Raising Laborers

“Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’ ” (Matthew 9:37-38)

Seven years (7) ago, specifically May 29, 2002, the Lord opened up doors for a ministry outreach among university students of Metro Manila. The Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ) was born out of a calling from the Lord that a least a thousand students yearly graduate from Christian schools, yet, the sad reality is, less than half of them ends up in a Christian church. The burden turned into conviction that led into establishment of Bible studies in different major universities all over Metro Manila.

Kats Tan was a freshman student of De La Salle University back in May 2002. She joined the CAFÉ DLSU launch and has been consistently attending small groups, youth camps, trainings and other events. Last 2003, CAFÉ church joined the Purpose Driven Life (PDL) Campaign and God has used Kats to organize PDL groups among her classmates and friends. The Lord used this event to impact Kats’ life. Eventually, the Lord led Kats to be baptized through the CAFÉ church last May1, 2005. When she graduated from DLSU last 2006, God has called her to serve Him full-time in ministry. She immediately obeyed God’s call as she entered the International Graduate School of Leadership (IGSL). Last April 2009, Kats graduated from IGSL with the Master of Divinity degree. She has committed herself to serve God full-time in the CAFÉ Ministry as Sunday Worship Ministry overseer and Vice-President of the Earth Shakers Youth Organization.

Sylvette Tan was a freshman student of University of Sto. Tomas last June 2003 when a CAFÉ member called her up, inviting her to join a small group Bible Study in Burger King, just across UST Library. She decided to try it out. She became actively involved in small groups, attended discipleships, trainings and worship services. God used Sylvette as she has been instrumental in bringing many of her friends and classmates to the Lord through the PDL campaign. Last 2005, she was baptized through the CAFÉ Church. About a year after her graduation from UST, God has given her a burden to discover more about who He is. She enrolled at the Christian Faith Hope Love Prayer Institute and Seminary January of 2009 and has just finished two subjects. Currently, Sylvette leads the Wednesday Care Group, which meets at Burger King Welcome. She is also a volunteer staff of the CAFÉ Church and Assistant PRO of the Earth Shakers Youth Organization.

Melody Lim met her former volleyball coach, Pastor Jonathan Lim along the corridors of De La Salle University. She was searching for a church to be part of and God answered her prayers as she began to attend Pastor Jonathan’s Bible Study group. She eventually was baptized through the CAFÉ Church last 2005. God used Mel to bring her “barkada” (or close friendns) to the Lord. Today, Melody is happily married to Pastor Jonathan Lim and both of them are expecting a baby girl by August 2009. In addition, Mel serves as full-time CAFÉ Church Administrator and President of the Earth Shakers Youth Organization.

We praise God for using CAFÉ as a vessel in helping expand His kingdom today among the universities. Pray for us as we celebrate our 7th Year Church Anniversary on May 31, 2009. We will also be witnessing on that day a Baptism Ceremony of new church members. May all glory and honor be given unto the Lord of the harvest who has raised up laborers into His vineyard!

Too True to be Two

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:29)

Two years ago, on the month of March, specifically on the seventh day of the seventh year past the recent millennium, Naomi Hannah was born!

At about 1:16am, a 50 cm, 6.3 lbs baby girl finally came out of a jubilant mom, almost forgetting about 20 hours of hard and intense labor!

Memories of our daughter dear’s birth is still so fresh! It seems to have happened just yesterday!

Yet, it is too good to be true that Hannah is now two years old!

Indeed, time flies … too fast to catch up!

As we celebrate a new chapter in our lives as parents (shocked to know that we already have two full years of experience!!!), please pray that our Heavenly Father grant us more grace, more strength (as we’re realizing that we’re not getting any younger!!!), more wisdom and more patience (some friends are warning us of the impending “terrible two” amongst two year olds)!!!

We don’t know yet what Hannah will become, but she’s bringing us so much joy as we witness (on a day to day basis) new “tricks” that she’s learning! (Hannah loves dogs … and as a young dog, she’s quick to pick up new stuffs!!!).

Here are some of Hannah’s favorites …

Breakfast: EGG

Fruit: Orange

Fast food: Jollibee
(as long as the live mascot does not come out!!!)

Hobby: Merry-go-round or Time Zone!!!

Please help us pray for a time of transition for Hannah. For the record, Hannah is still drinking milk from mama (breastfeeding is good for babies indeed!!!). We plan to wean her and hope she accepts the reality with no placards nor violent reactions!

We appreciate your prayers for our family, even as we transition a new phase in our family life. Lord willing and with full faith, we are trusting the Lord for provision for our trip to Dallas, Texas U.S.A. by June or July of 2009.

The Lord has been good to us as we have received a good news of our preliminary acceptance into the program of Masters of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS).

Our next step is to trust God for provision of scholarship from DTS, which does not include our expenses for food, lodging and other basic needs.

We invite you to prayerfully consider investing in God’s work through my studies at DTS either as a prayer partner or financial supporter. Do let us know as the Lord leads. Once again, thanks from the bottom of our hearts!

CAFE 20/09

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead," (Philippians 3:13)

The Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ) kicks off the New Year with ...

Vision 20/09: “Experience Spiritual Breakthroughs”.

In order to achieve this, we aim to corporately attain five (5) major breakthroughs …

Breakthrough #1: “Wrestle against Sin”
(Jan to Feb 2009) Hebrews 12:4

As a church, we had a Prayer Retreat last January 24 to 25 with the intent of experiencing ... “Bondage Breaker” at Christian Development Center at Tagaytay City.

Breakthrough #2: “Walk with God”
(March to April 2009) Proverbs 1:7

The Agape Leadership Institute (ALI) will conduct a whole day seminar on March 22 about “Walk thru the Old Testament”. We will seek to discover how people of the Old Testament walked with God.

Breakthrough #3: “War against Satan”
(May to June 2009) Daniel 6:10

CAFÉ celebrates its 7th Year Anniversary on May 31, 2009 and simultaneously conducts a Baptism Ceremony. The Agape Leadership Institute (ALI) will conduct a whole day seminar on June 14 regarding The 7 Stages of Spiritual Growth (Part 2).

