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Newsletter – May/June 2015

“…In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” In John 16:33 (MEV) Jesus gave us both a command and a promise. It’s not an unexpected event to have trials and tribulations; it is a guaranteed fact of life. The test is how you deal with them when they come. When I (Amy) am going through hard times, my inclination all too often is to cry out, “God, Why ME?” The question should be, “Why NOT Me?” What’s the difference between a diamond and a lump of coal? Time and pressure–lots and lots of both.

In Romans 8:28 (NIV) we are told, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I’ve heard that verse so many times, and quoted it to others as well. But when you are deep in the midst of life’s storms and earthquakes, sometimes it’s hard not to just mouth the platitude rather than really taking hold and believing in it. I know intellectually that my God is BIG and in charge and I say that I trust Him for everything that happens in my life to make it all turn out well. Sometimes I need some nudging to embrace this heart-felt belief and take comfort in this simple, wonderful fact: God is God. He’s the one who decides it all and I don’t have to stress. So no matter what we’re going through, we can be comforted that our God is in charge. When we let Him lead us, we will see great and wonderful things! He has commanded us “be of good cheer,” and all throughout the Bible this is emphasized: “a merry heart makes good medicine” (Prov 17:22), “Shout for joy to the Lord…” (Ps 100:1, others), whistle while you work. OK, that last one was from Disney, but very appropriate, yes? When I am confronted with a difficult trial and it seems like I am stressed to the breaking point, often I just laugh.

Please be lifting our family up in prayer. We are being given the opportunity to practice what we preach; faith and trust in God’s leading and healing. My grandparents have been in and out of the hospital; Grandma with a stroke and complications, Grandpa with congenital heart failure. Dad (Nels) has been to the ER and now is preparing for heart surgery. Mom (Lorrie) and Nathan fell down a mountain while hiking. Nathan very kindly broke Mom’s fall so she only suffered aches, pains and bruises and Nathan broke his ankle and leg in three places and has had one of hopefully only two surgeries. We are determined to continue to walk in His promises and trust Him as we live our lives with good cheer!

The youth camps went well again this year with many young people getting saved and baptized. It is always exciting to see lives changed and God’s kingdom expanded. The Bible school will once again start next month. This year we are working in conjunction with another local college and offering some secular training. We believe this will help our students in “tent making” after they graduate from Bible school.

Thank you for your faithfulness to our family and to the work in the Philippines!

Amy for the Church family

Guest Report on Safe Drinking Water by Jon Dufendach

Virac Philippines 2015, Feb 19 update

Background:
This adventure began about a year ago at the request of Yvonne Temple of Fairbanks who is a native Filipino. She had a burden that her people would have access to safe drinking water, especially during emergencies such as devastating typhoons. She and her husband Kevin work with Philippine missionaries Nels and Lorrie Church, also from Fairbanks; they visited us in Delta, looked at our little hand-pump models, prayed together, and plans were made. Funding for parts arrived from generous members of the Fairbanks Host Lions Club, Kevin brought shipping boxes to Delta, parts sufficient to assemble 12 water plants were packed and about 4 months later, they arrived in Virac Philippines. That’s where Nels and Lorrie along with local pastors, have a training facility for pastors and Bible school for children. I gathered up some water test instruments and a few warm-weather clothes and headed west; my first trip to Asia.

Feb 15 – 22 Manila- Virac. Catanduanes, Philippines
Feb 15-16: Met by Nels at the Manila airport and waited while munching on a juicy Burger King, for Kevin and Yvonne who flew in from their Filipino home in Cebu. Overnighted at the “guest house” operated by another mission group then up at 3 am to head back to the Manila airport and flight to Virac which got us there by about 8 am. I was met by Pastor Domain with a motor bike-sidecar arrangement popular here and it was so fun blasting through the busy streets in it!

The school was built by Nels with local plus help from Fairbanks in 2000 on the ocean on 3 beautiful acres.

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Kevin and I and lots of willing helpers set some tables up and opened the boxes of parts we packed together in Delta last October; which had recently safely arrived in good condition. I unpacked my water test instruments, and called for the water samples I had asked each attendee to bring from their various villages. The samples were great – bottled and labeled well- except one that had come from a long way by ferry and bus, happened to get drank on the trip. I was given a tour of the water plant I had sent over a year ago- Yvonne figured it served drinking water for over 9000 man-days during that time- and consumed 3 filter cartridges in that time.

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I learned that before the water plant was there a year ago the city water was commonly causing dysentery and since it was installed they haven’t had any more. Then I had a refreshing long drink from it, which brought us to lunch time after which we had a short orientation and prayer and went to work.

