To take people right where they are, whatever their position, whatever their condition, and help them in every way possible, this is gospel ministry. |
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Hi everyone, It's been awhile since we have shared news about our ministry in the Philippines. Things have gotten quite busy and by the time we realized it, four months have passed since we have given you an update. The Lord is working amazingly and we can only praise and thank Him for His guidance and providence. In this newsletter we will be covering the following updates: – God's provision regarding the C-182 plane to be used at Tuy airbase – How Tuy airbase is slowly becoming a hub for us – String of prayers answered just by traveling to Banuar – How God has used our home to be an abode for other missionaries – Our other ministries – online, community and music ministries. – How you can support financially – What to pray for |
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NEWSLETTER AUG - NOV 2021 |
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Airplane Updates & Fundraising Recently The Lord impressed me to try an old Biblical approach to asking God for help. I have read much about it in the newsletters of Dwayne and Wendy Harris (PAMAS), so I finally got to giving it a try. It is basically fasting and praying for 3 days, just drinking water and coconut water. Throughout the time, I prayed for three things: my character and spiritual growth, the donors and their family, and lastly, our aviation needs. About a week later, I got a call from an old friend back in the US who donated $7,800 USD towards the airplane fundraiser. She said she got some inheritance money from her grandmother who died in 2019, and so God was impressing her to give back to Him for blessing her financially. We also got a powerful story from a donor who gave the first $1,000 USD donation towards the airplane fundraiser. As a result of sharing his story behind his donation, two other new donors decided to match the $1,000 USD. We are seeing God using social media in amazing ways! The condolence video we made for Kobe was shared over a hundred times and had over 5,000 views. As a result, many people have seen it from different parts of the world and many of Kobe's friends and relatives gave a total of $800 USD towards the airplane. Donations even came from Kobe's parents. As we were putting this newsletter together, we got a call from the airplane owners telling us that they are willing to transfer the ownership of the airplane in good faith that we will pay for it within 1 year, even though we have not raised all the money to pay for it. Such an amazing God we serve! The video below is the latest update we've made regarding this fundraiser. |
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Watch: Latest update regarding the C-182 we are planning to purchase, by God's grace! And how you can make a significant contribution to this project. |
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Left to right: 1) Overlooking the community close to Tuy airbase; 2) Davin, Michael (videographer) and CJ (airplane mechanic) in front of the hangar. C-182 we're planning to purchase behind them; 3) Overlooking Mt. Batulao and the runway. |
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An Official Link for Tax Deductible Receipts When you give thru the tax-deductible link you will be taken to a page with opportunities to donate to several ministries. The picture below shows you our official button. |
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Recent Trip Back to Banuar Turned Out To Be Answered Prayers for Several People With COVID-19 protocols and traveling out-of-country becoming tighter and more difficult, the foreign PAMAS missionaries have decided to update their visas so they can stay in the Philippines longer without incurring exorbitant fees. Visa extensions can cost up to $200 USD every 60 days, and in ministry currency, that money can go very far if used to help others. It takes a lot of paperwork, wisdom, stamina and patience to comply with the requirements, but we are very grateful for Mrs. Quieng (we fondly call her 'Granny Mary), a local resident who has graciously volunteered her time and efforts to assist us in doing the necessary paperwork. While the PAMAS missionaries from Palawan can fly and stay with us in order to finish their visa requirements, the Banuar missionaries did not have the same opportunity to come. So Davin volunteered to drive all the way there (which takes about 8-10 hours one way) to pick up their passports since mailing it via courier is not the best option. On his way to Banuar, the Patrol broke down. Praise God he was still in Manila when it happened. A tow truck was contacted and when he posted it on social media, a friend came to the rescue and brought him some lunch. He paid for the towing fees as well which was a real blessing. This delayed the trip for a day and while it was quite inconvenient to have to wait, but all things work together for those who love the Lord. Turns out, a kid with special needs have to be transported to Banuar to stay with his relatives while his mom recoup from a recent difficult child birth. If Davin left earlier, the family would not have had the means to transport him. Making the most of his stay in Banuar, Davin flew some flights to give Rey Sikich (director for Banuar Project) a bit of a break from flying. Some flights required Davin to wear the protective suit because he had to transport two COVID-positive patients. One other memorable flight was transporting the remains of 4-year old Kobe. Kobe's family is from Batanes and a few months before had to request PAMAS services to fly their son to the hospital to treat his illness. In fact, Davin was the one who also flew them previously but it was a sad reunion this time. Kobe did not recover and the family's request was that his remains be brought back to Batanes so they can have proper closure. We have made a condolence video below documenting the final hours of Kobe's family with their son's remains. |
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Left to right: 1) Davin's Patrol getting towed; 2) 9-year old kid with autism to be transported to Banuar; 3) Getting ready to fly to Batanes; 4) Wearing protective suit while transporting a COVID patient |
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Watch: An Ivatan couple's son dies of cancer and needed his remains to be flown back to Batanes island. |
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Left to right: 1) Kobe's remains; 2) Short stopover lunch with Pastor Eserjun and another church member in Tuguegarao; 3) Patient's much needed oxygen in flight; 4) Frontliners bringing lab work from Batanes hospital |
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Left to right: 1) ‘Granny Mary’ is unofficial liaison officer for PAMAS; 2) Map of Davin's 8-hour drive from Banuar to Manila |
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Hospitality Do you recall the story of the Shunammite couple in 2 Kings 4:8-37? In verse 10, this couple decided to make a small room dedicated for the prophet Elisha so that he always has a place to stay whenever he visits Shunem. To us, this really takes hospitality above and beyond and has really inspired us to do the same for other people. While we can rent a small apartment and save a lot of money as we work on making an airbase for Tuy, we decided to get a roomier house knowing that when the missionaries need to sort things out and get supplies in the city, they can have a place to stay. In the course of 5 months, we've had many missionaries passing by. What an amazing opportunity we had to bond, mingle, interview and encourage one another in the gospel work! |