Breakthrough #4: “Win our World”
(July to August 2009) Acts 1:8

CAFÉ will conduct an overnight Missions Outreach on July 25 to 26 and partner with a church in reaching an area for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Agape Leadership Institute (ALI) will conduct a whole day seminar on August 16 tackling ... “Building Spiritual Movements”.

Breakthrough #5: “Wake up Believers”
(Sep to Oct 2009) Nehemiah 13:14

The Agape Leadership Institute (ALI) will conduct a seminar on September 20 regarding “Becoming a Romans 12 Christian”.

Finally, we end the year 2009 as we ...
“Weigh our Breakthroughs”
(Nov to Dec 2009) 2Timothy 2:15

We will celebrate our victories and learn from our defeats for the entire year in our CAFÉ Family Fun from November 28 to 29.

We invite you to join us and together, let us Experience Spiritual Breakthroughs!

Live a Full Life

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Christian Agape Fellowship and Earth Shakers had a joint Christmas Party in the afternoon of December 21, 2008 at the Max’s Restaurant in Quezon Memorial Circle. The theme of the party was “Living a Full Life” with about fifty-five (55) persons who joined the event.

One participant shared her testimony of how the Lord has guided her that she may be blessed to live a full life. Here’s Ann Charmaine Ting’s testimony ...

“It was November 2007 when my sister got hospitalized that I realized that I became distant from the Lord after I tried to pray to Him to help my sister get better. At that moment, I sincerely prayed to Him to help me get close back to Him. A few days after, on the month of December, a friend messaged me on my messenger and asked me if I would want to come along a Christmas event held by the organization where his classmate is a member.

That was when I got to know the organization Earth Shakers. Even though I was worried about not finishing my thesis on time I attended the event. In the mid of that event, called Bond with Christmas OO7, I then realized that Earth Shakers is a group of youth who wants to reach out to other people, help them in the name of the Lord and expand the Lord’s kingdom. That group was the answer to the prayer I made to the Lord because it was on that event, Bond with Christmas OO7 that I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, felt that my distance from the Lord becoming shorter and was spiritually reborn.

Everything in my life has slowly started to change. I have participated in some of the Earth Shakers’ events: “Talaba Learning Center Drive”, where kids in the Talaba area were taught about the value of being Honest and were given some vitamins, food and books; “Solving the People Puzzle”, wherein we get to know our God-given personalities and explored the value of one another and understand each other; “One with the Little Ones”, the 1st year anniversary celebration of Earth Shakers, wherein kids in the orphanage were given a walk-through of the New Testament, were shared with love and were given food and toys. Through all these events, I have experienced life-changing moments. I got to know that there are people who are serving the Lord without expecting anything in exchange. I get to value myself and understand my personality, and the people around me. I was able to share my time and love with the orphan kids that I have never imagined possible. This is just to show that everything is possible with God.

I was introduced to their church the Christian Agape Fellowship or CAFÉ, and I started attending their Bible study meetings also known as their “Care Group”. Coined as “Care Group” because they not only teach you what God says through the Bible but they are also concern about your welfare, in other words, they care about you.

Through the “Care Group” and Sunday Worships, God let me know and understand His teachings, His personality; of how forgiving He is, of how He can save me and of how everything is possible with Him. Without God’s guidance and blessings, a lot of events in my life would have been impossible to happen. Take for example my thesis and my removal exam. I never thought I would be able to finish my thesis on time or even be able to do it but because of continuous prayer to God to help me about it, He sent people to help me and He gave me wisdom to do it. I would have never presented to God my worries if the people in CAFÉ had not taught me of how strong a sincere prayer is. And as what it is said in Matthew 11:28, “Come all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I failed my removal exam and was supposed to take the subject once again last summer. I was so disappointed because I had always prayed to Him to let me pass that exam; I felt hatred towards God and thought how unjust He was. But after a few minutes, I prayed to God and said sorry for feeling hatred and prayed to Him that whatever His will is, let it be done.

A few days later, I was given another chance by my professor to pass the subject. I took another exam and finally passed it and graduated. I then learned from one of our Care Group meetings that I should trust God in everything: that whatever happens to me, whether bad or good, is God’s plan. Ever since, I have kept in mind that everything that happens to me is God's will and I have always prayed that whatever His will or plan is, let it happen.

Believe me or not, it was through the talk of Atty. Marc Castrodes on that 1st year anniversary celebration of Earth Shakers that God answered my daily question to Him: Should I undergo another Baptism ceremony even though I was already baptized while I was a baby and even though I am accepting Him as my Lord and Savior. God made me realized that when I was baptized when I was a baby, it was not me who decided for that but my parents.

Being baptized again would be my own formal public declaration of myself accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior and undergoing Baptism while being fully aware of what’s happening is, in my opinion, a fulfilling event. And so on October 26, 2008, I was formally spiritually born again.

Because of all these events in my life with the help of Earth Shakers and CAFÉ, I can say that I am being drawn more and more closely to God, that He is working on me and is shaping me in the way He wants me to be, and that I am now living a fulfilled life. Praise God for sending me these people in Earth Shakers and CAFÉ family!”

Catalysts: Difference Makers of the 21st Century

“If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” (2Timothy 2:21)

What can a sophomore Journalist Student, a sophomore Bible School Student, a senior Therapy Student and a Call Center Agent do to make a difference in our world today? Well, about a year ago, these four young ladies met with a pastor in Seattle's Best Trinoma and together, they sought God's direction in starting a youth organization with the intent of making a difference among their circle of influence.

By God's help and empowerment, the Earth Shakers youth organization was established.

F.F.F. Camp (Fresh Air, Freeze with Friends & Free of Stress) was launched on October 27-28, 2007 at the Caliraya Re-creation Center with about 40 youths joining. Pastor Jonathan Lim shared his life story how he used to have what the world offered: wealth, women and worldly pleasures. One day, he lost everything, including the life of his brother, who was murdered one evening in his very own internet cafe. He moved from riches to rags and finally encountered Christ personally and found the real meaning and happiness in life.

