Bountiful Blessings in Butuan

During this week I was astounded by all the impactful experiences I was having each day, how each day was filled with missions work and being His hands and feet. At some point we asked Pastor Roszel about the program they had put together for us while in the Philippines, only to realise that this is how they actually live their everyday lives. That we get to come along and live what they live each week. If that doesn't put things into perspective, I'm not sure what else will. That we get to come here for two weeks and join during our missions trips, but they are living their missions calling each and every day of their lives. Whoa.

Now I'm an avid believer that your everyday experience is your mission field, and that Jesus can equip you to be a "missionary" still in a sense with each simple task you complete. But I must say nothing really leaves me quite as alive as I am when I am living the missions like I'm living now. It would give me great pleasure to serve like this constantly, but I also know that my studies and getting my degrees is incredibly important to me to have the papers and qualifications to fully reach and impact the lives of the people I want to work with. Yes, God equips us, but I want to be able to study and know all the laws and ways to fully know and be able to help. To have those qualifications to be able to have the open doors and opportunities to do more. I hope that one I have them I would even be able to be able to be employed to do therapeutic trips for my music therapy - God can make a way! 

A few of the girls who I've formed a with will constantly ask me to please stay in the Philippines, or at least promise to come back. I'm careful not to make promises that I may not be able to keep, but I do tell them that I would love to come back. They even added they would try find me a husband if it would mean I could stay. All you can really do is smile. Though a dream is that one day I will be joined to someone who shares this heart like I do, because I don't think I could live with someone who didn't. Who couldn't give me the space to live my calling.

Yesterday was filled with absolutely  anointed church services. From the house church where Aris shared, and from being given the blessing for me to preach in the Butuan main church, to a service dedicated just to the kids, and ending with the best youth service I've probably had in my life. 

I could probably write pages about each of those services and how anointed they were. God's presence is so incredibly powerful and taken up by all their hungry hearts. I am feeling Him on such a raw and deep level, and I cannot get enough of it. 

The day was bountiful with blessing, and I cannot begin to express my gratitude.

Awakening to a Calling

I was delighted to wake up realising I had slept through the night after successfully keeping myself up till to nine thirty the night before to try my best to adjust to the time zone. That did mean being awake already at six when I could've slept a bit longer, but I still felt rested. Still a bit strange eating breakfast at around 3am for my body's internal clock, but the service and people have been so lovely here. I'm already in love with this country! The warmth and friendliness feels like a bit of a taste of the culture I miss from South Africa when I'm not there.

This trip has already been such a testimony to what God is stirring in even just my life. For me especially it was special to have one of our layovers be in Hong Kong, as my first ever missions trip had been there when I'd been only six months with parents back in the YWAM days. I'm a person who appreciates symbols and this for me was significant, as I came to cross it on my first missions trip now as an "adult" (the quotations are being used, because I still feel like a child with much to learn - but I serve a God who enables me). I just last week received a word that Jesus would enable me to roar powerfully like a lion and passionately share His love. 

We leave to Butuan airport in around 30 minutes, and I cannot wait to see this all come to be - after buying some good coffee though, I'm in need. 

KLB on Face Book

For more information on what is happening at Kingdom Life Butuan, please click here:

KLB Inauguration

The alarm went off at 5:20am so I could have a quick, quiet shower before being picked up to go to the radio station for the 6:00am live stream. Berwyn and Julius took me and we got to the radio station punctually and waited for the announcer to arrive. He finally pitched up at 5:59am just in time to enter his cubicle and speak directly into the microphone. He said two sentences and there was a power cut. Change of plan. No radio broadcast and I hadn't had my coffee! Grace abounds. We made our way back to our hotel and I invited them for breakfast. After spending a bit of time with the radio producer, we made our way to Bo's until it was time to go to Kingdom Life Butuan for their Sunday meeting and the special inauguration ceremony.

The room was packed and because of the power cut that then lastet until evening, we couldn't use any electrical equipment for the worship and speaking. We proceeded anyway and there was great joy in the house. It was a very special time as the children sang for us and we ordained Roszel and confirmed Julius as the senior leaders of KLB. I then shared a message from Isaiah 61 as a prophetic word for KLB that God has planted them as oaks of righteousness for the display of His splendour. We then shared communion together and blessed the church.

After a yummy lunch we went with Julius, Roszel, Berwyn,Liberty and the kids to try the traditional Halo-Halo, a dessert that is basically a mixture of different things. Ours had sweet corn, coconut, ice cream and other interesting-tasting ingredients. It was delicious. After saying bye-bye to the Halo-Halo, we made our way back to the hotel with Berwyn, Liberty and the kids so that they could swim in the pool for he afternoon.

