3 Day Weekend.....Pinoy style.

The time in Mindanao, or better yet Malaybalay City, has been very enjoyable. Being re-united with the self dubbed "Pinoy Mafia" (not sure why) has been a blast. It is interesting to me how you can meet people across the world and yet click on so many levels. So it goes without saying that getting back into the mix with my brothers and sisters in Mindanao has been effortless.

FRIDAY: This last Friday night they invited me to lead their weekly bible study. So around 7pm we gathered at Jason's house. After some food we piled into his room and began digging in. We spent some serious time discussing Sin, moving from Romans 8:12-13.

SATURDAY: Saturday began bright and early at Camp Mt. Moriah (the children's home). It was the weekly children's ministry for children of the city and surrounding areas. At 9am youth from surrounding Universities and Colleges are picked up for Counselors training--some coming from an hour away. They then spent several hours of instruction and training in teaching materials for the children. We ate lunch together and by the time we had finished it was 12:30pm and time to pick up the children. I rode with one of the drivers to one of the "Burangas" (villages) where we picked up two van loads of children...and I mean van loads. By the time we finished our second run it was 2:30pm. The event begins around 2pm, but we were on what the locals call "Filipino time", so no worries. The 100+ children then spent the next 2hrs in separate teaching groups, singing songs, playing games and eating. After the children have finished it was time for the counselors to debrief, so the 30 counselors sat and shared about the days events. Around 5:30pm it was time for Donald(K.I.M staff member, and founding Pinoy Mafia member) and I to get back onto the road again. 19 Counselors stuffed themselves into the van and we took them back to the city of Vincente, which was an hour away.

SUNDAY; Got the chance to go to Jun's church. He is the chairman of the board for K.I.M. and is pasturing a church in the heart of Malaybalay City. We got to the catering business, which is the site of the church chapel for Sunday, at 9am. After greeting him he asked for some information to introduce me to the church and then asked if I could share my testimony with them, I complied happily. I spoke in English and the youth pastor translated in Visayan. After the service the youth pastor told me about a program that has been instituted by the mayor for University students. The "Character Formation Program" is a program which makes it mandatory for students who receive funding from the mayor's office to attend a weekly Sunday night worship/teaching ministry. Tonight was the first meeting and the youth pastor asked me if I would be willing to share my testimony at the event, I complied. So, around 7pm I sat in on the invocation of the "Character Formation Program" of Bukidnon State University. With some 100+ students in attendance I gave my best effort to speak clear coherent English and shared with them the sinner I knew best. With students and mayor in attendance I proceeded to share that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God to save sinners; both like me and any in the crowd who would believe.

...It has been a long weekend.