’s 20-yr-old “Bus M”. Between bus runs, Gilbo headed up to the (flat cement) roof of the school to clean-up & pull weeds in the rooftop garden. After his noon run for the preschoolers’ first shift (of three), Gilbo started chopping firewood for the boiling pot of rice for the afternoon session of arriving children. The previous week, Gilbo did not get the weekend off from work, as the ladies at church needed to be picked- up for a women’s conference on Saturday, & then on Sunday the people in our Panuntungun “jungle church” also needed to be transported to the main church (which meets at BCA) for our annual monthly combined worship service. Oh, also Gilbo had to drive to another village to pick up the roasted pig for Saturday’s celebration. |
| 11/7/2019 | Happy 19th Birthday, Abby (11/9) Happy 58th Birthday, Paul (11/9) Happy 22nd Foundation Day, BCA! USA Election Day (11/5) Praise God that, while during our speaking/singing engagement at a church in Valley Cottage, NY, they had a scrumptious dinner following & also donated 8 boxes of books for BCA library, even providing funds to ship them! Plus, the pastor gave Elvie a cellphone! “Can we keep him?” While I (Paul) was substitute teaching for special-needs kids this week in New York, one particular little boy was especially ornery & uncontrollable, squirming & screaming right at the start when he stepped off the bus. The teacher assigned me to him, & he actually was pretty good for me throughout the whole day, quietly cooperating especially nicely. The other aides in the classroom were whispering among themselves. At the end of the day, one confided in me, “We were just asking each other ‘can we keep him?’” I responded, “Teachers can’t keep students in school all the time.” Then she replied, “No, we were talking about YOU!” Of course, as a rotating sub that wouldn’t be possible, since I fill-in at all the local schools’ special-needs departments, whose fulltime subs need temporary replacements. I am saving-up the income from these assignments for our new tribal campus to be built next year when we return to the Philippines. Meanwhile back on the other side of the globe at BCA, the hundreds of BCA students were excitedly preparing for the school’s 23rd annual Foundation Day parade, with athletic competitions & class presentations. Faith, the school secretary, was extremely busy, as she had three major items on her plate: #1- prepare all the sound equipment, program, parent information, special guest speakers & decorations for the rented outdoor gym, #2- the government-required PEDAMOC (Parent Education & Development, Advocacy & Mobilization of Communities) forms (for at-home follow-up of preschool class assignments & interaction with their local stakeholders & neighborhood concerns), & #3- file the 1st through 6th- grade students’ monthly grades online to the Department of Education. Faith was a busy girl. Then, the BCA office computers crashed. All of them. Then the printer died & there was also no red ink left. Even the stores had run out. Her 1st priority was the BCA event. But interspersed was also the sorting-out of students’ documents, filing them into their individual folders. Also double-checking if each child had submitted the required documents. Finally on Friday, Faith had finished filing & double-checking the students’ documents from Grade 6 down through the five grades of preschool, the day before. “Oh, but there is still one more thing to do…” In front of 350 parents, students & dignitaries, gathered in the outdoor gymnasium in their colorful Foundation Day outfits, she held up her cellphone & recorded all those present in singing a rounding chorus of “Happy Birthday” to Pastor Paul (58), Abigail (19) & BCA (23) !
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
Present need: $300 for (installment #2 of 155) $46,500 flood-proof (4-foot-high backfill) raised garage next to BCA’s present building, to protect our school buses. $45,900 remaining. # of students sponsored at BCA and its affiliate schools: 503.
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| 10/31/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking tour this week: NOVEMBER 3: Ohio, NY. 2019 BCA CHRISTMAS PROJECT: This year, BCA plans to provide free gym outfits for each of its 600 students (501 sponsored and 99 on the waiting list). Gym outfits plus other Christmas gifts total $15 per child, so the total need is $9,000. Already $70 has come in. Please pray for the Filipinos of Mindanao. Over the past three weeks there have been almost half a dozen major earthquakes (between 5 and 7 on the Richter Scale) along with nearly a thousand tremors and aftershocks. All public buildings are being evaluated by engineers as to their structural stability. Some hotels and stores have been destroyed, and landslides have stranded some villages. Praise God that a local pastor was training PJ in his parallel parking recently. Even though he still didn’t pass his driver test, he is a whole lot closer to passing now. Praise God also that, after losing my cell phone after prayer meeting, a day later someone found it & returned it to me. “Trick or treat! As PJ & Abby assisted a local church on Halloween night, PJ acted a part in their annual play, while Abby took pictures & held a very large umbrella for kids (in the wind & rain). Nearly a dozen urban kids came forward to receive Jesus into their hearts! Earlier in the day Elvie & I had been substitute teaching in separate schools & one of my 1st grade students had a skeleton costume for the Halloween parade. He was afraid to put on his skull mask (& it scared the other kids anyway), so I suggested he use it instead as a candy bag. Success! No more scared kids! No more lost candy either! Back home, while spending time with my ninety-year-old dad, my dad, an avid reader, came up with some ingesting quotes. One, “Nice meeting you. The pleasure is all yours.” When his physical therapist congratulated him on his improvement, his response was “Yet when I am done, you will not be coming anymore, so I am in no hurry.” And, “Hmm, you get paid for the hard work I am doing every morning… but it is well worth it.” And finally, “Wow, that was fun. I feel so chipper, it is like I am a young & chipper 88 again!” Funny guy, my dad is. Meanwhile on the other side of the globe in the Philippines (Where they do not celebrate Halloween), it wasn’t candy that was causing nearly a dozen students to visit BCA’s Nurse Lucy’s clinic for stomachaches. Instead, there was something that many of the kids had eaten at their various homes. After Lucy had watered the colorful flowers in front of BCA’s medical clinic & also ordered a “tarpaulin” banner, along with 3 dozen balloons & 300 rented chairs for next week’s annual Foundation Day, she saw to her patients. Daily toothaches, fevers & bloody noses are normal elementary school faire. Last week she had visited a student who was in the hospital. “Daryll & Ashley, what have you been eating? How did you get so sick?” Their responses revealed a common denominator: rice all from the same sidewalk stand. Often raw rice is dried on sheets along the side of the road, & likely something unclean got into it while it was drying. Lucy gave them a simple cure & by the time they headed home they were bright & chipper again. Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! This week At-A-Glance:
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present need: $300 for (installment #1 of 155) $46,500 flood-proof (4-foot-high backfill) raised garage next to present building, to protect our school buses. # of students sponsored at BCA and its affiliate schools: 503. PayPal Merchant ID for Paul M Barner Ministries (Barner Christian Academy) is Z89E34M2ZBQM6 |
| 10/24/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking tour this week: OCTOBER 27: Valley Cottage, NY. Please also pray for the parents of the kids that Elvie is teaching while in New York, that the parents of the children will start attending church. Praise God also that, in the church we spoke at this past week, two families decided to sponsor BCA students! “What is your S-Factor?” When the New York weather started getting a little nippy, “Fuel-Guy Tim” came with his hazmat tanker-truck to fill-up my Dad’s furnace. While fueling, Tim started a conversation. “Why are my prayers not answered? I pray every day for my sis with cancer,” inquired Tim. He then went on to explain all the gods that he prays to. My response? “Maybe you are praying to the wrong God.” Tim appreciated my answer and explained the “S” factor… what is the letter written on your chest (like Superman)? What are you known for? Sometimes a banker will wear a “G” for greedy, or a “C” for considerate. Tim said I was definitely a “S”. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in Davao, BCA’s treasurer Minmin was busy interacting with the staff. A treat was supplied by the school in honor of the birthday of one of the teachers & Minmin & a bus driver drive downtown to the outdoor market to buy vegetables to make Chow Mein to go with the rice. The celebration did not interrupt classes, since it took place during the lunch hour. When Minmin returned from the party, she prepared the money for the teacher’s medical fund. One of the secretaries filled out the paperwork and then another secretary went down town to wait in line & pay the bill. After that, another trip to pay the water bill. Minmin also was discipling some of the parents from Luke 19. Zacchaeus had been totally committed, even to the point of providing retribution for his sins. If Minmin had been with Tim the fuel guy, she most likely would also have an “S” on her shirt for Super Treasurer! Until next time…
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present need: $300 for (installment #10 of 10) $3,000 government- required (fire department) project to install fire hose hookup “standpipe”, complete with piping, water tank & glass wall cabinet for firehose. # of students sponsored at BCA and its affiliate schools: 501. |
| 10/17/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking tour this week:
PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 2 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) regularly compete in Ironman triathlons (70.3-mile swim, cycle, run). If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses, while I pay for the races myself). The race is 70.3 miles in Middlebury, Connecticut on May 31, 2020. Thanks! For the next 2 buses (of 3), we need $20,000. So far, BCA has received $188.75! 2019 BCA CHRISTMAS PROJECT: This year, BCA plans to provide free gym outfits for each of its 600 students (501 sponsored and 99 on the waiting list). Gym outfits plus other Christmas gifts total $15 per child, so the total need is $9,000. Already $20 has come in. But wouldn’t you know it, the choice was EITHER ice cream or pie, & both only for an extra charge. Being the cheapskate that I am, I just had ice cream…until Sunday. For, after church we had the leftovers! And after everybody left, the kitchen crew left enormous containers of homemade ice cream outside with a dipper for us to feast upon! After about the fifth helping of Styrofoam cups filled with homemade ice cream, we were ready to hit the road for the loooong drive back home. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in Davao, BCA’s First-Grade Teacher Sheena was enjoying the Monday morning Teachers’ Devotional Bible lesson from John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” She was in tears as she reflected on the challenges of life, & the verses became very real to her. After flag raising, for which BCA’s hundreds of students had joined together in the gymnasium, the kids traipsed single-file back to their classrooms. Sheena began by teaching her students new songs, which they picked up in a heartbeat. Then she read to them the story of David & Goliath. “Grecian, you be Goliath, with a real deep voice. Ashley, you can be David’s mom, preparing lunches with Jesse for David to bring to his brothers, & finally, Pedrino, you can be David.” Pedrino quipped, “Do I get to wear a crown, since I am a king?” “Oh no, not yet, little guy. David became king many years later. Now you are just a boy, but a very, very courageous boy at that!” At this, Pedrino’s chest puffed out and he proudly stated, “Yes, I truly am a very courageous young man!” to which all of his classmates laughed hysterically. The mini-play went off wonderfully in Sheena’s first-grade classroom. These kids are natural actors. Sheena herself felt courageous, since her growing-up years had been up in the jungle, & to actually be teaching city kids was a privilege beyond expression. Sheena re-read to her students the verse from that morning, John 16:33. “Kids, when Jesus told us to take heart because He has overcome the world, does that mean that we should always be afraid?” In unison, the 30 students declared, “NO”. Sheena then asked, “Are courageous Christians greedy, or boastful, or lazy or liars?” The students again called out, “no…no….no…no!” Then Sheena explained why a courageous Christian does not have to steal, or to do any of those other things. She was incredibly amazed at how fast the kids picked up on her lesson, especially since they had personally acted out the characters of the hero, David. Then Grecian spoke up in a soft voice, “But I was Goliath, Teacher Sheena. Does that mean I am not courageous, since I lost the battle?” This was just what Sheena had been waiting to hear. “Kids, when two people or teams compete, one wins and the other loses. Does that mean that the loser is not courageous?” Then Ashley (David’s mom in the platy) said, “Oh no. After all, my son David only fights courageous warriors!” Once again, the whole classroom was filled with laughter. So, along with extra ice cream for everyone, both enemies & good guys can be assured that good will eventually always win out, for Jesus assured us to “take heart! I have overcome the world.” Until next time…
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present need: $300 for (installment #9 of 10) $3,000 government- required (fire department) project to install fire hose hookup “standpipe”, complete with piping, water tank & glass wall cabinet for firehose. # of students sponsored at BCA and its affiliate schools: 501. Preliminary (Tentative) 6-month Schedule for USA Speaking Tour 2019-2020: 2019:
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| 10/10/2019 | Happy Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) 10/8-9 PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 2 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) regularly compete in Ironman triathlons (70.3-mile swim, cycle, run). If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses, while I pay for the races myself). The race is 70.3 miles in Middlebury, Connecticut on May 31, 2020. Thanks! For the next 2 buses (of 3), we need $20,000. So far, BCA has received $188.75! Please pray for the recuperation of one of our BCA bus drivers, Boy “Pacquito” who just had an appendectomy. Praise God for a prayer warrior in Pennsylvania whose friend is celebrating her 90th birthday by giving a party. All the guests have been asked to forego gifts & instead donate to BCA! Yay! Praise God also that PJ, Abby, Elissa & Ruth, all who are staying with us this year, are conscientious in their college studies. Praise God also that one of the 26 churches we’ve planted back in Davao just celebrated a baptismal service in which both a husband & wife (young couple) followed the Lord in this form of obedience, this past Saturday. BCA’s Teacher Hazel was team-teaching 4th through 6th graders, in successive classes throughout the day. When the kids in each class brought in their empty folders, they were in all different shapes & sizes. Some were tattered & others had assorted writing on them, depending on whose garbage they lived near. As Hazel brought out a lump of clay for each child, she divided them into groups to form different land formations using the folders as the base. “Students, you have all performed excellently in creating the various incredible land formations of mountains, valleys, seas, etc. Yet your folders are so very different from each other. Likewise, God builds upon our lives, no matter where we live & what we wear.” Hazel continued in her lesson, “God’s love for us is unconditional. Because God loves us unconditionally, we also need to love others wholeheartedly. It doesn’t matter what they look like or where they live, they all need the love that only God’s people like yourselves are willing to give.” “Even as it states in First John 4:11- ‘Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another.’” It wasn’t until class time however that Hazel was fully convinced that the “bully” child had changed his ways. She asked for pronouns to be used in an OBJECTIVE sentence & he said, “I hurt him.” Then in a SUBJECTIVE sentence, “He was my friend.” Finally, a POSSESSIVE sentence, “Jesus, my God, wants me to be kind.” Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in New York, I was riding with PJ to take his driving test. Afterward, we decided to visit a close family friend (in her 80s) who was in a nursing home. Ruth was on oxygen, yet felt chilly. So, as we read from the Biblical book of Ruth & sang with her & prayed with her, I reached into her dresser & pulled out a sweater for her to wear. She was very pleased (& warmed-up) during our visit. Ruth used to be my Sunday School teacher half a century ago! PJ & I were humming away on the way home, the hymns we had sung with Ruth, remembering her sweet smile. The weekend came & went. After speaking in a church in Kingston, NY, I listened to & counseled Chad, a recovering suicidal alcoholic whose ex-wife had just remarried the day before. His entire attitude had changed now that his inner troubles had been shared with me. When our family arrived back in Albany after our trip, I checked the email & was shocked to read that Ruth, just hours after our visit, had gone on to Glory in heaven. Wow. As the days pass by, & as BCA’s Teacher Hazel sees the new friendship of former bullied kids in her class, I also see in my mind the smiles of Ruth, Chad and others whose lives have been blessed as we obey First John 4:11- “Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Until next time…
