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The Latest News |
| 4/10/2025 | Palm Sunday (4/13/25) COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for the leaders of Vacation Bible Schools in the Philippine churches. As we travel, since Elvie is one of the volunteer instructors of the program, she sets up a desk in whatever state we happen to be in, and sends visa the internet, personal training for the AKOP program. Here in Galveston, at 3am we moved the hotel room's desk around to look like an office. On camera, with paperwork set before her, she dictated the lessons for dozens of pastors. This material works with VBS & ties it in with each church's Sunday School lessons, so that the training is for the entire calendar year. Praise God that on Wednesday (April 2), Elvie & I shared about God's work in the Philippines at Galveston Bible Church, on Galveston Island, Texas. The building was a former Salvation Army Church, and during the Bible study & prayer meeting, we shared different aspects of God's work in Davao: among poor squatters, orphans, Muslims & tribal people. Those present promised to pray & also were thrilled to hear of the transformation in the lives of people from all walks of life who are becoming believers there in Davao. Praise God too that our car is still going strong! The odometer just passed the 227,000-mile mark, which means that since we bought the car in August, we have driven over twenty-three thousand miles! That translates to nearly 3k per month. Praise God for giving me Elvie, who is willing to travel to these churches & races all over the country, as my constant companion…& takes pictures to boot! "BRRRR!" After over 20% of the athletes dropped out of the Ironman race in Texas this past Sunday, due to the frigid cold, rain & super strong headwinds (which amazingly seemed to blow in our faces both when we were cycling south, and then north!), I finished the race, in just over 7 1/2 hours. The swim portion was also cancelled due to heavy rain & high winds. Of the 2300 registered, 1499 competed and I came in #1468. At one point, the wind was so strong when we went over a bridge, the bike was shaking & I had white knuckles trying to keep it from going over the edge. I'd awoken at 3am to get to the race in time. While waiting in the car before the race started, the car kept vibrating due to the wind. Before the race, Elvie brought an umbrella due to the rain. But the wind caught it & it blew inside out! A man passing by commented, "Not much use, is it?" During the race, on every turn of the road, the bikes had to go super slow since puddles & wet tires prevailed. About a dozen times I passed cyclists fixing flat tires or damaged bikes, and each time, I thanked God for the protection for me & also prayed for the cyclist to get it fixed and back into the race. The day before, I had unpacked my equipment, brought from New York. But in dismay I noticed that the clip of my belt to hold my bib number was missing. The shop also had run out. I happened to mention it to a fellow customer at the Ironman store, and he offered, "Well, I have two. Come to my car with my wife & daughter and I'll get it for you!" Ah, an angel! This guy was an answer to prayer! Praise God that I finished the race in time. Thank you to the many of you who pledged for my race, per mile, to raise funds for construction of the new chapel at Barner Christian Academy! Speaking of BCA, Chaplain Melvin has been busy discipling BCA boy students & their dads. One disciple is Kuya Feliciano. As Melvin opened his Bible, Kuya F also opened the one provided for him. "Let's turn to the New Testament book of John," led Melvin. Kuya F just stared at him. When Melvin looked up, he noticed the Bible of his disciple remained closed. Immediately he discerned Kuya F's mistake. Instead of calling attention to his guest's inability to find specific passages in God's Word, Melvin reached out his hand & offered to open the Bible up for him. They read together John chapter 3. Kuya F is a good reader, so Melvin congratulated him. Some simple questions followed: who is Jesus talking to? "Nicodemus." What is the question of Nicodemus? "How can a person be born again?" Melvin used this passage to explain once again about how to be saved. Melvin knows that rarely will a person respond immediately upon hearing how to be saved. It often has to be referred to again & again. Gradually, each of Melvin's disciples are asking more spiritual questions, rather than just typical questions on how best to be a good dad. Since Melvin just got married a few months ago, he of course has no children, & thus any advice he'd give regarding raising kids would be only conjecture. Back to my Ironman Triathlon race here in Texas, Melvin (being overseas) followed the race on his cellphone app, as did many of our orphan kids, church people & family. After Elvie had listed in with her pictures of the race, "Run for the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ," Melvin made a mental note to use this in an illustration about raising families…Stick with it, even though it may be hard. God will give you the strength...even though my muscles will be in a whooole lot of pain now for a few days, after this 70-mile race! Until next time… Link for credit card donations: https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/6118435 TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. #445. PJ Barner is with Briana & Azariah Barner. Tune in every Tuesday! THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE. Azi's learning to let his little light shine! 1 min, 42 seconds. https://www.facebook.com/pj.the.barner/videos/1179355143675736 Present Need: $309: BCA Bus "Le": $190 replace tire 700x15 nf/ BCA Bus "Lx": $119 FOR 26.24 gallons of gasoline. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
LOOKING AHEAD: 2025 Christmas gifts for 610 BCA students: black shoes for school uniform. Needed: 610 x $20 = $12,200 Raised: $3,595. Still needed: $8,605. Upcoming (General) Schedule:
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Churches, Schools & "Safe House" (orphanage): Barner Christian Academy: PHILS: PO Box 82,224 Davao City, Philippines 8000. USA: 18 (or #5) Eileen Drive, Rensselaer, NY 12144 OUR ACTIVE MINISTRIES: Abby- Student Moody Bible Institute PJ- Minister of Music Auburn Alliance Church (NY) Elvie- DEXCOM for CAMACOP MDD, Senior Principal at BCA, Sunday School teacher Paul- Senior Pastor at FAF church, President at BCA, President of PMBMI, 70.3-Ironman Triathlete Paul & Elvie- Paul & Elvie- Founders & Directors of FHF orphanage, Board members at FAF church. Rev. Paul, Elvie, PJ and Briana, & Abigail Barner Philippine cell# (977) 735-8714 PAUL; (838) 202-9437- ELVIE |
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| 4/3/2025 | COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for the contractual workers at BCA's orphanage. They are working to dig a large area to build a basketball court, which will double as a sanctuary for the church stage we built last year. A church at which we spoke last December had taken a special offering & provided over six thousand dollars for this project. When Elvie returns for the month of June to Davao, she will take pictures of the progress, so that we can show the church the results of their gifts when we return to that church to speak in November. Praise God that on Sunday (March 30), Elvie & I shared about God's work in the Philippines at Faith Community Presbyterian Church in Corpus Cshristi, Texas. As we shared stories about many of the lives God has transformed over the past 3 decades, it seemed to us as if they just happened yesterday. Afterward, Elvie & I were chatting with Filipinos present in the congregation, & in answer to their questions of where the 4,000+ graduates from BCA are now, we proudly enumerated many who had gone into the ministry, &/or otherwise became successful in their careers & families. Praise God also for the patriotism of the Filipino people globally! In recognition of former president Duterte's 80th Birthday this past week, thousands of Filipinos in Asia, New York City, Norway, Russia, Australia & other countries around the world were dancing in the streets, while singing "Happy Birthday"! Many even wore shirts with his picture on them, and drones made artwork in the skies, with his silhouette. "Dolphins!" Elvie & I did not know that dolphins can often be sighted off the shores of Corpus Christi, Texas, as we strolled along the beach, picking up shells for her collection. We'd just shared the day before in a local church, & were about to pack-up to head up the coast another few hundred miles to Galveston, where my Ironman race was to be held. "I wonder how I can share my faith with somebody on the beach?" I considered. But everybody we met at that time in the morning seemed either working, sleeping or distracted. A middle-aged couple suddenly rushed down the sand in our direction, calling-out & pointing out, into the water of the bay. Elvie & I finally noticed the telltale black fins & sloped backs of the dolphins, which were actually pretty close to shore. We'd noticed some dead fish on the shore earlier. The morning cleanup guy had explained that the high tide often brings in flotsam & jetsam from deeper waters. The couple we'd met came over as we watched the dolphin fins surface again & again. "God's creation is incredible, isn't it?" Ah, here was our chance to share about our love for Jesus. Finally. Thanks for the dolphins, Your evangelists, God! Meanwhile on the other side of the globe in the Philippines, BCA's new teacher Eden was leading her kindergarteners in Science class. She formed 4 groups of 7 students each, to analyze a weather report & then to choose an announcer to broadcast the upcoming conditions. After each of the kids' groups reported, Eden showed a video of a real weather announcer, & stopped it occasionally to point out some things the real announcers did which the class teams had left out. Luke spoke up, "Teacher Eden, an awful lot of the weather is based on water, huh?" Eden was pleased that he had noticed this, so she led them in a study of water. "Because it is always hot here in the Philippines, we do not ever see snow & sleet & hail. But we do see lots and lots of water!" She then led the students over to the window where half a dozen white, Styrofoam cups were filled with loamy brown soil, with green mongo sprouts peeping up. "We need to water these plants every day. If we water them too much, they will drown. If too little, they will wilt. In nature, when soil gets too wet, it often leaches out the nutrients & the soil becomes sandy." Chin was just finishing up a cup of water from the cooler, & Eden had an idea. "Everybody in the class, get a cup and, whether thirsty or not, drink a cup of water." So, they all got in line at the cooler. "Don't throw away your cups!" Five minutes later all the students had empty cups in their hands. Then they headed outside. Eden instructed them, "Dig up all kinds of soil: sandy, rocky, brown, black, gray, & even dusty stuff, & dump it into your cups." The class did so & they came back into the classroom, out of the hot tropical Philippine heat. In each of the cups, Eden placed two mongo seeds. She then instructed each of the students to squirt some water from a spray bottle onto the soil. "In two weeks we will see which soil helps them grow & in which soil the seeds cannot grow. We will then write down the results of our experiment." Eden then shared from the Bible for her kindergarteners, the story that Jesus had told about the seeds which had landed on many different types of soil. As she told about the seeds in the rocky soil drying out in the hot sun, & the seeds in the weedy soil being strangled out by the other plants, she had the kids tell how people are like plants. "Students, let me tell you a story: a true one, about me." Teacher Eden then told the kids that she is happily married, with three boys. One of the boys was born 8 years ago with Hydrocephalus, or "water on the brain." Due to the swelling in his brain, his head was bigger than normal. He also had difficulty thinking like other children. Since Eden had to stay home to care for her handicapped son, she did not use the degree that she had earned in teaching. However, this little guy taught her volumes in how to love. It was in response to Eden's questionings to God about her son's condition that God led her to His Bible verse, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me"… 2 Corinthians 12:9. "Jesus, I cannot do this without You. I give my life to You. You are my Master. You are My Lord. You are the One from whom I gain my strength every day to face life's challenges!" Just last year, Eden was at her little boy's graveside. It was this little 7-year-old whom God had used to bring Eden & her entire family to know Jesus as their Savior & Lord. Eden finished her story with, "Every brain has water, students. Water, like most things, must be in the right places in the right amounts. And like water, we must balance our lives: the adventures & the challenges, for us to be all that God has meant for us to be!" It was a great lesson, & Eden was pleased with the responsiveness of her class. However, Chin then spoke up as they were about to leave the classroom. "Y'know Teach, I really do not think I am like a plant. I cannot imagine eating dirt!" Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. #444. Briana Barner is with PJ Barner. Tune in every Tuesday! JESUS LOVES ME. Azi's leading tonight's LNW all by himself! 1 min, 15 sec. https://www.facebook.com/briana.cutting.9/videos/1192900489204229/ D. Paul & Elvie's travels: Oklahoma. https://www.facebook.com/reel/649906207681149 E. Paul & Elvie's travels: Nevada. https://www.facebook.com/reel/9688587584541378 F. Paul & Elvie's travels: Wyoming. https://www.facebook.com/reel/501720509668399 G. Paul & Elvie's travels: Kansas. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1169762614251595 H. Abby in Drama, Greece https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xH4xsuBuB10 I. Abby in Greece (the collection): "Our orchestra director compiled all the Greece Livestreams that we know of!" II. Thursday, March 13 (Katerini): https://www.youtube.com/live/T1JkY9z932c?si=m10_A5tbzVj7hjJW III. Friday, March 14 (Evangelical Church of Thessaloniki): https://youtu.be/DlNmlComxn0?si=2LOHzknMRiDfV3az IV. Saturday, March 15 (Drama): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0SWMgHGVT0lrob5NwUeG2UpGRqYKhtFL&feature=shared V. Friday, March 21 (Athens Apostolic Church): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0SWMgHGVT0lrob5NwUeG2UpGRqYKhtFL&feature=shared Present Need: $300 for: (installment #9 of 9) $2,700 for 5 (2hp Carrier brand) air conditioners for Barner Christian Academy: #1: 7th Grade classroom, #2: Library, #3: Home Economics classroom, #4: Men's chaplain's office, #5: 3rd Grade classroom. $0 remaining. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
LOOKING AHEAD: 2025 Christmas gifts for 610 BCA students: black shoes for school uniform. Needed: 610 x $20 = $12,200 Raised: $3,595. Still needed: $8,605. |
| 3/27/2025 | Paul's 16th (70.3-mile) Ironman Triathlon Race in Galveston, Texas (4/6/25) COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for those whom our daughter Abigail witnessed to through music on her trip to Greece with the Moody Bible Institute Orchestra. Many areas of Greece are considered "post-Christian," and yet the Grecians were still excited to hear & see the vibrancy of these students' faith in Jesus. Please also pray for my 70.3-mile Ironman race in Galveston, Texas next Sunday, April 6. Local weather forecasts predict thunderstorms & high winds. Already a few hundred miles southwest, near McAllen Texas, at least four have drowned, due to the severe storms. While I was driving in the evening to Waco, Texas, a police car pulled me over due to a missing headlight. Thankfully, the officer only gave me a warning, and not a ticket. It was great that God had sent this man, for I couldn't figure out why it was so difficult to see the lines on the road during the heavy rains. To solve the problem, the next day I installed 2 brand new headlights! Praise God that on Wednesday (March 19), Elvie & I visited New Heights Baptist Church in Wheat Ridge, CO. We shared with many about God's work in the Philippines, and also listened to another missionary who has brought teams to distribute over a million Bibles in various countries around the world. As we shared, one man, Felix, (who drives a garbage truck) was especially interested in our ministry. I said that a pastor's job is like his. We too get rid of people's trash (sin). Praise God as well for the delightful families who hosted & fed us during the 2 days we were in Colorado. Praise God also that on Sunday (March 23), we visited Cornerstone Baptist Church in Hays, Kansas. I shared that, often when a Filipino becomes a Christian, they are persecuted by their unbelieving families. However, the church immediately embraces them as their "new" family! Many approached us after worship and thanked us for coming, promising to pray regularly for the Filipino people. Praise God too that this past Wednesday (March 26), Elvie & I (with 5 longtime family friends) visited the Choctaw Road Baptist Church in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Our focus with the people we met there was upon the planting of not one, but 31 churches, over these past 29 years abroad. This challenged those present to consider where in Oklahoma there is a need for more churches or home Bible studies to be started. Also, praise God that on Thursday (March 27), both Elvie & I shared onstage, about many miracles in our ministry over the years, at the Prayer City Church in Argyle, Texas during their weekly broadcast. PC's vision is to cover the globe with prayer, & thus their clientele span all of the inhabited continents of the globe…especially the USA, Europe & Africa. They have invited us to return later in the year for a weeklong missions conference. "WHAT is THAT?" After having driven over twenty-one thousand miles in just over 7 months, the interior of the car has in many ways become like a home for Elvie & me. What is NOT like home is that little Ziplock sandwich bag with a gushy triangular thing of many different colors. Analyzing it from the safe side of the bag (the outside, that is) I finally remembered way back seven states ago when we went to Little Ceasar's and got a pepperoni pizza & hot wings. We couldn't eat the whole pizza, so the last 2 slices went into the Ziplock. Needless to say, the moldy "mystery food" made its way to the circular file (trash)…posthaste. Arriving at our next destination, Elvie immediately plugged in her cellphone so her Zoom call to the Philippines could connect with our leadership teams there. Elvie had been chosen as the trainer for multiple churches' upcoming Summer Vacation Bible School. Since the internet is global, Elvie successfully trained 2 dozen leaders, from 13,000 miles away! Meanwhile at our school in the Philippines, another trainer was busy. Chaplain Eunice was training the moms of many BCA students: how to understand God's guidance when they read the Bible. Eunice had just returned from the hospital, where her aging mom was being admitted for a CT scan. The consistent work of discipleship often seems uni-directional, almost as if the ones feeding others are never adequately fed themselves. Yet with Eunice, as she led Tuesday's group Bible study, other moms could see the strain on Eunice's face, & gathered around her to lay hands on her & pray, specifically, for their Chaplain Eunice. It was just what Eunice needed. The encouragement of others, praying for each other & caring for their needs, was like an energy pill which inspired the rest of her day. Eunice will miss these weekly meetings when March is over, for the school year ends at graduation in April, followed immediately by VBS. And yet the joyful memories of special times with fellow believers are always welcome & fresh…unlike weeks-old pepperoni pizza! Until next time… Link for credit card donations:https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/6118435 TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop D. Paul & Elvie's travels: Windmills. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1160492075619955 Present Need: $$301 for: Bus "Le": $48 for Engine oil 20w-50 2 gal, $17 for Oil filter 4b02. Bus "Lx": $148 for miscellaneous repairs & $88 for gasoline: 29.254 gallons. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
LOOKING AHEAD: 2025 Christmas gifts for 610 BCA students: black shoes for school uniform. Needed: 610 x $20 = $12,200 Raised: $3,575. Still needed: $8,625. Upcoming (General) Schedule:
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| 3/20/2025 | "God so loved" Day (3/16:John 3:16). 88th Araw ng Dabaw (3/16: Davao anniversary). 404th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan's 1st landing in Philippines (3/16/1621). 1st Day of Spring (3/20). COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for the missions team which will be coming from Utah to Davao next January (2026). While we had the exciting planning meeting this past Sunday evening, we nonetheless now have to do all the preparations that will make the plans to be carried out…including finding prayer partners who will regularly pray for the team before, during & after the trip. Praise God that on Sunday (3/16), Elvie & I visited Layton Hills Baptist Church in Layton, Utah. Elvie & I taught in both Sunday School & Worship. Many were present who had been on a missions trip to Davao in 20924. There were pictures of every member of the team, and our challenge from the Bible accentuated: if they did it, you can too! In fact, in one slide, a member of the team was helping to build a wall at the orphanage by carrying cinderblocks in her walker! We also had an evening planning session to fine-tune the details for a team of a dozen coming next January! A computer techie on the team also hooked-up a backup external hard drive to my laptop so I wouldn't lose important files in case of a crash. Praise God too that our daughter Abigail is daily playing & singing in the orchestra in Greece during her spring break. The roads are really narrow there, so the bus drops them off & they carry their musical instruments many blocks to each venue for the performances. Praise God too that our son PJ led the worship music this past Sunday (3/16) at Auburn Alliance church. One of the hymns stated, "I praise the God who's proven that He can do impossible things!