World Mercy Teams News

New photo album chronicles the latest adventures of Pastor Wen and Shamah Tribal Ministries

While we were in Mexico earlier this month, Pastor Wen, the founder of our partner ministry in the Philippines, Shamah Tribal Ministries, was having a truly blessed and fruitful outreach as well.  Click on the sidebar to your right to learn more. As you can see, Pastor Wen is truly sold out to God, and not even true peril can keep him from bringing the Gospel, food staples, and Bibles to precious peoples in some of the most remote corners of the earth. 

In addition, Pastor Wen provides follow-up to people who we have met during our medical missions to the Philippines. He oversees ongoing visitation to the needy and organizes Bible Studies in communities where we previously brought medicines, doctors, and dentists.

For example, Joni, below, needed to have both of his feet amputated. While the generous donors to World Mercy Teams provided the funding, Pastor Wen visited Joni and his family, facilitated the surgery, obtained the medications, and then followed up with a surprise Christmas gift for Joni, a second-hand wheelchair. 

Shamah Tribal Ministries, however, is severely crippled by lack of support. There are only a few individuals supporting him from the United States. I want everyone to be aware that they can have the joy of being a part of what he does, providing rice, dried fish, and Bibles to those who are spiritually and physically hungry.  It doesn't take a lot of money to buy a sack of rice, and Pastor Wen will deliver it for you. Just send your donation to World Mercy Teams (tax deductible).  We have a special fund for Shamah, and every penny of it will go to the needy.

Oaxaca, Mexico, 2010 - Amazing Love

 
 

Our Oaxaca, Mexico medical mission began on January 8^th, 2010. In all actuality it began months before, when our team began prayer and preparations for the trip. One week prior to leaving, we had a “packing party” where all of our supplies were transferred into suitcases that ended up weighing in at exactly 50 lbs each.  Our Oregon Team Members:

 
Rob is an RN who works with me at Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro, Oregon. This is his first mission but I doubt his last. He has an amazing love for God and it flowed through him into his work with the people of Oaxaca. He is a natural!

 

 
Sheldon is a free-lance photographer and writer. He worked many a late night to make a blog entry while the rest of us slept. He is an excellent field Medic who has traveled with us on missions to Guatemala. His heart for service to God is nothing short of amazing.

 

 
Jessica is a Pharmacy Technician and a woman after God's own heart. She has traveled to Guatemala with us in the past. This was her first medical mission to Mexico and her heart went out to the people. She too helped keep the blog alive during this trip.

 

 

Dr. Page has traveled with us on prior medical missions to Guatemala. She speaks fluent Spanish, has a special heart for the Hispanic community and posesses a true servant's heart for God. When not working on the mission field, she can be found working with the Hispanic community in the Salud medical clinic of Woodburn, Oregon.

 

 
Marilee is not only an incredible Pharmacist. Nor just a WMT member. Although she works harder than anyone else on the team, that is not her most valuable trait. Marilee's most amazing quality is her love for the Lord and her dedication to serve Him.  She is a fixture here at WMT and we love her for it!

 

 
That leaves Elena and I. We have both had a heart for missions as long as I can remember. Our family is raised now. This is living the dream.

 

Now, back to our story!

Half of our team left on the morning of the 8^th and traveled without incident.  Sheldon, Rob, Elena and I left PDX on the evening of the 8^th, to fly a “red eye” to Guadalajara International and on to Oaxaca, Mexico in the morning. God, however, allowed us to experience the first test of our faith when we landed in Guadalajara. Our bags were supposed to be checked through to Oaxaca but somehow they ended up on the luggage carousel at Guadalajara. We had no choice but to remove them and bring them through customs in Guadalajara. We had been hoping and praying for an easy trip through customs and had discussed ahead of time that if one of us was stopped, the others would continue on to prevent confiscation of all of our medicines and supplies.  We did not expect trouble, since we had the appropriate signed paperwork from both the donating and receiving ministries. As the first of our team approached the customs area, the green light flashed and they passed through. But when Sheldon when through, the RED light flashed and he was stopped! As I went through on my green light, I watched as the inspector opened Sheldon’s first suitcase and removed a bottle of 1000 ibuprofen. The inspector did not look amused!  The rest of us rushed through the door and brought our bags to safety outside the building.

