December 6, 2025 • 44 mins
Welcome to Mesa Palms Seventh-day Adventist Church! We hope that you will find this sermon to be a blessing to you, as you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you would like to learn more about our church, check out our website:
https://www.mesapalmssdachurch.com
Bible Studies: https://itiswritten.study/home
Reading Library: https://www.amazingfacts.org/media-library
Donations: https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/ANP4CG/envelope/start
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Heather Hoewing (00:00):
Bring back, thank you Dan for that song.
It brings back a lot of memories of my young girlhood when I was learning about Jesus.
So, church, please turn with me to 2 Corinthians 9, 8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you.
(00:24):
so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound in the every good work.
May God add a blessing to the reading of his word.
(00:55):
Exciting to have uh Heather Howing here hoeing.
Sorry about that.
That's all right.
Uh with us today.
Uh her husband and children are here.
Yeah.
Jared, if you'd stand up, uh
Stephen and Daniel, go ahead and stand up also so the folks know who you are.
Yeah.
Um Cheryl and I got to meet uh Jared and Heather uh when they were in college.
(01:20):
Uh Heather was my our daughter's roommate.
And uh so it's exciting for us to see them in the mission field.
and in at the Philippines and to do the aviation work that they are doing there.
Uh so uh
Cheryl and I have adopted uh Heather as one of our daughters uh also.
(01:44):
So uh all of uh
Jessica's friends there in college kind of got uh adopted.
We were far away though in Mongolia, so we didn't get to uh associate much with them, but uh it is nice that uh
You are serving the Lord and we look forward to what you have to share with us today.
(02:04):
Thank you so much.
Thank you guys for being willing to give me some
time to share what we're doing in the Philippines.
It is such a privilege to be serving God there and we like to tell what God is doing, tell great things about God and his power.
And so we're grateful for that opportunity.
Today.
If you don't mind, I'd just like to bow my head.
(02:26):
Let's have a little word of prayer again here.
Father, I just ask that as
Speak today that the words of my mouth, meditations of my heart may be acceptable in your sight, and that you will reveal yourself.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
All right.
Well, I'd like to tell you a little bit about um the organization that we are serving with.
(02:49):
It's called Pomice.
Um, Pomas is an organization in the Philippines.
And will some of these be up on the screen where you guys can see them?
The slides?
Okay, there, perfect.
All right, so it is a mission aviation organization in the Philippines whose mission it is actually to impact
remote communities with the gospel using the unique avenue of aviation but also medical work, education, and agriculture
(03:19):
Services as well.
And the vision for that is actually that we may create disciples in isolated people groups throughout the world through mission aviation.
Palmas has been active in the Philippines for about 18 years, and there are four bases.
And so you can see um
(03:41):
that there is the northernmost base.
This is North Luzon.
This is southern Luzon base.
This is our Palawan base and this is a base on the island of Mindanao, which is where our family has been based for the last two years.
The base here on the island of Palawan has been around for the longest.
It was the first base to be established in the Philippines and has the greatest variety of services available there.
(04:07):
But
Um as far as aviation goes, Palmas has eight, or excuse me, six aircraft.
Some of those are fixed wings, some of those are rotorcraft, and there are
v m volunteer pilots who help to staff those aircraft.
And there are about fifteen hundred hours of flight time that happen.
(04:27):
every year and approximately eighty percent of those flights that are taken are medical evacuation cases.
Either they are being evacuated from a very remote island area by our fixed wing aircraft
Or they're being taken from a very mountainous area in which they would need to hike hours to be able to get the care that they need.
(04:48):
So as a result of all the things that we've seen in emergency situations, that has given Palmas also a passion to see more preventative things done.
Because if we can prevent that emergency from happening in the first place, that's great, right?
Um so we get involved in offering preventative care checks at some of the local mission schools in the area and some of the
(05:13):
communities in the area.
And on the island of Palawan, there is a lifestyle center there.
And it started operating its very first lifestyle programs just this past year.
And I'm going to share some stories about that with you in a few minutes.
Pomice also believes strongly in education and literacy.
(05:34):
And so on the island of Palawan, Pomice has actually five of its own.
Mission schools that are being operated.
And then in some of the other areas, especially on the island of Mindanao, those who are familiar with the Philippines know that Mindanao is home to Mountain View College.
Which is also where Sulads came from.
(05:55):
So Lods is an organization that I told about in my mission story, my children's story this morning.
They make literacy schools in areas where there's
No school and where you really need to hike a significant amount of time to get into those places.
And so Palmas partners with that organization as well in supporting the literacy efforts there.
(06:18):
And educating not only for teaching literacy, but also just so that the whole person develops in a symmetrical fashion.
Agriculture is another thing that we're passionate about.
Part of the reason for that is actually that there are people in the Philippines and rural areas especially that are malnourished.
(06:41):
And one solution to that is for them to be able to have sustainable agriculture that they can grow little, we call them kitchen gardens outside of their homes.
Which can help to feed their families.
And so Pomice has partnered with an organization called Farm Stew, and maybe some of you have heard about that organization.
But they are a community development organization that teaches not only about agriculture.
(07:06):
but many other areas of community development that are essential as well.
Palmas in the North Luzon base has a missionary training program.
It's a six-month program.
And the missionaries go through that program and after that they're deployed into unreached areas in the northern area of the Philippines.
And
(07:27):
we had some of the missionaries from the North Luzon base came and visited Mindanao and as we were sitting and talking my husband and I were amazed to learn that they said, Yes, our our mission field is a very difficult one.
Because there are more churches to Satan than there are churches to anyone else in our region in northern Philippines.
(07:49):
And
So they are struggling with a very real battle there.
In each region, it's a little bit different, the things that are being struggled with, but these people are committed to sharing Jesus Christ in those areas.
So if you're interested in learning specifically more about Pomice, you can go to www.
(08:11):
pomice mission.
org and learn more about that.
The way that our family fits into this is there is an organization called Angel One.
And Angel One is an umbrella organization for Adventist Mission Aviation.
And it was born in 2020 when a group of passionate aviators figured out that there were many reasons that mission aviation was failing around the world.
(08:43):
And part of that was because there weren't enough people and they didn't have the right aircraft.
And if they had aircraft, oftentimes they needed parts and they couldn't get them.
So
They are help helping to provide people, parts, and planes around the world for mission aviation.
And so our family is missionaries.
Under Angel One and we partner with Pomice because my husband is a helicopter pilot and he's working toward being able to help provide some of those services there.
(09:13):
So
We are volunteer missionaries.
It's very similar to the AFM model.
We are supported by those who believe in what we're doing.
And so I'd like to just share with you what we have been doing in the Philippines over the last two and a half years and what we're planning to do in the years to come.
If you're interested in signing up for our newsletter, you can scan this QR code.
(09:36):
But if you're not tech savvy and that's not
Something you're interested in, there is a sign-up sheet and a pin, paper and pen.
We still do that.
It's out in the lobby.
You can just put your name there and we'll be sure to get you on that email.
email list because it's fun to share mission stories and what God is doing throughout the year.
(09:57):
This is also a QR code if you're tech savvy.
If not, talk to us after the program.
But this is for those who might be interested in partnering in mission and helping us to be able to continue to do what we're doing there.
So here is the text that was read for our scripture reading.
I'd just like to read it again.
God is able to make
(10:18):
All grace.
How much grace did he say?
All grace abound toward you, that you always having how much sufficiency?
All sufficiency in how many things?
All things may have an abundance for every good work.
You know, I ran across this Bible verse actually this last year.
(10:41):
And as I read it, I said, wow, that's a lot of, I mean, really big descriptive words.
All things, all abundance, all sufficiency.
What does all grace even look like?
And then this verse in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 7, says, But to each one of us, grace was given
(11:03):
And what was it accordance with?
Given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
So how big is Christ's gift?
That is huge, right?
It's infinite.
And so the grace that he wants to give to each one of us is
(11:23):
that big and my mind was blown.
I thought, wow, God wants to do amazing things and have I been holding him back
In my lack of belief in the things that God can and will do for us when we call on Him.
