Tag: Philippines

A missions focus of JFBelievers Church

February 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest update from the mission field and Shofar Mission Cebu.

Team Preparations

Have you noticed that the JFB mission’s season has turned into mission’s year? Plans for the spring team are already in the works, so we’ve been able to do some of the advance prep for them to come. We recently took a trip south of the city to present Shofar Mission and the upcoming ministries to a regional group of pastors. As a parachurch organization, we’re always thankful to make new friends and be a part of what God is doing in local churches throughout the Philippines. We’re looking forward to seeing what He has in store for the next team and glad to be a part of all the teams that come here…

Exploring Creation Science

This branch of Shofar Mission seeks to equip young and developing minds to know why they believe what they believe. A variety of lessons are taught to primary and secondary students in both private and public schools. In February, lessons were taught to grades 4-12 at four different schools (two new schools). Each lesson includes a mixture of lecture, PowerPoint, video, discussion, and experiments. For the younger students, there is more lecture and experiments, whereas the older students engage more with video teaching and challenging group discussions. Many of the high school students have already made up their minds about what they believe about creation, science, and how we all got here. Through Exploring Creation Science, they are challenged to consider if what they believe is actually true, or if perhaps God’s good design in creation and science actually work together.

Not only does God use this branch of Shofar Mission to reach students, but it also provides opportunities to build relationships with teachers, principals, and pastors of churches that have schools. We’ve found that many of them run in the same circles, so a lot of the new schools bridge off of relationships with previous schools! God continues to open new doors as this ministry keeps growing and expanding. On the docket for the upcoming school year is the development of new curriculum for both senior high and elementary lessons as well as reaching out to new schools (public and private).

Campus Outreach

Did you know that in 2018, there were over 2.3 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s) throughout the world? Over 50% of them worked in western Asia, many of them in closed nations that are hostile to the gospel.[1] For Filipinos, it is quite easy to find work in these nations. So, what does this have to do with campus ministry? A lot, in fact. In many conversations with young people (both high school and college students), their dream is to work abroad so they can send money home to their families. What would happen if while they’re studying here in the Philippines, the gospel really got a hold of them, then propelled them into closed nations where they can go and make disciples? We could change the world for King and Kingdom…

Through Street Level Ministries, students are able to participate in God’s Kingdom work and be equipped for whatever God may call them to in the future. Members can volunteer for Word on the Street Magazine or Street Level Radio, receive solid biblical teaching, engage in Christian community, and have multiple opportunities to reach out to other students. During the past month, we held two live radio broadcasts (one on-campus and one off-campus), passed out WOTS magazines, held weekly dinners and biblical discussions, launched the next issue of WOTS, met on campus for a verse-by-verse Bible study, and took an early morning hike to see the city. We were even able to have an informational booth on campus during Student’s Day at the University of the Visayas.

It’s amazing to be a part of all that God is doing among the university students here, and our prayers are that the seeds we plant would grow and bear fruit for years to come… in the Philippines and to the ends of the world.

Prayer Requests

  1. Team Preparations – that God would open and close doors as He sees fit as we plan and prepare, and that we would be able to reach the people He wants us to.
  2. Exploring Creation Science – meetings with new schools, scheduling of lessons for the next school year, and development of new curriculum.
  3. Campus Outreach – for the students to make the most of their remaining school year (many of them graduate in May) and seek the Kingdom first at their university.

[1] https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employment/survey-overseas-filipinos

July 24, 2019 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read about what God has been doing in the Philippines.

Over the past few weeks, we said goodbye to Team One and prepared for Team Two to arrive. We have also been prepping our ministry headquarters for the start of the school year. Street Level Ministries, a branch of Shofar Mission, has started holding weekly dinners and Bible studies for college students at the headquarters. God has blessed us in the transition, as many of the students have said it is an easier location for them to get to.

June 3 marked the start of the 2019-2020 school year for most public and private primary and secondary schools. Another branch of Shofar Mission is Exploring Creation Science. Laura took the opportunity to teach a three-part film series to students in Grade 6. It gave students an opportunity to learn why they believe what they believe plus take what they learned last year and share it with their school mates.

As we start this school year and ministry with Team Two, we have been thinking a lot about who God wants us to reach and where he wants us to meet them.

“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”

-C.T. Studd

February 25, 2019 Shofar Missions Cebu

Greetings from the Philippines! Read the latest update about what God is doing in Cebu. And if you need a break from all the snow, it’s just a short 24-36 hour trip to come and visit us…

Street Level Ministries

We continue to meet weekly on Friday nights for a free dinner and bible study with students from various universities throughout the city. We are currently working our way through Tim Keller’s Gospel in Life series, which has resulted in quite a few though-provoking discussions! Attendance at some meetings nearly fills our conference room, while other meetings are with only one or two students. Regardless of how many students attend, we continue to be faithful to what God has called us to, trusting that He knows what He’s doing and His plans are better than ours! Next month, we will take a break from our series on one Friday for a fellowship night – free pizza and an outdoor movie!

