Highlights from the PFC team!
Philippines 2024 Spreading His Word one heart at a time! (Inspired by Matthew 28:19-20)
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From April 9-19, 2024 , Prisoners For Christ Outreach Ministries returned for the 5th time to the great country of The Philippines. We began active ministry in The Philippines in 2005, returned in 2013, 2017, 2019, and now the first time since the pandemic we are again on this beautiful island, focused mainly on the Province of Laguna located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is Santa Cruz while its largest city is the City of Calamba and the province is situated southeast of Metro Manila, south of the province of Rizal, west of Quezon, north of Batangas and east of Cavite. Laguna hugs the southern shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. Laguna is part of the Greater Manila area. The region has much natural beauty, and the Filipino people are welcoming and warm.
Our National Director is Pastor Noel Alberto along with his wife, Gina Alberto. Together they work tirelessly attending to the multiple responsibilities of a PFC National Director, pastoring a local church and adjoining Christian academy for children called Arise & Shine Community Church, raising their family of four children, now in young adulthood, who are all serving the Lord. Pastor
Noel has gathered around him a large team of servant leaders who have a passion for prison ministry; a percentage of the volunteers are former prisoners. Their team
regularly and consistently is involved in training of volunteers, evangelism, discipleship, positive relationship ties with the Bureau of Corrections and Government leaders all while being a pillar in the community. Pastor Noel has an amazing testimony as a former inmate who
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experienced a changed heart and changed life from the Lord while incarcerated. When Noel was 17 he was charged with robbery and homicide and was also sent to prison. Over the next 4 years, he responded to prison life by becoming a hardened criminal. In 1982, when a group of Christians shared Christ with him in the prison, he accepted the Lord. His life changed radically. His first decision was to write a letter to his judge, pleading guilty to his crime. As he read God’s Word, he began to hate sin and tried to expose illegal activities in the prison. This put him in great danger. He also began to visit prisoners in solitary confinement or in the prison hospital. Noel promised God that if he were ever set free, he would serve Him the rest of his life. Since his release in 1989, Pastor Noel has devoted his life to prison ministry and reaching the lost who are languishing in the prisons and jails in his country. This campaign originally planned a lofty goal of 11 prison services in 5 different provinces plus an all-day Basic Conference and a Half-Day Advanced Conference. Add to that, the PFC President and Founder taking a mid-country flight leaving the team for 3 days to visit a neighboring island to accomplish a ministry expansion vision for The Philippines. No problem! Upon arrival we all learned the art of flexibility and perseverance as we eventually completed a record making 24 prison services, 126 baptisms in the prisons, several boodle fight experiences, outstanding conference attendance, and seasonal trip dates on the hottest days of The Philippines summer season! Our team of eight members included the founder of PFC, Greg Von Tobel, 3 first time prison ministry aka “newbies”, Steve Rowe, Jaycob Peterson, and Kathleen Retan, the youngest PFC team member at 16 years old (Jaycob again) then mix in a few veterans of various ranks to round it out, Mark Richardson (15 th trip!), Tim Rice, Eddie Smith, and Dee Peterson. And then there was that one time the jail in Mindanao allowed six inmates to be escorted out of the facility to be baptized in a hotel swimming pool by Greg Von Tobel and our National Partner, Pastor Noel. Read on! It all began on Tuesday, April 8 th very very late at night…..
The team of eight (L-R) Greg Von Tobel, Mark Richardson, Steve Rowe, Dee Peterson with her son Jaycob Peterson, Kathleen Retan, Eddie Smith (Team Leader), and Tim Rice (Team Leader) all met at SeaTac Airport at 10:00 p.m. for the 1:00 a.m. flight on April 9th. One good thing about this time of night at the airport, it is not as congested through the security checkpoints.
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We checked 8 personal bags and 6 PFC bags full of ministry gifts for the prison officials we plan to meet, books and printed resources for our planned training conferences with our National Partner and his team of volunteers and 250 pairs of eyeglass ‘readers’ at various magnifying strengths for prisoners in need. Our team moves along and settles in at our international flight gate to await our time to board and hopefully a nice night-time nap! There seems to be an unregistered contest between GVT and Eddie on who can fall asleep at any moment and also for the longest amount of time. It’s hard to know who to bet on yet, however there is a small detection of envy amongst unnamed team members at this skill.
