Institute for World Evangelisation ICPE Mission Philippines

Our praise report for Reverse Carolling 2011!

2011-12-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

It's finally over! Weeks of singing, visiting families and praying with them- Reverse carolling - our annual project where we always end up receiving so much more than we can give. Truly Jesus is incarnate in the families that we visited. Special thanks to our benefactors who have made it possible for us to support 400 families this year. This year, we also enjoyed the company of our 7 volunteers from Singapore who braved showers and challenging conditions to reach the poor families in Montalban and Tagaytay. Thanks for responding to God's call to share this special time with us!
Please read on for pictures and a summary update...
Reverse Carolling 2011 Report

Reverse Carolling- an extraordinary period of grace

2011-12-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

We went reverse carolling 13^th-14^thDecember in Montalban, near the dumpsite and also in Tagaytay on 15^th– 16^th December with a group of seven Singapore volunteers. Here iswhat two of them have to say:

“This is my second time reverse carolling in three years andwhile the format was familiar, there were many new things that struck me thistime around. For one, the Balikatan Ministry members amazed me with theirsincerity and love in reaching out to their fellow brethren when we walked withthem, laden with Christmas food hampers, in the outlying areas of Montalban tovisit families living in places I would not term houses.

Many of the members are in “the same boat” as the familieswe visited, and yet, they were generous with their time (they took time offwork which meant no income for two days) in reaching out to the fellow brothersand sisters.

I was also affirmed by their strong faith and the leadershipqualities they displayed in organising the reverse carolling endeavour inMontalban – from doing the groundwork toselect the “poorest of the poor” families to visits, to facilitating thevisits, and leading the prayer sessions confidently.

Nothing bonds people more than a common purpose and thedesire to bring God glory. It was heart-warming to be part of a group ofpeople, most of whom I did not know and yet work so well together with them tohelp bring some cheer to the families that we visited.

There is nothingpretty about poverty and while it is easy to slip into despair at the futilityof our efforts, 400 Christmas food hampers being a drop in the vast ocean ofeconomically disadvantaged families that surrounded us both in Montalban and Tagaytay,I know that what we did touched the hearts of at least 400 families and made adifference in their lives, and for that I am most grateful.

The Christmas party for the child street vendors was new asit was the first time ICPE has organized such an event and it was lovely to beable to spend time with the kids and get to know some of them as we playedgames with them and ate fried chicken and ice cream with them.

It was initially difficult to watch the group of childrengathered outside the door who could not gain access to the party, for we couldonly host 25 children, but the kids inside would share whatever they receivedwith those outside. And many of them packed food which they did not finish fortheir siblings at home. I was humbled to see the generosity of their actionsfor I could never match them in generosity, giving from the little that theyreceived so easily.

So many thoughts and emotions crowd my mind from havingexperienced reverse carolling this December, but foremost is the gratitude Ifeel for having been able to be part of an extraordinary period of grace.

Most of all I am glad that I have been able to give back tothem what is their right and due in some small way and I thank God for givingme this opportunity this Advent season.”

~Jackie Pau

The happy smiles shared at Reverse Carolling

2011-12-08T03:27:00.001-08:00

After postponing Reverse Carolling for a day due to heavy rains, we returned to Salaban, Amadeo to visit more families. Again, we had to squeeze our way past coffee and banana trees to reach the families. This time round, we had to deal with the challenge of the wet and muddy lanes whilst carrying the hampers and our guitar. Despite the slippery paths and muddy shoes, we reached the families that made the inconvenience worth it.

These were the things that made us smile..

We met Maria, a visually impaired woman who lives alone after her mother passed away. Filled with so much joy, Maria sang the Christmas carols with such gusto and was so happy to receive the food hamper. She said that it was her prayer for Christmas.. to have food to eat and soap to wash her clothes. Such were the simple yet basic needs that God met today. Yet as Maria took over our tambourine and started playing with impeccable rhythm, we were the ones who left with hearts filled with joy and gratitude to have met such a lovely person.

Maria receiving a lit candle, the symbol of Jesus, the Light of the world

Maria singing with gusto with our tambourine

And who says you can't share what little that you have? Maria's neighbour was so touched to see us that they insisted that we join them for some local snacks and hot coffee...

enjoying merienda with the family

It is true that love is the thing that you are never too poor to give away. We saw this in practical action as a woman who was supposed to receive the hamper asked if we could go instead to her neighbour's family as they were more in need than her. This came from a woman who was also very much in material need herself and we were touched by her generosity and her love.

The family that received the food hamper instead

And finally a young boy, stunned to receive a Christmas gift this year...

My Christmas gift!

We continue to give thanks to our generous sponsors who helped to make this event possible. We carry you in our prayers and our hearts as we visit each family.

Please join us in prayer as we continue Reverse Carolling. We are praying especially for good weather as we are experiencing heavy rains these past few days.

Reverse Carolling 2011 has begun!

2011-12-06T04:09:00.001-08:00

It has begun! Today we started Reverse Carolling and what an exciting start it was!

The morning started with cloudy skies which quickly into a heavy downpour around noon. We were still determined to be there at our appointed 2pm and God cleared the skies and held back the rains just as we left for Salaban, Amadeo, around 15 minutes' ride from our house.

Together with the Claretian Sisters, we went round the area of Salaban, trekking through plantations, and squeezing past narrow lanes to reach the families located off the main roads. And indeed, we saw so many families living in such spartan conditions. All the houses were unpainted and made of zinc roofs and bamboo or plywood walls. Some houses contained 3 or 4 families living under one roof.

I was most touched when an elderly woman we visited started swaying to our singing while her tears flowed freely. She was smiling and dancing and crying all in one go- expressing such joy. It was such a touching sight that we were also crying with her until we could barely continue singing. Truly today, in that house, Jesus visited and touched not only the woman but all our hearts.

Tomorrow, we will continue with the rest of the families in Salaban, Amadeo. Next week, we will welcome our volunteers from Singapore and head off to Montalban, Rizal Province. Join us in prayer and in thanksgiving for all that God is doing!