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV2jggJSZOY "Can we outrun the snow?" As Elvie & I said goodbye on Monday to our hosts from this past week in Utah, we prayed for them, & they also prayed for us, that we would "beat the storm". We were leaving a day early, since a major snowstorm was forecast to hit Wyoming (the next state on our itinerary) early Tuesday morning. After filling up the tank with gas & tightening up the rachets on our rooftop carrier, we hit the road. Since the sky was clear, and the temperature was close to 60 degrees, we could see majestic snowcapped mountain chains beyond mountain chains, passing through the "Continental Divide" (backbone of North America) at the crest of the Rocky Mountains, separating waters that flow west to the Pacific from those that flow east to the Atlantic & Arctic Oceans. God had answered prayers precisely, as, when we arrived in Rawlins, Wyoming, we looked up & the formerly clear blue sky suddenly was totally cloudy! The temperature dropped, & wind started blowing. In the shadows there was still snow from the last storm, so we were very happy for the prayers just 6 hours ago before our journey began. Oh, as a sidelight…on our journey, when the car hit 223,000 miles, we sang happy birthday to the car & stopped at "Little America" to get 75 cent ice cream cones! This marks the 19 thousandth mile of our furlough driving since our plane landed in the USA August. Meanwhile on the other side of the globe, back in Davao, BCA's Teacher Jovi was grateful to God for her thirty 5th Graders. She began the day by giving a simple assignment. On papers which were distributed, they were to trace their hands with crayon. Alongside of the space for their drawing was the Bible verse: Luke 1:38, "I am the Lord's servant." She then asked the children to memorize the verse as part of their activity, & then to write a prayer in the middle of the hand, posting them all on a large poster-board that was displayed for everyone to see. It was a beautiful moment of personal reflection. Then was P.E. (gym class). Last week was badminton, & the week before was chess. Today was coed basketball. Since there is no actual court with hoops in the school, the two teams just used wastepaper baskets, on opposite ends of the gym. Jovi's 5th-Grade competitors were Teacher Rona's 7th grade students. Everyone was loud & excited, cheering & yelling during the game. The teachers had planned their timing so that, regardless of the winner, they'd all be assigned partners & end with Filipino dancing. Since dance is so very, very popular for Filipinos, the results of the game were soon forgotten (or so they thought) in the course of the dance. As they headed back to their classrooms, everyone proceeded happy & smiling, filled with joy from the morning's events. After lunch, some of the students approached Teacher Jovi. Their spokesperson was Max. "We were thinking," began Max, "Was it really fair that we competed against schoolmates that were 2 years older than us? Is that maybe why we lost?" Jovi suspected that this might happen. She then explained that the game was actually just a warmup for the dance routine in which they all joined together. She then reminded them, "Not every time will be a win. Life is like a wheel; sometimes you're at the top, & other times you may be at the bottom. Not every moment will be your time to shine." She continued, "Always be good sportsmen. Do not compare yourselves with others, because competitions are not truly competitions if there are no winners or losers." The experience taught all of them some valuable lessons about winning gracefully, losing with dignity, & how to handle both outcomes with humility. It also reinforced the importance of teamwork & preparation in achieving success. In the end of the day, as the students in all grades headed for their bus rides home, everyone left with a sense of pride & accomplishment, knowing that they gave their best & contributed to making the day special. This is the kind of spirit we hope to instill in our students: the ability to appreciate the journey, support one another, & keep pushing forward, no matter what the outcome may be. It was a reminder of the values we want to uphold in our school: showing the value of hard work, respect, teamwork, & fun. Before Teacher Jovi locked her classroom door for the night, she glanced at the red, blue, silver and other hands traced on the kids' artwork. One by one, she prayed for these, "God's servants". Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. Here's a playlist from the church that hosted Abby & the Moody Symphonic Band/Orchestra in Drama, Greece D. Paul & Elvie driving along the Western Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. https://www.facebook.com/reel/2055198424891573 Present Need: $402 for: BCA Bus "N": -sure brake $5// -LTO renewal of registration & penalty (Previous year) $177// -labor- engine top overhaul, repair of starter, alternator & carbeuretor $60// BCA Bus "Ph": gasoline $120// -tube & change of tire $8// -repair of alternator/ change of IC & Check-up of wirings $32 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
LOOKING AHEAD: 2025 Christmas gifts for 610 BCA students: black shoes for school uniform. Needed: 610 x $20 = $12,200 Raised: $3,575. Still needed: $8,625. Upcoming (General) Schedule:
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| 3/14/2025 | Happy Pie Day (3/14 1:59 pm…pi = 3.14159 & Area = pi r sq). St Patrick's Day (3/17) COMING UP (furlough visits):
Please pray for our travels this next week. While driving through Wyoming, we will be trying to beat a snowstorm which is scheduled to arrive early Tuesday morning. Praise God that on Wednesday (3/12), Elvie & I visited Elevation Church in Clearfield, Utah. Pastor Matt prayed for our work overseas and referred to many of the events that we'd shared: about children who grew up through this ministry and have now become leaders in the faith overseas. Friends here in Utah invited us out to a restaurant where we ate real Buffalo Steak! Mmmmmm…. "It's a Cybertruck!" Elvie & I have driven over 18,000 miles (across dozens of states) these past 7 months, & whenever we've seen the new box-like Tesla vehicle we'd call it a "robot car". While driving through Nevada, we just HAD to stop by the very special rest stop (which we had been towed to over a dozen years ago when our car had died). When we pulled in to the roadside stop, we chatted with the driver of a "robot car" (cybertruck). After about an hour of talk about this amazing car, I couldn't resist telling him OUR story…It'd been 104 degrees & the fuel pump stopped working, here in the middle of nowhere. Our kids PJ & Abby were about 12 & 15. We started pushing the minivan along the highway & prayed that God would rescue us. Suddenly down the road came a white pickup truck. After stopping, the driver's-side door opened up & who should walk out, but Chuck Norris! Well, a guy who was his spitting image, that is. He pulled out a rope & towed us to this very rest stop. He called his pastor, who called somebody else who had a tow truck which could tow a minivan to Reno for repairs. The story was much longer, but the church of the tow truck driver took-up a special offering & paid for the van's repairs. God answered prayer…again! By telling this true story, it became my way of sharing my faith with somebody whom I had never met before. Meanwhile on the other side of the globe in Davao, BCA's corporate secretary Faith was attending the Learner Information System (LSS) 3rd Quarter online virtual conference, conducted by the DepEd (Department of Education) Planning Division. Multitasking, Faith called many sister-schools while watching the conference. "Hello? Yes, this is Faith from the Barner Christian Academy in Davao City…Yes, I need to confirm that one of your students is transferring out of your school and into ours…" Now, you'd think that a school would cause trouble by making it difficult for their faithful students to leave. Yet in this case the family moved a good distance & there was no way for the child to keep going to the previous school. Thus, the school was very kind in transferring the information needed. Fortunately, most schools responded positively by confirming request in the system before the conference ended. Faith was very pleased to see that, of the whole stack of transfer students' papers, only one was remaining, & that one only because of a glitch in the phone numbers listed. She'lll take care of that one, 1st-thing tomorrow morning. After collating the bills for internet & telephone, to give to the treasurer, she had a challenging task on her hands. "Hello? Yes, Dep ed. This is Barner Christian Academy. I have a new student." As she expected, there was an initial denial of allowance for a brand-new enrollee, mid-year. So, Faith presented her pre-written response. Unhindered, Faith breathed a "Nehemiah-style" quick silent prayer. She then explained, "Sir, it is because of a late birth certificate." Now, for most places in the world, nearly every single child has a valid birth certificate. But in this case, the family of little Joshua was ridiculously poor & had not been able to afford the $3 fee to file (now incurring a late fee as well) for the birth certificate. When Faith explained that BCA had already covered the cost and had in-hand the 4-year-late PSA (Philippine Statistics Association) birth certificate, they were totally friendly & saw no problem with complying. Whew. Only two more tasks for this day. First, double-check the reason for the government's delay in the release of BCA's DepEd Permit to Operate for School Year 2025-2026. After multiple phone calls, she was assured that the "permit is in the mail" Instead, Faith got them to make a duplicate copy & she'd pick it up tomorrow (after her other errand, that is). Huh. Just one more task… "We're sorry, but we are experiencing systems maintenance & cannot respond to your request until a later undisclosed date". Faith had contacted the DOL (Department of Labor) to document for the government that the school had (3 months ago) already paid the mandatory end-of-year '13th Month' bonus, as well as the monthly medical & retirement insurance payments, via their Online Compliance Portal. Now, it wouldf have to wait until "a later undisclosed date." While Faith was shutting down her computer, she quickly checked her Facebook account for messages & noticed the picture that Elvie had sent of the Cyber Truck. Remembering how long the tasks she had completed today would have taken way back when she was first employed fifteen years ago, she prayed another, longer, silent prayer. "Thank you, Lord, for the internet…& also thank you for not being 'online' Yourself. I couldn't take it if I started praying and got the response, 'This is Heaven's Prayer Line Customer Portal. Sorry, please call again later, as we are under systems maintenance!" Faith chuckled and picked up her bag, locked the office door & got a jeepney-ride home. Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's ?? Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. Grandson Azzy at 3 months: https://www.facebook.com/reel/949249540312202 D. #442. Briana Barner is with PJ Barner & Azariah Barner. Tune in every Tuesday! I'M IN THE LORD'S ARMY. Private Azi, reporting for duty sir! https://www.facebook.com/100049036778000/videos/643785601932507 Present Need: $300 for: (installment #8 of 9) $2,700 for 5 (2hp Carrier brand) air conditioners for Barner Christian Academy: #1: 7th Grade classroom, #2: Library, #3: Home Economics classroom, #4: Men's chaplain's office, #5: 3rd Grade classroom. $300 remaining. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
LOOKING AHEAD: 2025 Christmas gifts for 610 BCA students: black shoes for school uniform. Needed: 610 x $20 = $12,200 Raised: $3,575. Still needed: $8,625. Upcoming (General) Schedule: March-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative):
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| 3/20/2025 | Please pray for our daughter Abigail, who has made it safely to Greece with the rest of the Moody Bible Institute orchestra. They will be performing over a dozen times in their 2 weeks there in Europe. Pray that she & the 29 others remain strong & able to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord." Praise God that on Sunday (3/9), Elvie & I visited Cedars Church in Newark, California. Pastor Tim & many members remembered the last time we spoke there, a few years ago, & assured us they had been praying for God's work overseas. Last time, one of the members followed-up our visit there by herself coming to visit our ministry overseas! After church this past Sunday, we drove up to San Francisco & had lunch with the Taylors, who are lifetime friends & also fellow missionaries to the Philippines! Their oldest son Lucas had the great news of his upcoming wedding this May. Praise God also that Rein, a student of Barner Christian Academy, shared the gospel at BCA's orphanage "FHF" church. The FHF orphans had invited non-Christian buddies from school to also hear the Word of God! "Ooh, the road's ups & downs & twists & turns!" Fortunately, as we drove north on California's treacherous Route 17 from Watsonville to Newark, it was daylight. Blinding high beams of oncoming cars at night would have caused the steep climbing & deep dips at 70 miles an hour to form white knuckles as I gripped the steering wheel. On Sunday (the next day), while at breakfast in the small hotel we'd overnighted at, Elvie's trained ears picked up the melodic sounds of a Filipino speaker. The clear vowel distinctions, with their soft, rolling quality, was traced to a middle-aged dad & mom with heir two grown boys, seated around a table of their bagels & coffee. As with almost all Filipinos, they welcomed our greetings, and we chatted together for the next 20 minutes. When they mentioned that they were headed south, reversing the same route we had taken the day before on Route 17, flashes of those twists & turns came back into my memory. So, we gathered around them to pray for their trip. After checkout & breakfast, we got to church. After the service, Pastor Tim mentioned to me that, years ago as a teenager, he had driven that same road before the installation of a cement divider separated the lanes. Tragically, back then fatal accidents had been a very common occurrence. Another 50 miles or later, we had lunch with friends in San Francisco, then another 60 miles beyond that, stopped by to see reps at a solar pump plant. Now, ever onward headed through another mountain range (on Interstate-80) to Reno, Nevada. Elvie got a text on her cellphone from the Filipino family we'd met at breakfast. "Thanks for your prayers! We made it safely to Los Angeles!" Whew. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in Davao, BCA's student sponsorship communications secretary Orbina wrapped hundreds of letters into bundles, bound with rubber bands. These letters were written, colored, cut & pasted by BCA's students, for their sponsors. In the process, Orbina gave the bundles to Doris, & Doris filled-out a purchase order of funds from BCA's treasurer Minmin, then went to the post office to buy stamps & mail the letters to the sponsors in the USA. Then Orbina emailed the list of names: Raiden, YZ, Feona, etc…. hundreds of them…to Doris. But since Doris' email "mailbox" was full, she couldn't get it sent to me. So it was Orbina who sent the many email lists to me, here in the USA, instead. These letters were special to the kids, as they represented not only their pictures & faces & grades & art projects, but also the whole reason why they, poor children as they were, were able to get a quality Christian education for free! Meanwhile as Elvie & I are speaking in the USA, traveling the country (over 18,000 miles clocked on our odometer, to date, since August), & also crossing the northern & southern borders into Canada & Mexico…every once in a while, a dad, or a college student, or maybe even a soldier in his military uniform, or maybe even a waitress in a restaurant, will smile and say, "Can I have one of those forms to fill out? I can afford $30 each month to help a Filipino kid get to school!" And then BCA's waiting list gets even shorter! And as the news is passed across the globe to Davao, another empty seat is filled on one of BCA's school buses, & another empty chair is filled in a classroom, & another empty young soul is fed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Orbina, busy at her desk, suddenly noticed a little hand across her computer screen. The accompanying voice chanted, "Mommy, school is over! Didn't you hear the bell?" Orbina's daughter Charmin, with her brother GG, had pranced up the stairs to their mom's office to beg her to "come home now & prepare dinner!" …to the duet-chorus of, "Mama, we're HUNGRY!" Their tiny home doubles as a house-church for Bible studies & worship services multiple times every week & weekend, so rarely do they only have four mouths to feed each night. A few days ago at Church (on their stamp-sized porch), they invited guest pastor Adrich, whose message from Hebrew 13 was, "Celebrating God's Faithfulness; Yesterday, Today & Forever!" And yes, God is, God was & God evermore will be… faithful! Yes, Faithful God, is He. Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. Moody Bible Institute (Chicago): Thursday Worship Chapel. (including Abby's solo & prayer). Broadcast started at 12:26am 3/7/25, ending 3/7/25 at 1:36am. Scroll down to Thursday Worship Chapel. Present Need: $305 for BCA Bus "Ot": $33 for gasoline: 8.415 gallons. BCA Bus "Lx": $272 for 96.522 gallons gasoline. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
Upcoming (General) Schedule: March-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative):
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| 2/27/2025 | COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for our daughter Abigail who will be flying to Greece this Saturday (3/8) as part of the French horn section of the Moody Bible Institute orchestra. The trip will bring her to over a dozen different European cities for the next 2 weeks during their spring Break. The orchestra will be singing & playing for thousands in both Christian & non-Christian groups. Praise God that on Sunday & Wednesday (3/2 & 3/5), Elvie & I visited & spoke at the Faith of Christ Church in Simi Valley, California & the Watsonville Church of the Nazarene in Watsonville, California. In both churches, the people were very interested in God's work in the Philippines to save souls. The Simi Valley church has biennial international Zoom prayer meetings and both churches had scrumptious meals after the worship services! Our 92-yr-old friend Flo from Kentucky came out to California & visited relatives. Plus she & her sister Donna visited the churches where we spoke in the Los Angeles area. Friends in Simi gave 2 cases of raw materials for the projects Flo leads her seniors group to make for the BCA kids in the Philippines. We will drop the boxes off in KY as we pass through there in April. Then Flo will ship the completed projects to Davao for the BCA students to receive this next Christmas. Our son PJ's church in New York will send a team out to help give out the gifts to our 610 sponsored Filipino children. "So you do this…for fun?" As Elvie and I travel through 39 states this year, we try & exercise at YMCA fitness centers (when we get the chance), since they are nationwide & the membership in one state transfers for free to all the others. Plus, they usually have great indoor swimming pools. My training for the Ironman in Texas next month includes cycling & running, as well as swimming. Other athletes are curious as to why I don't stick to just one sport. I explained, "Yes, I do enjoy the benefits of exercise, especially since we are eating calorie-laden travel-food while driving. But the race is to raise money for our Philippine school's new chapel." This has been a great opening to share the gospel. Elvie also has programmed her cellphone to count her steps on the treadmill, to try & reach 10,000 steps a day. Virtual confetti streams down the screen as she daily surpasses her goals. Meanwhile back in the Philippines, BCA's teacher Rita was teaching Phonics to her 1st- Graders. "Students, identify each letter with its sound." Rita could see that there are students who still struggle to identify some of the letters, but definitely, there was gradual improvement. "Zeralden… Zeralden…would somebody please wake up Zeralden?" Zeralden was one student who struggles with daydreaming. Every once in awhile she needed a nudge to get her to focus back on track. Rita took Zeralden aside, one-on-one, later in the day when the other students were busy on a small group activity. "Zeralden, I notice you have been distracted lately. Would you like to share?" When Rita saw that there was nothing serious, she had an idea. "Zee, do you have any hobbies?" This question sparked a brief, enthusiastic conversation. It was so very gratifying for Teacher Rita to see the spark of interest in her student's eyes. Rita made a mental note to touch-base daily with Zee, on her hobbies & also tying-in these hobbies with her studies. Later in the day during math class, Rita had her 1st-Grade students count from one to ten. They did fine. Then, when she continued from 11-15, they began to stammer. Before classes had begun that morning, one of the nursery teachers had showcased before Rita one of her students, Aiden, who is very efficient at counting. So, Rita announced to her class of 1st-Graders, "I have a special guest who is superbly capable of counting from 1 to 15…the drumroll please!" As her 30 kids pounded lightly on their desks in anticipation of who this genius could be, who should walk into the classroom but a tiny 4 yr old! Awe & silence filled the room as Aiden counted, clearly & distinctly, not just from one to fifteen, but continued on to twenty! Huh. To be one-upped by a 4-yr-old? The first graders, without exception, made personal vows to best this little guy by the same time tomorrow! The next day, "hobby-girl" Zeralden came up to Teacher Rita's desk to tell about her hobbies of drawing & cooking. Her eyes were now bright & insightful. After school, as Rita sat at her desk grading papers, she couldn't help but feel a sense of fulfillment mixed with fatigue. Every day presents a new set of challenges & triumphs, but Rita wants to ensure that she remain a source of support for her students. Teaching is not just about conveying information; it's about building relationships & fostering an environment where students feel valued. She remembered a poster she'd seen in the store, "A GOOD teacher draws out of the kids a WILLINGNESS to learn.. A GREAT teacher draws out of the kids a LOVE to learn." ...or something like that! And yes…Rita & BCA's other 8 teachers really do "do this…for fun!" Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. PJ & Briana's little "polar bear" at 3 months, "ice skating" for the 1st time…he's a natural! https://www.facebook.com/reel/1186528483128036 Present Need: $305 for: Bus maintenance: Bus "Ph": $28 for 1 gal engine oil gasoline engine, $5 for Oil filter fwa, $11 for 3 spark plugs, $10 for High tension wire, $6 for Distributor cap, $152 for 2 tires 500x12, $24 for 1 gal gear oil 90 nf. Bus "Lx": $69 for gasoline: 23.554 gallons. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
Upcoming (General) Schedule: February-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative):
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| 2/20/2025 | 1st day of Spring on Thursday, March 20, 2025. St Patrick's Day (3/17). COMING UP (furlough visits):
Please pray for a BCA student, Josiah, who was rushed to the hospital when his appendix burst. He is recovering now. Praise God that on Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday (2/23, 25 & 26), Elvie & I visited & spoke at the Thousand Oaks Baptist Church in Thousand Oaks, CA. The joyful people there promised to pray for many souls to be saved overseas, & also committed themselves to reaching their neighbors for Jesus. Some families in this church sponsor BCA students. Praise God also that Lovella & Rose, moms of BCA students, prayed to accept Jesus into their hearts, and also a student, Althea. "It was like Sodom & Gomorrah…& what used to be the 2nd floor was where we lived for fifteen years!" Our friends Chaplain Steve & Brenda toured us around an area of Pasadena, California hit by recent wildfires. "This is so surreal," declared Elvie, "like an apocalypse!" Some houses were unfazed, even the glass was not melted in the windows, yet stood right next door to other homes which were completely disintegrated by the flames. Rusting shells of what could be barely recognized as cars, rested between sooty & crumbling cement pillars that, just 2 months ago, held up the roof of a parking garage. "Floating embers, like missiles, were picked up by the winds to incinerate some houses, & yet spared others." I couldn't help but take a picture of the water meters, which were melted like a painting by Salvador Dali. "Our new apartment is just a few blocks from here, but we were faithful to evacuate, just in case the flames got this far. Only God's merciful favor spared us." Just then, a car pulled-up. It was our friends' former landlady. They hadn't seen ach other in over a year. Now, they could share & pray about God's provision. "That fateful night, the skyline was like daytime…only with an eerie orange glow!" Meanwhile on the other side of the planet in Davao, BCA's 2 chaplains Melvin & Eunice were discipling the parents & students of the school. In 6th Grade, Eunice prayed with Owen, who felt lonely & unaccepted by her classmates. Then in 5th Grade, just down the hall, she prayed with Rhea, who was constantly pressured by her parents to get better grades…yet not recognized when her grades had improved. Eunice then had a counselling session (referencing a passage from Proverbs) with 5 of Owen's classmates, to straighten-up an argument they had had. During lunch, Eunice sat down with each of the teachers to determine which students needed counseling. One was missing her mom, who is working as a maid in the Middle East. Another 5th grader was crying as she missed her mom who died last year. Josiah broke his classmate's ruler, so Eunice & Melvin gave a team-lecture on respecting other people's belongings. Eunice counted the parents & students whom she had counselled, in between reports which she had submitted to Faith, the school secretary. 