Thursday/Friday

Tammy are back staying at a cheap motel near SM San Fernando, after coming back late last night from Olongapo.  We had a great time in Olongapo and in Subic Bay.  We saw the old US Navy base where my dad boarded ship at some point in his 22 year career in the Navy.  The American presence is no longer there so much. 

We shared the Gospel a lot while we were on the trip.  3 ladies and maybe 2 other men vendors heard the Gospel and they prayed the sinner to salvation prayer, please pray for those vendors who struggle to survive financially.  Tammy shared with a poor beggar lady, who started crying as she asked God into her life.  Tammy also pointed 2 men who were troubled she sensed, to me, on separate occasions.  She was right.  A man named Keith was all ears and so with Sgt of the PI Police/Interpol (International Police Network) Jerred.  Both men freely accepted the Lord into their lives. 

Tonight we will leave at 8pm to go to Manila with the family.  We'll be sleeping there with our new friend Flor (the sister of our cousin Noel, Mellie's husband), who has a big home over there.  New Years celebration in Philippines!  Please pray for our safety, and that God speaks to us loud and clear for 2011.

Thanks for pryaing!

Wednesday- Trip to Somewhere

I took tammy on a surprise ride towards Subic Bay.  We have a cousin that's there from dad's side who is visiting there too.  Hopefully we can meet each other there.

Tammy and I took a bus ride from San Fernando, Pampanga and we are in a beautiful beach town called Olongapo.  This is very close to Subic Bay, where the US Navy base was.  I want to check it out tomorrow morning before we head back to help New Covenant Church do a movie outreach to the public.  We'll probably show the movie "Fireproof".  My friend Paul does this in Mexico, and people love it.  Pastor Danny wanted to show something about family values/marriage this time around on Thursday.

Please pray for safe travels, and for an effective outreach filled with couples tomorrow.

Tammy and I shared the Gospel with an embittered Australian army soldier, and with some Isalamic vendors from Mindanao. 

It's really nice to getaway for a while, just to spend quality time alone with one another.  We love family, it's just nice to have some alone time.  We are staying at a pretty nice place right on the beach for only $50 tonight.  Tammy is pretty happy with the living conditions for today!

God bless,

Alex and Tammy

Tuesday

Today our dear friend who has been bending over backwards to take care of us by cooking delicious meals at the house opened up to us and shared some personal things she really needs answers and strength for... No details to be shared here, but please pray for our friend Flor who in the process of encouragement, we led to the sinners prayer and asking Jesus to be the Lord of her life and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  She said she felt really good for some reason after praying.  That's God for you.

Played some basketball with my nephew and had quality time there.  Then went to Uncle Paul's and Auntie Bayang.  A lot of discipleship, and stuff initially they were at odds with regarding doctrine but the scriptures speak for themselves.  There was a moment when Uncle was upset how can my mom allow me to change the "religion".  We brought it back to WHO are we worshipping, HOW we worshipping, and the change of life that accompanies the new life.  After the testimonies and the scriptures, they were on the amazed and delighted side.  Showed them the Lord wants to be worshipped alone, that we have access to do so, and we don't need to pray for the dead who are already judged, don't need to pray for angels, or even the Blessed Virgin, who wouldn't want us to worship her anyway, according to scriptures of the Bible.  In the end I gave Uncle a very precious thing that is dear to me...my old bible from 10 years.  It has questions that guide your thinking into good conclusions, along with the scriptures.  I learned a lot by going thru that particular one.  I asked Uncle to hold on to it until I see him again one day. 

Now we went to sleep in another city to get away.  Please pray for us to have a nice getaway, and site see somehow.  Tomorrow we'll be headed back afterwards to meet with the pastors of New Covenant Church.

A night ago, prayers were ansered :  The local New Covenenat Church came to meet us and got a permit at the local market to show the movie we bought "The Gospel of John".  It was a great time.  25 people or so showed up and stayed significant time.  In between the scriptures (narrated word for word to go along with the acting from the book of John in the Bible) I had a microphone and shared the very important insights that people really need to pay attention to.  Hopefully people were blessed.

