LWF Midweek Community Fellowship

We began with 6 people the first week. Then 8 the next week, and 16 the third week. The last two weeks we have had 32 and 33. Our community fellowship is taking form on Wednesday mornings. We have needs for seating for adults, and our young kids (3, 4, 5) need tables and chairs for their lessons. They are learning to read and write tagalog while learning the beatitudes. We will begin Awana for the cubby and sparks ages.

The Lord has given us many opportunities for ministry, but we see clearly that we should respond to this great need in the community. We have a pastor in place, and youth worker has emerged to guide our little ones. Gods glory is shone and majesty present in this young fellowship. Pray that God will equip and bless this work.

Marikina Feeding with Childrens Garden and World Race

Earlier this week I spent some time with Xenia, one of our
Children's Garden staffers.

She leads our Community Outreach & coordinates our Alternative
Learning System Tutorials. Xenia shared that despite the fact
she has been living with and ministering to street kids the past
6 years, God has been teaching her to go deeper & giving her a
greater capacity to love the boys & those she meets in outreach.
She is the "poster child" for ministry standards; yet she yearns
for more.To Give & Love More. Her statements cause me to stop and
consider* my capacity* for going deeper with the boys, in our
churches and community.

This past week, we ministered again to the families who suffered
from the 3 typhoons that ravaged Manila last October and November.
We worked with about 12-15 families,  representing close to 100
people living under and near a bridge aside the Marikina River.
The conditions are "maraming mahirap"(very difficult).  Homes
washed away.  All their possessions gone. Mishap items are their
clothes, bed sheets & cookware.  They scavenge to sell anything &
grow vegetables near  the banks of the river.

Just yesterday, I met a man who is new to this group of families;
his story is moving & pathetic.  Unfortunately, it happens all too
often.  When we arrived at our ministry site, we found him crawling
around on the cement. He doesn't have the use of his legs & looks
to be in his 70's, but is 55years old.  He is Reynaldo De La Cruz
from Montalban, Manila.

As the story goes; late one night a car stopped on the side of the
road, opened the door and lifted this man out of the car, set him
on the ground, closed the door and sped off.  Tragic, isn't it?
And, shocking?  How can someone do that?  They must have known
him!  Yet, betrayed him & turned their back on him. In talking with
him, we discovered he has four older children, and he doesn't know
where they are.  How does this happen tosomeone?  His wife has left
him and he is alone.

We had the privilege to feed him hearty noodles and bread, and
cold water. He had seconds.

Reynaldo is very difficult to approach. He is not a precious child,
or a smiling young person, or an engaging adult.. His clothes do
not cover him entirely, and dirt is caked over all his body.  If he
needs to get somewhere, he must crawl amongst the garbage. He is
probably 5'7", and is very skinny... probably 80 or 90 lbs. But
Reynaldo is a child of God, and we have been called to minister to
him. Pick him up, give him a haircut, give him a bath, get him to
a doctor, nurse him back to health, tell him that we
love him, tell him about Jesus.

Xenia's words are still ringing in my ears, "going deeper in
ministry", "have a greater capacity to love these people".

Do I have the capacity to go deeper in ministry to Reynaldo,
and serve him in his basic physical needs?*

Do I have the courage to go deep with Reynaldo and meet his
spiritual needs, setting aside personal fears and inadequacies?*

In my prior business, we always talked about raising the bar,
setting new targets. As Gods' ministers of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, we need to listen to His speaking to us through the Holy
Spirit. We need to be willing to listen, hear, and obey. We need
to continually be raising the bar, expanding our capacity, and
going deeper in ministry.

To going deeper & loving more.