26 students and parents had been individually counselled (one-on-one) so far during that month of February. One in particular was a deep concern to Eunice, as the father had left the family & a boyfriend of the mom would come home drunk after gambling away his income on the rooster fights. He always chose the losing fowl. In the second-grade class, one of the students stole another students' lunch. It was kind of obvious who had it, as she was eating it right there before their eyes! Right after Eunice had requested that the thief return the lunch, that very child prayed to become a Christian! A few days later, Ruby (one of the moms) also prayed to become a Christian. Then the next week, Melvin led a boy to pray & receive Jesus into his heart. Previously the boy had a behavior problem. His parents were always working, so he had nobody to play with at home. Instead, he'd borrow a neighbor's cellphone to play games on war. He thus easily became angry & spouted off bad words. And now, as a new believer, his habits had changed for the better. Still though, Melvin prayed for him daily at school, checking-in on him & seeing, gradually now, a little improvement. Then, in a group session with 46 students, Eunice taught from John 15, "To Stay Connected to Jesus, let us review our 6 guidelines: What is #1?" In unison, the kids responded. "Deeper relationship with Jesus!" Before heading on to #2, Eunice (without naming any names) shared about a (previously-mentioned) student's problem with computer games about war & killing people. "A deeper relationship with Jesus," Eunice explained, "requires participation on our part as well." Chaplain Melvin then played the piano in leading an appropriate hymn, "Lord Plant my Feet on Higher Ground", before they continued. Then for #2 in their lesson, everybody got that one correct, as well: "Pray all the time!" #3 & #4, whether they hesitated because they didn't remember, or just because some didn't want to remember, yet there was still a resounding response, "We will be a good example…& obey our parents!" For the last 2 bullet-points, the other students were back with the grand finale, "Guard my heart & stop saying bad words!" And now for the prayer time: Instead of taking precious schooltime to ask for requests (often kids, once they have the attention of others, steal the show by exaggerating), Eunice read-off the requests from cards she had distributed & collected earlier. Safety, good health, family problems, getting better grades & drawing closer to Jesus pretty much synopsized the program. As with the flying embers of fire in California, the flying embers of sin have been put out by God's people at BCA dousing the flames of sin which the enemy is throwing toward precious children. Praise God for BCA's Chaplains Melvin & Eunice! Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. #441. PJ Barner was live — with Briana Barner. Tune in every Tuesday! DELIVER US (lullaby). Bri would always sing this to her younger siblings, and now we get to sing it to our son. https://www.facebook.com/pj.the.barner/videos/2958041191161254 Present Need: $300.94: BCA Bus "Lx": $215.78 one tire replaced, balanced, aligned/ BCA Bus "Od": $59.16 for 16.623 gallons/ BCA Bus "M": $16 transmisison gear oil, $10 gasoline 8.48 liters. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
Upcoming (General) Schedule:
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| 2/13/2025 | USA Daylight Savings Time Ends…clocks turned forward (3/9/25) COMING UP (furlough visits): Please also pray for our daughter Abigail (at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago), who has been battling fever and coughs for a few weeks now. She has had a performance in a musical three days this past week, and was already prayed for by friends at a prayer meeting we attended in California. She also will be flying with the rest of the orchestra to Greece in March. Please pray for BCA's 610 students. Chaplains Melvin & Eunice prepared a poster which, after a short lecture, each of the students signed it in pledges to keep their hearts, minds & bodies pure. Praise God that on Sunday (2/16) & Wednesday (2/19), Elvie & I visited & spoke at the 1st Baptist Church in Thousand Oaks, CA & the Sparrow's Gate Castle School in Ensenada, Mexico. In both locations, our Bible messages & missions challenges were interpreted in Spanish, and very well received. The very alert Mexican children each wrote cards for Elvie, Trish & I, and our host even let us use his car to drive around Ensenada! Also, the California friends hosted us and even helped me to get our printer functioning again. En route, through San Diego, when Elvie's shoes fell apart, friends their both fixed them with "Shoe Goo" and also bought her a new pair. Praise God as well that Christian Aid Mission in Virginia, USA gave a gift of $12,880.80 from donors for the following December & January needs in this ministry: Bibles-$500.00; BCA's new chapel-$948.20; Benches for community outdoor basketball court-$600.00; Children's Emergency Medical Fund-$45.00; Student Sponsorships- $6,678.00; Jericho Free School Lunch Program-$72.00; Transportation- $1,856.40; Training in evangelism for parents, pastors & teachers-$2,181.20 "Got milk?" White lines of milk lined the upper lips of 2 dozen little Mexican children, as Elvie & I gave out peanut butter sandwiches & poured cups of the luscious white liquid to them. Our hosts, Dean & Alba, also provided bananas, which Alba was able to break in half (without squashing them) & give a half to each child. This very special couple has built a bright yellow castle school (complete with round turrets) where 2 dozen "castle kids" lined up single-file, then handed us a big homemade yellow envelope. Each child then traipsed up, honorably "blessed" us (Filipino style) & placed colorful homemade cards into the big envelope. It was very, very heartwarming. Dean & Alba led Elvie & I & our Arizona friend Trish, to a public place where poor children lived in a metal shipping container, hot in the summer & cold in the winter. Half a dozen families lived there, with doorway sections cut out for each family, 6ft x 8ft. One extremely cute tiny girl was bundled up outside in the dirt, in a pink coat & she was curled up, crouching inside a little plastic milk crate, watching her buddies roll an old bicycle wheel around with a stick. Back at the Castle school, when Elvie & I noticed the kids with an extra-long jump rope, we both joined in, as the kids counted in Spanish…uno…dos…tres… Elvie & I, jumping in unison, got all the way up to forty before one of us slipped up. Breathless, we smiled as the kids cheered our accomplishment! That afternoon Elvie & I dressed up in Filipino outfits and presented a missions challenge, with pictures (of Filipino children studying at our school overseas) from my laptop, projected onto the wall. Our messages were carefully interpreted into Spanish, and the kids latched onto every word. "Do you love Jesus?" YES!! "Then tell somebody! Also pray that missionaries in other countries will also tell people who will tell more people & then many, many people will also know our loving Jesus!" Meanwhile back in the Philippines, BCA's Teacher Jannah Jane challenged her 1st graders, "Let's recite together John 3:16." After the kids responded, Jannah shared a few points that she had copied during the teachers' devotional early that morning. The topic was, "Nurturing the gift that God has given to us in His Son." During their Reading and Literacy class, Jannah integrated the lesson with the devotional. After reading together a story about Yuno, a boy who is honest, Jannah tied this in with nurturing God's gift. In the story, when Yuno had received an excess amount of change from the store, he immediately returned it & told the owner. Jannah asked the students what they had learned from the story. They correctly answered, "We have to be honest, Teacher Jannah!" After the morality/spirituality lesson, Jannah also itemized unfamiliar words from the story & give the meaning of each word, such as; tinola (soup), sukli (coins for change), & katapatan (loyal). Next, in their Makabansa (Social Studies) class they compared the buildings in the community, with pictures for the children to visualize: hospital, school, park, mall, etc. The 1st Graders took turns sharing their experiences going to those places with their family. Then, how to "Nurture the gift" in each place. Jaden interjected, "at the palenke (fresh vegetable market), I nurture the gift God has given me by saying 'God bless you' to the merchants!" Next, they discussed the parts of school campus, their locations & their functions. "What is your favorite place in the school?" asked Jannah. Then, "Where can you read books? Where do you eat?" She then let the kids draw their most favorite part of school & to color it. She then prompted, "The nurse's clinic: you can Nurture the Gift of Salvation by taking care of your body!" The same applied to the cafeteria & gymnasium. In the library & classroom & science/computer/music/H.E. labs, they could improve the minds that God has given them & thus "nurture the gift". Since Valentine's Day was fast approaching, Jannah led the students to make cards for their sponsors. Then she got out some clay & the kids made shapes of hearts & also the shapes of other ways to express their love for each other. Joshua spoke up, holding his clay heart, with the rough sculpture of a hand holding it. "Teacher, when you nurture, you are molding something, just like we molded this clay." Jannah had one of those "Oh yeah" moments & said, "Joshua, you molded this clay heart. But until God re-molds our clay hearts, they will never beat with His love. The world is filled with people who just have clay hearts. But when they let God mold & nurture them, their heart gains color & starts to beat. Nurture the gift! Let's say it together!" NURTURE THE GIFT! At the end of the school day, Jannah asked Carl to come up to the front of the classroom & a line formed behind him. One by one, they pulled slips of papers from a jar on Teacher Jannah's desk. As they read the words on the paper, they placed the paper in one of two jars next to the blackboard. One was black, & the other was white. Clay hearts represented the black box. One paper said "stealing". That ended in the "clay heart" black jar. Another said "kindness" & was put in the "living heart" jar. Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. #440 - PJ Barner is with Briana & AZ Barner. Tune in every Tuesday! READ YOUR BIBLE. Watch our little Azi grow, grow, grow! https://www.facebook.com/pj.the.barner/videos/1987409541782091 Present Need: $302 for: BCA Bus "M": diesel gas $160/ -rubber caps $5/ -sure brake $5// -motor oil $4// -brake drum lock $1// -sand paper $1// -radiator hose $9// -oil seal $3// -fog lamp supplier $3// -cleaning & repair of radiator $27 // BCA Bus "Fi": gasoline $20// BCA Bus "N": gasoline $14// -air filter $5// -straight hose $3// -hose clip $2// -motor oil $26// -gear oil $24 3 Ongoing Construction Projects: 1- SUBASTA Tribal campus ($250,000): $78,997. Still needed: $171,003 2- DAVAO Bus Garage/Chapel ($120,000): $74,148. Still needed: $45,852 (Chapel: 2025 Texas 4/6/25 & Wisconsin 9/6/25 Triathlon Project) 3- SAMAL ISLAND Orphanage Cottage & Chapel ($150,000): $24,445. Still needed: $125,555 LOOKING AHEAD: 2025 Christmas gifts for 610 BCA students: black shoes for school uniform. Needed: 610 x $20 = $12,200 Raised: $95. Still needed: $12,105. Upcoming (General) Schedule: February-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative):
