Bless Philippines Mission (2014)

This mission trip was definitely one of the most activity-packed mission trips that anyone could ever have the privilege of going on. We were very blessed by our host church – Jesus Christ the Master Builder (JCMB), and blessed that God would use us to minister to them. We only hope that they received just as much as we did.

Not many of us were seasoned “mission troopers”. Many of us were going on a mission trip for the very first time. None of us were familiar with the Philippines either. Yet we all anticipated that God would, in His mercy, use us for His work.

“I honestly did not really know what to expect from a mission trip. I had always heard that God would move mightily and all sorts of exciting things would happen. I suppose that I was excited, but I always had doubts at the back of my mind that I wouldn’t be able to minister or be of much help to the people in the Philippines.” – Joel

After some preparations in the morning of the first day, we set off to bless the different households in the neediest districts of Quezon City. A few of us were also sent to bless and encourage the employees of the government office supporting the district. We even had the chance to bless and speak into the life of one of the chairmen of these districts. 

“The squalid condition of the barangay was extremely shocking for me, who had never travelled to such areas before. It was a huge privilege for me and the team to have the opportunity to bless the people there with prayer and simple provisions. It was a short time but I saw the seeds of faith being planted in the lives of the families we reached out to. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully and the words released tangibly touched the individuals we prayed over.” – Shao Tong

“I feel that God really was present when we went in to speak to the chairman of the district we visited. At first he was really quite cold and distant. However, he opened up when we told him that God wanted to thank him for serving the poor for the last two decades and prophetically declare that he, instead of retiring, would lead and mentor the younger generation of leaders.” – Siew Boon

“God has His ways of working out His agenda when His work has yet to be completed. We were already leaving the place when the Holy Spirit prompted us that we ought to take a photo with the chairman, Mr Hector. He readily agreed upon our return. Through the course of talking, he began to share with us that his wife was ill. We were thus able to pray healing over his wife and encourage him to pray for his wife too. He was really touched by this, and even began to tear during the prayer!” – Hwee Tat, Team Leader

The next morning was spent interacting with some children from the barangays who had come to attend a nutrition programme at the church, and by afternoon we were en route to JCMB’s satellite church in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Before dinner, we conducted a programme for the youth of the church. The focus of our message was restoring the relationship between the youth and God, for them to recognise God as their true father, teaching them that only after this relationship was set right could they find the correct direction for their life, as well as the right spouse to serve God together.

“During my sharing, I felt that most of the youth needed the Heavenly Father’s love, but they could only receive if they release forgiveness to their earthly parents. And I thank the Holy Spirit for moving powerfully as we ministered to them – at that instant I experienced the deep compassion our Father God has for His children. And I trust that God will continue to pour out His love on the fatherless, and use the next generation to restore the Family of Philippines!” – Li Yu

“I am so thankful that God used the team to be instruments through which the youth in Pampanga could experience the Father’s love for them. I feel that God has really begun a new work in the lives of the youth that we ministered to that day. The adults went around to hug and affirm the youth, who really appreciated this physical expression of parental love. Without exception, the youth I saw teared up during ministry time.” – Lavin

After dinner but before heading back for rest, our team ministered to the couples in the church. The topic of our sharing was on the symbolic importance of the relationship between husband and wife. Not only does this relationship represent the full image of God, but it also serves as a depiction of Christ and His church. When the concept of marriage is contorted and marriages are destroyed, Satan is effectively destroying the relationship between Christ and the church. We also taught them some practical tips on how to strengthen their relationships through the fulfilling of biblical spousal roles. 

“I thank God that we were able to minister specifically to these couples on a variety of issues. The couples were particularly touched when we talked about the importance for husbands to rise up and take up leadership to lead with a servant heart, how husbands should appreciate their wives, and how wives should honour and uphold their husbands.” – Siew Boon

“I felt that God was saying that both spouses would have to be humble so that reconciliation could take place. Some of the couples were really able to connect and let the Holy Spirit heal them as they had a repentant heart. I really believe that this was a breakthrough moment for some of them.” – David 

Our team leader, Hwee Tat, preached at the Sunday service that week. We were also tasked to manage the children’s programme. It was special as many pre-believing households were attending service that Sunday. 

