Well, it is presently just before midnight in the Philippines, and we are all packed up ready to come home. There have been a lot of sappy moments around the roof-deck here at Pastoral Training of Asia! Truly we will miss the staff here, and the great love and support that Pastor Jeff and Jaime Martin have shown us. We have all grown to love them.

I want to take a minute to recap our last ministry day which was yesterday (Saturday). We spent the full day up in Calo, a mountain village nearby, doing a medical outreach. A medical outreach is where we take doctors, nurses, and medicine to a poor village that is in need of health care, and we provide it for free. These villages are comprised of primarily indigent people, that are not able to receive any medical care. It is the "true village living" here in the Philippines.

I am attaching three pictures of just different people I photographed. There is no special reason or rhyme for these pictures, I just like them. The one of the crowd is of the people of Calo starting their registration process. I heard a count of approximately 250 people from this village were seen for medical help that day!

My most impacting story of the day cannot come with pictures, because we didn't take any. You will understand shortly. I predominantly assisted with the tribal/cultural rite called "Tuli". Every boy must have "tuli" by the time he is 14, or he will be ostracized from his people group. "Tuli" is Cebuano for circumcision. And, yes, I said circumcision!

This is not the sterile, surgical procedure you may be accustomed to in the United States. This is a local anesthetic (which I will not explain in detail, but I cringe just thinking about it) and then a series of cuts and stitches. The young boys come in bravely, five at a time, and laid on a wooden table covered with a plastic table cloth. From there I won't go into detail, but I felt much compassion for these young boys. They all ranged from 8-12 years old.

So, one boy who was very young, came to get tuli done, and possibly the pain medicine wore off, or possibly the sight of his friends "tuli process" was too much to see (as they are all laying next to each other at the same time) but he couldn't continue. The problem was, he was already 50 percent into the process. What was left was stitching only (did I just say stitching only???) but he didn't want to continue. I had to physically hold him down while he screamed out to his mother, but it was for his own good. He needed to be stitched. Just the same, it was very difficult.

I learned a little bit about how it must be for God to allow us to suffer through things that we need. The love God must feel as we struggle in pain! I hated seeing this young man hurt, but he had to endure it so that he could heal properly.

Well, that is it for me. I hope to get a couple hours of sleep, and then on a plane to Manilla.

I love you all, and thank you for your prayers. I will ask the team to begin emailing me stories after we get home. That way they can add stories and pictures of their own. Also, that will allow anyone reading to continue on for a while.

Blessings,
Jeff Ludington

Their last day

It is 2 pm Saturday afternoon. In a couple hours the team will be waking up for their last day to do ministry. It is Sunday there and they will be going to church. I am not sure what other ministry things they have planned today, but the rest of the afternoon/evening will be packing to go home. They will rise very early on Monday morning (there) and heading out to the airport to begin their journey home.

What that means to us is that tomorrow, Sunday, they will take off from Dumaguete at around 4:30pm(our time)and travel for about 24 hours and arrive at LAX at 4:30 pm Monday night.

I know that coming home will be a difficult transition for many of them. They have experienced many things that we at home could never imagine. Please let them share their stories and experiences in their timing. They may want to talk things through, or they may not want to talk at all. Please continue to pray for the whole team. Sometimes, coming home is when the enemy attacks the hardest.

Winding down

OK, so today really feels like we are winding down. I think we are all tired, but still unwilling to quit! We had two ministry days left to do, and we went at the first one with all we could. 14 of us loaded left this morning to go to a city about a 45 minute drive north of here called Tanjay (TAN-hi). We went there to do market evangelism. Basically, our goal was to hand out several hundred tracts to the people shopping and working in the marketplace (I think the Cebuano word for that is "changi").

So, we broke up into teams of 2-4, loaded up with tracts, and went for it. Since I am writing this at almost 11pm my time, and breakfast is at 6:30am, that is all I have for tonight. However, I am including pictures tonight (thanks to Justin and Cyndi).

Blessings,
Jeff.