I'd like to share a few stories in which God's grace was.
(11:47):
there and it was the only thing that made a difference in the situation.
So um over the last year we've worked hard on the island of Mindanao, which is the newest base of Pomice.
to establish a team of people who can help with medical evacuation cases.
And so we got some nurses, we took them to the island of Palawan, we did training because
(12:14):
Nursing in the air is different than nursing on the ground.
There are many things that happen when you fly
physiologically in your body that don't happen to you when you're just standing on the ground.
And so we needed to train them about some of those things.
And we did everything we could.
We purchased supplies, some of the things we had to bring from the US.
(12:36):
One thing that's difficult to get the Philippines is the um oxygen tanks that are portable.
and in the right size that fits well in the aircraft.
And so we have some.
They're on their way.
They will be on their way to the Philippines, but they're not there yet.
We had one tank and before we left to come back to the US this time for training, for Jared doing his helicopter training, we
(13:04):
I said, okay, this is one of the last pieces.
This oxygen tank is not full and it needs to be full if you guys are gonna do any flights while I'm away.
And
Nothing was really happening and here we are far in the US and I'm getting a little bit, you know, frustrated.
Like, Lord, it'd be nice if they would, you know, move ahead with doing some things.
(13:28):
And God knows exactly how to motivate each one of us, doesn't he?
He knows what's gonna push the button and make us do something.
And so there was a missionary actually, one of the Sulad's missionaries in one of a very far island who
Became very ill.
On the island they were on, they did not have the medical care that they needed.
(13:48):
And if they did not get evacuated from that island, it was likely that that missionary would die.
Do you think that motivates missionaries?
Absolutely.
They want to help their fellow missionary.
And so they said, we gotta go get that guy.
Yes, they gotta go get that guy.
And so they got together the medical supplies that we had a accumulated, but his issue was a respiratory issue
(14:12):
And so that tank of oxygen, they managed to find a way to get it filled, but then they didn't have any more.
And so one of the guys had a friend at the hospital who gave them a larger tank and so for the patient to have oxygen they were gonna have to be filling and refilling this tank.
Anyway, like I said, they were motivated.
They got the chart.
(14:32):
that we had talked about here's how you calculate exactly how much oxygen you'll need for your flight and we had instructed them
It's very important that you always take some extra because you never know what's going to happen to that patient between the time you leave and the time that you arrive and need to fly them back.
(14:54):
So they they leave, they get the report on the patient, they fly two or three hours to this island, and when they get there, the patient's oxygen need has doubled.
It's doubled.
And so they did what they could.
They loaded the patient into the plane, and as they're flying, they're monitoring his oxygen saturations.
(15:18):
And the higher they go, the lower the oxygen saturation is going.
So they turn the oxygen up for a little bit and then they're saying, well, we're gonna have to budget the oxygen.
So they turn the oxygen down some.
Okay.
And then they so they're turning it up and down the whole flight.
And when they arrive on the ground.
They just ran out of oxygen.
(15:40):
And so the oxygen they had was just barely enough.
But you know, when I heard the story they were telling me, you know, Ate, sometimes the oxygen was dropping so very low we were scared.
And I was thinking, when they told me how low, I thought, yeah
I'm scared too.
And so I actually had a talk with God and I said, Lord, why is it that you would let that happen?
(16:04):
That doesn't that doesn't look good.
Why would you let us run out of oxygen like that?
And God reminded me, he said, do you not think that I'm big enough to take care of that kind of problem?
And I said, You're right, Lord.
You're big enough to take care of that problem.
(16:25):
You raised Lazarus from the dead.
You took care of that lady who'd been bleeding for twelve years.
Who am I to say that you can't also deal with this situation, even though it's not ideal?
Had they done their best?
Absolutely.
They had done their best with what they had, and God said
That's all right.
I'll take care of the rest.
The guy got to the hospital.
(16:46):
He was intubated in the parking lot.
He was in the hospital for many days, but you know what?
He's been released from the hospital and praise God he's doing well.
So God's grace is enough when we've done all we can and He's the only one who can intervene.
God's grace is enough when death seems like the only option.
(17:09):
This is a guy who was on the island of Palawan, and he was
Um part of the team of nurses had been ministering to him, our community team of nurses in Palawan
go out and go into villages and find people who are sick, need help, and they minister to them.
(17:30):
And they had been talking with this family for quite some time.
Well it came time to do the first lifestyle program.
on our lifestyle base uh our lifestyle uh center on the island of Palawan.
And so they said, You guys should come and they had said, Yes, we really wanna come and so then the nurse went and she said, I'm gonna follow up with them one week
(17:51):
before the program, make sure they're ready to go.
So she went to visit them, and when she got there, they were sick.
They were very sick.
The man's oxygen saturation was 60%.
And she said, Oh, you need to go to the hospital.
And you know what he said?
No, I'm not doing that.
(18:14):
And she said, why not?
You need to get better.
And he said, you know what?
I've been to the hospital before.
It's very expensive.
My family's gone into a lot of debt over this.
And it's better for me just to die than for my family to incur more debt because of my sickness.
I'll just wait here to die.
And so his family, they basically started getting ready for his funeral.
(18:39):
His wife, though, started praying, and she said, Lord, please don't let my husband die.
Please do something.
And so the pomice team was praying as well.
Just before the lifestyle program was to start, we went back just to visit and to pray with them.
And when we got there, miraculously, he had improved some.
Instead of having an oxygen saturation of 60, it was now 80.
(19:03):
Well, it's some improvement, right?
And so
We talked to him about previous times he'd been in the hospital.
It turned out he probably had pneumonia.
So we said, Would you be willing to take some medicine?
Even if you don't go to the hospital, just take some pills, maybe some antibiotics He said, Well, sh
I'd be willing to do that.
And one of the missionaries was very passionate.
(19:24):
She said, he needs to come to the lifestyle program.
And we said, well, this the space has already been filled with other people who had been on the waiting list.
And she said, he needs to come to the program.
I'm gonna pray and God's gonna make a way.
Well, God opened a way and this guy and his wife came to the lifestyle program.
And when they got there
(19:46):
They had he had been sick for many, many years.
He hadn't left his hut probably for three years, and for the last ten years he'd been very unwell, unable to walk and do things and
His wife was very burdened taking care of him.
And people who are very, very sick sometimes they get a little grumpy.
And he had been grumpy with his wife for a long time.
(20:09):
And so when they got there, they kind of referred to each other as companions.
They didn't really refer to each other
each other as husband and wife.
They didn't even introduce each other that way.
It was like this is my companion and and so the nurses said, you know that's really strange that they're introducing each other like that.
I wonder why that is
And so as we talked with them, the pain and the hurt over all those years started to come out.
(20:34):
But you know what?
God brought
Healing and restoration in that situation.
They participated in a 10-day program where they were studying the Bible, they were eating nutritious meals, they were spending time in the sunshine, they were
walking, they were getting some hydrotherapy.
Very, very simple things, but yet God blessed those efforts and blessed the desires of their heart.
(20:57):
And by the time they left, you can see they're snuggling together in the grass.
in front of the lifestyle center.
It was so sweet to see the way that God heals, not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.
So here's another story when God's grace is enough.
And that's when you're living in a storm that maybe no one else can see and no one else can hear.
(21:26):
This guy was another guest of our lifestyle program.
And we're our family, like I said previously, is based on the island of
Mindanao, our lifestyle center is on the island of Palawan.
I am a physician assistant and
I got a certification in lifestyle medicine, and so I'm passionate about helping the lifestyle program move forward.
(21:52):
And so
Each time they were having a lifestyle program while we were there, I like to go and help.
And they let me serve as the health coach.
And so when we got there, they were telling me about the cases of the people, and they started telling me about this guy, and I met him.
He was very friendly, had been a contact of the community nursing program in Palawan for quite a while, had a very traumatic injury in which he had
(22:19):
open fracture of his lower leg and had just been left basically by his family to die in a hut.
And Palma's nursing came and said
You need to take him to the hospital.
Same story.
