Just as President Obama gave a State of the Union address last week, I thought I should send a PAMI update that summarizes some highlights from 2009 as well as some prospects for 2010. Attached are the following:
* Four Christmas pictures, including one of EBI receiving an award for 1st-runner-up in a Province-wide Christmas cantata contest held at Aemelianum College. To be invited and to place well brings nice recognition of EBI in the eyes of the community. (see below)
Thank you for remembering to pray for and give to PAMI in 2009.
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16)
Mike Thorud 2-5-10
PAMI president volunteer
PHILIPPINE-ASIAN MISSIONS, INC
Sorsogon City, Philippines
27 January 2010
Dear Brother Mike, PAMI Board & Brethren in the Christ,
The love of God in Christ Jesus! PAMI pastors/workers’ meeting yesterday, January 26 went very well at Ptr Gumer’s place. Meeting started about 9am with songs led by Ptr Gumer and prayer by Ptr Randy.
Like what I had written on January 04, we used the devotional book SEEKING HIM – Experiencing the joy of personal revival (Nancy Leigh DeMoss & Tim Grissom). We only had the chapter 1. Everyone was furnished with copy (19 pages) which they could reecho with their own church/workers. More of self-evaluation as to the most significant and vital in our christian life: responding to God’s promptings of intimate love relationship (Hos 14:1-4). Heart must be prepared (Hosea 10:12). Return to our first love (Rev.2:4,5). Though Christians at Ephesus noted for their good deeds, hardwork, perseverance and doctrinal purity yet they needed rekindling of deeper and genuine love to Christ. Thus the benefits of revival:
- Restores first love
- Rebuilds desire for God’s Word, prayer, praise and obedience
- Resolves conflicts (reconciliation with God and others)
- Repair broken marriages
- Removes bitterness, fear and worry
- Refreshes the spirit
- Renews the mind
- Reforms the life.
Said Ptr Gumer: “God touched my heart to go to some persons whom i thought i wronged in the past; i thought of going to them this week and asked forgiveness.”
Praise God, that He indeed is the one who initiates in this love relationship and His desire to refresh us. As shared by Sis Nida: “Just a couple weeks I was bit lonely because it seemed that outcomes of the ministry didn’t offset the hard works; people just hard to give their commitment to go to church and to serve. My husband (Randy) noticed my being so sad and I just said I’m just thinking on something. You know, a little later there was knock on the door and there was a delivery boy from a nearby fastfood giving us french fries and burger sent by the owner as they were blessed by our the radio ministry. God knows and interested even our small sighing.”
We ended our morning fellowship praying for one another. It is always very uplifting that you are not alone in the ministry. There are brothers and sisters to share the same experiences, struggles, laughter and God’s unique dealings as we go along joining in His mission. Glory to God!
In the afternoon we had the reports of summary of ministry and plan for 2010:
BULAN PAMI CHURCH by Ptr Virgilio Fulo and Sis Let;
A. Church Building Improvement 2009
- Repair of gutter
- Concreting the pathway to CR
- Church extension
- Pastoral procast baluster
- Tiles of old and new CR
- New drum set & keyboard
B. Church ministerial services
- Child dedication of 12 children (5 from Fabrica, 5 mother church, 1 from Lapinig 1 from Tanga and 1 from Gate.
- Baptized 24 new believers, April 11, 2009
- About 20 believers in home Bible studies (youth and adults)
- New site for milk feeding at Sis Adora’s house every Thursday (25 children)
C. Regular Church services
- Church morning devotion (every Saturday)
- Discipleship training (Sunday afternoon)
- Prayer & fasting (Saturday evening)
- Monthly prayer meeting (Last Friday of the month)
- Home visitation
- Prayer & counseling
D. Praise God for:
- New drum set and keyboard donated by Lola Pas Gallinera
- Tiles of old and new CR
- Good health of Fulo’s family
- Unity especially among deacons in evangelism and Bible study
- Gifts received from Bro Mike and PAMI supporters
E. Plan for 2010
- Baptize 25 new believers
- Painting of pastoral house
- Roof extension of ceiling
- Fix air-condition
- New amplifiers and sound equipments
- Generator and new signboard
- For Montecalvario church: pastoral house, floor tiles of church, sound equipment
- For Lapinig church: comfort room, guitar, tambourine, chairs, karaoke
- For Fabrica: Church repair, church lot and painting
- Church expansion in San Juan Bago and N. Roque
From Pastor Nonilon of Montecalvario: The church in montecalvario is continuously growing; thanks for your prayer and supports. New believers are coming to the church as well as home Bible study. Motorcycle is fixed with sidecar to help fetch church goers from very distant place. We also have new sound instruments to help in the praise and worship. We are planning for the year 2010 for pastoral house expansion; floor tiles of the church and baptize 10 new converts and open more Bible studies.
