We apologize for the late newsletter and for the length of this update. Our computer hard drive crashed and lost all the work Tina had done.
Visit to the U.S.
We have just returned from visiting the U.S. and were happy to see so many of you but also sad we couldn’t see everyone. We were able to visit Philadelphia to see Tina’s sister and brother in-law, Nashville to see Pete’s parents and sister, and Seattle to see many of you. Click here for pictures.
Financial Matters
In a little less than 2 years the U.S. Dollar has fallen almost 20% against the Philippine Peso. On top of that the Philippine Government added a 12% VAT tax on all items. That means our income is down about 30%. We didn’t make a big deal about it since we hoped the dollar would rebound. It hasn’t, so we wanted to ask for your help. Currently EFC (Eastside Foursquare Church) provides about half our support. We also have 23 families supporting us and hope you would consider in partnering with our family.There are two ways to give and both are tax-deductible. Click here to use the form.
Disaster Relief
EFC is our home church in Bothell, Washington and provides the annual budget for all of our work done in Metro Manila. Another key partner is IMPACT who handles our financial support from friends and family. Chuck McGee and Gayle Nienaber take care of the process of handling deposits, debiting your credit card monthly, sending out tax forms, etc… and they do all this for big money. NOT! They volunteer and we say THANKS Chuck and Gayle! They also handle matching gifts from companies like Bank of America, Microsoft, and Safeco etc... IMPACT has been collecting these funds and was waiting until we had the right project in the Philippines. Well the time finally came!
Back to back typhoons hit the province of Bicol in late November and early December which is aprroximately a 40 minute flight south of Manila (or 10-12 hours by bus). The call went out to all of our churches for help and the response was tremendous. Clothes, food, and some cash were donated. A convoy of vans and trucks soon departed Manila to bring help. The team returned with pictures of the devastated areas. An assessment team quickly surveyed the damage to our churches there. It seemed to be the perfect opportunity to use the IMPACT funds.
Thanks to EFC, the IMPACT Board who quickly approved the release of funds and to our Bank of America banker, Jeff Grimes, who wired the money to Manila ASAP. The resulting funds were used for building materials to help rebuild damaged churches and homes of widows and the elderly. By the time they finished, 26 churches and 43 homes were reconstructed with all of the money coming from the IMPACT matching gift funds and donations from EFC. Click here for pictures.
In late January, Pete flew to see firsthand the devasted areas and met some of the recipients of the rebuilding. Two churches were hit the worst and we decided to see if we could get a team to come and help rebuild the two. Thanks to Bryant Sabandal (team leader) Van Elander, Mike Jones, and David Deming who accompanied us to rebuild these two churches. The team was here for 11 days and worked really hard. Pete has the scars to prove it. Also thanks again to IMPACT for the quick turnaround of more matching funds.
Church Planter Institute
We held our 5th CPI (Church Planter Institute) with Pt. Jim Hayford and Pt. Matt Messner from EFC to assist in the training. Here are some comments from Pt. Matt’s blog:
"On Sunday evening, February 11th, I will be leaving for Manila around 8:00 p.m. On Tuesday morning I will arrive in Manila, Philippines, where I will join approximately 80 men and women who will be gathering for a week long training event called the Church Planters' Institute. This group plans on establishing 21 churches during 2007. This is their kick-off, training event. Please pray for myself and Pastor Jim as we assist in this process. Pray for these leaders as they make huge changes and sacrifices to move onto the front lines of ministry."
Pt. Jim Hayford Meeting Key Leaders at Victory Christian Fellowship
When meeting with one of our pastors, Pete had asked him what material he uses to disciple with and mentioned he uses information from Victory Christian Fellowship. To make a long story short, Pete met Pt. Steve Murrell and about one year later Pt. Jim and Pt. Steve were able to meet. Pt. Steve Murrell is the senior pastor of Victory Christian Fellowship in Manila, Philippines; a director of the Real Life Foundation; and the co-founder and president of Every Nation, a worldwide family of churches and ministries. Click here for Pt. Steve's comments.