In the evening we attended KLB's first youth meeting and over 60 young people came. We spent some time in worship and then I was asked to share a message. I spoke on God's calling a generation of radical worshippers and urged the young people to follow God wholeheartedly. God's presence was wonderful and the Holy Spirit was clearly stirring hearts into flame. It was a powerful evening and I am excited to see what God will do through those who submit to His call.

As we are finishing off for the day, we are enjoying some of this delicious, exotic fruit. I have forgotten what it is called. It tastes amazing.

Thank you Lord for another amazing day and for the lives you are impacting and will impact through KLB!

"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for he display of His splendour." Isaiah 61:3

Ordination of Pastor Julius

On Sunday (4 May 2014) pastors Richard and Frances Morschel, together with bishop Sony Okpekpe,ordained Julius Regala as pastor of Kingdom Life Butuan. You can listen to the ordination here.

Pastor Julius Regala

We are excited to have pastor Julius Regala with us in Frankfurt! Julius is the senior leader of Kingdom Life Butuan, our first church plant in the Philippines. We are thrilled to be part of God's work in Butuan and in the Philippines and we are expecting breakthrough in the area as God reveals His Kingdom through His people.

Kingdom Life Butuan

Glory to God!

The Mabini Project has developed into the planting of a new church in Butuan. In July 2014 Kingdom Life Frankfurt will be launching a new church plant in Butuan: Kingdom Life Butuan. We praise God for His faithfulness and for what He is planning to do through KLB. We are excited about furthering God's Kingdom in the Philippines and seeing many lives changed with the presence, the love and the power of God. Hallelujah.

In July, pastors Richard and Frances Morschel will be travelling to Butuan to inaugurate KLF's new church plant. We will be updating this blog as we approach this exciting trip...

Reconciled to God!

Today I had 3 meetings. The first 2 were in Remedios T. Romualdez (conveniently referred to as RTR). The first church service was at a Four Square church where the youth seminar was held yesterday. I spoke on sonship and the difference between identity in Christ and intimacy with God from the parable of the prodigal son. It was a wonderful meeting and when I invited those who had never made a decision to follow Christ and become sons of God, over 15 people gave their lives to the Lord. Hallelujah! I am amazed at the response we are getting in our meetings!

After a delicious lunch we made our way to New Life in Christ church nearby. When we arrived I found a group awaiting our arrival of people aged between 1 month and 60 years old! The majority of the church were the youth pastor's youth group and other youngsters from other churches. Using a mobile phone I explained the Gospel and how we need Jesus to be connected to the life, the power and the love of the Father. We had a tremendous amount of fun and after the message almost everyone gave their life to Jesus! I then invited people to be prayed for to be healed and 4 or 5 people came for prayer and subsequently testified to experiencing the power of God! Glory to God!

After a couple mangos and a lovely time with the people and especially with the youth pastor Dennis who is a real character, we made our way back to Butuan where I was to lead a kids' meeting at the Free Methodist church. We waited a while for transport and eventually got on a rather crowded bus that was overflowing with adults, kids and a chicken! After 15 minutes travel, I suddenly heard a loud bang and the sound of air escaping as one of the tyres had burst. We immediately stopped and I praise God that nothing serious happened. Berwyn and I got off the bus as the rest waited for the bus driver to change the tyre. We then caught another bus and finally got to the church 20 minutes late.

I quickly entered the hall and found a group of about 100 kids worshipping God. Again, I spoke to them about how we need to be connected to Jesus in order to be connected to the Father's life, power and love. We had a lot of fun and they particularly enjoyed my action game I did with them inbetween some profound truth! Half way through the message, we had a power cut and I had to do the remainder of the meeting in the dark with the help of a few emergency lights! By now it seemed to me that the enemy was really trying hard to stop God's work. The darkness, however, didn't and couldn't stop us! I then invited anyone who wanted to decide to follow Jesus to pray with us and to my astonishment over two thirds of the chidren raised their hand to follow Jesus. I then invited those who had surrendered their lives to the Lord to come forward for prayer to be filled with the presence, the power and the love of God. The children all made their way to the front in he dark and one by one we prayed for each one of these precious souls. It was the most amazing atmosphere and the presence of God was wonderful. I was later told by the youth leader, Julius, that they do not usually get a response from the kids like we witnessed today. I praise God for His awesome work in rescuing these kids from the kingdom of darkness and placing them in the kingdom of the Son he loves! Hallelujah!

After the meeting I was shattered but we still went out for grilled chicken with a small group as it was pastor Julius' birthday today! At the restaurant I went to the men's loo and managed to lock myself in, unable to get out again as the door handle inside was broken! All I could do was bang on the door and wait until someone eventually rescued me. Praise God!

Tomorrow should be a day of rest but you never know what "suddenlies" the Holy Spirit has planned! It's been an incredible day. Many lives have been saved and healed. I am simply in awe of what God is doing here. His Kingdom is here and I just sense His passion for His creation and His longing for all to be reconciled to His presence, power and love.

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the message of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting man's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:18-20

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