They said, uh, we can't afford that.
He's a little weird anyway.
If he lives, he lives.
If not, whatever.
Like, we'll feed him, but we're not taking him to the hospital.
(22:40):
We can't afford that.
And so after about a month, finally the family got tired of her asking.
They said, listen, you want to take him to the hospital?
You go ahead.
But like we said, we're not having a part in that.
And so the nurse said, Yeah, we want to take him to the hospital.
So they took him to the hospital and he was able to get care for his leg and
(23:01):
As soon as his leg was doing better, he went straight back to the mountain where he was used to living.
He loves it there.
So they said, Why don't you come to the lifestyle program?
We think maybe it can help you walk better and get better healing.
And so he said, yeah, that's great.
He wanted to feel better.
And so he came to the program.
But as he came to the program, it came became very apparent that his disability that he had was not only physical.
(23:27):
He had some roommates and they said, you know, we think that Tatai has a lot on his mind.
They're very polite.
We said, well, why is it that you think that?
He said, Well, he talks a lot.
We said, to who?
Oh, we don't know.
And um he he's also seeing people
(23:47):
Oh, he's seeing people?
Yeah.
So it turned out, I mean in America we would say, Oh, okay, that guy has paranoid schizophrenia with auditory and visual hallucinations, right?
That's what we would give him as a diagnosis.
And so
I was telling the staff, you know, I mean, in America, we don't accept patients like this or guests like this in our lifestyle program because usually it's very disruptive to the guest.
(24:13):
And so I got back to my room and I'm saying, Lord, what about this guy?
And again I heard the Lord saying gently in my heart, Oh, so you don't think I can do something to help him?
Oh man!
I got on my knees right away and I said, Lord, forgive me for any of my unbelief about this guy.
If you have big things in store for him, if you want to heal and restore him completely
(24:37):
You do it and don't let me stand in the way.
Don't let any of us stand in the way.
And so as we went through the program, we asked him if he had ever prayed.
and asked the voices to go away and he said he had and we asked him, Well what happened when when you did that?
And he said, Oh, well they went away.
And we said, Well would you like to pray again?
(24:58):
And he said, Well you can pray
And we said, Well, why can't you pray?
No, I I can't pray, but you can pray.
And so the nurse prayed, encouraged him.
Somebody came and translated
'Cause he speaks a dialect that's unique to the mountains.
So one of our students came in and spoke to him in his own dialect and was able to help him say a prayer.
(25:19):
So
However, the next day he found out that his brother had passed away.
And so, I mean, it for any of us
That's traumatic, right?
But imagine being someone who's struggling with a really big mental disability and now you've got a huge loss on top of that.
And so he was really having a hard time.
(25:42):
And we helped him have a little room for himself so that he wouldn't keep his roommates up at night talking and things.
And
One of the students who had translated for him, he came and he said, you know, I think that part of the issue is that he has an on-ting-an-ting.
And what an unting unting is, is a spirit charm.
(26:06):
And they wear it either around their r wrist or around their waist.
And they said he has a spirit charm and he's wearing it, and we think that's part of the problem.
And so we said, okay, well, the next time he came for his coaching appointment, we asked him, Hey, do you have an aunting aunting?
(26:26):
And he said, No.
I don't have one of those.
Oh, okay.
Are you wearing one of those?
No, I'm not wearing one of those.
Did you bring one of those with you here to the program?
No, I didn't bring one with me here to the program.
And finally the nurse said, Okay, Uncle, but do you have one anywhere?
(26:47):
Do you have one at your house, maybe in the mountains?
And he said, Hmm, I do
I do have one there.
And they believe that the power bestowed on them by this little charm is very powerful.
It can make them some cases bulletproof.
Like if they're stuck with a needle, the needle will break.
If they are shot, it won't kill them, right?
(27:09):
So they really believe strongly in the power of these charms.
And so
We said, Uncle, you're gonna need to choose between Jesus and this spirit charm because we believe
The only hope for you is Jesus because we have nothing that we can do for you here, but Jesus can do something for you.
(27:31):
But you're gonna have to choose.
And he said, Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
And we said, You're hearing the voices, right?
And he said
Said, yes.
We said, now do you enjoy what the voices are telling you all of the time?
And he said, no, I don't.
We said, how about the hallucination?
(27:51):
Do you like the things that you're seeing all of the time?
And he said, no, of course not.
We said, well, Jesus can help you, but you have to choose.
What will you choose?
Will you choose Jesus or will you choose your unting aunting?
And he sat and he was quiet
for many, many minutes and he he kind of had his head down and you could tell he was thinking hard and there was a struggle in his heart.
(28:15):
And
The nurse and I were praying like Lord please help him in this battle.
And as we prayed, a few minutes later, he lifted his head, and you know what he said?
He said, I choose Jesus.
And we said, Okay, well let's have a prayer and surrender that to Jesus.
(28:36):
And you know, we talked to him about how he has to make sure he gets rid of that spirit charm forever.
He said, yes, yes, I choose Jesus.
And so we knelt down and had a prayer.
And I have to tell you, after that, the next three days, it was that was Friday.
Friday morning, so we had Friday, Sabbath until Sunday was gonna be the next coaching appointment.
(28:56):
And those next three days, I was like sitting on pins and
needles and I kept trying to get hints from everybody like what's going on with Uncle?
Is he okay or is he still seeing stuff and hearing stuff?
And everybody said, Ah, you know what, we don't know.
We can't seem to figure it out either.
I we don't know.
You'll just have to wait.
I don't
like to wait, but that's what I had to do.
(29:17):
I had to wait.
And so finally Sunday came and he came in for his coaching appointment and so we asked him.
Ah, you know, trying to pleasant Theresa.
How are you?
How are things?
Yeah, he said very good.
And are you sleeping well?
Of course I'm sleeping well.
Well, how long are you sleeping?
Because before he was only sleeping three or four hours.
(29:40):
How long are you sleeping?
Oh, maybe seven or eight hours.
What?
Seven or eight hours?
Yes, of course.
Hmm.
Have you been bothered by any voices?
No, I'm not hearing any voices anymore.
Are you seeing anything?
No, I'm not seeing anything anymore.
You know, God delivered him from that.
When he chose Jesus, God was able to intervene in a mighty way in his life.
(30:03):
And so when we had nothing that we could do, we offered Jesus, and Jesus did everything that was necessary.
This is a situation we encountered on the island of Mindanao.
This woman had been to the hospital, she was on medications, and she had become blind.
And she had been sitting in her house for at least three months very hopeless.
(30:26):
She used to work and help with her family.
She had several children and grandchildren and
And so they s the missionaries that we have at this outpost, they said, can you please come and visit her and see if there's anything else that can be done for her?
And so we went and we talked with her
And you know, sometimes what we're dealing with is a physical problem, but sometimes it's mental or spiritual issue, right?
(30:51):
And in her case, she was very sad.
She was hopeless and she was angry.
because she felt she couldn't do anything anymore and she couldn't help her family.
And you know, to be honest, in this case, we we didn't heal her blindness
overnight.
But you know what?
We were able to spend an hour, maybe an hour and a half in her house with her and her family and talk to them about Jesus and about hope and about how we didn't know why this had happened, but that God desired
(31:19):
good things still for her in her life and that she could still go outside.
She could learn to safely walk.
She could still contribute to the family.
And you know what?
By the time we left the home
There was peace in her heart.
And the missionaries there, they say every time they go back and visit her, she's happy.
And they see her going about her business, going outside of her home.
(31:41):
And so God is making a difference.
In hearts and in minds.
Here's another gentleman in that same area.
He had been healthy for many years, but had a horse accident.
became somewhat disabled and around that same time began coughing up blood.
Well it turned out he had tuberculosis and
(32:05):
they didn't know what to do.
There's actually some free government resources where he can get treatment for that.
And so the team there was able to help him get to the resources that were already free to him.
He just didn't know how to access them.
So our team was able to help them access those services and now he's back to working and doing much better.
(32:28):
This situation happened just recently and it's really something that makes me passionate about getting back to the Philippines.
