2003 Annual Mindoro Missions Report
by Mitzu Y. Grubbs
 

Yes, we are back from the Mindoro mission and we'll tell you all about it in a minute or two! First of all, we want to thank God for its great success and for the many miracles that surrounded us before, during and after the mission.

We want to thank our home church in the USA - "Castro Valley Church of the Nazarene" for their advice, covering prayers and for processing donations that came in for the project.
 

(click to view our 2003 end of the year newsletter)

FLASHBACK

When we began planning this 2003 mission in Barahan, Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro to teach children "the way of the Lord" through the Vacation Bible School Summer Program (April-May), we didn't have a single penny to do it. We were aware that it could only be made possible with God's provision and blessing. The success of our past endeavors encouraged us to keep planning for this year. It is true that "when there is a vision - there is provision".

Last October 2002, during one of our visits to Mindoro, we received a warning to postpone our mission for 2003 especially if a foreigner is coming because of rumors of kidnapping. We were told to better be safe than sorry. We didn't think about it very much then but as the mission date got closer we considered the warning seriously, all the time seeking God's will. We knew that if God is with us, who can be against us? And we also knew that we needed to be wise in our decisions. Yet in our hearts we prayed that we could go.

January came. The media is full of bad news about terrorists bombing the Southern part of the Philippines. Communist rebels… We know that Mindoro is the haven of a big number of the latter. Then there was the report that a foreigner was kidnapped from where we were headed. We thought "that has to be a sign." Maybe we just have to postpone it this year.  Everything that was happening around us at the time seemed to warn us not to go.

February was almost over when we received a positive news from my Mom that she saw some tourists who were on the same boat with her headed to Occidental Mindoro. A surge of hope rushed over us and with immense excitement we decided that this good news is the real with "peace within" sign we've been waiting for. The truth is, after making the decision to postpone the mission, we felt a deep sadness... "what about the children who are looking forward to it?" And this made us prayed even harder, "Please Lord, let us go."  And there! The peace sign. Our excitement grew and a peace so deep settled in our hearts. Then we knew that this was the real will of God - for us to go.

It was already the first week of March and our mission date is the third week of April. It doesn't leave us much time to raise funds. Yet without an ounce of doubt in our bones we knew that God would provide. All we needed to do was believe and work as if the provision was already there. And we were right. Provision was there though our physical eyes couldn't see it yet. We needed only to say "YES, LORD!" and the amazing thing happened... the invisible became visible!!!

Blessings upon blessings, provisions upon provisions began pouring in. Right on time, we received a total of P85,532 ($1,677)! Praise the Lord!!!

All of these became possible because of people like you who are willing to be God's vessels and channels of blessings. We thank you with our whole heart for your support and partnership that made this mission a real success!
 

THE MIRACLES - COUNTING GOD'S BLESSINGS

Let us give you an account of all the miracles we experienced during this mission work:

§    First of all Pastor Steve Redmond advised and assisted us to find our Nazarene partner church even in this remote area. With no name of a pastor, with no address - just a small clue of a poor district filled with fishermen in a town an hour away from the village of our mission - on the other side of the river, near the ocean… we sent one of our relatives to search for the Nazarene Church. To our utter amazement she was led directly to the church and to our new lifetime friend Pastor Boyet & Zeny Falla. What seemed like an utter impossibility became the simplest and easiest thing and it was glorious in our eyes. Pastor Boyet and his wife were sterling examples of 'servants of the Lord'. They completely took care of the Mangyan tribal children from the mountains. Pastor Boyet was the official VBS Pastor and signed all the certificates for 233 children..

§    God provided the exact number of volunteers we needed. We had a total of about 25 volunteers including 10 teachers who came with us. The rest are from our mission field.

§    Thank God for technology through cell phones that made it possible for us to coordinate with our contact person at a minimal cost through text messaging. She did a marvelous job of receiving all our boxes of medicine and school supplies that were shipped ahead of time. She coordinated everything and got things ready for our mission. This included talking with the school principal and Mangyan representatives. She did all these services for the love of God and people.

§    Thank God for providing a door-to-door jeepney for our transportation. We were able to ship all our 52 boxes to Mindoro without much ado.

§    We were able to shoulder the transportation allowance of our team volunteers.

§    Thank God for the use of the Barahan Elementary School, the openness of the school principal, Mr. Landicho and the classroom teachers. They allowed us the use of the school classrooms, the conference hall and it's facilities, without which it would have been impossible to teach all the 233 children.

§    Thank God for our free accommodation for the workers at the Rock of Salvation Farm/Resort owned by Mitzu's aunt and uncle, Patty and Lito Abistado. They lent their van for our use during the entire mission. They also fed us good food from the produce of their farm.

§    Thank God for Mitzu's uncle and aunt, Meynard and Cherry, who helped coordinate the transportation for the Mangyans and helped in their feeding too. They prepared a place at our FMI/Nazarene center for Ptr. Falla and his team and took care of their food and other needs.

§    Thank God for His wonderful servants, Linda and Oscar Daprosa, who prepared the morning and afternoon snacks for all the 233 children for three days solely out of the love of the Lord.

§    Another miracle that we would like to thank God for is providing a house for the Mangyan children. Thanks to the Mangyan governor, Gov. Matias, who helped us find a house in Barahan for the children. We despaired for a while when we arrived and were told that it wasn't possible to bring the Mangyans to the lowlands because of the problems they might pose to the community (such as bringing their entire tribe plus their livestock such as pigs & chickens with them). We lifted our dilemma up in prayer and our problems were immediately solved! The whole tribe didn't come, only the children! Neptali (Mangyan official) helped us bring the children to Barahan. He drove his borrowed motorbike up and down the mountain to make the necessary arrangements coordinating with the parents to get the children to come down. It was a success because 21 children came down with an adult guardian.