Bond with Christmas 007 was a unique Christmas Party where about 40 youths were gathered December 8, 2007 in Montgomery Place. Atty. Raineer Chu shared how his organization, the Mission Ministries Philippines is making a difference among the urban poor of Metro Manila through projects like digging of deep wells, forming cooperatives to sell cheap medicines, planting vegetation for livelihood and so much more.

Talaba Learning Center (TLC) Drive was organized March 1, 2008 to help about 60 pre-school kids, who are children of poor fishermen off the coastal area in Cavite. The organization raised funds to provide them school supplies, vitamins and books. A team of about 15 youths presented a play "The Boy who Cried Wolf" with the intent of building the character of honesty among these kids.

The Solving the People Puzzle (SPP) Camp was held April 26-27, 2008 in Rizal Recreation Center. About 30 youths joined the overnight seminar to discover their God-given personalities and interacted to appreciate their personal strengths and weaknesses. They were challenged to open their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, who longed to live in and through them to help them maximize their personality and adjust with other personalities.

The Simple Life (TSL) Montalban Outreach was held last August 30-31, 2008 where about 15 youths lived overnight in a government established resettlement area of poor squatters of Metro Manila. The organization partnered with the Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ) and raised funds for Mission Ministries Philippines' (MMP) deep well project. The organization visited houses and gave packs of rice and shared a message of love and hope through “Evangecube”. The film "Rebound" was shown to the community where about 150 persons came to watch how a true to life story of a drug addict basketball star turned prisoner was transformed through an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. He eventually was released from prison and he dedicated his life to help save some youths in the community who were falling into the same trap that destroyed his life.

One with the Little Ones was the celebration of the Earth Shakers First Year Anniversary last October 18, 2008 with the orphans at the Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) in Quezon City. RSCC houses about 70 kids, coming from all over the Philippines. Atty. Marc Castrodes challenged about 50 youths to be a "Difference Makers" in our world today. He spoke about how the life of Joseph and Daniel made a difference in their world and even gave examples of certain Filipinos today who are making a difference in society. The organization also played games with the kids, provided them Jolibee meal and bonded with them. With the help of generous individuals and a church, a brand new washing machine was given to RSCC and packs of rice, milk, vitamins, toys and clothes were given to the kids.

One year passed by so quickly and we rejoice and are amazed beyond words at how the Lord could use ordinary individuals in making a difference in the world today. We eagerly hope that God would continue to bless and expand Earth Shakers in shaking the earth & making a difference for His glory and honor!

One with the Little Ones

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.” (Psalm 68:5)

When babies turn one year old, parents invite family, relatives, loved ones, friends and guests to proudly celebrate the wonders of life through their child’s special day!

Last October 26, 2008, Earth Shakers as an organization turned one year old and celebrated its 1st Year Anniversary! What better way to commemorate this momentous event than to be with the underprivileged kids in our society. The Philippine Government’s Department of Social, Welfare and Development (DSWD) established the Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) as a half-way house and national center for kids who are orphaned, maltreated, abused, exploited and abandoned. Of the seventy (70) children housed in RSCC, coming from all over the Philippines, twenty (20) of them are babies below six (6) months old. Sooner or later, the hope is for each of these children would be adopted by parents who would commit to love and care for them. In the meantime, RSCC takes care of these kids, with majority of them ranging between 2-6 years old.

About sixty (60) young professionals and college students joined Earth Shakers’ One with the Little Ones at the RSCC (located at the back of SM North EDSA in Quezon City). Atty. Marc Castrodes, MTRCB Vice Chairman and a commissioner of the National Youth Commission challenged the group to become “Catalysts: Difference Makers of the 21st Century”! With the current global financial crisis and with the rock bottom and widespread poverty in our country, the Philippines need a new generation of men and women with character, skills and conviction who will rise up to shake the earth and make a difference!

In Earth Shakers’ fund-raising efforts, hearts were touched and shaken to make a difference to the RSCC kids! One generous sponsor donated funds to purchase a washing machine. A church bought lots of goods for the center … 2 sacks of 50-kg rice, 20 boxes of milk, 12 bottles of vitamin C syrup and 12 bottles of alcohol. Others gave toys, clothes, towels and Jollibee meal for the enjoyment of the children of RSCC!

One day is not enough to permanently change the lives of these kids but one thing is for certain, these kids permanently changed the lives of the Earth Shakers who joined this event. For that, we praise God for using these kids to remind Earth Shakers of the value of family, love, blessings and life!

Equipped to Impact!

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Who could ever expect a large Manila crowd to attend two full days of seminar on very busy and hectic weekdays from 7am to 5pm?

Last September 4 - 5, 2008 (Thursday & Friday), WorldTeach Ministries Philippines held its first ever Metro Manila wide National Convention, “Equipped to Impact”. Just few days before the event, less than 30 persons have registered. Holding on to God’s Sovereignty and grace, the WorldTeach staffs continued to pray hard, work hard and trust God to work out His perfect will.

Amazingly, 353 delegates attended the first day and 389 delegates attended the second day! (There were delegates who came as far as Cotabato and Cagayan de Oro)! We were awed beyond words at what God has done! Teachers training was held on September 6, 2008 (Saturday) and about 120 delegates attended!

Rev. Gil Balignasay and Rev. Neil Ty co-taught “Walk thru the New Testament” Seminar that was attended by 45 persons. 23 of them came back on Saturday for the teachers training!

The Lord blessed us with powerful plenary speakers:

Dr. Andrew Liuson
“Fulfilling Our Mandate to Equip”

Rev. Jun Escosar
“Living an Impact-Driven Life”

Other break out seminars that were offered are as follows:

Peace and Reconciliation
Dann Pantoja

Teaching by the Book
Dr. Edwin Perona

Becoming a Romans 12 Christian
Rev. Philip Tarroja

Effective Workplace Ministry
BJ Sebastian

Love, Sex & Lasting Relationships
Wawa Ponce

To Have and To Hold
Atty. Winnie & Maloi Salumbides

Effective Parenting in a Defective World
Rev. Clem Guillermo

Walk Thru the Old Testament
Rev. Don Espina & Rev. Philip Tarroja

Two full days has swept by so fast and the impact that God has stamped on each one of us is still beating vibrantly here in our hearts!

