3 Months in the Philippines –
Even though already evening, I was bowled over by the heat wave that hit me as I made my way out of the airport. For the next few weeks the heat and mosquitoes would be my main challenge. I was relieved to find my room had an air-con. My room and bed is great! The food is great! In fact, the accommodation in general is great! While there are no warm showers, in these conditions I wouldn’t use one anyway… and the people here are really friendly!!
I’ve been adventurous in trying out some local delicacies: lechón, balut, exotic fish and most recently, dried squid, to name a few. I have also been learning to play basketball and while my dribbling and tackling is okay, it can’t be compared with these guys who have been playing for years. I do however have a significant advantage in height, size and strength that I can use to my advantage, and so I managed to win the very first basketball game that I tried! All in all it’s been an awesome experience!
Word by Heart
For my first week of teaching, I did the parable of the 10 Minas (Luke 19:11-27), and was happy that it went really well. What stood out to me in this section was (v12) “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return…” As things worked, noblemen competed with each other to become king. Thus the delegation that went after him, not wanting him to be their king, were likely loyal to other noblemen. This equates perfectly to other (false) gods. Another revelation was in v27, ’’But as for these enemies of mine, who do not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me’’. The third servant, even though wicked and lazy is not amongst those that are executed. He remains a servant of the King. It is those who didn’t want him as king that are to be executed. In the story of the children being brought to Jesus, (Like 18:15-17) ‘the children’s story version’ has always given the impression that Jesus was off resting somewhere and that the children came to Him at an inappropriate time, causing the disciples to react like they did… but I came to realize, that the crowds were still there, and that it was rather because of the low social standing of children, that they were refused. Another significant realization in that week was the idea that: Jesus lost Judas! Even though he was one of the 12, and therefore one his closest followers, Jesus lost him! I should therefore not feel bad or take it personally, should I lose a friend, or ‘not be able to get through’ to somebody. It is these ‘light-bulb moments’ that come from the in depth study of committing these well-known Bible verses to heart, that make Word by Heart such a treasure.
For my own project while in Philippines (I’m expected to learn 20 min of new stories), I decided to do as much of the book of Daniel as time would allow. I intended to have the first 6 Chapters of Daniel in my heart and presentable by the end of my time here. However being ill disrupted my plans. I have currently only learned the first 5 chapters, and that still requires a lot of work.
Amongst the 7 students learning the Gospel of Luke of by heart, some of them came from the Islands regions of the Philippines, and speak languages that don’t have a Bible translation. There are 7 641 Islands in the Philippines. They now have the Gospel of Luke in their hearts to take back to their Islands, and are in the process of partnering with the group called, “Ending Bible Poverty” to help them with a printed translation.
Here is a link to the graduation video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbgCZNjbUg&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0HNcfEYjXIC3yQbSc3FB6W1wlxdQO3YzPjZEOBFzc6UsJpiV5lM_nVdEc]
I hope to be able to complete my ‘outreach phase’ of Word by Heart when I return home. (I still need to complete 20 more 30-minute presentations, with an audience of at least 2-3 people).
Word By Heart School Staff and Students
Outreach
As staffing a Word by Heart school meant that I was mostly involved with the students on the base, I soon started getting restless with the routine I was in and so made use of every occasion I could get to join some of the base’s other ministries. Two instances that stand out to me most were both kids’ ministries. The first was just all round a really great experience with lots of new things. Since I had not been able to prep ministry with the other guys, I ended up just watching and observing for a while. The ministry was solely for kids, probably ages 4 – 11ish. I noticed that those older than that, also just stood around and watched. I then took the opportunity to talk to them about their dreams and ambitions – who they are, who God made them to be, and shared some personal testimonies. It was really good! Ministry here is much easier than it was in Scotland or in India. The second time was at a slum. The plan was to talk and minister through face painting and such (drawing out the artist in me). Personally I had great fun and the kids and teens seemed to really like what I did for them, even though I was a bit overwhelmed at first – there were about 20-30 of them all jumping and pushing against me, trying to be the next in line to get painted. It was great! What I also found very interesting here, was the style of buildings… the colours, etc, greatly resembled BoKaap (in Cape Town).
Provision
Obstacles or challenges along the way, while not always pleasant to endure, build character and faith. My season in Philippines was certainly not lacking in challenges or opportunities for God to be glorified.
On Saturday, the 5th of October, I woke up and my voice was gone. Not a big deal – I had a fun day of mime practice. But by Sunday, I woke up in a bad state! Crazy headache, sinusitis, sore throat, coughing (which really hurt); sore eyes, sore joints; actually my entire body was sore (like with the flu); my stomach was upset and I had stomach cramps… I had a fever at 39.8ᵒC! (Before leaving for Philippines, I had been had cautioned not to take ‘the usual headache/fever meds’ due to travel warnings of a Dengue fever outbreak (a mosquito borne virus), as taking them could be dangerous. There were 2 confirmed cases of Dengue on the base). By God’s grace I managed to get to a hospital the same day. This did however require a lot of waiting in uncomfortable conditions. A blood test was ordered and I was booked for 9pm. I went to the lab, saw the guy there wasn’t doing anything so asked if I could have my blood test done. He started getting everything ready, but then saw the paper said ’9pm’ and told me to come back later. I had to wait for what felt like an eternity! I also had to do a stool exam… which I was unable to complete by 11pm, L so decide to head back to the YWAM base. By this time, if I had the energy or strength to be mad, I would have been fuming, but all I wanted was my bed. The next few days were really difficult… lots of prayers were being prayed, but there seemed to be no difference. I was forced to be absent from the WBH classes for the week. Despite everything, God was still really good to me in providing friends and a support network around me that were amazing during it all – delivering food to me, taking over work duties, buying things for me at my request, accompanying me when I needed to go back to the hospital again, a pharmacist and masseur on base, and even a personal ‘herbal tea making’ assistant.