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present need: $173 for BCA Buses “Ph” & “N” & “Fo” & “Mz”: $9 for wiper blades, $24 for 2 tail lamp mults., $23 for 2 12-watt flashers, $19 for 2 H4 12-watt bulbs, $55 for hydrovac assembly, $23 for 24-watt horn, $7 for wiper blade, $19 for 2 seat belts, 4-M4 lamps, $4 for 4-inch shock bolt. PayPal Merchant ID for Paul M Barner Ministries (Barner Christian Academy) is Z89E34M2ZBQM6 Preliminary (Tentative) 6-month Schedule for USA Speaking Tour 2019-2020:
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| 10/3/2019 | Happy Rosh Hashana (9/29-10/1) PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 2 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) regularly compete in Ironman triathlons (70.3-mile swim, cycle, run). If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses, while I pay for the races myself). The race is 70.3 miles in Middlebury, Connecticut on May 31, 2020. Thanks! For the next 2 buses (of 3), we need $20,000. So far, BCA has received $188.75! Rose watched as each child closed their eyes & put their heads down on their desks so that nobody else would see. As hand after hand went up in the air, Rose finally & cheerfully exclaimed, “Okay, you can open your eyes now. Everybody wants to become a Christian!” Then the entire class prayed in unison the prayer of repentance out loud. What a victory in Jesus! Later, as the children were coloring & cutting out shapes of trees, plants & animals, some had never used scissors before. Yet their newfound faith was expressed in their incredible artwork. It was almost as if God was giving them pointers on how best to portray the creation that He had made for them, since they were now His very own children spiritually. Truly, thought Rose after the pupils left her class for the day, oh Lord, it is a joy to give importance to the soul of each & every precious child in my care. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in New York, Paul, Elvie, PJ & Abby were headed with 2 friends to a convention a few hours away, where Elvie was to be one of the speakers. Jane is the name of the lady on our GPS, & she suddenly changed the coordinates. “Turn at the next exit. I have found a faster route.” Since I knew that the Interstate Thruway which we were on was the quickest route, I ignored Jane’s advice. Then, just a few miles later, we found out why Jane wanted to redirect us. For the next 45 minutes we were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic due to a Greyhound Bus fire. Meanwhile, we could clearly see the state route which rode parallel to the thruway which had traffic that quickly breezed by us. After the convention (where Elvie gave a challenging message, PJ prepared an inspiring PowerPoint & Abby sang a solo) we drove a few more hours north to speak at another church. The autumn trees change their hues faster in Northern New York State, & the splashes of color were elegant. After the service, three families signed up to sponsor children, & a delightfully large family of ten decided to save up to take a short-term missions trip to help in our orphanage! Praise God for those who listen & respond to God’s urging upon their lives…whether it is Filipino BCA students praying to receive Jesus, or ladies at a conference promising to pray for God’s work overseas, or families committing their time & treasures for God’s work! (By the way, you can watch Sunday’s message & the kids’ duet on Facebook at Parkside Bible Church in Watertown, New York, September 29, 2019).
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
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| 9/26/2019 | Happy “See You at the Pole” (9/25/2019) BARNERS’ speaking tour this week:
PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 2 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) regularly compete in Ironman triathlons (70.3-mile swim, cycle, run). If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses, while I pay for the races myself). The race is 70.3 miles. Thanks! For the next 2 buses (of 3), we need $20,000. So far, BCA has received $88.75! The first replacement bus will be purchased upon our return to Davao in September, 2020. My next race is in Middlebury, Connecticut on May 31, 2020. Please pray for our son PJ as he takes his driving test next week, & also for the BCA students as they prepare their presentations, costumes, songs & recitations for the annual International Day at School. Praise God that a public library where I often do my internet (every few days) was giving away free books & I was able to ship about 500 novels & children’s books to our BCA school in the Philippines this week! “Keep doing good stuff.” After working out in the YMCA, I was trying to witness to Sam, a guy whose locker was near mine, & who kept complaining about our troubled society. He was interested in our orphanage, school & churches in the Philippines, but he was the kind of guy who just wanted to talk, & wouldn’t let you get more than a few words in edgewise. Finally, ready to pick up & leave, I just ended our discussion by encouraging him to keep looking for ways to help others. Maybe every few days I can add a few more words in, & eventually God will fill in the blanks for him to respond to the Holy Spirit’s urgings. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, BCA’s 3rd Grade Teacher Dibbie was facing another Monday with happiness. She’d just gotten out of the weekly Monday morning Teacher’s Bible time, where BCA’s 2nd Grade Teacher Sheila Mae had asked, “How do you find out God’s will?” After the entire student body had gathered together in the gym for flag-raising, the national anthem/ pledge of allegiance, morning prayer & exercises, her kids trooped into her classroom after an exciting weekend, a tad too boisterous & energetic. “Hmm,” thought Teacher Dibbie, “GOD’S-WILL-FINDER #1: God’s will is not a feeling.” Boisterous or not, Dibbie’s 30 students had memorized their morning routine. After Dibbie slowly & distinctly said, “Good morning class…” They all stood in unison & recited, “Good Morning Teacher Dibbie. Welcome to our third-grade class. God Bless you today.” Phew. Okay, thought Dibbie. The scene is set. I may have felt like today was going to be difficult, but already God has shown me that feelings can be misleading. God is not playing games with me. He wants us to understand His will, His purpose, & His plan for these students. Now for GOD’S-WILL-FINDER #2: God’s will is not a formula. “Students, you may be seated. Let us begin today’s lessons with Social Studies.” As each child removed their textbooks from their desks, Shaira raised her hand. “Teacher, why is it that in our culture, we want everything to be easy? We want things to follow a simple formula so it will instantly change our lives.” It was Rovi’s turn to respond. “Oh, that is so simple. We want a step-by-step guide. Like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, we like to see the big picture first, so that we can plan what steps to take to make it succeed.” Dibbie figured that this was the perfect time to introduce GOD’S-WILL-FINDER #3: God’s will is a relationship. “The better we get to know Him, the less confusion we are going to have about what His will is. When we know God, everything else becomes secondary…like your homework assignment for tonight…” Collectively, the entire class cried out, “oooohhhh…” But Dibbie continued, “For tomorrow, I want you each to doing something nice for someone else. And through this, God will begin to show you His big picture for your life.” To which, the entire class sighed out, “aaaahhhh…” Yes, Sam, & Dibbie, “Keep doing good stuff.” Until next time…
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: |
| 9/19/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking tour this week:
PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 2 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) regularly compete in Ironman triathlons (70.3-mile swim, cycle, run). If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses, while I pay for the races myself). Thanks! For the next 2 buses (of 3), we need $20,000. So far, BCA has received $88.75! The first replacement bus will be purchased upon our return to Davao in September, 2020. Please don’t forget: When you order anything online from Amazon.com, please use “Amazon Smile” & designate Paul M Barner Ministries (which is Barner Christian Academy) as the recipient of a portion of Amazon’s profits. Faith is our school secretary & this lesson remained foremost in her mind as she stomped upstairs to the fifth-grade classroom. Julia, one of the student-transfers, was bullying her classmates again…for the fourth time already. The students were hushed as Faith knocked on the door & entered the room. “STOP!” she called out, as she saw Julia’s hand sneaking over the desk to pinch the back of the neck of Ralph, the boy seated in front of her. Julia only grinned & pasted an innocent look on her face. It was Ralph’s day to be in the “hot seat” which is right in front of Bully-Julia. Each student rotated into this seat, day after day. “What? I did nothing wrong!” (which she hadn’t…this time…yet) A gathered sigh came from the other 29 students as they all stood up & chanted in unison, “Good morning, Secretary Faith, it is good to see you today. Welcome to our beautiful fifth-grade classroom.” And then sat down. Faith responded, “Good morning, class. You may now be seated.” “COMMIT yourself to God…” began Secretary Faith. “Students, do you know what this means?” Ralph raised his hand & suggested, “We should trust in God for everything…and COMMIT Julia to prison for life!” The students all laughed, even Julia, since she was getting her longed-for attention. Faith then gave a simple math problem to the class while she whispered her idea to Teacher Hazel. After a few more moments she said, “Thank you, class,” and then she left. Upon Faith’s departure, Hazel called Julia up to the blackboard to solve the very simple math problem. “30-1=29 Correct, Julia. Due to your very capable mathematical skills, I will place you in the seat of honor.” She then requested Ralph to use his muscles to transfer Julia’s chair far into the front of the classroom, away from anyone whom she could bother, yet right at the center of attention, where she desired. As Faith was heading back to her BCA office to continue work on the school’s complex, annual, 200-page government application for renewal of its operational permit for the following year (2020-2021), on the other side of the planet in New Jersey, I (Paul) and my family were driving 300 miles to the venue of my Ironman competition. While in the line among 3,999 other athletes in swim caps & goggles, awaiting the starting gun to go off, I was talking with Tony, the anesthesiologist next to me. I described how our Philippine BCA school was to buy a brand-new bus next year as a result of those who have sponsored it & my races. While the thirty-something young dad (of eight kids) had lots of questions, my answers were curtailed as I prayed for him and then we dove into the dark cauldron of sixteen thousand arms & legs of fellow swimmers. While swimming, cycling & running, I sang & prayed for many of those who were praying for me at that very moment. Yet at 10:30am, something amazing happened. I was about halfway through the 8.5-hour race when the effects of 4 hours of racing started to really bother me. My muscles started tightening up, & many competitors began to pass me. In an ultra-race like this, your competitors are not your enemies, but your guides. On your legs & arms are painted your race number & age. I could see some who were much older than me, passing me. When 11 o’clock came however, I could tell that churches across the country had begun their worship services & people were praying for me! At that very moment I could actually feel the strength that God had given me through the prayers that His people were lifting up. Boy, did I need them at that moment! I surged ahead, seemingly with a brand-new body. For the next hour, all who had passed me in my time of weakness we re-passed by me, as well as over a dozen others! When my “second wind” finally wore off, & some passed me again, they called out words of encouragement like, “That was incredible! Give me some of that energy!” Little did they know of my secret weapon- YOU! As a result of God answering your prayers, I was able to improve my time by finishing 6 minutes faster than my last race! “Commit yourself to God…” yes, Diane, Julia & Faith, the lesson is true every day, every minute, every second & every decade of our lives! Let the islands rejoice! This week At-A-Glance:
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
Present need: $300 for (installment #7 of 10) $3,000 government- required (fire department) project to install fire hose hookup “standpipe”, complete with piping, water tank & glass wall cabinet for firehose. # of students sponsored at BCA and its affiliate schools: 500. Preliminary (Tentative) 6-month Schedule for USA Speaking Tour 2019-2020:
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| 9/15/2019 | Barners’ speaking tour this week: SEPTEMBER 15: Atlantic City, NJ When we found a cheaper New York internet company than the one we were presently using, we discontinued the previous one & awaited the arrival of the new guys for installation. However, two months later when he arrived, he shook his head as he proclaimed in his Jamaican accent, “Lets me clear it. Weh deh branch be, it nid to goo.” In short, we had to reschedule the internet installation until after we could remove the huge 20-year-old bush that had enormous leafy branches blocking access for ladders to be able to lean up against the telephone pole. “No problem, Shawn. I’ll do that now. Can you come back tomorrow?” With a doubtful look of surprise, Shawn said, “Yah mon. Inna de morrows.” (see you tomorrow!) The previous day, while cleaning out a shed in back of the house, I had found a rusty old saw. So I donned my bicycle gloves & started cutting, back & forth, back & forth. Three blisters later, soaked to the skin & with three of the dozen branches already removed, my sister arrived. “Whatcha doing? Why not use a chain saw?” While she got her husband John to come over, Abby & Ruth came home from their day of college classes. “Whatcha doin, dad? Why not use a chain saw?” Since I’d just heard this line, my response was, “Wanna help?” They laid down their books on the grass & while their grandpa (my 90-yr-old dad) cheered them on from the porch, the girls started sawing away as well…until John came along, & then my brother Bud to finish the job…many hands (& blisters) make light work! Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in the Philippines, Pastor Gripo (one of our “Island Church Planters”) was sharing in her daily journal. “Our church name is Jesus is Everything Fellowship Church, in the island village of Limao. This year we are celebrating our church’s 21st anniversary!” She went on to share about their trials & triumphs over the past 2 decades. Since it was just a small church, Pastors Lemuel & Ortega only lasted one or two years each. The lack of consistent leadership was making the future of the church look bleak. Then Gripo came & convinced some followers of a cult group to leave their eerie beliefs & follow Jesus instead. The persistent pull of reps from the cult to their doors finally brought the church back down to zero. Although tempted to give up, Gripo fasted & prayed for two weeks. then with extra vim & vigor, visits were made to pull those parishioners back into the fold. It was a festive occasion when they reached 8 new members! Over the next eight years, for 4 times the church faced catastrophes of fire, theft & floods. Finally, as other churches & pastors joined in the prayer efforts, a dozen new believers had passed their training class & were baptized! God’s faithfulness continued to shine as, in 2013 Barner Christian Academy (BCA) offered to include Gripo’s Limao church in BCA’s sponsorship program. From the 9 sponsored students that year until now in 2019 with 58 sponsored students (& their families), the church is bursting at the seams & needs to build a new building to house all the members. Since the previous cult still has left confusion regarding Biblical truths in the minds of the new believers, training must continue until the next batch of Jesus-followers are ready to be baptized. Yet Gripo is encouraged to see the scales of doubt peel away from the eyes of these baby believers! Although the enemy, Satan, roams around like a roaring lion, we, Christ’s followers continue to shine the light & bring multitudes out of the darkness & into faith in Jesus Christ. Like trimming away the troublesome branches of a tree, & being joined by others who assist along the way, the job will be complete before our Lord shall return! Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! This week At-A-Glance: September 12 (Thursday) Barners working in NY, kids in college, Abby in special Honors meeting at college. September 13 (Friday) Barners working in NY, kids in college. Then, drive to Atlantic
City, NJ for Paul’s 70.3 mile Ironman Triathlon. September 15 (Sunday) Paul competes in Atlantic City, NJ 70.3-mile Ironman Triathlon September 16 (Monday) Barners working in NY, kids in college September 17 (Tuesday) Barners working in NY, kids in college September 18 (Wednesday) Barners working in NY, kids in college, Prayer Meeting September 19 (Thursday) Barners working in NY, kids in college September 20 (Friday) Barners working in NY, kids in college BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
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| 9/5/2019 | Happy 52nd Birthday, Elvie! (9/9/67)// USA Patriot Day (9/11) “Oh, Teacher Jessa!” cried out Aira, who was seated between Jennifer & Jessavelle. “Jesus loves us, even though we often make Him angry!”