Day is now Night and Night is Day for our internal clocks and somewhere we flew through Tuesday
Tim Rice led the first devotional of the trip as we gathered together soon before our boarding time; one last check in with each other before the confines of a long flight. Finally it’s time to board for the 13-hour journey on Eva Air, landing in Taiwan, then on to Manila, Philippines, another 2.5 hour flight. Arriving at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is comfortable and has many small shops and food stores available during our layover. We spot prayer rooms, which was of interest to our group to
see at an airport. Kathleen generously offers custard filled pastries she bought and Jaycob tries out his currency exchange knowledge from USD to the New Taiwan Dollar using his debit card to buy Taiwan Bubble Tea and a sandwich for him and his Mom. A side note was made that Eddie slept 12 hours on the flight over and GVT 7 hours. The challenge is on!
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Wednesday, April 10 th Arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines close to Noon. We gathered at the edge of the departure walkway and stopped to pray and gives thanks to God for our safe travels and arrival. All 14 bags found quickly and passed through baggage claim, but upon reaching the customs counter to exit the airport, we were informed we each needed to complete a questionnaire called E-travel. Travelers to and from the Philippines are required to register through the E-Travel portal on the web
or using an app which mainly is a health declaration and Covid screen; the requirement was implemented in 2023. This was followed by another substantial delay at the Money Exchange office at the airport and the decision was finally made to search for an alternate place to exchange funds outside the airport terminal as Pastor Noel and his team were waiting for us outside. Pastor Noel and several of his ministry team met us and loaded our luggage (and all of us) into two vans. Everyone is full of smiles and excitement. Pastor Noel informs us they had waited for our team since 6 a.m. that morning – traveling earlier in the morning to stay ahead of heavy
Manila traffic and arrive on time to greet us. We are grateful for the A/C in the van as we have our first blast of 90 degree Philippines summer sunshine! Since we are close in traveling distance to the
SM Mall of Asia in Manila, we stop by there to exchange money. Walking through the luxurious mall in Manila has some newbies wondering if this is what PFC missions is really like?? Veterans on the team assure them that not all the scenery they will experience on the trip will be like this. The
exchange at the mall was inside a grocery store and it was another significant wait time. They did have some cute cakes for sale though!
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Hours after arrival we finally are on the road to our hotel in the province of Cabuyao that we will stay for the duration of our trip. We check in, assign rooms to each team member, hand out room keys, and we are given an hour to settle in our rooms (and rest!) before we are picked up for dinner and schedule strategy at Pastor Noel’s home. Pastor Noel and his family warmly greet us and we feel like royalty.
Jade OYO hotel room
Dinner at Pastor Noel's home
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Thursday, April 11 th Carmona Jail and Cabuyao Police Station & Lockup: 5 Services today 7:45 a.m. rise and shine to be picked up by Pastor Noel and his trusted friend in the ministry, Polly. It is expected to reach 95 degrees today with a night-time chill of 82. Polly is our daily driver of the trip van and we don’t know all of his certifications for being a professional driver, but there is no doubt Polly is the best driver in The Philippines! The amount of weaving in traffic, getting through tight roadways with literally 1 mm of space between our van and a wall or another vehicle or a jeepney or a motorcycle was just beyond logic. In the mornings he was always there on time to pick us up with his worship music playing in the van and A/C on high. Polly was an invaluable part of all we did!
The "Chicken McDo" becomes a surprising favorite for some of us
We start the day with breakfast at McDonald’s and devotions led by GVT. He shares from Psalm 91 and encourages the team with “Fear Not and see what the Lord will do!”. Our services today will be at Carmona Jail and Cabuyao lockup which is similar to detention holding before court arraignment. We learn that 90% of incarcerated individuals are being held on drug related crimes. The term used for prisoners in The Philippines is “PDL” = Persons Deprived of Liberty. There are only a few judges and a PDL’s case will be heard within 4 months. If the case gets postponed, then they have to wait another 4 months. In some prisons, those held in lockup, there is no government support for food. The government provides seventy Philippine pesos per day (apprx $1.20 USD) for all costs associated with their care. Some people die in lockup due to malnutrition if they do not receive support from family or humanitarian aid from churches and ministries. Carmona jail has 3 separate floors with holding cells: mostly male PDLs. Our team starts services at the main floor which has a large room that looks like it is used for family visitation and special programming. The room fills with a modest group of PDLs chosen to attend our services. From
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the group, there are 6 female PDLs attending. The veterans on the team are up first allowing new members to watch and absorb the structure on this first day. GVT gave the President’s welcome, Tim Rice was our emcee, Mark Richardson gave his testimony, Tim Rice delivered the first sermon, Eddie Smith delivered the second sermon, GVT gave the altar call and healing prayer, and Tim gave the gifts to the inmates. One of Pastor Noel’s female volunteers, named Mhei, on his ministry team ask Kathleen and Dee to meet with the ladies after the service and pray for them. It is a moving experience for all. Soon after our team is welcomed upstairs to the next level of cells and individuals who had not been in the first group. We start up another service on the spot! This continues for another floor upstairs and we do it again! Intermittently Pastor Noel starts up all of us in singing “This is the Day!” Pastor Noel hands a microphone to Kathleen that is plugged into a portable speaker used in all our prison services and asks her to say a few words. Slightly unexpected moment but Kathleen goes for it and challenges the men to read their Bible every day and trust God! We are all delighted in the opportunities the Lord provided. We give gifts of food (Lugao porridge of eggs and rice), sandals, Bibles, and boiled eggs.