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Left to right: 1) Dwayne & Wendy Harris back from furlough; 2 & 3) Sean Knapp (PAMAS Palawan director) and family spends several days to work on their visa; 4) Ray Sikich (PAMAS Banuar director) and family spends a night |
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Watch: On one of Dwayne's visit at the house, he shared his journey of faith while being a missionary pilot in the Philippines. This exclusive interview is now a 3-part series available on the Flying by Faith Youtube channel. Episode 1 and 2 are currently live, and Episode 3 will be posted soon. |
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Left to right: 1) Full house with the Knapp family, Jasper Iturriaga, Daniel Lui, and Bro. Alvin; 2) Celebrating Granny Mary's birthday with a special dinner; 3) Ms. Leilani, an old friend from Hartland visits for a weekend; 4) A Jamaican family studying in AIIAS spends the Sabbath with us |
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Michael “Sir, I know how powerful a good video is in gaining interest for people to donate. I would like to volunteer and make videos for you, for free, so you can get the donations you need for the plane.” This was a message sent to Davin out of the blue from a guy named Michael. We didn't know if the text was legit but we gave it the benefit of the doubt since we needed as much help as we can get in raising funds for the prospective plane that will operate in Tuy, Batangas. Turned out, Michael was the real deal! He saw our posts on Facebook and it piqued his interest. He's still in college but with the online classes provided by his university, it allowed him more freedom to do stuff that he really loves to do – videography and flying. And what a blessing Michael turned out to be. He is very good at his craft, has a very humble spirit, and sincere at the work he does. Several of the pictures and videos we have been putting out recently are made by him. |
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Left to right: 1) Michael getting his drone ready to capture Tuy airbase; 2) Michael transforms our living room into an interview studio; 3) He's enjoying our vegan meals |
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Tuy and Ground Support Tuy, Batangas is about 2 hours drive from where we currently live. It is owned privately, but the owners have graciously allowed PAMAS to use their airstrip for free whenever they needed to do important stuff in Manila and the nearby islands and cities. In the recent evangelistic crusade led by Ted Wilson and the Adventist World Radio (AWR), PAMAS was requested to provide airlift for several personnel to fly to Mindoro. We were requested to do some ground support for the crew – making sure the Patrol was ready for quick fuel runs, and that there's food for the pilots and their family as they patiently waited for their passengers. |
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Left to right: 1) Patrol becomes a key component for ground support in Tuy; 2) AWR personnel talking to Sean Knapp; 3) Irene's uncle, Jacinth Adap with SSD officers going to Mindoro; 4) Enjoying Irene's homemade lunch; 5) Transporting 2 AWR pastors to their hotel |
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Online Ministry Inspite of lockdowns and not having an active airbase, our ministry still continues online. We have gotten several invitations to speak for churches in Jamaica, New York, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. What a joy to share how God has been moving and blessing the aviation ministry. Many are inspired and even encouraged to be missionaries as well! |
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Left to right: 1) Davin sharing his experiences in mission aviation to several Indonesian homeschooled kids; 2) Leading Sabbath worship for AUP Medical students 3) Irene sharing her testimony for an SDA congregation in Thailand |
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Watch: “When God Takes the Ziklag Exit," a sermon. Sermon focused on helping us to learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord when no-one else is around to help us do so |
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Drive-By Ministry and Music Ministries Another project we have taken up is what Davin calls a “drive-by” ministry. As he continues to take trips in and out of the city, it is hard not to notice the beggars amassed in the dirty streets. A lot of them are kids and moms that solely depend on what people give them. With hearts broken with compassion, we know we cannot do so much, except help alleviate some of their basic needs. Rice – a basic need for every Filipino is what we thought of providing. Our goal is to give away at least a sack of rice every week. This effort came when we noticed that some donors would reach out to us with small donations as they call it “pocket money.” God impressed us to use a portion of that to give back to others. We started sharing videos and photos of giving the rice away and now new donors are giving towards this ministry effort. Praise the Lord! Irene has also been busy with her online music ministries and recently presented her 4th annual studio recital, comprised of students from different parts of the world. |
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Left to right: 1) A sack of rice is Php1025 (roughly $21 USD). Each sack holds 25 kilos; 2-3) Badjao beggars in Manila benefitting from the drive-by ministry. |
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Watch: Simple Gifts – A Musical Thanksgiving Celebration by IBMS Students and Families. You can click the video above for Part 1, and you may watch Part 2, here. |
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Irene's Piano Studio this year. We thank God for the opportunity to minister to many children from different parts of the world |
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TO ALL WHO HAVE BEEN DONATING FINANCIALLY, |
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Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts! |
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WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE MOUNTAINS BECAUSE OF YOU. |
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Thank you very much for your prayers and support. We are beyond amazed as to how God continues to touch your hearts to support so that this ministry can keep going. If you have been blessed, please do share this email with others! No doubt some of your friends and loved ones will benefit to hear about our stories too. Prayer requests: – Paperwork process of the transfer to be done before the holidays. – To find a new home closer to Tuy, Batangas. Our 1-year lease ends in 5 months. – For hearts to be touched to give this holiday season – That God will bless those families of donors and the owners of the airplane for their efforts to help keep the work going. |
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You can make a difference. You can save lives in the unreached and remote areas here in Luzon. You can help equip volunteers and spearhead church growth. Please partner with us today. |
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This is where your donation goes. |
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