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
Present need: $300 for (installment #6 of 10) $3,000 government- required (fire department) project to install fire hose hookup “standpipe”, complete with piping, water tank & glass wall cabinet for firehose. |
| 8/29/2019 | Happy 52nd Birthday, Elvie! (9/9/67) Happy Filipino Culture Month, BCA! (August), Happy American Labor Day (9/2) Please Pray for the short-term mission teams from Arizona & Utah who are planning trips for 2020: clowns, VBS, construction, computer hookups, street ministry, preaching & orphans. When asked “What do you value?” the majority said, “We love showing spending quality time with the kids and showing them our love.”
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
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| 8/22/2019 | USA Labor Day (9/2), Ninoy Aquino day (8/21), National Heroes Day (8/26), Kadayawan (Davao Harvest) Festival (8/17) BARNERS’ speaking tour this week: AUGUST 25: Utah. PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 3 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) have registered to compete in an Ironman triathlon (swim, cycle, run) this fall. If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses). The race is 70.3 miles. Thanks! The race is in Atlantic City, New Jersey: September 15, 2019. For the buses, we need $30,000. So far, BCA has received $9,518.75. If you are following the race on television, my “Racing Bib #” will be #2244. Please don’t forget: When you order anything online from Amazon.com, please use “Amazon Smile” & designate Paul M Barner Ministries (which is Barner Christian Academy) as the recipient of a portion of Amazon’s profits. Please Pray for the final arrangements for our kids’ fall college classes. There are often “enrollment surprises” just a few days before they begin, that the school administration had not made clear, such as physicals, immunizations, & last-minute fees. Praise God that recently, while at the airport waiting for our flight, PJ had brought along his mandolin & played Christian songs. It was a great way to witness, as these passengers waiting to board are just sitting around as a captive audience for hours. They often try to listen-in to understand what the words are, & sometimes even sing along! One girl rushed over to PJ with her own ukulele & said that, if she wasn’t already rushing to board her plane, the two could have played a duet there at the departure gate. “Are you sure that you are full? There is lots more food here.” Since we are visiting 2 churches in Utah on consecutive Sundays, we had a chance to join some of the ministries offered during the intervening week. One of these ministries involved going to the park on a sunny day to set up a table & feed a great long line of homeless families. People from church had prepared meatballs, salads, casseroles & other scrumptious foods. Then, while the homeless parents & children were sitting on the grass eating their lunch, PJ & Abby serenaded them with a mini concert. On yet another day Elvie & Abigail joined a team of ladies at the church to sort out the various sizes of clothes that had been donated for the church’s September yard sale. We also went to another church to load up some of the items that they had not sold in their previous sale. 80 boxes of shiny brand-new shoes, in their original boxes, had been donated for free by a local shoe store! We were able to fit them all into the minivan of our friend. This sale will raise funds for the church’s short-term clown-&-construction missions team which is coming out to our school & orphanage in Davao next fall. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in the Philippines, BCA’s Teacher Hazel was instructing her 4th-Grade students. When Jhona reached up to pinch her classmate Michael on the cheek, Hazel noticed and stopped teaching. “Jhona, keep your hands to yourself. See the poster on the wall? What does it say?” Jhona carefully stood up to read so that everyone could hear, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Matthew 7:12” “So Jhona, what do you say to Michael?” prodded Hazel. “I am sorry, Michael.” “And Michael, what do you say to Jhona?” Asked Hazel. “Jhona, you pinch really, really hard. Much harder that I pinched you!” As all the other classmates were laughing, Hazel tried to keep from smiling & went back to teaching her lesson…after moving Jhona next to Richard, & Michael next to Mae. “Lord,” prayed Hazel after the students departed that afternoon on the BCA school buses to go home, “Thank you for Your guidance, for Your patience, and for Your wisdom that as these students’ advisor, in even these tiny matters, their lives will be changed.” Doing kind things for others…in the park…in the church…at work…in the classroom…wherever God places us, let us shine for Him! Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! This week At-A-Glance:
Looking ahead: UT: 8/12-25, WY: 8/26, CO: 8/27, NY: 8/27 BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present need: $300 for (installment #5 of 10) $3,000 government- required (fire department) project to install fire hose hookup “standpipe”, complete with piping, water tank & glass wall cabinet for firehose. # of students sponsored at BCA and its affiliate schools: 485. |
| 8/15/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking tour this week: AUGUST 18: Ogden, UT. PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 3 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) have registered to compete in an Ironman triathlon (swim, cycle, run) this fall. If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses). The race is 70.3 miles. Thanks! The race is in Atlantic City, New Jersey: September 15, 2019. For the buses, we need $30,000. So far, BCA has received $9,518.75. Please don’t forget: When you order anything online from Amazon.com, please use “Amazon Smile” & designate Paul M Barner Ministries (which is Barner Christian Academy) as the recipient of a portion of Amazon’s profits. Please Pray for the team leaders of short-term missions trips scheduled for 2020 from various Western States. As we are speaking at their churches, the teams are being formed to do evangelistic outreaches and/or construction projects in the Davao City ministries, especially in the BCA orphanage & school. May God choose the perfect teams & may they also be successful in raising support to pay for their flights across the planet. Praise God that Amazon.com has notified us that almost $30 had been donated to BCA through their “Smile” charitable giving program over the month of July! “Students, today we will be studying our classroom theme, which is jungles.” BCA’s 2nd Grade Teacher Thria was surrounded by colorful wall decorations of coconut trees, vines, ferns & life-sized animals made on colorful construction paper. “As I make a sound, come up & point to the animal that the sound represents.” “Roar!” Jelian raised her hand & went to the back of the room where she pointed to a lion. “Right, Jelian! It is a lion. The next sound is sssss…” Each of the students identified correctly the snake, frog, cobra, parrot & monkey. Then Thria threw a monkey wrench in too see if they would be observant enough to see through her trick. “The next sound is…MOO!” That was, until Meakyla raised her hand. Surprised, the teacher motioned for Meakla to go ahead & point to the animal. The little 2nd grader came up to the front of the room & touched Thria’s hand. “You made the sound, Teacher. Of all you can find in the jungle, only teachers make the sound Moo.” Meakla was correct, of course…a bit humbling though for Thria. “Yes, you are very correct. In fact, like my classroom the jungle is the perfect place where my learners can explore, discover & grow.” She then pointed to the Bible verse on her wall, taking it to heart. “Whoever guards the mouth & his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” Proverbs 21:23. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet in Arizona & Utah, I was trying to stay awake while driving thousands of miles. When coffee, soda & snacking fell short to keep me alert, I slowed down from the 80-miles per hour & pulled to the side of the road for a nap. Refreshed after what seemed like half an hour later, I asked PJ how long I’d been out. “Oh, about three minutes!” Huh. Well, it did the trick. We had spoken a few days previous at a delightfully-missions-minded church in Arizona to thank them for sending incredible work teams, year after year, to the Philippines to improve the buildings & grounds of our orphanage…as well as “Luvin-on” the orphans while there. After our departure from Arizona, we drove up to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the trip through the desert took longer than we’d expected, & we arrived there two minutes after sundown. We had fun anyway, taking creative silhouette pictures under the full moon. In the evening twilight, we could see a distance away what I thought was a lighted robot out on the ledge. Edging closer, I saw it was actually a young couple who, harnessed & equipped with headlamps, had climbed out onto teetering ledges to retrieve nearly a hundred dollars in coins which tourists had thrown out to make wishes. Unfortunately, these very coins get swallowed by condors, which choke & often die. So the couple had removed their socks to fill them instead with the coins. En route trekking through another canyon the next day (Horseshoe Bend), we stopped to rest in a shaded area from the hot sun of the early afternoon. Elvie nudged me & whispered that the park ranger was singing along with me. I had not even realized I had been softly singing “How Great Thou Art”. Yet since it was a Christian song, the ranger caught my attention & said, “It’s nice to see fellow Christians around!” I guess that Thria’s Bible verse applies. “Whoever guards the mouth & his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” In God’s creation, we can see a lot of beautiful creatures. But the greatest are those who return the God the favor of thanking Him for the beauty He placed there. Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! This week At-A-Glance: August 15-23 (Thursday- Friday) Barners in Utah Looking ahead: UT: 8/12-25, WY: 8/26, CO: 8/27, NY: 8/27 BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present need: $700 for four tires (Tungal 700x12) @ $175 each, for BCA bus “L”. |
| 8/8/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking tour this week:
PLEASE NOTE:For those who desire to send funds for our 3 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) have registered to compete in an Ironman triathlon (swim, cycle, run) this fall. If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses). The race is 70.3 miles. Thanks! The race is in Atlantic City, New Jersey: September 15, 2019. For the buses, we need $30,000. So far, BCA has received $9,478.75. Please don’t forget: When you order anything online from Amazon.com, please use “Amazon Smile” & designate Paul M Barner Ministries (which is Barner Christian Academy) as the recipient of a portion of Amazon’s profits. Please pray for the thousands of bedridden Filipino children suffering from the current dengue epidemic. Dengue is one of the fastest-growing mosquito-borne illnesses on the planet. In the past few months, already over 150,000 kids have been infected & over 600 children have perished. That is more than double last year’s total. Two kids who died were from families that we know. One 6-year-old was a pastor’s son. Praise God that, when a new friend (and prayer warrior) in New York heard that we would be driving a minivan with a quarter of a million miles on it, decided to pay for us to become premier members of AAA (American Automobile Association)! Thus, if the car were to break down in the winter snows, we could have free towing, as well as other benefits. “Kids, what do you think is our classroom’s new theme?” Amieza, a third grader in Teacher Dibbie’s front row quipped, “Flowers?” When Dibbie responded that flowers were not the theme, Amieza followed-up her guess with a question. “But why then do we have pictures of orchids, blossoms & lots of other colorful plants around the room?” Before Dibbie could respond, Amieza’s seatmate Kyle suggested, “Of course the theme is not flowers. After all, look at all the pictures of bees. The theme, or course, is insects bites.” Dibbie could see an opportunity to provide safety for her kids as she said, “In a way, you do have a point. Our classroom theme is bees, but we do need to be careful of many insects. Mosquitoes for one. They bring the dreaded dengue virus which often causes death. Stay away from mosquitoes & also eat healthy honey!” Amieza wanted to rescue her pride from being mistaken earlier, so she said. “There are other lessons we can learn from bees, Kyle.” Dibbie smiled at the new opportunity as she then read through the beatitudes in Matthew 5, telling how we are to “bee patient” & to “bee humble,” etc. Kyle got in the last word as he stated, “& of course we need to listen to the wisdom from our BEE-utiful teacher Dibbie!” And Dibbie once again gave a big smile as she wrote “A” in her gradebook for Kyle’s performance that day. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, we Barners have already put over 2,000 miles on the borrowed car we are driving. As we drive, each time we hit 100 miles we sing “Happy Birthday” to the car. Whenever we hit 1,000 miles, we stopped for ice cream. We did bend the rules a bit in Colorado, as PJ noticed we were passing the home of a college friend. We had only gotten to 900 miles at that time, but would be putting another 400 miles on the car before getting to that evening’s destination in New Mexico. He called his buddy & asked her out for ice cream, for which of course she readily agreed! We’d brought along a very exciting, energetic & interactive card game (Jungle Speed) & played that as we ate. At one point the cards went flying onto another table & we asked the “target” if she could take a picture of us. She did, happily. At another home, we used a bottle of lotion as the item to grab when turning of over a specific card. When our host successfully caught it, the top opened up & I ended up wearing much of the bottle’s contents on my shirt! That same host let PJ & I use their bicycles for mountain training, & also swimming for 2 hours in a nearby mountain lake to train for my Ironman race next month. Plus, they drove us to the top of Lookout Mountain to see the grave of Buffalo Bill Cody. On our way we saw a double rainbow in the sky! While en route to Arizona, PJ was concerned that we would not make it to “Four Points” (the only place in the USA where you can stand on one spot & be in four states at the same time). As we got closer to our destination, I reminded PJ that Arizona’s time zone at this time of year is actually earlier, not later, than the other 3 states! He was thrilled & of course we made it in ample time. Stopping by the side of the road for Abby to get some Native American earrings, I prayed with the grateful Indian vendor. Later I was able to share my faith in AZ-CO-NM-UT. Imagine, being able to share the Gospel in 4 states at the same time. Why, that is a combined population of over 17 million! 😊 When we visited the international Headquarters of Christian Schools International, of which Barner Christian Academy is a member, the staff gathered together in the lobby to hear PJ & Abby sing a duet of “The Prayer”. While there we also checked on the status of Abby’s final high school transcripts which had been sent from Davao to her new college in Troy. While driving into Arizona, a few delays in our travels meant I’d be driving through the night to arrive at 5:30am. Yet once there on Tuesday morning, we had a delightful time sharing at the local church’s weekly staff meeting. A few days later, I noticed some banging in the home where we were staying. The kids of the family had removed the cushions from their couch and had stacked them in the hallway, running to leap off from them & do flips as if in a swimming pool! What talent! Yet instead of getting an “A” like Kyle at BCA did, they get a “9.99” like in the Olympics! Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! This week At-A-Glance:
Present need: $300 for (installment #4 of 10) $3,000 government- required (fire department) project to install fire hose hookup “standpipe”, complete with piping, water tank & glass wall cabinet for firehose. |
| 7/4/2019 | BARNERS’ speaking tour this week: July 7: Fulton, NY, July 10: Ithaca, NY Please also pray for Flo, a retired friend who has visited & assisted this ministry in the past. Her pastor/husband Jim passed away a few days ago. Also thank God for PJ. On his 22nd birthday this week, he loved the chocolate donut we gave him, with 22 candles! They were so close together that I only had to light one, as the others all lit themselves and melted into one wax ring! Praise God too that PJ & Abby sang a duet at the church in Brooklyn which we visited this past week. “Most people fall OFF bikes, but you fell ON one!” While at Delta Lake Bible Camp, I (Paul) joined a runathon to raise funds for scholarships for those college students (like Abby) who are working there this summer. I was only intending to run ten laps, but at ten realized I still had energy, so could do five more. At fifteen laps, a senior citizen called out, “If you do 30, I will sponsor you!” So, 31 it was. I always sprint toward the end of a race & so, deep in concentration, I only stare at the road beneath my feet during the final sweep. Unfortunately, on that last lap was when a small child decided to cut across the road with his blue training-wheeled bicycle! We “became one” & aside from a few bruises & scrapes, were able to brush ourselves off & continue on our merry way. Such is similar to what Nurse Lucy back in the Philippines was facing. Each day she averages three to seven patients, students at our BCA school. Almost always the verdict is the same: stomachaches & toothaches, due to their non-nutritious, starch-based bland food they have at home each day in their families’ shanties. Often, the most nutrition hey receive each week is their daily snacks prepared for them at BCA. Yet students’ health is not Nurse Lucy’s only task. She also Biblically disciples a few ladies in their Christian growth, as well as monitoring the hours of work which many of the volunteers put in each day. “Jane, you did an excellent job on clearing out the storage room downstairs. Yet tomorrow I will help you get it finished, along with Bebing & Doris. We have got to get this finished soon, as the carpenter is coming to build shelves so the sound equipment from Sunday’s worship services can be safe & locked up for the rest of the week.” As each of the staff, faculty, & volunteers work together in this ministry, we find less “accidents” & more positively-intended outcomes of transformed lives for Jesus.
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
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| 6/27/2019 | Happy 22nd Birthday, PJ! (6/29) Happy USA Independence Day! (7/4) Happy 22nd Birthday, PJ! (6/29) Please don’t forget: When you order anything online from Amazon.com, please use “Amazon Smile” & designate Paul M Barner Ministries (which is Barner Christian Academy) as the recipient of a portion of Amazon’s profits. NOTE from Ivy, an “Amazon Smile: donor: I wanted to make you aware that I tried to set up the Amazon Smile account for me and I think I did it correctly so it contributes to your ministry but I wanted you to know some details about it. You may want to tell your supporters that they need to go to smile.amazon.com and set up the contributor but when they put your name in they need to type Paul M Barner Ministries Inc. This account is stationed out of MO is that correct? God Bless, Ivy Please pray for Melvin, a senior Bible college student at DABC in Davao, training for the ministry. At our church board meeting after church on Sunday, we decided to hire him for the following ministries: 1. Move BCA’s buses when heavy rains hit, 2. Assist the church youth group in outreach/prayer/discipleship, 3. Church Worship team, 4. Sunday ministry needs, 5. “Sermon in your pocket” in case the regular speaker gets sick, 6. Alternate teaching from Sunday school teachers’ schedule & 7. Assist Salerno, the head usher. Melvin was BCA’s very first sponsored child 21 years ago in 1998! Praise God that we arrived safely in New York and that although Elvie was detained in immigration, she passed their slate of questions with flying colors. “You can count on me like one two three. I'll be there…'Cause that's what friends are s’posed to do, oh yeah…” 13,000 miles (3 countries & 33 hours) later on the other end of the planet, those prayers were partly answered. Passing through immigration, the clerk said, “Okay, three of you can go, but we need to detain Elvie to clear her visa.” As we collected our bags, PJ wrapped his arms around Abby & I as we prayed again for Elvie to not be nervous & to say all the right things. An hour later she was cleared & we were on our way. Yay God! We also found a fairly cheap UBER ride (big enough to carry our ten bags) to get us from JFK to our weeklong Brooklyn apartment. Upon analyzing scanned copies of Angel’s daily journal, which were emailed across the planet from the BCA secretary, Elvie jotted a note back in response: “Any results from the dramatization activity? Was there any impact in the students’ learning? Looking forward to reading your journals filled with interesting stories!” Angel’s message was affirmative. “YES! Glory to Jesus Christ! We read a story & dramatized it in which we learned that we need to take care of the creation that God has given to us. We are the stewards of our nation. We should love & care for all the tiny little plants that we have. We are to be 1. Godly 2. Hospitable 3. Respectful 4. Have close family ties. The students showcased their talents as Filipinos in creative & resourceful ways!” She then challenged her students from 1 Corinthians 16:14, to remember to “Do everything in love.” How much greater this Christian trust is than with some unbelievers we meet who, in the creative words of the author Clive Cussler, are so sneaky that “if they shake your hand, you count your fingers afterward to be sure none are missing!” While we had been waiting during a layover at the Manila airport Thursday, God sent one such faithful beleiver across my path. After I shared with him about our ministry in Davao, he said, "Please come visit us in West Texas next year. We'll have you share this great news with our church there!" It is wonderful to be a Child of the King! Until next time…
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Preliminary (Tentative) 6-month Schedule for USA Speaking Tour 2019-2020:
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| 6/20/2019 | Happy Father's Day (6/16) Also please pray for the leadership teams we have trained for our various ministries here in Davao, while we are on our 14-month American speaking tour. Praise God that our church youth group, at a recent Bible camp outing, were winners in half a dozen different competitions, including spoken word speeches and vlog (video blog). Praise God as well that PJ & Abby inspired thousands of believers during a mass baptism at a Davao beach this past week, during the Philippine Independence holiday. Their delightful duet song was "More than Wonderful". Hundreds were baptized during this annual event when many who come from mountain churches without access to large quantities of water, followed the Lord in this step of obedience. “Holy, holy Lord…” singing Christian songs, our church youth group’s excitement was contagious. I got tingles as I heard children whom we had never met before clapping, & Filipinos from all walks of life joining in the choruses around us at Davao’s outside airport waiting area. Just twenty years before, a bomb’s explosion had ripped through Davao’s airport waiting area, killing 40 people who were waiting for their friends’ planes to arrive. Yet now, a different, more powerful mighty force was ripping through the crowd of expectant people: God’s loving Holy Spirit was moving. PJ played the ukulele as the numbers continued increasing due to the delayed flights from a thunderstorm in Manila. We had some YWAM missionary friends whose flight was over 2 hours late. They wanted to come & visit our orphanage & free Christian school. Unfazed, our church youth group just kept pouring out praises to God, as other formerly-frustrated people focused on the Lord instead of upon their problems. Five days later the same dozen & a half kids from our church youth group descended upon our small home for an all-night going-away party (& birthday party for PJ). They sang, played games and even helped me stuff & stamp hundreds of letters to mail before our departure. Meanwhile, at BCA Teacher Bonna was preparing for her influx of new students. Due to a glitch in Davaos’ new fire policy, the first day of classes had been delayed. When I drove Elvie to the fire department, she was able to solve the dilemma by convincing the fire chief to delay a $3,000 fire hose hookup by 12 months (long enough for the two of us to work in the USA & earn the funds ourselves). Although Teacher Dibbie’s asthma saps her energy, she prays daily that God would grant her supernatural strength. Remembering just a few months ago, she had been frustrated by one of her students, Kimpin. He is kind of slow & easily distracted from his lessons. To avoid threats of sending him to Elvie at the principal’s office, Dibbie instead had an alternate idea. As the other students were coloring pictures of gardens to display the three kinds of Habitats for Plants- 1. land, 2. aquatic & 3. air, she asked Kimpin what his favorite color was. Taking out a green crayon, he colored the beans & watermelon in the garden. Next was the yellow corn, etc. “Kimpin, & class, do plants grow by themselves?” No. The kids one-by-one described the purpose of a gardener to care for his plants. “When there is something that we need for soup, which is not in our garden, where do we get the needed ingredients?” In the grocery store. Explaining that many work together for the soup, we in life also need to work together, cooperating for the tasty soup of life that our incredible God in His wisdom has designed. “So Kimpin, if you distract the class, are you helping make a good soup, or are you causing problems?” He agreed that he was spilling the soup bowl, & making a mess. Over the next few days he still had his moments, but all in all he was taking a turn for the better. “Lord, please bless Kimpin’s new teacher this year. Give him or her wisdom & patience with all the students,” prayed Teacher Dibbie, as she continued to prepare her classroom for the soon-arriving influx of new students for BCA’s brand new school year. |