Do help us intercede for the 120 persons who were equipped to teach the various courses in their respective churches, organizations and communities. We anticipate that God will empower and use them mightily to impact more people in Metro Manila and beyond!

Truly, God deserves the highest and solitary praise, honor, adoration and glory as He has Equipped us to Impact!

The Simple Life

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed
me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’" (Matthew 25:35-36)

Many of us are blessed to be born among families with decent shelter, clean water and enough food on the table for every meal. However, have you ever imagined yourself born to a family living in the poor slums of Manila? What if you were in their shoes? If given a chance, would you like to experience living among the poor?

Earth Shakers (ES) in partnership with Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ) will hold a Missions Outreach entitled "The Simple Life" on August 30-31, 2008 (two days, overnight stay) in Montalban, Rizal. We are gathering about fifteen (15) youth to live among the poor community of Jovil, Montalban. Most of the inhabitants of this garbage dumpsite area are composed of relocated families, who used to live in the slums from all over Metro Manila.

Earth Shakers organized this event in cooperation with Christ's Servants Community Church (CSCC), an urban poor church, planted by Mission Ministries Philippines (MMP). One of the biggest needs of the community is clean, potable water, knowing that there are tons and tons of garbage surrounding them. CSCC is embarking on digging a deep well and installing a water filter that can be used for the community. ES will be partially assisting in raising funds for this project.

The ES and CAFÉ members aim to be of service to CSCC and to the community at large. Some of
the programs the group are planning to be involved in are as follows: feeding program for the
community, prayer walk, house to house visitation, distribution of packages of rice and canned goods, sharing of "Evangecube" (evangelistic tool) house to house, evangelistic film showing of
"Rebound" in the evening among the youth in the community, training their church and youth leaders to follow-up new believers, joining CSCC Sunday Church Worship and distribute
second hand clothing and old but usable stuffs to believers.

ES is raising a total amount of P35,000 for the entire project.

Project Cost Breakdown:
[1] Deep Well & Water Filter Donation, P20k;
[2] Food, Lodging, Electricity, Transportation of Te am, P10k (P670/person);
[3] Donation of Rice & Canned Goods to Community, P5k

We invite you to partner with us by becoming a:
(1) Prayer Partner (Pray for our preparations and the actual event),
(2) Team Member (Join the missions team), &
(3) Sponsoring Partner (Help raise funds or donate any amount God lays in your heart
or donate used clothing and old but usable stuffs).

For any further inquiries and details of the Montalban Missions Outreach Project, please contact Melody Lim (Project Adviser) at +63922-2034649.

M/V Princess of the Stars

⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2Corinthians 5:9-10)

Last March 18, 2008, my family (Aileen, Hannah and I) together with our house helper Julie, traveled to Cebu via Sulpicio Line's M/V Princess of the Stars. Our trip to Cebu was a double celebration: Aileen's papa Jotham's birthday and Aileen's grandmother's 80th birthday.

We stayed comfortably in Lilac Suite. It was the first time for my daughter Hannah to ride a ship and with such a huge ship at that! We had to climb up about 50 steps high to be able to reach the entrance to the lobby of the ship. From the lobby, we had to climb up about 10 more steps and walk through about 20 meters to reach our Lilac Suite.

We had a very comfortable ride and were treated very nicely by the crew, staff and guard of the ship. Just one call from our cabin to the receptionist, a staff would come by our room to render services that we needed with a warm smile and quick delivery. We went back to Manila also via the same ship (M/V Princess of the Stars) last March 26, 2008.

We were surprised, shocked and saddened by the news that M/V Princess of the Stars overturned and sank last June 21, `08 when it collided with Typhoon Frank! Satellite has shown that the ship hit the eye of the storm at about 11:30am Saturday morning.

Two days before the ship sank, our helper Julie requested for our permission to allow her to go back to her hometown in Bantayan Island to attend the funeral of her uncle. She was planning to ride Sulpicio's MV Princess of the Stars (in the same trip that sank) but decided not to push through after hearing the amount of the fare (Php 1,400 one way, economy).

According to news, about 850 persons died (including 31 children and 20 infants). In the past few weeks, I have been reflecting on what transpired and have been imagining ... what if the tragedy happened during my family's trip to Cebu? What can I do or what would have I done if I hear the captain announce, "Abandon ship"? How will I protect my family and even myself from this great calamity?

The Lord granted me a few realizations: 1) Life is uncertain and unpredictable, 2) Life without God is meaningless and direction-less, 3) Life beckons us to save souls while we have the opportunity and chance (not just when tragedy strikes), 4) Life is a gift and we will one day return the gift back to God with proper accountability of how we have lived our lives, and 5) Life doesn't end in tragedy or death but continues on with the legacy we leave behind.

As the lyrics of one of my favorite song says,

Only one life

So soon it will pass,

Only what's done

For Christ will last,

Only one chance

To do His will,

So give to Jesus

All your days,

It's the only life that pays,

When you recall...

You have but one life.

May we live each day of our lives as if it were the last. May we live each breath of our lives, in and out of deep love for our Breath-Giver. May we live each moment of our lives, to fulfill our mission on earth and save as many souls into heaven. May we live each of our heartbeats to bring glory and pleasure to the heart of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!

Six Years of Brewing Passion

“… On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." - JESUS (Matthew16:18)

One evening of January 2001, I could not sleep and I decided to spend time with the Lord in prayer. Then, God impressed upon my heart three (3) passages of Scripture ... God's Call to Abraham, God's Call to Moses and God's Call to Joshua. I readily turned to those Bible verses...