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We delighted in lunch at Pastor Noel’s home before our next service at nearby Cabuyao lockup. Due to excessive heat in the region, many PDLs were transferred to another location and we were delayed in starting our services. Instead of 115 PDLs at this location, we have our services for 41. After the service, there was a woman with a baby less than 1 month old outside the lockup. Pastor Louie, the right-hand man of Pastor Noel, mentioned that her boyfriend was in the lockup and asked if we could pray for her. Dee and Kathleen embraced her and the baby and prayed for their situation. Other family members of the young Mother were also there. Pastor Louie offered to disciple the couple upon his release and officiate to marry them and welcome them at their church.
Dinner again with Pastor Noel and his wonderful family. We met his son Rapture Noah who traveled several hours to attend our services and help interpret for PFC. Noah was married last year and pastors a church planted by ASCC in Famy. We also met Pastor Noel’s oldest daughter, Faith Giel, who is engaged to Pastor Elijah (EJ) who pastors at another
church plant byASCC in Libon. Pastor EJ traveled 11 hours to meet with us and join the PFC American team this week. Service Attendees today: 180 Salvations: 69
Faith Giel and Pastor EJ
Pastor Noah
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Friday, April 12 th Camp Sampaguita Medium Security Prison & San Pedro Jail: 5 Services today
We start this 4 th day of ministry with the realization that A/C in the hotel is a saving grace all around! The team is sleeping fairly well at night and energized for the day. Our prison service location is a farther drive today so we leave the hotel at 6:45 a.m. This morning’s breakfast stop is at a small bakery featuring breakfast muffins and a few cooked items and coffee. Dee led devotions today from Romans and encouraged the team that we are more than conquerors! We arrive at the large prison on time but due to inmate transfers at that same time, we must wait in a covered outside area of the prison. There is a brush fire nearby and find ourselves dusted in ash. At one point the team must sit on a bench and put our Bibles and bottled water in front of us for canine inspection for assumed drug contraband. The OC of the prison is quite upbeat and we find out that he is a member of Pastor Noel’s church and we will see him at our Basic Conference the next day. He is both joyful and professional as we each bustle forward to be patted down by security officers to finally enter the grounds for our services. The prison compound is so large it is set up like a small city with many outside common areas. Our team weaves through long corridors to arrive where a stage and worship band and apprx 300 PDLs have assembled for PFC services. There is a cool breeze and wonderful energy. Along the walk, various PDLs come to walk alongside us with umbrellas to shade us from the hot sun. Jaycob shares his testimony for the first time in this service. When Jaycob shares he was adopted
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Chaplain Mark Richardson sharing the Good Wordl!
by a loving earthly father and also a loving Heavenly Father – Pastor Noel jumps from his seat with a loud “Amen”! The crowd is encouraged and erupts in applause and as Jaycob steps down from the podium, Dee stands to hug him in front of the crowd. It’s a sweet time and testimony to God’s faithfulness in restoring family. The PDL worship band is a blast and the entire experience a blessing for everyone involved. We learn that the PDLs who have family are allowed to sell items to other inmates and a portion of the proceeds go to the PDL and also the prison. There were woven baskets and other crafts for sale. 70% of the inmates have no visitors and are at the mercy of the penal system. We give gifts of Bibles, a basketball, food, sandals, and soap before departing.
Jaycob sharing his testimony. Pastor Noel in front row jumping out of his seat!