CASTILLA PAMI Church by Ptr Redgie Bonifacio:
2009 Summary of Ministry
A. High points:
- Increase in numbers of church members
- More church services which includes:
- Sunday worship
- Prayer meeting
- Dawn watch
- Home Bible studies
- Discipleship training
- Permanent teaching job for Aireen (my fiancee)
- Water connection
- New sound instruments
- Strong impact of the Respond Team
- Sis Luz Ortega donated the church lot to PAMI
B. Low points
- Fluctuating number of attendance
- Hard to develop leaders to help in church activities
- Death of 3 members (Bro Danny & sis Baby vehicular accident; Bro George sclerosis of the liver)
C. Plan for 2010
- Disciples 5 to 7 members to assist in the church works
- Open 15 houses for Bible studies
- Quarterly church prayer and fasting
- VBS/Youth Camp
- Baptism mid year
IROSIN PAMI CHURCH by Ptr Gumer Gile
Summary of 2009
- Growing Home Bible studies
- Develop more worship leaders
- Disciple more Bible study leaders
- Baptized 12 new believers
- Have radio program again
- Continued feeding program
- Nice and blessed Church anniversary
- Growing monthly overnight prayer meeting (many prayer requests answered)
- Growing children’s ministry
Plan for 2010
- Intensify on-going Bible studies by developing more leaders (existing Bible sites includes: San Roque, Mapaso, Patag, Sto Domingo, Carriedo, Cogon and San Agustin.
- Church lot and building
- Baptize 15 new converts this May 2010
- Additional church services:
- Overnight Prayer meeting
- Youth Outdoor fellowship
- Women’s group
EBI-PAMI by Ptr Chito/Ptr Norly/Sis Espie
Year 2009
- Partnership with Compassion International
- Start with 100 children, month 1 October 2009
- 100 children already provided uniforms, groceries worth of P540 in December, health check-up, Saturday feeding in their weekly activity, 100 kids chair, emergency fund, dental service
- Help allowance of Elmer and Thelma and love gifts to some volunteers.
- Parents/guardians attended in the Saturday and Sunday church services.
- Sending Ptr James Formanes to ACM training (Manila) for Cross-cultural mission (Mongolia), James is halfway done with his training which started November 2009.
- The Respond Team visit July 8-30 (Bro Mike Thorud, Bro John Miller, Sis Becky Petersen, Sis Clare Efteland and Sis Danielle Johnson) , ministering to 9 towns (13 churches), of about 1500 children, fellowship with local churches, edifying us PAMI workers; the impact of their visit still enlightened us here; the agape love which they showed for everyone of us here.
- Tatay’s bakery to partially support the EBI food
- Locally support Ptr Norly Gabion as assistant pastor of Emmaus Christian Church
- Give philhealth/insurance to some members of Emmaus Church who are volunteers in the compassion project
- Help in the making of audio Bible in Bicol by Faith Comes By Hearing as reader of Luke, Acts and other NT characters (ptr chito, arman james and ptr gabion)
- Augment children’s feeding through the help of Feed My Starving Children meals
- First time to travel by plane (thank you very much Bro Mike) to meet Bro Jim Gleason for the E2E project which is now about to start for operation with PAMI as partners (glory to God!)
- Additional PAMI workers (Raquel Ongcal) who’s on a pioneering church work in San Isidro, Northern Samar with EBI intern Janice Fuga; other new PAMI workers are Elmer Besa and Thelma Reyes (though mostly doing compassion works) but help too in the ministry like attending the bakery store, leading morning devotion, Saturday outreaches, assist in the feeding, speak in the prayer meeting and teaching children.
- Ministered to more than 100 children in the Emmaus VBS May 2009 with materials from Operation Blessings (God’s big backyard).
- Assisted (EBI students) as counselors in the medical mission
- EBI Joined and won first runner-up in the Provincial Christmas Cantata sponsored by Aemilanum College here in Sorsogon City
- Pastor Norly is pioneering a church in Bgy Capuy through the sponsorship of Church Planting Institute (with P1000 for Bible and travel and seminar expense monthly)
- Attended extensive trainings (8 trainings) in Legazpi city, Sorsogon and Manila ( for pastors and workers -mostly sponsored by compassion) on topics like child abuse awareness, disaster prepared, PETRA conference, church planting and leadership training
- Able to help teach at other training mission in Legazpi city and sorsogon city.
