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This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:14-15, NIV).
I’m in the Philippines with my wife and team from the USA. For the past few days, we have been in General Santos City (on the southern island of Mindanao) teaching First Steps Discipleship.
God always works in mysterious ways.
During World War II, my father, a US serviceman, was stationed in Mindanao. In June of 2003, I led a team of 15 Americans to Mindanao with a different type of service—to hold a conference training church leaders in disciplemaking.
The location of our trip in 2003 was General Santos City.
Just before our trip, there was a series of terror attacks in that city. Our team believed we should still travel to General Santos, and we began spiritual warfare to counter the danger. The church where I pastored organized a 24-hour a-day prayer watch for the four days that we would be in General Santos.
Upon arrival in the city, our team was escorted from the airport to our hotel by a platoon of armed Filipino troops. At the hotel, several of the American team members had lost some personal hygiene supplies and wanted to go to a mall.
I asked a Colonel in the Philippine Army if it was safe to go to a particular mall, and he said . . .
Yes, we can go to that mall as the other two that we have in the city have been recently bombed.
HHHHMMMHHM—I decided the team members could forego their hygiene needs for a few days.
On the opening day of the conference, my computer running PowerPoint® crashed a few minutes before the beginning of the conference. After an hour’s delay, I began to speak, only to have the projection screen affixed to the wall behind me come crashing down on my head.
An inauspicious beginning. I was going to check when I returned to America and find out if the person who was scheduled on the prayer chain at that time had taken a nap—but I didn’t.
But prayers were answered as over 600 pastors were trained in disciplemaking.
My sister was on that trip, and she felt such a burden for the Filipino children in General Santos City that she kept returning, eventually founding Naomi’s Heart Mission and NHM Christian Academy, which has fed and educated tens of thousands of children.
From World War II with my father serving in the army close to General Santos City, to my sister starting a mission there, to continued training with disciplemaking over the past several days with the team I’m now leading . . .
God is amazing!
My wife, the US team, and I are now in Cebu City—with a retreat scheduled tomorrow for leaders of disciplemaking throughout the Philippines.
Please pray for safe travel, good health, and Spirit-filled ministry for all of us.
Below is a photo of our recent conference with church leaders in General Santos City.