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| 2/6/2025 | USA Presidents' Day (2/22/25) 28th anniversary of our 1st church plant. (2/7/97-2/16/25) COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for Dan, the dad of Darrell, one of our former students. Dan was rushed to the hospital when he had had an asthma attack, & they had to surgically remove liquid which had gathered in his lungs. Please also pray for wisdom for Elvie as she plans to return to the Philippines over the month of June. Before she arrives, she has requested our staff to find a good price on a guitar and portable sound system (karaoke style) which she'll purchase with funds we have collected for the church we built at BCA's orphanage. Praise God that on 2 Wednesdays & also a Sunday (2/5 & 2/9 & 2/12), Elvie & I visited these Arizona churches: Desert Road Alliance Church, First Glendale Southern Baptist Church, & Calvary Peoria Baptist Church. The fellow believers in all these churches were wonderfully interested in what God is doing to save souls in Davao! One retired former Peace Corps volunteer is even considering coming out to help for a year or two. Praise God also that Elvie & I, while in Arizona, visited one of my aging seminary professors form 4 decades ago. We reminisced about old times, & also I was able to once again thank him, Dr Denyer, for the lessons he had taught me. Those same lessons were ones that I had in-turn also taught to my students at the Bible college in Asia. Dr Denyer was pleased that those lessons of the Old Testament which he had given in the 1980s, were now gleaned by students around the world! Praise God too that, between sharing missions challenges in churches & also visiting homes of sponsors of BCA students, friends invited us to pick & squeeze fresh oranges & grapefruit, & also to climb mountains: exploring caves in the deserts of the Great American West. "Almost done!" Elvie watched on her cellphone as our nine orphan kids in the Philippines did their daily chores. Watching each child, she made sure they did not scrimp on their daily duties, lest all their "siblings" should suffer. Some washed dishes, some prepared the food, & the older ones chopped wood for the fire to cook the rice. They are a team. Like the links of a chain, when one is weak, the chain loses its strength. Happily, Elvie congratulated the lids, "Great job! We may be on the other side of the planet, but we are still praying for you!" Meanwhile, as Elvie monitored her cellphone, I was driving across yet-another border of one more state, into the next, as we are speaking in 92 different churches across the American continent, challenging people toward becoming missionaries. This week our Honda Odyssey minivan passed its 221,000-mile mark, which means we have driven over 17,000 miles since we purchased the vehicle last August. As usual, to celebrate the car's achievement, Elvie and I sang Happy Birthday to the car & stopped at a gas station to buy ice cream for us (and gas for the car). Meanwhile overseas at Barner Christian Academy, Teacher Rona Joy opened the royal-blue-painted wooden door of her 7th grade classroom as the students arrived. The kids were chatting together as they arrived, excited for a new day of class. Rona has developed classroom routines & expectations, which she faithfully re-establishes each time the kids come through that door. Occasionally, a few students forget these key concepts, which requires extra review sessions for all. Yet Rona had a few tricks up her sleeve, which included a new "classroom management strategy" rewards system based on positive behaviors. Her students being 7th graders, eagerly lapped-up the challenge immediately. That being taken care of, Rona leapt into her math lesson for the morning: "Physics & Frequency Distributions". In order to construct & interpret frequency distribution tables in the physics curriculum, they solved problems involving speed, acceleration, & velocity. Over the next twenty minutes, Rona broke-down the concepts into smaller, more manageable chunks. Suddenly, Juliet spoke up energetically & breathlessly, with "Hey, this is actually really easy!" To which the other classmates were spurred-on to see what piece of the puzzle they were missing that made everything make sense. Like when an audience of thousands of spectators raises their hands successively in "the wave" at a baseball stadium, Rona could see the expressions on the faces of her students as they came to realization one by one to see the true simplicity of what had just a few minutes previously had them stymied. Hungry for more challenges, the entire class, as a group, became thirsty for the next seemingly-unbeatable challenge. Instead of leaping to the next subject, Rona deepened the experience to solidify it in their minds by dividing the class into groups which discussed their findings, with visual aids & real-world examples. Each group as well presented their findings to the entire class based on their additional practice problems & peer support. Since Rona now had their full attention, she buckled-down to address a very serious & sensitive dilemma: cellphone usage. Since these devices are becoming cheaper & cheaper, even the very poor are able to buy used phones at a small fraction of the original cost. Even without electricity or financial ability to "refill time" to make calls, these cheap phones can be plugged-in to outlets at stores, & free access to the internet in public places also have opened the vast world (both good & bad) to these 7th graders who are very quickly becoming young adults. The issue at hand was twofold: bullying & pornography. Rona had requested that BCA's 2 chaplains: Melvin & Eunice, would borrow all the cellphones for one class period, & during lunchtime, sit with each student to review their findings. Some analyses were disturbing while others were very comforting & edifying. The chaplains were doing this progressively from classroom to classroom over the course of the week, & then on Friday they had an assembly of the entire campus to review statistics of our particular school, as well as what to look out for & how to keep their behavior pure & spotless in the sight of God. With a few students, the chaplains scheduled meetings with their parents, which often revealed negative trends which had actually been passed down from generation to generation. It was not really the phones that caused the disturbance spiritually, but these phones actually just revealed some evil undercurrents of sin practiced, sometimes in secret, and other times openly, in the families. Coming back together as a class, Rona had some very positive news. The results for their recent exams had been totaled, & two of Rona's 7th-graders; Abby & Joey, achieved perfect scores in English! Moreover, the majority of the class passed their exams. This is a testament to their hard work & dedication, & it's a rewarding feeling to see their efforts pay off. The positive results really boosted her confidence & enthusiasm for the remainder of the day. So in retrospect, while Elvie managed our orphans from 13,000 miles away in North America, & while Rona managed her 7th Graders from right there in the same classroom, both of these ladies truly loved & cared of those under their care. Both also had a common denominator: the same God, who had promised in Psalm 139 to be wherever we happened to be. That very God was guiding them with these future leaders of the world, under their charge. Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH:
Present Need: $300: $99 for Paint, Brushes, $18 for Materials to Repair Water-main, leaking thru the BCA roof: 2 Pc Pipe Elbow, 2 Pc Pipe Coupling, Ball Valve, Solvent Cement, Hacksaw Blade, Labor, $183 for BCA Bus "Lx": 64.891 gallons of gasoline. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects: Upcoming (General) Schedule: January-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative):
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| 1/30/2025 | COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for one of BCA's orphans (Abigail) who was bitten by a cat & is getting a series of rabies shots. Please also pray for BCA's Chaplain Eunice, whose three small boys are quite often sick, requiring her to skip work to be with them until they recover. Praise God that this past Wednesday & Sunday Elvie & I visited the Filipino American Alliance Church & Living Word Family Church in Arlington, Texas & Deming, New Mexico. God's people listened attentively to stories of God's work overseas, & there were even four who decided to sponsor BCA students! Thank you, Lord! Praise God also for Trish, a dear friend in Arizona, who represented this ministry last Sunday during her church's annual Missons Sunday. This next Sunday I will be sharing at the same church, during their 2 worship services. "While driving in Far West Texas, when you have a chance to get gas, GET GAS!" I was kindly scolded by the gas station lady in Sierra Blanca, when I shared that the tank was "VERY in the red" & below empty, virtually gliding on fumes. We had stayed overnight in Van Horn, TX, & I had meant to fill up the next morning before hitting the road, since the tank was getting pretty low. But I forgot. About ten miles into the day's 230-mile trip, I glanced down at the fuel gauge & noticed to my horror my mistake. Although the speed limit was 80, I slowed down to 60, unplugged any unnecessary stuff & prayed that angels would blow on the fumes of my tank to get the car to Sierra Blanca, which, according to the sign, was still an agonizing 23 miles away. Finally puttering into the tiny town, Elvie & I breathed again, sighing "Thank you God!" for His miraculous provision. We also looked around at the town, which, although on I-10, was just a few miles from the Mexican border. Ah, Sierra Blanca...5 square miles at an elevation of 4500 feet, where 315 people scrape out their living, in the shadow of volcanic "White Mountain" from which the town got its name (also from the white poppy flowers grown there). Geothermal hot-springs also favor the town. Although now virtually a ghost town, it is the county seat. One of the three Texas counties over the border into the Mountain Time Zone, it sports the only adobe courthouse in Texas (with 18-inch-thick walls). When in 1881 the spike was pounded into the ground here as the completion point of a southern Transcontinental Railway, "SB" served as the junction of the Southern Pacific & Missouri Pacific railroads. It quickly grew into the most important commercial center in the area, providing stockyards & a railhead for local ranchers & served as a shipping center for salt & other minerals. But now, even the THEATRE was boarded up & its marque, whose 3-ft-high letters had been scattered due to high winds, actually only read "T-RE". SB has had its moments. Like in 1944 when three Army Air Force crews from Biggs Army Airfield, 86 miles west of Sierra Blanca, took off on a practice mission. They proceeded to drop 10 practice bombs on Sierra Blanca, & barely missed the gas station, which served us now. Whew, that was a close one! While in SB, we mailed a letter to a friend, with the stamp cancelled "Sierra Blanca, Texas." It would make its way out of town that evening. As we drove off with a full tank of gas, we stopped to get a picture of an ancient, tattered saddle hanging over a wooden railing, next to a wooden bear, carved from a log & having an Indian headdress decorating its brow. We wondered, "If SB had not had gas, would we have been using a horse with that very saddle to get us across the state's border?" Meanwhile on the other side of the ocean in Davao, Nurse Anilyn was caring for the hundreds of students at Barner Christian Academy. She keeps index cards on each child, recording their weight, height & temperature, along with other stuff. She also cares for those who are sick. Typically, on an average day, she's had between half a dozen & a dozen sick kids visiting her clinic, mostly due to stomachaches: not from food eaten, but from empty stomachs before they even boarded BCA's school buses. Fortunately, BCA not only has a