And continuing to do what we have been doing and what we desire to see more of happening.
This happened on the island of Mindanao and this
Call came over the radio that this guy needed an urgent evacuation from a place that has no road.
(32:54):
So there was need for a helicopter.
Guess what?
Helicopter was not in Mindanao at the time.
And had it been there, there was not a pilot there at the time.
And so they had to do what was their only option to do.
They had to hike two hours if you're healthy hiking two hours.
(33:15):
So imagine
You've been injured.
There was a machete fight, and he didn't have his machete to defend himself, so he was bleeding, and they had to hike
Many hours they finally made it to the remote mission post.
They put pressure and tried to stop the bleeding.
It wasn't stopping.
They were able to call.
An ambulance which showed up and it's basically like a van.
(33:37):
And it's got a bench in the back that he can sit in.
And they just continued to hold pressure.
They got him to the hospital.
And he was able to get some treatment and he's been released and he's doing okay.
But you know what?
That story just
Breaks my heart because it makes me think, wow, can it will be much better when we're able to be there.
(33:59):
And we're able to help bring relief much more quickly, where they're not having to hike in a in a poor condition that far and they can get to the hospital much more
more quickly and they can get the help that they need.
But you know, once again, God says, I know you guys are doing your best.
And so for this guy, I'm intervening in his life and I'm going to take care of him.
(34:19):
And but we do believe for that reason that these issues continue to happen on a regular basis in the very remote areas of the Philippines.
And we believe that
That's the reason that God has placed promise there.
That's the call that He's put on our family to help in those areas where the need is great.
(34:40):
So when our works, when our efforts, when our abilities fall short, there is
all grace that is all sufficient in all things for every good work.
Right?
And so at the end of the day, yes, God wants us to cooperate with Him and the call that He's placed on our life.
(35:03):
And at the same time, he wants to work with us and be able to show how great and mighty and powerful he is.
And you know, sometimes
I believe that it is in our very weakness and in our insufficiency that God is most able to demonstrate his power.
Right?
(35:23):
Because if we were able to do it all
What would be the point of that?
We need God and He is waiting to demonstrate His power on our behalf.
Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 12
Verses 9 through 10 says, My grace is sufficient for you.
My strength is made perfect in what?
(35:44):
In strength?
No, he says it's actually made perfect in weakness.
And so most gladly will I rather boast in my
Infirmities.
Now how often is that human nature?
That I'm gonna get up here and tell, like boast about how how horrible I am, right?
But that God is saying, yeah, talk about how things aren't
(36:06):
perfect because then when people see what's happening they'll know it's because of me.
The verse ends by saying, when I am weak, then I am strong.
There are situations, of course, in this is another little interesting story.
This little boy, you can maybe see there's a hole behind his ear.
(36:29):
It's because he had an infection and he was never able to get treated for it and now he's deaf in his ear because he never was able to get the treatment that he needed for the infection there.
And so our team is partnering to try to help him get services to avoid any deafness in the right ear.
But you know
As we encounter these situations, and there are times when I've just come to God heavy with the burden, and God reminds me, you can give that.
(36:56):
to me.
Zechariah 4.
6 says, it's not by might, nor by power, but what?
By my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
I found this verse this year.
It's another one that really has encouraged me and kind of changed the way that I look at these situations.
It's from 2 Chronicles.
Chapter 16, verse 9.
(37:18):
And it says, For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.
To show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him.
So
Let's do uh just imagine with me what that looks like.
God is in heaven and what's he doing?
(37:40):
He's looking where?
Just here in Phoenix?
No.
It just in the United States?
Only in the Philippines?
No, he's looking throughout the whole earth.
And what is it that he wants to do?
He wants to find problems and and like burn people up.
Is that what he wants to do?
(38:01):
No, it's saying he wants to show himself
strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him.
And God wants to do that.
And he does that when we encounter situations in which we go
Lord, I really don't know what to do.
And there's situations that you and I I'm sure you all are facing situations in your life, this year, this week
(38:27):
That seem huge, right?
Maybe you're saying, I have no idea what to do in this situation.
And God's saying that's okay because I'm
Really looking for people who are loyal to me that I can show myself strong on behalf.
God likes to a situation in which He's the one who gets all of the glory
And God has said that's what he wants to do.
(38:49):
Numbers 23, verse 19.
We can take God's word to the bank.
When he says that he'll do something, he's going to do it.
It.
God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent.
Has he said, and will he not do, or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?
(39:11):
So should our faith be in the things that we can do or our training or an organization?
All of those things
are important.
I I firmly believe we should do everything we can to be prepared and to be trained and to be, you know, well prepared for each situation and an emergency.
But when we
Come across situations that are too much for us.
(39:33):
First Corinthians two verse five says, That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Maybe you've watched some of those shows on TV where there's questions and the people have to answer them and they get the opportunity for a lifeline.
They can phone a friend, right?
There are situations where I'm out in the jungle or far away from any help, and I'm saying, man, I wish I could call so-and-so right now.
(40:01):
Wish I could talk to my dad, or I wish I could talk to Doctor So and so, or I wish that I could, you know, whoever it might be that I believe has a lot of wisdom in that situation, I might want to try to call them.
But it's impossible.
You know God
God reminds me, hey, you can ask me, and I've got a lot of wisdom, and I'm happy to give it to you if only you will ask.
(40:24):
So God is git wants to give each one of us opportunities to really trust in him and to build that faith in his abilities.
Oh, this is a story that I share just because in our journey of going to the Philippines, I I had from a from childhood I had dreamed of being a missionary.
(40:46):
Um
But I really hate snakes
And so as we were preparing to go to the Philippines, one of my friends said, Hey, I just watched a documentary on National Geographic about the most poisonous snakes in the whole world.
(41:07):
And you know what?
There's a lot of them in the Philippines.
And I said, that's great.
Thanks for that.
But you know what?
God has said that his perfect love will cast out all of our fear, right?
And
Not that God wants us to go do stupid stuff, right?
(41:29):
Satan tempted Jesus and he said, here, jump off of this place in the in the temple and and
Jesus said, No, that's presumption.
I'm not gonna do that, right?
But in situations where he's called us to do something, but maybe fear is holding us back.
Jesus says, you know what?
My love will cast out all of that fear.
(41:51):
So you can see this grass
I was hiking to a jungle school to do some checkups as we walked through this grass, and that grass is at least here on me.
shoulder grass.
So do you think there's possibility there could be some snakes hiding in that grass?
Yeah, I think so.
But you know what?
God gave me courage and I walked through that grass.
(42:11):
I said, Yeah
This isn't my favorite thing, but I know God is with me.
And you know, I didn't encounter a snake on that trip.
But when we got back
home to the base.
The the other missionary nurse who had hiked with us she said Oh yeah on my way down I did I stepped on a snake but whatever I just kept going.
(42:32):
I thought
The Lord was gracious that I wasn't the one who stepped on that snake, right?
So God wants to give us grace, whether we're facing challenges that seem insurmountable.
He is enough.
Whether we're facing fear that makes us paralyzed, thinking that we can't do what he's asking us to do, maybe that task seems too big, maybe I don't feel qualified enough.
(42:59):
God
is enough and he is right beside you and wants to give you the strength that you need to do what he's asked you to do.
So um
We are so grateful for the opportunity that you guys have given for us to share.
We do have some magazines that we'll have on the table in the back.
If you're interested in getting a magazine with some more mission stories in it, you can feel free to read about that.
(43:26):
There's also some envelopes if you're interested in supporting through
donations in any way to help us get back to the Philippines.
We appreciate that too.
You can scan the QR code if you're tech savvy.
But again, we just invite you to chat with us.
We're so thankful for the chat.
chance to share.
And most of all, all glory to God and what He's doing around the world and what He wants to do in each of our lives.
(43:51):
Let's bow our heads and just have a word of prayer.
Father in heaven, we are so grateful that you are who you say you are and that you will do what you say that you will do
We're thankful that you are not a man who will lie, but that we can stand on the firm foundation of your word.
