Merry Christmas!

Going back to our Joy Center

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it and again: Rejoice!”

Taken from Philippians 4:4, I remembered 2 years ago when I (Christina) did a school in YWAM Chatel. Mel Hanna, shared about Joy Center - how to go back to it when things doesn't happen the way we would want it to happen. When I think about the circumstances in our lives, its so easy to focus on the sad part and it actually takes a decision to look above and focus on God. The Lord is so gracious that even in simple ways like this He will still show how Great God we have. And now as we celebrate this Joyous Season, we pray that we will all see JESUS as the center of our lives and our Joy-giver. We can be overwhelmed with a lot of gifts, food, family and friends but let’s all look upon the main source of the Eternal Joy, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Be thankful for all He’s done all throughout this year whatever circumstances it might be! We want to thank you all for being a part of our journey all those years. Thank you for all your prayers, support both morally and financially. Thank you for the friendships and the fellowships. We are so thankful to each one of you. May you feel blessed in every way. Our whole year has been amazing with a lot of new things we’ve learned, with ups and downs, new friends we’ve made, new ministries we’ve been involved with and everything seems new when you have a growing child - every step of it is a gift. Glory to God!

A Glimpse of 2015 Highlights 2 Partner Weekends where we served our friends that supports our base. Father Heart Week. Benjie as part of the Management Team in the base. We turned over the kitchen after the Summer Camps. We attended GoFest. BSN started. Christina’s school also have started but didn't require a lot of attendance in school but a lot of reading, interviews done with the older missionary families both with YWAM and other organisations. Local Outreach: FriMat Program (helping the church in town to give free food to the refugees) where Bible Group follows with the immigrants. Arabella keeps growing and turned 1. Benjie taught in BSN, Outreach were set. We gives thanks to 4 years together. Love Feast hosted by the DTS, then the BSN and last the base staff. Christina did well in her exams.

Having Arabella was a great blessing! We got to have a real disciple. We sees how she copies things that we do, so we really have to be careful that in this crucial age she will see how we are living and serving God. It was a busy time for us as well but it wasn't still a good reason not to be able to communicate :) 

Packing the food for the refugees

In the Spring 2015, we ended our responsibility as leading the kitchen. We have sought God and believed we will be involved in a different ministry this time. Benjie joined the BSN Team. So over the summer he did the communications to the applicants, their references and other school stuff since the school leaders just got a baby before the school starts in the Autumn. They have 15 students from 6 nations. Both students and staff were challenged in a good way about the Bible the last 4 months. It was a journey through old and new testaments, learning and developing ways on how to approach difficult passages in the Bible. Benjie taught 2 subjects during the BSN: The Book of Exodus and Discipleship during the time of Jesus Christ. The school has been a great help in training students, not to mention the staff to become effective communicators and in their outreach they will be able to use the skills they’ve learned. The outreach will be in the Philippines and in Congo. Benjie will be leading a team of 18 people including himself (12 adults and 6 children) and from 5 different nations. Pray for grace, love and unity in the team and that we will be lead by the Holy Spirit in every way. The outreach will only be 6 weeks long since the lecture phase have taken more time. We as a family will travel right after the YWAM Workers Gathering this January, 11 days before the team so we’ll have time with our family and friends.

And on the other hand, Christina has been a part of BSN doing one-on-one and helping in local outreach (the Bible Group among the immigrants and giving free food to the refugees). At the same time, she continue studying and goes to school twice a month with our little Arabella, the rest of the study she does online. It was very enriching as it covers Religions, Christianity, Cultures and Intercultural Communication. Please pray that it'll be possible to write a research while joining the outreach to the Philippines.

We look forward to January outreach and praying that God will confirm to us what’s His plan for our next step. It’ll be a very exciting time, we will keep you posted.

BSN (Bible School for the Nations)Benjie is a staff for the BSN this Autumn and will be leading an outreach to the Philippines this January. 

Arabella turned 1Our little girl is now 1 and were parents for 1 year too. Thanking God in every way, without Him it'll be impossible.

Global StudiesChristina has 1 semester left with her studies at Mission and Theology School. She will be writing about the Norwegian Missionaries whose been living overseas for a long time and are now back in their home country.