We tested various parameters of the samples and I had many willing helpers- all future lab assistants.

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One set of two samples came from an area where the water is brackish and I had to tell them the little hand pump-filter won’t take salt out. I recommended they catch rain water and will show them how to do that. All the others looked like the filter will make safe water. We were all pretty tired by 3:30 so we knocked off early, returned for a lovely dinner of eggplant (Carol’s going to laugh hilariously when she reads that) and fish at 6. Later on I received a great massage from one of the pastors and relaxed for a good night’s rest.

Feb 16 We built 12 water plants in one day! Twelve people who came to take a water plant back to their village and four additional students, amazed me with their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. They beat the frames together, drilled, piped, glued, threaded, bolted, lined up, riveted, formed teams, built subassemblies (you’d think they had all worked in big factories) and glowed when the final product came together!

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Feb 17 Operations, Maintenance and Record-Keeping Training: I gave out manuals, Pastor Homer interpreted for me and we went over what we consider one of the most important aspects of the whole exercise: Sustainability. Run it, what can go wrong, how to fix it, how, where, and cost of spare parts, selling water, meeting regulations, limitations of the water plants, how to get help if needed, and making bad water safe to drink. Then Yvonne and Homer gave out forms and explained why we need quarterly reports to cover the next year: to give us accountability for the donors and future projects.

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Then pack up and head out to the remote villages everyone came from – with a little box full of hope for a better life.

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And I went for a good long swim in the Pacific, watched some fisherman come in with a good-sized Barracuda, and thought about all of my friends back home trying to stay warm.

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Feb 18 Catanaduanes Tour of water plants at work. Three of the plants that we built were sent to churches or pastors in villages on the Island of Catanaduanes where Virac is at. The furthest, Bagamanoc, is 40 miles north and over a hill a little higher than Tenderfoot back home, on a narrow winding – but paved- road. Nels loaded up Kevin, Jenette from Leyte and Ryan from Cebu, Yvonne, Kevin and me after breakfast and we headed north in his Ford SUV. Past Jeepneys, Trykes (motor bikes with an ingenious Filipino sidecar), blue tarps with drying rice right on the road and hordes of children, dogs, cats, and construction workers filling huge holes in the roadbed with hand-made cement. I was amazed at Nels’ skill in dodging all that.

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At Bagomanoc we arrived at the same time as Dominado Ortiz (I couldn’t pronounced that so called him “Domino” to giggles and laughter) and his wife on a motorcycle from Virac, at “Christ the Life-Builder” Church. There we met Pastor Deolito Bernal, tested his water plant, showed him how to add chlorine due to reported hepatitis A in the area, and pronounced the results: A-OK. The local health aide came by and said dysentery was common from the city water and said if the water from the plant would pass a bacteria test it would be legal to sell it; a possible source of income for him.

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Next we went south to Arnulto Olfindo at Roxas and found him drawing water from a mountain stream and purifying water in his home.

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Again, it tested OK.

Our third stop was at Nursery, where we met Allan Tindagan and watched him purifying water with his new plant. Again, it tested good. Allan has about 18 acres on a mountainside where he harvests Abaca which they make paper, crafts and rope from.

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I wished time would have allowed me to go to every village but it would have taken several weeks of ferry, bus, and motorcycle rides to go everywhere these plants went. I did hear that one of the places had an occasional clay problem in the water after heavy rains and I shared the story of 8-year-old John a Masai boy who taught me in Kenya how to remove clay using cement. Everyone has my contact information; while being there would have been the best, they all communicate well and as long as I’m around I’ll try to answer their questions.

For all of your prayers and support, please accept my sincere thanks. Now I’m off to further adventures in Malaysia.

God Bless you.

Jon

Newsletter – January 2015

Dear Friends,

Recently I have been reminded that we need to live for this day. By nature, I am a visionary person. From as early as I can remember, I would plan and dream about the future. When Lorrie and I were traveling doing construction oversight in the Alaskan villages we had the opportunity to travel down the Kuskokwim River with an elderly Native man. He told us as a boy he would sit in the front of the boat and always try to see around the corner ahead. Instead of focusing on the things that he could now see, his attention was on what he could not yet see. Often that describes me.

There’s an old song that says, “One day at a time sweet Jesus/That’s all I’m askin’ of you/ Just give me the strength To do every day what I have to do/Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine/Lord, help me today, show me the way One day at a time.”