We shared the Gospel and the pastor said it in tagolog after I said it in english.  I don't know who truly received it.  But the Lord surely used His Word, that the promise.  A piece of the puzzle was put in place for several, and i'm sure people who live nearby hiding in their homes as the movie was playing on loud speakers.

God bless!

Alex

Movie night....The Lord moved New Covenant church to do movie night at some point for the public, and it was an answer to each other's prayers as Tammy and I wanted to do that and show the Gospel of John.  God's answering our prayers!!!

Some spectators to the show.

In front of Benning's home

New Covenant Church asked me to speak a couple times for the hour.  This picture shows me preaching with our friend Raymond on the authenticity of God's Word...I had built a case of how scientists are finding things that point to the Global Flood, and finding proof that dispels the myth that the earth was formed by naturalistic means by random chance and erosion.  Later we shared on historical and archaeological proof that support the prophesy predicting Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection.  Mathematical science shows that this is impossible to be an accident:  the Bible must be God's Word!

Uncle Paul and Auntie Bayang were introduced and arranged together by my Mom.  Here they are enjoying their gifts from my sister Carlin, and some from Tammy and me.

This is our cousin Mele's (who is with the Lord now) husband, our cuya Noel.  We love this man and his family.  They are so gracious to us.  He allowed us to stay in his home and he insisted that we stay in the main master room.  He brought his sister Tita Flor to take great care of us during the day, along with the rest of the family. 

Our cousin Doctor Art singing the night away with me.  We were singing Billy Joel's "You may be right, I maybe crazy!"

Tammy and my cousin Art sang til 11 pm on Christmas!!!!

We visited my cousin Mele's gravesite.  Cuya Noel gave me the honor of leading the family in prayer.  I read scriptures from the resurrection and life we can hope for in Heaven.

We played christmas songs and Tammy did a great job singing!

These kids work at the store and bakery and were so happy to cut loose from work and have a great celebration

My Cousin Carino was asked to design the catholic church, st michael's.  It is beautiful!  He did that some time ago.  He was disappointed they didn't put Jesus in the front center above the altar, instead the church decided to put the Archangel Michael there instead. 

Tammy and I in front of the catholic church, St. Michaels.  Cousin Carino was the architect to the structure, but all glory goes to the architect and builder of our faith:  JESUS

Christmas Time

It's monday, and we had a great 3 days of celebrating Christmas thus far.
A party at Noel's place, lots of people, lots of games.  Tammy and I said the prayer blessing the evening, and then we did some worship songs, and then we enjoyed karaoke and dancing. 

My sister Carlin sent a big box of goodies for the cousins, aunts and uncles and they loved it.  We had a CD and DVD of pictures and movies of nostalgic pics from the 50's, 60's and 70's of my mom's family.  The family loved it!

We have planted many, many, seeds.  There had been resistance at first, but the Lord is working His word into the lives here.  The New Covenant Church here has had us share testimony, and we've preached there 2 times now.  I shared cool videos of the birth of Jesus and then preached on God's faithfulness.  Pastor said it was very good and people really liked it.

The Lord has opened doors for us to share movies in the town square, just as the Lord had given me visions of before.  The projector and sound system will be supplied, perhaps as early as tonite!!!!!

Too many details, too many praise reports to mention regarding doors opening to share.  I'm so impressed with my family here in Pampanga, many professionals and many connections in high places.  I think this will help regarding the land we have to sell.

Tammy said this is one of the best christmas's she had and it will never be forgotten.  She said she's so moved by how much love there is within this family.  I am too, and I was too many years ago, and it's a reason why I love the PI and being around both my mom and dad's side of the family.

Please pray for more opportunities to share with family and that the little christmas booklets we gave will be read by our family.

God bless,

Alex & Tammy

Dec 24th Merry Christmas!!!!

Hi all,
Tammy and I are in Pampanga, and hanging out with a lot of family.  Thanks for praying for us.  Lots of seeds planted throughout this small town, especially with family.  \

We spoke at the church tuesday night, both tammy and I, for about 1 hour with the help of a translater.  We also are getting aroudn to personal business regarding land, etc.....Wish we had more access to internet on our own PC, we'd have more pics.  But anyways, we are here safe, and doing well.