PRAYER CORNER

Pray that our time in the Philippines will be fruitful. And for Christina, to have a great time with her family as she faces reality of not having Mom around as it used to be. For Benjie’s family that they will encounter the Lord in a very special way.

It’ll be Arabella’s first visit in the Philippines, pray that she’ll manage the long flights and for all of us to be all healthy and happy :) 

Pray for our finances during the whole outreach, unity among the team and with the people we will be working with.

Pray that God will confirm our next step from the Autumn in 2016.

A New Beginning

This hard place in which you perhaps find yourself, so painful and bewildering, is the very place in which God is giving you opportunity to look only to Him, to travail in prayer, and to learn long-suffering, gentleness, meekness -- in short, to learn the depths of love that Christ Himself has poured out on all of us. 

-Elisabeth Elliot-

As Autumn approaches, we became so occupied with many things: new people at the base (new staff and new DTS students), Christina started with her studies, Benjie together with other foreign staff continues with Norwegian Course with the organization (KIA) we also take part of and at the same time trains new people in the kitchen to take over during the transition time of being new parents. 

Bible to All (Mission Trip to the North)

At Arendal Church after the meeting

Benjie together with most of the base staff and the DTS students went up North (the very North) to distribute Bibles to every houses. Our base and all YWAM bases in Norway, Church Pastors and members in the north, YWAM Leaders and also Loren Cunningham joined together in this event in October.



Norway was once a Christian nation is now falling away from the truth and now is the time to be awaken. There is no time to slack off but to stand for the truth and proclaim once again how the Word of God can transform people's lives and nations. We have experienced different reactions from people when we give Bibles. Some are very happy about it and they have received it at once, others were offended and even some rejected us. When we were up north, we didn't just give Bibles, we didn't just put it in their mail boxes but we approach them because we want to be connected. We have also prayed for some people who are open. We believe that God will do something more amazing in the life of those people. We pray that their eyes will be open and will meet Jesus as the way, truth and life. Things didn't end in just distributing Bibles, we pray that these people will be connected to churches again so that they will grow. So please stand with us as we lift Norway to God and that the veil in their eyes will be lifted up.


We have also attended some of the meetings where Loren Cunningham was sharing about this vision. He is inspiring people to let this "book" transform people's lives. 

Mom's homecoming...

With my mother :)

My mother was confined in the hospital and I thought she will recover again but when she came out her health deteriorates so quick. I was able to talk with her and prayed and said how much I love her and thank her for everything she's done for me. I had so much hope that she will recover and soon I will be able to come home and introduce my baby to her. It was the hardest season in my life when I don't know how to pray anymore, I was so weak that I am just waiting for God's touch to heal her at that very moment. I was desperate. I fell asleep as I was pouring my heart to our Father, and then I woke up with so much hope from the dream that I had. My mom was healthy again. I made it through that day and in the night I got the news that she went home with our Father. No one will ever be prepared when it comes to this situation but in the midst of this, I have seen how God can show His love and embrace us in our deepest pain. Jesus has filled me with so much peace. I have let go of all my control during my mom's passing since I cannot travel back home because I might give birth anytime but through technology, Benjie and I were able to be a part of it and we were able to talk to our family during this grieving time. I miss her so much but there is hope that one day we will all meet again - in the grand reunion.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

 John 16:20-24 

Meet our little Princess

Arabella in Kristiansand Hospital

Arabella Maria is our new family member. She was born the 4th of November at 3:51 in the afternoon (Norwegian time). Her name means "Answered Prayer" and she is indeed an answer to our prayers.



Maybe many of you are interested to know if our daughter will be Norwegian citizen or what?! Well, she will be a Filipino citizen and we have started our process for her birth certificate and passport already. You can pray with us too as we process her visa here in Norway and other things needed before we go home to the Philippines.



We are really enjoying our time together although there's tons of adjustments being new parents. We pray for more of God's grace especially now that at times we feel stretched specially when we don't get enough sleep in the night :) but all in all we want to give back to God, the author of life all  the glory and honor.

