YWAM Salem Team

September and October were active months of ministry as YWAM Mountain Province hosted the Crossroads Discipleship Training School team from YWAM Salem, Oregon, USA.  Below is just a quick glimpse of the many ways the team worked to make God known in Mountain Province.

YWAM Salem CDTS team

Hiking through the Maligcong rice terraces to minister in Fang-orao.

Playing games, making friends, and teaching at Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School

Kid's Club in the Provincial Plaza

Praying for people and helping them monitor their health at the YWAM Health Clinic

Adjusting plans to deal with 3 typhoons and numerous landslides - pictured here on the way to Can-eo

Serving the churches - showing the pastor of the church in Sadanga how to use the Proclaimer they brought for the church

Trying to fit into the culture - go guys!

 

New Staff

We are pleased to introduce our new staff member, Harry.  Harry completed Tribal Discipleship Training School with YWAM Mountain Province in 2001. He went on to attend Tarlac Bible School and graduated in 2007. He later took courses in Intercultural Studies in Baguio and graduated in 2009. For several years he pastored with Solid Rock Ministries, pioneering ministries in Tabuk, Kalinga; Cervantes, Ilocos Sur; and Bontoc, Mountain Province. His most recent pastoral position was in Namatec, Sabangan, Mountain Province.

Harry and his lovely wife, Alpha, are beginning their ministry with YWAM Mountain Province by serving with our Student Sponsorship Ministry.

Alpha and Harry

 

SSM Reaching Out

The YWAM Mountain Province Student Sponsorship Ministry (SSM) is back in place and the students have been very busy. Besides their studies and discipleship activities in Bontoc, they have been going on regular outreaches to nearby communities as part of their discipleship.

Their two most recent trips have been to Can-eo and Dalican.

Praying before going out

Sharing with women from Can-eo

Songs with the children in Can-eo

Resting during the 5 hour hike to Dalican

Dinner at Melodys

Patrick preaching during the gathering at Dalican

Visiting the sick in Dalican

 

YWAM Balut DTS Team Visits

YWAM Balut DTS with Pastor Rudy, Bridget, and their sons.

For the past several weeks YWAM Mountain Province has been hosting a team from YWAM Balut (Manila).  They were here for a portion of their Discipleship Training School outreach.

While in the area, the team ministered in numerous ways and in several villages.

Kolja and Mike cooking lunch

The team started by serving the church of Bontoc as they gathered for a seminar/camp.  Churches from Bontoc and surrounding villages participated in this seminar and the team helped by cooking, cleaning, and doing whatever they could to serve.

Learning to take blood pressure at YWAM Health Clinic

On one day of the camp, several team members took some time out to join Tom and Lisa at the YWAM Health Clinic.  The students practiced taking blood pressure readings and checking blood glucose levels for the 29 patients who attended that day.

Can-eo Station Church

Several days were spent in the village of Can-eo.  Above, you can see team members performing an interpretive dance at Can-eo Station Church where Rudy and Bridget are pastoring.

Karla and Jane leading the Bible study in Chapyosen

While the team was in Can-eo, they accompanied members of Can-eo Station Church on their outreach to Chapyosen.  Some of the team led a Bible study with the adults while others taught the children.

Praying with Mayor Sacgaca

After returning from Can-eo, the entire team joined Tom at the Municipal Government for the Monday morning flag ceremony.  The team presented a light-hearted, yet meaningful skit and was also able to present the Moral Recovery Program teaching to the entire local government.  Afterwards, they joined Mayor Sacgaca in his office and prayed for him.

Praying for a new friend in Sadanga

As they traveled from village to village and while in Bontoc, team members looked for different ways to minister to the people they were around.  In churches they taught, sang, performed interpretive dances, and dramas to draw people closer to God.  As they walked about, they talked with people and often prayed for their needs and encouragement.

We are thankful for teams that partner with our work here in Mountain Province.  This post does not show everything the team did or everywhere they went, but hopefully it shows how God used this team and can use other teams that choose to serve the people of Mountain Province.

 

The Move

Saturday, our renovation took its first step as we moved out of our ministry center. As we wait upon God for His direction, YWAM Mountain Province staff will continue to minister in their homes and in the community.

