Holy Given Leyte: Week 3 Update

Holy Given: Leyte International School of Missions
Dulag, Leyte, Philippines
Week 3: 30 March - 3 April, 2009

Monday:

Following on from Cindy’s ministry to release the ethnic sound and rhythm of the land last week, Lesley-Ann told the Holy Given students to only use Filippino songs from now on. We released creative worship and many students painted for the first time. The students are incredibly creative, in art, song, dance, and they love acting. They produced some amazing sketches in their presentation for Interpreting the Bible from the Underside.

Tuesday:

Today, the students experienced taking communion in another cultural setting. We covered the floor with palm tree branches and transformed the class room into a South Pacific Island setting. The students all dressed up in sarongs and the girls had flowers in their hair. Instead of having the usual bread and wine, we broke open coconuts - representing Jesus being broken and poured out for us - drank the juice (the blood of Jesus) and feasted on the flesh (the body of Jesus). Coconuts are abundant in the Philippines. There are plenty of coconut trees on the school ground. Using coconuts for communion definitely fits in more with their culture. This is the first time the students have communion in a manner which is non-religious and indigenous to their culture. The communion soon turned into a huge celebration in ethnic sound and rhythm and their national bamboo dance. We taught on Introduction to the Theology of Mission.

Wednesday:

We welcomed and prayed for our guest speakers from Manila Pastor Hiram and family. There was a strong prophetic anointing in the atmosphere. After the staff and students prophesied over Pastor Hiram and his wife Lolet, we activated the prophetic gifting in the students. It was an awesome Holy Spirit blow out. The teaching on the Fruit of the Spirit afterwards complemented what God was doing. One of the students was ‘knocked out’ for hours and when he got up he gave a message from God to encourage the class to be single hearted, to move forward and not to regress into the old ways of doing things. He admonished the students to be on time and faithful in serving. There was a call to repentance and the whole class responded. It was a holy moment. We had a workshop on Interpreting the Bible and Contextualisation in the afternoon. Pastor Hiram started his three part series on signs and wonders. He told a lot of stories of how God has been moving in his church.

Thursday:

We taught on the Creation Story and Mission in Matthew. We gave an alter call to empower and release those who are called to mission in a secular setting (tent making). So many of the students responded, it was great seeing them finally free from the idea that missions and the marketplace were mutually exclusive. Some of them have been called to the marketplace and it was such a release for them, that God will use them in areas like government and media, where they did not previously think as valid areas for mission.

Friday:

We honoured and blessed the national leaders Pastor Ferds and Miriam, Pastor Hiram and Lolet by washing their feet. The students soon caught on and started washing each other’s feet. There was significant repentance and reconciliation between the Chinese and the Filipinos, and we believe some of the yoke of oppression was broken. Pastor Hiram concluded his series before they headed back north to Manila. The students are all fired up in their expectation to see God move.

Prayer Points:
1. Please pray that the students will continue to focus and press in for more of heaven on earth.
2. Pray for protection as the students are very dedicated and we are expecting God to move in greater measures in the next couple of weeks.
3. Please continue to pray for strength and health for Lesley-Anne and the team
4. We are planning to feed two thousand villagers in the poorest parts of Leyte on April 19. Please pray that God will provide and multiply the resources. We are believing for God to multiply the food so that we can feed five thousand as with the five loaves and two fish!