Delapaz Updates September 2006

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fter seven months in the mission field God gives us a clearer direction on what path to walk on in our ministry. He is giving us a focus. As Filipino missionaries this is crucial. We neither have a team nor an organization who would guide us what to do nor would just give us roles in a structured organization. Given this situation it is easy to lost focus. However, we believe that that God would reveal His will to those who are fully dependent on Him. God put us in a situation where our ministries will have a greater impact in the local community.

Narlin’s Christian Education Ministry

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t is very clear that Narlin is most effective with her ministry with the children. Her role in the children ministry is essential to Grace International Church’s vision in reaching out to non-Christian. Besides teaching children, she has opportunity to minister to non-Christian parents and lead them to a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The strength of her ministry lies on her ability to make friends and make people feel that they are important.

This is true both to children and their parents. Her training in community health gives here the ability to care for the children who have diseases and sick.

greater impact in community in terms of evangelism and empowering local people to minister and evangelize their own people.

Furthermore, the church asked her to be the Sunday School director. She will be in charge of the entire Christian education of the church. The job of organizing seminars and workshop for Sunday School teachers and leaders of children worship fall on her shoulders. This includes organizing English camps and Daily Vacation Bible School during the summer.

Joey’s Theological Education and Training Ministry

For some this may look easy, but as a foreigner working in “unorganized” church and working with people of different worldview and cultures makes the task doubly difficult. However, we believe that God is using her where she is most effective and where she will have a

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oey preaches regularly and considered to be the Pastor of Mae Sai Grace International Church. He is given full responsibility for the morning worship program. Since he is the only ordained Pastor around, he is expected to officiate the ordinances. Together with Pastor Shin Maung (the church’s senior pastor), Angela (Wa Baptist Convention Secretary General) and Narlin, he helped organized the international congregation worship. The worship service is now well attended and perhaps preferred by Christians who happened to visit the place. Through preaching, he is ainstilling the vision among fellow Christians and missionaries to be united in reaching the unreached people groups in the region which is in Continued on next page

abundance in this region. Missionaries on the field need to have a coordinated work and prayer time together. In addition, Pastor Shin Maung is deeply concern with the lack of theological training and education of the pastors and church leaders in the border of Thailand and Myanmar. Together we envision a church- based Bible school which is accessible both to Thais and Myanmar people. We know that this undertaking is not possible without a working partnership with an established and reputable institution. This program will be done in partnership with Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary (PBTS) being coordinated through its current president, Dr.

Joyce Abugan. Theological education will be done through Seminary Education by Extension (SEE). The training will start as soon as the textbooks are available. We believe that this ministry would also have a greater impact on making Christ known in this region. It will train local leaders in their biblical and theological knowledge, who in turn can transfer their knowledge to local Christians who obviously are more effective doing these things than foreigner missionaries.

Myanmar using different means and methods of teaching that includes the use of the internet. We pray that these trainings will be a venue for a dialogue to make the gospel—the story of Jesus more understandable and acceptable to the predominantly Buddhist country.

Because of the lack of qualified theological teachers, we are praying that we can extend this effort in other parts of Thailand and

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September 21. We need at least U$ 500 more for the extension. However, after this we only need to renew our visa every year.

an opportunity to share the gospel to the students. We are also praying that our friend who are planning this with us will become a Christian.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Third, please pray for a more regular support. We are thankful to the Lord for the financial supports that come to us. We are doubly grateful that those supports came just at the right time when we need them the most. However, as time goes by, the supports become more irregular both in amount and frequency.

Seventh, please pray as we struggle to learn the language. A Filipino missionary who speaks good Thai volunteers to teach us Thai together with another Filipino missionary family Thai for free.

e are begging you to pray for us without ceasing. I hope that the words of the apostle Paul in Phil. 1:4-6 may also be true in our lives

First, we want to praise the Lord for his provisions for our children’s schooling. A big amount was needed just to start the home schooling program and God provided people who helped us arrange with Living Heritage Academy in Paranaque. We are thankful for the people who helped us financially. Second, we are thankful to the Lord that we are granted 3-month nonimmigrant visa. However, a substantial amount of our support went with it. Please pray for us as we need to extend it to one year this coming

Fourth, pray for our respective ministries mentioned above. The Lord impressed upon us that we need to focus on these ministries (for the meantime) as we find it very difficult to work with local people because of language and different culture. Fifth, we are praying for a motorcycle we can use in our daily ministry. We found out lately that the old motorcycle we are using are not registered because it was pawned by its previous user and it does not have proper documentation. Sixth, please pray for our plan to hold an English Camp this October. This is

Finally, pray also for other PGM missionaries who are ministering here in Thailand. Jepth and Apple Garcia as their Hope Children House are also running out of funds. Ate Imel Tabije for her health and her MY CENTER ministry. Pappet with their Elpis School in Mae Sot. Pray also for Chit Panizales for her visa and ministries.