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Newsletter – March 2014

Dear Friends,

A few days ago, we went to the special needs school here in Virac, Catanduanes. The Bible School students and I (Lorrie) did puppets, a short drama, children’s action songs, clowning, balloons and face painting. We then did a demonstration on how to brush your teeth correctly and then gave them each a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. Our daughter Amy was the chief photographer.

It was so special to touch those kids lives! After the presentation, the principal invited us to come back in November to perform for the whole school. We are excited about the potential to reach many kids and families for the gospel! Thank you Lord for the children!

Our next presentation will be to a local public school in our neighborhood. We are expecting over 250 children, as well as teachers, principal, and staff. We have bought toothbrushes and tooth paste to give out for each one of them. We know God will touch hearts and lives! After this, we have been invited to minister at a local children’s feeding program. We will look forward to clowning around with the kids, bringing them Jesus!

Last weekend, I was invited to go on a hotel, restaurant tour with our friend, who is a professor at Catanduanes Polytechnic College. There were 65 students on two tour buses, 2 professors, and yours truly, local missionary. After the three and one half hour ferry ride we boarded the buses and headed for Manila, an all night excursion! (We also had four tour guides and four bus drivers accompanying us.)

My friend asked me to share freely with the students. As it turned out, I had many opportunities to minister to the students, tour guides, and even the bus drivers. One guide especially, named Maki, was affected by the story I shared of the prodigal son. I later heard that he is the son of a pastor with 3 of his brothers in the ministry! He said he was the black sheep of the family. He had been a stand up comedian in the past. He was very cynical at first, but we saw him change right before our eyes as he heard of the Father’s compassion and forgiveness to his son, the lost one, who came home. Please pray for this lost sheep to fully find his way back home to Daddy God.

We are continually reminded of how privileged we are to serve in the Philippines, to be sent ones, representing our King. Representing you, our family, friends and churches. You share with us in all the souls that come to Jesus. We thank God for that and for you!

Love to you all, In Jesus name!

Lorrie and Nels

We would appreciate your prayers as we have had several medical and dental issues among our students this year. Please pray for both healing and finances for these needs.

Newsletter – January 2014

Dear Friends,

Paul states in Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

This past Sunday I spoke in New Hope Church in Manila on Hopelessness and Hope. When we read the papers and look all around us it is easy to become discouraged and hopeless, but God is a God of hope! To those of us who have received His salvation, we can abound in hope both now and for eternity. One of my favorite Bible verses is John 10:10. “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that they might have life and that more abundantly.” Despite all the things we see, I believe for a God-filled 2014!

Last year ended with one of the worst typhoons in recorded history hitting the Philippines. The large city of Tacloban in Leyte was hit especially hard. Along the coast three or four ships were washed onto the shore clearing the homes in their paths. Though the initial reports of 10,000 people killed were later discredited, now people in the area say that they believe there may actually be over double that amount. We may never know for certain.

This month, Lorrie and I traveled to the island of Leyte and continued our relief aid to the village of Bugabuga and a neighboring village of Campurog. We are focusing on these villages because we already have a church there and they were not receiving the aid or attention of the more metropolitan areas. Bugabuga is a village of about 150 families and Campurog is a village of 160 families. They are both located in a remote mountainous area. Though there was no loss of life, most of the homes suffered either severe damage or were completely destroyed. Through your gifts, we have been able to supply some food relief, building materials, and a water well. We just purchased a chain saw and are planning to hire some of the villagers to cut the fallen coconut trees into lumber for houses for the most needy people. It is our plan to provide some cash income for the workers at the same time as we are supplying materials for their homes.

Our daughter, Amy, has joined us this month in the Philippines. We are looking forward to her help in teaching at the Bible School for the next few months. It is always rewarding knowing we have the opportunity to influence these young people in their walk with God.

Please pray especially for Geraldine, one of our former graduates, she has been diagnosed with leukemia. Pray also for our son Jeremy as he leads a missions team in Africa.

Thank you for your continued prayers, faithful support, and friendship.

Nels and Lorrie

Yolanda Report

Click image below for full size:

Village

I just returned from Leyte after a week of traveling, inspecting, and giving out relief items to people who experienced the devastation of typhoon Yolanda last month. The death toll continues to rise as more bodies are found and may even reach the 10,000 that some initially reported. The typhoon crossed over the island of Leyte leaving a path of destruction more than two hundred miles wide. As a Cebu pastor and I drove towards the village of Bugabuga and later to the larger city or Ormoc we saw multitudes of houses and commercial buildings partially or totally destroyed. In the more rural areas there were acres and acres of ruined coconut, banana, and abaca trees. As we passed along the roads, people came out and asked for help. There were several signs posted near the highway saying, “Help” or “Help us, we need food!”

There are 128 households in the village of Bugabuga. The village is situated in a fairly remote part of the island in the midst of high hills (for us Alaskans) or mountains as the people call them. The two-mile road from the main highway to the village is little more than a one lane rocky trail.