Visa Update:

Benjie has a valid missionary visa and I (Christina) is still waiting for the answer from my last application until now and soon (23.December at 9:15 in the morning) we will be in the Norwegian Directorate Office again for our daughter's visa since she is not a Norwegian. Please remember to pray for us in this matter.

PRAISE GOD FOR...

- His comfort and protection to our family in the Philippines especially in the time of loss
- All the strength during the time of Christina’s delivery and I (Benjie) was able to be there beside her without fainting :) and for our healthy little girl (Arabella)
- His continuous provisions for all the things that we need
- His wisdom and knowledge during Christina’s school examination (3 weeks after she gave birth)
- His faithfulness for the whole 2014.

PRAYER POINTS: 

Please pray for:
- our visa (Christina and Arabella)
- support (financially) to be established since we have a new family member
- our plan to go home to the Philippines in the Spring (for closure with my Mom's passing and some practical family matters)
- God's leading for this coming Autumn
- and in the long term (in less than 2 years, where will be our next step and what will it be?)

WHAT'S NEXT?

- Christmas Break and we are going to Klepp, celebrating Christmas with our adopted family and good friends.
- Workers Gathering in YWAM Grimerud (January 2-5, 2015)
- DTS Students are ready to make God known in Cambodia, Thailand & India (January-March 2015)
- Winter Time is Partner Weekend Time at Skjærgårdsheimen (January and February)
- God willing, we will be traveling to the Philippines for a month (April)

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!!

Where is Home?!

Living a Missionary Life is challenging but great…

Summer will soon end! For those of you who haven’t experience a Norwegian Summer, this is how I will describe it. First the SUN is out - almost the whole day, it sets at about 10 in the evening or even later and shows up again at about 2 in the morning, and this is here in the South where we live and in the North where the midnight sun is - you hardly see it sets. When the sun is out we notice how it makes such a big difference to people. It gives more energy, it puts smile on their faces, and you see a lot of people outside. I sometimes wonder, where were they all those past months? :) Well, its also a time to get more colour as many will say - but for both of us, we have it ;) what a funny thing to think about. In Asia, some would love to be as white as they can be but here, the darker the better.

Okay, enough about this, let’s go to something more interesting. Home?! Well, since its summer the base we call “home” has to be rent out for several weeks for summer camps, and we as a staff can choose a camp that we wanted to work with. We usually go to the Philippines after the first camp but this time we consider to stay for our visa sake. So for weeks, this is how our “home” looks like:

From the YWAM base to a Camping Car to a Friend’s house and back to the base (not to our own place but to the dorm and then back to our own place again.) The amazing thing beyond all this challenges is the faithfulness and surprises of our Heavenly Father. Yes, there are some emotional moments when packing and unpacking but more than that is the joy that God is sustaining us along the way.

“and Jesus said to him, foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but

the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

MATTHEW 8:20

Quick Update over the last months:

April - we both applied for a new visa. While waiting, we continue with what we are doing as kitchen in charge while the BSN (Bible School for the Nations) is running.

May - Benjie got his visa result and it was approved until July15, 2015 :) Christina started working part time in Dyreparken/AbraHavn, because it was required with the visa she applied. The BSN lecture phase ended.

June - Christina’s visa was denied but by the grace of God, it was settled after 2 weeks and she got it approved until October 31 of this year. Benjie also joined the Mission Adventures Training. He taught

about Lifestyle of a Worshipper. The MA Team went to Romania for outreach after the training but Benjie went back to the base. June 20th - our base program ended. Its Norwegian Summer Break for everyone. 

Benjie helped in 3 camps in June and July.

• Skjærgårdstreff 50+ (a camp for people 50 and above) with about 70 participants.
• Family Camp 2, the second family camp with about 150 participants both adult and children. Imagine that?! :)
• Intouch Camp, a camp for those whose been a part or have been involved with YWAM with 120 participants. This time its more adults than kids.

Benjie has been part of the kitchen team together with the other staff from our base and other volunteers, feeding the participants every meal and cleaning before and after the camp. This is the regular thing the base is doing every year, and its a big help for the basic needs of our base. Its

also a blessing for us as a staff to get to know more people and to serve.

