Stories from the Philippines - Pastor Choi and Pastora Alma

[SPEAKER_08]: We gather in every season of life, to mark what matters most.

[SPEAKER_07]: Because what truly matters is really done alone.

[SPEAKER_01]: God designed us for communion with Him, with each other, and with His mission.

[SPEAKER_05]: This year's mission month theme says it perfectly, together together.

[SPEAKER_09]: Mission is not a solo task.

[SPEAKER_09]: It's a shared calling.

[SPEAKER_09]: In Acts we see the diverse church.

[SPEAKER_09]: He nighted by one spirit, one mission in mind Gospel.

[SPEAKER_04]: The kingdom advances through the gather church.

[SPEAKER_04]: Called by Jesus, sent by Jesus, and working together.

[SPEAKER_06]: Well, good morning, church.

[SPEAKER_06]: My name is Kylie Cassidy, and please come up, that's fine, man.

[SPEAKER_06]: And it's my pleasure to welcome you here today.

[SPEAKER_06]: Thank you so much for coming.

[SPEAKER_06]: It's our wonderful mission's month, and we're so excited to have our expo.

[SPEAKER_06]: I would just like to say a huge thank you to all of our partners who have made the take in the time and the effort to come and set up a stall and to share some of their work with you so please, please go and have a chat to them, have a conversation, ask them some questions and find out more about their ministry so that we can say thank you for forgiving us at their time this morning.

[SPEAKER_06]: It's my pleasure to let you know we have two of our incredible international partners.

[SPEAKER_06]: Yes, so we're gonna hear from them shortly, and I would like to introduce Pastor Choi and Pastor Alma from A.T.B.C.

[SPEAKER_06]: in the Philippines.

[SPEAKER_06]: If we can, we'll lift you up.

[SPEAKER_06]: wonderful.

[SPEAKER_06]: Wonderful.

[SPEAKER_06]: Thank you so much for coming and joining us today.

[SPEAKER_06]: It's so wonderful to have you.

[SPEAKER_06]: And this year we are actually celebrating 25 years of partnership with AEEC in the Philippines.

[SPEAKER_06]: What a joy it is to partner together and it's incredible to have all of our partners with us today because we've been looking at the book of acts and we are excited that these interviews today and the conversations with our partners echoing the church in acts.

[SPEAKER_06]: some cross-cultures to be here and traveled, others haven't come far but we have all prayed given encouraged and sent, we are all participating in God's mission.

[SPEAKER_06]: And today we would like to start by celebrating that, that 25 years of partnership, what a beautiful mutual blessing it has been, a joy.

[SPEAKER_06]: and we'd love to share some stories about what can happen when a church faithfully partners when we pray and when we send teams and when you share your ministries with us and we can see that tangible kingdom impact together.

[SPEAKER_06]: So joy, past a joy, can you take us right back to the very beginning?

[SPEAKER_06]: How did the partnership between our churches first begin those 25 years ago?

[SPEAKER_02]: Before sharing my story, I would like first to thank you all.

[SPEAKER_02]: I feel at home and thank you for receiving us.

[SPEAKER_02]: Few are froze up.

[SPEAKER_02]: All of us are called, but few are frozen.

[SPEAKER_02]: So we are the frozen ones here.

[SPEAKER_02]: Sorry, we're still in juggled.

[SPEAKER_02]: I have three layers here and two here.

[SPEAKER_06]: We do like starting with the juggled, you've done well.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so thank you.

[SPEAKER_02]: Well, bring back, how can I forget this?

[SPEAKER_02]: June 2000, yes, June 2000, that was the time when I lost my mom

[SPEAKER_02]: Fifty-five years old only, but that was the very time when this young, good-looking, Aussie pastors came, and that became an encouragement to us, really.

[SPEAKER_02]: They gave us, uh...

[SPEAKER_02]: conference for the pastors to be encouraged, and I'm one among those who have been really ministered.

[SPEAKER_02]: And after having the conference, they draw lots.

[SPEAKER_02]: Each of them should be preaching to each of these churches, the pastors, or you know, ministering.

[SPEAKER_02]: And you know who was assigned to us?

[SPEAKER_02]: Has their David Ratan?

[SPEAKER_02]: So, the three-year-old church, having a gathering in a small house.

[SPEAKER_02]: visited by Pastor David and during that first time of his preaching there was even a chuk, you know, preaching above the roof and he almost bump and he was preaching fight the good fight on fight.