God's Call to Abraham

"The LORD had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.' " (Genesis 12:1)

As I meditated upon this verse, I told God that it was hard to be in the shoes of Abraham caused He told him to "... leave ... go ... I will show..." I told God that normally, servants of God in our time first wait upon God to show, before leaving a ministry field and then going to where God is showing them. Yet, God told Abraham to leave first, then go no where and then He will show. The more I pondered upon God's call to Abraham, I sensed God was telling me to leave my comfort zone. It was tough for me to leave my home church QCEC, where I spent the past sixteen (16) years and also my other ministry in FCL and much more my director and mentor, Dr. Whelchel, who has been my discipler, confidant and friend. Yet, I had to obey God.

God's Call to Moses

"The LORD said, 'I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey...' " (Exodus 3:7-8)

For the month of September 2001, I spent time with the Lord in prayer and fasting, seeking for God's direction. As the Lord impressed upon my heart God's call to Moses, I asked God to show me what's the crying need out there that He sees and hears. I asked God to reveal to me what breaks His heart and what He wanted me to do. The Lord touched my heart to the need to reaching out to graduating students of Christian schools entering different colleges and universities. As I did an initial survey among Chinese Christian High Schools, I found out that there are at least about 1,000 graduates yearly in Metro Manila alone. However, less than half becomes a part of a Christian church after they leave the Christian school. God has shown me that about 10 years of investment among these students may be wasted if no one will follow them up. God wanted me to bring the church to the Universities.

God's Call to Joshua

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them." (Joshua 1:6)

On May of 2002, Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ), DLSU Chapter was formed, with about thirty (30) students gathering at Kenny Rogers in Taft Ave. Soon, CAFÉ UST, CAFÉ AdMU and CAFÉ MIT was formed. I would spend one whole day in one university and spend time leading Bible studies among college students. November of 2003, CAFÉ UP was also formed.

On May 1, 2005, a small group of college students were baptized in the Christian faith and formed the core of the church family, the Christian Agape Fellowship. Last October 2007, some passionate members of CAFÉ formed the Earth Shakers with the thrust of bridging a gap between the society and the church and aim to make a difference among our circles of influence. On May of 2008, CAFÉ celebrated our sixth (6th) year church anniversary. We dedicate ourselves and hope the Lord continue to use us for His glory and honor in expanding His kingdom and in fulfilling His Great Commission by brewing Passionate Disciples among Today's Youth! ❄

Solving the People Puzzle

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made . . ." (Psalm 139:14)

Earth Shakers (ES) was launched (Oct 2007) with the intent of making a difference among our circle of influence for Jesus.

Last April 26-27, 2008, twenty-nine (29) persons joined the "Solving the People Puzzle" (SPP) Camp at the Rizal Re-creation Center (Rizal, Laguna). 13 campers are CAFÉ members, while 12 campers are invites of ES members.

Through the compact overnight camp, we were able to ...

• Travel seven (7) hours (Manila to Laguna back & forth)
  
• Learn the three (3) sessions of understanding, appreciating & working with the four different personalities (DISC); Neil Ty & Kats Tan taught the SPP seminar
• Discover our physical skills & Stretch ourselves to the limit through the rough, tough & challenging Obstacle Course
• Discuss & Share "Life Issues" in Care Groups
• Hang-out & Chat with new friends at the bonfire
• Chew Up three (3) buffet, eat-all-you-can meals
• Slide through & Play basketball game on the swimming pool
• Spend our free time ... playing the super-sized chess match, climbing up the tree house, playing in the sandy beach volleyball, shooting hoops in the basketball court, passing & flying the freeze-bee on the huge green field and taking countless of pictures!

How were we able to do all of these? By the grace, strength & protection of our great God alone! We deeply praise Him for touching the hearts of the campers. We discovered that the only way we can develop versatility & build stronger relationships with other people (in spite of differences in personalities) is by opening up our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and allow Him to live His life in and through us! (see Philippians 2:5-11) Praise be to God, eight (8) persons have indicated that through the camp, they received Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior! We give God all glory & honor that we could take part in God's kingdom expansion in our little way!

End Note:

The next Earth Shakers event is building homes in Pasay City through the Habitat for Humanity on June 28, 2008. If you are interested in joining or supporting ES events & projects, do contact ES President Aimeeh Lim at 09178968125 or ES Adviser Neil Ty at 09154835974.

Marriage Arranged by Heaven

"... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

Aileen and I met each other for the first time about eight (8) years ago in an unusual and unique circumstance most probably by God's divine providence. As Quezon City Evangelical Church's (QCEC) Youth Pastor back then, I was busily preparing for the annual Youth Winter Conference. That year's theme was probably designed and orchestrated by God just for Aileen and me. "M.i. 2000" or "Mission impossible 2000: Finding the Love of Your Life".

Aileen was invited to join the camp just the night before we left for Baguio City by one of the camp's sponsors. Through the camp, God wonderfully arranged the two of us to finally find the love of our lives!

Interestingly, Aileen's grandmother and my grandmother were schoolmates in Yiok Tek Girls Christian School in Fujian, China. When my parents got married about 37 years ago, my parents had their honeymoon in Cebu City (about 450 km Southeast of Manila). They were warmly taken cared of by Aileen's grandmother's family. (I sometimes joke that I was probably "Made in Cebu").

Aileen was working as an Occupational Therapist in Metropolitan Hospital in Manila way back in 2000 when we first met. She was born and grew up in Cebu. On the other hand, I was serving the Lord as a full-time pastor in Manila. People may wonder, what does a pastor and a therapist have in common? Aileen was actively involved in treating the physically sick and handicapped, while I was actively involved in treating the spiritually sick and handicapped. However, in reality, we were threading on two different paths in life and the camp was our crossroad and God beautifully crafted our paths to intersect and move on as one.

Last April 10, 2008, Aileen and I celebrated our third (3rd) year wedding anniversary. This year was extra special because of the presence of our daughter Hannah in our lives. We give thanks to God for His amazing goodness and grace to us as a family. Do pray for us that our marriage and family be a resemblance of God's unconditional love. We thank you for your partneship with us as we continue to aim for God's kingdom expansion and live for God's glory and honor!

A Milestone Year

"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19)

2008 is a milestone year in my Full-Time service to the Lord. This year marks my tenth (10th) year in ministry after graduation from the International School of Theology (ISOT) - Asia. For the past ten years, I praise God for granting me many opportunities to serve Him in various ministries.

