The unlikeliest of mission trippers came together. Many of us were old timers, with some new faces. Exactly a year ago, we visited Radiance of Christ Ministries International (RCMI) in Philippines. And we’re back again this year!
Pastor Cecile welcomed us as we arrived at our host church almost two hours later than expected. We waited patiently to prepare a welcome dinner for us in a special air-conditioned room. I almost felt like the prodigal son.
The next morning, wake up call was at 4.30am. By 5:30am, all of us were at RCMI, which was just a five-minute walk away from the Fernandino 88 Hotel, where we stayed for this trip.
Prayer Congress
The first programme for this trip was the Prayer Congress. RCMI has a weekly prayer meeting on Saturday morning. For this occasion, Joseph was invited to share the FCBC model through a two-hour prayer window.
There were about 100 prayer warriors present at 6.00am in the morning. Worship started promptly. It was the loudest music I’ve ever heard at this hour. After a short teaching session, Joseph led RCMI to pray for Philippines and the government. We also prayed for RCMI’s pastors and their families, cell leaders and Pastor Reggie and Cecile’s 12.
Giveaway
After a nice breakfast prepared by our very gracious host, we got to work packing 120 grocery bags. RCMI wanted to reach out to families of youths who had been attending service. Our team supported them by sponsoring the grocery bags. The bags included items like rice, canned foods, beverages and other daily necessities. This has been an effective way for RCMI to serve their community by showing God’s love for them in a tangible way.
Boon Leong gave a short message. Through the interpretation by Pastor Cecile and the altar call by Pastor Joel, many people raised their hands to accept Christ.
In all, we gave away more than 50 bags that morning. Each bag was given after a short prayer of blessing from a member of our team. Many of those who came were families – mothers and grandmothers, with their young children.
Youth Got Talent
That afternoon, RCMI organised a first ever talent contest for pre-believing youths. Eight teams participated in this event with close to 200 youths and their families attending. Indeed the people of Philippines are absolutely talented! Our involvement at this event was to sponsor the prizes, snacks, judges and the opening and closing acts. Joseph kicked off the event with a magic performance. For the closing, our teens, Cheryl and Jonathan, performed a song item, followed by their testimonies of how God used their talents to minister among the youth.
But the greatest finale must go to Pastor Simon Yee, who preached from John 3:16 on how he received Christ into his life 46 years ago. At the altar call, 60 hands were raised to receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Dinner Hosted By RCMI
In the evening, RCMI hosted a dinner for our team, together with Pastor Simon and Marilyn. We had a lot of fun – enjoying the lovely food and fun-loving Filipino culture.
Sunday Service
On Sunday, Joseph gave a message on tapping into God’s strength and yielding to God’s will to become the light to the world.
As it was also Father’s Day, the church prepared a video clip showing their youth expressing their appreciation and love for their fathers. Pastor Reggie invited our whole team on stage to pray for us. We were deeply moved by his actions. We were also happy to see many familiar faces during the prayer call at the end of the service. They were people that we had met during last year’s visit.
Marketplace Ministry Workshop
Following lunch, Kris facilitated the Marketplace Ministry Workshop. The team shared experiences and exchanged tips with the senior leadership of RCMI. Many of them are also holding full-time jobs in the marketplace, and they shared their own experiences.
Parenting Seminar
By late afternoon, we conducted a dual-track programme. Joselyn conducted a Parenting Seminar in the main hall, while the rest of the team joined the youth in a basketball match.
The Parenting Seminar was attended by about 50 parents. Most of them were young parents. During the Q&A session, they opened up about their struggles and difficulties. Joselyn, being a trained counselor, fielded their questions professionally. The sharing by Cheryl, Joselyn’s teenage daughter, on growing up in a Christ-centred family, was an added bonus that gave the attendees a glimpse into the future, if they practicing good parenting techniques now.
Basketball
Basketball is the favourite sport of the youth in Philippines. Knowing, RCMI constructed a basketball court on top of their church building. It was purposefully built as an outreach tool to the youth. The court is open to all the youth in the community, regardless of whether they are members of the church. This attracted many pre-believing youths to come and mingle. And through this, many came to know the Lord. We formed a team comprising of our teens and seniors, and some pastors. We fearlessly played against the RCMI team in a friendly match and won! All was done in the spirit of bonding with the youth.
Dinner Hosted By The Team
That evening, we returned RCMI’s hospitality by hosting them at a Chinese restaurant. After the meal, we were even ‘treated’ to light entertainment from our karaoke queens!
Visit To Santa Ana Satellite Church
On the fourth day, we visited one of RCMI’s satellite church in Santa Ana. This church serves the poor families living in the area that find it hard to travel to the main church every weekend.
It was a weekday, but there were many children wandering and playing along the narrow streets. We brought with us more than 70 grocery bags to give away. Word got around quickly, and families soon turned up to register their particulars and receive a grocery bag. The team prayed for the families before giving them the grocery bags. We wrapped up the event with a prayer walk.
Jason also shared a short message from John 3:16 that day, and Pastor Joel gave an altar call. 50 people received Christ. Praise God!
Final Thoughts
Over these short few days, the team met many people that have seemingly little, but in fact they possess much more than us because they treasure what truly counts – dedication and desire to serve God. We are especially grateful to Pastor Reggie and Cecile for being such hospitable hosts. We have seen and learnt so much from them, and from their church. We will cherish the friendship and partnership with RCMI.