Since the airport was extremely crowded with long, slow moving lines, we made a decision to send Rob, to fly on while Elena and I stayed to help resolve the situation with Sheldon. It was Rob’s first time leaving U.S. soil and now he was traveling solo in a foreign country where he did not speak the language.  I went back to see what was going on with Sheldon. An official looking woman in a white lab coat was removing items from his suitcase with armed guards standing by. She appeared to completely ignore the paperwork that was placed on top of the medicines. Then, the unthinkable happened. Sheldon was ushered into a white doorway nearby and the door was closed. I ran back and got the original copies of all of our paperwork and then attempted to enter the inspection area, only to be stopped by a guard. She called for a translator and I waited patiently (and prayed silently) for 20 minutes as no translator had come. Finally, the door opened and Sheldon walked out! He said that he was instructed to hire a customs broker and return to negotiate for our medicines. He had shrewdly made a list of the contents of his bags for me. We concluded that most of our pain relievers and all of our IV supplies were confiscated. We quickly decided that we should just leave the medications and supplied there in the airport. Once this was negotiated, we began searching for a new flight to Oaxaca, since we had missed ours. About an hour later, after more long lines and security checks, we found ourselves at our gate, bound not to Oaxaca but to Mexico City, then on to Oaxaca, making our total travel time somewhere close to 24 hours. As we sat at the gate, who should appear but Rob! He had missed his flight and gotten lost in the airport. He now had a similar ETA as the rest of us but was traveling on a different airline!  We all had a good laugh.  To read Sheldon’s incredible impression of this whole event, go to his blog at http://sheldontraver.blogspot.com/2010/01/mission-oaxaca-day-one-adventures-in.html (We later rejoiced that a previous team had left plenty of ibuprofen behind for us to use. God is so good!)

Unfortunately our cell phones did not work well, so we did not meet up with Rob in Mexico City. Elena was concerned about him, and spent an hour that included a bus and train ride to find him, but we could not. Finally I received a text from him before we boarded for Oaxaca. Rob was okay!

Our trip to Oaxaca was, thankfully, uneventful, and we marveled at the lush subtropical environment as we stepped onto the tarmac.

There we met some more team members. Unfortunately, another problem surfaced. Much of the luggage, including all of Rob’s luggage, was missing! (They eventually all turned up).

Nevertheless, we were overjoyed to finally be in Oaxaca. We loaded into vehicles and began the road trip to our next destination, the FFHM orphanage in Tiacolula.

 

FFHM graciously hosted us for the first 2 days of our mission. You can read more about FFHM at http://ffhm.org. 

On Monday morning our extended team, consisting of members from Oregon, California and Baja, Mexico, traveled to Chicomezulchi for our first medical outreach. We were told that this rural mountain village had Christian leadership and was very accepting of medical missions. We enjoyed a wonderful day of ministry as we provided medical and dental care to the community. There was a small team that provided activities for the children. At the end of the day the atmosphere became festive with live music and singing provided by our YWAM evangelism team.  As we concluded our time in Chicomzulchi, we were thanked profusely by the village leader, a gentle, loving Christian man. This was our first and only clinic to be held with the entire group. That evening, our pharmacy team worked late dividing up all of the donated medicines into two pharmacies. We would be separating in the morning. Team 1 would stay in the area and go to the nearby prison during the week while we (team 2) would travel to Juxtlahuaca the next day. We slept one more night at the orphanage and left before breakfast the next morning for a full day drive to Juxtlahuaca.

Juxtlahuaca is a very mountainous region and one of the poorest areas in Mexico. Indigenous Mixtec and Triqui tribe members sell produce on Juxtlahuaca's market day. The Mixtecos are called “people of the clouds” in their own tongue.  This Triqui woman is wearing the traditional red garment.

Our first clinic here was with the Triqui tribe in a place called Tierra Blanca. The summary of the day is best described by Jessica, our pharmacy technician, who posted in Sheldon’s blog that evening:

 
  

Today our journey brought us to Tierra Blanca. It was a Triqui village where the people spoke in their own dialect. English was translated into Spanish and then translated into Triqui.

We were greeted by switchback trails, (excuse me, I mean roads), and a herd of goats. We were grateful the roads were dry. Once we reached the town, the patients were lined up ready to be seen.

The Triqui women dress in traditional black and red huipil, a poncho style woven garb. The women weave the huipil on looms and each can take up to a year to make.