From 1998 to 2001 (3 years), God led me to serve Him through the Foundations for Christian Leadership (FCL) as International Coordinator. FCL is the extension arm of ISOT-Asia, where we provided short-term, non-formal pastoral leadership training for rural pastors with little or no Bible School background all over the Philippines and in some Asian countries (e.g., Myanmar and Nepal).

Simultaneously from 1998 to 2001 (3 years), God guided me to serve Him as Youth Pastor of Quezon City Evangelical Church (QCEC). The Lord opened up doors for some international students of ISOT-Asia (e.g. India, Turkey, Nepal & Myanmar) to help me serve through discipleship ministry among QCEC Youths. Many of the Youths eventually became QCEC church leaders (e.g. deacons, board of trustees).

From 2000 up to the present (8 years), God graciously opened up a way for me to serve Him as Board Treasurer of WorldTeach Ministries Philippines. We have seen how the Lord blessed different cities of the Philippines with Life-Changing seminars.

Last but not the least, from 2002 up to the present (6 years), God led me to serve Him as Senior Pastor of Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ). We started off few years back with evangelism and discipleship ministry among students of different universities (e.g. Ateneo, La Salle, UST, Mapua & UP). Eventually, the Lord led some students to be baptized and became part of the CAFÉ Church. Currently, CAFÉ church members are composed of Young Professionals and some college students.

Last month, the Lord opened up a new avenue for me to get further training. I went through a rigorous application process and praise God, was accepted to be a student of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) in Dallas, Texas, USA with the degree program Masters of Sacred Theology (STM). As a family, Lord willing, we plan to travel together next year (2009) to pursue this degree for one and a half (1 1/2) year and if the Lord permits, I may continue with Ph. D. in New Testament studies after completion of the STM program for another four (4) years.

We thank the Lord for the opportunity to trust Him anew for the next phase of our ministry and family life. We are excited to see Him work in us through this theological training in DTS Dallas USA next year. Do pray for us that the Lord grant us prayer partners and ministry partners who will invest in us for the further expansion of God's Kingdom. We hope that after the DTS training, the Lord will use us for the next 10~20 years of our ministry life as a family. We invite you to prayerfully consider becoming our prayer partner or ministry partner. Do let us know if the Lord touches your heart.

Shaking the Earth in 2008

“I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord Almighty. (Haggai 2:7)

Earth Shakers (ES) had a Membership Meeting last January 27, 2008 at the Burger King in Welcome Rotonda, attended by 24 Youths with the intent of planning for the activities for the first half of 2008.

Anna Crestelle Pedrosa (ES Secretary) gave a presentation of the organization's past events for 2007. Aimeeh Lim (ES President) reminded the group of the ES Vision & Mission Statement. Melody Yu (ES Treasurer) showed the members the proposed activities for the year 2008. Three Work Groups were formed, each led by an ES Officer as Project Heads and assisted by Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ) Pastors as Group Advisers.

Melody Yu is the Project Head of the Community Outreach, which will be held among kids of poor fishermen in Talaba, Cavite on March 1, 2008. This is in partnership with Talaba Kiddy Learning Center and Talaba Community Church, which were established by Mission Ministries Philippines. Earth Shakers will be presenting a skit "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" with the goal of teaching these kids the value of Honesty. ES Members will help raise funds to give the kids school supplies and some gift items.

Kathryn Ann Tan (ES Public Relations Officer) is the Project Head for the "Solving the People Puzzle" Camp to be held at the Rizal Recreation Center on April 26-27, 2008. The goal is to help youths discover their God-given personality and appreciate and understand the strengths and weaknesses of other people's personalities. "Solving the People Puzzle" is a seminar material of the WorldTeach Ministries Philippines.

Crest Pedrosa is the Project Head of the Habitat for Humanity building project. The goal of this event is to assist in building homes for the homeless and this will be held on June 29, 2008.

Other Events of the Earth Shakers for the second part of 2008 are as follows:

Sports Tournament (August 08)

Earth Shakers Anniversary (October 08)

Orphanage Visit (December 08)

We hope and pray that Earth Shakers as an Organization will truly "Shake the Earth! Make a Difference!" in 2008.

Vision
We, Earth Shakers, are a New Breed of Youth that makes a long and lasting Impact in our Society for Jesus.

Mission
Earth Shakers exist as a movement of ...
Values Formation
Character Transformation
National Reformation

Purpose
To shake our circle of influence by making an indelible mark in their lives & influencing them towards re-shaping a reformed earth.

Core Values
We aim: to add value to the lives of our members.
We aim: to add character to the lives of our members.
We aim: to help our members become influencers to their circle of friends.

Earth Shakers is a Ministry of CAFÉ.

Brewing Passion @ CAFE

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
(Mark 12:30)

Eight months ago, the Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ) celebrated its 5th Year Church Anniversary at the Touch of Glory Prayer Mountain in Antipolo, Rizal. We have not much to celebrate numerically. Yet, we went on our knees and sought for God's hand to be upon us as a church. We recognized that even if we work hard in “planting” seeds of God's Word through evangelism and “watering” God's people through discipleship, it's not enough. Unless God causes the growth, all our efforts amount to nothing.

Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) From July to September 2007, we took steps of faith in doing witnessing blitz in the UST area. By October 2007, the Lord opened a new door of ministry through the launching of the Earth Shakers organization. Earth Shakers is not a church, nor a fellowship, nor a Christian organization. Instead, Earth Shakers is a Youth Organization, run and led by passionate followers of Jesus Christ with the intent of bridging the gap between the world and the church.

From October to December 2007, the Lord opened up a way for about 50 persons to be exposed to the gospel and about 20 of whom prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. About 10 of them have visited CAFÉ Church and 5 persons are now involved in Care Groups or Discipleship Groups. We praise the Lord for opening a gateway for Earth Shakers to be an instrument for the expansion of His kingdom.