Let me paraphrase Matthew 6:34; “Don’t worry about tomorrow because there are sufficient things that need our attention today.” In Philippians 4 we are reminded not to be anxious for anything, but in everything with prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to Him. We are also told in Jeremiah 10:23 that it is not in man that walks to direct his own steps.

If we are so busy with the cares and concerns, and yes even the joys, of tomorrow we very well may miss the Lord’s assignments for today. It is beautiful to watch the sun as it rises over the ocean where we live in the Philippines. But the beauty only lasts for a short amount of time and is only enjoyed by those who are watching. There are things to see and words to be heard and thoughts to be shared throughout the day – and often only at a certain opportune time. Proverbs tells us pleasant words are sweet to the soul and health to the bones. They bring health to the receiver and perhaps even the giver as well.

Last year is past. It is past with its victories and regrets. We have begun a new year. As you and I walk this year, will our eyes be open to see His fields that are white unto harvest around us every day?

John and Sandra Knutson from Alaska are completing their teaching series this week at the Bible School in Virac. They have been instrumental in bringing healing of past hurts to the young people in the class. We are always thankful for those of you that are able to come and share your talents with us as we serve in the Philippines. We have found that those that come not only bless but are blessed as they give of themselves.

Please remember to pray for the students and staff at the Bible school as well as the pastors that serve throughout the Philippines. Most live in remote areas and have very little worldly goods. They dedicate themselves to seeing God’s kingdom expanded.

Thank you for your love and encouragement. We are here because you have chosen to trust and support us with your prayers and finances.

Your friends,

Nels, Lorrie, and Amy

Just for Fun!

Dear Friends,

Just for fun, we would like to introduce you to some of the wonderful people we are honored get to work with in the Philippines. These are wonderful fellow laborers in the harvest field and are also some of our closest friends.

DomingPastor Doming is the Virac Bible School administrator. He has served as a pastor and friend for many years.

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Ding and Mona 02Reap helps support Pastor Ding and Mona. They operate a church and school in Manila. They have a vibrant youth and children’s ministry.

AlinaAlina, a Romanian missionary, runs a primary health and pre-natal medical clinic to the poor near Manila. She also conducts health and Bible clubs to educate youth. Nels serves on her corporate board.

LolengLoleng has been our faithful friend and helper for over eight years. Her servant’s heart has blessed not only us but our guests as well.

AmyOur daughter Amy helped teach at the Virac Bible School.

Kind Regards,

Nels and Lorrie Church

Newsletter – May 2014

Dear friends,

Last Sunday I spoke at a church on “Hope.” I Peter 3:15 tells us, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” Three things stand out to me, one, we must “sanctify” ourselves which means “to be set apart.” Do we deliberately follow after God in our hearts and our ways? Number two; is there sufficient difference in our lives that people will ask us about our faith? Or are we so much like the “world” that no one notices a difference? And three, because of our relationship with Him, we have a natural hope that the non-Christian doesn’t possess.

During the last days and weeks we have had three youth camps. One camp was on the island of Leyte, the one that was severely hit by last year’s typhoon. The camp went very well with many saved and 13 baptized in water. The second camp was on the island of Palawan. They also experienced many who were saved and 14 who entered into the waters of baptism. The third camp was on our island of Catanduanes. Lorrie and I had the opportunity to speak at this camp where 16 were baptized in water. Through your prayers and the hard work of many Filipino brethren, the camps were again this year a huge success!

This month, Lorrie and Amy were asked to be the speaker’s at a Ladies Fellowship in Cebu. Over 60 ladies attended the daylong meetings. The theme of the day was, “The Proverbs 31 Woman.” Lorrie said, “It was exciting to share with them about being the women God created them to be.“ She was able to encourage them to not be under condemnation, but to seek God so that they could live their destiny. Amy shared several different Biblical examples of women who were used by God in a variety of circumstances. She emphasized that we are all important to God and He is able to use us at each stage of our life.

While on the island of Cebu, they were blessed to participate in an outreach ministry to children in a rural village. Lorrie shared the story of creation and then they participated in the late distribution of Christmas “shoe boxes”. Amy said, “It was incredible to see the joy such simple gifts brought to the children who have so little.”

As an additional bonus, Lorrie went to the plaza one afternoon. While there she was able to share the gospel with two teenage girls and give them tracts in the Filipino language. The next day she met them and asked if they had accepted Jesus as their savior? They both said they did and they desired to learn more. Lorrie introduced them to a Christian lady from our church in Cebu. She immediately conducted an introductory Bible study with them. Praise God these young girls have found hope for the future! Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Nels, Lorrie, and Amy