The response to the altar call – for both pre-believers and believers – was amazing. God moved in power amongst the congregation and all the members of the team were called upon to pray for the people.

“We prayed for hearts to really come to Jesus. Rather than they simply coming to God for blessings, we wanted them to come to know Jesus for who He is.” – David

“The mission troopers were told to stand in one line, and people queued up to be prayed for. It was an impromptu moment of ministry, it was my first time, and I didn’t expect that we would have to pray for so many people. At that point in time, I did not feel a surge of emotions but a sense of assurance that God was going to work powerfully in their lives. I realised that the word God gave to them was very consistent. ‘God loves you even as you are, and you don’t have to strive for God’s love.’ Some of them started tearing – there and then I had a deeper assurance that it was not my human effort, but the Holy Spirit, that was working in their lives.” – Liyu

After this powerful experience, God was still not done for the day. The team had to minister to several parents in an unorthodox parenting seminar where parental authenticity in the faith and the importance of the entire family being involved in ministry was taught and emphasised. It was especially impactful because the youth had a chance to share their perspective on how Christian parenting could transform the next generation. It was a spontaneous time of sharing where we felt God was imparting how He could work miracles in broken families and bring about reconciliation so that each family would become a wonderful testimony for the Lord.

We wrapped up the day with a session with the leaders of the church in Pampanga. Although we had not even known them for 24 hours, we felt strongly that God wanted us to share a word of revitalisation to them. We felt that, for some reason, there was presently a lack of spark and drive in the church. The word was to let go of what was in the past and eagerly anticipate with great confidence what God would do through them in the future. After sharing the word through John 15, Acts 1:8 and Revelation 12:11, we began to declare God’s word prophetically over the church and its leadership.  

“I received an impression from God that we should declare that God is the God of the Philippines. Immediately I thought of Chris Tomlin’s song “God of this city” as I felt it was very appropriate. Indeed, when we sang the song, the lyrics really ministered to the people. I am very thankful for what God has done in Pampanga through us.” – Edelyne

“We had already received a word before the trip saying that we should use Acts 1:8 and Revelation 12:11 to bless the church. Upon arrival, we felt that this word was all the more applicable due to the discouragement we sensed. We therefore released this word of revitalisation. After the session, the Senior Pastor told us that he had felt the presence of the Lord very strongly and that the words released really encouraged him and his leaders.” – Hwee Tat, Team Leader

As a 9-month old Christian going on this trip without knowing what to expect, God really drew me nearer to Him by aligning everything I did with His purposes. God also humbled me to know that we are very blessed in Singapore – we really should be grateful for His providence. I realised that no matter how small our roles are, it pleases God as long as we do it faithfully. All our little efforts can and will be used to bless others and bring glory to God!” – Jade

All in all, we are thankful to God for a successful mission trip. We have learnt so much about moving in the Spirit and trusting God in ministry. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)

We were also very encouraged by the unity of vision in the local G12 church we partnered with. We shared a similar, if not identical, heartbeat. The team looks forward to greater things that God is going to do through JCMB and hopes to be back in the future! To God be the glory! 

(Left to right) Theresa, Mei Yee, Melissa, Gina, Yew Lee, Ivy Lim, Catherine, Philana Emily, Ivy Loh, Keng Lim, Lai Cheng

The team left Singapore from Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 on June 13, 2014. The purpose of our trip was to partner with Jesus Christ Saves Global Outreach (JCSGO) in their outreach and community blessing to the Barangay community, operation centre and offices, and kickstart a marketplace ministry and cell group among parents of special needs children

We touched down at Manila Airport at around 3.55pm and were warmly welcomed by Pastor Lerma and Pastor Weng. Due to being stuck in traffic, the team reached JCSGO at around 7.15pm. After dinner, Pastor Vicky delivered the opening address and prayer of blessing, followed by an opening greeting by our team leaders, Peter Chung and Keng Lim. We checked into our hotel to rest for the day at 9.00pm that night.