Christina on the other side, continue to work in AbraHavn. She was obliged to work 80% as the Immigration required. In August, she will only work sometime in the weekends since she will pursue a study: Master of Global Studies. I got accepted in Misjonshøgskolen (School of Mission and Theology) for August. The good thing about this is I don’t have to be in the school all the time so I can still be in YWAM while doing my study. I am excited to do Global Studies with all its exciting topics such as: Encounters of Religions and Cultures, The Christian Church in its Global Context and

Culture and Communication. The program is for 2 years. Please pray that I will be able to have

sufficient money to show the Immigration that I can support myself while I am studying and living here in Norway. If only I can tell the Immigration how we live by faith here in Norway over

the years… but I don’t think they will accept that explanation, anyway the truth is, God is bigger than all our needs :) The application for my student visa will be in the end of September.

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as

for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:22-24

Our Little Bentin’s Update:

We chose not to know if its a boy or a girl during the ultrasound. We are both very traditional. We thought, our parents didn’t knew that its us coming when they were expecting a child so we did the same, a child is a big blessing anyway :)

Its very overwhelming for both of us during the ultrasound, and yes, there were tears. Imagine

how we used to see an ovarian cyst in the past but now it is a baby - a life living inside my womb.

What an amazing Creator! The doctor said that everything looks great with my pregnancy. Work

is not a hindrance, in fact its an encouragement to continue what we normally do. There are some changes both physically and emotionally too but in due time, it’ll all be worth it. We can only Thank God for this blessing!

Autumn 2014…

We arrived here in Norway 2 years ago as a couple, rough landing as maybe some of you remembered but looking back, we can only see how God really has sustained us with His undeniable Grace and Love and that keeps us moving to what He wants us to do. Our heart for Norway is to see Norwegians standing out. We want to see them living a life of passion and obedience for God, breaking all the traditions but following and living only for the truth. We want to encourage you (our readers and partners in mission) to stand with us as we pursue our hearts here in Norway. We believe that a Transformation will happen in this nation soon. Pray that Norway will go back to its Biblical Foundation.

• In August 6-10, we will be in Stavern (Eastern part of Norway) for the yearly event GoFest. As YWAM Norway, this will also be the kick off for this coming Autumn and then back to our own bases to start again. It will be a great time to have fellowship with other YWAMers and YWAM friends. We pray for good weather too since we are camping. We have decided to be in a tent during this event :)
• DTS in Skjærgårdsheimen will start in September and both of us will still be part of the Kitchen Ministry.
• Our Bible Study Den Nye Veien (The New Way) in Frikirken (the church we are helping) among the former M will resume in September.

 

•  Benjie will continue learning Norwegian in KIA starting September 2. This will be once a week and also a great place to meet new people.
• Benjie desires to join giving out Bibles in all households in the North of Norway this coming October.

The Bible to All Households in Finnmark: No book has influenced nations, cultures, families and people more than the bible. This is why it is our goal to give a Bible to every household in Finnmark October 1-19, 2014. Our vision is to touch the whole of Norway with the Word of God by 2017, which marks the 500 year anniversary of the reformation. That was when the Word of God came to many of the homes of Europe for the first time and laid the foundation for centuries of Christian values.

More info here: www.bibelentilalle.org

• Christina will have a very calm (hoping) Autumn, more on reading/studying at home and helping in some practical things at the base like what she’s been doing from before.

Prayer Points:

1. Please pray for Christina’s visa application on September 30. She will need the visa fee plus the amount required by the immigration. Please pray for God’s wisdom on how to raise money in this area.
2. Our baby is due in November. Please pray for safe delivery for Christina and our baby.
3. Benjie’s considering to join the Bible to All in October, we have no idea how much fund he needs as of now but you can pray first that more people will be able to be a part of it and also more funds to come to be able to buy Bibles for all the households in Finnmark.
4. And since we will be a family of 3, we would like to invite you to be a part of what we are doing here in Norway by prayers and/or support. Should you desire to be a part of supporting us or surprising us with one time gift, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Tin@6months

Thank you so much for believing and standing with us. We pray for more of God’s never ending stories of His faithfulness in your lives as well. Please let us know if there is anything we can pray for you too.