Singing carols at a home

Food hampers in our green grocery bags

Visiting a house in Salaban. This family doesn't even own this house!

A young mother with her children welcoming us into her bare house

Trekking through the plantations with the Claretian Sisters

Reverse Carolling 2011 update!

2011-11-23T02:25:00.001-08:00

We're really excited as Reverse Carolling 2011 preparations are now in full swing. After successfully raising enough funds for 400 families, we have now bought and started packing the food hampers. In Montalban, our Balikatan members are busy practicing their Christmas carols and strumming their guitars to master the chords!

Last weekend, Jitka and Gemma visited the families in Tagaytay to inform them about our visits. It was an adventurous trip as they trekked down steep slops to reach the families. We wonder how we will carry the 7kg hampers and guitars down ...

Last weekend, we also met our volunteers from Singapore who will join us for the Reverse Carolling. We had a nice time sharing our past experience of Reverse Carolling and answering some of their questions.

Above all, we are extremely grateful for the blessings and support from all the fundraising efforts of our friends who actively helped us promote the event and for our generous benefactors who donated for the food hampers.

We will continue to keep you updated as the preparations continue. Please keep us in your prayers!

Checking out of the supermarket with the stacks of groceries

Gemma packing a food hamper

more food hampers to sort out

our library looks like a warehouse!

Montalban Dental Mission

2011-11-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

Our very first Dental Mission in the Philippines and what an experience it was! As the dentists set up the equipment and materials in the Suburban Health Centre, I was struck by the impressive array of metal extractors, syringes and dental equipment. Given that the Health Centre was not a Dental Clinic, I was taken in by how the dentists worked quickly and efficiently with the limited materials. Instead of a dental chair, they propped up two plastic chairs by the window (for optimal lighting) and the nurses took turns to steady the heads of the patients who had their tooth extracted.

As the children and youth waited for their turns, I quickly realized the condition of their teeth. Almost all who went in had a tooth extracted! They braved the pain of the injection of the local anesthesia and waited patiently for their turn. For the younger children, their parents comforted and persuaded them throughout the check-up. The Balikatan Ministry adults came in the afternoon and all were subjected to a blood pressure test. Unfortunately, some could not have any tooth extraction done due to extremely high blood pressure.

A salute to our two dentists who stood the whole day to serve all 56 patients and our nurses who deftly dispensed medication and took care of the sterilization needs!

For our children and adults with severe dental needs, we will arrange the necessary follow up treatment. Next year, we hope to hold another round of Dental Mission to target the remaining children in our ministry in Montalban!

We take this opportunity to thank our generous benefactor from Korea who sponsored the Dental Mission. Many thanks also to the team from St Vincent Medical and Dental Clinic for their generous service!

Setting up the room

Dentists hard at work

Our youth waiting patiently for their turn


A tooth extraction

Living Letters November 2011

2011-10-26T18:39:00.001-07:00

Living Letters Nov 2011

Card making Livelihood Training!

2011-10-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, 13^th October, nine Balikatanmembers received special training from Care Channels International Ltd, anon-profit organization that seeks to help the poor become self-sufficient andindependent through various initiatives including livelihood training andmicro-enterprise developments. Theylearned the intricate and delicate art of pressing flowers and creating designsfor cards and calendars with the pressed flowers. It was a full day of learningand hands on work. With clear demonstrations and an array of pressed flowersand leaves to choose from, Balikatan members began creating their first card ina design of their choice. Following that, they made 2 other cards based on the formatand structure of the required cards for sale.

Our Balikatan members were thrilled to discover their owncreativity and also the finer points of pressed flower cards. At the end of thesession, they shared that they were delighted to be able to create somethingand to learn a new skill.

From here, nine of them will enter the next phase oftraining where they will practice sticking the pressed flowers on the givendesigns. If successful, they will proceed to work on the actual cards that willbe used for sale.

We thank God for this new beginning and this opportunity topartner in mission with Care Channels International. We thank Ate Lyn and Seng Eng of CCI for their help and look forward to a fruitful and blessed collaboration.

As the Balikatan membersleft, they were reminded to persevere in the new skill and to keep encouragingeach other in this new venture.

Join us for Reverse Carolling 2011!

2011-09-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Bless a family…

Share the gift of God’s love this Christmas…

Sing carols…

Help us bless a low income family thisyear with our annual project… Reverse Carolling!

For the 5^th consecutive year,we will be running our Reverse Carolling Project and we are looking for YOU topartner us in our project. To enable us to reach out to 300 low incomefamilies, we are looking to raise PHP 170,000 (approximately US$4000 orSingapore$5200).

If youwant to contribute, you can send a telegraphic transfer to us directly:
Bank account name: ICPE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION INC
Peso account: 003-115250-042
Bank address: HSBC, Ground floor, Discovery Suites. 25, ADB Avenue Ortigas Centre,Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Swift code: HSBC PHMM

Purpose of transfer: Reverse Carolling

If you are in Singapore:
you can contribute directly with a deposit via internet banking.
POSB Savings Account: 171-36923-1
Bank account name: Fong Tim Heng Esther & Chai Hui Chuan Amilia
Contact person in Singapore (Coordinator, ICPE Mission Singapore) Amilia Chai -98291382

For all donations and contributions:
Please email Ms Esther Fong at icpeinfo@gmail.com with your name, contactdetails and donation amount so that we can keep a track record of donations.

Whatis reverse carolling?

Bringing Christmas cheer to low incomefamilies by sharing foodhampers, Christmascarols and prayer.

Each year, members of our adult ministryin Montalban also actively participate in the project. They share the joy ofbeing empowered to give and share with the poorest in their community.

WhyReverse Carolling?

Praying for the family

Families usually host carollers by givingthem food and money. We do the reverse-giving each family food and praying for them.

Whoare the beneficiaries?

About 200 low income families inMontalban, Rizal Province and this year, we will also reach out to another 100low income families in Tagaytay.