Word on the Street Magazine

In February, we released a new issue of WOTS and have been distributing at local churches, businesses, and schools. God has allowed us to put a magazine rack on campus in the library at the University of the Visayas, as well as at the Cebu City Public Library! As always, we are looking for new writers and Filipino content submissions. In fact, we recently had the opportunity to present WOTS at a local gathering of pastors and people who minister to young people throughout the city. We’re hoping new writers will come through this networking opportunity!

Street Level Radio

As the Philippines is becoming more and more digitally connected, our wi-fi radio station is turning out to be a great way to connect with students. We host live radio broadcasts on the streets about 2-3 times per month. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we gave away free heart-shaped donuts to students who would answer trivia on the air. We had a few students take us up on the offer! We have also started a weekly radio show on Fridays for students who may be looking for something to listen to during their lunch break. We’re always seeking to expand and make the station better, so we are on the lookout and praying for a place to install a third antenna array.

Science Creation Curriculum

Local primary and secondary schools have been very receptive to Shofar’s Science Creation curriculum. This week, lessons will end at one school and begin at another! In fact, for the first time ever, Laura will start teaching a 3-week series using the NUA curriculum to seventh and eighth graders. Summer school curriculum is currently in the ideation phase, since quite a few schools will be holding classes during the summer.

Prayer Requests

  • Pray that God would work in the hearts and minds of the Street Level students to put Jesus first in everything they do
  • Pray for the development of new science curriculum and plans for summer school
  • Please pray for open doors to minister and direction in planning for the teams that will come this summer

— Britt

December 25, 2018 Shofar Missions Cebu
If you can’t find a real pine tree… just make one!

(that means “Merry Christmas Everyone’ in Cebuano)

Did you know that Christmas is the Philippines’ favorite holiday? Celebrations begin in September and last until January! I always love to see how creative Filipinos get with their decorations. You can see a variety of Christmas trees made out of recycled bottles, fast food soda cups, cd’s, and whatever else one can get their hands on!

Since our last news update, we held our first-ever SLM Conference in the city. We gathered on the rooftop of Teofel Hostel for a day of video teachings, small group discussions, games, and of course, lots of snacks and coffee. We had one new student attend because of an ad he saw on the back of WOTS and five students who have come to SLM meetings in the past. Student feedback was encouraging; most of them had been pondering the topics we covered and were greatly challenged to consider why they believe what they believe. We covered the final session of the series at our last Friday night meeting and encouraged the students to keep discussing what they learned over Christmas break.

Home for the Holidays

Exploring nature during the Kindred Retreat

Aside from getting our fill of ice cream and iced coffee when we come back to the USA, we truly enjoy spending time with the church in fellowship groups and various ministries. Laura was able to join the Kindred Ministry for their annual retreat. I heard she was still a bit jet lagged and spoke in foreign languages at times! I have enjoyed being a part of Street Level’s happenings, including fellowship with OneLife (Jenae’s team was the true Pictionary winner) and a Monday dinner and worship night. We also joined the WOTS writers from Menomonie, River Falls, and Duluth for pizza and peer revisions.

WOTS peer revisions in River Falls

Over the next couple weeks, we plan to visit our families, take a trip to JFB Duluth, and celebrate the new year in true JFB fashion at the annual NYE bash (one of our favorite JFB events). Thanks to everyone for welcoming us back like no time has passed. We are always blessed to be a part of you guys in person!

The saying that “you can’t see the forest through the trees” is very true. It has been nice to step away to dream, plan, and pray about what God is leading us to do next year. We have been asking questions like, “What are the needs of the people we are serving? How can we meet those needs? What hole can only we fill? What is the best use of our time? How can we work with others to build the Kingdom?” We have lots of ideas and are excited to see what God will do next year. We can make our plans but ultimately it is Him who determines our steps.

Prayer Requests

As we head into another season in Cebu, would you please join us in praying for the following:

  • That we would rest well and return to Cebu with renewed strength and energy.
  • For God’s direction and vision as we plan for 2019.
  • That the students we have been able to minister to would desire to know God more and put Him first in their lives… and that their families and pressures of the world would not hinder them from following God.

-Brittany

November 25, 2018 Shofar Missions Cebu

As we are nearing the end of another three months here in Cebu, I am reminded of all that we have done and all we would like to do in the future.

Campus Outreach

Even though it was a semester break for some students at the beginning of November, we held the course and had a Street Level Radio Live Broadcast from Elicon House. We used the broadcast to promote the One-Day Conference along with SLM’s weekly dinner and bible study.

SLR Live Broadcast Setup

Thank you to those in Menomonie and Duluth that tuned in after church…we appreciate it. As you may have read in our recent blog post, we picked up the latest copy of Word On the Street Magazine and plan to start distributing them this week.

