Chris and Lynne Strange Your missionary connection in the Philippines
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100
Ages 12 - 29!
The youth group from the little mission church we attend in town has a wonderful problem!
It’s too big!
Lisa's first Christmas and Christmas Tree
Christmas decorating starts in September here in the Philippines. We eagerly joined in by decorating our house along with our neighbors. When we decided to drag out the decorations from years in a box (we didn’t decorate for Christmas in the village) Liza’s eyes danced! Liza stays with us on the weekends to go to church since she is the only believer in her family. Before we could start, Liza quickly inserted Christmas CD’s into the player and sang at the top of her voice with them all. It’s exciting to observe Lisa as she is learning about her new Savior and his love for her.
Chris Teaching 4th Grade
Once a week Chris is greeted enthusiastically with “Good morning Pastor Chris!” by approximately thirty little 4th graders. It’s a highlight of our week when we volunteer as substitute teachers for a Bible Story and singing at a small school in the area. The children are attentive and eager to hear about the stories God has preserved for us in the Bible. They love hearing about the giants and the mighty things people did when they obeyed God. Singing is loud and joyous and we get to learn new ways to act out the “sweet sweet love of Jesus.” Many of these little ones come from extremely poor homes. The most malnourished receive a special meal after the teaching and treatment for tuberculosis while the others play outside. We understand that for those, it’s their only nutritious meal of the day.
We are pleased to be part of a mission church near the town where we live. There was no church close by in the poor community of families that work the land or farms surrounding the dirt road. A pastor friend of ours responded by planting a church with a handful of believers. God is pleased with their efforts and the congregation is growing as the people hear the truth of the gospel and respond. Recently we celebrated communion and a meal afterward. For some, it was the first time to share the Lord’s Supper. Enjoy these pictures as you pray for this new body of Christ.
Chris is flying high — in the new helicopter! He was recently traveling through all three regions of NTM ministry when he had the opportunity to cruise the skies above Luzon. (more…)
Inay Tilma's Exam
A recurring theme here in our blog is how man can make their plans, but God directs the steps. A medical missionary team was heading to another country for 14 days and just as they were finalizing their trip, word came that the government would not permit them to enter the country. So what do you do when you have a 30 member team with scheduled time off, packed and ready to go? (more…)
The Banwaon tribal church has 40% of the New Testament translation checked and printed for them to use. Our partners, Albert and Lynne Castelijn, are living in Australia for two years and currently working on Romans 9 as they settle into Australian culture and their four children into school systems preparing them for University. Please pray for them too.
And while you are praying…
God blessed the Banwaon church with godly leadership who teach the believers in our village as well as traveling weekly on outreaches all over the jungle. Last year they sent out their first missionary.
Bastun is a Banwaon Bible teacher. His is an amazing story.
He was so tiny when he was born his parents felt he would not live. As was the custom, they planned to leave him out in the jungle to die since it was too difficult to care for an infant they were certain would die anyway. They abandoned their tiny baby deep in the jungle.
God tells us in the Bible that He is always watching and has plans for our lives. God, ever true to His Word, was watching tiny Bastun and had a plan far different from his parents.
Will you pray for our friends?
This is a picture of our friends and co-workers in the village. The man is an amazing Bible teacher and youth leader in the village church.
It’s been a rough year for them. Just like families the world over, our tribal friends deal with the very real issues and heartache when their children turn away from what they know about God and live their lives in rebellion.