Where will we go?

Montalban, Rizal, locatedat the outskirts of Manila, is a relocation site for squatters from Makati andPasig. It is described by one inhabitant as a ‘human dump area’ because of itsdistance from the city and the lack of employment nearby. All the families livebelow the poverty line, struggling to earn around Php100-150 per day for food,utilities and the needs of the family. Since 2006, we have been reaching out tothe low income families in this area.

Giving the Christmas hamper

Tagaytay City is known as atourist or weekend escape for those from Manila. Yet, as we have discoveredsince re-locating here in 2010, there are many low income families hidden inthe byways in this city.

For more pictures andinformation on past Reverse Carolling projects, please visit our blog pages:

2010Christmas in Montalban –including Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2011/01/celebrating-christmas-in-our-different.html

2009Reverse Carolling in pictures

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2009/12/carolling-we-go.html

Reada volunteer’s experience of 2009’s Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2009/12/birthing-christ.html

2008Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-reverse-carolling.html

2007Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2008/01/reverse-carolling-christmas-2007.html

God surprises us...

2011-09-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet isready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gatheredall the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the weddinghall was filled with guests.” (Matt 22:8-9)

These verses sum up my experience last Saturday, 24 September, as we prepared for our meeting with the youth. In these past weeks, we had been befriending several youths in our neighbourhood. They expressed a desire to know more about God, and their faith and wanted to meet together. It was agreed with them that we would meet together on Saturday afternoon. As the time neared, the ‘bleep’ of the cellphone message alert went off. True enough, it was an apology that said that she could not make it as she had a choir practice! But still there are the others who had agreed to come.

At the appointed hour, still there was no one! We were ready to start but walang tao (nobody in tagalog). So how? No problem. God is always present and we can always worship Him. Our team began to pray and worship. As we prayed, this scripture came to mind and some felt that we should go out to the streets and invite any youth that are there. We did.

Praising the Lord

God is indeed the God of surprises! He surprised us by inviting 9 young men. These young men were hanging around outside, playing, not knowing what to do. They were excited to come, though as you can see from the photos, some of them were younger boys. The younger boys followed their older brothers and friends as they did not want to be left out!

Praying together

We had an afternoon filled with laughter, prayers, games, praise, action songs and short sharing. A small beginning of something new for the youth – the older boys want to meet again and this time,they will bring their peer friends.

Sharing and sowing of seeds

My reflection on this – often times, we plan and prepare for something, and it does not quite work the way we expected. We put in the effort and work. Our temptation would be to give up and cancel the afternoon, yet God had a different plan and worked it for his purposes. It was my first experience of seeing boys coming together, having fun and open to learn and share on their faith. At the end of the afternoon, my heart rejoiced as I believe that the Lord was touching these young hearts, and sowing his seeds of faith!

Be faithful and do not give up even when things are not quite turning out as they should or what we would like. Trust in the Lord,and let him work his ways for ‘his ways are not our ways’ (Isaiah 55:8), they are much higher.

Thank you, Lord that it is a privilege always to serve you. It is never boring and always full of surprises! Thank you to my community, J, D and G for the way you desire to follow and serve the Lord.

Child vendors of Tagaytay

2011-09-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

    We see them everytime we pass the heart of Tagaytay, fondly known as Olivarez- a place teeming with people who are waiting to board the bus at the bus terminal or frequenting the fast food centres located a stone's throw away from each other. Here, young children from ages 6 to 13 roam the streets, selling Filipino snacks to supplement their family's income. The lucky ones start their 'business' after school whilst there are some who drop out of school to earn money for their families.

     We decided to 'visit' them yesterday, on the birthday of Our Lady to share with them some milk and to listen to their stories. Sure enough, when we arrived at the local fast food centre, Jollibee, 2 young girls approached us, asking us to buy their Espasol, a Filipino snack. Age 6 and 13, the sisters said that they were there everyday from 5 to 8pm, straight after school. They were joined by their friend, another girl of the same age. On weekends, they would be there the whole day to target the weekend visitors. Articulate and friendly, they immediately told us that it was the "birthday of Mama Mary" and they were simply delighted with the gift of chocolate milk, sweets and a picture of Our Lady. As we continued talking, a 13 year old boy joined us, carrying his peanut brittle for sale. His story was more heart wrenching as he had dropped out of school at 4th grade. When asked if he would like to continue studying, his eyes teared and he covered his face in embarrassment. It was a familiar heart-breaking story in the Philippines- children forced to drop out of school due to poverty.

     As it grew darker and later in the evening, we asked if there were more children there and the girls piped up "marami" (many in Tagalog). Sure enough, they pointed us to the car park where more boys and girls were waiting with their baskets of snacks for sale. We went over and talked to them, sharing the chocolate milk and sweets. So many of them came that we had to return to our van for a refill of chocolate milk! We ended that time with a prayer- asking the Lord to bless them that night especially in the selling of their snacks.

     We promised to return to visit and to see how the Lord leads us in our future outreach to them.

The children posing with their snacks

Gemma and Rannie packing milk packets for the children... getting ready to set off in the light drizzle!

Two grateful brothers, age 8 and 6, looking at their packet of milk

Sharing with IYCS youth

2011-08-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we hosted a group of Chinese youth leaders from the International Young Christian Students (IYCS) in our centre. Enroute to Manila after two days in Tagaytay, they visited us for a session on Evangelizing Youth. Ranging from 16 to 20 years old, they hail from Handan, China and are student leaders in their respective schools.

After a brief video clip on the ICPE Mission, we shared the urgency of the sharing Jesus with other young people in China. In our halting Chinese, aided by a student translator,we shared a sign language to the song 'Who am I' followed by a short testimony of encountering Jesus, the One who gives meaning to life.

Towards the end of the session, we prayed with them that they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, the principle agent of evangelization. We prayed for them to have courage to share and to be grounded in God's love in their lives. As a sign of our unity as children of the Father, we ended our time with the Lord's Prayer, sung in Chinese.