Mari, an outreach minister from the church that is hosting us, along with Rob, our team RN, took a supply of Mebendazole (used to treat intestinal parasites) to the local, bilingual (Spanish and Triqui) school.  There they treated 180 students! 

 

 

I will admit this morning was difficult for me. I was feeling a bit emotional.  I miss my family and was discovering my role within the team.  We had team devotions this morning and given an opportunity to share how we were holding up.  The encouragement and prayer I received from such a lovely team meant the world and I felt blessed.  I have been feeling some attack from the enemy on this trip.   I wanted to share a couple of verses with you that were shared with me this morning (thank you Raquel and Page.)

“Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous.  Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9 

“Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – If anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians’ 4: 8-9

 

 

A neat point was brought up in the van today, compliments of Marilee.  While our visit and service fills a temporal need, God’s love isn’t temporal.  It is eternal and it stays in the town we leave behind.  Our hearts and prayers continue for the Triqui, Mixteca, and Zapotec tribes we are coming in contact with.

We are beyond blessed to have your prayers and support.  What a beautiful thing.  The support given to our families while we have been away has been wonderful.  They are serving their own mission at home!  Many thanks.

May the God of peace be with you,

Jessica Griffin

 

On Thursday, September 14^th, we headed out to a distant community of Triquis in a place called San Ysidro del estado Putla. Sheldon documented the events of the day that evening:

 

As any day in Oaxaca goes, we will start with a pleasant drive down a crumbling road.

 

 

Today we encountered a landslide as we made our way to San Juan Mixteco, where we held our third clinic. A backhoe was moving away debris as the hillside continued to crumble in small chunks. After a 10-minute wait, the vans and car made it across the improvised dirt road next to a cliff with sweeping views of the valley. Well, we definitely can say life in Oaxaca is never dull.

 

 

Just a note, San Juan Mixteco is 12,000 feet in the mountains and we are based in Juxtlahuaca at 5,000 feet. These are truly cloud people. The Mixteca tribe is another one of Mexico’s beautiful, and short people with the elderly women wearing these beautiful blue shawls they make by hand.

Today’s clinics went smashingly. We were housed in a community building with plenty of room (and kid control) so we were able to do the work we needed to very efficiently. We treated a lot of general aches and pains and a few diabetics and injuries. Rochel, our wonderful volunteer dental student and Glenn, not a dental student, cleaned teeth. I’m not sure how many we treated, but all were very gracious and appreciative.

 

 
One highlight for me was seeing team members pray with people. When someone would request prayer or we felt the Holy Spirit leading us, we could go aside and pray with them. Bear in mind, that the Christian church in this region has only been recently established and there is no Bible in the Mixteca language. Our presence and medical care helped move the church in this community forward.

 

To read more of Sheldon’s impression of the Triquis in San Ysidro del estado Putla, go to his blog at http://sheldontraver.blogspot.com/2010/01/mission-oaxaca-day-6-my-name-is-chato.html.

For our last two clinics of the mission we served the Misteca people of San Juan Mixtepec and Santa Rosa. Sheldon faithfully blogged for us on January 15^th:

 

  Today we headed into the lower elevations to the nearly tropical Gregorio Alvarez Putla de GRO. The countryside surrounding this town was simply breathtaking and we thoroughly enjoyed the people, which were a mix of Triquis and Mixtecans.
I wanted to tell you a little bit more about the types of problems we are treating in this region.
In this area of Oaxaca, disputes are often settled old-west style - at the end of a gun. Today a woman came in because she had been shot six months ago. She and her husband were driving when some people that had a grudge against them over a land dispute murdered her husband and shot her through her car door.

 

Don and Rob were able to make an incision in her back and pull out the fractured slugs that had scar tissue forming around them. The surgical site was cleaned and she was stitched up.

 For more on this day, read Sheldon’s blog at http://sheldontraver.blogspot.com/2010/01/mission-oaxaca-day-7.html

On our last day in Santa Rosa, Sheldon came down with fever so Jessica again recorded our day:

 

 

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn...” Isaiah 61:1-4

Well, you are stuck with me again tonight as our blogger extradorinaire, “Chato” (Sheldon) was ill the last day of our clinic.

 

So, I’m sitting outside tonight in t-shirt weather, listening to the sounds of Oaxaca City and fireworks.