[SPEAKER_02]: So it was then a good fight and since then we're here.

[SPEAKER_02]: Who would think that that first preaching would still be ring on until our ears to fight on and keep serving God with our hearts?

[SPEAKER_02]: So we thank God for that first preaching, the draw lots, the coming of the pastors from here, and now the partnership keeps on becoming stronger and stronger.

[SPEAKER_06]: and you chose this verse for us to share today, the sounds 126.

[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_06]: The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

[SPEAKER_06]: And so, what a joy it is for us to celebrate together today.

[SPEAKER_06]: And I actually think we have a photo of Baby Pastor Joy and David Ramsey.

[UNKNOWN]: Yeah!

[SPEAKER_06]: So young, all those years ago.

[SPEAKER_06]: Wonderful.

[SPEAKER_06]: Thank you.

[SPEAKER_06]: Pastora Alma, you've seen over the years the difference that this partnership makes.

[SPEAKER_06]: So over over 25 years, what has this partnership meant to you personally and to the ageable sea community?

[SPEAKER_10]: Thank you, Pastora.

[SPEAKER_10]: I really good morning, everyone.

[SPEAKER_10]: Great things from the Philippines.

[SPEAKER_10]: From the first time, we had this partnership, 26 years ago, the partnership had grown and had reached this far.

[SPEAKER_10]: We will not know where we are now without this partnership.

[SPEAKER_10]: our engagement with the community would not be deeper and will not be impactful without this partnership.

[SPEAKER_10]: We are doing well, we are doing all our best, but we are limited.

[SPEAKER_10]: We have our humble beginnings, but we are just up to there.

[SPEAKER_10]: But through this partnership, communities

[SPEAKER_10]: feeding programs, sponsorship, visit to the jails, your generosity had touched so much.

[SPEAKER_10]: To us personally, we will not know where we are now without this partnership.

[SPEAKER_10]: Our lives have been changed.

[SPEAKER_10]: And so, we are so grateful, it had encouraged our church, our small church, and it is growing because they know there are families in Australia, especially one church, who had been backing us up.

[SPEAKER_10]: You have never given us up, you were always there.

[SPEAKER_10]: in times of need, you're always there.

[SPEAKER_10]: Truly, it says, a friend in need is a friend in need.

[SPEAKER_10]: Thank you for being our friends.

[SPEAKER_10]: And thank you, and looking forward for more to come.

[SPEAKER_10]: And we, the church and the Philippines, always pray for each of you.

[SPEAKER_10]: Those who have gone, your pictures are on our walls.

[SPEAKER_10]: We pray for you, and we let Candle on that.

[SPEAKER_10]: No, we pray for you, and we pray for your family.

[SPEAKER_10]: This partnership had so much impact in our lives.

[SPEAKER_06]: Thank you, Pastor.

[SPEAKER_06]: In as as well, we've been transformed.

[SPEAKER_06]: When we come and listen and learn from your community, we come home feeling very blessed.

[SPEAKER_06]: So thank you so much.

[SPEAKER_06]: Pastor Choi, we would love to talk a little bit about seeing God at work in your community.

[SPEAKER_06]: You mentioned just then that you've led feeding programs and medical missions and jail ministries, discipleship groups, and so much more, is there a story that captures how you've seen God at work in those areas?

[SPEAKER_02]: Oh yes, I could not forget one of the stories that I would always be happy to share with this.

[SPEAKER_02]: 20 years ago, we were roaming around the place, and there was this place, an urban poor area.

[SPEAKER_02]: They don't own their land.

[SPEAKER_02]: They just not shanties and they squat.

[SPEAKER_02]: As we enter in, you can just smell things that are not

[SPEAKER_02]: properly, you know, sanitized and with so children filled with these cabies, you know, there was even a girl who holds like that and I say, what are you doing?

[SPEAKER_02]: And I've really asked her to open her hand and when she showed it to me, nails.

[SPEAKER_02]: Rusty nails just to scratch those, you know, blisters on her hand and said, ah, infection is really happening there.

[SPEAKER_02]: So we offered feeding not precious milk.

[SPEAKER_02]: So we asked the moms, would you like to, you know, help us with this without them knowing that we are, you know, Jesus' friends.

[SPEAKER_02]: We call ourselves, we are Jesus' friends.