Tim Rice preaching
After a lunch break and some cool A/C air in the van, we assemble for our next prison services of the day at San Pedro Jail and Lockup. There is a 30- minute delay due to a shift change. Our team is split into 3 groups. Dee and Kathleen went to the
Gifts we brought of Bibles, Christian books, soap bars, cups of Lugao porridge, flip-flop sandals
women’s dorm accompanied by Philippine team members Cecile and Mhei, Greg went to lockdown with Pastor Noel, and the remaining American team of five guys went to the large dorm with Pastor Noah for two back-to-back services in two main areas of the jail. We find that many speak and understand English so we do not always use interpreters. Dee & Kathleen ran the service together with Dee being the intro and sermon with a sprinkling of her testimony and then Kathleen also sharing her testimony and leading the altar call. The ladies were attentive and had many smiles. They also prayed healing over the ladies and Cecile led that prayer time. The women’s services
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were completed before the men were done and were led outside to go across the street to the 7-11 to cool off in the air-conditioned store. What a welcome sight! We found GVT there first enjoying ice cream and fellowshipping with Pastor Noah. His service was complete first. GVT had gone to a segregated area of the jail called lockdown. He carried the entire service through the roar of inadequate blasting fans and dizziness of heat and nearby sewage. The remaining team finished their two services with Jaycob giving his first sermon of the trip and did an awesome job as if it was his 50 th sermon. When the rest of the team was done, they also descended upon 7-11 and anyone who was interested got a Slurpee or cold drink. Had never thought of Slurpees being heaven-sent, but, this day they were! Cameras were not allowed at this location so we do not have photos of these services. The team is exhausted and content with a wonderful day in the Lord. Amen and Amen! Service Attendees today: 930 Salvations: 99 Saturday, April 13 th Basic Conference at Pastor Noel’s church. 135 attendees. 33 churches represented
At 7:30 a.m. we are prepared and ready for conference day! We hoist into the van and head to breakfast at the luxurious place of McDonald's. We might soon be seen as “regulars” at this rate. Jaycob led devotions this morning. As we were having breakfast, Pastor Noel and several from his church came in boldly giving praise to the Lord, we cannot imagine how that would have been received in the U.S. As always, Pastor Noel is energized and animated and bold in giving God praise wherever he is! Soon we drive a few blocks down the street to Arise and Shine Community Church where we will host a large training conference for interested prison ministry volunteers of various ages and experience levels. We were greeted warmly as we entered the church and went 3 flights upstairs to set up for the conference. Our team was seated in the front row next to the newly installed A/C unit. The constant blowing freezing air was a bit too much for some team members while others relished it! The team set up the table of conference resources, books, and prizes and the conference sign-in sheet filled fast with 135 participants. The typical goal for a Basic Conference is 80 participants. Pastor Noel is excellent at recruiting!
The youth church band opens our day with jubilant praise and each team member begins their assigned topic presentations. The team is already blessed by this kind and welcoming community and the day has just begun! Eddie leading global prayer at the conference
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In the crowd were several who were former inmates and two corrections officers. They came up to the front of the church and sang a song for us written by a former prisoner. We can’t understand the Tagalog words but the choir of redeemed souls now honoring God with their lives moves many of the American team to tears including GVT though he may deny this.
Choir of the Redeemed
The day zips by and the conference agenda is well received. It’s time to present the 135 diplomas and the lineup of conference grads greets every team member with gratefulness, a handshake, and a selfie request. GVT agrees to sign every single certificate by hand. It’s a joyful, fruitful day. God is good!
GVT presents (IBI) International Bible Institute for prisons
Polly & Steve
Mark the Shark on the scene!
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PFC Flag presentation: Steve, Jaycob & Dee
(L-R) GVT, Tim, Eddie, Jaycob, Mark, Steve, Dee & Kathleen
ADVANCED CONFERENCE ATTENDEES
Sunday, April 14th Church and Advanced Conference. 35 Attendees.
Each day still hovers between 95-98 degrees and the team is weary but still going strong! The A/C in the hotel at night and A/C in our van is a Godsend. A bustling Lord’s Day and Advanced conference for the team today. This day will be a split day as the team goes in four different directions to serve and preach at sister churches of Arise & Shine Community Church. We are up to the challenge! Eddie and Kathleen went with Pastor EJ to preach in St
Joseph, Mark preached in South Belle, Tim preached at Living Word in Calamba, and Greg preached at ASCC and Steve, Dee, and Jaycob joined him. Jaycob was asked to join the worship band and sing during tithes and offerings. Right after that Pastor Noel prayed over Jaycob with the congregation to embolden him to live for the Lord
ASCC - Arise & Shine Community Church
and be a preacher. GVT’s message was well received, and many were encouraged. Jaycob, Dee, and Steve each shared their testimony. Eventually all team members met up again after all church
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services and met for lunch at the local Shakey’s pizza place, except for Mark who had been taken to lunch earlier by his church hosts and then dropped off back at the hotel for a delightful nap. We had a short break in the day before our scheduled Advanced Conference. Eddie and Pastor Noel went on an errand to do a needed money exchange which took several hours. The Advanced Conference is well attended by 35 leaders in the church and the team looks forward to a bit of rest before busy prison ministry again tomorrow. Dinner at Kenny Rogers Restaurant tonight!