Barangay Outreach

At around 10.00am the next day, we arrived at JCSGO, all ready and dressed in red, to pack the goodie bags for 100 families, which consisted of household amenities, and some stationery for the children. It was a pleasure to work with the Philippines team efficiently hand in hand.

In the afternoon, we had an outreach programme with 100 families of the nearby barangays. The programme kicked off with an ice-breaker led by Yew Lee. For worship, the team led in song and dance with “All Praise and Glory only unto You”.

This was followed by a picture-story telling by Lai Cheng and Keng Lim. Lai Cheng narrated the story “Daniel and the Lions” while Keng Lim drew pictures there and then, bringing life to the story

We had an altar call after the picture-story telling, and the response was overwhelming. Glory to God as we saw more than 100 salvations that day.

The new believers were divided into smaller groups where the JCSGO leaders ministered and prayed for them. Our team also joined in to help in whatever way we could, although we could not understand Tagalog. 

As the adults were being ministered to, a children’s drawing competition was running concurrently that was led by the children’s team. As the children paid close attention to Keng Lim’s drawings earlier, many were able to replicate the lion and other characters that Keng Lim drew. Attractive prizes were given to the children with the best drawings.

Marketplace People Fellowship

In the evening, Keng Lim spoke to marketplace professionals on “Leadership – A Study of Nehemiah”. His key passage came from Nehemiah 4:20 (NIV), “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” He urged the professionals to always be alert to the sound of the trumpet (Communicate), to join us there (Congregate), and that God will fight for us (Conquer).

Philana Emily shared on how God changed the attitude of her Human Resource Director towards her, and transformed her to be bolder. Ivy Lim shared on God’s protection, provision and promotion through prayer – from a homemaker, to a worker earning $5.00/hour, to her current post as Restaurant Manager overseeing three branches.

Lai Cheng wrapped up with the encouragement with “To transform your office/boss/yourself to become an excellent worker”. She challenged the professionals to start an open cell in the office and have a marketplace celebration two months later to share the wonderful things that God has done in the marketplace as His people pray.

Sunday Service

Keng Lim preached a sermon called “Burning Coals” from 1 Samuel 26:1-12 about the difficulties that David went through with King Saul and how he triumphed over his enemy. He encouraged the church with these three points:
(1) God is Sovereign – He is in Control
(2) God is Stronger – He is our Confidence
(3) God is the Saviour of our Heart – He is Compassionate
Praise the Lord for the salvations, and willing people who came to the altar to be prayed for.

At the children’s service, we wanted to host an acting competition. But as the children were too young for this activity, we changed it on the spot to a dance competition led by Melissa, Ivy Loh, Mei Yee and Theresa. All the kids participated and enjoyed it. After the session, we had a report of a miraculous healing of a boy who had a cataract in his right eye. By the end of the session, the white spot that initially covered his eye, and restricted his vision, shrank. Praise the Lord!

In the evening, Lai Cheng issued a challenge from Luke 5:4-5. Her message was called “Are you casting the net where the deep waters are?” She shared that we should not be discouraged and obey the Lord even if like the disciples, we toil and toil but there are no visible results. We need to identify where the deep waters are and be diligent in casting the net.

Visit to the Barangay

Flag raising ceremony

Photo with Barangay office staff

Keng Lim shared at the flag raising ceremony at the barangay the next morning, and prayed for the chief and staff.

(Left to right) Keng Lim’s sharing, Gina’s testimony, Chief Felipe’s closing

Later at the barangay’s head office at Quezon City Hall, Keng Lim shared about excellence in the work place based on 1 Timothy 6:6-10 that writes “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”.

He shared that prayerlessness (self-dependence), pride (seeking recognition for oneself) and procrastination (delaying work) hinders work excellence. Followed by the remedies towards work excellence, which are prayer (being dependent on God), praise (complimenting the people we work with) and prioritisation (recognise importance and urgency to work effectively).