The typhoon’s amazingly strong winds swept down into their valley and completely destroyed about 60% of the homes and damaged most of the rest. The church building was completely leveled leaving only the starter concrete blocks on two walls and the concrete floor. As in other places, the coconut trees and other crops were destroyed.

This time while we were in Bugabuga, we gave out packages of food to every household as well as gave extra money to all of the widows. We talked with the Barangay captain (basically a village chief) and asked him what we could do to best help the people. Of course, the first basic need is food to supplement what they can gather from existing crops and from the help of others. The longer-term need is a better water supply. After much discussion, we decided to install a reservoir on a hill and pipe the water to another reservoir at the village. This will provide a better source of water more accessible to all of the people and will give them some long-term help.

For the immediate time, we will continue to send people and supplies to the village as God provides. Two more of our students will leave this week during their Christmas break to assist in construction. Lorrie and I are scheduled to return the 1st or 2nd of January to help with another larger food distribution coupled with children’s ministry.

The needs are overwhelming in so many villages and cities in this area. I talked with the Manpower coordinator for the city of Ormoc and later with a UN representative from Burma. They both said the greatest need they are seeing now is still food, then building supplies, and finally aid in developing means of longer-term support until their crops can be restored. They encouraged me in our decision to work with one village and help them as much as we could.

It is important to work with the nationals, but also to make sure what is supplied is needed and given to the people it is intended for. I was told that one 1st World country, not America, sent large care packages with toilet paper and large sized shampoo and other things. Most of the rural people do not use toilet paper and large sized items are hard for them to store. Unfortunately, because of corruption in developing nations, supplies often are not given to the most needy or held to help get political votes. As one Christian business owner told me, “that’s a given.” We feel by keeping primarily with one village we can better manage the things that are entrusted to us.

You have been generous and the village of Bugabuga is greatful!

Thank you for modeling God’s heart of giving during this Christmas season.

Nels and Lorrie

Newsletter – October/November 2013

October/November 2013

Dear Friends,

Colossians !:9 “… we do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and understanding….”

Last month Lorrie and I were the speakers at our annual Pastor’s conference in Virac, Catanduanes. The theme this year was, “Hearing The Voice of God.” It is interesting as you study the Bible, to see God spoke many times and in a variety of different ways in both the Old and New Testament. He called to Moses out of a “burning bush” and spoke to Paul, before He was even a Christian, while on a journey to persecute Christians.

The scripture tells us that He wants us to be filled with the knowledge of His will. How can we know His will if we do not hear Him?

I have listed below seven common ways we can hear the Lord today:

1. Bible, the written word
2. Circumstances
3. Audible voice
4. Dreams and visions
5. Internal voice
6. Authority figures in our life
7. The body of Christ

In John 10:27 Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me….” We are His sheep and need to hear and recognize his voice in our lives today.

I am convinced we do not “hear His voice” as much as we could because we are not setting aside time to listen. Today, as much as any time in history, we need to know God’s will for our lives.

This week we started building a small cottage at the school in Virac for Lorrie and I to live. It is our plan to spend more time living and teaching at the school. As time permits, we will continue to travel and speak at churches on other islands as well.

Please pray for us that we will not only hear His voice, but we will have the strength and courage to do whatever He would desire us do.

Your friends,

Nels and Lorrie

Newsletter – June/July 2013

Dear friends,

In the past months the Lord has been reminding me that, no matter how young or old we are, our time on earth is very short compared with eternity. In Psalms 90:10 we are told we have 70 or 80 years and then “we fly away.”

Genesis tells us, “….Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” And then in Hebrews we are told that God took Enoch, “for he pleased Him.” What a beautiful word picture, to think of Enoch walking along and one day just walking into the presence of God.

In Colossians 3:2 we are instructed to “Set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth….”  It is my desire to conduct my life in a way that is well pleasing to God prepared for the day when I walk through eternity’s door.

This July we began the seventeenth year of the Bible school in the Philippines. We continue to be blessed as God brings young men and women with a desire to serve Him with all of their life. We have the privilege to see them mature and become useful vessels in His kingdom.

Though it is exciting to see what God is doing in far away places, it is just as important to realize we are all part of God’s team. You are praying and giving of your resources so that others can go. In June, As one example, Larry and Annie Colp again hosted the annual Reap garage sale at their house in Fairbanks, Alaska. Together with others, they spent countless hours collecting, setting up, selling, and taking down items that people generously gave.

On a personal note, Lorrie and I were very blessed to go to Ireland this month and see our first grandchild!!!! Our daughter Heather and her husband Noel are serving there as missionaries. We were honored to pray and dedicate Jewel Rose and then to speak the Sunday message at their multicultural church. As an added blessing, Noel and Heather took us to many of the beautiful sites, including some castles dating back to the twelve century.

Our youngest son, Jeremy flew from his YWAM base in Sweden to Ireland to see the new baby and to visit with us. After Sweden, he is planning to travel to Spain and Morocco as part of his outreach. Please pray that God would give him the contacts and protection in his travels.

Thank you for praying for Pastor Homer’s health. He is doing much better. Thank you for praying for the work in the Philippines and for praying for us personally.

 

Your friends,

Nels and Lorrie