Thinking back on our last day of clinic I’m thinking we should have started the week In Santa Rosa.  Everything else after would have seemed easier!  We were in Santa Rosa, a community set 15 minutes outside of Juxtlhuaca.  The church pastor opened up his home for us to hold our clinic, and when I say “home”, I use the term very loosely.  We were in the pouring rain under tarps so we had to be very creative in our set up.  It all worked out, despite the mud and turkeys wandering about our clinic!  Even in his great need, the pastor gave over all he had in order to serve God and His people.  How humbling is that! 

 

 

Even in the midst of my doubt, and I hate to admit, my complaining, God was faithful.  I was quickly put in my place as patients trudged through the mud and rain in order to receive some medical care.  Of course, their sweet, humble spirits shone through and their kindness was so evident.

A house call took Don, Rob, and Elena 50 minutes away to the home of a very elderly lady who lived alone up a very muddy path.  Don needed to reduce a fracture in her wrist as a result of her falling in her home.  She was really grateful and very brave since the procedure was done without anesthetic.  Every Saturday she heats her bath water over a fire so she can bathe for Sunday church before hiking down her hill and trying to find a taxi that may happen through.  Man, how many times have I been too tired to get up for church?  Yikes!  No excuses for me!

On the medication side of things it is always so confirming when we have some odd medication that one particular patient has need of.  It is a great reminder of how God ordains each trip, each person, patient, and medication to bring Him glory.

 

 
  
  

I am burdened for the people of Oaxaca and so I pray that dark, hardened hearts would turn towards peace, that lives would be restored and God’s mercy would be extended to this very needy people, both spiritually and physically.

Another thing that stood out was Page ran into yet another one of her patients in the Santa Rosa community.  I actually discovered this little girl in our pharmacy area who spoke fluent English.  I thought it was kind of neat because it is so rare for the area we were in.  Anyway, on her way out, she sees Page and says, “I know you, you are my Mom’s doctor!”  So, Page was able to treat her family as they were visiting Oaxaca and heading back to Oregon soon.  Yet, another extension of God’s perfect timing.

 

I just want to say the pastors we have met over this week have literally given their lives over to serving the Lord and His people.  The pastors were so burdened that their tears ran freely down the faces.  We heard story after story of violence, hatred, and denial of Christianity.  Our prayers will continue for a movement of God within these communities.

Jesus es el Camino, la Verdad, y la Vida!

Blessings and Peace,

Jessica

 

Images of Oaxaca...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 
  

 

 

 

 

Postscript: As I look back now on the past eight missions that I have been privileged to be a part of, I realize that not only every mission, but each day of every mission is a unique and often unforgettable manifestation of God’s love for mankind. I have beheld the loving hands and voice of Jesus in my team members as they have shared from their hearts through caring action and kind words. I have always come away from these missions with a humbled heart and a clear sense of purpose, anxious to serve again. I credit those amazing people that I have served alongside, as well as the Great Physician Himself, for that gift. Thank you, team! Mucho Gracias! May we serve together again soon!

don

Reflections on Outreach to Mexico's Indigenous Peoples

As I sit on the balcony of an 18^th century hascienda that now serves as our hotel, I listen to the church bells in a nearby town and reflect on the mission of the past week. I think back on our arrival here in Oaxaca, Mexico, with unseasonably cold weather in this subtropical climate. But perhaps I should go back to the beginning, to a distant time in Oaxaca on a mountain now called Alban. Monte Alban is a spectacular ruin that sits 1400 ft above the Oaxaca valley. It was once a grand Zapotec city that began construction in 500 BC after leveling the top of the mountain. The task must have been staggering. The Zapotecs were a violent tribal people, yet highly advanced society in other ways, as evidenced by stone drawings we were able to view at the site. Monte Alban declined in later years and was occupied by the Mixtecs tribe in 800 AD.

 

As you can see from this photo of Elena standing on this windy perch, Monte Alban was once an incredible place. You can see for miles in any direction. Structures included a celestial observatory. 

The Mixtecs tribal peoples eventually migrated away from the valley Oaxaca and into the surrounding mountains. We traveled a full day to find the Mixtecs as well as another tribe, the Triquis. Both of these tribal cultures have remained separated from mainstream Mexican society and speak their own languages. Neither has a written language. Neither has a Bible translation. Both remain cultures of violence.

 

These photos depict the aftermath of violence between tribal members. Above I am carefully removing bullet fragments from the hip of a woman whose husband was killed beside her over a land dispute. We were told that the Mexican government typically does not intervene in these matters, labeling them civil disputes among tribal members. I removed two fragments, one copper and one lead, below. There were other fragments lodged too deeply to remove.