Last December 2007, the CAFÉ Church Council had a leadership retreat and sought for God's vision for 2008 and beyond. We watched together Bill Hybel's "A Vision to Die for" (Global Leadership Summit 2007). The Lord moved our hearts as church leaders to go through the "process" of discovering and embracing together God's vision & mission for CAFÉ. Here is the outcome …

Christian Agape Fellowship ( C A F É )

"Brewing Passionate Disciples of Christ One Person at a Time"

Vision:

We are a church that produces Passionate Disciples of Christ that together fulfills Christ's Great Commandment and Great Commission.

Mission:

We, as a Spiritual Family, Commit to ...

1. Pursue Jesus Daily in His Word

2. Pray to Jesus with Full Dependency

3. Please Jesus with Total Obedience

4. Proclaim Jesus Intentionally to Others

5. Persevere for Jesus even in Tough Times

Core Values:

* Our calling is to make Christ's disciples among our circle of influence.

* Our calling is to bring Christ's church into the community.

* Our calling is to raise-up Passionate Disciples in fulfilling Christ's Great Commandment & Great Commission.

* Our calling is to gather our disciples as a family to worship God.

As a church, we continue to depend upon the Lord of the Harvest to open up more doors for His kingdom expansion. Please help us ask Him to open our spiritual eyes to see that the harvest is plentiful. We humbly ask Him to guide us in gathering His harvest and "brew" them one person at a time to be passionate disciples of Christ in fulfillment of His Great Commandment and His Great Commission for His glory and honor!

Our First Christmas

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
(Isaiah 9:6)

Do you still remember your first Christmas? Most probably, at that time, you don't even know how to spell C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S! Yet, as you grow older, December becomes one of the most anticipated and animated month of your year.

As for us, this year 2007 is our first Christmas as a family! We remember how nine (9) months ago, Hannah was born. By December 7, 2007 our daughter has equaled the time she spent inside Aileen's womb! About 2000 years ago, our Savior was born in a manger minus all the glamour of today's Christmas.

As we stare at our child with all our hopes and dreams for her, we realize that our Lord Jesus Christ was born to die for the world. He who was born in an obscure place became the King who has no place to lay His head on. Yet, He left the world to prepare a place for us in His heavenly kingdom!

Hannah will be spending her first Christmas here in Manila and celebrate her grandmother Lory's birthday on December 27 (my mom's first birthday with Hannah). The following day, Hannah flies over to Cebu for the first time with her first flight for "free" as an infant via Cebu Pacific and spends her first New Year being seen for the first time by many of Aileen's relatives and friends.

Then, Hannah gets the chance to greet for the first time her grandmother Linda, "Happy Birthday" (in sign language) by January 3. Hannah will also witness the birth of her first cousin in Cebu and travel to Bantayan Island also for the first time and enjoy her first sun bathing in the beach! A dozen of firsts for our firstborn child!

We also remember about a year before Hannah was born (March 2006), Aileen and I were in a missions trip to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, seeing the ruins of this tsunami-stricken city. Our tour guide, Ahyar shared that he grew up as a Muslim with no idea of the Christmas story. He inquired from a Christian friend where he can find the story about Christmas.

Ahyar was given the Holy Bible, where he discovered for the first time in his life who the Christ of Christmas was. He eventually became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. When his father found out that his son became a believer of Christianity, he asked his co-league in the military to come to his house one night with a mission of killing his son Ahyar! If not for his mother's mercy, who asked Ahyar to leave the house through their back door, he might no longer be in the world today.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us remember our brothers and sisters in Christ, who dwells in the other side of the globe who are celebrating Christmas in a hostile and life-threatening environment.

May this Christmas be a moment of rededication of our lives to the Christ of Christmas. May the Lord Jesus be the centerpiece of our celebration and may He once again be given the rightful place in us, right there at the center of our hearts! May we also bring Christ back in Christmas as we share the love of Jesus to our friends & loved ones! May you have a Blessed Christmas & a Spirit-filled New Year!

A House with No Boundaries

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

Is there a place where you can find company owners, office staffs, drivers, carpenters, mute workers and house helpers eat together, sleep together under one roof and study God's Word together? You can find this unique place in "Glorious Morning Construction & Industrial Sales" at Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City, Philippines.

Every Tuesday, right after working hours, at about 5:30pm, everyone in the hardware store is encouraged to go to the back side of the compound and enter the house of Mr. & Mrs. Jun Chang for Bible Study. Everyone gathers in the dining area by 5:45pm as we pray over the buffet dinner served by the company. While eating in the living room, everyone watches cable television from a huge wide screen TV. By 6:30pm, right after washing the dishes, everyone gathers in the living room to listen to God's Word.

We start off the Bible Study with an Ice Breaker question, where everyone shares their stories and experiences. Then we proceed to studying God's Word in Tagalog (Filipino language) and discuss together how to make it relevant in our lives. Even some workers who are mute sit with us & ask other workers to write down the Bible passages in a piece of paper while they open up their Bibles to read them. Currently, we're studying the Book of Romans. The Bible study ends by 7:30pm with one of the workers praying to thank God for what was learned that evening.

Last September 2007, we celebrated our second year anniversary as Glorious Morning Bible Study group. For the past two years, as I taught God's Word to these workers, the Lord made me realize: (1) God's Family is open to all people from all walks of life, (2) God's Word still changes lives when faithfully sown in people's hearts, (3) God's Work can be brought into the lost world through our work environment and (4) God's Name can be glorified when we take off social, racial & economic boundaries for the cause of Christ & His gospel.

One day, people from every nation, tribe, people and language will be gathered in God's kingdom worshiping the King of kings and the Lord of lord. May He use each of us today to go into all ethnic people groups and make disciples for Jesus for His glory and honor!

`07 Wonders of God

"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare." (Psalm 40:5)

Few months ago, Seven (7) new Wonders of the World were shown in many local headlines. Yet, have you ever taken notice of the “seven” (2007) Wonders of God in your life? Well, one of the great blessing of God in my life occurred last June 4-23, 2007 when I was selected as a delegate to the Global Proclamation Academy (GPA) 2007!