Gina took over with the sharing of her testimony on proclaiming God’s Word with her life, based on Luke 12:31.

To close, the chief of the barangay head office, Mr Jorge P Felipe, shared that “we need to put God first, and declared the fifth floor of their head office as Holy ground”. This was a great encouragement to the local pastors who had been ministering in this office as they finally witnessed the softening of the spiritual ground of this office and its chief.

Ministering to Parents of Special Needs Children

For this session, Yew Lee started with a widely known ice-breaker of “Musical Chairs”. Keng Lim and Lai Cheng followed by engaging the parents of the special needs children through a parenting talk, while the rest of the team helped to entertain the children. It was amazing that the children were receptive to drawing quietly, and hence the parents were able to pay full attention to the sharing.

Our princess Mei Yee, who has Down’s Syndrome, performed a dance item called “I Shall Not Want” to encourage and give hope to the parents of these children. Seeing that Mei Yee, a special needs child too, filled with God’s presence in her life that she shall not be in want. Some of the parents were so inspired and touched that they wept.

After the talk, we ministered to the parents and prayed for the couple who organised this talk. They are currently working on fostering relationships with these parents. They hope to establish a cell group there.

Final Visit to the Barangay

For this final visit to the barangay, we distributed gifts and sweets to the children. As the children rushed out to receive the treats, it gave us great joy to see the smiling, appreciative faces of the children.

We also visited and prayed for the chief and staff of another barangay office before we returned to the hotel to get ready for a thanksgiving dinner. At the dinner, as a show of appreciation to our Filipino hosts, the team presented a dance item.

The next day, we checked out of the hotel at 8.15am and went for a spot of shopping before taking our flight back to Singapore. We were tired, but fulfilled and contented.

During the final debrief, here are snippets of what the team shared:

“God is in control of everything – the weather; place; food; our coming in and going out.”
The Power of Prayer - Gina

“God’s anointing – through this trip, I have been changed from an introvert to an outgoing person.”
The Power of Confidence – Philana Emily

“Need to minister to the autistic children – but no stress!”
The Power of God’s Grace – Yew Lee

“A year later, hearing the chief of the barangay head office declare the fifth floor of their office in City Hall as Holy ground – it was unbelievable.”
The Power of Perseverance – Lai Cheng

“Felt like going on a holiday!”
The Power of Resting in the Lord – Ivy Lim

“Although we had fewer people and more preparations to be done for this trip, I did not worry.”
The Power of Submission – Theresa

“We cooperated and helped each other; we united as one!”
The Power of Unity and Cooperation – Ivy Loh

“I always wanted to hug the children and talk to them; I enjoyed being with them.”
The Power of Compassion – Melissa

“It was amazing when we laid hands and prayed for a boy suffering from cataracts, we saw the white spot in his right eye shrink.”
The Power of Healing – Catherine & Mei Yee

“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.”
Psalm 71:14-16 (NIV)

Last year, when the teams of Bless Philippines Mission 2013 came back and shared the things they had done in the Philippines, there was a stirring in my heart that wanted to be part of this mission. This year, I finally had a chance to be part of the blessing. Upon reflection, instead of claiming that we blessed the people of Philippines, I must say that it was us who were truly blessed.

Before the trip, Jasmine had a vivid dream of bad weather in the Philippines. In the dream, our leaders, Peter and Harriet, asked her to pray. It was God telling us to persevere in our prayers. We prayed for good weather and traffic conditions for the entire duration. God definitely answered all our prayers and we were blessed with excellent weather and reasonably smooth traffic conditions throughout. God is good, all the time!

At Changi Airport, ready to go!

Peter and Harriet were especially glad that their son, Calvin, came along and the whole family served together this year. In addition, we also had our adorable 5-year old ambassador-in-Christ, Ian, who joined us in serving the Philippines. 

