1. What to do when you get cuts and scrapes
2. What to do when you are bitten by an animal
3. What to do when you get burned, and
4. What to do when you or someone else gets a concussion.
It was a challenge to relate and keep the attention of 106 students, ages 5 – 17, but we had fun and hopefully I was able to share something that they can use if ever needed.
The topics were:
1. Lifesong
2. How Great is Our God (by Louie Giglio)
3. Talent alone is never enough (with the help of Maxwell leadership Bible)
4. Practical praise and worship
We had a great time! We enjoyed two 30-minute sessions of praise and worship, just calling out to God and thanking Him for everything He has done, as well as everything He has yet to do. I did not really know seven of these nine students before I taught, but now we are friends and I believe each and every one of them has real talent, gifts, and a call on his or her life to reach out and help others. I could not be happier with the development each of these individuals have made over these past six weeks.
In the third picture we are (from left to right): JC, Norielyn, Awit, Erwin, Alvin, Carmelita, Jona, Mike (of course, that’s me!), Silver, and Adriano.
Having multiple church sites in different locations allows us to reach out to a broader variety and a higher number of people. It is taking the gospel, and bringing it to closer to where people live, literally. Pastor Ruel and Flor del Monte are the campus pastors at the Greenbox (located in Santisimo), and they are doing an awesome job fulfilling the mission statement. “Reaching and helping people find their way back to God.” Great job Greenbox team!
Andrea, Josiah, and I will be taking off for three days to join our church, Frontline Worship Center, in our 2nd annual Church Convention. This year’s theme is “Transformation.” We are looking forward to having a great time of fellowship, learning God’s Word, drawing closer to God…and of course, the awesome food the Rizal Re-Creation always produces! I look forward to sharing pictures and stories with you afterwards. We will have three camera operators in our lineup: Andrea, Jennilyn, and Krishelle. They are tasked with capturing the heart of the retreat so we can show all of you.
Note: This is a personal post written by Michael, and should only be read with a soft, melodic, and harmonious song in the background. Preferably one with a strumming guitar. 
We’ve all been there. You know what I’m talking about. There. That place where you think you’ll have to reach up to touch rock bottom. Whether in parenting, friendships, career obligations, church/ministry responsibilities, or whatever else…we’ve all had those feelings of failure, loss, pain, regret, and the feeling of our best just not being good enough. Believe me, traveling halfway around the world with my family to a new culture and lifestyle, and working with kids who come from troubled backgrounds has often left me with a feeling of inadequacy.
There have been plenty of things in the past 2 ½ years that I’d change if I knew then what I know now. We go into the town and see the faces of so many kids who were once a part the Refuge Center, and I think maybe I should’ve done something different, or put more time into each of them. I look at my 2 ½ year old son and remember too many times when he wanted my attention, but I was busy with other things, and I think maybe I should’ve done something different, or given him more time. I look at my wife and remember the many times I had to call her to say I cannot meet her for lunch as planned, because something else came up. And I think…you get the point.
The point is our inadequacies often leave us feeling empty, alone, and like failures. But maybe that’s the point. It’s when I realize how small I am, that I realize how big God is. Perhaps our shortcomings shouldn’t frustrate us, but help us realize just how much room in our lives there is for God and His plan.
Andrea and I met briefly with some good friends of ours when we were in the States last year. I’m grateful that they took the time to remind us of our priorities, and putting our relationship and family at the top of the list. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It got me thinking of where my efforts and time are, because our time goes toward what is truly important to us. Here is my key to success: God, family, others… Repeat as needed.
I have no doubt that God has called Andrea and I to the Philippines for this time, and no doubt that we are serving with the right ministry (Philippine Frontline Ministries). We’ve seen-firsthand-God transform not just the lives of the kids, but our lives as well. We’ve watched as abused, abandoned, and dangerously neglected kids have risen from the shame of the streets and slums through the renewing and spiritual reviving process that only God can perform. One of our boys going from using his hands to fight for what he has on the streets, to playing keyboard on the worship team. Some of our girls going from experiencing bodily abuse, to using their bodies to dance for our Lord in church and in outreach meetings. We have watched God restore lives one by one.
For anyone reading this post I have advice to give you. Remember the moments like these. Be purposeful about creating memories with your family, friends, and other all loved ones. It doesn’t require much more than thought, consideration, and a purpose of heart. Let me share some of our moments with you.
Family: The left picture below is a recent picture of Josiah and I. We were enjoying ourselves as the FTC kids practiced puppets with Rally (staff member) for the Wednesday summer activity. Ministry: In the middle picture, Sheila del Monte is playing Uno with her kids and several boys from here at FTC. Being able to show love and give time to your biological family and “adopted family” is very important for us, especially living in community amongst the FTC kids. Friends: The last picture is me with one of my new friends, Pastor Erwin. Erwin and I were both computer teachers last year at Frontline Christian Academy.
What is my challenge to anyone who reads this post? Make sure and create at least one lasting memory with loved ones around you in the next week.
Roy is the leader of “God’s Force,” the dance team at Frontline Worship Center, so it is fitting that their activity on Mondays is dancing. The plan is to get all the kids involved in at least one dance that they can then perform at church and at evangelistic outreaches Frontline does in local areas.
We are happy to have Roy and Lhele on the FTC team and would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication.
We had an awesome evening at FCA’s first ever Mini Concert. The kids and parents had a great time watching dramas, dances, singing numbers, and other specials prepared by the kids and teachers at Frontline Christian Academy. Pictured above is Peter, Edison, Banjo, and Philip (Annabelle in the second picture), preparing for their hip-hop dance, which was a HUGE success. It was so popular, they did an encore at the end and then performed it again Sunday morning at the Blu-box!
Pictured above is Lanie, Jennilyn, and Cristina. Lanie and Cristina (pictured left) danced in the Body Worship to the song Above All by Michael W. Smith. Jennilyn was one of the actors in the drama (pictured right) about a girl who is being torn apart from the sins of the world. All the while Jesus is trying to get her attention and reach her.
All around, it was a great night!
Wow! I know it has been awhile since my last post, and I sincerely apologize to all of my fans…both of you It is now summer time here in the Philippines and school is out! We are having a blast enjoying the summer so far. We have activities planned Monday through Friday this summer, such as:
Dancing, arts and crafts, sports, lake outings, swimming, playstation, movies, puppets…and much more. The activity coordinators are:
Monday: Roy and Lelhe
Tuesday: Mike and Andrea
Wednesday: Rally and Marlyn
Thursday: Orick and Sheila
Friday: Bebe and Allan
It is very exciting as our relationships together continue to grow and flourish. We are looking forward to a great summer of fun!