GPA is on its third year now and was born out of a vision & calling of Dr. Ramesh Richard, a faculty of Dallas Seminary & President of Ramesh Richard Evangelism & Church Health (RReach). His passion is to evangelize opinion leaders & strengthen pastoral leaders globally. 26 young pastors, 1 from each country, from 4 different continents were brought together for a once-in-a-lifetime, ministry-defining moment in the historic campus of Dallas Theological Seminary for 3 weeks of intensive pastoral training.

The Lord has uniquely bonded all twenty-six (26) of us & we instantly became friends! Daily, we heard amazing testimonies of God’s mighty works through personal testimonies & ministry highlights. During weekdays, we learned from the likes of Dr. Robert Coleman (author of The Master Plan of Evangelism), Dr. Howard Hendricks (one of the finest professors of Dallas Theological Seminary), Dr. Charles Ryrie (author of the Ryrie Study Bible), Dr. Mark Bailey (President of Dallas Theological Seminary), Dr. Norman Geisler (world renowned Christian apologist) & so much more! During weekends, we stayed with host families, who toured us around Dallas, took us shopping & brought us to their churches.

This Wonder of God in my life is a monument of how great & awesome our God is, who never ceases to reveal His greatness in ways we can never imagine!

Pitstops of Life

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

Formula One Racers face each championship match knowing that somewhere along the race, they are not invincible. Even if they are driving the top of the line race cars, they cannot avoid and would need to go through “Pit Stops”.

When I got back to Manila end of June 2007, coming from about a month long spiritual rejuvenation from the Global Proclamation Academy (GPA) in Dallas, USA, I got myself quickly into the thick of the action of ministry life.

Second week of July 2007, my wife and I brought our lovely daughter for check-up due to cough and colds. Hannah’s doctor diagnosed her with asthma, which brought about a big shock to us as parents. The next two weeks was the toughest time we had as parents. Hannah had fever in the evenings and she would have difficulty breathing. We would wrestle with her so she would take her medicines and even inhale through the nebulizer. There was one specific evening that I watched her in pain that I prayed to the Lord that if it would be possible, let me exchange places with her. Then and only then did I realize how deep God’s love is for us, His children, whenever we face painful circumstances in life.

Aileen and I prayed for our daughter like we never prayed before. We found ourselves even in tears for more than a few instances.

Praise be to God, He answered prayers and healed Hannah from her cough, colds and fever. We are trusting God that her asthma would be completely healed by Him, who alone has total control of everything that happens in and around us.

This Pit Stop in our family life brought us closer as a couple to one another, to our daughter and to our dear Heavenly Father, who deserves all praise for calling us to run the race and to wait upon Him during the Pit Stops of Life!

Miracles of Faith

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26)

Do miracles still happen today? Oftentimes, miracles are viewed as extra-ordinary events that are beyond the norm. The Bible shows that miracles happen when God acts supernaturally while men believe in what God promises in unexpected circumstances. The Lord Jesus said, "For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) Yes, God still performs miracles today! It may be easy for anyone to believe this, but it's not something people expect to happen daily in one’s life. Yet, it can happen to anyone ... like what He did to my family.

When God called me last April 3, 1993 to follow Him as a Full-Time Christian worker, I initially struggled and hesitated. As a Manufacturing Engineering on-the-job trainee in Nestlé Philippines, I was offered a job by the Chief Engineer about a year before I graduated from college. One Nestlé Factory Technical Trainee mentioned to me that thousands upon thousands apply for every single job opening in that company. I told the Lord, "If I follow you, where will I get my finances to provide for my family ... if I'll have a family someday?"

Today, fourteen years after, God blessed me with a family and He has miraculously provided for all our needs … Before Aileen and I got married last April 10, 2005, my mom offered to pay off my wedding expenses. Yet, God spoke to my heart and told me that if I'm already living a life of faith, why can't I trust Him to provide for my wedding? So I humbly told her, "Mom, I won't use that money. I'll trust God to provide for my wedding expenses."

Eventually, we got married in Cebu, went to Bantayan Island for honeymoon, accompanied by family and friends from all over the world and had dinner reception in Manila. Through it all, God miraculously provided!

Two months before we got married, the Lord led Aileen to join me in living a life of faith. She resigned as Chief Occupational Therapist of the Rehabilitation Department of Metropolitan Hospital. Incidentally, the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) awarded Aileen for three straight years as the Best Occupational Therapy (O.T.) Clinical Supervisor among all the hospitals and centers that UST O.T. Interns got their training from.

Two months after we got married, God called Aileen to study in the International School of Theology (ISOT-Asia) and take the Partners in Ministry (PIM) program, which was designed to train Pastor's wife. I raised funds for her tuition but nobody responded. By faith, Aileen enrolled and praise be to God, a classmate unexpectedly but miraculously supported her entire tuition fee all throughout her two years of classes until her graduation six months ago!

When Aileen found out that she's pregnant sometime in July of 2006, we asked a Christian doctor to refer us to an OB-GYNE. We just walked in the doctor's clinic and amazingly, Aileen's Christian OB never charged her any fees all throughout her check-ups! Eventually, Hannah was born six months ago at St. Luke's Medical Center, which is one of the prime and expensive hospitals in the country. Miraculously, Aileen's OB once again offered her services for free! To top it all, Hannah's Christian Pediatrician likewise did not ask for any doctor's fee! May the Lord bless their generous heart!

As a church planter and missionary pastor of Christian Agape Fellowship (CAFÉ) for the past five years, I did not receive nor accept any support or salary from the church. CAFÉ is composed predominantly of college students and fresh graduates. The Lord gave me the strength and faith to trust Him to provide for me. Miraculously, God provides in magnificent and wonderful ways I can't imagine!

Many more stories can be narrated but one theme is crystal clear ... "A Life of Faith is supernaturally miraculous!" We dedicate our lives and miracles to God and hope that all glory be given to Him, who is the author and finisher of our faith! May you likewise grow in your faith in Him and experience the miracles that He freely bestows upon those who deeply trusts Him and daily live on the promises of His Word!