Today was our first work day on the construction site – ground zero. We went into today desiring to serve the Filipino work team that was already on site and especially to be a source of 
encouragement to them. I believe, by God’s grace, we were able to do both. It was also our first day we rode in a Jeepney.
There were over 30 people on site. We had two primary teams; one team installing the electrical work and the other laying concrete block. The electrical team completed all the preliminary work so they could pull finish wire and install the receptacles tomorrow. We will actually have lights installed tomorrow.
The concrete block team was the larger team. This team moved over 1,200 concrete blocks and laid about 800 blocks. This included mixing the cement by hand, moving it in buckets, and installing rebar as we built the wall. It was amazing the way the team worked together with our Filipino brothers who were invaluable to the task.
The weather was much hotter today and affected everyone. We used lots of sunscreen and were relieved by moments of shade; fortunately there was no snow! We have been eating well since we have arrived. Rice is the staple food that is served with breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, we had an assortment of rice delicacies for one of our breaks today; rice cakes, rice squares, and rice
wrapped in bamboo leaves.
There are about 10 Filipino pastors who have been constructing the building since last November. They return to their homes on Friday evening so that on Saturday they can prepare their sermons for Sunday. They have been serving sacrificially and joyfully. There is a school across the street from the job site. We have gotten to know some of the children quite well. Their smiles, and questions, and friendliness have been a great source of encouragement to us.
We thank God for CrossWay’s investment in this work. The investment our church is making here is going to reap gospel benefits for years to come. We love that CrossWay has the vision to partner with other pastors across the world to strengthen the church’s witness in the world. Not until eternity will we fully know all that God will accomplish through CrossWay’s investment in the Philippines. It has our been our joy to represent CrossWay in the Philippines, our only wish is that you were all here to see and experience what God is doing first hand. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of being part of this work.
Please pray …
1. …for a full night’s sleep. The entire team went to bed by 8:00 p.m. last night and was wide awake by 3:30 a.m. Please pray for a quick adjustment to the time difference.
2. …for continued health and safety on the job site, safety in our travels to and from the site, and for on-going physical health.
3. …that our team would be a great encouragement to this gospel work in the Philippines. Pray that we would seek to serve our Filipino brothers on the job site with grace, gratefulness, joyfulness, and selflessness.
4. …for fellowship for our team. Please pray that we would be able to care for one-another and that God would make His presence known through our testimonies and on-going mutual ministry to one-another.
encouragement to them. I believe, by God’s grace, we were able to do both. It was also our first day we rode in a Jeepney.There were over 30 people on site. We had two primary teams; one team installing the electrical work and the other laying concrete block. The electrical team completed all the preliminary work so they could pull finish wire and install the receptacles tomorrow. We will actually have lights installed tomorrow.
The concrete block team was the larger team. This team moved over 1,200 concrete blocks and laid about 800 blocks. This included mixing the cement by hand, moving it in buckets, and installing rebar as we built the wall. It was amazing the way the team worked together with our Filipino brothers who were invaluable to the task.
The weather was much hotter today and affected everyone. We used lots of sunscreen and were relieved by moments of shade; fortunately there was no snow! We have been eating well since we have arrived. Rice is the staple food that is served with breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, we had an assortment of rice delicacies for one of our breaks today; rice cakes, rice squares, and rice
wrapped in bamboo leaves.There are about 10 Filipino pastors who have been constructing the building since last November. They return to their homes on Friday evening so that on Saturday they can prepare their sermons for Sunday. They have been serving sacrificially and joyfully. There is a school across the street from the job site. We have gotten to know some of the children quite well. Their smiles, and questions, and friendliness have been a great source of encouragement to us.
We thank God for CrossWay’s investment in this work. The investment our church is making here is going to reap gospel benefits for years to come. We love that CrossWay has the vision to partner with other pastors across the world to strengthen the church’s witness in the world. Not until eternity will we fully know all that God will accomplish through CrossWay’s investment in the Philippines. It has our been our joy to represent CrossWay in the Philippines, our only wish is that you were all here to see and experience what God is doing first hand. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of being part of this work.
Please pray …
1. …for a full night’s sleep. The entire team went to bed by 8:00 p.m. last night and was wide awake by 3:30 a.m. Please pray for a quick adjustment to the time difference.
2. …for continued health and safety on the job site, safety in our travels to and from the site, and for on-going physical health.
3. …that our team would be a great encouragement to this gospel work in the Philippines. Pray that we would seek to serve our Filipino brothers on the job site with grace, gratefulness, joyfulness, and selflessness.
4. …for fellowship for our team. Please pray that we would be able to care for one-another and that God would make His presence known through our testimonies and on-going mutual ministry to one-another.