It was a beautiful evening of sharing the Great Commission with our brothers and sisters from China!

Planting and building up youth for Christ!

2011-08-18T02:43:00.000-07:00

It was a weekend of renewal and meeting up with the "Freeque"s, the Free to be Unique youth from Manila. They came with their friends from 6-7 August and spent a weekend renewing their faith and commitment in the Lord. We encouraged them to be planted and built up in Jesus Christ through the essentials of prayer and the Word of the Lord.

During our time of ministry, each of them were affirmed in the truths of their identity as loved by God. God continued to speak to us throughout the weekend, affirming also His assurance to the young people not to be afraid in their walk of faith..

We continue to hold you all in our prayers, Freeque and Friends. God bless you as you hold firm in your faith in Christ!

We are on Facebook!

2011-08-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Keep updated with more news and information on what's happening at the mission centre in the Philippines on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/icpephilippines

We'll also love to hear from you!

Celebrating the Eucharist, consecrated as students...

2011-07-28T02:53:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, 23 July 2011, we celebrated a special Mass for the children in Montalban to consecrate them in their vocation as students as they embark on the new academic year. This year, we were privileged to have Fr Jun, the parish priest of the Chapel of Immaculate Conception, preside the Mass.

It was a special day for the children and youth as they served in various capacities throughout the Mass. Our lovely commentator Ianna Marie, welcomed the children and their families while the row of altar servers walked down the aisle followed by the Lectors. All of them are currently members of our youth group, the Seeds of Faith. In his homily, Fr Jun reminded the children to be wheat for the Kingdom of God as they pursue their studies. He engaged the children ranging from 5 to 15 years of age with his interactive explanations and insightful stories.

For the Prayers of the Faithful, each student took turns to pray for the different needs. During the Offertory, the children offered up ballpens (symbolizing their desire to be used as instruments of God) and a set of school uniform (a sign of their desire to grow as students for the Lord) together with the bread and wine. After Mass, the children were blessed by Fr Jun and each child received a ballpen as a souvenir. It was a special day of thanksgiving for the lives of each child and their call as students.

May the year ahead be a fruitful year for them indeed!

Our new school supplies!

2011-07-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

This year, the children from Montalban returned to school at the start of the new academic year with a basic set of school supplies with our Back to School project. On 17 July, 135 children turned up with eager faces for our Children Ministry sessions, clutching the precious vouchers that enabled them to claim their set. Thanks to a group of teachers from Singapore who sponsored the school supplies, we were able to run this project for the second consecutive year. For a small contribution of Php 10, each child received a set of stationery for school. Each pack contained basic school needs like notebooks, papers, folders, art papers, pens and other writing materials. As they received the packs with bright smiles, the children lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving for the sponsors and for God's provision through their generosity.

Our school supplies waiting to be distributed

Our vouchers to claim the school pack

Each pack contains the following...

Finally.. our start up packs!

We thank God for our generous sponsors and our volunteers who helped us pack and distribute the school supplies with us!

We're back...

2011-07-14T03:50:00.000-07:00

After a month's break, we're all back in action.. beginning with our regular ministry in Montalban and also in Tagaytay. Last week, we had Mass in the centre for our neighbours and today we held our Children Ministry in Tagaytay. Once again our house resounded with the voices of 21 children, singing with gusto and answering in chorus. Today, as we shared with them Jesus' friendship, they responded with much excitement in wanting to have Jesus as their friend.

Each child then made a friendship band with 2 hands clasped together- one hand to symbolize Jesus and the other as their hand-holding onto Jesus, their friend, who never abandons them.

What a lovely way to end the day..

Would you like Jesus to be your friend?
What about you?
I know how to pray.. and tell Jesus that He is my friend!
Making our friendship band...
Yay...we are friends of Jesus...!

A one- of -a-kind retreat

2011-05-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

For the first time, our Montalban ministries of Balikatan Ministry (adult group) and Seeds of Faith (youth group) came together for 3 days of retreat in Tagaytay. It was a special occasion for the adults and youths to participate at the same retreat and more significantly for families whose parent and child were able to attend the retreat together.

Centering around the theme ‘Thirsting for the Living Waters’, the participants met together for common prayer times, games and meals but had separate sessions for inputs. Throughout the 3 days, they encountered Jesus the Living Water in the various sessions comprising of teachings, prayer ministries and the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist. As the weekend marked the start of Holy Week, we journeyed with Jesus as He entered Jerusalem and reflected on His love.

One highlight was the outdoor Way of the Cross. Each person took turns to carry a big cross in small groups while reflecting on the 14 Stations of the Cross. In the evening, they continued their reflections on Jesus’ love for them on the cross in a prayer ministry and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many of them shared that it was a grace-filled occasion of growing in awareness of their sinfulness and Jesus’ loving forgiveness. The following day, we celebrated Palm Sunday together, again with the awareness of entering Jerusalem together with the Lord who would lay down His life for a friend. Earlier that morning, we had prayed for them to be renewed in the Holy Spirit and released further in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was thus with such grateful hearts that a chorus of voices began praising God in greater freedom and in the joy of the Spirit.

For this retreat, we were blessed to have the use of the retreat house of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). Surrounded by lush gardens and tall strapping trees, the participants enjoyed the beauty and stillness of God’s creation in the morning reflections in the garden. Strengthened by the retreat, we hope that the adults and youth will continue to pray, encourage one another and grow as a community in Montalban.

We thank the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Seminary in Tagaytay for the generous use of their retreat facilities and the cooks from the St Augustine Major Seminary who prepared our meals. God bless you!

Of endings and new beginnings...

2011-04-29T02:08:00.000-07:00

On 28 April, we celebrated the closure of 2 years of Staff Formation for Denzil Rodrigues from India, Domisiano Kim and Carolinge Song from South Korea. It was a day of thanksgiving for their journey of growth and f9r the blessing of their lives with us. At the Eucharistic celebration, we also welcomed 3 of them into the Glory of God International Covenant Community (GOGICC). Denzil began 2 years covenant with the GOGICC in the ICPE Mission whilst Domi and Carol began 1 year of covenant as Companions of the ICPE Mission. Congratulations!!!!!

