Amazing Ministries!

There were a wide variety of ministries that I was involved in during my time in Bontoc.  It was fun to have such a variety because I got to experience a lot of new things and grow in some amazing ways!

Sharing at the Moral Recovery Program

It was amazing that we were able to speak with the military and police about moral values!   There is no separation of church and state in the Philippines se we were able to share Biblical truths openly.  

We were also able to speak in the public high school about godly values which was an amazing experience to be sharing God's Word with students.

Making balloon animals for kids in the villages

A place where people make sacrifices

During some of our free hours we would go on prayer walks around the city.  We would talk with and pray for people we would meet along the way and were often invited into homes for some wonderful Filipino hospitality.  We also prayed over areas where pagan rituals happen regularly.

Planting Rice

Muddy work, but Fun!

I got pretty good at planting rice... getting the correct spacing and getting the plants deep enough, but not too deep.  I felt so slow though... the native ladies were so fast - like machines!  It took a while to plant the field, but we got 'er done!

Planting Coffee Trees

Live chickens tied in with the trees for lunch :0)

Planting coffee trees was crazy... we drove 1 1/2 hours to the planting site, planted trees for 1 hour, ate freshly butchered chicken and rice for 2 hours, and then drove another 1 1/2 hours home.  I was surprised that it took 5 hours to do 1 hour of work, but it was fun anyway!

Ministering at the Can-eo Station Church

Praying for Ochawin

 I took a village trip to Can-eo and taught Sunday school to some crazy, but sweet kids!  On that trip we also spent time praying for a woman named Ochawin who had tuberculosis and diabetes.  We witnessed God do a miracle in her heart as she accepted Jesus as her Savior!  It was cool to be there and see how the joy of the Lord came upon her and to hear her testify that she felt "lighter and free!"  Praise the Lord!

Teaching a DTS Class

The Bontoc YWAM base has a program called Student Sponsorship Ministry (SSM) where they house and disciple college students that come from remote villages.  Our team met with these students 2 or 3 times a week to teach, encourage, and pray with them.  It was a real honor to meet with these students, to pour into them and have them also pour into us in return.

Cleaning up trash at the high school

Hanging with April at the SPED center

 Our team spent the morning at a special education school and it was so cool to sing songs with them and make bracelets that tell the gospel story!  The students were so excited to have visitors and to have some fun activities, and I was so blessed by how the kids were receptive and fun to be with!

Playing volleyball  

Heading home one evening we found some girls playing volleyball so naturally we played a while with them and built up a friendship.  Each evening we would stop by and see if the girls were playing.  We caught up with them one other time and were able to pray for them after the game. 

Praying with people after church

 It was cool to minister to people in the Philippines, they are so gracious and humble.  I was so blessed by their tender hearts and willingness to respond to the Spirit!

Taking blood pressure at the health clinic

 On Fridays we would help at the health clinic where we would take blood pressure, do glucose checks, and visit with people.  I really enjoyed meeting people and learning how to do the blood pressure and glucose tests!

Praying for kids at the hospital

 Praying for kids at the hospital wasn't something I was really excited about.  I love kids, but I pretty much hate hospitals... they make me really uncomfortable.  At the hospital I met Camille, a little girl who was so sad.  Over some time I was able to cheer her up and get her to do some high fives!  Because of this positive experience I went again at another time to pray for more kids :0)

Bontoc, Philippines...

As I was getting ready for outreach, I did a little bit of research on the city of Bontoc and found that there wasn't very much information out there about this small mountain city.  It was all kind of a mystery until I arrived and experienced Bontoc for myself.

The city of Bontoc

I found that it is an amazing little place!  I could walk across town in about half and hour and see almost as many animals as people.  For being an animal lover, this was a great thing!  I saw pigs and dogs around every corner and an occasional chicken or carabou (water buffalo).

A Carabou on the Bridge

Little Piggies

A little Chick

There are a couple of different areas in Bontoc.  You have the city center which has the open market, various shops and government buildings.  Then you have the residential areas which are mostly little houses built on the rice terraces of years ago.  These housing areas were my favorite to walk through because the paths were so fun!  Narrow paths, streams, bridges, and stairs would be randomly and frequently mixed with each other to create a maze that meandered through the hills!  I don't think I ever walked the same path twice, but I always found my way home by taking any path heading down the hill.  

City Center

Residential Area

The people of Bontoc amazed me in so many ways!  They were always kind and considerate and their hospitality couldn't be beat!  There are many Filipino people in Bontoc that I miss dearly and hope to see again someday!  

One of the families I hope to see again someday!

Catching Up...

Wowzers!  A lot has happened over the last five months of my life and boy has it been a GREAT thing!  I feel like I've finally come alive and am able to thrive in the life that God has given me!

The first three months of my DTS lecture taught me a lot about the character of God and also my own identity.  I found it amazing how as I learned the truth of God's love and forgiveness, I was able to accept and embrace who God created me to be.  This began a journey of discovering the gifts and talents that I have and finding out how God wants me to use them.

Through my two months of outreach I found that I CAN do anything that God asks me to do!  He has equipped me and anointed me to do His work.  All I have to do is walk in obedience to what God asks me to do and God takes care of the rest.  Sure I made some mistakes and had challenges along the way, but I'm growing and learning through them.  I'm so glad that God doesn't expect perfection from me, He knows that I'm finite and will make mistakes.  He just wants my best :0)

After these five months of discipleship training I sense like I've just begun to unwrap the great things that God has planned for my life.  I feel like I'm supposed to press in for more and also to step out into new areas of leadership.  I believe that YWAM Salem is a great place for me to do this so I'm applying to be on staff in Oregon for the next two years.

To be on staff I would need to raise support for all my living costs and outreach expenses since staff volunteer 100% of their time and are not paid.  I would like to ask you all to pray about partnering financially with me in this next season of my life.

Thank you to all who have helped me on my journey thus far!
~Marie