Thanks to all who showed up to help!

 

Renovate

[ren-uh-veyt] verb, -vat·ed, -vat·ing, adjective

–verb (used with object)

1. to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.

2. to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.

Renovate was a word impressed on one of our staff as we considered the future of our facilities and Student Sponsorship Ministry.  At our meeting in early May, this concept was affirmed by our entire staff.  Therefore, we feel it is best to discontinue renting our current facility and suspend our Student Sponsorship Ministry as we seek the God’s direction to make new and reinvigorate these attributes of our ministry.  These changes will take place at the conclusion of the summer semester at the end of May, 2011.

During our time of renovation, YWAM Mountain Province will continue many ministries such as Can-eo Station Church, Moral Recovery Program, YWAM Health Clinic, and hosting outreach teams.  We look forward to discovering God’s plans for YWAM Mountain Province.

 

2011 SSM Graduates

 

Rufina, Delia, Joel, Wryleen, Alfie, Patrick

Congratulations to our graduates!

We are proud of the hard work Delia, Joel, Wryleen, and Alfie have put forth in order to graduate.  We pray for them as they prepare for their board exams and look for employment.

 

Proclaiming the Good News in Saclit

Saclit from a Distance

Saturday Night Bible Study

The Church in Saclit

March 19 & 20, Tom joined Pastor Steve, a YWAM friend, for Pastor Steve’s weekly trek to the village of Saclit.  It really became a trek when road construction prevented the jeepney from going up the hill from the main road to the village.  Instead, Tom and Steve hiked up the road to Saclit.

While in Saclit for the weekend, the two taught an overview of the story of redemption as found in the Bible and then listened to the story of the crucifixion and resurrection using a Proclaimer audio Bible.  As God promised, His Word does not go out without accomplishing its purpose; many gave their hearts to Christ for the first time and determined to never again observe the pagan practices so common in the region.

 

Faith Comes By Hearing

Can-eo Station Church

Before the team traveled to Can-eo, Rudy, Bridget, and Tom were already there for another purpose.  Rudy and Bridget pastor the church in Can-eo, Can-eo Station Church, and spend every weekend in the village leading Bible studies, doing home-visitation, and of course leading the Sunday morning services for the congregation.  Saturday morning, February 5, Tom joined them for the trip to Can-eo.
Rudy and Tom accompanied one of the Can-eo Station Church elders, Delfin, to the Bible study he leads in the village of Chapyosen.  In order to get there they had to hike an hour along the mountain above the Chawang River.  The trail is narrow with many climbs and descents along the way.  Together, they presented a Proclaimer to the small group of believers that gather under a house in the village for weekly Bible study with Delfin and other church elders from Can-eo.  This young church has been meeting for less than 3 months.  It is the only regular Christian gathering in the village.

A flat portion of the trail between Can-eo and Chapyosen

Chapyosen

The house we met under is the wooden house in the center of the picture to the right of the palm tree branches.

After listening to the Proclaimer play John 3 in Ilocano, the group discussed the passage and what it meant for their lives.  The discussion included questions from the people about the differences between Jehovah and Lumawig, the local pagan diety.

Chapyosen Congregation

Sunday morning, another Proclaimer was presented to the people of Can-eo Station Church for use in Bible studies around the village.  The Proclaimers will help the people of both villages better understand the word of God because it is in their own language and the barrier of illiteracy is removed.

Pastor Rudy showing the elders how to use the Proclaimer

 

Family Ministry

YWAM Mountain Province was honored to host the outreach team from YWAM Baguio’s Family Ministry School.  The primary ministry of this team was presenting seminars about marriage and family life.  The seminars for couples allowed the team to minister to over 60 people.  Many of these are government day care workers from communities around the province, who can, in turn, share the skills and insights they have gained with the families they serve.  Seminars were also held for singles in our community to prepare for marriage and family life.  In addition to the students of our Student Sponsorship Ministry, many young people from the community participated in these sessions.

Bontoc Marriage and Family Seminar

The team also traveled to the villages of Can-eo and Maligcong to present at the churches there and offer afternoon sessions to the people of those communities.

Seminar in Can-eo