(44:15):
So Lord, we commit our hearts to you, we commit our fears to you, we commit our story to you, and the stories of those that you may lead us to interact with.
We ask that you will guide and direct.
And that you will show yourself supreme in all of those situations in which we feel hopeless and helpless today.
(44:36):
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Bring back, thank you Dan for that song.
It brings back a lot of memories of my young girlhood when I was learning about Jesus.
So, church, please turn with me to 2 Corinthians 9, 8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you.
(00:24):
so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound in the every good work.
May God add a blessing to the reading of his word.
(00:55):
Exciting to have uh Heather Howing here hoeing.
Sorry about that.
That's all right.
Uh with us today.
Uh her husband and children are here.
Yeah.
Jared, if you'd stand up, uh
Stephen and Daniel, go ahead and stand up also so the folks know who you are.
Yeah.
Um Cheryl and I got to meet uh Jared and Heather uh when they were in college.
(01:20):
Uh Heather was my our daughter's roommate.
And uh so it's exciting for us to see them in the mission field.
and in at the Philippines and to do the aviation work that they are doing there.
Uh so uh
Cheryl and I have adopted uh Heather as one of our daughters uh also.
(01:44):
So uh all of uh
Jessica's friends there in college kind of got uh adopted.
We were far away though in Mongolia, so we didn't get to uh associate much with them, but uh it is nice that uh
You are serving the Lord and we look forward to what you have to share with us today.
(02:04):
Thank you so much.
Thank you guys for being willing to give me some
time to share what we're doing in the Philippines.
It is such a privilege to be serving God there and we like to tell what God is doing, tell great things about God and his power.
And so we're grateful for that opportunity.
Today.
If you don't mind, I'd just like to bow my head.
(02:26):
Let's have a little word of prayer again here.
Father, I just ask that as
Speak today that the words of my mouth, meditations of my heart may be acceptable in your sight, and that you will reveal yourself.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
All right.
Well, I'd like to tell you a little bit about um the organization that we are serving with.
(02:49):
It's called Pomice.
Um, Pomas is an organization in the Philippines.
And will some of these be up on the screen where you guys can see them?
The slides?
Okay, there, perfect.
All right, so it is a mission aviation organization in the Philippines whose mission it is actually to impact
remote communities with the gospel using the unique avenue of aviation but also medical work, education, and agriculture
(03:19):
Services as well.
And the vision for that is actually that we may create disciples in isolated people groups throughout the world through mission aviation.
Palmas has been active in the Philippines for about 18 years, and there are four bases.
And so you can see um
(03:41):
that there is the northernmost base.
This is North Luzon.
This is southern Luzon base.
This is our Palawan base and this is a base on the island of Mindanao, which is where our family has been based for the last two years.
The base here on the island of Palawan has been around for the longest.
It was the first base to be established in the Philippines and has the greatest variety of services available there.
(04:07):
But
Um as far as aviation goes, Palmas has eight, or excuse me, six aircraft.
Some of those are fixed wings, some of those are rotorcraft, and there are
v m volunteer pilots who help to staff those aircraft.
And there are about fifteen hundred hours of flight time that happen.
(04:27):
every year and approximately eighty percent of those flights that are taken are medical evacuation cases.
Either they are being evacuated from a very remote island area by our fixed wing aircraft
Or they're being taken from a very mountainous area in which they would need to hike hours to be able to get the care that they need.
(04:48):
So as a result of all the things that we've seen in emergency situations, that has given Palmas also a passion to see more preventative things done.
Because if we can prevent that emergency from happening in the first place, that's great, right?
Um so we get involved in offering preventative care checks at some of the local mission schools in the area and some of the
(05:13):
communities in the area.
And on the island of Palawan, there is a lifestyle center there.
And it started operating its very first lifestyle programs just this past year.
And I'm going to share some stories about that with you in a few minutes.
Pomice also believes strongly in education and literacy.
(05:34):
And so on the island of Palawan, Pomice has actually five of its own.
Mission schools that are being operated.
And then in some of the other areas, especially on the island of Mindanao, those who are familiar with the Philippines know that Mindanao is home to Mountain View College.
Which is also where Sulads came from.
(05:55):
So Lods is an organization that I told about in my mission story, my children's story this morning.
They make literacy schools in areas where there's
No school and where you really need to hike a significant amount of time to get into those places.
And so Palmas partners with that organization as well in supporting the literacy efforts there.
(06:18):
And educating not only for teaching literacy, but also just so that the whole person develops in a symmetrical fashion.
Agriculture is another thing that we're passionate about.
Part of the reason for that is actually that there are people in the Philippines and rural areas especially that are malnourished.
(06:41):
And one solution to that is for them to be able to have sustainable agriculture that they can grow little, we call them kitchen gardens outside of their homes.
Which can help to feed their families.
And so Pomice has partnered with an organization called Farm Stew, and maybe some of you have heard about that organization.
But they are a community development organization that teaches not only about agriculture.
(07:06):
but many other areas of community development that are essential as well.
Palmas in the North Luzon base has a missionary training program.
It's a six-month program.
And the missionaries go through that program and after that they're deployed into unreached areas in the northern area of the Philippines.
And
(07:27):
we had some of the missionaries from the North Luzon base came and visited Mindanao and as we were sitting and talking my husband and I were amazed to learn that they said, Yes, our our mission field is a very difficult one.
Because there are more churches to Satan than there are churches to anyone else in our region in northern Philippines.
(07:49):
And
So they are struggling with a very real battle there.
In each region, it's a little bit different, the things that are being struggled with, but these people are committed to sharing Jesus Christ in those areas.
So if you're interested in learning specifically more about Pomice, you can go to www.
(08:11):
pomice mission.
org and learn more about that.
The way that our family fits into this is there is an organization called Angel One.
And Angel One is an umbrella organization for Adventist Mission Aviation.
And it was born in 2020 when a group of passionate aviators figured out that there were many reasons that mission aviation was failing around the world.
(08:43):
And part of that was because there weren't enough people and they didn't have the right aircraft.
And if they had aircraft, oftentimes they needed parts and they couldn't get them.
So
They are help helping to provide people, parts, and planes around the world for mission aviation.
And so our family is missionaries.
Under Angel One and we partner with Pomice because my husband is a helicopter pilot and he's working toward being able to help provide some of those services there.
(09:13):
So
We are volunteer missionaries.
It's very similar to the AFM model.
We are supported by those who believe in what we're doing.
And so I'd like to just share with you what we have been doing in the Philippines over the last two and a half years and what we're planning to do in the years to come.
If you're interested in signing up for our newsletter, you can scan this QR code.
(09:36):
But if you're not tech savvy and that's not
Something you're interested in, there is a sign-up sheet and a pin, paper and pen.
We still do that.
It's out in the lobby.
You can just put your name there and we'll be sure to get you on that email.
email list because it's fun to share mission stories and what God is doing throughout the year.
(09:57):
This is also a QR code if you're tech savvy.
If not, talk to us after the program.
But this is for those who might be interested in partnering in mission and helping us to be able to continue to do what we're doing there.
So here is the text that was read for our scripture reading.
I'd just like to read it again.
God is able to make
(10:18):
All grace.
How much grace did he say?
All grace abound toward you, that you always having how much sufficiency?
All sufficiency in how many things?
All things may have an abundance for every good work.
You know, I ran across this Bible verse actually this last year.
(10:41):
And as I read it, I said, wow, that's a lot of, I mean, really big descriptive words.
All things, all abundance, all sufficiency.
What does all grace even look like?
And then this verse in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 7, says, But to each one of us, grace was given
(11:03):
And what was it accordance with?
Given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
So how big is Christ's gift?
That is huge, right?
It's infinite.
And so the grace that he wants to give to each one of us is
(11:23):
that big and my mind was blown.
I thought, wow, God wants to do amazing things and have I been holding him back
In my lack of belief in the things that God can and will do for us when we call on Him.
I'd like to share a few stories in which God's grace was.
(11:47):
there and it was the only thing that made a difference in the situation.
So um over the last year we've worked hard on the island of Mindanao, which is the newest base of Pomice.
to establish a team of people who can help with medical evacuation cases.
