At Any Cost
I have become all things to all men, that I might save some.
1 Corinthinans 9:22b
TAN & VIV
Philippines
Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Our end goal is to see a mature/maturing church planted among an unreached people group with literacy, a bible they can read/ understand and solid teaching eventually coming from the people. To get to these goals we must learn the national language of our region (Bisaya) and then the language of the target people (to be determined). Right now we are in the first few years of our ministry and are learning the national language and culture. Our normal day looks like classes in the morning for Vivian and classes for myself in the afternoon. During these classes we follow a GPA* program which we are in phase 4 of. We speak for a total of around 4 hours with our language helpers in Bisaya to learn more words and sharpen our language ability. This takes up the bulk of our time and is our current main priority.
*GPA: The goal of the Growing Participator Approach (GPA) is not simply the acquisition of an unfamiliar language, but participation in the life of an ever growing community.
Tan & Viv's Prayer Requests
We are back in Malaybalay and, after a relatively short stay at our mission's guesthouse here, we were able to begin renting a new home. The process of sorting through our old home was long and difficult, but we needed to dispose of anything that was unable to be properly cleaned of mold. We are happy to report that we are now as mold-free as possible and are slowly setting up house.
Even before we settled in to our new place, we decided to dive back in to language study shortly after returning to Malaybalay. We are eager to push forward and accomplish the task of learning Bisaya to the best of our ability. The stark contrast of our first move to this one has been a well-needed reality check of how far we have come in the last two years. We can understand our neighbors' stories, explain who we are and why we're living here, lay ground rules for the kids who play in our yard and chat with them as they play. All of those things were impossible when we were new in our old neighborhood. Praise God for how far we have come.
Prayer & Praise
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Tan's lungs are coping well with the new daily inhaler and new home. Praise God for this huge answer to prayer!
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Our hope that sinus surgery would help Tan's constant cold and flu symptoms is seeming to be in vain. In the 5 weeks we have been back he has been sick for several of them. Pray for wisdom and potential solutions. It isn't fun being congested all the time, but we are so thankful that it is no longer putting stress on his lungs.
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We are also thankful for the team of missionaries around us that have supported us so kindly and thoughtfully through this season.
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In our first week living here, Arlo declared, "I love our new house," and for the first time in his life, he is sleeping easily through the night without waking. Another huge praise!
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Please pray for daily rest for Viv. These past months have been a heavy weight, and it is difficult finding time for true rest.
UPDATE
To give to any ministry, present your offering at DFBC. Checks should be written out to Duanesburg Florida Baptist Church. Indicate on the check which missions ministry it is for (Philippines/Tan & Viv, India/John & Leena, or another). If you give cash, put it in an envelope with the name of the missions ministry on the envelope and place it in the missions basket on your way out the door. Do not send cash through the mail. For tax purposes you may want to include your name on the envelope. You can also use Venmo. Be sure to add which ministry on the line that says, "What's it for?" There is no link here for Venmo because you must download the app on your smartphone. Thank you & God bless you & yours.
JOHN & LEENA
USA & India
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Ephesians 6:10-13
Reverend John is the pastor of Bristol Baptist Church in and an integral part of Faith Harvest Ministries - India. John was born in India and later adopted by an American couple who raised him here. Leena is a nurse and has a heart for prayer, seeking God to move mountains. Faith Harvest Ministries- India includes evangelism, educating, encouraging, and edifying pastors and their families as well as dedication to the children of their orphanage. Christians in India face terrible persecution from their government, communities, and families. Yet God's people press on and into the Kingdom of God, willing to pay the price. Duanesburg Florida Baptist Church wholeheartedly affirms and supports the work of this vital and powerful ministry.
Faith Harvest Ministries - India
A word from Pastor John
I want to take this time to thank all of you for your prayers, encouragement, and support for Faith Harvest Ministries team in India. It means a lot to us to know there are people that are thinking about us and lifting our ministry before the Lord. We truly appreciate your role in our ministry!
We are very happy to inform you that in all of our churches, believers had a wonderful time of the Christmas and New Year’s celebration. Church buildings were lit up with Christmas lights while the inside of our building was decorated with balloons, coloring papers, and ribbons. Worship services were filled with special programs and guests. Christmas also gave an opportunity for folks to share the gospel and also for new believers to take part in baptism. It was truly a joyful time of the year.
Our children came together to celebrate Christmas. Every family participated in singing, praying, dancing, games, hearing testimonies and opening Christmas gifts. This was a very special gathering for all the children with their families coming together to celebrate Christmas.
This year we hope to continue to build a strong leadership team based on accountability, humility, and servanthood. Please continue to pray that God will use us to raise trustworthy leaders who will be godly role models to others.
I am glad to inform you that some of our children who were raised in our home are beginning to take initiative in helping our ministry through praying, encouraging and providing support to our team.
John & Leena's Prayer Requests
1. The pastor of this church faithfully works in a remote village and is hoping to expand the church building to accommodate more people. The initial cost is estimated to be about $3000. Currently the church is 30 x 10 but he would like to expand it to 50 x 15. Let us pray and believe for it alongside our brethren in India.
2. Please pray for their salvation. Many of them are not following the Lord because of their spouses who are often against Christianity.
3. Please pray for their marriages. A few of them are often verbally, emotionally, abused, and controlled and quite frequently physically and sexually abused within the context of married life. Men are very controlling and overpowering over women in every area of their lives. Men do not have good role models in their society. Please pray for peace in their families and wisdom to raise godly children.
4. My children need a lot of healing as well as encouraging emotional support and spiritual guidance. Since birth, they have faced many horrible problems and continue to face problems even to this day. All of them are from a single parent family whether from marital separation or death including suicide. Please pray.
5. Please pray that my children and their spouses not only worship the Lord, but also used of the Lord in his ministry to reach others.
6. Please pray for the physical needs of our ministry team. Pastor's are dependent on poor congregations for their needs, and families may have financial challenges. The Christmas season adds more financial stress because they like to give gifts and buy new clothes just like everyone else.
7. Please pray for our ongoing pastors' conferences. These conferences held in small town and is attended by local pastors, their spouses, ministry leaders and church ministry helpers. These conferences are vital to the kingdom of God in teaching biblical doctrine, and strengthening local church ministries. Our goal through these conferences is to help local churches to make followers of Christ. We receive wonderful feedback from those who attend our conferences.