God's Presents-God's Presence

Well, as seems to be the difficulty lately, I have not got any more pictures. What is happening there is that I am not taking any, only video, so that doesn't help these updates. Then, when we get home late (as we did last night), we all go to bed. Then, I get up an hour before everyone (at least - two hours before others ... Justin & Joey...) and I do these updates. So, since we haven't been here at night to download pictures, you all are not getting them. Sorry.

So, this update doesn't really require a picture anyhow, just a cool story. We have visited many ministries, and seen many things. Since nowhere really new is coming, but just places we have already seen, yesterday we sat down to discuss "gifts" to ministries here. We agreed to give money to the ministries that we saw as a need. The number one gift we will be giving (largest amount of money) will be to the youth ministry here at PTA called the Passage, and the Boulevard ministries. They work with the young here, and educate them (even pay for college tuition when needed). They also give them the spiritual education that they need, along with medical care. All this together in our eyes equals the best ministry being done here. Other things that we will give to are the Mental Facility that we all visited (under the guidance of Rennie and Irene - staff at PTA); as well as a donation to medical outreaches, and other ministries.

We as a team bought PTA the new "hood fan" that they needed for their new kitchen here on site. That was only $200 US Dollars. Now they can begin work on their new kitchen for future housing of mission teams. We will personally reap the benefits the next time we visit.

One ministry has been on my heart since we started planning this trip (bear in mind, I have been here before). It is called the Rainbow Orphanage. Now, when we arrived, it was mind blowing to see this beautiful property, since we had just seen another orphanage which was far less beautiful, and clean for that matter. White (American) families and missionaries run this property, and they came across (we thought) as not really needing funding. However, God kept them on my heart. They are a ministry that I actually see making a difference. Children are being adopted out to families all over the world. Right now, there are two little girls (maybe 4 years old???) that have pictures on their walls where they sleep of families that are coming to adopt them. One in the states, and one somewhere else. This is the ministry that asked us to be cautious, and not put pictures on the internet due to the nature of their ministry. So, since God kept me thinking about them, and even though they didn't look like they needed money, we were faithful as a team to set aside a gift for them. Our gift to them was given last night. We had called them and set a time to get together.

When Karen Moser and I pulled Becky from Rainbow Orphanage to the side (privately), and we gave her the money, it seemed as if she was very moved. A very composed woman showed a sense of relief on her face. She told us that they had been cutting back staff hours, and starting to have to say no to new kids coming in because funding was very low. She told us that this gift was, "very timely".

Becky, if you read this, I hope that this is a time where God strengthens the faithful staff at Rainbow, and that you know that there are those that God will send to keep your very needed ministry going in all times of need. Karen and I were very moved, and I know that we will not soon forget how much we were glad to be a part of what God is doing in Southeast Asia.

So, after that, the entire team went out for a very "Filipino", very Asian tradition, we went to Pizza Hut, and we all had pizza. Since the Gathering (College Ministry) had just had pizza night, we felt compelled to do the same!!!

Last night was fun, we really enjoyed our American food. But, we also started realizing that we are getting really close to leaving. Some of us with a heart for the nations are not so sure we are ready. I know that personally I would rather fly my wife (and of course the dogs!) out here, than go home right now. It is tough to leave such a beautiful ministry opportunity, when we know that "real life" waits at home.

But, never fear Christie and Robbie: since half of your bridal party, and me who will officiate are here, we promise to come home for your wedding!!!

We love you all, and even though we are not all ready to come home, we will sure be glad to see our loved ones.

Blessings from an island where God is present,
Jeff Ludington.

Flying fish and footballs

Well, we are entering the last leg of ministry, and it is nearing time for us to leave. Soon we will start that very long journey home. Interestingly enough, once we fly from Korea, we will actually arrive in LA before the actual time that we left Korea!!! Oh, the wonderful fact of an international dateline amazes me every time I do it. Many of the team are actually traveling internationally for the first time, so that is a fun fact for them.

I will get more pictures up for the website soon. The last 3 or more days we have had night ministry to do, which is normally when we were sitting down together, and downloading pictures to my laptop. Yesterday was one of those days, so I have no pictures for today's update.