Monday, April 15 th Calamba Jail and Binan Jail and GVT flies off the island: 3 Services today The team experiences a rare PFC Mission Trip occurrence as GVT and Pastor Noel with Pastor Peter leave the group to hop on a plane on a three-day reconnaissance trip to the island of Mindanao. GVT has had the prison ministry expansion idea for Mindanao for many years and now is the time to check it out! A schedule has been prepared for this additional mission of prison services and a Basic Conference. GVT has to be up at 1:30 a.m. to drive to the airport for a 4:00 a.m. flight. Back at the “Homefront”, the rest of the team start the day having breakfast at Jollibee’s – a popular fast food place in The Philippines. Mark led devotions and Kathleen receives a surprise gift from Dee. Oh, and, it’s Dee’s birthday. Jaycob noticed a couple of women holding babies at the window behind us asking for food, so we bought them breakfast. Arriving at our first prison visit of the day, we were informed we have a tight schedule per the prison staff and had to call an audible – meaning the prison service assignments had to be changed by the Team Leader right before our start time. Mark graciously gave up the long sermon and everyone was efficient in their presentation. Today is a big program with planned baptisms and a boodle fight. One officer has agreed to take
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photos for us. We are patted down by security officers and led inside and up the stairs to a waiting group of PDLs. Pastor Louie, Pastor Noah, Pastor EJ, Polly, and Ambet are with us today.
(L-R) Calamba officer, Ptr Noah, Ptr EJ, Eddie, Mark rocking his ASCC prison ministry shirt, Jaycob, Kathleen, Dee, Steve, Tim, Rommel, Ptr Louie, Calamba Captain. Polly and Ambet kneeling in front.
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Several men came forward to make a profession of faith. After the service, there was a baptism service and all the men on the American team had an opportunity to baptize 40 men. This was a first for many of us on our team and a sheer joy! We sang songs including Amazing Grace , I have decided to Follow Jesus , Amen , and others. Dee and Jaycob sang using megaphone bullhorns brought by Ptr Noah. After the baptisms, our team provided the ingredients for a Boodle Fight to celebrate this blessed spiritual event! It was amazing seeing all of us eating a meal together as one in the body of Christ. The meal
Boodle Fight! Started as a Philippine military tradition during the period of American colonization in the Philippines. Boodle Fight is a celebration of feast and people. No utensils allowed! First time ever done in this prison!
consisted of rice, meat, fish, vegetables, and watermelon. There were two long tables and leftovers were given to the PDLs. We ate side by side, hand to mouth! We had lunch before our next prison service and this time went to a mall nearby that had another Jollibee restaurant in it. And since it was Dee’s birthday, we made sure to have ice cream too! The heat is expected to reach 100 degrees today. Even with down time between prison services, we don’t have actual rest until we are back at our hotel for the night. The team is showing great resilience through the exhaustion of a non-stop schedule. And we are grateful no one has been down with sickness. Thank you Lord! Our next jail services we split
Eddie and Polly baptizing our Filipino brother in Christ! Our team purchased this portable tub for the event and future ministry.
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into two teams. Eddie, Tim, Mark and Steve go inside the main jail and Kathleen, Jaycob, and Dee minister to a small assembled group outside. Photos not allowed inside the main jail so only a few photos were captured from the outside service. Dinner at Pastor Noel’s home this evening and our new Filipino family surprised Dee with a birthday party! She was very surprised and overwhelmed at their thoughtfulness. Pastor Noel had arranged the party in his absence while being away with GVT in Mindanao. Service Attendees: 603 Salvations: 208
Tuesday, April 16 th GMA Lockup and Juvenile Center: 2 Services today and a Mindanao update Today has an early start and early end with a cultural experience at the Taal volcano planned for the afternoon. The morning begins at 6:45 a.m. with an exciting breakfast at our favorite McDonald’s. Steve led devotions. We have heard from GVT and received an
A birthday gift for Dee??(Ha! She wishes!)
outstanding report and answer to prayer. He has a conference in Mindanao hosted by a local pastor there (Pastor Dondon) who is friends with Pastor Noel. The conference is well attended with 85 pastors and lay leaders in Pastor Dondon’s Foursquare Church. There are also prison services and something that has never happened before! After services at a small jail, the warden informs GVT and team that six of his prisoners want to be baptized. Without hesitation, Pastor Noel suggests they allow the inmates to leave the jail and be baptized at the pool of the hotel they are staying at, and the warden approves it! The prisoners are released with two officers, and they all travel to the hotel GVT, Pastor Noel, and Pastor Peter are staying at. One of the volunteers with the group breaks
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out a guitar and starts singing. GVT jumps in the pool full-length pants and all and has the privilege of baptizing six new Believers in Jesus! After the blessed and somewhat unusually orchestrated event that only God can do, all return to the jail with a lovely Boodle Fight awaiting them! Amazing!