 

This woman shared her story through tears. Although she is left to care for her small child alone, she has found hope and help through the local church.

The role of World Mercy Teams during this outreach has been to support local Christian churches and Pastors that have been gradually reaching these tribes with the good news of Jesus Christ. We were able to confront this culture of violence with the loving, healing ministry of Jesus through medical and dental care.

   

The people of Oaxaca opened their hearts to us over the past week. There are many more stories of love yet to be shared. At this moment, though, I am hoping that the Hacienda swimming pool is warming up in the warm Oaxacan sunshine so I an go for one last swim before heading home to Oregon.

 

don


 
 

 

  

May 2009 outreach to the Philippines

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  Psalm 139:9-10

We have been back for a week, giving us time to reflect and thank God for the unique and indescribable blessings that he showered upon us during our two weeks in Mindanao, Philippines. 

See additional posts for photos and highlights.

Precious to the Lord

This photo shows that we were enthusiastically greeted by the children of the Badjao, a Muslim tribal people who live by the seashore in Davao, Mindanao. We were told that the Badjao are "outcasts" among the other tribes in the area. Historically, the Badjao are known as "Sea Gypsies" and are expert pearl divers and spear fishermen. Unfortunately, many have been displaced to urban areas such as this, where they often must beg for food. The "homes" are fashioned from scraps of wood that have washed up from the sea. These shanties are perched on stilts above water which serves as their toilet and garbage dump. Here is a video of Trisha Haskins, a critical care RN from Portland, "walking the plank" which we called our daily trek over flimsy-appearing walkways to our clinic location.

As we became acquainted with the Badjao people we were struck by the feeling that they truly are outcasts, forgotten and ignored by most of those in the larger community that surrounds them. We found that we could not implement our usual ticketed number system, because they do not understand numeric symbols. Many of the mothers could only supply estimated ages for the naked and malnourished children who they presented to us with coughs, pneumonia, asthma, and infectious and parasitic skin rashes. 

Please pray for this outcast people, the Badjao by the sea in Davao.

A special little girl

Fiore is a bright and precocious five-year-old, the type of little girl who twirls proudly in her ruffled princess dress, and tugs on your sleeve to get your attention. We met Fiore when her mother brought her to us, worried about her blue nailbeds and that she becomes breathless when she lies down.  She took our RN Trisha's hand and held it tight when she first arrived at the clinic. On exam her blood oxygen was dangerously low, and she had a loud heart murmur. We sent her to Davao for immediate tests which confirmed serious congenital heart abnormalities.

We are confident that Fiore's condition can be corrected surgically, but without this intervention it is very unlikely she will reach adulthood. We are praying now for a surgical team that can do this and the funds to make it happen. Trisha and some others are investigating avenues through U.S. charities, but in the meantime please keep Fiore and her family in your prayers.

 

Fiore with Trisha

We made it!

Greetings from Guatemala!

 

We had an uneventful journey to Guatemala City, but we can’t say the same for four-hour drive to the tiny town of El Chol!

 

We started out in a nice clean new-looking tour bus bursting with anticipation and optimism...  How did our adventure disintegrate to the point where our team stood on the side of a lonely dirt road, trying to bum a ride to a better place! (Not really.)

 

   

 

Top: Mary Muhlauser & Marilee Neuschwander

Bottom: Carol Pemberton, Mary Muhlhauser, Jessica Griffin, and Beverlee Kitchell

 

First we had a flat tire…

 

 

 

Then after we changed the tire, the van wouldn’t start!

 

 

 

THEN when we had almost made it through long narrow, curvy, steep, and MUDDY roads…  the van got stuck!

 

 

 

By the grace of God we made it though!  And still in great spirits! We went to church that night, and WMT member Mary Muhlhauser shared, while our friend Suzie interpreted for her.

 

 

 

Monday morning we were up early, and had a fantastic home-cooked breakfast with fresh-squeezed orange juice and set up the clinic at the El Chol Nazarene Church.

 

 

 

So far we have completed two clinic days, seeing well over two hundred patients, between medical, glasses, and dental, on Monday and Tuesday.  Today, we treated many very ill patients and were able to supply a very frail old man with a walker…

 

 

Marilee Neuschwander and Jessica Griffin dispensed dozens of prescriptions….

