Unspeakable Jesus Joy!

Thank you to all of you who made the Christmas Parties possible.

I threw together a rough video so you can get a feel of how it was here in Baguio. What happy times! I believe people were touched by God's love this Christmas. You can see the excitement on their faces. Thanks for all you gave.

Enjoy the video

Make a difference this Christmas

 

Many children we minister to receive nothing for Christmas.

Can you imagine their excitement to attend a party with gifts?
We want to show God's love to these children this year. 

And want to know if you would like to be a part of it?

It is only $9-10NZD to sponsor a child to the His Heart Christmas Party,

with games/prizes, carols, special meal, and a gift
(will include a t-shirt, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, food item and a small toy)

Partner with us - Give to bring joy

www.hisheart.org.nz (paypal)

Testimonies

I've just returned from Purok 5 - part of an urban village here in Baguio.  We gathered this morning in houses to meet with each other and Jesus.  The ladies shared testimonies and stories from the week.  I don't usually get time to convey all God is doing, but today I wanted to just jot down a few stories...

A new creation
One lady shared that before she was baptized it was like she was reminded of every bad thing in her life she had ever done. She told us how she had hoped that when she went under the water that all those things would be left behind and she could start new, for herself and for her family.  Smiling through tears, she said that after she was baptized she felt so peaceful inside and all she wanted to do was sleep.  She felt like the sin and old ways of life were completely gone and she had perfect peace.  One of her daughters is a His Heart Sponsored Child and she is changing before our eyes also.  She has become hungry for God and is sensitive to His presence.  Thank you Jesus! 

Holy Spirit touched me
Just now, (after a time of ministry) I felt the Holy Spirit come so deep in my heart, that I just could not control my tears.  The only words I can say is "Thank you" but its not enough.  


Making things right
A mother shared, "Before the baptism, there were many bad words spoken, even in my jeepney as we were driving there.  I felt bad inside and so I went to the person and I said sorry to her even though I was hurt.  When I came up out of the water, all those feelings disappeared and my old ways are behind me."

God is awesome! 

Lives changing one by one

The kids streamed in the gates first, with infectious smiles and excitement, followed by the teens and the adults.  Today is baptism day!  We had filled 4 jeepneys for the 30 minute descent down the mountain to a swimming pool for this special day.  Although our entire family could not be there for various reasons, more than a hundred of us gathered to witness lives changing before our eyes. 

Our His Heart family surrounded the pool and the sound of worship filled the complex.  Strangers watched and even participated in witnessing this moving event! 

One by one they publicly declared their love for Jesus and their willingness to put behind them their old life.  

One by one we baptized them and worshipped.  
One by one, the Holy Spirit has drawn them to Himself, healing their hearts and their bodies. 
Yesterday, one by one, God poured His love and power on each precious child, taking this step for Him.  
And now?  One by one we will get more and bring Jesus His treasure. 
The harvest is truly plentiful.    

Pictures speak...

It's difficult to put into words, our experiences and situation here in Baguio. 
Every Wednesday we have street church, which is a happy, chaotic conglomeration of our team, street vendors, street kids and adult street dwellers and sometimes an interested passer-by.  It's our street family.  They smile and laugh as much as anyone else here, but every day is a struggle, that most of us could not even imagine. 

We bring the good news of the gospel to them, not with words only but with action.  Providing help with medicines, food, love and a fresh word from heaven, these precious people are growing.  I'll let the pictures speak ....

 

...."Love them like Jesus, carry them to Him, His yoke is easy and His burden is light"....

May ...

Let me introduce May.  She is an awesome young girl with a small child and husband.  The story of her past is long and sad, however you can see Jesus in her face now.  She came to us about 6 weeks ago.  At that time, she was backslidden but desperately wanting to get back to the place she was before she was married. At School of Champions, she asked God to show her if He still loved her and if He was in her.  She then had a powerful encounter with Jesus and knew for sure of His love for her.  Since that day she has been set on fire for Jesus!

She came to train as a church planter last Monday.  We didn't realize that she was returning to her province which is about 7-8 hrs drive away from us.  She was eagerly soaking in all that we were teaching and at the end asked if we could do more training, so that she could learn and do the same in her province! 

Today, we had to say a sad goodbye to May as she leaves tonight.  She has bibles to give her family and has dreams of sharing Jesus with them.  God has given her dreams and visions about how he will use her.   Please pray for her as she goes back to a difficult home situation.  Pray she will be bold to pray for the sick and share the love and power of Jesus.