Baptisms in hotel pool! Ptr Noel, Ptr Peter, and GVT
Conference in Mindanao
Beautiful Boodle!
Back to the home front schedule. First service arrival is at GMA Lockup and we have the privilege of having Baby China herself, Evelyn Ortega, as our interpreter today. This jail has both male and female PDLs. We are allowed cameras at this facility and capture some amazing ministry moments. The word is out that Dee just celebrated a birthday and without any forewarning, the assembly of prisoners erupts in cheerful birthday song for Dee. She is overwhelmed with their regard for her, a total stranger from America
Ptr Noel, wife and son of Ptr Dondon with Ptr Dondon, GVT & Ptr Peter
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and yet they choose to gift her with a song from behind bars. The moment is captured on video and it is a forever memory. After the jail service, many family members of PDLs were gathered outside for their visitation appointments, the team stopped, and Eddie prayed over them.
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Then we walked across the adjoining courtyard of the GMA lockup, had a service for the juveniles, and meet 16 attentive young men – some look to be barely in their teen years. As Dee was doing the PFC intro, we saw many of the boys removing their earrings. The headmaster spent 2 years in CA as a caregiver. When her husband became ill, she returned with him to their home in The Philippines and became the headmaster of the juveniles in her care as a new career. Eddie gives a riveting account of Joseph of the Bible and Tim gives an equally impassioned sermon about the prodigal son. As Jaycob was giving his testimony Pastor Louie asked if any of the boys came from a broken home, and 60% of them raised their hand. Three young men were released today one of which was a Muslim when he came in but now by the grace of God he is a Christian. They blessed us with a Christian rap song that they composed accompanied by highly impressive beatboxing. The team is delighted and blessed by it all. The food and Bibles were well received by the respectful young men including a basketball received with huge smiles. The team had also brought sandals (flip-flops) but they were too big for the youth. We will get them exchanged for the correct sizes for them. We are made aware of a special needs boy who is being cared for there not because of a criminal offense, but because he has no family to care for him otherwise. He was not able to attend the services but Steve, Tim, and Eddie agree to go see the boy back in the dorm area and pray over him. The other boys from the service soon arrive in the juvenile dorm and show great concern and care for this impaired young boy. It is sweet to see their compassion for one another in this circumstance.
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We find ourselves whisked off by our new friends in the ministry, Polly and Jaquie, and travel for over an hour for amazing sightseeing of the amazing Taal Volcano, lunch, cheers of Halo-Halo then on to People's Park (originally named Palace in the Sky ) , in Tagaytay city in the Province of Cavite. A few team members purchase some gifts for family and friends back home. Our hosts offered to take us to more sightseeing adventures but the team opted to call it a day and go back to our chilled hotel rooms for some needed reflection time and rest. We are blessed beyond measure.
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For dinner, the team tries an unconventional approach that has not been done on the mission field before. They order Jollibee chicken sandwiches, fries, hamburgers, and orange soda to be delivered to the hotel via motorbike delivery! It’s a huge success and the team gathers for food, fellowship and some strategy talk for our remaining ministry days in The Philippines. We await GVT and Pastor Noel joining back with us tomorrow. Service Attendees: 130 Salvations: 24
Halo-Halo is considered to be the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines.