[SPEAKER_02]: We come to, you know, befriend with you.

[SPEAKER_02]: Are you, you know, different religion?

[SPEAKER_02]: No, it's not about religion.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's about loving you, and then we started and they journeyed with us for months.

[SPEAKER_02]: Until we see the need of feeding them solid food.

[SPEAKER_02]: So we offered rice, of course Filipinos, rice and rice and rice.

[SPEAKER_02]: Our dessert, rice cakes.

[SPEAKER_02]: Coffee, rice, coffee, sir Greg struggle with that.

[SPEAKER_02]: Can rice be a coffee?

[SPEAKER_02]: No, it's a rice.

[SPEAKER_02]: So, yeah, make it short.

[SPEAKER_02]: They love it.

[SPEAKER_02]: But there was this time that happened.

[SPEAKER_02]: Philippine's with his economy really unstable.

[SPEAKER_02]: Rice became so dear.

[SPEAKER_02]: We have to hug him.

[SPEAKER_02]: The finance team of the church said, pastor, I think we should stop it.

[SPEAKER_02]: Why should we be stopping?

[SPEAKER_02]: We don't have enough funds.

[SPEAKER_02]: We don't have enough money to, you know, buy rice, even.

[SPEAKER_02]: How much more with the vines or fish or meat?

[SPEAKER_02]: He said, okay, but while we were there, we've been praying with it.

[SPEAKER_02]: And an impression came to me and said, what would you like?

[SPEAKER_02]: or feed them, so they would not be sent to the hospital.

[SPEAKER_02]: You just choose.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I said it to the leaders, and they were all theory.

[SPEAKER_10]: I didn't say, OK, let us just have it from our pockets.

[SPEAKER_02]: Here, it was hard.

[SPEAKER_02]: So sacrificial, so timely, that was in 2006.

[SPEAKER_02]: The first team of one community with faster general arrived.

[SPEAKER_02]: He said, why not?

[SPEAKER_02]: Because we've been sharing about it at the testimony.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then when they saw it, Pastor Jan said, let me talk with the leaders of our church.

[SPEAKER_02]: From then on, Nassisi feeding program is started.

[SPEAKER_02]: Not only Nassisi, San Ramon, Pasecao, too, we, sorry.

[SPEAKER_02]: And now we are having 13 sites.

[SPEAKER_02]: If you grouped the children being fed, it is more than 500.

[SPEAKER_02]: Weekly.

[SPEAKER_02]: And there was somebody with Spocklass Sunday.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's one of them.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's just one of them.

[SPEAKER_02]: There are more.

[SPEAKER_02]: Mark Sayah.

[SPEAKER_02]: has just became an MC, Master of Ceremonie, last June 12th, that was our Independence Day, and is the MC of our city, Independence Day celebration attended by the mayor, and the council and all the office's public or private.

[SPEAKER_02]: What a good God we are!

[SPEAKER_02]: And thank you for the partnership, Astaur.

[SPEAKER_02]: I have more stories, but sorry, I have to stop.

[SPEAKER_06]: That was the interview that we played last week with Mark, one of the original NSEC boys who is now grown up and is helping to run some of the ministries like your church.

[SPEAKER_08]: It's beautiful story.

[SPEAKER_06]: We have had many teams come and visit over the years and we have a list of some of the names.

[SPEAKER_06]: These are just some not all the trips.

[SPEAKER_06]: The ones that went in January with Pastor John and so Greg.

[SPEAKER_06]: There's just some of the people that have had the pleasure of coming and visiting and participating with you in the Philippines.

[SPEAKER_06]: There's power in that, isn't there in that partnership, Pastaura Alma.

[SPEAKER_06]: So many people have come to visit you over the years.

[SPEAKER_06]: What impact have those visits had on your church and your community?

[SPEAKER_06]: Because we know how much they've shaped us.

[SPEAKER_06]: How have they impacted your

[SPEAKER_10]: I have counted the first team up to the last team last January who came and they were about 117 people from one community church who had come to the Philippines and visit our place.

[SPEAKER_10]: Just like Pastor Church said, this place is like a home because we know everybody.

[SPEAKER_10]: Not really, most of the, we cannot, what an impact to our community.

[SPEAKER_10]: Our, you know,

[SPEAKER_10]: I am out of words of how this partnership strengthened encourage and give hope to our community.