The speed at which God is moving in hearts is amazing!  May is a light for the nation.   We love you May!  Go change the world!

The Core Team

Well, we just got back from an awesome time down on the coast of our Island here in the Philippines (Luzon). Our core team went there for a retreat.  We prayed, played, planned and ate! :)  We are all so amazed at all God is doing with the people we are reaching and the plans are adventurous and full! :)

I wanted to introduce each person to you:

Of course there is me, and then my gorgeous daughter Yasmin, who is very creative.  Many of our photos recently have been taken by her and she is now the official photographer (taking after her grandfather - who was a photographer before he pastored).  She is also stepping up to co-lead the youth which will take some boldness but she has a wealth to give and many promises over her life that she will lead many like a Deborah.  So, this is a time of stretching for her and it will be very exciting to see all God does through her.  As you can probably tell, I am immensely proud of my baby who has grown so fast and is now a young woman.  She has coped with isolation from her friends in New Zealand, culture change, home schooling and the various other challenges of being a missionary kid.  She is simply the biggest blessing of my life.

Another blessing is Becs (on the far right of the lower photo).  She has been with us for almost a year.  She has very smart, methodical and organized and has beautifully complemented the team.  She has been tutoring Yasmin in maths and that has been amazing for me! (& Yasmin).  Becs and initiative go hand in hand and she is constantly looking ahead to see what needs to be done.  As well as being involved in many ministry areas, she's done an amazing job setting up and overseeing the school feeding program in which we are feeding 50 children now.  Always loving the one in front of her, she goes out of her way for people.  Sadly, she will be leaving us in December and will be hugely missed.

Paige and Kent are mega blessings also (left side of photo).  Kent was a Youth Pastor and later an Associate Pastor of a small church in Kentucky and is now studying full time at APTS.  He has a natural way of relating to the street people in particular and has been overseeing that ministry doing a great job as well as leading house churches, teaching in our School of Champions and filling in where needed.

Paige has a heart for people and is a worshipper.  She leads worship often for us and has done an amazing job of connecting with the ladies in particular.  God has given her a real heart to see people rise to their potential in Him and she loves to watch God change our ladies and see them grow.  Paige, like all the other team members is involved in almost all areas of the ministry and is an amazing, anointed gift from God.

I feel so blessed to have people like this running alongside me, and building God's kingdom.

What a team!  Thanks guys :)

Joy

For years, my daughter and I would pray together knelt down at the front of our church... 
"Jesus, we just want to be where you want us. You say the word and we will go for you, wherever that may be."

Never did I imagine it would be the Philippines. 
I imagined somewhere else. I imagined the cost. I imagined the losses. 


Never could I have imagined the depth of love I would feel for this nation. 
Never could I have imagined the joy.

The joy of seeing children coming off the street, in school, worshipping Jesus.

The joy of seeing family after family turning to Jesus

The joy of locals rising as leaders

The joy of hearing people so excited about all God is doing in their lives...

Today, at our after-school ministry for kids (pictured above), one of our sponsored girls, came bouncing towards me - face shining.

She told me how God had met her and some other young teens the day before. They had gone up on a huge rock and began to share their struggles and problems with each other. After this they relocated to one of the boys homes. When they got there the boy suggested they pray for each other and for their problems. As they did, the presence of God came into that house so strong. Chris May said to me "We did it! We had our own house church. Just like you do!" Jesus was shining from her. God is raising young revivalists. What a joy!

Our new training base

Well, its hard to believe His Heart Ministries has a building!

After a few years of searching we have signed a rental agreement! We have been looking for somewhere in a central location and as we have grown the needs have changed and we have had to look at bigger facilities. There are many things that just aren’t possible to do in small houses in the community and this building is going to open a whole array of new opportunities for us.

A few years ago, a teenager powerfully prophesied over me a number of things, but one of them was that God had a building marked out and at the perfect time, He would present us with our perfect building. This is what it feels like. God is so good! Our churches will still be with the people in their barangays or on the street. But the people have grown so much and we are moving into a new season of ministry training for them. This building will make it possible!

Yesterday we opened the building. It was filled to the brim with excited people. Street kids and the people from Purok 5 came. We praised and worshipped and we dedicated the building and our hearts afresh to Him. We laid down before Him and surrendered our hearts. Afterwards we ate together. It was a great celebration of God's love and provision.

Thank you for praying for us as we press toward a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that leaders will arise and carry God's love through the nation and the world.

God's goodness is limitless!