Street Level Ministries’ Conference

We are five days away from having our first SLM Cebu One-Day Conference! I think I speak for both of us when I say the last couple weeks have been a reminder that God will bring the students He wants to bring and most importantly, the conference is in His hands. We hung posters and several banners, sent emails and texts and posted on Facebook. Lists have been made and some tasks have been completed, BUT God continues to go before us and surprise us! The first person to register was an old Shofar student!

As I write this on the day of the registration deadline, I am reminded that I wasn’t much different. I would have signed up late. Maybe I would have turned the quarter sheet into an art project and ignored the Stout Student Event emails. With that said, I wonder what it would take for a student coming to SLM to come to the crossroads in life and realize their need for God? I wonder if students see how cool it would be to be to be a light in their university – a place that for some students can be very dark and scary? What if they didn’t do homework and projects just to beat deadlines, but allowed God to be part of the project?

Moving Forward

As we begin to prepare for January 2019, we plan to shake up the schedule. We’re adding a few additional items! We will hit the streets with posters and banners during our first week back in January to promote SLM’s Wednesday Lunch and Bible Class. We also hope to add a few more live radio broadcasts to the mix and monthly SLM events. As far as Science Creation Curriculum goes, the plan is to teach at three new schools next semester.

Students waiting for directions as we talk about gravity

Other tentative plans include possibly returning to a previous school, working with a youth group for a three-session series, and a lesson in Toledo.

“Desire that your life count for something great! Long for your life to have eternal significance. Want this! Don’t coast through life without a passion.” -John Piper

 

Midweek Bible Study

We have also continued attending New Covenant Church’s (our “home” church) midweek study on Thursday evenings.

NCC Weekly Bible Study

Though the studies have been small in numbers, it is great to join them and support the person stepping in to lead the study. We have been working our way through the book of Daniel. This has also allowed for conversations about what we do and why we are here. We have had the opportunity to explain that we were sent by our local church to plant a campus ministry here in Cebu.

 

Prayer Requests:

  1. Pray for the One-Day Conference. For the hearts and minds of the students who will attend as well as the final preparation for the conference itself.
  2. For the plans we have made for next year. Specifically, that we would continue to remain flexible and adapt as needed.
  3. For a Street Level Cebu office space. Specifically, for wisdom and discernment as we continue seeking where God wants the office to be.

There is a lot to do here before we depart for a short break this Holiday Season but we are looking forward to seeing everyone again and enjoying our time back in the states…even if it is winter 😊

–Laura

October 25, 2018 Shofar Missions Cebu

Street Level Ministries Cebu

Three architecture students and some bungee cords… finally got the screen to hang straight!

At the end of September, we hosted a rooftop movie night at Teofel Hostel and had over a dozen students attend, as well as a few hostel guests. It’s always nice to host fellowship events like this because it gives the students an opportunity to serve and take some ownership within the ministry. Every time we host such an event, the group walks away more unified as a little community.

We meet every Friday for dinner and a bible study at Elicon House, right in the heart of the “university zone.” After we all have our fill of pancit canton, rice, and bananas, we have been digging into the Old Testament and learning about the life of Jacob. We’re following the same series as the SLM branches in the USA and have been encouraging the students in Cebu to stay up-to-date with what’s happening there. Every week, we discuss what sort of events are going on and pray for each group. I think it has inspired the students to dream big, pray big, and discover what God is doing at universities on the other side of the world.

Dropping off WOTS and a conference poster at the Baptist Theological College library… “They have TWO Believer’s Bible Commentaries!”

We’re also gearing up for a one-day conference at the end of November. It’s being held at Teofel Hostel and will be free for all university students to attend. We will be going through “The Thinking Series: Asking Life’s Biggest Questions.” We’ve invited churches, sent out mass texts and emails, and hung up posters throughout the city to promote the event.

Shofar Science Creation Curriculum

Laura recently finished teaching lessons at Southern Bethany, so at the beginning of October, she started teaching at the Visayas Wesleyan Christian School. She gets to teach three different age groups every Wednesday morning! Plans are also in the works for teaching at new schools next semester. So far, we have visited 3 new schools around the city to present the curriculum.

A Look Back

Popcorn, anyone?

It’s hard to believe that October 31 marks two years since we said goodbye to life as we knew it. What a journey it has been… God has been so faithful and patient with us as we’ve adapted. I don’t know how He has time for anyone else! Some of my favorite memories were taking multiple trips across the island to promote Shofar Camp (once each with Orchids, Dyreen, and Yvea); hosting two large missions teams; installing the Street Level Radio stations; and celebrating SLM’s first anniversary in Cebu. It’s always good to stop and remember all that God has done. I think this quote sums up what I’ve learned in the past two years quite nicely: “Perhaps only when human effort had done its best and failed, would God’s power alone be free to work.” – Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

Prayer Requests

  • For students to register for the SLM Conference, the behind-the-scenes prep, and ultimately that it will bear fruit for the Kingdom
  • Guidance and wisdom in planning and scheduling schools for next semester’s Science Creation Curriculum
  • An office/headquarters for SLM

– Brittany