A Miraculous Journey with God: First Team from YWAM Philippines to Vanuatu (Pacific Island Nation)

I would like to acknowledge those who has been with us in this journey :

• all who partnered with us (financially and through prayers),

• our YWAM Baguio family who supported us in every way (especially our base leader who lost sleep booking our flights and preparing immigration documents),

• and our spiritual families who sheltered us in our rushed travel to Vanuatu: YWAM Balut (Manila), Bali (Indonesia), Melbourne (Australia), and Port Vila (Vanuatu).

You're all here in Vanuatu with us in Spirit and in Jesus' name.

During our Lecture Phase (Aug to Dec 2022) in the Bible School for the Nations (BSN), they announced that part of our Outreach Phase is in Vanuatu, a Pacific Island nation. None of the Filipinos in the school knows about Vanuatu. But as we pray about Vanuatu, all had peace in our hearts that the LORD wants us to go there.

Jan 8 to 21: A Time of Doubt and Repentance. GOD is Faithful to the Faithless

if we are faithless, HE remains faithful, for HE cannot disown HIMSELF. 2 Timothy 2:13

Our first outreach location was at Dagupan, Pangasinan, Philippines. That time, none of us have the complete funds for the round-trip ticket to Vanuatu. Even for the Local Expenses funds, l could only contribute a very little amount.

Believing that I could go to Vanuatu was clearly borderline impossible financially. Having faith to go there is defying reality. I confess I begin to doubt (which is quite rooted to the reality of the financial state I'm in). I had to repent from that unbelief and trust that God can defy my reality and do what's impossible for me.

Jan 22 to Feb 4: Miracle #1- Financial Breakthrough

During our time teaching and studying the Bible with the Butbut Tribe in Kalinga (Philippines), God began pouring out (through His children) financial provisions. After our first week there, I already have completed paying my Local Expenses funds. At the end of our stay there, I already have the big fund needed for our round-trip ticket to Vanuatu. Two others in the team (Sheila and Hannah) were also able to complete their round-trip ticket flight.

Feb 5 to Feb 10: Mistakes were made but God is our Redeemer

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

After our time in Kalinga, we went to our YWAM base in Baguio (Philippines) to prepare for trip and to wait for the funds of others (There's 6 of us and only 3 are fully paid for their round-trip tickets).

(Feb 8, Wednesday) Mistake #1: We purchased 6 tickets to Bali because at that time, tickets from Bali to Vanuatu are the cheapest. The next day, tickets prices changed so fast and so high that the 3 fully-paid persons were also in danger of not affording the full round-trip tickets and even they won't be able to go. We now need to fly to Bali on Feb 11 (Saturday). We also need to find tickets from Bali to Vanuatu and return tickets (Vanuatu to Philippines) with the reduced and very limited remaining ticket fund that we have.

God's Mercy and Grace (Miracle #2): Upon waiting up to late evening the next day, cheap tickets (for 3 people) from Bali to Espiritu Santo (Vanuatu) appeared miraculously. And the cheap return tickets from Vanuatu to Philippines was still available the next morning (it took up to that time for our deposit to the credit card to appear). All the other tickets were insanely expensive already. We were able to purchase the round-trip ticket for the 3 Fully-funded people in the team.

Sheila (our BSN staff), Hannah (BSN student), and me (also a student) now have the tickets we need despite the Bali tickets blunder.

Mistake #2: All trips to Vanuatu is via Australia. Australia requires Filipino travelers with layovers that are longer than 8 hours to have Australian transit visas. Because we waited too long in purchasing the tickets (required for our transit visa application), we submitted our application too late. We submitted it on Thursday (evening, Feb 9) and we have to travel to Manila the next day (Friday, Feb 10) to ask the Australian embassy there to process it for us immediately because our flight to Bali is Saturday (Feb 11). Our Bali to Vanuatu flight is on Feb 15 (Wednesday).

