We have long been familiar with the reality that the food and garbage that is thrown away in our Manila restaurants is sorted through nightly by scavengers. We have seen them digging through the garbage at many fast food restaurants. This would not be allowed in the US but here it is common for those who have nothing else to eat to glean what they can out of garbage--for food or for recyclables. One of our missionaries recommended this 6 minute video found on YouTube. It is called, "Chicken Ala Carte" and was filmed in the Philippines. It graphically depicts the true picture of what millions of poor families around the world will do to survive; something ACTION has been fully aware of for a long time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=993rZrfLBjg

It is because of this scenario that we started a feeding program called Fish & Bread Supplemental Feeding. We also distribute many meal packs from Feed My Starving Children as soon as they arrive. I am reminded of this very short sermon by John the Baptist in Luke 3:10-11, "And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Nichols in Manila

Doug and Margi Nichols arrived yesterday for three weeks of ministry and it's always good to have them with us. Today they treated several ACTION staff and a few of us missionaries to a delicious lunch with even better fellowship.

Life Discipleship graduation

Also today Paul and Pat Ellis graduated several pastors and church workers from their intensive 22 week course called Life Discipleship. I've sat in on a few classes and the students need to work hard in order to graduate but the emphasize is growth in one's walk with Christ not gaining more Biblical information so it gets very intense and personal. The graduation ceremony was very joyful.

Preparing for our seminar next week

Next Monday-Wednesday our Street Impact Team along with International Justice Mission will sponsor and teach a seminar on child sexual abuse. Topics will be how to identify a child who's been abused, how to report an abuse case to authorities, what the Philippine law says about child abuse, how to help a child who's been abused and how to develop an organizational child protection policy. It'll be intense but very helpful to those who work with children-at-risk.

Please take a look at Photo Album 3 for new pictures of Micah's leave, American Cemetery and the Good Friday Flagellantes.

I preached yesterday at New Life in Christ Bible Church from Ephesians 1:15-23 and the message was titled "Paul's Prayer for Knowledge". I really emphasized Paul's prayer for the Ephesian brethren for three things: that they'd experientially know their *hope* contained within God's calling them unto Himself, that they'd grow in their experiential *knowledge of God* and they'd know and daily experience the *power* that God exercised in raising Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven "far above" all things seen and unseen. I was told after the service the congregation of about 70 really listened.

A huge answer to prayer
Over lunch with the pastor, his wife and a few others from the church I learned that the pastor and his wife are seminary teachers and have extension classes for lay-leaders and those called into ministry but lack formal schooling. They're very willing to train former street kids who are serving in their churches but need teaching in sound doctrine. This is a *huge* answer to prayer!

Micah departs tomorrow after a very good two week leave. She was able to unwind, relax, have some fun and look into future ministry possibilities.Yesterday during our team's monthly fellowship meeting she gave a very thought-provoking testimony about following the Lord's straight and narrow path and His help in doing so in the midst of very challenging circumstances. Lord willing, we'll see her in July when she's in the States again then she'll return here to serve with ACTION as a short-termer.

This week we learned of a pastor and his wife who lost three of their four kids (the eldest survived) in a fire which destroyed their home and all their earthly belongings which wasn't much since they lived in a shanty. ACTION is launching a project to raise funds for this family so they can rebuild but the lose of three children....

We also learned of the unexpected death of another pastor from a heart attack. He was a former inmate at New Bilibid prison where ACTION has worked for years and a faithful student in the Ellis's Life Discipleship course so his wife will be given his graduation diploma next week. This family is so poor that they and their church couldn't afford to embalm the body which was bloated almost beyond recognition when he was buried. If we'd only known this we would have helped provide a respectful burial for our dear brother in the Lord.

We're comforted in knowing these people are with the Lord but the sorrow of their circumstances gnaws at us. The Philippines is a land of tragedy while Filipinos are a smiling people.

A gift of God's grace

Today we had a get together at our apartment with several ACTION colleagues who are good friends to celebrate a couple birthdays and have fellowship together. Over good food we told lots of stories, shared many laughs, got caught up on each others' ministry and simply enjoyed the afternoon. The 4.5 hours flew by. It's a gift of God's grace when co-workers are good friends and like to spend off time together.