Denzil signing his covenant, witnessed by Esther

Caroline and Domisiano publicly declaring their desire to enter the covenant with GOGICC
Celebrating the Holy Eucharist together as community

praying for the newly covenanted members

Presenting... Denzil, Caroline and Domisiano!

Our community

Our reading corner...

2011-04-11T17:22:00.003-07:00

Last month, we opened our home again to the children... this time for them to read and browse English books. Thanks to generous donations of books over the past few years, we amassed enough stock of books to share with children of various ages. The books range from pre-school to high school level with books covering fiction, non-fiction, Bible stories and magazines. Converting our garden to a conducive reading area was not as easy as the tarpaulin covering kept flying off in windy Tagaytay but we finally nailed it down with the aid of wooden props. With some mats on the floor and boxes of books, we were ready for the children. They came and excitedly rumaged through the treasure chest of books. Most children were of the younger age group and even though some were not yet of reading age, they enjoyed themselves flipping through the pages and looking at the pages. We ended the session with a story telling session. The reading corner will continue to operate every Saturday morning and we hope that the children will learn to cultivate the joy of reading and improve their command of the English language.

Hey.. this looks interesting!

Let's just read here and let the little ones enjoy the floor...

Our very own reading corner

At last, my own book...

Sharing Jesus' gift of salvation with Tagaytay Children

2011-03-29T00:17:00.000-07:00

Praising the Lord with song...

for He is our God!

Skit: My sins are too heavy...

Skit: Jesus takes my sins upon Himself
Skit: Jesus dies on the cross for me

Skit: But He is alive!!!

Lifting up the cross..

Remembering the Gospel truths...

Writing my name on the cross

For God so loved the world, He have us His only Son so that whoever believes in him will not die but have eternal life. John 3:16

Amen! We believe!

Nurturing Vocations

2011-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

“Your sharing and talk has helped us confirm the different things that we need to do to help nurture vocations” said Ate Lory, the leader of the Philippine Catholic Lay Mission.

Indeed it was an afternoon of affirming and confirming firstly our individual call as lay missionaries and highlighting different vital elements needed to nurture vocations as we shared with members of the Philippine Catholic Lay Mission (PCLM) at their Annual General Meeting of leaders. Reflecting on Luke 10:2 “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting”, the members of the PCLM were interested in ways to encourage more lay people to respond to God’s call as missionaries. In her presentation, Esther drew from the members the key elements of their own call to the mission and highlighted the importance of these elements in their efforts to nurture vocation. She also encouraged them to identify their core identity as PCLM to be able to communicate that clearly to those interested.

Reflecting on Christifidelis Laici, the apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II on the Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the world, the Church affirms the present urgency for a re-evangelization and our 'responsibility to foster the birth and growth of vocations...in the lay state, specifically directed to the missions" (#35). The vocation of lay missionaries is indeed a vocation that is needed in the Church and needs to be presented and fostered so that others may discover and respond to this particular call.

There was a question whether there is still a need for lay missionaries. Quoting the late Pope John Paul II in Ecclesia in Asia, “The peoples of Asia need Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Asia is thirsting for the living water that Jesus alone can give”, all agreed that this is still a big need, and that unless there is someone who will preach and share Jesus Christ and his Gospel, the thirst of the peoples of Asia will remain unquenched! As lay missionaries, our aim is primarily to share Christ and his Gospel.

We also shared our individual testimonies of how we responded to God’s call to be a missionary.

Domisiano and Caroline shared their story of encountering God and answering His call from the perspective of a married couple.

From our shared experiences, we concluded that the most effective promotion is the witness of our lives as missionaries, our prayer for more labourers, our passion for the Lord, and reaching out to others in love and inviting them to a deeper encounter with Jesus through ‘come and see’ experiences. The internet, media and publicity materials are then additional supports that would help stir and nurture the vocation in others.

We ended the session with a time of prayer, offering our lives anew to the Lord and asking the Holy Spirit to renew the members in their call and in their various mission fields. It was a blessed afternoon indeed, where we, ourselves, were refreshed by the time spent with brothers and sisters who were passionate to respond to the Lord as lay missionaries.

For more information on the Philippine Catholic Lay Mission, please visit their website http://www.philcatholiclaymission.com/index.php

Watching the Seeds of Faith grow...

2011-03-16T05:00:00.001-07:00

In the past 5 years of Children Ministry in Montalban, we have had the privilege of watching the children grow into teenagers. Our weekly sessions of teaching, sharing and journeying with140 children every week birthed a stable group of youths who desire to follow God and grow together as a group. As they continued to receive faith formation, they were challenged to live out their Christian faith in their homes and in their schools. In 2009, they formed the youth group of our ministry called Seeds of Faith. Every fortnight, around 30 of them turn up for meetings where they share their faith stories and are encouraged to live their faith practically. They also volunteer at our Children Ministry sessions for the younger children. We hope they will eventually become good role models for the younger children.

We thank God for their lives and we pray that what God has sown in their lives will flourish and bear much fruit!

We present the members of Seeds of Faith followed by a testimony from Dexter Marin, one of our youth who is currently in his penultimate year of High School...

Gone sowing...