On my last trip to the hospital, God highlighted someone to me. He was in great pain as he lay on the hospital bed waiting for his turn. I had already been waiting for 4 hours and the time had come for me to get my test results back, so I decided to get them instead. I was hot, tired, irritated, dizzy, and nauseas – I just wanted my results! So I said to God, “Alright, if he is still there when I return from getting my results, I’ll ask whether I can pray for him.” When I retuned he was still there, but by this time also had some family / friends standing around. I asked them what was wrong and whether it would be ok for me to pray for him (He didn’t speak English). They said he had had a heart attack; his left arm was wrapped in plaster because it was [paralyzed] and his back was in great pain! So I prayed for him, and when I asked him how he felt, he claimed his back felt better. (No idea how his arm was doing though as that was in a cast) Then, before I could talk much more to him, I was rather forcefully shooed away, but more importantly though, God had revealed His presence, not just to me and the guy I prayed for, but for his family, the doctors around and the other people in that crowded passage as well. Despite my circumstances, God was using me to plant seeds. This made my day and brought me great joy!! (I hope he is doing well!)
During this time, I also became aware of a student who was doing their DTS here, who didn’t have money for their outreach fees yet. Even though I myself am dependant on sponsors, I felt God say that I should contribute. I spoke to the leaders, got the team’s bank account and asked them to keep me anonymous… but I couldn’t get the transfer to go through, it kept failing!? Eventually I gave up… until God reminded me of it on Tuesday the 8th. I responded, ‘‘but you know it didn’t work, what am I supposed to do?” HE responded: “Just give it directly! Wanting to strictly remain anonymous – not wanting any recognition for it out of fear that that’s all the reward you’ll receive (Mat 6:5), is religious!” Well, I don’t know if I was ‘being rewarded’ for actually assisting with the fees; if it was the meds, all the prayer, the really goodnight’s sleep the night before, all the fruit I ate the day before, or a combination of everything, but I woke up the following day, Wed 9th feeling A LOT better!!! My fever was gone, and the headache which I had had for 5 days straight at a pain level of 8 to 9 out of 10, was gone!! Thank you, Jesus!! J
My time in the Philippines was indeed eventful. I also had to visit a dentist while there, to have a wisdom tooth removed. As things turned out, I ended up having the opportunity to minister to the dentist as well, shared some stories and prayed for her.
Shortly before graduation, straight after I had spent much time working on and editing a video presentation for the graduation, I lost my bag, containing my laptop and passport (and some other less significant things) while using public transport. While frustrated about losing the laptop – with the video presentation that I had worked so hard on to create – my passport was of way more significance! I had just 6 more days until my flight home. To get a temporary passport, I would need to fly to Manila. I thought of the inconvenience and expense involved and then left the matter in God’s hands. Fortunately God had my back. He knew where my bag was and once again used the situation for His glory. My bag was somehow found by the neighbor of the base leader – I imagine by going through the contents of the bag they would have realized it was someone’s at YWAM, and thus I got my bag back the following day, laptop, passport and all…and in time to use the video presentation for graduation.
The significance of getting my bag back and NOT needing to go to Manila became even more evident the day I left Philippines. On 3 December, Manila’s airport was shut for 12 hours; half a million people were evacuated as typhoon Kammuri swept through the archipelago. JEHOVAH SABAOTH – The LORD our Protector – was keeping me safe.
On the matter of finances…, I was a bit strained after unexpected medical bills, and even more so after obeying God and giving towards the DTS student. You can watch her video here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-nMLQtb9u0&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2MnoR_Z0yzA8CbIG9Za4b1o7M9CbAgjyEEkCj7LUW1j8S2C-vYioEozxE]
However God IS Jehovah Jirah, our provider! I received financial support from Worcester United Church and other individuals (you know who you are) and at a critical moment, unexpectedly received financial support from someone very special (a family member), without him knowing any specifics! That was a great help! I would like to extend a specific word of thanks to him and everyone else, for being obedient and for partnering with me in the Lord’s work. Lastly I also want to extend thanks to the rest of my family, to my friends and spiritual family all over the world, for their support in prayer, love and motivation.
P.S. Should you feel led or inspired to partner with me and actively “participate in the Harvest” by ‘’supporting me in the field” you can do so in two ways:
1st – through prayer, for strength in great challenges, further growth, providence, wisdom and for more amazing encounters with God.
2nd –financially: Banking detatils
FNB – Branch Code: 200407
Account Number: 62736570757
I also have a Paypal account: paypal.me/DanielFaure1079
Thank you! Best regards and blessings, Daniel.
United with Dan on a Mission 
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