And so we got some nurses, we took them to the island of Palawan, we did training because
(12:14):
Nursing in the air is different than nursing on the ground.
There are many things that happen when you fly
physiologically in your body that don't happen to you when you're just standing on the ground.
And so we needed to train them about some of those things.
And we did everything we could.
We purchased supplies, some of the things we had to bring from the US.
(12:36):
One thing that's difficult to get the Philippines is the um oxygen tanks that are portable.
and in the right size that fits well in the aircraft.
And so we have some.
They're on their way.
They will be on their way to the Philippines, but they're not there yet.
We had one tank and before we left to come back to the US this time for training, for Jared doing his helicopter training, we
(13:04):
I said, okay, this is one of the last pieces.
This oxygen tank is not full and it needs to be full if you guys are gonna do any flights while I'm away.
And
Nothing was really happening and here we are far in the US and I'm getting a little bit, you know, frustrated.
Like, Lord, it'd be nice if they would, you know, move ahead with doing some things.
(13:28):
And God knows exactly how to motivate each one of us, doesn't he?
He knows what's gonna push the button and make us do something.
And so there was a missionary actually, one of the Sulad's missionaries in one of a very far island who
Became very ill.
On the island they were on, they did not have the medical care that they needed.
(13:48):
And if they did not get evacuated from that island, it was likely that that missionary would die.
Do you think that motivates missionaries?
Absolutely.
They want to help their fellow missionary.
And so they said, we gotta go get that guy.
Yes, they gotta go get that guy.
And so they got together the medical supplies that we had a accumulated, but his issue was a respiratory issue
(14:12):
And so that tank of oxygen, they managed to find a way to get it filled, but then they didn't have any more.
And so one of the guys had a friend at the hospital who gave them a larger tank and so for the patient to have oxygen they were gonna have to be filling and refilling this tank.
Anyway, like I said, they were motivated.
They got the chart.
(14:32):
that we had talked about here's how you calculate exactly how much oxygen you'll need for your flight and we had instructed them
It's very important that you always take some extra because you never know what's going to happen to that patient between the time you leave and the time that you arrive and need to fly them back.
(14:54):
So they they leave, they get the report on the patient, they fly two or three hours to this island, and when they get there, the patient's oxygen need has doubled.
It's doubled.
And so they did what they could.
They loaded the patient into the plane, and as they're flying, they're monitoring his oxygen saturations.
(15:18):
And the higher they go, the lower the oxygen saturation is going.
So they turn the oxygen up for a little bit and then they're saying, well, we're gonna have to budget the oxygen.
So they turn the oxygen down some.
Okay.
And then they so they're turning it up and down the whole flight.
And when they arrive on the ground.
They just ran out of oxygen.
(15:40):
And so the oxygen they had was just barely enough.
But you know, when I heard the story they were telling me, you know, Ate, sometimes the oxygen was dropping so very low we were scared.
And I was thinking, when they told me how low, I thought, yeah
I'm scared too.
And so I actually had a talk with God and I said, Lord, why is it that you would let that happen?
(16:04):
That doesn't that doesn't look good.
Why would you let us run out of oxygen like that?
And God reminded me, he said, do you not think that I'm big enough to take care of that kind of problem?
And I said, You're right, Lord.
You're big enough to take care of that problem.
(16:25):
You raised Lazarus from the dead.
You took care of that lady who'd been bleeding for twelve years.
Who am I to say that you can't also deal with this situation, even though it's not ideal?
Had they done their best?
Absolutely.
They had done their best with what they had, and God said
That's all right.
I'll take care of the rest.
The guy got to the hospital.
(16:46):
He was intubated in the parking lot.
He was in the hospital for many days, but you know what?
He's been released from the hospital and praise God he's doing well.
So God's grace is enough when we've done all we can and He's the only one who can intervene.
God's grace is enough when death seems like the only option.
(17:09):
This is a guy who was on the island of Palawan, and he was
Um part of the team of nurses had been ministering to him, our community team of nurses in Palawan
go out and go into villages and find people who are sick, need help, and they minister to them.
(17:30):
And they had been talking with this family for quite some time.
Well it came time to do the first lifestyle program.
on our lifestyle base uh our lifestyle uh center on the island of Palawan.
And so they said, You guys should come and they had said, Yes, we really wanna come and so then the nurse went and she said, I'm gonna follow up with them one week
(17:51):
before the program, make sure they're ready to go.
So she went to visit them, and when she got there, they were sick.
They were very sick.
The man's oxygen saturation was 60%.
And she said, Oh, you need to go to the hospital.
And you know what he said?
No, I'm not doing that.
(18:14):
And she said, why not?
You need to get better.
And he said, you know what?
I've been to the hospital before.
It's very expensive.
My family's gone into a lot of debt over this.
And it's better for me just to die than for my family to incur more debt because of my sickness.
I'll just wait here to die.
And so his family, they basically started getting ready for his funeral.
(18:39):
His wife, though, started praying, and she said, Lord, please don't let my husband die.
Please do something.
And so the pomice team was praying as well.
Just before the lifestyle program was to start, we went back just to visit and to pray with them.
And when we got there, miraculously, he had improved some.
Instead of having an oxygen saturation of 60, it was now 80.
(19:03):
Well, it's some improvement, right?
And so
We talked to him about previous times he'd been in the hospital.
It turned out he probably had pneumonia.
So we said, Would you be willing to take some medicine?
Even if you don't go to the hospital, just take some pills, maybe some antibiotics He said, Well, sh
I'd be willing to do that.
And one of the missionaries was very passionate.
(19:24):
She said, he needs to come to the lifestyle program.
And we said, well, this the space has already been filled with other people who had been on the waiting list.
And she said, he needs to come to the program.
I'm gonna pray and God's gonna make a way.
Well, God opened a way and this guy and his wife came to the lifestyle program.
And when they got there
(19:46):
They had he had been sick for many, many years.
He hadn't left his hut probably for three years, and for the last ten years he'd been very unwell, unable to walk and do things and
His wife was very burdened taking care of him.
And people who are very, very sick sometimes they get a little grumpy.
And he had been grumpy with his wife for a long time.
(20:09):
And so when they got there, they kind of referred to each other as companions.
They didn't really refer to each other
each other as husband and wife.
They didn't even introduce each other that way.
It was like this is my companion and and so the nurses said, you know that's really strange that they're introducing each other like that.
I wonder why that is
And so as we talked with them, the pain and the hurt over all those years started to come out.
(20:34):
But you know what?
God brought
Healing and restoration in that situation.
They participated in a 10-day program where they were studying the Bible, they were eating nutritious meals, they were spending time in the sunshine, they were
walking, they were getting some hydrotherapy.
Very, very simple things, but yet God blessed those efforts and blessed the desires of their heart.
(20:57):
And by the time they left, you can see they're snuggling together in the grass.
in front of the lifestyle center.
It was so sweet to see the way that God heals, not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.
So here's another story when God's grace is enough.
And that's when you're living in a storm that maybe no one else can see and no one else can hear.
(21:26):
This guy was another guest of our lifestyle program.
And we're our family, like I said previously, is based on the island of
Mindanao, our lifestyle center is on the island of Palawan.
I am a physician assistant and
I got a certification in lifestyle medicine, and so I'm passionate about helping the lifestyle program move forward.
(21:52):
And so
Each time they were having a lifestyle program while we were there, I like to go and help.
And they let me serve as the health coach.
And so when we got there, they were telling me about the cases of the people, and they started telling me about this guy, and I met him.
He was very friendly, had been a contact of the community nursing program in Palawan for quite a while, had a very traumatic injury in which he had
(22:19):
open fracture of his lower leg and had just been left basically by his family to die in a hut.
And Palma's nursing came and said
You need to take him to the hospital.
Same story.
They said, uh, we can't afford that.
He's a little weird anyway.
If he lives, he lives.
If not, whatever.
Like, we'll feed him, but we're not taking him to the hospital.
(22:40):
We can't afford that.
And so after about a month, finally the family got tired of her asking.
