April 2007

Nehemiah Teams Filipino: Orientations started the first week of April for national Nehemiah Teams. Through the efforts of local churches and associations, teams are being sent to 5 different unreached or hard-to-reach people groups in 8 areas of the Philippines. Although we are providing training materials and helping with the leader training, these local entities have done all the planning & mobilizing/recruiting for their own teams. Jess will be on the road most of this month attending the various orientation sessions.

• Pray as team members are trained that their ministries will be fruitful... bringing forth a harvest for the Kingdom!
• Pray for the team members to be open to the Lord working in their own lives as He stretches them through this ministry.

Nehemiah Teams American: On the heels of Nehemiah Teams Filipino is the arrival of the American teams. Students are again answering His call to work among the unreached and hard-to-reach of the Philippines. This year's evangelism teams will be ministering on the islands of Dinagat, Siquijor, and Camotes, and among the Waray-Waray on the island of Samar. The fifth team will be working with Habitat for Humanity in a rural area of the southern Philippines. We're excited about this new partnership!

There are still positions open if you're interested... or know someone who might be! We really need another media team person. This member travels with an evangelism team and reports on the team's ministry through photojournalism and maintaining the team's "blog." For more information about any of the teams, contact us directly or the Collegiate Department of the International Mission Board. More info can also be seen on our website (www.nehemiahteams.com) or at http://www.thetask.org/

• Pray for the students as they prepare physically and spiritually for their summer of ministry.
• As parents see the commitment their students are making, pray for the Lord to work in their lives... helping them to truly dedicate their children (and their ministries) to the Lord.

Nehemiah Teams Korean: We are in the beginning stages of developing Nehemiah Teams Korea in partnership with the Korean Baptist Convention. The first Korean student team will arrive in the Philippines mid-July. It's been exciting to see this partnership develop and we are already planning for summer 2008 teams.

• Pray for the Korean team members as they prepare for this cross-cultural mission experience.
• Pray that the developing partnership with the Korean Baptist Convention will provide an avenue for many Korean young people to be involved in missions.

Other volunteer Opportunities

Waray Free Medical Clinics July 14-21, 2007
"Waray waray" means "nothing"... in northeastern Samar live a people with nothing. No real purpose, no real life, no real hope. In partnership with the riverboat Nehemiah Team you will be traveling as far as 4 hours to remote villages. You have "something" to tell!! As a medical team, you will be building relational bridges as you meet physical needs. You will join the team in witnessing through drama, sports, and 1-on-1 witnessing with the goal of establishing house churches among this unreached people group. The team will conduct free medical clinics in rural, remote villages where medical care is limited. Team members with no medical knowledge will be involved in personal evangelism through witnessing one-on-one, sharing personal testimony, or other areas of giftedness. This is a great opportunity to share God's love with those in need of both physical and spiritual healing! If you're interested in joining this team, you can contact us or Tammy Story (tkbstory@mindspring.com)

Camp Construction Project September 15-22, 2007

Be a part in training nationals for evangelism & discipleship. Partner with national believers in the on-going construction of a camp/training facility. Various skills are needed: basic carpentry skills, concrete block building, electrical & plumbing work, as well as a heart to be a blessing! For more information on this team, contact us or Doris Elliott (doris@fbcfp.org)

April 2007 Kids Korner

Upon our return in January from stateside assignment, we moved from Butuan City to Davao City. Our thanks to many of you who prayed specifically for our kids during this time... it seems to have been a smooth transition!

Wendy & the girls attended our annual home schooling meeting in February. The girls both participated in standardized testing and came through with flying colors... that's affirmation for a home schooling mom! They were also involved in mission projects. The older group (Krysten) did some landscaping at a local elementary school while the younger group (Betsy) held a half-day backyard Bible club for some local Filipino children. They both had a great time!

At the meeting the older students were also encouraged to prepare an oral presentation to share with the group. Using what Krysten had learned while in the US this past fall, she did a great job highlighting basic techniques vital to good singing. (see picture)

Krysten has found her niche in ministry through volunteering weekly at a local orphanage. The hours spent holding & feeding babies, playing with toddlers, and helping in the kitchen are highlights of her week! Over the Easter weekend we even brought a baby home with us. As a family we enjoyed lovin' on this little one and look forward to the next time!

Our son David is once again living at our organization's dorm in Manila while attending 10th grade at Faith Academy. Having been in Alabama for the first semester, he quickly got back into the flow of things when we returned to the Philippines. It was great to have him home for a week in March during his spring break (see picture)... we'd gotten used to having him around again after being in the US! He's enjoyed being a referee for Faith Academy's elementary basketball league these past couple months... gave him an opportunity to use his basketball knowledge while earning a little extra spending money! He's continued studying piano and is preparing for an end of the year recital in May.

First grade is almost over for Besty. She has had a great year and learned so many new things! Her main job these days is feeding our puppy, "Bravo." She has also enjoyed being involved in activities at Faith Academy Davao... playing soccer (see right) and going on a field trip to a banana plantation! (see left) The remainder of her days are spent jumping on the trampoline, riding her bike & scooter, and playing with friends... life is really good when you're 6 years old!