- More goodies, gifts, cash gifts for pastors and family and students and churches; a lot of great books and christian tapes (preaching)
PLAN FOR 2010
- Established a small groups for all Emmaus church members and compassion parents for spiritual growths with local leaders and EBI students as leaders.
- Ceiling of Emmaus church building which will start February (an aunt from Bulusan helps)
- Baptize 25 new converts this coming May
- Plan for Youth Camp 2011 which will include all the 13 churches of PAMI
- The E2E program
- Accept 3 students from Mindanao (we already have 3 applicants from Samal Island Davao of Mindanao0
- Continue to support Ptr Arman James for cross-cultural mission
- Construct building for children
- Organize EBI-PAMI friends and churches for teamworking, partnership and building one another
- Convened with pastors to design and establish system for ordination among local pastors here in the province
- Upgrade EBI school curriculum
- EBI graduation March 23rd with 8 candidates; Lord’s willing, absorb Lorenzo Fugen to assist Ptr Virgil in the E2E; and Isomel Espinar to pioneer church in Calbayog city or mission further south.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
BULAN PAMI
- Good health
- Church members spiritual growth
- Young people’s commitment
- Open more Bible studies Bulan centro and in the barangays
- Growth of mother church and 3 daughter churches
- Wisdom and spiritual understanding
- Studies of Melvin, Alvin & Nathan
- Spiritual strength
IROSIN PAMI
- Church growth
- Evangelism for barangays
- San Roque
- Mapaso
- Patag
- Sto Domingo
- Carriedo
- Cogon
- San Agustin
- Musical instruments; sound equipments
- Church lot and building
- Add church services
CASTILLA PAMI
- Effective evangelism strategies
- Fruitful discpleship training
- More to open home Bible study esp. Coastal areas
- Our youth to join youth camp in May
- Financial needs for
- Milk feeding program
- Church building
- More chairs
- Musical instruments
- Pastoral house
- Church income project
- My wedding October 2010
- Aireen’s transfer to nearer school
- Healing: Sis Minda, Sis Inday, Sis Glenda, Sis Jeramy, Bro Peter Jesalva, Aunt Nila
EBI-PAMI
- Plan 2010 above
- Chito’s health
- Project compassion kids building
- PAMI pastors family and ministry
- Studies of mendizabal kids
- Jame’s cross-cultural training
- Emmaus Church growth
- Tatay’s bakery
- Students from Mindanao
- E2E program
- Protection of Raquel/Janice in San Isidro
- To receive again feed my starving meal
- PAMI planned youth camp
- Healing of friend Bro Bernard Penserga from motor accident (temporary amnesia) and wife of pastor (Sis Lou Velasco) from breast cancer and healing too for my mother from pneumonia
- Continue to bless Bro Mike, PAMI board, supporters and friends
CASIGURAN PAMI
- Spiritual strength and good health for Pt Raf and elsie
- Spritual growth for Bro Marcial and Salve Borromeo; Elex Ubay; Eliseo Mengorio; Dennis and Elma Cruzillo; Mary Jane Basquena; Genia Habal, Marie Hita
- New Bible study of sis elsie: Sis Ortencia; Sis Eden and Edna Castro; Sis Emily Garcia
- Spiritual growth of young people
- Able to find new house for rent (have problem here with water)
- Motorbike
BARCELONA PAMI
- Continue growth of church members
- On going Bible studies and children’s ministry
- VBS this April
- More chairs and guitar
- Guidance and protection
- Baptize 11 new converts this March 2010
SAN ISIDRO PAMI (Sis Raquel O.)
- Guidance and protection for me and janice
- More contacts for Bible study
- VBS this april
- Evangelism in Bgy Busay and Seven Hills, Happy Valley and Cagmanipis
- Chairs
- On going Bible studies to 5 houses
- On going children’s ministry
- New house to transfer
- Kids Feeding
MONTECAL PAMI by ptr nonie
- Church building improvement; pastoral house and floor tiles
- Restores cold in the faith (some members)
- Livelihood
- Healing: Bro Boboy, Sis Relly; Sis Estrella
- Praise/worship leaders
blessed all right keep it up!