2011-03-09T01:25:00.000-08:00

From 7 – 9 February 2011, I had the chance to teach on evangelisation to the participants of the School of Witness (SOW) 2011. The School of Witness is a 6 week course organised by the Catholic Youth Ministry Office, Singapore in collaboration with the ICPE Mission. The 1^st SOW was held in 2009 and this year, the 3^rd SOW had 22 participants from Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. I was very blessed to spend these days with them reminding the youth once again that we are all called as missionaries to share Christ and his Good News to all by virtue of our baptism. The youth were challenged as to whether they themselves are evangelising or in need of evangelisation since ‘the test of truth, the touchstone of evangelisation: it is unthinkable that a person should accept the Word and give himself to the Kingdom without becoming a person who bears a witness to it and proclaims it in his turn’ (Evangelii Nuntiandi #24). As part of the SOW, there were opportunities for them to share the Good News in their lives, and the climax of SOW 2011 was an evening for youth, Testify to Love, where they were not afraid to proclaim their faith in Jesus, and testified of God’s unconditional love, forgiveness, healing, salvation in their lives. Many were blessed through the sharings, dramas, worship and ministry. As a Singaporean, I was very blessed by my younger brothers and sisters bearing witness to Christ and sharing his hope in our midst. May the SOW 2011 keep sowing the seeds of faith wherever they are!

Renewing our commitment

2011-03-01T01:49:00.000-08:00

On 27 February 2011, thirty men and women expressed their commitment to love and follow the Lord as his disciples, to grow together in faith, to share and support each other, and to serve in Christ’s mission to reach out to others. Of the thirty, ten were expressing their commitment for the first time. Most of them had been attending the Balikatan ministry meetings in the past year. The remaining twenty had made their first commitment in January 2010 and were renewing their commitment for another year.

There was much joy as the members made this commitment. It was apt that the Gospel for this day was from Matthew 6:24-34. In their daily struggle for survival, many of the Balikatan members face challenges to choose money, other values to be their gods. On this day, they chose clearly that that they want to serve God, and no other. Jesus’ words not to worry about what we are to eat, drink or wear, spoke into their reality since often, many of our Balikatan members and families do not really know whether they will have something to eat, drink or wear. His assurance that “your Heavenly Father knows you need them all” strengthened them to make this commitment expressing their desire to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and trust that all other things will be given them as well by the Father who knows and loves them.

Christmas inTagaytay

2011-01-08T02:40:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas in Tagaytay was a special time of celebrating Jesus' birth with our neighbours. On 23 December, we had a party for the children who attend our monthly Children ministry. 23 children came and we shared the story of Jesus' birth through songs, a short Veggie Tales animation. The children then folded a heart from paper to symbolize their hearts and to invite Jesus in. We then ended with a time of eating and games.

That night, we went carolling around our neighbourhood and prayed with the families living around us. After a few attempts at harmonizing, we finally perfected and polished our repertoire at the last cluster! It was a beautiful time of praising and proclaiming the birth of our Saviour and our joy to be able to share it with our neighbours.

Celebrating Christmas in Montalban!

2011-01-08T00:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas marks a special time in the Philippines. Many Filipino Catholics make special effort to attend the 9 day Dawn Mass (Simbang Gabi) leading to Christmas Day. They make special effort to arise early to attend mass at 4 am before going off to work. It is the time of the year when the churches are packed to the brim. Christ remains in the centre of Christmas. It is also a time for families to gather together to celebrate with joy, peace and love.

We had our annual Reverse Carolling project together with the members of our Balikatan Ministry (adult group). This year, we gave out 100 hampers to poor families in the area.
With each family, we sang Christmas carols and prayed for their needs. These families asked the Lord to bless their families especially their children with good health, to give work to their husbands, and that there will be food on the table each day of the new year. We continue to unite in prayer with these families that the Lord hears and answers their prayers.

And we also had our annual Christmas party with our ministry members...
For the Balikatan Ministry, it was a joyous celebration of thanksgiving as we remembered God's faithfulness and providence in the lives of our members throughout the year. A significant development in 2010 was the commitment made by some of the Balikatan members to grow as disciples of Jesus and to love and serve each other in this ministry. Another step towards growth was also the empowerment of some committed members to serve as leaders and organisers of their small groups, and various events.

With the Children Ministry, we saw our teenage group "Seeds of Faith" empowered to serve the younger groups of children in the different sessions. For Christmas, they performed a Christmas pageant for the children. Each child in the ministry received gifts and their whole year's worksheets from each session. It was priceless to see their smiles !We would like to take this opportunity to thank our generous sponsors for their kind donations that helped our ministry members spend Christmas in a special way this year! God bless you!

Christmas greetings from all of us!

2010-12-30T06:06:00.001-08:00

Christmas Greetings ICPE Mission Philippines 2010-2

Rest and Restoration for Balikatan retreat

2010-12-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

On the morning of Saturday, October 23^rd Balikatan members from our ministry in Montalban, came to our house where we hosted them for a weekend retreat, the theme being, “Rest and Restoration” focused on Psalm 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd.

The first day began with a time of praise and worship followed by the introduction of the theme of the retreat and getting the retreatants to identify where they were at in their faith journey. The day’s second session touched on the topic of the Lord being their shepherd and elucidating the different qualities of sheep that the participants could identify with themselves. This was followed by a short time of ministry through song and music, a time where many experienced the Lord’s comfort as community members prayed with them. Later that evening, a time of Eucharistic adoration enabled some more to encounter the closeness of the Lord through His Eucharistic presence.

The second day, Sunday, Oct 24^th, once again began with a time of Praise and Worship followed by the final teaching on what it meant to be the Lord's true disciples viz. the vices that one needed to leave behind and the virtues one needed to imbibe and mature in, so as to build one’s community. Each of the sessions had a time for sharing and reflection among their different groups.

There was also a time of sharing their entire experience. An opportunity to reconcile with God was made available by offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Eucharist culminated the two-day retreat during which each of them wrote down concrete steps they would take in building their community.

Finally, before their long drive of more than a 100 kms, back home, a short sight-seeing trip of Tagaytay was coordinated so that the retreatants could have a view of the famous Taal volcano considered to be the smallest active volcano in the world.

All in all, it was a time of blessing as the Lord met each participant and refreshed them through His grace and presence

Welcoming Jesus in the children...

2010-11-05T02:05:00.000-07:00

On 28 October, we opened our house to 23 children from our barangay (neighbourhood village) for our very first Children Ministry in Tagaytay! Fifteen minutes before time, we heard the excited voices of the children as they waited outside our gate, clutching their precious invitation slip for the event.