God bless you, and Merry Christmas.  We love you

Saturday

Today we met our friend Mark from Oceanside.  We met up at San Fernando, where the famous Giant lantern festival took place.

We pitched in together to get an upgrade guitar.  The one i bought for 25 bucks wasn't that great so we doubled up, and got a pretty good quality one for $50 bucks.  We'll give the guitar away afterwards, before we leave the PI.

We had a great time at the festival.  We saw cultural dances, singing, and huge lanterns with elaborate designs that flicker with the rhythm of the music played. 

Later we parked ourselves outside the mall, and played christmas songs and christian worship songs.  We prayed for God to bring the right ones to share with.  4 teens sat next to us, along with a poor child.  It brought a crowd and interest.  We got to teach them about a few songs including Come Thou Found of Every Blessing, O Come Emmanuel, Little Drummer Boy, I Stand In Awe of You, and Prince of Peace.
We shared scriptures with them, and they loved to sing with us.  I knew the Lord orchestrated it because just as I was explaining the song's lyrics of Jesus being the Great "I AM", a boy stepped in front of me with a shirt that read "I AM".  I laughed to myself.  Another kid sat next to us with a Thailand shirt, and as I pointed that out to Tammy, she spotted another lady walking by with a shirt that said Thailand.  All circumstantial stuff, but to me it's like God answered our prayer for a divine appointment.

God bless, and thanks for all the prayer!

Friday

Could you please pray for our friend Victor and Frances?  Frances was at the doctor for a check up and they found a bump in her breast, and something in her ovaries.  They are in Manila.

Please pray for the family of Adora and Ralph.  And please pray for new friend Beth who is heavily involved with Missions but the Enemy of God is attacking her husband and her son Mel. 
Please pray for my family in Ternate, where there's a darkness around the town due to a lot of witch craft in general in Cavite.  Please pray for our cousin's son Marvin who is currently cross dressing as a woman. And for his father (my cousin's husband) who is having mental problems.

Please pray that the Lord's will becomes clear regarding the land we have in Ternate.  And if it's God's will that we can sell it.  Same thing as in Quezon City's land.  There are squatters there living illegally on the land..  That there will be God's help in removing them peacably.  Please pray for Luz and Jessie (our lawyer cousins who are dealing with these lands, respectively).

Monday

Tammy and I are relaxing today, after a busy weekend.  We're a bit under the weather lately.  I think the pollution, the cigarrette smoke (2ndary smoke), and the people with the flu eventually caught up with us.  Had a good weekend with our friends Adora and Ralph.  Got to meet their kids yesterday.  We are really thankful for their hospitality..  We enjoyed going to their church and meeting their pastors and friends, and getting to know their ministry here.

Tomorrow we will be headed to Ternate.  Please pray for a great time with the extended family there.  I'd like to share the Gospel there with everyone.  Our cousin Jess is short on time and wants us to make it out to Alabang in the evening to have dinner there. 

We'll be heading out Wednesday for Manila, and eventually Pampanga.  Cousin Jay is coming for us.  When we get back we want to teach the bible in the homes and in the bakery for short stints.  I really want to get hold of a projector and sound system to show several Chrismas videos for the public, but I'm not sure if it's all going to line up as it seems so many churches are already busy with their christmas plans, and people are visiting family and shopping. 

Please pray for some of the logistical stuff for us.  It's a really busy time for people here, and we just want to not be an imposition, but enjoy the time.  There's so many things I want to get done here, and so llittle time.  Between the land stuff here I want to deal with, dealing with illegal squatters, and being so dependent on others for transportation and for professional guidance from our lawyers who are cousins, it's a painfully slow process. 

I'm hopeful these upcoming 10 days towards Christmas eve will be very fruitful.  Please lift up my extended family in Ternate and Pampanga in prayer.  There are some factors out of our control that are currently draining both Tammy and I, and I believe it's part of spiritual warfare to significantly reduce our effectiveness here.  I'll leave the details of it out right now.   I want to enjoy this as a part vacation while we're here, but like I said earlier, there's a lot I want to get done here too.

Thanks for joining us in prayer.  God bless,