feeding program, but also supplies crackers to Nurse Anilyn's clinic to put something into their tummies until lunchtime. Anilyn's 1st patient of the day was Rheanna, with a stomachache & headache. Anilyn gave her a children's dose of pain medicine. She also rubbed mentholated "Efficascent" oil onto the little girl's chest. Then Leann had knee pains, so the same oil was administered to the knee. Before Ezekiel came in to have a wound redressed with clean gauze, Anilyn straightened up the clinic, made the bed & swept the floor, dusting the medicine shelves as well, which were fortunately built by a missions team from Utah last January. Then she gave Matthew, an ice-cold compress. After Matt headed back to his classroom, Anilyn looked through the cards & noticed that Paulo still hadn't returned from being sent home last week when it was found that he had the mumps. A few others also were out, due to contagious diseases: Gwenn had pinkeye (conjunctivitis) and was sent home. And Alexia had foot & Mouth disease & also was sent home. But not everybody was contagious. Danica had a slight cough. Valerie had a toothache and received clove oil drops. Carl scratched his face, so the nurse administered Merthiolate and cut Carl's fingernails. And then, there was Sogil, who had a bloody nose & lay down in the clinic for half an hour until it cleared up. When there was a lull in her visitors, Nurse Anilyn then went from classroom to classroom, supplying the "Children's Vitamin" trays from which each teacher gave to each student. In each classroom, she shared briefly how, just as the vitamins give physical strength to our bodies, so Jesus gives us the spiritual strength we need to face each day. As she re-entered the clinic, Anilyn welcomed Marie, who had come into school with a burn on her arm from cooking eggs for her family for breakfast, so Anilyn administered aloe gel. So, even as I was reminded, "While driving in Far West Texas, when you have a chance to get gas, GET GAS!", likewise, when a student is sick, whether from something at home or at school, "See Nurse Anilyn!" Until next time... TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. #437. Tune in every Tuesday! CUTE!!! PJ Barner was live with Azariah. HALLELU HALLELU • FATHER ABRAHAM 3 min, 7 sec. https://www.facebook.com/pj.the.barner/videos/636877982241293 Present Need: $302.13: BCA Bus "Lx": $215.78 one tire replaced, balanced, aligned/ BCA Bus "Od": $86.35 for gasoline, 25.604 gallons. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects: Upcoming (General) Schedule: January-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative):
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| 1/23/2025 | Paul & Elvie's 29th "Paperversary" (when we signed our marriage contract, 7 months before the church wedding) 1/15/1996. Chinese New Year (1/29/25). BCA Preliminary Exams (1/30-31/5). NOTE: Your 2024 tax receipts are on their way to you, via regular mail. If you need yours sooner, please request an email copy (at blckids@yahoo.com), & I will send it asap. Thank you once again for your faithfulness. PS: donations given through Christian Aid Mission or Network for Good or Facebook or Orchard Foundation or PCA Foundation Trust (or through your local church) are sent from those organizations, & not by Paul M Barner Ministries, Inc. Thanks again! COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for the churches we visit this furlough, as many make plans to send short-term missions teams to help with construction, teaching & other outreaches. We must make it clear to all prospective teams that the US Embassy has sent a warning that Philippine drug laws differ from the USA. All CBD drugs, gummies, etc. (even if accompanied by a prescription) are outlawed in the Philippines. The items will be confiscated & the traveler will be fined & incarcerated at a Philippine prison (NOT a nice place). Also, all suitcases need to be locked, since some drug dealers have slipped drugs into international travelers' bags so that they will be caught by drug-sniffing canine. Please also pray for Paul's New York cousin Dawn and her family as her husband Henry died of a heart attack last Friday. Praise God that this past Wednesday & Sunday Elvie & I visited the Calvary Baptist Church & Summit Alliance Church in Simpsonville, South Carolina. These fellow Christians are true prayer warriors & agreed to pray for & support God's work through Paul M Barner Ministries in Davao City, Philippines. We even have two families who began sponsoring BCA students! Thank you, Lord! Although we were scheduled to visit an international church in the area, there was a last-minute scheduling glitch by that church, which actually opened the door to touch base with these brand-new ministry contacts. Our disappointments are "God's appointments!" Praise God too, that while Elvie & I visited Bill, a friend in North Carolina (NC), he suddenly reached down & turned his leg up & around 360 degrees! After explaining the reason for his prosthesis: the removal of his leg due to a motorcycle accident, Bill also allowed Elvie & I to record his testimony of how God had used this tragedy to bring him back to the Lord. We'll use Bill's story to inspire Filipinos when we return to Asia in December. In short, he said, "Losing a leg is a small price to pay compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord & Savior. In other words, the Lord used my accident to bring me to Him so I wouldn't change anything that I have gone through...God's love knows no bounds!" Also, Noel, another friend whom we visited in a different part of NC, let us read her autobiography. One inspirational quote from her book was when God revealed to her in a "Moses' burning bush" moment, as she quipped, "Do I smell smoke?" "BRIDGE CLOSED." The last place we'd expect a bridge to be closed due to snow & ice would be Gulf Shores, Alabama. But as our hosts were driving us back from breakfasting & visiting with new sponsors for Filipino kids, the same bridge we'd driven over a few hours earlier was unpassable. Nearly a dozen police cars & rescue vehicles congregated at the foot of the span to be sure that nobody attempted the trip until it was safe. Since "Lower Alabama" (along the Gulf Coast) only has snow like this once a century or so, the county owns no snow plows. So, after we waited nearly an hour, down the road comes a tractor with a "grader" underneath, which usually smooths-out the rows of a field for planting. That ran behind a bulldozer, to pick up the 9-inch-deep snow. And to complete the mini-parade, it was either a manure spreader or pesticide spreader, which dispersed sand (or salt) to keep traction on the ice. Then after waiting nearly an hour and a half, we were able to get back to the home of our host, on the other side of the bridge. When we got back, we made snow angels & an itty-bitty snowman, complete with mini-scarf & sunglasses. Next to the small snow-covered cement lawn ornament of St Francis of Assisi was our snow statue of "Franklin". While we were out in the snowy cold weather in the USA, our ministry overseas was experiencing a heat wave! Blistering temperatures breached the triple digits. Yesterday, Marlie, a 46-year-old mom (of 8) was rushing to our BCA school campus with the snacks that she'd prepared for her 4 youngest kids, in grades 1 thru 6. Spiritually, Marlie had come a long way from where she was just a few years ago. She & her family had been deeply involved with a local cult, whose leader claimed to be the "appointed son of God". By the way, has recently been arrested due to human trafficking. While she was disillusioned by the extent of the weird trends to which this leader had gone, Marlie heard from her equally-destitute neighbors about our Christian school's free tuition, & decided to enroll her kids at BCA. Three months later, Marlie prayed with BCA's school chaplain Eunice to become a Christian. Over the past 12 months, Marlie & her husband have grown exponentially in their Spiritual Walk with God. Due to high blood pressure, Marlie usually avoids the heat, hiding under an umbrella while out in the sun. But today she had left her umbrella behind, since her hands were full. Faith, one of our secretaries, stopped her, noticing the sweat pouring down Marlie's face. Faith offered her own umbrella, but Marlie had already gone ahead to the school that instant. After getting the food to each of her children, Marlie came down the stairs to Barner Christian Academy's school gymnasium. She suddenly had a heart attack, became limp, fell to the floor & died. BCA's staff, having been trained in CPR, tried to revive her, but to no avail. They rushed her body to the hospital, where she was declared DOA. Since Marlie & her husband were very poor, their 8 children did not always start school during the proper year. The cult leader they had followed demanded a very high percentage of their miniscule income, to be given to him, to build his massive edifices, & also to support his worldwide television ministry. Thus, just keeping food on the table was a chore for this family of ten. So, while all of Marlie's kids were different ages, two children nonetheless were schooling together in the same 5th grade classroom. Jovy is Barner Christian Academy's 5th Grade teacher. She was there to console the two now-motherless students after the loss of their dear mom. That morning, the students had been cheerfully singing, dancing, & competing by developing mini-choirs for Filipino tribal music. During the next period's class, Jovy revealed the 26 paper "face shields" that she had assembled for each student to wear on the left & right sides of their heads. This would keep the students from cheating, since they couldn't see their neighbors' test papers. Due to the anti-cheating element of the exam, Jovy could tell which students needed extra help, as those would be the ones who did poorly in the test. So, she decided that the next day she would re-test those students' in the same exam, after they turned in the homework assignment for extra practice in the mathematical problems. Fortunately, Marlie's two children in this classroom had done very well on the exam, & did not need to re-take it, since this week would involve traveling to the mountains for their mom's nightly funerals, wake & burial, which will likely last a full week. Whether it is severely cold in Alabama, or severely hot in Davao, God is active 24/7 in His sovereign process of using us to draw the lost to Himself through our lives of service. Until next time… TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's ?? Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. BCA students at flag rising exercises 1/14/25 D. BCA's FAF Church children's presentation. children 2024 Activity. We started the Junior Church last August 18, 2024 with 3 different classes: a. - Toddlers ( Grade 2 and below ) b. - Graders ( Grade 3 and 4 ) c. - Young teens ( Grade 5 and 13 years old. ) d. For Junior Church, we mixed the Grade 3 to young teens after Sunday school. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JjE59Xvqot0KbsHXcIhmvCLDKCwUtQ4f?usp=drive_link E. BCA students in gym class. 38 seconds. https://www.messenger.com/e2ee/t/7328339753959974 Present Need: $450 BCA Bus "Lx": for replacing front brakes. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects:
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| 1/16/2025 | USA National Martin Luther King Jr Day (1/20/25) A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop Present Need: $300 for BCA "Bus L": $2-tire repair & $2 -Rubber boots, BCA "Bus M": $180 -diesel gas, $116 & starter. |