We took most of the day off and went out by boat to see many dolphins and flying fish. We actually played with the dolphins by speeding up and slowing down in the boat, and they jumped out and around in front of us. Then we left and went to a snorkel spot, and many were able to see some fish in the water, and some amazingly beautiful coral reefs. After that we were all hungry. So, the ministry had arranged for us a hut built up on stilts above the water (actually on the sea). It was really strange to see these three "dwellings" built out on the water, so far away from any land. This is where we had lunch, and commenced a short napping session (one of my favorite hobbies). However, napping didn't last long for many of us, and we were soon off playing in the water again. We enjoyed a time of tossing a football at each other as we jumped/dived off the ocean hut and attempted a mid-air catch. I am sure that some of the video I took will turn out to be fun from this.

After we made the trek back home (to the mission center) we ate a quick dinner and then sent off the youth group team. They went to the Passage youth center to teach/lead the high school youth group. We led worship (Stephanie, Michelle, Justin did this), and then we led the bible study (Julie taught).

The kids have started to really get to know us, and have even made us some nicknames for us. Justin is quite well liked, and since he plays drums, sings, and well... is quite well liked ... someone (a young Philippina I am sure) has decideded to add "Timberlake" to the end of Justin's name. So, they think that Justin reminds them of Justin Timberlake. This one I find quite funny!!!

Around here, the people are very sun darkened and tan. So, fair skinned people, and blonde people, are not what they normally see. Our second nickname flows out of this difference in appearance. It seems that Barbie (the doll) is still popular in the Philippines! And, wouldn't you know it, she is travelling with us! Yes, your very own Ginger Johnson has become known as Barbie.

Well, it wouldn't be very fair if I just told you about others, since I am the one writing to you. It appears that action movies are also popular around here. Especially Triple X. So, yes, as you might have guessed it, I have become known as Vin Diesel! I just wish I had his muscles!!! But, compared to the average, fairly skinny, Philippino, I guess I do have more "width" than they do!!!

Today we will be going to the market place in Tanjay (about an hour north of us) to do street evangelism. The next two days will be medical outreach.
OK, that is enough for now.

I miss home, but only because of the people I leave behind. I truly could live here, amongst a great group of local indigenous people.

Blessings from Southeast Asia,
Jeff Ludington.

What goes down......must come back up!

Well, we are definitely on the downhill part of our trip now. The last few days have been so busy, and I am so tired that I have not been very current on updates. I don't have any pictures today, but some stories to share.

For the last couple days, we have been gone in the mornings, and then getting some time to do some fun things in the afternoons, then back out at night for more ministry. Each of the last couple nights, and then again tonight, we have been (will be) at the Passage Youth Center. It is a center that is led and supported by PTA, the ministry we are here with. They have a building and a program designed to offer an alternative to the Philipino kids. It is kind of like a "keep them off the streets" program. 2 nights ago they did an Open House, where they sang us songs, and played music for us. They even did a small drama for us. It was wonderful, and they really worked hard for us.

We have taken over the bible studies at the Passage this week. Last night Justin taught there college age study, and Julie will be teaching the high school youth group tonight. We are also taking turns sharing our testimonies with them, so that they can hear from us while we are there.

Yesterday, we took some time in the afternoon in between ministry outings and went to a local waterfall. It is hidden back in a mountain, and quite a hike up and down. We got a ride from a passing construction truck, that took us all the way to the top where we then went down a large set of stairs (325 of them!!!). Now, what goes down, must come back up! We felt every one of those stairs on the way back up.

We also saw an orphange yesterday. They asked us not to put any of their children on the internet, becuase many of them are involved in court cases, and need their privacy. It was a 2 hour time of just simply playing with kids. I think we all found at least one we really fell in love with.

I hope that this helps to update you. Today is our "free day" where we are going out on a boat. We will be back in time for dinner, and then off to the Passage to teach tonight.

I hope all is well at home, I hear it is really tough weather there too, which since we are experiencing all the same things, I don't feel too bad about!!!

Tomorrow starts 3 intense days of ministry, and then we are heading on our journey home. We will definitely miss being here, but we will also be glad to see the US beaches again!