[SPEAKER_10]: This is not just a 25 years of your support, but this is a 26 years of sharing life together.

[SPEAKER_06]: It's beautiful.

[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, it's very true and we have a couple of photos from the most recent teams that have been some familiar faces there.

[SPEAKER_06]: After 25 years of those visits and walking together in ministry, what have you learned about Christian partnership?

[SPEAKER_06]: Yes.

[SPEAKER_02]: Journey into gathering ministry.

[SPEAKER_02]: We learn many things, but one thing that I would really like to keep on sharing is that this partnership is not just about doing something, this is not just pulling resources, this is about inviting the presence of God in our partnership.

[SPEAKER_02]: Our togetherness seems to be a magnet for the presence of the Lord to come.

[SPEAKER_04]: so that our gathering would just be adjoining with Him.

[SPEAKER_02]: So one thing I have seen, our partnership became even a learning process for us to really define our vision and our mission.

[SPEAKER_02]: We are just a 30 year old church connected with you.

[SPEAKER_02]: You're a big brother to us.

[SPEAKER_02]: You've journeyed us and we are an independent church.

[SPEAKER_02]: We don't have a big denomination to back us up.

[SPEAKER_02]: We've begun from scratch.

[SPEAKER_02]: The two of us had been used by God to start the church from nothing.

[SPEAKER_02]: But on the third day, Pastor David came on the third year.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then from then on, wow, so we're making a history.

[SPEAKER_02]: of somewhat like the continuity of the book of Acts, how the Holy Spirit bless our togetherness for us to gather people.

[SPEAKER_02]: closer to Him and more becoming more like Jesus, our Lord.

[SPEAKER_02]: So that's the thing that I've learned.

[SPEAKER_02]: We became more purposeful.

[SPEAKER_02]: We became more focused.

[SPEAKER_02]: We had our vision defined.

[SPEAKER_02]: Our vision is we are a Christ-centered community, multiplying Asian-Christ-centered communities.

[SPEAKER_02]: Sorry, it's for Asian.

[SPEAKER_02]: We have to glorify God, grow disciples, and we aim going to the nations.

[SPEAKER_02]: And our core values, everyone should be knowing this in our church.

[SPEAKER_02]: Each one, win one.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's family, not just for your own sake, your blessed, but you should become a ministry, which family, a ministry.

[SPEAKER_02]: Most of our leaders are having their families in the service.

[SPEAKER_02]: We gather every morning, most of us are leaders in the afternoon, 13 teams going in different places,

[SPEAKER_02]: Pasora Alma, superbising another.

[SPEAKER_02]: We divided and we superbising, we go around.

[SPEAKER_02]: What a joy.

[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, it's familiar, ministry.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's church aimed to plant another church.

[SPEAKER_02]: We have two sides already, Nassisi, planted area.

[SPEAKER_02]: Satelai church and San Ramon planted Mapo-Rong church.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yay, and there are more.

[SPEAKER_02]: So, amazing indeed.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then the congregation to the nations.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's a people group that we should be rich.

[SPEAKER_06]: That's a beautiful race.

[SPEAKER_06]: She's so much.

[SPEAKER_06]: Yes, praise the Lord, thank you for sharing those hopes and dreams and plans for the future.

[SPEAKER_06]: It's so exciting.

[SPEAKER_06]: We'll be praying over that.

[SPEAKER_06]: But Pastor Choi, speaking now to our church family, is there anything a small message of encouragement that you would like to share with our church family?

[SPEAKER_02]: Ah, sorry we are ending.

[SPEAKER_02]: But let me take this opportunity really to thank you from the bottom of our our our hearts.

[SPEAKER_02]: We are representing a community of about less than 2,000 people.

[SPEAKER_02]: Praise God.

[SPEAKER_02]: We gathered last December.

[SPEAKER_02]: Our aim is to really let them expand to those who are needy.

[SPEAKER_02]: But this morning we would like to thank you.

[SPEAKER_02]: All we ask from you is crumbs from your table.

[SPEAKER_02]: knowing that even just that crumbs that you would give us would become a significant help to that needy in Barbara's communities that we are reaching.

[SPEAKER_02]: But you haven't given us crumbs.

[SPEAKER_02]: You shared with us your bread.

[SPEAKER_02]: more than enough for us to move on.

[SPEAKER_02]: So thank you, your presence whenever you come.