| 6/13/2019 | Please pray for one of the new children at our orphanage. She is about to have tests as there is a large, painful “bubble” on her scalp. Please also pray for our neighbor and his two teenage twin girls. His wife just died of lupus & also lost the twin boys she was carrying at the time of her death. Praise God that Elvie was able to find & hire two highly-qualified, Christian teachers to replace the two who were recently hired-out by government public schools. “Kids, what does the word TEAM stand for? Yes! Together, Everybody Achieves More!” During our annual retreat, we drove our 17 FHF orphan children to a “hot springs” resort 5 hours away, in the mountains of Nabuntaran. You’d think the kids were fish, as they spent hours & hours in the water, playing tag & having “chicken fights”. A few days later school was to begin at BCA. Teacher Dibbie was in her classroom with other teachers & parents cleaning up & decorating, preparing for the new school year to begin. Chairs were scrubbed down, walls were painted, & dust swept up from the floor. “Lord, thank you for your strength!” sighed Teacher Dibbie. “You crated the world in six days without a break, then finally stopped creating on the 7th. Me, I need to keep stopping to take breaks all throughout the day!” That morning, Teacher Bonna had shared from the Bible during the Teachers’ devotional time. “We need to be a good encourager to others.” The best way to encourage others is to have Christ as the center of our lives. Even as I had shared with the orphans on our retreat, the best way to be an encouragement to others is to share with them the Good News about the greatest encourager ever, Jesus Christ. “So, students,” Dibbie had reiterated, “since we are studying about adverbs, which end in the letters LY, can you use a few adverbs in your vacation essays, to explain how Jesus helps us every day?” Each student included the proper words like “patient-LY, loving-LY, kind-LY, etc.” When (during a class later in the day) Dibbie then discussed the solution to trash buildup & recycling, one child raised her hand to interject. “Teacher Dibbie, I think that God wants us to throw away, & not recycle, our sins. We need to do it quick-LY, immediate-LY & silent-LY so that nobody else will know!” Dibbie was thrilled that this little one grasped not only the lesson of grammar, but also the Bible lesson learned! “Oh,” the bright student quipped during math time, “and unlike division & multiplication, we should be sure that when we give our sins to Jesus, we don’t leave a remainder!” Smart kid. Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 6/6/2019 | Happy Pentecost Sunday and Happy Father’s Day! (6/9) Happy 1st Day of 2019-20 classes, BCA! (6/10) Please pray for the three new children at our BCA orphanage to adapt well. The names of the previous fourteen before adding these new three are: (8 boys): Oliver, Augustin, Johnjohn, CJ, Jonas, Joshua, Aldrin & Emilio & (6 Girls): Apple, Melody, Esabelle, Chenchay, Irish & Nina. Now the girls will outnumber the boys by one! Praise God that Abby has been accepted to work at Delta Lake Bible camp for a month this summer, in the area of social media! Praise God as well that other ministries are also praying for BCA kids! From California, JONI & FRIENDS wrote, “Rejoicing with you for the special times of teaching during your VBS and the wonderful response from 100 little lives to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!” “Can you use some paint?” Summer vacation (April/May) is almost over for Filipinos & the new school year begins in the first 2 weeks of June. Parents of students in both public & private schools are coming to volunteer as a “brigada” to help the faculty & staff, preparing classrooms & campuses for the new influx of students. Another school a few miles from the BCA campus had purchased too much paint, & knows that we are a “charity” free school, reaching the poor. They sent a rep to ask if BCA could use a few cans. Since Elvie is the BCA principal, she was astounded that it was the exact same white semigloss brand that we use. They even sent a few parents to come over with brushes to assist! Meanwhile a dozen other dads & moms were in their “uniforms” (oversized one-size-fits-all walkathon t-shirts donated & shipped from believers in Utah, USA) & scrubbing the ground-in dirt from BCA’s cement floors. Meanwhile, BCA’s Secretary Faith was still logging-in the grades into the computer for the school’s permanent files. Summer School had ended & those grades, though unofficial, also are recorded. With hundreds of students’ multiple grades from half a dozen different classes, it is a long, tedious task; logging in a few thousand grades. Faith was getting a tad drowsy until the unthinkable happened. The computer crashed & erased (“ate-up”) all of her previously-saved files! Fortunately, Faith is a Godly woman & after taking a break, started again logging-in grades from scratch, with vim & vigor. When two of the teachers, Jeza & Dianne, requested to use the computer, Faith was happy for the break. However, she is looking forward to when our family returns from the USA in 2020, as we’ll be sending at that time 32 refurbished (donated) laptop computers for the school! Within a few days Faith had finished filing & double-checking kids’ files from grade 6 to Grade 1, & preschoolers as well. As Faith was retyping all of her previously-encoded information, she felt a little like what an evangelist once said about witnessing for Jesus in Ireland. The Irish tend to repeat themselves for clarification’s sake. So, the Old Testament biblical mandate to require a “second witness” is unnecessary there. Each person is already his own committee! Hmm… Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 5/30/2019 | Please pray for our 17 orphan children whom we will be bringing on a 3-day Spiritual (& fun-filled) retreat next week, about a half-day’s drive away, at Toyozu Nabuntaran. Praise God that nearly one hundred children respond ed to the Gospel salvation invitation during this past week’s summer events, including puppets & VBS. “You go, girl!” From New York this past week, my brother Phil, with his wife Sandi as well as their two adult children Emily & Elissa flew out to Asia for Abby’s graduation & a brief missions trip. We were all surprised when, during the ceremonies on Thursday, one of the teachers announced Abby as one of the recipients of the “Acts of Service Award "for “selflessly serving those around her through her actions & attitude, thus displaying the attitude of Christ during the 2018-2019 school year." We all cheered, as this wonderful young lady, Abby, donning her cap & gown, received both the certificate & her high school diploma! Phil’s family also received awards from BCA for their service during their time here. Being extremely gifted at puppetry, & experienced over half a century in the art, they presented the Gospel daily through puppets to hundreds of Filipino children. Each day of BCA Vacation Bible School (VBS, with the theme: High Seas Adventure with God’s word) began with songs & a puppet show. Then, class-by-class, VBS teachers led their students up to BCA’s 3rd floor library where a second puppet stage (donated by a church in Ithaca, NY) had been assembled. Here, the kids were each handed a puppet & given the chance to practice & perform before their classmates. Volunteers were accepted to perform on Sunday during church. Since some of the classes had more students than our puppet supply could accommodate, we stuck eyeballs onto socks to become “instant puppets”. After the last song of VBS on Friday, we headed rode the ferry out to Samal Island where the BCA orphans had set-up a rope with a curtain to become a stage so they could watch the puppet show there as well. The orphans also toured our team around their campus to see the animals growing & also their newly-growing trees of papaya, jackfruit, etc. We treated them to ice cream too… with Filipino purple ube, cheese, fruit salad, mango & coconut flavors! “I am a chicken” exclaimed one of the puppets on Sunday morning, manned by a first grader. “What makes you think you are a chicken?” asked Sandi. “I have been living in this chicken coop, eating seeds for three days. I even sat on (& squashed) an egg!” To which Sandi exclaimed, “Kids, does being in a chicken coop make a person a chicken?” to which the hundreds of kids in the audience exclaimed “No!” After explaining that a chicken is born a chicken, Sandi also explained that to become a Christian, a person has to be born again as a Christian. Just going to church & doing nice things does not suffice. After church, we headed out to our jungle church where a tarp & seats (& snacks) had been set up. There, puppets were performed as well. In all the week’s presentations, nearly a hundred kids had responded to the Gospel invitation! Praise God for Phil & his family, traveling here to the ends of the earth to reach poor children with the precious Gospel message! They truly deserve their “Acts of service” award! Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 5/23/2019 | Please pray for “Boy” one of BCA’s bus drivers. His 25-yr-old son Reyes (who himself has a yr-old daughter) died suddenly & unexpectedly last Saturday. Praise God that, even though Philippine elections can get very violent with many battles & deaths, this year there was relative peace. During the midterm elections last week, Sue Cudilla was proclaimed the new mayor of a western Philippine province after she won a best-of-three coin-flip by picking “tails”. Both Cudilla & her rival Beronio received 3,495 votes. They agreed to the classic tie-breaker, which officials said is acceptable although local rules specify the drawing of lots. Last week, nationwide over 43,500 candidates vied for about 18,000 congressional & local posts, including 81 governors, 1,634 mayors & more than 13,500 city and town councilors in 81 provinces. “Oh, nurse Lucy, I have a stomachache!” BCA’s Nurse Lucy often has visitors to her (BCA) clinic, who are so poor that they often have had nothing to eat before coming to school. Since they are energetic, growing kids, they can’t concentrate on their lessons during those rumbling hunger pains. On this particular Thursday, Galam’s visit to the clinic was followed up just a few minutes later by Daryl, who also needed the “Lucy-cure” (crackers & water). Smiling broadly, the two (now painless & happy) kids headed down the hall, racing each other back their classrooms. Fortunately, BCA has a brunch program, so just an hour later every child would have a free hot meal. During the week, Lucy had 18 kids visiting her clinic with an assortment of ailments ranging from headaches to fevers, stomachaches, bloody nose & toothache, plus a visit to a student who was confined to the hospital with dengue fever. Between patients during the school day, Lucy checks on the parents whose turns it is to volunteer. Nurse Lucy checked the classrooms one by one, as some parents helped the teachers as aides. Then she checked the kitchen to be sure the morning brunch was cleaned up. Next was the bathrooms and cleaning supply closets, that they were all neat and tidy. Once back in her office, she folded the curtains that usually hang as a backdrop on the stage. They had been washed by hand by other parents. After the kids all got on the school buses to go home, & before heading out herself, Nurse Lucy made sure to check the doors to BCA’s multiple fire escapes, to water the plants on stage and also near her clinic & finally, to lock the main gate. Oh, there was one more detail on Thursday night. Lucy zipped over to the Barners’ place with a bouquet of yellow roses (Abby’s favorite color) for graduation. Yep, tonight was the big night. Abby is saying goodbye to high school & hello to college. Her speech was delightful, as she said clever goodbyes to FIA, the missionary school that she has been a part of for over a decade. Such a special celebration it is, that two of her cousins (with Uncle Phil & Aunt Sandi) flew halfway around the planet from New York to attend. Phil & family has also this week been teaching & performing puppets at BCA’s Vacation Bible School, preaching, & visiting our orphanage. What a fun time it has been to serve God by serving others. Thanks, Nurse Lucy, for your never-ending dedication to serving Jesus through this ministry! Your daily calendar is kinda like the continent of Antarctica- it has no time zone, because it covers every line of longitude on the map, meaning it would belong under every time zone. Since scientists, researchers, & visitors who stay there simply follow the time zone of the place they came from, time basically has no meaning! Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 5/16/2019 | Please pray for my brother Phil and his family of four who will be flying into Davao Monday for a week-long missions trip. Aside from assisting with VBS, they will be performing puppets, visiting our orphans, attending Abby’s graduation ceremony, preaching & doing street evangelism. Please also pray for my 90-yr-old dad, in New York state. He has been hospitalized as he has been quite weak lately. Praise God that friends had designated BCA as the recipient of Amazon Smile donations totaling $16.14 this past April! Thank you from all the BCA students! The children will eat more this month… “Just don’t step on my blue suede shoes…” Faith International Academy’s (FIA) Business Manager Brian sang his heart out during FIA’s annual Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. Since I am a FIA board member, I was tasked to plan said Luncheon. Realizing that my ideas might be okay (yet limited), I scheduled a planning meeting with FIA’s extremely capable Student Council. They were quite busy, having their SAT tests the next day as well as a high school banquet planned the day previous. However, they gave their all having so many incredible ideas that we went overtime and a tardy pass had to be given for the next class of the day (British Literature). “How about karaoke? What about a 1950’s theme? We could hang old-fashioned plastic records from the ceiling! How about distributing gifts via a Chinese auction, where, if you do not like what you open, you can exchange it with somebody else’s, whether they like it or not?” During the planned luncheon, the karaoke competition was a hit! Forty teachers divided up into teams named after Bible characters. They competed with their renditions of 1950’s songs, many of which were not even known by the young teachers! Brian was on the “Abraham” team, & his rendition came in fourth place! (there were only 4 teams). The student council followed-up with report cards to grade their own teachers, with tongue-in-cheek lighthearted statements like “pleasure to have in class” & “could improve in communication skills!” Meanwhile back at BCA, our school cashier Min was busy paying bills. She was about to travel on a long 8-hour bus trip the next day, as “death anniversaries” are common in this country. Her family was gathering together for both the funeral of a brother in law & also the 15th anniversary of the death of another relative. “Honey,” she