The session served to remind the children how special they are to Jesus and how much He loves them personally. After a short introduction, the children participated in action songs, a dramatization of the gospel story where

Jesus welcomed the little children, reinforced through games and activities. God’s infinite and personal knowledge of each person was highlighted in a short teaching session followed by a table activity.

It was heartwarming to see each child with their unique smiles and enthusiasm. They brought a new joy to the house with their singing, truly making real the presence of Jesus in the little children!

I am the vine; you are the branches...

2010-10-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

On 10th October, members of our Children Ministry in Montalban met together for a Day of Recollection at Tandang Sora. It was a timely meeting as 34 of the youths gathered to deepen in their identity and relationship as a community of faith. The theme of John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches" was chosen to highlight belonging to their belonging to Christ and the church. As members of the local church and their own group, they were challenged to live in mutual love and support for one another through teachings, sharing groups and activities.
The day culminated with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the reminder to be thankful for all that God has blessed us with through the Church and in one another.
Teaching sessions ...
Sharing in groups...

Celebrating the Holy Eucharist ... Having fun... games and of course food!

Reaching out in Singapore

2010-10-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

At the end of September, Esther was in Singapore for a short outreach to members of the National Evangelization Team and the Archdiocesan Commission for Missionary Activity (ACMA) Lay Missionary Formation participants. She faciliated a two day workshop on Innner Healing which drew around 30 participants. At the session, Esther highlighted the impact of events at the various stages of psychosocial development. Recognition of the negative impact of some of the events through memory or through the power of the Holy Spirit is the start to inner healing, followed repentance, release and the renewal of our minds.

“I realized that the person I hadn’t forgiven and therefore my healing was incomplete, was myself?” shared Elizabeth Tay. Another person shared, “I am now beginning to realize the root of my “problems” – this is the beginning of the healing process.

On a separate session, Esther shared with the ACMA Lay Missionary Formation partipants on Mission spirituality and encouraged them to be the link to Christ as missionaries. Below is an excerpt from an article written for the ACMA website...

Becoming the link to Christ

One of the participants commented at the end of the talk “Now I see more clearly, the difference between being a missionary and participating in social mission”

So what then, is missionary spirituality?

“Missionary spiritually spirituality is not just the way we pray, but the way we live, make choices, live out our values” continued Esther. She reminded her audience that there are always two aspects to being a missionary – the missionary is called by God and is sent in the power of the Holy Spirit. Being a missionary is a way of life and not just an irregular, spasmodic event

A missionary is a person who brings hope, life, love and joy. He/she is a person of the beatitudes and is called to be a saint. Holiness is a pre-requisite because this is the way we attract people to Jesus.

With over 80% of the population of Singapore yet to embrace the Good News, Esther reminded those present that they also need to consider their home ground as a mission field.

Our Korean outreach...

2010-10-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

By Denzil Rodrigues

We arrived in Korea on the night of 10^th August 2010 to the warm welcome of ICPE Korea, led by Titus. The following day, we went straight into preparations for the two major upcoming outreaches.

The first event was the 3 day Korean Youth Day in Uijeongbu Diocese. On the first day, Titus and Domi gave a session on Sexuality for the youth whilst Carol and I performed a skit for the session. The next day, we organized sessions of workshops for the youth. We took turns to perform skits, to give short teachings and testimonies.

Our second outreach was the School of Evangelization in Kkottongne (Flower Village). In collaboration with ICPE Korea, the event drew thirty participants, including youths, adults, families and elderly couples. We had Praise and worship sessions, teachings, skits ,cell groups and prayer ministry sessions. Some of the participants shared that they experienced a major breakthrough in their life in the event. It was very touching to see them reconcile with each other during the ministry time. Even during the sessions of Praise and Worship, there was such joy to praise God. During the event, we also helped to minister to four children of the participants. I enjoyed playing with them even though I could not communicate in Korean and relied mainly on gestures.

As it was my first time in Korea I was blessed to see a new culture, to meet new people and to eat different kinds of food. I also experienced the warm greetings of people whom I would meet or pass by.

During the outreach, we experienced God’s providence in our fundraising efforts for the trip. We managed to raise the required US$800 through the sales of our home made cards and through the sponsorship of generous benefactors. We thank you for your prayers, support and participation in our mission in Korea! God bless you all!

Our community on retreat...

2010-09-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, our community spent 5 days of retreat at our centre in Tagaytay. Rev Fr Ron Bagley, CJM, our retreat director, provided us with rich insights from the gospel passages about various encounters with Jesus. Coming together at the end of each day, we had the opportunity to listen to each community member's encounter with the Lord in prayer that day. It was a blessed time of being, praying and bonding together as a community- refreshed by Jesus to know Him and to continue to make Him known in our lives.

Coming together for morning reflections with Fr Ron...

Celebrating the Holy Eucharist together at the end of the retreat...
On the last night, an Agape meal to share Christ's love through the gift of each other with fellowship at the table

Living Letters, our enewsletter Sept 2010

2010-09-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

Sept 2010 Living Letters

Esther in Korea

2010-09-02T06:10:00.000-07:00

Before attending the Congress of Asian Catholic Laity, held for the first time in Asia, Esther had the opportunity to team up with Titus from ICPE Korea for a series of talks.

Sharing with members of a Bible study group...

Deepening my friendship with Jesus

2010-09-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had a day’s recollection for some youth from Manila. Having arrived the previous evening, they were up and raring to go early Sunday morning eager to know what was in store for them that day. Their first session began with a time of praise and worship led by Joan, after which they were introduced to the theme of the day’s recollection, Deepening My Friendship With Jesus. In this session of teaching, Fr. Alliston brought out the different elements that make up a genuine friendship while also sharing his personal journey with Jesus, the friend.

This was followed by a time for personal reflection to see how Jesus, their friend had accompanied each of them in their life’s journey up to this moment and then Joan facilitated a time for sharing with each other in the group which left us edified by what each of them had to share.