Courage--overcoming fear as we carry out our responsibilities

Micah is resting and recharging while we're having a good time each day. She has matured a lot and is learning what it means to be a leader. Today she told me she's learning that courage means overcoming fear as she carries out her responsibilities. That's huge!

Our long-time friend and ACTION co-worker among street children and their families, Ron Homenuke, recently wrote this article which brought back many memories of our days ministering together in Cubao, Quezon City. I'm passing Ron's article on to you (in the post below this one) so you'll be reminded once again of the plight of the160 million street kids around the world of which 1.5 million are Filipino. Ron is now serving in Olongapo City, the location of the former sprawling US Subic Navy Base, among street children in a soon to open drop-in center and he's appealing for prayer through his Warrior on the Walls ministry. Perhaps you'd like to join Ron in prayer (who himself is a tenacious prayer warrior) and if so let us know and we'll put you in touch with him. To read my blog entry on the dedication of Ron's Lifehouse drop-in center log onto our blog and see my January 31 entry along with photos dated the 29th located in album 3.

ACTION Philippines is praying for 20 additional missionaries to join us in reaching children-in-crisis with the Gospel and compassionate care plus another 80 to serve in Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, India, Cambodia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico and Colombia. Join us in beseeching the "Lord of the harvest" to thrust out more workers (Matthew 9:38) who "know their God will display strength and take action". (Daniel 11:32b)

I trust you'll have a joyful Easter celebration this Sunday because in this dark world Jesus is the ever shining Light.

by Ron Homenuke - April 4, 2009
From 1991-1993, Jeff Anderson and I patrolled the streets of Cubao, Metro Manila, at least one day a week, learning as much as we were able to about the "yagit" (trash, a name given to street children) in the Philippines. Today, I'm helping to build a Drop-in Center in Olongapo, about three and a half hours north of Manila. Lord willing, we'll open our center in May to up to 20 drop-ins, five days a week. Then, in June, we also plan to house ten kids in need who will attend school.

In 1994, I put together a 34-page journal with 62 picture stories of the kids who we worked with. As I glance over the pictures and reread some of the tragic stories, tears come to my eyes. Some of the reasons why they left home: Step-father drank and beat him; abandoned by parents and raised by an uncle who beat him continually; his mother was a lesbian and always fighting; broken family, beatings, no food; his dad put him in a sack and threw him away; his father beat him continually; his mother beat him continually; mother left, house too small, no food; beaten by parents; family always fighting; drunken father beat him and on and on.

Several of the kids we dealt with were salvaged (killed, usually by police who'd grown tired of arresting them for various reasons). I've included a picture of a boy who had kerosene poured on him by a drunken traffic aide (he was burned badly) and of a boy (Roger Enorme) who was salvaged by the police. The tragedy of his short life was captured on camera as his street kid chums carried his coffin to the burial site.I'd met Roger and he'd already had a brother brutally salvaged by the police in 1979. Jeff and I met with several street kid workers from the same general area. His mother of twelve, Flor, was there and she shared how she washed clothes to keep them in food. They lived in a one-room shanty, about twelve by twenty feet. The father was an excessive drinker.The last three pages elaborate on the importance of putting on our armor and lists eight kinds of prayer and amplifies how to use each method.

The banquet in Calgary Saturday evening with the theme "Children-in-crisis or Children in Christ" was a blessing. Although the crowd wasn't huge the offering was over $10,000Cdn which will go entirely to ACTION's ministries with children-in-crisis around the world. Several missionaries gave short field reports and I gave a brief pre-offering challenge with several commenting after the banquet how much they learned and were challenged.

We arrived in Manila Tuesday evening and it's been difficult for both Mary Ann and me to get back into the swing of things due to jet lag, major climate change and feeling very achy. It's been tougher than usual.

Micah arrived last night from the Middle East for a two week leave. We're talking and talking and having a good time getting caught up with each other. One of her goals while here is to inquire about future ministry opportunities in training and discipling athletes.

Next week we're going out of town to enjoy some fresh air, study time and to relax a bit.

Pray for us please.