Before we left, our leader reminded us that coming on this mission trip would allow us to witness the faith of others, as well as our faith in action. “Standing united, we can build on one another’s faith. We can be strong because we are united in Christ. If we believe with all our hearts that whatever we pray for will happen, we will see our prayers coming true. We are responsible for praying for the people and we will commit the rest to God. That’s all we are called to do: to serve.”

Seeing God’s Faithfulness

Our team was overwhelmed by the warm welcome by the villagers when we arrived in the afternoon. 

Pastor Weng could not wait to tell us of the miracle that had taken place in Barangay[1] over the past year. When 2013’s team was in Philippines last year, they prayed for the villagers. Many hoped for their lives to be changed and for their dreams of having houses be fulfilled. Where 2013’s team once saw rubble and ruins, stood before us new and colourful rows of houses. Pastor Weng shared that an American sponsor had sponsored the building materials and the villagers united to build them. It was certainly not an overnight miracle for the mighty warriors from Pastor Weng’s cell group who had been making their rounds in the Barangay faithfully every week to bless the people. They were the ones who laboured in love and faithfulness to lay the groundwork so that God’s blessings could penetrate through the walls of the community. 

It was the power of united prayers and definitely a mighty demonstration of God’s faithfulness in the people’s lives. Praise God!

Not only did we see the physical transformation with our own eyes, Tabitha also met up with a lady she prayed for last year. The lady wanted God to bless her so she could continue to study. This year, the lady shared with Tabitha how God had come true for her: She found a job and was able continue studying because God blessed her through her boss who sponsored her education. This was but one of the many testimonies we heard along the way. How could our hearts not be blessed? As Psalm 71:5 (NIV) says, “For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord”.

Kindling The Fire

[1] Barangay : slum

God moved all of our hearts that day:

• As a new believer, Kim Peng gained confidence in praying for others. 
• Jinyi was so deeply encouraged that she wanted to bring this heart of prayer back to Singapore so that there will be no more reservation and fear in praying for strangers again. 
• Through the lens of the camera, Farrell was touched by numerous scenes he managed to capture. The myriad of expressions – people’s joy, gladness, pain, and thirst for God – was all frozen in time. 
• Tabitha was humbled by how giving the Filipinos were. They strived to make our stay as comfortable as they could. She was reminded again how she had to be a blessing to the people around her. 
• My husband, Yong Khiam, and I were amazed at how the people hungered for God and prayers. As we made our way around the village to pray for the people, they were so open to us. The villagers even queued up and invited us into their homes for blessing. It was an incredible sight to behold for us who were encountering this for the very first time. 
• Harriet believed that God would continue to bring blessing to the people of Philippines through this team and we would also experience love for others who are so different from us, who had so little and yet so joyful in every way. 
• Kim Seng and Michelle were full of gratitude for the mercy and goodness of God, especially in answering our prayers for the weather, traffic conditions and work that God had done in the Barangay. Their daughter, Angela, saw the miracles God performed for His people with her own eyes and it did wonders for her faith at her young age.   
• Ethan and Jasmine had their son, Ian, with them and both wanted this trip to be meaningful for Ian. Jasmine was glad that Ian could muster courage and use whatever words he knew to bless the children. It was a touching sight for the proud parents. Ethan reiterated that more good times and pleasant surprises would await us every day. We claimed it in Jesus’ name for we believe God will not leave us void if we believe!

This trip was also an example of G12’s focus on the family as couples like Peter and Harriet, Kim Seng and Michelle, Ethan and Jasmine, and Yong Khiam and I served together in one spirit.

Up Close and Personal with the Local Authorities

Head of Barangay Escopa 3 Committee, Danny

We would never have thought that it was possible to have a chance to meet the government officers, much less pray for them. However, Pastor Albert managed to arrange a meeting with three officers! We prayed for them and their staff in their offices. Thank God for the open doors! The first official we blessed was Danny who was the head of the Barangay Escopa 3 committee. He mentioned that education was a problem in the village and he wanted God to give him wisdom and direction to tackle the problems the people were facing.  

