Update from July to December 2o23

I pray you all had wonderful Christmas Holiday spending time with love ones and family as you all celebrated the birth of our LORD.

It’s been 6 months (since July of 2023), when God put more responsibilities in my plate (for the praise and glory of His Name). Six months of handling kitchen management, kitchen accounting, and, later on, school (Word by Heart) accounting, school teaching, school staffing, etc. Six months of no day off. Six months of completely depending on God’s grace for strength (2 Timothy 2:1). Six months of daily asking God for His strength and His rest (Isaiah 40:29, Matthew 11:28).

God has been and is still faithful and good. May He be glorified in all the labor poured out as worship to His throne.

Word by Heart School…

Our three students (1 Fijian and 2 Pakistani couple with their lovely baby girl) has successfully graduated in our Word by Heart. We only had 3 students put it was really challenging especially only few base staff remained (the rest were DTS staffs and were on outreach). Even I had to still be the kitchen manager despite already staffing this second-level school (Word by Heart).

Here’s the picture of our weekly schedule:

• Mondays were intensive study and digging deep in the Gospel of Luke (the part to be remembered by heart/memorized) using Cultural, Historical, and Grammatical Context;

• Tuesdays were when we Dramatize the Studied verses to help in Remembering them and this is followed by Paraphrasing the Verses;

• Wednesdays were when they do the Word by Heart process of remembering the verses word-for-word;

• Thursdays were when they present the stories learned and the students are Coached by the Staffs;

• And finally, Friday is the Final presentation of the Stories learned.

Although it was a challenge, it was worth the labor as this is the first Pacific island language (Fijian) spoken word-for-word from the book of Luke and 2 more Pakistani storytellers bringing the Gospel of Luke (by Heart) to the closed and oppressive country of Pakistan.

Cooking barbecue chicken

Staff & students of WBH '23

December outreach with the New Zealand DTS…

The Hiking DTS from Oxford, New Zealand decided to do a part of the outreach here in Baguio City. Six lovely Gen Z people who are very humble, teachable, and on fire in the LORD. They really lit a fire on the few staffs left in the base (including me) who were quite weary already from the back-to-back schools (DTS and Word by Heart) that just finished in December. It was really fun doing evangelism with them in the parks in Baguio. They stayed here for about 2 weeks. They will finish their outreach in Mountain Province so please keep them in your prayers.

I haven’t really had vacation yet but God is giving me good rest in day-to-day basis.

Future Plan…

I will staff the upcoming Word by Heart this February 2024 and will probably staff in the Bible School of the Nations on June 2024 (haven’t confirmed yet but that’s what God is already pointing).

Please pray also for an opportunity this year for me to complete my college degree. I was 1 unit away from graduating (didn’t finish due to serious spiritual and psychological issues that God redeemed).

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58