After lunch, the youth spent some time in creativity- using arts and crafts to prepare a souvenir of their friendship with Jesus. A time of Eucharistic Adoration gave them an occasion for being in Jesus’ presence, enabling them to come to a renewed relationship with Him after reconciling with Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The day’s recollection culminated with each of them Cementing their Friendship with Jesus at the Eucharist. After having dinner with us, they departed happily, having being invigorated by a deeper encounter with Jesus, the friend.

Priest for the Mission

2010-08-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

Having sensed a vocation to the priesthood I was looking out to join a particular religious congregation of men. However, after undergoing a discernment retreat, I decided to join the Institute for World Evangelisation ICPE Mission whose School of Mission I had attended earlier. As there was no precedence of having ordained ministers as part of this mission, I had to face many questions, the answers to which I did not have, while only trusting that the Lord was leading me in this direction.

After more than seven years of study and priestly formation I was ordained a priest for the ICPE Mission on April 10^th, 2010 on the eve of the feast of the Divine Mercy in “The Year of the Priest” which also happens to be the 25^th anniversary of the ICPE Mission.

Through all this I see that God has been faithful to His call over my life and has led me thus far. I pray that through God's grace I will be truly anointed to become his instrument of healing and wholeness to all people, particularly through ministering the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Fr Alliston arrived 3 weeks ago in the Philippines and he will be serving with the community here until early 2011. He was also warmly welcomed by His Excellency, Most Rev Luis Antonio G. Tagle, D.D. STB, Bishop of the Diocese of Imus.

Korea here we come!

2010-08-12T02:47:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, Domisiano, Carol and Denzil, the members of our staff formation have been gearing up for a mission outreach in Korea. After an excited send off to the airport yesterday, they will remain in Seoul, Korea until the end of August. Together with ICPE Korea, our team will participate and serve at the workshops of the Korean Youth Day and they will also assist in a three day mini School of Evangelisation.

Apart from praying for the outreach, preparing teachings and practicing mimes, they have also been actively raising funds for the trip.

One of their fund raising project was to make cards for sale. Putting together their creative minds and hands, they came up with the following products which will be sold in Korea:-

We ask for your prayers as they reach out to the nation of Korea and we look forward to updating you when they return!

Music training at Balikatan Ministry!

2010-07-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

In our efforts to empower the members of our Balikatan Ministry in Montalban, Rizal Province, we have started guitar lessons for 10 of our members. Coming together once every fortnight, they are coached in the basics of guitar playing by our very own Domi! Although our members share one guitar at the lesson, it does not dampen their spirits as they come together to learn. Here’s what they have to say...
Georgina Calanao

"I want to learn how to play the guitar so that I can play for worship. My problem is that I do not have a guitar so I can’t practice. I find our music training very helpful as I can now play more during our small group meetings. I enjoy playing the guitar and singing."

Cristina Panelo

"I want to play the guitar as I would like to start playing in the church and also for our small group meetings. I’ve always wanted to play when I was young but I never had the chance to learn."

Perla Melmida

"I want very much to be able to play the guitar as I want to eventually lead worship. One day I hope to be able to pray by playing the guitar and worshipping God."

Reaching out to youths...

2010-07-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

This June, we had the privilege of reaching out to over 200 youths in a 3 day Youth Camp. It was an amazing experience of meeting energetic and vibrant youths and sharing with them the message of God's love for them...
...through music, praise and worship and action songs!

...through group activites, presentations and group sharings

...through testimonies and teaching sessions

...through creativity, mimes and sign language to song

"The wonder of Your love will break the chains that bind us, the power of Your touch releases us to worship" from the song The Wonder of Your Love

Throughout the camp, we witnessed the power of God's love that broke through chains and released the youths in worship and a new encounter with His love. In awe of His mighty works, we can only bow down and humbly proclaim that all glory belongs to Him alone!

A video clip of the ministry night.. performing the mime "The Gift" followed by a prayer session..

Who says life in the missions is boring?

2010-07-15T04:49:00.000-07:00

12 July 2010 (Monday)

- The discovery of a (thankfully!!!) dead snake behind our washing machine that nearly disrupted all laundry activities for the day! Rannie to the rescue!

14 July 2010- (Wednesday) 2am

Howling winds as Typhoon Basyang (international codename Conson) ripped through Central Luzon at wind speeds of 120kph. It rattled our windows, ripped off a piece of our zinc covering at the drying area and flooded our kitchen, dining area and library.

14 July 2010- (Wednesday) 5:30am

Damage inspection and the start of clean up work... on our knees...

...with mops, pails and anything we could gather to stop the leak- a feat accomplished in darkness because of a power failure!

Collecting rain water just in case our water supply runs out!

14 July 2010- (Wednesday) 7:10am

Finally some breakfast... (still in the dark!)
Helter-skelter in the garden with fallen pots and garden chairs...

15 July 2010- (Thursday)

Thankfully Typhoon Basyang is currently moving out of Luzon. Our power supply resumed late Wednesday night and we didn't have to use the collected rain water after all! Typhoon Basyang left 18 people dead and 57 others missing in Central Luzon.

Growing healthy children in Montalban

2010-07-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

For the year 2010, we have been assisting children in Montalban to receive basic vaccinations. 40 children were immunized against Hepatitis B while 20 others received the MMR vaccination (measles, mumps and rubella). This was made possible in conjunction with the Tulay Lingap ni Padre Pio who provided the services of Dr Joan Miana and 2 nurses over the 3 courses of vaccination.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, approximately 15.2 million people in the Philippines fall under the undernourished category in 2001-2003, thus exposing them to risks of starvation or deficiency diseases. We continue our on-going efforts to help boost the immune system and health of the children through milk supplements and multivitamins. Twice a month, each child receives a packet of chocolate milk and a chewable multivitamin after the children ministry session. At every quarter of the year, each child receives a bottle of multivitamin supplements for their daily needs. We pray that as we journey with the children we will not only be able to empower them in their faith but also to grow them to be healthy children for the Lord!