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Wednesday, April 17 th Santa Rosa Jail and CIW Institution for women: 3 Services today and GVT and Pastor Noel and Pastor Peter return! The day starts early at 6:30 a.m. and the team is more rested today though the weariness and daily ministry schedule is felt by all. The temps still linger in the mid to upper 90s and Seattle rain and clouds don’t sound so bad anymore. The team has the usual morning cheer of McDonald’s with Eddie sharing morning devotions. Today is a big day with prison services, inmate baptisms including female inmates this time, and another Boodle Fight! The prison facilities are also a farther drive away and most likely we will be in the highway traffic on our way back and the witnessing of heroic and mystifying driving talent of Polly. We again thank God for A/C in the van! We are also anticipating a special day as the largest women’s facility we are going to today was the same location that team member Steve Rowe’s grandmother ministered at! It was a sweet blessing for Steve and all the team to experience with Steve to be part of the next chapter of an amazing family legacy. Steve’s grandmother (Sophie Jenista or Nanay Sophie as the inmates called her) spent 20 years ministering at CIW prison. When we got the initial trip block calendar, it wasn't a planned stop. God then had it added to our itinerary when we arrived in country and Pastor Noel informed us we received approval to go there. God also ensured that a couple women who knew Nanay Sophie were at our prison services! At Santa Rosa Jail, the team split into two groups. Jaycob, Dee and Kathleen to the upper level female dorm and Steve, Mark, Tim, and Eddie to the main lower level large recreation room for service and baptisms for the men. Female volunteers Cecile and Janie also accompany the team for the women’s service. It is quickly apparent that the women attending the service are the inside church and are regularly discipled by the ministry of Cecile and Janie. There is a time of singing, encouragement, Jaycob & Dee share a combined testimony as well as Kathleen shares hers. Many gifts are shared with the ladies and we are notified that five of the ladies in this group will be baptized today! Dee & Kathleen are very excited and honored to be part of this! After completion of the women’s service, the team meets downstairs to join the rest of the American team and National team as they had begun their baptism service. A long lineup of male PDLs await their moment of baptism. Originally we were told about 40 would be baptized that day, but by the end of the long line, it appeared every PDL who had attended the service opted to be baptized – which was double our expectation. A Boodle Fight was prepared on long tables at the same time the progression of the blessed were baptized one by one by rotating American and National team members. Huge blasting fans and a splash of water every 2 minutes or so helps to cool the hot air of the open-sided, barred room. The team is wet with splashed water and a continuous refill bucket is brought over and over for our modestly sized portable plastic tub. Eventually the five female PDLs are brought into the room from upstairs and are baptized also. Much time has passed and we are delayed to arrive to our next destination. We are unable to partake in the Boodle but could see the festivities unfold! What an experience!
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At the CIW women’s prison, we had a lively service. A full inmate led worship band ushered in the energy we all needed before the service. After the service, we presented gifts to the female warden. She was delighted that we came to visit and decided to give us a tour of the facility. Stairs, corridors, work stations where crafts and products are sold within the prison and will be sold online soon, a hair boutique, a church, like a small city. On the tour, we visited the cancer ward and prayed for the eight women there. Then we went the maternity ward where there were two babies, one 6 months and the other 2 months. Kathleen took the opportunity to share the gospel with the baby. The warden explained that the babies stay with the incarcerated Mom until one year of age and then the baby must be placed elsewhere either with family or foster care. Tim says he’s copying Bob Jordan as we turn to see him gleefully offering baby talk to the one year old scooping him up in his arms.
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GVT is texting the Team Leaders asking for our ETA. Caught up in Manila traffic, we plan to pick him up at the hotel and go to dinner together. The original plan was for Eddie and Tim to conduct the Progress Report/Audit meeting with Pastor Noel, but it was decided the time and extent of the day would be better to postpone the Audit until Friday morning. The team is reunited as we go back to the mall for dinner at Panda Express and a much needed stop by Crispy Crème donuts. It might need to be added to the PFC International training manual that culture shock can actually happen within the country and not just upon arrival and not just when returning back to the U.S. The contrast from our prison services to walking the length of a shiny, bright mall and munching on a delectable crispy crème donut can affect mental wellness. Service Attendees: 221 Salvations: 38 MINDANAO STATS: Two prison services with 110 attendees, 90 salvations, and 6 baptisms. Humanitarian aid and Bibles also given. One conference with 75 attendees. Thursday, April 18 th TayTay Jail, TayTay MPS Custodial Facility, Algono Jail: 4 Services Last day of ministry! How did this happen? The team can feel the fact physically but it has still been such a time warp of activity. We start the day early at GVT’s fav spot, yes, McDonald’s. GVT led devotions this morning - charged the team with finishing well; persevere and run to finish the race! We have several prison services today and our planned final Goodbye Dinner with Pastor Noel and his family at his home.