Barangay Captain, Vicente

The second official we prayed for was the Barangay captain, Vicente. We went into his office unannounced but he still welcomed us warmly. We heard that him and his wife were childless after many years of marriage so we blessed him with fruitfulness and boldness to conduct his duties with faith.  

Quezon City Police Distrct Station 10 Commander, Superintendent Limuel Obon

The third official we prayed for was totally unexpected.  We were praying for the villagers in Barangay Escopa 3 when we were told to go to a police station. There, the official we blessed was none other than the Quezon City Police District Station 10 Commander, Superintendent Limuel Obon. It was Pastor Albert that paved the way for this meeting to take place as Pastor Albert leads a cell group in the Superintendent’s office every Monday. Thank God for this opportunity and His divine favour. 

Transformation was taking place at the authorities’ level. We believe Quezon City is definitely at the edge of revival and it will take faithfulness to see it through. 

Claiming God’s Promises for His people

We were scheduled to have a teaching session for the traffic enforcers on the second day. We were very surprised to hear that they were already at Jesus Christ Saves Global Outreach (JCSGO) at 8.00am when the session was supposed to start at 9.00am. It was their day off but they came nonetheless. We were awed by their enthusiasm and believed with our hearts that they would be blessed by the sessions.

The sessions on integrity, commitment and family by Ethan, Yong Khiam, Kim Seng, Michelle and I were a personal sharing of our lives. I was captivated by the sharings that laid bare their hearts and souls. Many of the traffic enforcers took a pledge to recommit themselves to their families. They also went forward for prayers at the end. Many of them needed healing for their families. We prayed for the men to rise up and lead as the head of the household – take up the responsibility for their families, and that the families would grow from strength to strength. We need the next generation to rise up as godly warriors and take the nation for Christ!

During the sharing to the Barangay villagers in JCSGO church, it was the first time many of the team members heard the testimonies of the miraculous healing of Yong Khiam; how God healed Michelle of the tough times she went through in her childhood which had repercussions in her later years; and how her husband, Kim Seng, supported her with love. Indeed, we may not be aware of the greater purpose God has for us, however we came to realise that we were all made for a time like this when our testimonies would bring hope to the people who heard them. 

We could all see Yong Khiam’s testimony moving the hearts of the villagers tremendously. They never expected to hear such a testimony from someone like us. According to Peter, they probably thought that illnesses and bad things only happened to poor people like them.  That is a lie! They were trapped in that lie for so long and that day, they saw a glimpse of light and hope. 

We prayed for the villiagers claiming the promises of Ephesians 1:18-21 (NIV):

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”

Going Forth In Faith

Typically, Singaporeans like us prefer things to be organised and planned. However, in Philippines, it was nothing like that. Everything was fluid, and Peter advised us constantly that we had to be ready to go with the flow. True to his words, everything we did was mostly impromptu and we had to rise to the occasion frequently. 

Kim Seng shared that his equipment did not work well during the balloon sculpting at the children ministry. With every three balloons he blew up, one would burst. It was not going well. It was not what he had expected but he had to continue with whatever he could manage. For this was what going with the flow meant!

Ethan reflected that though this trip was originally meant for Ian, it turned out that God was working in his life. He felt that there were so many things he wanted to learn in his life as well. He wanted to learn to be eloquent, to be attentive and intuitive to God and to speak forth His words in faith. He wanted to be used by God. 

His wife, Jasmine, aimed to support the leaders. Although it was not easy to do so while caring for Ian during this trip, she and Ethan managed that without much problems. 

Farrell shared that he was really glad he signed up for the trip. He shared that even though this trip was way more intense than any other mission trip he had gone on before, he had no regrets. He learned to go forth in faith to pray for others. If he did not take the step, he would not know how God could and would use him. Once, while he was busy taking pictures during a prayer session, he was shocked to find a queue forming in front of him when he turned around. Knowing that he had to do something, he put aside his work and started praying.

It was a great experience serving with everyone. For we believe:

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 (NIV)