Thank you for your prayers and support during our recent ministry trip to the Philippines!
What impacted me unforgettably on our trip, was what I experienced one afternoon in one of the poorest neighborhoods, or “barangays” of Manila. For two generations, Guidelines Missionaries, the Manalo family, have lived out and shared Christ with Barangay Valencia. In 2004, Guidelines came alongside them to build the “Guidelines Barangay Valencia Ministry Center,” a tiny 10ft x 10ft, 4-story building in the heart of the community.
As I walked with Pastor Joshua Manalo down the “eskinita” or lane, which threads through the community, life swirled around me: women washing, men cooking chicken feet, roosters roosting, kids bathing, a guitar being strummed, small purchases being made at the brightly colored tiny stores that dot the passageway. I was met with warm greetings by all.
Today Pastor Joshua Manalo and his wife, Jessa, don’t so much have a church in the barangay, as they ARE the church. They live in the Center. Sunday afternoons, 40 neighborhood kids enjoy a meal, fun and teaching at the “Kids Come to Jesus Club” at the Ministry Center. Young men of the barangay play on the basketball team, coached by Pastor Joshua (uniforms and tennis shoes provided by you, Guidelines partner). Several of the players have come to faith in Christ and meet weekly for discipleship with Joshua.
But the ministry I was able to take part in was Pampering Wednesday. Each week, ten women are invited to the center to receive an afternoon of love and attention such as a foot massage or a manicure. This particular Wednesday, ten women, all mothers under the age of 23, were having their hair shampooed, conditioned and blown dry.
One said that she was so happy to have her hair washed because she couldn’t afford to pay her neighbors to use their water spigot to wash. The tiny one-room “home” that she shares with a total of 20 people has no water or even room for all to sleep inside. When it’s their turn to “sleep out,” there’s nowhere to sleep but in the small passageway through the barangay that functions as street, kitchen, laundry and sewer.
Four of the young mothers there that day live together with four brothers, their babies and extended family. Unmarried, they reason, “Why should we marry the fathers of our children when we know we will be replaced by another woman in time?” Many wore sadness and pain beyond their years on their faces. As tresses soaked in oil, a simple message of God’s love and Jesus’ provision was shared, a snack of caramelized, fried bananas served, topped off with a little karaoke.
One of the women said that before meeting Jesus through Pampering Wednesdays, she had fought continuously with her neighbors. Now, her radically changed behavior puzzles her neighbors and she is sharing Christ with them. What began in this needy place by Pastor Joshua’s parents and my parents, is being carried farther. And so, we have the privilege of seeing the fruit of a second generation of Guidelines’ ministry in the country of the Philippines.
We also had the opportunity to share the love of God through live radio and television interviews, book fairs, and seminars.
Your prayers and donations have enabled us to reach many people with the message of Jesus. If you were touched by these stories of transformation, you can help us go farther and have an even greater impact by praying and giving.
We are so thankful to be on mission with you.