God bless you all.
Jeff

It has been a while

Never fear, the team is just fine. They have been really busy visiting orphanages, doing outreaches, etc., and are getting pretty tired. Jeff said he just hasn't had the time or energy to do an update. I think he said today they are going to take a well deserved break and "recharge" for the upcoming week. He said something about going out on a boat, something about calling it whale watching, but he thinks it is more like dolphin watching. He said they are just fine, only a little tired.

Straight to the Heart

Well, hello again, yesterday was far tougher than anyone thought it would be when they got out of bed in the morning. Even me, having been through it before, forgot just how tough it was. So tough, that I sit here with tears in my eyes the following morning.

After breakfast and devotionals, we prayed together, and left for the first ministry of the day. NOPH (Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital) is where we spent our first leg of the ministry day. We broke up into three teams. I split up the three guys, and each took a team: one went to the childrens ward, one to the "annex", and I took a team to the adult wing (surgery and accident section specifically).

I will only share from my experience, as I saw it through my own eyes, with a little understanding from my team (Ginger, Ally, Cyndi). We walked through an area of a lot of people either getting ready for surgery, or recovering from surgery (no separation), and the other thing there was a variety of accident patients. One woman named Lydia asked for us to pray for her (Ally and I will never forget her...), she had breast cancer (an obvious growth on one side). When we were done praying Allison leaned over and hugged her, and Lydia kissed Allison on the cheek. That was about all it took, we were very emotional from there on. Next was Kenneth, a young boy who had suffered very severe burns. With no clothes on, skin pealing away on the front of his legs, and blisters on the back side, Kenneth was the prime example of the conditions of this government funded hospital. I make no apologies for the picture, but it is the only one I am sending. My heart can't take sending you any more.

We prayed with everyone, most got prayer a few times. No one refused us the privilege of praying for them. As they lined the hallway with beds, and the overcrowded rooms offered us smells that made us uncomfortable, we watched God work through us as we offered hope. We touched everyone, no matter what their medical problem. We smiled, and we prayed.

We all went back for a very tough lunch at the ministry center, but after a time of debriefing (and a good cry by all) we were better. So, we planned out our next ministry.

The next place we went was called Talay. It is a government funded mental facility. Nothing you have ever seen in the states compares to this. No real treatment is offered to these people except for phsychiatric medicines. Many of their families are ashamed of them, and will not come and pick them up. Their housing is predominantly outdoor cement cells, with metal bars that lock them in their cell. Those that are not a problem to themselves, or to others, are housed in a very crude dorm style housing with metal bed frames, with small wood slats as their mattress. Most have no blankets, no sheets, and very little care is offered to them (because there is no budget for them). The people who run the facility are trying very hard to raise funding from local organizations. The ministry we are here with offers support, and our team is going to give them a financial gift before we leave. All that is guaranteed to them is food, becuase that is what the government pays for.

We were asked not to take pictures at Talay, or at least not of the people (for privacy's sake). But while we were there, I asked if I could take two pictures (and told I could): one was Ginger and one older lady named Letty. Letty held Gingers hand from the moment we got there, until the moment we left. The other picture I took was of several of our team standing in front of the cells, playing guitar, singing worship songs, and making some patients very pleased. Since we were not going to take pictures, I did not bring a camera, but I found one there, and I will try to send those later.

Right now, all I can say is that if you are reading these, keep us in prayer. Our hearts are breaking for the beautiful people here in the Philippines. We are doing great as a team; we get along wonderfully. We are all healthy, and the ministry couldn't be going better. Our hearts hurt a bit, but that can be expected.

We miss you all, and hope that these updates are a blessing.

Please pray for those we saw in the hospital like Kenneth, Lydia, and many others. They may never get the care they need.

I love you all,

Jeff

Friday

Friday was a very difficult day for the team. As soon as there is an update from Jeff, it will get posted. They visited a medical hospital as well as a mental hospital. He said that after the medical hospital they had a good amount of time as a team to talk and cry and debrief together. They shared their experiences and stories with each other which helped them process. He said they have had some incredible evangelism opportunities, and that it has been a huge blessing. They have been received well by the Filipinos and the team is working together really well.

Thursday

OK, here is what we did today.

