Tomorrow Mary Ann and I speak to three senior saints classes who'll join together for a combined class. These dear people are very involved in missions around the world through prayer, giving and sending us Feed My Starving Children food in Manila. They're are our joy and obviously still full of life.

We arrived in Minnesota in good shape Tuesday afternoon and was picked at the airport by a good friend who loaned us her car after she learned we needed to lease one. She even gave us two bags of home-made Christmas cookies which really special. She and her husband are lovely Christians and prayer warriors for missionaries, including us, scattered around the world.

Last night we had a very special Christmas meal with Mary Ann's folks and her sister's family including Amos who arrived from LA in the afternoon. It was a complete American Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings so Mary Ann and I had a Thanksgiving after-all because Thanksgiving day in Manila we were consumed with work and didn't take time to have a special meal.

The point of these two accounts is that friends and family are God's choice blessings to us.

Tuesday we had a large medical clinic at a camp for flood victims along with personal counseling and an evangelistic film showing in the evening. Many people are sick with colds, coughs, diarrhea, malnourished, skin problems and simply tired and discouraged. Thursday we returned to have a Christmas party for kids along with a relief operation and we were mobbed by desperate people. After trying to have a party and distribute relief food we needed to leave the camp for a few hours so people would settle down and we could redevelop our plan. When we returned we were able complete our task which was to show the love of Jesus to needy people and establish our presence among them. Now we're working on the possibility of starting a six month feeding program for malnourished children and starting follow-up Bible studies to be handled by a nearby partner church.

Wednesday we threw an appreciation Christmas party for our many ministry partners and a few pastors whom we helped in our typhoon response work. Everyone came ready to have a good time and we did. What a great bunch of warriors for the Lord Jesus!

Today ACTION is having our Christmas party, including spouses and kids, which provides an opportunity to catch up with each other, worship the Lord together and encourage one another in Him. Many of us have been working double or triple time since Ondoy struck September 26 so our Christmas-New Year break starting the 24th is very much needed.

The 22nd Mary Ann and I go to Minnesota to see our son Amos and other family members so that will be great. Then the 31st we go to Seattle for Danny and Micah Ann's wedding January 9 returning to Manila the 10th. In the midst of a demanding ministry schedule we're seeing God's hand of blessing upon us and we're grateful to Him and those who stand with us through prayer and giving.

Today we worshiped with the folks at the Real Christian Fellowship Church which ACTION helped plant a few years ago during our disaster relief and development work in Real, Quezon. The congregation of about 40 is all ages and we sang energetically, Luv Zacal ACTION's social worker and seminarian, gave a powerful message from Luke 2, the kids gave a special number and sadly a church leader confessed his sin to the congregation. He will undergo discipline for the purpose of restoration and reconciliation but step down from leadership. The congregation wept as they heard their beloved leader and their love and forgiveness was very evident as he poured out his heart with tears. I have no doubt he'll be restored to church leadership someday somewhere but in the meantime he'll work with us for a while so we can help him.

This congregation, which started from scratch and is young in the Faith, loves to worship the Lord, pray and study the Word so they're growing and now will learn much about church life through this discipline, restoration and reconciliation process under the guidance of their mother church New Testement Baptist in Paete, Laguna. God is alive among them and I'm sure they'll remain a living witness for Christ to their barrio neighbors.

Yesterday at a CLAIM book give-away to 150 pastors and church workers who lost their libraries in the floods I was absolutely amazed as to how CGM, The Bible League's CPI, White Fields and ACTION are connected at different levels which has been developed over our many years of ministry together. One older pastor, who works under Herbie Carmona who served with you Martin and CPI, told me his young disciple just graduated from CPI's 145th batch at Caliraya last week! I mentioned I taught at the first class at CGM's old office on P. Gomez Street which was composed primarily of Alliance men and we both rejoiced because his cousin was part of that batch. One pastor who's working in a remote area of Laguna is a grad of Paul Ellis' first Life Discipleship batch and he spoke very highly of Paul and how his ministry is reproducing itself through his church and in the AFP.

The point is I stand amazed as to what our Lord continues to do through these interconnections which were forged years ago. Be encouraged men because the work you started is building men and women of God who are walking in your footsteps.

Today ACTION, CGM, White Fields and TBL will distribute to another 150 pastors and church workers packs of 14 CLAIM books so I praise God for what He's done and is doing for His glory to encourage our dear brethren.

I arrived in Manila last night after a strenuous but fruitful three day meeting in England. 16 of us gathered to determine if God wants us to continue our fledgling global alliance of faith based ministries working with street children or not. We strongly and clearly determined He does so now we need to work out how to continue to develop our global reach with the Gospel and compassionate care over the next few months. Two people came from Brazil and I from Manila and everyone expressed their appreciation to us because having us from the the front-line of ministry brought reality to the discussions as we hammered out our way forward.

Today we start our evangelistic Christmas party ministry for street children and their families which run through the month. We're also preparing a large medical clinic and evangelistic Christmas party for flood victims so I'm back in the saddle.