mentioned to her husband Alex, “Could you please bring this check-for-payment downtown to the Government Social Security (SSS) Office?” Min had been tag-teaming with Inday (one of the school secretaries) to get the forms all filled out. It is a very tedious job since a different rate and calculation had to be made for each and every employee on the form. While Alex was at SSS, Min jaunted off to the other side of town to pay the water bill, & then passed on to me (Paul) the monthly fuel bill for our school buses. As Teacher Jessa led the faculty Bible-time for the day, Min was comforted by the challenge, “As God’s people, saved by His grace, we must be willing to serve Him & to be a model to others in both words & in actions.” With this in mind, Min led five mothers of BCA students in 2 Bible studies, one on Zacchaeus from the book of Luke, & another on John. Then she prepared the pay slips for salaries of the teachers before heading for home to finish packing for her trip. Heading out the door, Min met another BCA secretary Faith, & had her wait while she rushed back to the Cashier’s Office to get the check for Faith to bring the next day to the government “Pag-Ibig Retirement Fund” office, for our teachers’ subsidy. Waiting on her desk was the final draft (with hundreds of attached receipts) for BCA’s annual audit…but that could await her return next week. On Sunday, since I (Paul) was scheduled to speak at our newest church plant, I began the monthly search. “Hmm… was the landmark house bright yellow or orange?” Since many of Davao’s wealthy Muslim residents live side-by-side with us “infidels” (non-Muslims), you often see their gaudily-painted homes interspersed among the more drab, rusty shanties. Sure enough, I saw ahead a yellow & orange house, & pulled to the side of the road to park next to a bamboo, corner sarisari store-shack. Unloading my projector, laptop computer & Bible, I found the muddy path between two shacks & traced my way by the sounds of singing. Down a muddy hill & around two coconut trees, I then located the one-year-old Communal house-church, with thirty worshippers already celebrating Mother’s Day. After my Bible message, I couldn’t leave until the appreciative host pastor’s wife handed me a dozen eggs, half a dozen large double-yolked eggs, & lunch. I did get back to the BCA church in time to greet the newcomers, since their service starts & ends later than the Communal one does. There are many new families, since the last school year has ended & BCA’s Summer School has already begun. Summer School & VBS are prerequisites for sponsorship in BCA’s student sponsorship program. I smiled as four families came to the front of the church, next to the stage to be greeted. One family had many kids & resembled stairsteps, aged 5-4-3 & 2, along with the cheerful young dad & mom. While some wealthy people may be concerned about soiling their “blue suede shoes”, these destitute newcomers were just happy to belong to a church that cares for them, just as they are. Let the islands rejoice! |
| 5/9/2019 | Please pray for the upcoming BCA Vacation Bible School (5/20-25). The teachers are now excitedly praying & preparing for their lessons & students, as this event is the time of the greatest harvest of souls (for children) all year long. The time of the greatest harvest of souls for adults is during our staff’s ongoing one-on-one discipleship meetings with the parents of these students. Praise God that, of the 22 churches we are scheduled to speak at during the first half-year of our American speaking tour, over half of them have already confirmed. “Duna means THERE IS…” In my Cebuano language class, I am learning this week how to interpret “existential” sentences. In other words, that something “is, was, has, will be, etc.” Meanwhile, our 3 BCA bus drivers are finding out where “duna” (there are) hundreds of BCA students to transport back & forth from their homes to BCA’s summer school. “This morning,” wrote Driver Ben in his daily journal, “I picked up kids from five villages & drove them to BCA, then turned around to drop off kids from the previous preschool session.” We in administration at BCA have set-up the bus pickup schedule so that preschoolers (2.5 hour sessions) who have older siblings in (full-day session) elementary classes can wait at the bus stop with their family members in the morning & have their parents wait for them when it is time to drop them off a few hours later back at home. Family is crucial in the Philippines, for safety. However, one particular small group of kids did not have that privilege. Lyka & her two younger sisters live at home all alone. Their mom abandoned them & their dad, being a carpenter, is often away with his work. They only see him a few hours every week. “How about placing your girls into our orphanage?” we asked the dad while he was in town. He agreed. Especially when he found out that he could go visit them occasionally. “I am so very worried for their safety while I am away,” he confided. “This is truly an answer to prayer!” The three girls were also ecstatic when they found out that they were about to "inherit" 14 siblings (at the orphanage)! Plus, coming up in three weeks, we are taking all 17 orphans on a three-day retreat to a resort about a 5-hour drive away, to go swimming, play games & study the Bible together. Being on a farm, BCA’s “Father’s House” orphanage does require hard work for the kids: feeding the animals, weeding the gardens, etc. But these delightful children are looking forward to their reward when our family returns from the USA in the fall of 2020. At that time, for the first time in their lives, they will get to fly on an airplane to visit the country’s most famous white-sand beach; Boracay. Meanwhile at BCA, Driver Ben & his two co-drivers will have a revised pick-up schedule soon, having dozens of non-BCA students to pick up. These first-timers are visitors for our Vacation Bible School. Often called “Salvation Bible School,” the Gospel is clearly presented & many new kids become followers of Jesus Christ during each year’s VBS. Hopefully, Lyka & her sisters will also "see the light" at that time, if they haven’t already done so. Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 5/2/2019 | Please pray for my brother, Pastor Phil in New York, who with his family of four adults will be coming out to Davao later this month to do puppets, skits, sharing missionary biographies at VBS, preaching, visiting our orphanage, doing street evangelism, & also celebrating Abby's graduation. Their church will be having a rummage sale this Friday & Saturday to raise funds for their missions trip.
“He’s more than wonderful, than my eyes can conceive…” Nearly 4,000 pastors & Christian workers from around the world crowded into the Zamboanga (Philippines) university auditorium for the CAMACOP biennial General Assembly. Now it was closing day, with close to a hundred young pastors in the front rows, who had finally completed the stringent decade-long research, dissertations, defenses & training requirements for ordination. In a few minutes, they were soon to make their vows for service & receive their clergy stoles. “He’s more wonderful, than my heart can believe…” Our kids, PJ & Abby, with microphones in hand, emotionally sang from the stage to the thousands of delegates. PJ had flown directly from the USA just a few days previous, with Elvie arriving the day before, being on the National Board of Trustees. Abby’s teachers had allowed her to skip Friday’s classes to make the overnight flight across the nation. On the double-connecting flights, she & I were surprised that we were given front-row seats. However, when it came time to “deplane”, the stewardess announced, “We will only be using the rear exit.” All of us in the front rows, with carry-on bags already in hand just laughed & sat down to wait. “He goes beyond my highest hopes & fondest dreams…” According to a Gallup poll, Filipinos are the second-most stressed people in the world (58% just behind Greece’s 59%, & ahead of Tanzania, at 57%...USA is 55%). PJ & Abby reminded the 4,000 pastors packed into the Zamboanga convention hall that their wildest God-ordained dreams are fulfilled in Jesus. “He's everything that my soul ever longed for…” Meanwhile, back in Davao our BCA school “gopher” (go fer this, go fer that…) Doris was busy paying utility bills. Due to long lines, this is a full-day event. “Everything He's promised & so much more…” Doris then returned to campus to direct parents in cleaning out the cluttered storage rooms. “More than amazing, more than marvelous…” Most of Doris’ daily events are not amazing nor marvelous. Mundane tasks like inventorying the bus tools, excess paint thinner, paint, & other things for storage fill up a good portion of the day. She did find the small shovel we’d been looking for, for ages, after rearranging the stockroom. “More than miraculous could ever be…” Miraculous that, as the school next day began & Doris stood at the gate while the school buses unloaded, she checked off the names of each of BCA’s hundreds of students, & for the first time in forever there was not even one child absent! Of course, that one first grader who needed his soiled underwear changed, might have considered it a miracle that Doris was actually willing to do it for him! And Doris might have wished that that one particular child had stayed home… “He's more than wonderful, that's what Jesus is to me.” Back in Zamboanga, as PJ & Abby closed out the final notes of their duet, the auditorium was suddenly hushed in awe, & then, like the calm before a storm, all four thousand rose to their feet with a standing ovation for our kids…& for their Lord Jesus of whom they had sung! Pastors, families, ordinands, bishops & others from around the globe. Their common denominator was their deep, deep love for their Master. Jesus IS more than wonderful. Although our daily service to Him may often seem mundane, words cannot express the satisfaction of performing even the tiniest task for our Almighty, Incredible God! Let the islands rejoice! |
| 4/25/2019 | Please pray for Jomar, a “now-grown” child who has recently graduated from our orphanage, as he adapts to adult society. Please also pray for the pastors of our 26 churches who are carrying-out Elvie’s plan (they had an organizational meeting April 20) in which BCA teachers will stay at their churches to lead children & adults of local congregations in summer school. Pleas pray for our kids, PJ & Abby, who will be singing before 4,000 pastors at the biannual National CAMACOP General Assembly. Their duet will be “More Than Wonderful”. Praise God that a friend who recently had open heart surgery gave $1,000 for the new buses needed for BCA! Praise God as well that the weekly DCL community prayer meeting which I lead has agreed to my idea that we will “shuffle” from week to week, sometimes in homes, sometimes in businesses & sometimes in restaurants. We often have new people attend when we meet in a variety of locations. Praise God- Abby got a new bicycle this weak, so we can train together. Sure, the bike was on sale & the seat fell off on our first trip, & the brakes stopped working, but it'll be great! “Let’s visit this dying woman.” Around ten years ago, Elvie & I went to the home of our church treasurer Merlyn’s sister to console this woman who was near death. A cute little 4-yr-old girl was sleeping on the floor by her bedside. The mom’s funeral was a few days later. This week, on Good Friday, a teenage girl approached the microphone in tears & gave her testimony. “The doctor told my parents that I should be aborted, because my birth would kill my mom. Both dad & mom immediately told the doctor that they did not believe in murder. So, I was born. Although my mom lived through the delivery, her body was very weak & she died just before my 4th birthday. Growing up without a mom, I often asked my kuya (older brother) what my mom was like. He shared so many special things about her, yet I also always knew that she was my supreme example of sacrifice, for I am alive due to her unwillingness to consider her own life as more important than mine. When I consider Jesus’ death on the cross for my sins, I also think of my mom who sacrificed her life so that I could live.” The seven speakers during our Good Friday service shared brief messages based on the 7 quotes from Jesus as He hung on the cross. Three hours later as I approached the microphone to end the service, I recapped the messages. 1. Jenny (from a daughter church) explained how Jesus’ appeal that God would forgive, applies to us today as well. Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 4/18/2019 | Please pray for 51-yr-old Pastor Callem, our former associate pastor. His wife Filipina died 2 years ago from cancer, and he has just remarried. We attended his wedding (two hours away) a few days ago, & even led the prayer & gave well-wishes as his new godparents. Later, as I drove back to Davao, Elvie had to take a bus the other direction, to help lead a four-day educational conference (for church-schools) run by both the Philippine government & the national churches. While at the wedding reception, Elvie had borrowed my pen to jot-down her notes (as to what she would say) on a napkin. On the four-hour bus ride, she reviewed & re-wrote her notes, memorizing the important parts, for inflection. Praise God that Davao’s Tim Tebow Cure hospital took great care of 7 yr-old CJ, one of our orphans, after his heel bone had been gouged in a bicycle accident. Praise God also that a friend in Florida gave 50cents per mile for my recent Ironman triathlon, raising funds for BCA’s new school buses: $36! “Gilbo, we have an emergency!” As one of BCA’s three bus drivers, Gilbo is also on-call for other transportation needs. Sometimes (between student bus-runs) he drives Minmin (BCA’s cashier) to the bank to withdraw funds for the teachers’ salaries. At other times he will drive Secretary Faith to the electric company (or phone, water, government, etc.) to pay other monthly bills. But this time, Doris called Gilbo. "We have to drive out to the pier & take the barge across the Pakiputan channel to rescue CJ, one of our orphans, who needs to go to the hospital!" It took over an hour to get there, but upon their return, there was a humongous line of vehicles waiting for the return barge. I was downtown anyway, so swung by the Tebow Cure Hospital to let them know that CJ was on his way. Typically, Gilbo gets up around 4am to arrive at school just after 6 to pick up urban kids from the inner city. Meanwhile, his co-driver Boy drives to the residences in complicated dirt roads where the poor live. Then Ben, who has been with us the longest, drives the larger bus a farther distance to bring in the kids from the countryside. Since BCA’s drivers are at the school campus before anyone else, to drive out the vehicles, they also have the privilege of taking siesta naps between bus-runs. That way they do not get drowsy while driving. If a driver is needed during his siesta, he can often be found snoozing in a hammock strung between bamboo poles on the 4th-floor roof. Just in case one of the drivers gets sick or has a family emergency, we have backup drivers on-call. Doris (BCA’s go-to “gopher”: go-fer this, go-for that) has designed the bus runs, which change annually depending on where the students originate & what time their classes are. Elementary classes are full-day, while preschool students return home mid-morning. A few weeks ago BCA had a “moms-luncheon” & thus Gilbo had to trek out to pick up many of the poorer ladies who could not afford public transportation. Gilbo was also tasked to drive 12 miles to pick-up the roasted pig which had been ordered the day before & was hot & ready for 30 hungry ladies’ lunches. Last week, Gilbo also had to drive two of the parents 12 miles outside of town the other way, as the aunt of one of our teachers had died & we needed reps to offer our condolences. Yet the week before that, Gilbo brought a few others from BCA to meet a guest arriving at the airport. Hmm, seems like New York’s Grand Central Station! As Gilbo pulled into Tebow Hospital with little CJ & his bandaged foot, our little orphan boy was placed in a wheelchair. The CURE doctors were dismayed at the “cob-job” that had been performed at the local island hospital. When they removed his bandages, a dark red puddle of CJ’s blood collected on the tile floor. Yet CJ was a trooper. Watching his eyes, I could sense his pain & yet determination to bear through the process. Elvie & I prayed for him before he headed into surgery. “Grandma Trish” also accompanied him from the island. A few days later when CJ’s surgery & recovery time was done, we received the bill: $840! The bill was itemized as to x-rays, surgery equipment, etc. But at the bottom of the page, the total bill we owed was “zero”! Yay, God! And a very special thanks to Tebow Cure Hospital! We will be sure to get CJ to write two thank you cards: one for his doctor & one for Gilbo, his driver (who was napping in the back seat of the BCA bus). Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 4/11/2019 | Please pray for BCA’s administrative secretary Faith as she attends seminars & meets with government officials to itemize the government’s requirements for BCA to open a new preschool next month. While in the USA we will have the names of 135 prospective & needy children on the waiting list for this free Christian preschool. Our goal will be to find sponsors for them. Praise God that Pastor Callem, my former associate minister whose wife died of cancer, is now remarried! We attended his wedding yesterday. “By the authority vested in me as the president of Barner Christian Academy…I now confirm you as graduates!” Standing on the BCA stage in front of hundreds of parents, friends, faculty & especially the graduates in their bright white togas, humble pride swelled within me as Elvie & I called up the graduates, one-by-one to the stage to receive their diplomas. And together they sang, “We are the children of yesterday’s dreams…Together we stand, divided we fall. Together we climb to the top of the wall. We can there see what we want the world to be, for we are the children… of yesterday’s dreams!” Three days later I was surrounded by a dozen young professionals; fresh college graduates who were starting their own brand-new consultancy business. Invited to be the main speaker at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, while shaking the hand of Kim the business owner, my mind fled back ten years to when I was shaking that very same hand, much smaller, as he graduated from 6th grade at BCA. After that sixth-grader approached the microphone to state “when I grow up, I want to be…” I whispered into his ear, “You can do it big guy. Change your world!” And now, that is exactly what he was doing! The little boy who grew up in a destitute family, was shown “over the wall” to the promise that God could make him into something great. I love this job. Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 4/4/2019 | Happy Araw ng Kagitingan! (4/9) {commemorates WWII battle of Bataan/Corregidor} April 4 (Thursday) PJ in classes at New York college. Abby sings in worship team at High School weekly chapel service. Graduation ceremony at BCA. Elvie at 3-day national CAMACOP board meeting to plan on sending missionaries out to dozens of Asian countries. April 5 (Friday) Paul leads Community Prayer Group (DCL) in Davao- leads study on the cults “Moonies”. Abby & PJ in classes at college & high school. FIA Elementary concert. Elvie on day #2 of CAMACOP board meeting. April 6 (Saturday) Elvie on day #3 of CAMACOP board meeting. Abby & Paul attend a wedding in Panabo City. Abby at evening Bible study with fellow high school students. April 7 (Sunday) Elvie shares a challenging message at church on the inerrancy of Scriptures. PJ on worship team at Albany (NY) church. Church board meeting, focus: annual budget & upcoming Easter events. April 8 (Monday) Paul in language class. Abby & PJ in High school & college classes. April 9 (Tuesday) Abby & PJ in High school & college classes/ Kiwanis meeting / Abby in day #1 (of 4) of Terra Nova schoolwide testing. / Holiday: Araw ng Kagitingan April 10 (Wednesday) Abby in day #2 (of 4) of Terra Nova schoolwide testing. // Paul & Elvie drive 2 hrs to Mt. Apo College for wedding of former assistant pastor, Callem. // Prayer Meeting.// Elvie attends Day # 1 (of 4) of CAMACOP Teacher’s Convention in Koronadal City. BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
Present need: $346 for BCA’s for Bus “M”: kingpin $55, tie rod end $48, 2 tunggal tires $175, 2 gallons oil $48, oil filter #43v2 $20. Missions Team Visitors:
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| 3/28/2019 | Please pray for Teacher Dibbie and nearly the entire 3rd grade, as they are all out with very itchy Chicken Pox & graduation is less than a week away. Meanwhile, our BCA secretary Faith was attending a 3-day government-required seminar (Republic Act #1040: “Early Years Act”) for all institutions which offer preschool courses for kids aged 0-4 yrs old. BCA is building 2 new preschools this year for a total of 9 more classes of 15 students each. We will bring this “waiting-list” of 135 brand-new students to the USA during our 14-month speaking tour, starting in June, 2019, with the goal of finding sponsors (at $30/month) for each & every needy child. While at the seminar, Faith took copious notes & “re-echoed” these to BCA’s staff & faculty. Yet to begin, she also re-emphasized (in her presentation to the staff) this year’s theme: “Pursuing God’s Excellence: God’s excellence is best illustrated in the cross of Calvary. The ultimate sacrifice of the one & only Savior Jesus Christ.” 1. [Persecution]: The government will close down the program if we do not include within our own curriculum a strong foundation for development & learning. It includes health, nutrition, early education & social development programs for survival, development & special protection with developmentally-appropriate experiences to address their needs, supporting parents/ families in their roles as primary caregivers & as children’s first teachers. 2. [Perseverance]: BCA’s “System Framework” shall convince parents that their children, (including kids with special needs), have basic human needs & must be provided quality programs for optimum growth & development. 3. [Perspiration]: With a multi-process-approach for development, teachers are trained for physical, cognitive, emotional, social & spiritual guidance to cover the period from pregnancy through the transition from home into pre- & primary school. This is to ensure that each child, without exception, is ready to learn. Also, non-institutional activities and/or services will be provided for students & the parents, such as dental & medical checkups (monitoring height/weight/health with assistance from professionals & civic clubs such as hospitals & Kiwanis) on campus. In this way, the school is a pillar of strength for the community & a center for community health. And then Faith picked up where she had left off in her office, sorting out students’ documents & filing them into their individual folders. 19 of the poor students had defective information (which needed correction) in their handwritten birth certificates, since they had been born at home & not in hospitals. |
| 3/21/2019 | Please pray for my 70.3-mile Ironman race this Sunday 3/24. Last Sunday was St Patrick’s Day when many quoted the Irish blessing, “May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, & rains fall soft upon your fields. & until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." We definitely need a nice, cool day for the 8.5-hour triathlon, as last year’s race was in 110-degree sweltering heat! BCA’s Teacher Jeza wanted her students to see the significance of being in the last few weeks before graduation at the school. “God, in His faithful compassion, has protected us & guided us this whole school year, & now, each & every one of you (after just a few more exams), are ready to say goodbye to 2nd grade & enter 3rd!” Once again, another resounding cheer went up from her entire classroom. “Kids, how do you know that God always loves us?” In unison the class responded, “Because He sent JESUS to us!” Two days later as I preached at church, I challenged the congregation with nearly the same question, “Friends, how do we know that Jesus always loves us?” To which they responded, “Because He sent His Holy Spirit to Teach us!” Pouring a cup of “cold joe,” I felt something tickle the end of my nose. Figuring it was just a hair that had fallen into the cup, I set the mug down & as I brushed my hand across my face, saw movement in the mug. The brew was stirred from within, & up from the brown stillness came two antennae, a head, & a very large thumb-sized cockroach. Eeewww! I guess even nose-tickling roaches need their morning caffeine. But our shared cup’s contents quickly made their way down the drain. Proof: close proximity does not equal intimacy! During our weekly community prayer meeting, the cult researched was the “Moonies”. Their leader (a self-proclaimed messiah) had claimed that his followers did not have to think, since he was their brain! The researcher shared, “When two people think exactly the same thought, one of them is not thinking!” We also researched how one young lady escaped from the Moonies when she saw how satanic and brainwashed she had become. Closeness did not equal intimacy! Further proof that closeness does not necessarily always lead to real intimacy came when the Philippine president cancelled school in all of Mindanao due to Typhoon (Tropical Depression) Chedang, on Tuesday. Chedang dumped floodwaters on a thousand square miles in this Northeastern portion of our island. Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day…preferably during the 2nd-half of this Sunday’s race! |
| 3/14/2019 | Happy 90th birthday, Dad! (3/20) Happy St Patrick’s Day (3/17) IRONMAN DAVAO 70.3-mile (3/24) [Paul’s “racing bib” #: 1276]
Also please pray for the USA postal service. They have been making hundreds of errors lately, even claiming (on returned envelopes) that sponsors are deceased. Also claiming that people who have lived in the same location from over half a century have moved, when we know they haven’t. Also, when an address is changed, the forwarding address is often unreadable. Parents helping their kids to study (& to learn responsibility) is just one way in which students are growing in wisdom here. Another is through the courses that Elvie & I are teaching at DABC, the local Bible college. Yet while teaching we are also learning. I was making up the final exam (in our living room) for my 18 students, & Abby rushed out of her bedroom. “Dad, are you rickrolling?” I hadn’t the foggiest idea what she was taking about, so she explained that the song I was listening to in the background (by Rick Astley) while working was a common “trick-song” that people often use when sending fake prank-links to friends. After administering the exams Tuesday, Elvie & I took our Senior students out to our favorite barbecue place. Later that evening I was correcting the tests & was amazed at the insight that these future pastors had…
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
Present need: $70 for BCA’s “Bus C” to repaint a damaged rear quarter panel.
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| 3/7/2019 | PLEASE NOTE: For those who desire to send funds for our 3 new BCA school buses, I (Paul) have registered to compete in two Ironman triathlons (swim, cycle, run) this year. If you plan to sponsor me per mile (all proceeds go toward the buses). Each race is 70.3 miles. Thanks! The races are: Davao: March 24, 2019 & New Jersey: September 13, 2019.
BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000: Present need: $530 for various headlight & signal-light replacements for BCA’s Buses. # of students sponsored at BCA and its affiliate schools: 470.