Divine Providence #1: Our YWAM Baguio base leader and the YWAM national director were traveling to Manila from Baguio (Friday, morning, Feb 10) and allowed us to ride with them in their car. This saved us much-needed money and time to go the Australian embassy.

The Australian embassy said all process is done electronically and all we can do is wait for the approval of our transit visas. We now need a miracle that the visa will be approved in less than 3 working days and we must decide whether or not to risk going to Bali with no transit visa for the next flight (to Vanuatu via Australia).

Feb 10 to Feb 11: Our God is a God of Encouragement and Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

YWAM Balut sheltered us and helped us in our stay in Manila despite the rushed and sudden nature of our visit and stay. They were used by the LORD to encourage us and pour His comfort.

God also provided more money since our funds was heavily compromised due to our mistake.

We decided to risk it and go to Bali (in a foreign nation with no Australian embassy nearby) despite not having any transit visa. We now also need a miracle to go through the Philippines immigration.

Feb 11 to 12: Miracle #3- God's Favor and Kindness in the Philippines Immigration officials

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7

With the serious lack of transit visa document, there's no way the Philippines immigration will allow us to go. Two of us also have zero record of going overseas and usually people like us are denied the trip of stopping over in multiple countries.

After a tension in the immigration line where one of us was questioned intensely, they miraculously allowed us to go (after confirming the validity of our invitation).

Divine Appointment #1: In the Manila Airport, before intense experience through the immigration, we met a lady from Sheila's hometown (Tarlac, Philippines). She knows YWAM and is a Christian and gave us the much needed encouragement before going through the immigration.

Feb 12 to 15: Miracle #4 and Finding our long-lost family from hundreds of years ago

Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:5-7

Divine Appointment #2: In the Singapore airport, we met a lady from my hometown (Baguio, Philippines) and she helped us fill out the Indonesian immigration forms in advance (online). It really made our passing through Indonesian immigration very smooth with no trouble at all.

Our spiritual family in Bali welcomed us with much kindness and love despite our rushed request for a rushed accommodation. The staffs received us like their long-lost family. Filipinos have Indonesian ancestors who traveled and settled in the Philippines thousands of years ago. We really look alike with our brothers and sisters in Indonesia. Our language are quite similar. Even our food and the weather and many other things are similar. Going to Bali was the most wonderful "mistake" ever made and it connected us to our lovely family here in Indonesia. I pray I can return there again.

Divine Appointment #3: In Bali, we met a Singaporean lady and she was one of the guests of our YWAM National Conference in the Philippines that happened a few months ago. Hannah traveled with her to Cebu after the conference. She was so delighted to meet us. After finding out our serious and desperate situation about our transit visas, she prayed for us and encouraged us.

Miracle #3: After we met the Singaporean lady, we received the email that all our transit visas were granted (and on multiple entries even). God moved in response to the prayers of many of His saints as many have been praying for us in our desperate situation.

Feb 15-16: Meeting more of our spiritual families in the Land Down Under

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:15-16

Divine Providence #2: A family here in Melbourne (that Hannah met during her time in YWAM Cebu) sheltered, fed, and took care of us lovingly in our 22-hour stay here in Melbourne, Australia.

Divine Providence #3: The best friend of Sheila's boyfriend was also here in Melbourne. He toured us around the beautiful city and fed us really well before sending us off to the airport.

The LORD (through the obedience of HIS children) also added more badly needed funds to our horribly tight financial resource.

Feb 17:

By God's mighty hand, the first team from YWAM Philippines (all are Filipinos) have a safely arrived in Vanuatu. We were sheltered by our YWAM family here with their very warm welcome. We'll be here until February 28 then we'll travel back home. We will be doing Bible teaching (using the Biblical Education and Leadership Training /BELT seminar, ywambelt.org). Please continue to pray for us until our team has accomplished what we need to do here in this nation that's so loved by the LORD.

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Isaiah 54:2-3