They said, listen, you want to take him to the hospital?
You go ahead.
But like we said, we're not having a part in that.
And so the nurse said, Yeah, we want to take him to the hospital.
So they took him to the hospital and he was able to get care for his leg and
(23:01):
As soon as his leg was doing better, he went straight back to the mountain where he was used to living.
He loves it there.
So they said, Why don't you come to the lifestyle program?
We think maybe it can help you walk better and get better healing.
And so he said, yeah, that's great.
He wanted to feel better.
And so he came to the program.
But as he came to the program, it came became very apparent that his disability that he had was not only physical.
(23:27):
He had some roommates and they said, you know, we think that Tatai has a lot on his mind.
They're very polite.
We said, well, why is it that you think that?
He said, Well, he talks a lot.
We said, to who?
Oh, we don't know.
And um he he's also seeing people
(23:47):
Oh, he's seeing people?
Yeah.
So it turned out, I mean in America we would say, Oh, okay, that guy has paranoid schizophrenia with auditory and visual hallucinations, right?
That's what we would give him as a diagnosis.
And so
I was telling the staff, you know, I mean, in America, we don't accept patients like this or guests like this in our lifestyle program because usually it's very disruptive to the guest.
(24:13):
And so I got back to my room and I'm saying, Lord, what about this guy?
And again I heard the Lord saying gently in my heart, Oh, so you don't think I can do something to help him?
Oh man!
I got on my knees right away and I said, Lord, forgive me for any of my unbelief about this guy.
If you have big things in store for him, if you want to heal and restore him completely
(24:37):
You do it and don't let me stand in the way.
Don't let any of us stand in the way.
And so as we went through the program, we asked him if he had ever prayed.
and asked the voices to go away and he said he had and we asked him, Well what happened when when you did that?
And he said, Oh, well they went away.
And we said, Well would you like to pray again?
(24:58):
And he said, Well you can pray
And we said, Well, why can't you pray?
No, I I can't pray, but you can pray.
And so the nurse prayed, encouraged him.
Somebody came and translated
'Cause he speaks a dialect that's unique to the mountains.
So one of our students came in and spoke to him in his own dialect and was able to help him say a prayer.
(25:19):
So
However, the next day he found out that his brother had passed away.
And so, I mean, it for any of us
That's traumatic, right?
But imagine being someone who's struggling with a really big mental disability and now you've got a huge loss on top of that.
And so he was really having a hard time.
(25:42):
And we helped him have a little room for himself so that he wouldn't keep his roommates up at night talking and things.
And
One of the students who had translated for him, he came and he said, you know, I think that part of the issue is that he has an on-ting-an-ting.
And what an unting unting is, is a spirit charm.
(26:06):
And they wear it either around their r wrist or around their waist.
And they said he has a spirit charm and he's wearing it, and we think that's part of the problem.
And so we said, okay, well, the next time he came for his coaching appointment, we asked him, Hey, do you have an aunting aunting?
(26:26):
And he said, No.
I don't have one of those.
Oh, okay.
Are you wearing one of those?
No, I'm not wearing one of those.
Did you bring one of those with you here to the program?
No, I didn't bring one with me here to the program.
And finally the nurse said, Okay, Uncle, but do you have one anywhere?
(26:47):
Do you have one at your house, maybe in the mountains?
And he said, Hmm, I do
I do have one there.
And they believe that the power bestowed on them by this little charm is very powerful.
It can make them some cases bulletproof.
Like if they're stuck with a needle, the needle will break.
If they are shot, it won't kill them, right?
(27:09):
So they really believe strongly in the power of these charms.
And so
We said, Uncle, you're gonna need to choose between Jesus and this spirit charm because we believe
The only hope for you is Jesus because we have nothing that we can do for you here, but Jesus can do something for you.
(27:31):
But you're gonna have to choose.
And he said, Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
And we said, You're hearing the voices, right?
And he said
Said, yes.
We said, now do you enjoy what the voices are telling you all of the time?
And he said, no, I don't.
We said, how about the hallucination?
(27:51):
Do you like the things that you're seeing all of the time?
And he said, no, of course not.
We said, well, Jesus can help you, but you have to choose.
What will you choose?
Will you choose Jesus or will you choose your unting aunting?
And he sat and he was quiet
for many, many minutes and he he kind of had his head down and you could tell he was thinking hard and there was a struggle in his heart.
(28:15):
And
The nurse and I were praying like Lord please help him in this battle.
And as we prayed, a few minutes later, he lifted his head, and you know what he said?
He said, I choose Jesus.
And we said, Okay, well let's have a prayer and surrender that to Jesus.
(28:36):
And you know, we talked to him about how he has to make sure he gets rid of that spirit charm forever.
He said, yes, yes, I choose Jesus.
And so we knelt down and had a prayer.
And I have to tell you, after that, the next three days, it was that was Friday.
Friday morning, so we had Friday, Sabbath until Sunday was gonna be the next coaching appointment.
(28:56):
And those next three days, I was like sitting on pins and
needles and I kept trying to get hints from everybody like what's going on with Uncle?
Is he okay or is he still seeing stuff and hearing stuff?
And everybody said, Ah, you know what, we don't know.
We can't seem to figure it out either.
I we don't know.
You'll just have to wait.
I don't
like to wait, but that's what I had to do.
(29:17):
I had to wait.
And so finally Sunday came and he came in for his coaching appointment and so we asked him.
Ah, you know, trying to pleasant Theresa.
How are you?
How are things?
Yeah, he said very good.
And are you sleeping well?
Of course I'm sleeping well.
Well, how long are you sleeping?
Because before he was only sleeping three or four hours.
(29:40):
How long are you sleeping?
Oh, maybe seven or eight hours.
What?
Seven or eight hours?
Yes, of course.
Hmm.
Have you been bothered by any voices?
No, I'm not hearing any voices anymore.
Are you seeing anything?
No, I'm not seeing anything anymore.
You know, God delivered him from that.
When he chose Jesus, God was able to intervene in a mighty way in his life.
(30:03):
And so when we had nothing that we could do, we offered Jesus, and Jesus did everything that was necessary.
This is a situation we encountered on the island of Mindanao.
This woman had been to the hospital, she was on medications, and she had become blind.
And she had been sitting in her house for at least three months very hopeless.
(30:26):
She used to work and help with her family.
She had several children and grandchildren and
And so they s the missionaries that we have at this outpost, they said, can you please come and visit her and see if there's anything else that can be done for her?
And so we went and we talked with her
And you know, sometimes what we're dealing with is a physical problem, but sometimes it's mental or spiritual issue, right?
(30:51):
And in her case, she was very sad.
She was hopeless and she was angry.
because she felt she couldn't do anything anymore and she couldn't help her family.
And you know, to be honest, in this case, we we didn't heal her blindness
overnight.
But you know what?
We were able to spend an hour, maybe an hour and a half in her house with her and her family and talk to them about Jesus and about hope and about how we didn't know why this had happened, but that God desired
(31:19):
good things still for her in her life and that she could still go outside.
She could learn to safely walk.
She could still contribute to the family.
And you know what?
By the time we left the home
There was peace in her heart.
And the missionaries there, they say every time they go back and visit her, she's happy.
And they see her going about her business, going outside of her home.
(31:41):
And so God is making a difference.
In hearts and in minds.
Here's another gentleman in that same area.
He had been healthy for many years, but had a horse accident.
became somewhat disabled and around that same time began coughing up blood.
Well it turned out he had tuberculosis and
(32:05):
they didn't know what to do.
There's actually some free government resources where he can get treatment for that.
And so the team there was able to help him get to the resources that were already free to him.
He just didn't know how to access them.
So our team was able to help them access those services and now he's back to working and doing much better.
(32:28):
This situation happened just recently and it's really something that makes me passionate about getting back to the Philippines.
And continuing to do what we have been doing and what we desire to see more of happening.
This happened on the island of Mindanao and this
Call came over the radio that this guy needed an urgent evacuation from a place that has no road.
(32:54):
So there was need for a helicopter.
Guess what?