| 1/9/2025 | National Day of Mourning for 1970's 39th USA President Jimmy Carter 1/9/25 COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for the students & teachers at BCA. Due to weather changes, many kids have colds and thus are absent from their classes, which they will have to make-up. Please also pray for the contractors who are continuing construction of the perimeter flower planter/wall on the back wall of BCA's orphanage. As they complete each section, the orphans dig up dirt in secluded areas of the property to fill-in the planters and then put-in the flowers. Please pray too as the BCA school bus drivers & parents are beginning to prepare one of the school's unused rooms to be the new 8th grade classroom for 2025-26. Praise God that this past Sunday Elvie & I visited the Westside Alliance Church in Greensboro, NC, and also spoke this past Wednesday evening at The Village Chapel in Pinehurst, NC. This church was one of those which had given to purchase plastic chairs and tables for BCA's new 7th grade class, and also to replace the chairs which had floated away in a recent heavy rainstorm. We are spending a delightful week with our dear hosts in North Carolina, before we travel onward in our journey west. Elvie & I even have a few new sponsors for Filipino students, and have made connection with some lovely Vietnamese sponsors, who pray consistently for God's work in the Philippines! "Beso beso!" While in Canada recently, we visited a church which our nieces attend. It was pretty cold & rainy, & as one of our nieces was backing up out of the parking lot, we heard a discouraging "crunch". The Filipino pastor was in the parking lot at the time, & saw the 2 cars collide, back bumper-to-front bumper. Since the car which was hit was his own, he glanced at it & realized there was no real damage. So, he quipped with a smile, "beso beso" (they were just kissing!) and left it at that. Since during this furlough we are visiting not only dozens of states, but also nearly a half dozen countries, we also encounter many languages & accents. Some joyful Vietnamese worshippers had joined the Sunday School class we attended in North Carolina, where the teacher asked, "Where do you like to spend your time…time where you have opportunity to share your faith in Jesus?" Some said they go to the store, others at work, & still others at the golf course or with family. When some mentioned they communicate with friends online, the Vietnamese members agreed with Elvie that the internet has given great opportunity to catch-up with those next door and around the world, while pursuing ways to reach the lost. Elvie especially keeps communication-up daily with our Filipino teachers, church leaders & orphans overseas, so they have clear direction even in our absence. One such individual who especially appreciates our continual contact is Faith, one of the 3 secretaries at Barner Christian Academy (BCA). After a New York woman who sponsors a BCA student mentioned in an email to me that another sponsor from her church is now in assisted living, she then continued that she was willing to pick-up the friend's sponsorship! Within the same few minutes I had received & read the email, I contacted Faith (by email) & told her of the switch. Amazing to consider that, what used to take months to accomplish before the internet, now can be accomplished within just a few minutes. That is not the only thing that Faith was busy with though. To streamline the process of being sure that pictures of "little Johnny" don't find their way into the envelope being mailed to the sponsor of "little Suzie", she developed a creative box-system. As she was stuffing, she considered the excitement she'd had just a few days ago that not one, but four of the annual permits which needed to be submitted by year end had all been approved: a. SF10-transfers, students' credentials; b. SEC Amendment-re-evaluation of Primary Purpose (addition of Jr high school, 7th grade); c. SGOD (School's Governance Operating Division) CID (Curriculum Implementation Division) to ensure equivalency of BCA's Christian curriculum with the DepEd's (Department of Education) Basic- education Matatad (Solidarity) curriculum; d. Permits to Operate for the next school year, #097 & #023. e. Business Permit Renewal in compliance to City Ordinance 0506-13. As all these things passed through the mind of Faith, she suddenly noticed a little hand reaching up to place pictures in one of the envelopes. It was one of the younger preschool students, who had found his way up to the offices. So, Faith escorted him back to his classroom & continued her work. Faith attended the LIS (Lerner Information System) online class for the DepEd, a Virtual Conference with Lene, the school principal. After the online lesson, she started stuffing envelopes again. Her mind wandered to earlier in the week, when she fulfilled the Random Drug Test at BMCDC. In the randomizer app that the government had sent, 2 teachers (3rd & 7th grades) & the school nurse were chosen for drug testing. So, Faith brought them to the drug testing center & they passed the test, as per the results which she picked up the next day at the PDCA police department. Suddenly, once more Faith noticed the little hand reaching up again. What? Evaluating what he had accomplished during her reminiscing, she noticed to her surprise that this little guy was accurate in his work! So, she scooted back downstairs to his classroom and requested from his teacher that he spend the rest of the day sorting pictures & envelopes to stuff them! When his mom came to pick him up from school, Faith made to tell her that her little guy was a great help. Until next time… Let the islands…rejoice! TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop D. SPECIAL #434 - God Writes Our Story: Our Filipino Wedding (1/5/24). PJ Barner is with Elvie Egan Barner and 69 others. Tune in every Tuesday! One year ago, my wife and I requested a second wedding ceremony to be held in my hometown in the Philippines, surrounded by my family, friends, and loved ones. What we got was so much more! In what was truly a meaningful full-circle event, our ceremony was held at Davao City Alliance Gospel Church with Rev. Bert Labawan as the officiating minister -- the same church AND reverend from my parents' wedding almost 30 years ago! We were also honored by the presence of so many godparents, including the president of The Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines, Inc. himself Bishop Ed Cajes and his wife. After the ceremony we were treated to a dazzling reception at Sunny Point Hotel. We were prepared for both our first dance and the traditional Tinikling. We were NOT prepared for rising from the stage on a gleaming kalesa, enjoying delicious food from a "Be Our Guest"-esque chef parade, taking a slice from a descending multi-layered hanging cake chandelier, getting a flaming sword escort, and releasing real doves! It was the best day of our lives. We were blessed far more than either of us deserved. We cannot thank my parents Paul and Elvie Egan Barner enough for setting this all up in the midst of the already hectic holiday season (during which we gave stuffed toys and gifts to 600 children). We thank our friends and members and staff of Barner Christian Academy of Davao City, Inc , Faith Alliance Fellowship and Kiwanis Club Royale Davao for being a part of the festivities. Thank you to everyone involved in the wedding for the sacrifice of your time and talents, from our amazing coordinator Eunice Grace Chung to our dearly departed Luci Monte, for the staff and incredible photographers at Sunny Point, our talented wedding singers and caterers, and especially our ninongs, ninangs, bridesmaids and groomsmen! And to all my family and loved ones who have known me since childhood and helped raise me to be a man of God, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, on the 1-year anniversary of our stunning Filipino wedding, we are excited to share with you all the full movie-length video! 1 hr, 30 min, 50 sec. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIYiHXAyUOQ Present Need: $301.80: BCA Bus "H": $147 for gasoline 40 gallons, BCA Bus "Lx": $154.8 for gasoline 42.12 gallons Upcoming (General) Schedule: January-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative):
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| 1/2/2025 | Happy New Year, 2025!!! (1/1/25) COMING UP (furlough visits): Please pray for complete healing for Gina (not her real name), a woman who was jaywalking & ran across the road in front of one of BCA's buses, as the driver was returning from distributing hundreds of backpacks, clothes, toys, stuffed animals & school supplies to poor & needy children on nearby Samal Island. Gina & her husband are a poor young couple with small boys & her leg was run over & she was hospitalized with internal injuries during Christmas. Praise God that this past Sunday Abby sang & Elvie & I spoke at Filipino Alliance Church of Toronto (F.A.C.T.) in Toronto, Canada. We spent a delightful Christmas Eve & Christmas Day with relatives in Canada, and also visited another church, which has invited us back in June to speak at their Church's birthday. We also enjoyed celebrating a belated Christmas in Auburn, NY with PJ, Bri & AZ! We celebrated (online) the New Year's "Ball drop" with our niece Elissa in Rensselaer, NY (she turns a ¼-century this Saturday). We also sang again "Happy Birthday" to our car, as we have now driven 12,000 miles this furlough (3k per month). "3-2-1…Happy New Year!" While in Canada a few days before 2025 began, every time we came to a crosswalk in the bustling city of Toronto, a blinking red sign would announce how many seconds before we were allowed to cross the street. We turned quite a few curious Canadian heads though, when every time we did so, we'd call out, Happy New Year! Some pedestrians even looked down at their watches, as if they'd missed something! Meanwhile overseas in the Philippines, they entered the New Year before us, since their clocks are 13 hours ahead of those in the Eastern USA. In just a few days, they'll be resuming classes at Barner Christian Academy. Enjoying her Christmas break, BCA's Teacher Rita thought back to one of her "Multigrade Prep & Nursery" classes at the beginning of December. She began her class with the daily routine, of prayer, greetings, and reviewing homework as a class. Afterward, she passed out coloring pages. To introduce numbers one through ten, Rita first led the class in counting together. Then on the worksheet of ten rows of ten animals, each line was to have colored the progression (1st line, 1 animal, 2nd line 2, etc.). Next worksheet had then students receive a page full of numbers and they were to circle the numbers with the color that Rita announced (3 is blue, 4 is red, etc). Rita then showed a video which had the kids sing and dance to the "Number song." This they really liked, since Filipinos love to dance. Finally, Rita opened her Bible and asked the students to repeat after her the following, "ONE: There is ONE God. TWO: The Bible has 2 sections: the Old & New Testaments. THREE: God is Trinity: Father, Son & Holy Spirit…" She went all the way through ten and passed out worksheets for the kids to memorize for homework. So, while we were counting DOWN "3-2-1" in Canada, BAC kids were counting UP "1-2-3". It all adds up: 2025 will be a wonderful year, since this is the YEAR that God has made! Until next time… Let the islands…rejoice! TOOLS FOR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH: A. PJ's Late Night Worship Master list - PJ Barner: actor · singer · director. YouTube: #300-201: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26FzOhEZ3k41BCzNbiSZ-qw2 B. #400-301: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLItygvjoq26EAnhq36C3vdyKCuYefKUop C. Happy New Year 2025, from the "Barner 6" (14 seconds) Auburn, New York, USA. https://www.facebook.com/100000033945519/videos/pcb.9435205709823800/1148740273628619 D. SPECIAL #433 - New Year's Eve. Briana Barner is celebrating New Year's Eve with Elvie Egan Barner and 3 others. Tune in every Tuesday! AMAZING GRACE (GRASYA NGA KAHIBULONGAN) Happy New Year from the Barners! (3 min, 51 sec). https://www.facebook.com/briana.cutting.9/videos/1100440664868764 Present Need: $325.12 for: BCA Bus "Le": $36 Seat belt & $190 replace tire 700x15 nf, BCA Bus "Lx": $99.12 for gasoline, 33.5 gallons. 3 Ongoing Construction Projects: Upcoming (General) Schedule: January-December, 2025: Paul & Elvie's 2025 USA Speaking/Visiting tour: (tentative): |
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April 11, 2025
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