Pre-school Team
For the 3rd year we had a team led by Patty Sabandal which included Susie Horn, Angela Van Lierop, and Michael Chenoweth. The team once again shared latest ideas and tools to our pre-school teachers at a 3-day weekend Teachers' Retreat in Tagaytay. Tina, Carina and Cassie were in attendace as well. Carina and her friend Lydia taught the teachers a song and babysat Cassie while Tina shared about the importance of early reading to the teachers. The teachers had a wonderful time learning new ideas and fellowshipping with one another. They look forward to this retreat every year. Click here for pictures.
After the retreat, the team visited the preschools each day to observe and was able to share ideas on classroom management. It was great to see many teachers using the new tools and new ideas they've learned at the retreat.
Medical Team
For the 4th year we had Gary Requa lead a medical team to three of our church plant communities. The team members were Van and Lolly Elander, Erick Erickson, Cathy McFadden, and Amanda Tarbill. Over 800 people received medical treatment and spiritual counseling. This is a living example of what a church looks like that cares for its community. We were blessed to be able to partner with two different organizations that provided doctors and nurses. The non-profit organization "Heal The Nations" and St. Luke's Hospital was a huge blessing to our project by providing us with their skilled staff. We had been trying to find a group of Filipino doctors and nurses to work with us in the last few years and ended up with two. We hope this is just the beginning and we will be able to partner again in the future. Click here for pictures.
Philippine Foursquare Church National Convention
Pete was the designated driver for the American guests for the week. They had an exciting drive that took about 6 hours north of Manila. Luckily they had an entertaining guest. Dr. Daniel Brown was the keynote speaker for the week. He is a bit unorthodox in his style but obviously very knowledgeable. He really had a fresh approach to studying and reading the Bible that kept it very entertaining. Dr. Brown has recently stepped down from the church he started over 22 years ago in Santa Cruz, CA. During that time they trained up and released 37 others to start churches or to take over an existing work. An amazing example of multiplication. Dr. Brown now launches into a new season of expansion as he has stepped aside from leading the church to focus exclusively on developing resources to mentor believers in spiritual leadership.
In Service Institute
This is our annual week long training for all Pastors and Spouse, Coaches, Superintendents, Supervisors, and Pre-school teachers. It’s a time for renewal, recharging and refocusing! It’s also a time to have some fun and Filipinos are great at doing that. Matt and Heidi Messner did a great job of teaching along with some local Filipino Pastors. Click here for pictures.
Prayer Requests
2006 Missions & Outreach
Teams to Manila
October 22 - 31: Fall Music Mission to Manila
This team will conduct concerts, lead worship and do workshops among the UCPP churches. For more information contact Tim Oas at timo@eastsidechurch.org. Cost : $1400.00
November Manila Plunge/SMI Team
This is a "hands-on", missions, ministry, and educational encounter. Team members will gain a first-hand look at the UCPP, cross cultural experience, ministry to the poor, and instruction from those ministering among the poor in
Manila. You do no have to be an SMI student to join. Contact Chuck Shocki at chucks@eastsidechurch.org for more information. Cost: $1650.00
December 4 - 14: Bags of Joy Team
Deliver hope and gifts to the preschool students of the UCPP. Please contact Patty Sabandal at sabandal5@aol.com if you are interested. Cost: $1400.00
Filipino Recipe Corner
Chicken Tinola (Chicken Soup with Ginger & Vegetables)
2 lbs. chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 medium sized onion, sliced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4-5 cups of water
1 small raw green papaya (I use a ripe papaya if I can't find a green one)
salt and pepper to tase
1 bunch fresh spinach, cut into 3-inch pieces
Peel papaya skin. Cut papaya lengthwise into 4-6 pieces, remove seeds and slice diagonally about 1/2 inch thick. Set aside.
In a deep soup pot over medium heat, saute garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add ginger and onion, stir for a minute. Add chicken pieces and fish sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Add water. Season with a little salt and pepper. Let boil, then simmer covered over medium low heat for 25-30 minutes. Add raw papaya and continue cooking for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Correct seasonings to taste. Turn off heat. Add spinach, cover for 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately, of course with rice. Serves 4-5.