Helicopter was not in Mindanao at the time.
And had it been there, there was not a pilot there at the time.
And so they had to do what was their only option to do.
They had to hike two hours if you're healthy hiking two hours.
(33:15):
So imagine
You've been injured.
There was a machete fight, and he didn't have his machete to defend himself, so he was bleeding, and they had to hike
Many hours they finally made it to the remote mission post.
They put pressure and tried to stop the bleeding.
It wasn't stopping.
They were able to call.
An ambulance which showed up and it's basically like a van.
(33:37):
And it's got a bench in the back that he can sit in.
And they just continued to hold pressure.
They got him to the hospital.
And he was able to get some treatment and he's been released and he's doing okay.
But you know what?
That story just
Breaks my heart because it makes me think, wow, can it will be much better when we're able to be there.
(33:59):
And we're able to help bring relief much more quickly, where they're not having to hike in a in a poor condition that far and they can get to the hospital much more
more quickly and they can get the help that they need.
But you know, once again, God says, I know you guys are doing your best.
And so for this guy, I'm intervening in his life and I'm going to take care of him.
(34:19):
And but we do believe for that reason that these issues continue to happen on a regular basis in the very remote areas of the Philippines.
And we believe that
That's the reason that God has placed promise there.
That's the call that He's put on our family to help in those areas where the need is great.
(34:40):
So when our works, when our efforts, when our abilities fall short, there is
all grace that is all sufficient in all things for every good work.
Right?
And so at the end of the day, yes, God wants us to cooperate with Him and the call that He's placed on our life.
(35:03):
And at the same time, he wants to work with us and be able to show how great and mighty and powerful he is.
And you know, sometimes
I believe that it is in our very weakness and in our insufficiency that God is most able to demonstrate his power.
Right?
(35:23):
Because if we were able to do it all
What would be the point of that?
We need God and He is waiting to demonstrate His power on our behalf.
Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 12
Verses 9 through 10 says, My grace is sufficient for you.
My strength is made perfect in what?
(35:44):
In strength?
No, he says it's actually made perfect in weakness.
And so most gladly will I rather boast in my
Infirmities.
Now how often is that human nature?
That I'm gonna get up here and tell, like boast about how how horrible I am, right?
But that God is saying, yeah, talk about how things aren't
(36:06):
perfect because then when people see what's happening they'll know it's because of me.
The verse ends by saying, when I am weak, then I am strong.
There are situations, of course, in this is another little interesting story.
This little boy, you can maybe see there's a hole behind his ear.
(36:29):
It's because he had an infection and he was never able to get treated for it and now he's deaf in his ear because he never was able to get the treatment that he needed for the infection there.
And so our team is partnering to try to help him get services to avoid any deafness in the right ear.
But you know
As we encounter these situations, and there are times when I've just come to God heavy with the burden, and God reminds me, you can give that.
(36:56):
to me.
Zechariah 4.
6 says, it's not by might, nor by power, but what?
By my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
I found this verse this year.
It's another one that really has encouraged me and kind of changed the way that I look at these situations.
It's from 2 Chronicles.
Chapter 16, verse 9.
(37:18):
And it says, For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.
To show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him.
So
Let's do uh just imagine with me what that looks like.
God is in heaven and what's he doing?
(37:40):
He's looking where?
Just here in Phoenix?
No.
It just in the United States?
Only in the Philippines?
No, he's looking throughout the whole earth.
And what is it that he wants to do?
He wants to find problems and and like burn people up.
Is that what he wants to do?
(38:01):
No, it's saying he wants to show himself
strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him.
And God wants to do that.
And he does that when we encounter situations in which we go
Lord, I really don't know what to do.
And there's situations that you and I I'm sure you all are facing situations in your life, this year, this week
(38:27):
That seem huge, right?
Maybe you're saying, I have no idea what to do in this situation.
And God's saying that's okay because I'm
Really looking for people who are loyal to me that I can show myself strong on behalf.
God likes to a situation in which He's the one who gets all of the glory
And God has said that's what he wants to do.
(38:49):
Numbers 23, verse 19.
We can take God's word to the bank.
When he says that he'll do something, he's going to do it.
It.
God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent.
Has he said, and will he not do, or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?
(39:11):
So should our faith be in the things that we can do or our training or an organization?
All of those things
are important.
I I firmly believe we should do everything we can to be prepared and to be trained and to be, you know, well prepared for each situation and an emergency.
But when we
Come across situations that are too much for us.
(39:33):
First Corinthians two verse five says, That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Maybe you've watched some of those shows on TV where there's questions and the people have to answer them and they get the opportunity for a lifeline.
They can phone a friend, right?
There are situations where I'm out in the jungle or far away from any help, and I'm saying, man, I wish I could call so-and-so right now.
(40:01):
Wish I could talk to my dad, or I wish I could talk to Doctor So and so, or I wish that I could, you know, whoever it might be that I believe has a lot of wisdom in that situation, I might want to try to call them.
But it's impossible.
You know God
God reminds me, hey, you can ask me, and I've got a lot of wisdom, and I'm happy to give it to you if only you will ask.
(40:24):
So God is git wants to give each one of us opportunities to really trust in him and to build that faith in his abilities.
Oh, this is a story that I share just because in our journey of going to the Philippines, I I had from a from childhood I had dreamed of being a missionary.
(40:46):
Um
But I really hate snakes
And so as we were preparing to go to the Philippines, one of my friends said, Hey, I just watched a documentary on National Geographic about the most poisonous snakes in the whole world.
(41:07):
And you know what?
There's a lot of them in the Philippines.
And I said, that's great.
Thanks for that.
But you know what?
God has said that his perfect love will cast out all of our fear, right?
And
Not that God wants us to go do stupid stuff, right?
(41:29):
Satan tempted Jesus and he said, here, jump off of this place in the in the temple and and
Jesus said, No, that's presumption.
I'm not gonna do that, right?
But in situations where he's called us to do something, but maybe fear is holding us back.
Jesus says, you know what?
My love will cast out all of that fear.
(41:51):
So you can see this grass
I was hiking to a jungle school to do some checkups as we walked through this grass, and that grass is at least here on me.
shoulder grass.
So do you think there's possibility there could be some snakes hiding in that grass?
Yeah, I think so.
But you know what?
God gave me courage and I walked through that grass.
(42:11):
I said, Yeah
This isn't my favorite thing, but I know God is with me.
And you know, I didn't encounter a snake on that trip.
But when we got back
home to the base.
The the other missionary nurse who had hiked with us she said Oh yeah on my way down I did I stepped on a snake but whatever I just kept going.
(42:32):
I thought
The Lord was gracious that I wasn't the one who stepped on that snake, right?
So God wants to give us grace, whether we're facing challenges that seem insurmountable.
He is enough.
Whether we're facing fear that makes us paralyzed, thinking that we can't do what he's asking us to do, maybe that task seems too big, maybe I don't feel qualified enough.
(42:59):
God
is enough and he is right beside you and wants to give you the strength that you need to do what he's asked you to do.
So um
We are so grateful for the opportunity that you guys have given for us to share.
We do have some magazines that we'll have on the table in the back.
If you're interested in getting a magazine with some more mission stories in it, you can feel free to read about that.
(43:26):
There's also some envelopes if you're interested in supporting through
donations in any way to help us get back to the Philippines.
We appreciate that too.
You can scan the QR code if you're tech savvy.
But again, we just invite you to chat with us.
We're so thankful for the chat.
chance to share.
And most of all, all glory to God and what He's doing around the world and what He wants to do in each of our lives.
(43:51):
Let's bow our heads and just have a word of prayer.
Father in heaven, we are so grateful that you are who you say you are and that you will do what you say that you will do
We're thankful that you are not a man who will lie, but that we can stand on the firm foundation of your word.
(44:15):
So Lord, we commit our hearts to you, we commit our fears to you, we commit our story to you, and the stories of those that you may lead us to interact with.
We ask that you will guide and direct.
And that you will show yourself supreme in all of those situations in which we feel hopeless and helpless today.
(44:36):
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.