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| 2/28/2019 | Please pray for 500 Badjao Sea Gypsies in Davao who lost their homes (ocean shacks on stilts) in a massive all-consuming fire this past week. These homeless refugee beggars are now living on open-air gymnasiums throughout the city. “Okay God, passion. I need to have passion today. Give me passion, please!” Yet when the students noticed her “new-ness” and tried to stretch the rules a tad, Angel’s passion was more of a negative passion than a positive one! Trying her prayer again the next day, she revised her wording a tad. “Lord, how about giving me the deep desire to lead these kids to a successful life?” During Wednesday, little by little Angel discovered more about the depth of personalities in her students; by their attitudes & even in the clever ways they communicated with each other. “I got it, Lord. Passion, by example, in love & respect for the incredible adults you want them to become. Thanks, God. I wonder if, in teaching at BCA, who is learning more: the students from me (their teacher), or me, from You (my Teacher)?” On Friday, Angel had a wonderful day. All of the students actively participated. “Lord, I love being a teacher. It must be one of the highest callings in the world!” Until next time… |
| 2/14/2019 | Happy Valentine’s Day (2/14), Happy President’s Day (USA: 2/18) Praise God as well that Dave, a fellow missionary (a single dad from Ohio) was just recently engaged to marry a very godly woman from our island of Mindanao this summer. Praise God also that the Missionary school (FIA) which Abby attends (and on whose board I am the secretary) has approved the sending of next year’s board to Papua/Indonesia for a week for a board training seminar on how to maintain a strong Christian focus in each Christian school. “Lord, thank you for giving me delightful students to teach at BCA!” Teacher Dibbie was starting a new day with her third graders. Then a joy flooded Dibbie’s soul as she had a mini vision of a few decades into the future, with her 3rd graders as already adults. They all soared high with their dreams, some as doctors and missionaries and others as dads and moms. But all of them were thankful for their memories of a teacher who loved them and cared for them. “Wow, God. these kids. They are true future leaders!” That day as the kids came into the classroom, she did not see them as rambunctious elementary kids with a metabolism at the speed of light. Instead she saw one little boy as a preacher to the lost tribes in Africa, while another little girl was reading the Bible to her six children as an adult. What a joy to work with these future dignitaries! “Lord, like a road with two choices, I thank you that you are directing me to direct these little ones to make the right choices now, with a strong foundation, so that their futures are bright and shiny!” A few days later, on February 14 (Valentine’s Day) BCA had our annual “Teacher Appreciation Day”. Hundreds of students from every grade level came up to the stage to present carefully choreographed songs and memorized speeches (some with tears), as they gave little tokens of their appreciation, many being hand-made. I smiled as one of Teacher Dibbie’s students stated in his speech before parents, faculty and fellow students, “Teacher Dibbie, you are the best because you brought out the best in us!” After the program was completed with prayer, Bible message & lots of pictures, the parents treated the teachers to lunch. Then I left to teach my Bible college class while Elvie brought the teachers and staff out for a few hours of bowling. Then before dismissing them for the evening to go to their respective homes, we all met together, treating them to diner at our favorite open-air barbecue restaurant. What fun! The previous Sunday was our church’s 22nd anniversary celebration. I gave the history of when we started the work, and how God had increased them ministry over the succeeding decades. Then fifteen members of the church came up to the stage to give their testimonies. These were the ones whom I had just baptized the day before. A few of the baptismal candidates had been a challenge to “dunk” since the tide was coming in and they were kind of short in stature. I wanted to be sure that the water was shallow enough to give them “somewhere to go” and yet also deep enough so that they would be fully submerged. I have baptized around 300 over the years since being ordained 27 years ago, yet I have never lost a one! On Sunday after church, we had a church board meeting and I invited a man who faithfully attends and yet is not involved with any church ministries. I asked him to be head usher, to keep people off their cellphones during worship and keep dogs away from the altar and also to keep kids in their Sunday school classrooms, as well as to direct his usher team to take the offering. “When were you baptized, Salri?” He hadn’t, but responded, “Next Saturday my two daughters are joining the church youth group in going to the beach. Can we have another baptismal service then? I and the other potential ushers will go through training this week with the elders, and we’ll all be baptized together!” Yay, praise God for touching this man’s heart to be so very willing to be obedient to God’s call on his life. Salri even brought his family with our team at 8pm-midnight to our orphanage on nearby Samal island to deliver the new rabbits and piglets which the orphan kids will be raising! Like with Teacher Dibbie, we can see that God has an incredible future for these who have chosen to follow Him! |
| 2/7/2019 | Please pray for the brand-new Parent-Teacher Fellowship (PTF) at FIA which I & the rest of the “PTF Committee” am designing. We approached the FIA parents in the school’s three largest cultural groups (Korean, Spanish & Other) for a merienda snack for Friday’s talent show. Many participated! Please pray that the dozens who are joining the PTF will effectively work with the new Australian Head of School (HoS) who is arriving in May, to install multi-language signs on campus, as well as other “Internationally-friendly” accommodations for the various cultures represented on campus. Then, terror stuck again. At midnight, the night before Elvie’s team was about to fly to the next city (Tawi-Tawi), someone threw a grenade through the window of a mosque. Elvie could hear the explosion from the tiny guest house where they were staying (all hotel reservations had been cancelled due to the military unrest). “Praise GOD for His hand of protection!” exclaimed Elvie. The hundreds of delegates to the conference were housed in the church compound, surrounded by very high walls. They slept, side-by-side on fold-up bamboo mats in the large church, & nobody would travel at night, for their safety. Daily meetings were highlighted by testimonies of those who “fought” with weapons of love: The Bible in one hand & tools of peace (food, clothes, aid) in the other. One would be hard-pressed to find a believer who was not grieving the loss of a newly-converted husband, child or other relative who had made the “ultimate sacrifice” for his Lord Jesus & now resides in Heaven in eternal peace with Jesus. This past Sunday, Elvie was back at church, giving testimony to God’s amazing protection. “I counseled & prayed with these persecuted believers, many of whom face each day with their lives threatened due to their faith in Jesus Christ.” Having just returned from the front lines, Elvie’s senses were battle-alert & therefore she announced, after discussing the prospects with our daughter Abby (president of the church youth group) that an emergency “peace talk” would take place immediately following lunch. Thirty of the teens gathered together as two young ladies who have had difficulties getting along for the past six months, “had it out.” For two hours, accusations, confessions, yelling, tears, & intermittent hugs & prayers of forgiveness ensued. No bombs. No grenades or tanks. But spiritual warfare took place last Sunday after church…and yet another gate of Hell was shattered. Daily, every single believer in Jesus Christ faces a battle. Are your weapons sharp? We have the BELT of truth. The SHIELD of faith. The HELMET of salvation. The BREASTPLATE of righteousness. The SWORD of the Word of God. The SHOES shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. And covered over all by a BLANKET of prayer. (Eph 6:16-18). “Oh, I have a special gift from one of the Muslim-born converts to Jesus…a hymnal in the Muslim language!” As Elvie handed me the songbook, I found in the index, Jesus, Name Above All Names. Oh, what joy it must be when a former Muslim sings in his/ her own dialect that the One they formerly thought of as an unreachable Muslim God is actually their newfound, intimate Savior:
Until next time… |
| 1/31/2019 | Happy Chinese New Year (2/5) Praise God for one of the parents in BCA. Each Sunday I distribute index cards & pencils for people in the church to write prayer requests. On Monday morning as I was praying through the cards, one especially caught my attention. Often people pray for personal needs, & rightly so. But occasionally they intercede for others in need. This particular parent wrote, “Pray for protection for my family, good health for my mom, & I also pray for the sponsors of my child’s schooling!” How delightful, that while sponsors are praying & paying for their kids’ schooling, the circle of blessing shows the parents & kids also praying for their sponsors! Praise God for sustaining me through my 28-day fast (which is now completed) to bring my weight back down to normal & also prepare me for the upcoming March 24 Ironman Triathlon. “20 churchgoers killed and 80 injured in Sunday’s Jolo Cathedral explosion!” Philippine newspapers headlined that two bombs were detonated by Bangsamoro Muslim terrorists because two Al Qaeda militant groups could not agree on whether or not they were satisfied with the Philippine government’s concessions to their demands of autonomy. The Philippine military has the entire city of Jolo on “total lockdown”. “I am going to Jolo.” Elvie said, “Lockdown or no lockdown. The hurting Christians need me there. Besides, our conference is on the outskirts of Jolo, in Bagao Tawitawi, thus exempt from the military restrictions.” Elvie is on a national missions board & she & the other leaders were to drive on a two-day trip from Davao to the other side of the country for a conference of a few hundred delegates. The event had been planned months ago, but the timing of the explosion & the conference have occurred during the very same week. Meanwhile at BCA, I was curious while looking through the list of yet-unsponsored students. I approached Inday, the BCA sponsorship secretary. “Why do these two 6th grade boys have the same name & birthday, next month? Are they twins, or are they the same guy?” One was named “Antonio One” & the other was named “Antonio First”. They are twins! Yikes! What a choice for the names of these brothers! Can you imagine their home life? “Here, Tony One & Tony First, time for dinner!” And what about the 6th Grade teacher? “First, you can answer….Who first? …Yes!” Kind of like Abbot & Costello’s “Who’s on 1st” comedy routine! Talk about a need for teamwork! Disagreements due to similarities in purpose are not always necessary. This week I (Paul) also helped to plan & supervise the very first Parent-Teacher Fellowship (PTF) at a local international school, of which I am on the board. We divided into different cultural groups so that each one would have clarity of language. These different groups vary from Korean to Spanish to Caucasian. Yet each group had uniquely exciting proposals. Of the many great ideas, one that really shown brightly & was pursued further included: to start giving increased benefit packages to the volunteer faculty. There are now free lunches, subsidy for airfare, discount for children’s tuition, & all kinds of other perks to remind the teachers that they are incredible people who transform the lives of their precious students. Over Christmas break, one of the staff flew to Illinois, USA where 16,000 young people attended the Urbana missions conference. A booth was set up to take information on those interested in teaching here in Davao. Now the school is following-up these dozens of interested contacts. These great ideas happened because of teamwork. A final example of teamwork was seen in BCA’s Teacher Jessa Mae’s 6th grade class. The class was studying Math, Science & Bible. In Bible, they read aloud 1 Corinthians 1:10 which ends with, “…be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Jessa then asked a related math problem. “If you have a basket of mangoes & your friend has a knife to cut them, how many slices should you make to feed both families, if each family has six members?” As the students answered “At least 12,” they also realized that neither family would have been fed, had there not been teamwork between the child who had a knife & also the child who had the basket of mangoes. Teamwork. Perhaps if the Bangsamoro Muslims had learned this simple 6th grade Bible lesson, then 20 citizens of Jolo might still be alive & worshipping today. Until next time… Let the islands rejoice! |
| 1/24/2019 | Please pray for Waway, the manager at a local Yamaha dealership, whom we prayed with this week to become a Christian. Praise God that Abby's basketball team won second place among 7 teams in the nationwide basketball tournament in Manila. Her team was the only Christian team and they played hard in a godly way, although others were tough & rough. In one of the games they won by a one-point foul shot! God was honored in their spirit of sportsmanship & testimony! The games were so close that they often went into overtime. They brought home to Davao a trophy! This was Abby’s last game in her high school athletic experience. Praise God too that at last week’s DCL breakfast community prayer meeting, one member, Gerry’s, bills were raised for cataract surgery by both the club and a local church. Praise God also that, in just a few days there have already been three interested parties who have responded to the potential Davao retirement village which our associate missionary Dave is planning. Praise God that both our children, PJ & Abby have been invited to join the honors society/ programs in their respective colleges for 2019-20. (PJ- Tau Sigma). Praise God for six boxes shipped from a church in Kentucky, filed with pillowcase dresses for poor kids, and also school supplies, Bibles, medicine and evangelism tools. Praise God that (septuagenarian) Trish, our “resident grandma” at the orphanage, received funding from her home church in Arizona to buy a motorscooter to get around. She now has a pink Yamaha MIO…with black helmet…motorcycle mama! “When you can say a word with 2 syllables, why not complicate things and use four syllables instead?”
BCA has 459 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. Missions Team Visitors:
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| 1/17/2019 | Please pray for the ongoing project of Dave, a very dear friend missionary who is planning to start a retirement village in the Philippines for foreigners. Here is his info: "Some friends are concerned about the high cost and often poor care for retirement options in the U.S. Many don't have the funds to afford good retirement options. Nice retirement options with wonderful care in a very kind and respectful culture in beautiful beachfront locations could be available and affordable in the Philippines. In addition to the beaches there are many wonderful things to see and do here. Retirees could just visit for weeks or months at a time or stay long term. Those leading the project would like input from a large group of Americans of retirement age to help guide their plans. If you know of anyone who might be interested in a Christian Retirement village in the Philippines please ask them to visit this website and fill out the survey." Also praise God that another retired sponsor, whose husband recently passed away, has decided to continue sponsoring her student for one more year on her decreased lower income, before having her student transferred to another potential sponsor. Praise God that, Joni & Friends, a global ministry which reaches out especially to the disabled, has sent us a personal letter thanking us for the Christmas card we sent them and glowingly commended us for the excellent work that we are doing for the poor Filipinos. A quote from their letter: “Paul & family, thank you for your years of service to the least, & often the last, in this world of ours by providing an education, a health-giving atmosphere, & sponsorships for a growing number of children. What a joy it was to read about your exciting programs. May many more children come under the covering of your academy & learn of their value to the God who loves & created them…just as they are.” Praise God too that at last week’s DCL breakfast community prayer meeting (at McDonalds Restaurant), one of our members responded to the dusty beggar children’s constant knocking on the plate glass windows, by doling out to them from a bag of rolls which he had purchased from the bakery that very morning for just that purpose. While there, the FHF house parent mentioned that the local public school was trying to baptize all the students into the Catholic faith since many students had no birth certificates, & that baptismal certificates also suffice. The church board decided to train the kids who were old enough, to be baptized. Ten of our orphan kids were baptized the next day in the Pacific Ocean, after an hour-long pre-baptism training meeting! PTL! Typically, I try to have parents & relatives present for baptisms, but since these kids are orphans, the 39 church people (& board members) present were their surrogate parents! It has been a joy to watch over the years as these kids have grown both physically & spiritually. Meanwhile at BCA a sports competition was about to start. Torches, flags, programs, & alternate games needed to be prepared. Teacher Hazel tapped parents to help prepare. Students’ dads designed & built the torch. Our daughter Abby is in yet another sports competition, as she flies up to Manila with her Faith International Academy teammates to play basketball against other International schools. Since Abby is also student teaching 4th graders at her school, the kids created incredibly well-planned cards. Some had pop-up figures, and others had laminated look-thorough windows, all in various colors with phrases like “Win your competition, Miss Abby!” This is Abby’s fourth & last International “ISAC” tournament before she graduates from High School in May. Elvie had a much different tournament to tackle. Her older brother Dodo (his nickname) needed life & death surgery (he is coughing up blood) & their family was frantically searching for a few gallons of type B blood. All blood banks were depleted. They came up with half of what they needed and were about to lose hope. But then a man from our church who works with the military contacted the soldiers & police force & found a whole slew of servicemen willing to give! Yay! As the pastor at our Communal Church plant’s 4-hour-long. 1st-year anniversary celebration recently quoted, “TEAM= Together Everyone Achieves More!”
BCA has 461 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program.
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| 1/3/2019 | HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019! (1/1)
BCA has 460 sponsored students. As God sends new sponsors, we will add more out-of-school children to the sponsorship program. BCA’S New Campus Fund (Phases B, C & D): Present Goal $87,000:
Present need: $187 for BCA bus repairs on Bus “Fi”- $35 for 1 set piston ring #25 // $17 for 1 pc cylinder head gasket // $24 for 1 set valve seal // $12 for 3 pcs spark plug $4 each// $7 for 1 pc oil filter // $3 for 1 pc silicon // $18 for 1 pc oil seal flywheel // $21 for 3 qrt oil $7 each // $38 for 2 pc ball joint $19 each // $2 for sandpaper. Missions Team Visitors:
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| Archived news from 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 Last edited
December 25, 2019
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