This morning was our preparation morning. We spent time creating and learning our own skits to go out and share the gospel when we are doing outreach in the different areas we will be going to. Each skit has to share the gospel in actions, but have no words to it, so that anyone can understand it. Our team is very creative, and everyone pitched in and came up with some great skits. You can see the picture of them rehearsing them (Justin is playing Jesus!!!).

This afternoon we broke the team into 3 groups and we all went different ways. 7 of the females went to the Passage Youth Center to do the first of our medical clinics. Most of our team met and prayed with the people waiting to see the nurses. You can see the picture of Katie Springer talking to a woman about her sick child.

5 of our female team members went out evangelizing in the street. They handed out hundreds of tracks and shared the gospel to several people that were willing to listen. Many people were desiring prayer, so they were able to pray with them too. Since they all had their hands full of tracts and were talking to people about Jesus, they didn't take pictures, so a story will have to do!

The three guys, including myself, went to the prison here in Dumaguete. Joey and Justin shared their testimonies to the crowd that gathered, and then I came and shared my testimony and the gospel to the prisoners. Each one of us told of how Jesus has changed our lives, and that He desires to change theirs too. In all honesty, Justin was the biggest hit there. His tattoos were a great opener for many conversations about Jesus. When we were done speaking, all of us had a chance to pray with many of the prisoners. They really desired to have God change and forgive them. Since Justin was such a big hit, there is a picture of him, sharing his testimony and some scripture. Just a side-note: he had never done this before today, and he was really good. A natural public speaker.

All in all today was very good for all of us. We were very excited to actually get some hands on ministry. We are very eager to get some rest though, as we are all very tired.

Tomorrow will be a very emotional day. I am blessed to take them to a hospital to pray over all the patients. After that we are going to a mental facility (and I use the term facility loosely). More tomorrow, it is almost 10pm, and I am very tired.

Keep us in prayer, the things that we are doing tomorrow were very hard for me when I did them the first time, and I expect that they will be tough for the team as well. A very eye-opening experience about third world care.

Blessings,
Jeff.

The first cup of coffee

Jeff was just starting on his first cup of coffee to start his morning when we spoke. It is 6 am Thursday morning there.
He wants everyone to know that the team is getting along terrific and are healthy. The plan for today:
Learning and practicing skits for future outreach
The men will be going and ministering at the local prison.
Half of the women will be running a medical clinic at the youth center and the other half will be in the market place doing evangelism.
He hopes to send an email update and some photos at the end of their day, so you can keep an eye out for them tomorrow.

A note from Jeff and a few pictures

So, today was Wednesday the 19th, and our main goal today was to familiarize ourselves with our new surrounding culture. We were given a scavenger hunt list to go out into Dumaguete City, and find. We had to buy things and were only given Visayan (our local dialect) names. While we were out, we took a handful of tracts each, and started to minister to the people we ran into. Here are some pics to see:

pic1: Ciana shopping
pic2: Filipina selling to us
pic3: man with tract
pic4: fish in the market

We are all healthy and well. I will send you more later.

Grace and Peace,
Jeff.

It is Wednesday Morning in the Philippines

The team is waking up and getting ready for their day. Jeff said they are all very excited to be there. He said that today will be a day of getting introduced to the culture. They will be going into the city on a "Scavenger Hunt". I am not sure what that means exactly, but he said they will be learning some of the language and getting comfortable in their surroundings.

Please keep them in your prayers as they are still catching up on a lot of lost sleep and are adjusting to a very different time zone. They will be doing several different types of outreaches while they are there, so please pray that the hearts of the people would be open to them.

More updates to come.....

They made it!

A very tired group arrived in the Philippines approximately 24 hours from the time they left LAX at 1:30 am. They all arrived safe and sound and excited for the journey ahead of them. They are fifteen hours ahead of us, so as I type it is 9 am here and it is midnight there. I will keep you posted as I here more.

Philippines Mission Team Heads Out 7/16/06

Officially Commissioned!

Thank you for all of you that have prayed over us and continue to pray as we prepare to leave. We would also like to thank you for all of your financial support that has enabled us to make this journey.