Go Forth Cam Sur Mission Team

Meet the Go Forth Cam Sur Mission Team,

students from Manila on semester break.They arrived at out house in Bicol at 1:45 am

after taking a 10-hour bus trip from Manila.

After a few hours sleep,

the week began with breakfast.

Nat was the chief cook...

...with Rhea and Ara as her able assistants.Erick followed the team's guide

for devotional times and spiritual growth.

Out back were supplies

for taking baths and washing clothes.Preparations were made for the week's assignments.

Ara practiced a Gospel Presentation with Rhea.

Monmon and Mikey prepared songs for the children.

On the way to the village of Salvacion,

members of the nearest church joined the team.

They knew the people and their heart language.

Whenever people used the Buhi language,

they interpretted what was said into Tagalog.

The people of Salvacion live next to Lake Buhi.

This lake provided a living for local fishermen

and a rich food source for many Bicol towns.

Sadly, the fish were recently killed by sulfur,

which leaked into the lake from a nearby volcano.

First stop was a courtesy visit with the village captain.

The team then divided into three groups

each going into 2 zones of the village.

The first group rode on motorcycles into zones 5 and 6.Nat was able to share the Gospel

and Bible stories with Argen and Devine.A second group hiked to find hidden houses

along the mountain side.

Ara with her group were able to share the Gospel

and tell Bible stories to Rachel and her family.

When rain came unexpectedly,

banana leaves worked well as umbrellas.

Terry went with Ken, the team leader, into zones 1 and 2.

They first visited Sonny and his family.

Sonny's wife Rose was about to give birth to their first child.

They prayed for a save delievery.

But sadly, the baby died during delivery.

Relatives built a small casket for the baby.

After visiting Sonny, Terry and Ken moved on

to find the San Andres family,

who were interested in Bible study. Every night, this extended family

gathered at their grandfather's house

to hear and discuss a Bible story.

After school,

Ara gathered the children for games.

The team brought footballs,

which the children had never seen before.

When the children were asked what it was,

they answered, "A papaya!"

As you can see, a football has a similar shape to a papaya,

a common tropical fruit here.

Monmon taught the boys to play football Filipino style.

Using a football, they played the Filipino game 'Patentero'.

The boys never tired of the game.

The games continued until it became too dark to see.

By then more than 100 children had gathered.

The perfect time for Monmon to tell a story

and introduce the children to Buknoy, the puppet.Buknoy became a favorite with the children.

In the evening, the team bought balot from Manay Vicky.

CJ enjoyed eating this Filipino delicacy.
A balot is a fertilized duck egg.
Yumyum!

At the end of the day, the team joined a group of men,

singing songs and joking around.
The men are not sure what to make

of these energetic youngpeople.

Each night after leaving the village,
we ate supper at a toro-toro, meaning point-point.
We pointed at the food we wanted to eat, ...

...And the food was brought to the table for us to enjoy.

At the end of the week before the team returned to Manila,
plans were already being made for the next time they come to Bicol.

Encountering God Retreat

Ptr Pony came to Bicol

from Pag-ibig Baptist Church

in Taytay, Rizal, Philippines,

to organize and lead an Encountering God Retreat.

He brought with him a team of pastors.

Delegates came mostly from

Southern Baptist Churches of

Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Tastas, Albay.

By removing most of our living room furniture,

putting up a make-shift screen for power points,

and adding a keyboard for worship songs... Our living room was turned into an assembly hall.The youth sometimes met outside under the trees.Food Preparations Emily and Norma cooked the food.Food had been bought and prepared for 60 people,

but sometimes more than 70 people ate.God graciously fed everyone.

No one went hungry.

The 60 delegates were assigned partners.

Terry was partnered with Nero, a new believer

from Baao, the town where we live.

The pastors lectured on the 3 Fs--Freedom, Fire, and Focus.
Testimonies were shared about being freed
from the bondage of various sins and strongholds.Partners then worked together

to confess and renounce their sins

and strongholds.

Pastors moved among the delegates

to pray for each one.

All who came with open hearts

were cleansed and freed

from their bondages to sin.

To God be the glory!

Homeward bound after a soul searching time

of wonderful spiritual refreshment.