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The team visited the first prison and Eddie got very emotional as he presented the altar call. GVT stepped in to finish, as Eddie was unable to speak through his emotion. It was an emotional experience for the team and the intensity of ministry and the moving of the Holy Spirit felt in souls. After that prison, we found out by Pastor Noel another last minute clearance had been received and without advanced notice, we jet to another nearby Taytay jail facility and do it all again! The third and last jail of the day, we split into two groups and had two more simultaneous services. This facility has upper and lower floors of cells for male and female PDLs. GVT, Dee, Jaycob, Kathleen and Ptr Noel are one team. Other team members head upstairs with Polly and Ambet. Ptr Noel has the flaming Bible he made by using a general hardcover book (NOT a Bible, fyi), cut through the pages making a small pocket inside the book to line with foil and add drops of lighter fluid. Mid-sermon Pastor Noel is able to open the book, strike a match and the pages of the “Bible” burst into flames and Pastor Noel yells with a dramatic anguish Luke 16:24. “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame!!!” Pastor Noel shows us this fete during the last prison service and Kathleen, unknowing of this display, is midway into her sermon and feels an odd heat on her arm, only to turn around and see a flaming Bible! It was an amazing sight. Jaycob has decided he will also make such a “Bible” for future school presentations. We learned there are eight male inmates that will be getting a certificate in May for their accomplishment of reading the entire Bible. After our last crusade, we went to lunch, eight Americans and eight nationals at JTs Manukan Grille provided by Pastor Ian. Pastor Ian has regular ministry in Manila and includes the jails and prisons we have ministered at the last two days. We are done!! Service Attendees: 495 Salvations: 351 Good-bye dinner at Pastor Noel’s home was amazing; there was a full spread and about thirty- five people there. Local fav homemade dishes, and pizza, and ice cream, and Buko Pandan dessert and Philippine dessert classic Puto (slightly sweet steamed rice cakes) in honor of Steve’s fond memories of his upbringing and Filipino heritage. We leave of piece of our heart here.
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Friday, April 19 th Packing, Shopping, Audit, and paalam! We start the day at 8:00 a.m. to meet and go to McDonald’s for our final Philippines breakfast under the arches. No discussion of prison services or assignments but only of packing timeline and when to be ready to leave for the airport. It’s slightly surreal it’s actually time to leave. Pastor Noel arrives at the hotel for the Progress Report/Audit with GVT, Eddie, and Tim. This is a time for asking Pastor Noel how PFC can best support his prison ministry efforts and brainstorm solutions and strategies for the future. The rest of the team is packing and preparing for hotel check out. And there is some time left for last minute shopping and Polly graciously agrees to take some team members to a nearby market. At hotel check out, we now have an entourage to accompany us to the airport, but first a last lunch at Jollibee! Small gift bags are prepared of GVT books, PFC logo sunglasses and PFC logo padfolios and pens for Polly, Pastor Noah, and Pastor Luis. And one last basketball goes to Pastor Noah. Just a token of our deep appreciation for all they have done to make this trip happen for us. We can never thank them enough or show our deep respect and admiration for them.
We have a 6:30pm flight but due to traffic and International baggage check-in lines, we arrive by 2:00pm. And good thing as our line for check-in at Eva Air is a half mile long. Lots of standing, lots of waiting. Dee offers GVT some Tylenol for his back and he says it “saved his life”. Finally getting through to baggage screening, we are delayed as three team members have their baggage inspected. In the delay, GVT who is feeling better now, finds a fun photo op. Eventually we board our flight for our first short flight from Manila to Taipei. Our flight is delayed but not enough to be concerned about making our connecting flight from Taipei to Seattle, in fact, it makes for a quicker layover. GVT promises to treat the team to a light dinner when we get there. We find there are not many eating places open at the Taipei airport at that time of night but find some Bubble Teas and light snacks. All is well as the team meanders on to wait at the gate to board our
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last flight, which is much longer, at apprx. 12 hours to Sea-Tac airport. Each team member collapses into their assigned seat and dreams of waking up in Seattle by 7:30pm in the evening and still a Friday no less! If not dreaming, then writing notes about their experience, listening to music, or watching movies. Just in time to go home and go to sleep in our own beds tonight. Thank you Lord for your provision, your faithfulness, your gift of perseverance, and your extensive goodness and grace and for the souls saved by faith through Jesus Christ! To God be the glory for all that was accomplished in His name! Thank you to our financial donors and prayer warriors who sent us! We hope you are inspired and edified to see what your support has done for the Kingdom!
Final Stats:
• Number of services: 24 • Number of institutions: 16 • Inmate attendance: 2,669 • Salvations: 1,075 (40%) • Inmate Baptisms: 126
• Inmate healing prayer: 494 • Church leader prayers: 168 • Bibles distributed: 997 • Soap bars distributed: 2,148 • Reading glasses distributed: 250 • Flip flops distributed: 1,137 • Lugao porridge servings in cups: 2,407
• Boiled Eggs: 2,266 • Bread packets: 1,300 • Banana bunches: 15 • Large veggie bags: 7 • Basketballs: 14 • Conference attendance: 260
Jollibee and Jaycob
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