[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, it spans our horizons.

[SPEAKER_02]: Deep in our strategic moves and prepare us.

[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for coming on January.

[SPEAKER_02]: You kick us off.

[SPEAKER_02]: She just like spark us and we are ready for the whole year.

[SPEAKER_02]: So waiting for the 20, 20, 17.

[SPEAKER_02]: So, yeah, and thank you even for the relationship that you keep on sharing with us, thank you.

[SPEAKER_02]: We don't have enough words to thank you from our hearts and from our family back home.

[SPEAKER_02]: Please receive our great fullness.

[SPEAKER_02]: You will always be remembered.

[SPEAKER_02]: And again, thank you Salama, Paul, Sayignonlah.

[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for all of you.

[SPEAKER_06]: Salama Paul.

[SPEAKER_06]: Thank you so much.

[SPEAKER_06]: I would like to invite Pastor Tim, so Greg, Pastor John, is David here, yes, yes, yes, but we would love to invite you up.

[SPEAKER_06]: We are celebrating 25 years of partnership and we just want to give thanks to the Lord for that.

[SPEAKER_06]: We would do please join us and I'm going to ask Tim to pray for us and we have just a very special presentation.

[SPEAKER_06]: It's is John and Rory here this morning.

[SPEAKER_06]: Oh, very, it's wonderful.

[SPEAKER_06]: just before Tim prays for us.

[SPEAKER_06]: For 25 years we've shared in God's mission together.

[SPEAKER_06]: We've prayed together so have together learnt from one another and witness lives transformed through Christ.

[SPEAKER_06]: We have a small plaque to present to you as a symbol of our gratitude and friendship.

[SPEAKER_06]: Your faithfulness and partnership in the gospel has been a joy and so thank you so much for

[SPEAKER_03]: We're going to pray for Pastor Choi and Pastor Elmer together now.

[SPEAKER_03]: Why don't you stand and reach your hands toward these two wonderful people as we bless them and their ministry and ask God's continued blessing on the relationship between our churches.

[SPEAKER_03]: Father, we thank you that through Christ Jesus, as the Scriptures say, every family on earth derives

[SPEAKER_03]: which means that we share a unity together in Christ that goes deeper than biology, deeper than partnership.

[SPEAKER_03]: It is a connection through the Holy Spirit, which makes us one.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I thank you, Lord, for the honor of being able to join with the ministry that Pastor Choi and Pastor Alna and their church community are doing in the Philippines.

[SPEAKER_03]: I thank you that through this relationship, what they are doing is part of us and what we are doing is part of them.

[SPEAKER_03]: And that is true across the whole body of Christ, Lord, but you do orchestrate the connection between particular people at particular times for particular reasons.

[SPEAKER_03]: And we thank you, Lord Jesus, that what you have opened up for us through this partnership is for your glory, as Pastor Choi said.

[SPEAKER_03]: It is for the making of disciples and it is for the nations.

[SPEAKER_03]: And we do pray Lord that that would be the fruits of this ministry that you would be glorified that disciples would be made and the nations would be blessed as they're reached for Jesus.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I thank you, Lord, that we're able to do that here, and Pastor Choi and Alma are doing that in the Philippines, but we are doing that together.

[SPEAKER_03]: That is us.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so, Lord, I pray for your rich and powerful blessing to fill them and their leaders and their whole church, and ask as well, Lord Jesus, strength in our partnership, protect it from the evil one, and enable us to keep growing and fruitfulness together as we serve you, Lord Jesus, and you get the glory.

[SPEAKER_03]: And we do pray, Lord, that lots and lots of disciples would be made.

[SPEAKER_03]: Many more than we could ask or imagine, according to the power that's at work within us, we pray that many needs will be met among the poor in the Philippines and here as well, Lord Jesus.

[SPEAKER_03]: And Lord, we ask that you would strengthen our friendship, but most importantly, Lord, you would do what it is you want to do through us.

[SPEAKER_03]: So that no one can boast before you, but you get the glory.

[SPEAKER_03]: fill passage joy and humble with your spirit, strengthen them, encourage them, bless them.

[SPEAKER_03]: I pray that this time in Australia will be a rich and fruitful one for them, and they'll go home and encourage them.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I pray that we would be encouraged to, Lord, by the time we get to spend with them.

[SPEAKER_03]: And we pray this in Jesus' name, man.