“I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4) The ministry thrived under Oning’s leadership while Gina & I were in the US during November, confirming that I’m no longer needed here. Two & a half years after this church began, it’s time for Gina & me to move on & start another church. I’m so excited! …Yet I’m so sad. I dearly love these people. I would love to stay here. But “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). The most difficult part about obeying Jesus’ “Go” is leaving loved ones behind. I left my kids, my mom, & others in the US years ago. Now it’s time to leave again. Our Lord comforts me with these words: “Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions — and to receive eternal life in the age to come” (Mark 10:29, 30).
We call it a ‘split’ because Gina & I will keep the 14 or so folks who live in the new area, while Oning gets the rest. 🙂
Small group time after the sermon on 12/3
Training young disciples how to share their Christian testimony. We believe it should consist of three parts: How I was before Christ, how I met Christ, & how Christ has transformed me. We think it should include relevant Scriptures in each part.
Making lumpia.
The English proverb says “Too many chefs spoil the broth,” but I say the many chefs that help Gina in our feeding ministry all produce excellent results.
Queenie helps with children’s & feeding ministries.
When we met Queenie in 2015, she was far from God, she felt rejected by her family, & she was failing in school — often getting into trouble there. English was her worst subject. She now loves God & is in ministry. She now loves & appreciates her family. And she now is an award-winning, teacher-pleasing student. I think even her English is very good now — remember, English is the third language for most folks in our city. Queenie wrote this to give to us when we returned from the US:
Dear Kuya (“Big Brother”) John and Ate (ah-tay, “Big Sister”) Gina,
Thank you that you both are always there for me…for showing your love and care for me. I am happy and blessed that I have both of you in my life. You became my parents and thanks for being such a wonderful and amazing spiritual parents to me. You both been there at the happy times and even at my worst. You inspires me very much… I love you from the bottom of my heart.
Lani (with baby in her lap) seemed to enjoy her first time facilitating a small group after the sermon on 12/10. And the group seemed to like her. In fact, you can’t really call it a small group! Proof that Lani is very loved. She had help from her best friend Sandra (red-striped jacket). Lani was baptized in August 2016.
We’re now looking for a home in our new area. We need a large living room (for church services) & a large kitchen (to feed a lot of people). We’ll be moving in exactly one month.
Thank you so much for your gifts. Here are the ways to donate:
We could never repay you for your generosity to Davao City Outreach, but certainly “you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:14)
Please forward this website to others who might be interested.
Please pray that God will send more laborers into his harvest field.