 

 

 

 

As well as many pairs of glasses…

 

 

 

The glasses ministry is headed up by Sharon Barth (center with head turned). 

 

Of course there was dental and medical as well.  Be sure to check back for great photos of those champions in action!

 

Will sign off now, with prayers that we will be able to upload this tonight with Don’s little cell-phone Internet gadget.  If you are seeing this back home, my request was granted.

 

Update...  No luck with the cell-phone Internet gadget, that's why this is finally being posted more than a week later...  Keep watching this blog to learn about days three, four, and five!

Guatemala!

Pray for us as we our team leaves for Guatemala tomorrow!  Last weekend we had our packing party, and packed our medications and supplies for the journey.

Below from left to right.  Beverlee Kitchell, Jessica Griffin, and Marilee Neuschwander inventory and pack medications. We are so grateful for the valuable medicines that we donated to us by Crosslink International, Brother's Brother, and Blessings International.

 

Below, Don Ives and Russ Barth pack blood sugar machines and strips...

 

As Mary Muhlhauser prepares and packs away dental supplies...

 

Russ and Sharon Barth...

 

Carol Pemberton...

Keep watching this blog for further updates. We covet your prayers! 

Update Ayah and Alfie

 

Above: Ayah's mother holds her as lab tests are conducted.

We received the following update from Melba Macad, RSW, who is working with Ayah and Alfie and their families in the Philippines:

"I am also glad to tell you that  the 2Decho Ayah's result is normal and was recommended by her doctor for possible operation.  Said operation is available FREE in our place and I continue telling Ayah's mother to pursue the operation of Ayah."

Wow. Thank you, Lord. Please remember to pray for little Ayah.  

Below: Ayah and Mom

 

In the meantime we received Alfie's application from Melba, completed our part, and sent it on to Shriners.  Keep praying that Alfie will soon be able to walk and run and do all the things that six-year-old boys should be able to do!

Update on the crisis in Mindanao

 

Above: Aid distribution in the war-torn areas in Mindanao

We recently received the following update from Pastor Wen...

Dear World Mercy Medical team members and prayer partners,

Once again we just arrived from our trip going to the war zone and again it is our privilege to offer our lives to the Lord for the purpose of helping the war victims. It is not an easy task because we are being misunderstood  by the military that we are supporting the rebels and their families and the most fearful truth is the rebels are doing kidnap for ransom to some business men and others are NGO (non- government organization) volunteers.

 

By God’s grace we were able to overcome some fearful situations together with our tribal people who were emotionally and physically drained and exhausted for this long period of terrible situations. However, we are comforted and encouraged knowing that many Christians around the world who are praying for us and supporting us through your love offering. WE THANK GOD FOR YOU our brothers and sisters in Christ!

 

As I open the Website of the World Mercy Medical team last week we are  blessed  and thankful that our cry and appeal to the Lord have been heard  and that He is using our Brothers and Sisters the opportunity to respond the need.

 

To the anonymous writer who related his story while eating his Salami sandwich on his comfortable chair and table etc. I could not help but shed tears and PRAISE GOD for such a wonderful person who were touched  by God and feel the need of the situation here in Mindanao Philippines. In behalf of our Tribal People here I am so grateful to the “World Mercy Team members" who  genuinely  partnering Shamah Tribal Ministry in times of need.

As of today I consulted my area leader thru cell  phone and according to him bombing has been stopped momentarily because Muslims are observing Ramadan. Let us join together in prayer that God would mightily intervene for this war to end.

If situation will be normalized again and if financial aid is available the appeal of our tribal people especially the workers is to help them buy livestock for their livelihood since all their livestock were taken by the rebels during the height of war.  What I have in mind now is once the funds you stated in your last email that you will be sending we will be used for buying livestock for them to start again.  However we can only do this if things will be normalized.

I am still preparing my power point presentation for our trip last Septemeber 8 and September 15 as documentations of our relief distribution for the last funding you sent to us. We were able to serve 200 hundred family/evacuees. Financial Report will be sent to you soon.

 

Again thank you so much for all your generosity and for extending your lasting investment for the Lord’s work. God bless you more abundantly!

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth , where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven  where moth and rust do not destroy , and where thieves do not break in and steal.” ( Matt. 6:19-20 )

In His faithfulness,

 

Pastor Wen, Inday and Wendy