§    Thank God most especially for stopping the super-typhoon which would have made our mission impossible, as the children won't be able to come from their distant farms and the Mangyans to come down from the mountain! This is one miracle that has removed all doubts that this mission was indeed the will of God.

§    Thank God for all the children who turned up in such short notice and for all the parents, regardless of religion, who allowed their children to learn the Word of God through VBS. Some parents came to watch the children's graduation and were able to hear the word of encouragement that David and Ptr Boyet delivered.

§    Thank God for the overflow of school supplies that we were also able to donate to the Church of the Nazarene to use for their VBS in Mamburao. Mitzu has meticulously calculated everything for 233 children yet we had an overflow! It's like the story of Elijah and the poor widow who never ran out of food! We had more than enough school supplies to give to all the participants and still be able to donate!

§    Thank God for sustaining our physical health. None of us got really sick. David didn't get acupuncture treatment from the mosquitoes although we got serenaded a lot.

§    Lastly, we thank the Lord for divine protection for all of us, especially to David. Aunt Patty & Uncle Lito made an agreement with the communist guerillas who live in the village not to allow any harm to come to David.

All of these miracles wouldn't have happened without your prayers and if God hadn't prepared the way!

Praise God for His immeasurable goodness and overflowing gifts!
 

OUR MISSION STORY

DAY 1 - It was a very 'hot' experience for us to be in Barahan. Many people from the neighboring places have said that Barahan is like a desert. They were right. The heat was excruciating. There's not a moment that we weren't bathing in our own sweat. It was like moving and doing things inside an oven! And to make the experience unforgettable for us, the eletricity went out so many times, leaving us without electric fan at night, we bathed in our sweat as we slept. (Yet we thank God for the little electricity we get because two years ago there was none). The heat beat down on us ferociously yet we were very happy and privileged to be there. The Lord's hand was never short in providing all we ever needed before, during and after the mission.

The team began this journey to Mindoro on April 20 at 11:30 am. We had a change of schedule because of the threat of the super-typhoon. We decided to beat the typhoon by leaving in the morning rather than the planned late-afternoon departure since the news said that it would hit us hard at night and that boat trips would be cancelled. We were able to contact all our volunteers and they arrived on time except for one, Reychelle Briones. We did our utmost best to contact her but to no avail. We left at 11:40 am still hoping that she would catch up. We were all worried for her and hoped that she would be determined enough to find a way to get to Mindoro. We arrived at the Batangas Pier shortly after 1:00 pm. It was a miracle as it normally takes 2 hours to get there. We were able to find seats on the deck. It was a rewarding experience to see how happy the volunteers were. We sailed by several islands and some resorts on our way. We watched the calm sea hoping to watch a school of dolphins entertain us. When we got to the Abra de Ilog Pier (the port for the Occidental side of Mindoro) we traveled non-stop on dusty roads. We sang, played games and had a great time. Even the other passengers who hitched a ride with us laughed at our jokes as if they too were part of our team.

We arrived in the village of Barahan shortly before 7:00 pm. Mitzu's Aunt Lina was waiting for us. Then we went straight to the farm/resort where we were to stay for the duration of our mission.

DAY 2 - We got up early the next day for our dawn-watch prayer, had breakfast and went back to Aunt Lina's house to prepare the school supplies and organize the teaching materials. It was fun putting all the supplies in the plastic bags knowing how excited the children would be to receive their rewards. We were all very excited too and we weren't even getting any of it! David was our official chauffeur.

We experienced a minor accident at sun down as we tried to get to the school in a hurry. As we pulled out of the parking space the door on the passenger side of the van hit a tree and got jammed. We had the door fixed the same day, which cost us a small amount of money. Then we went to the school to decorate the conference hall. Reychelle's two big drawings of "Treasures Unlimited" looked good on stage. We cut out letters that read "Vacation Bible School - 2003" and set it in-between the drawings. We also put up the Philippine flag and the Christian flag on the far sides of the stage. We stayed in the school until we finished everything at 9:00 pm. We were so very thirsty due to the heat that we must have consumed 12 liters of cold soft drinks! When we went back to the compound we had a hearty dinner and afterwards we dipped in the pool. As there was no electricity, we swam in starlit night. This would be our daily routine for the duration of our mission.

DAY 3 - We woke up at 5:30am for our dawnwatch prayer. Then we greeted the new day with joy and much expectation.  After breakfast we left for school at 7:45 am. We expected kids to be swarming the school waiting to be registered. It was still a surprise to see all the rooms full of children already. There were many new turn-ups. Last year's graduates also turned up but not all of them since our mission was not well advertised.

We had our opening program at 10:00 am and welcomed all the children. We explained our schedule, what VBS was and what they needed to bring to school. We asked them to bring their Bibles, pencil and paper, plastic bowls, cups and utensils, which they willingly obliged. In the afternoon we officially began with our classes. At 1:00 pm, we had our general assembly at the conference hall. David welcomed the children and they understood each other better through body language than through spoken words! We were all introduced as their teachers. After half an hour, they were dispersed to their respective rooms and teachers. Since the Mangyan kids hadn't arrived yet (Mitzu's class), she was able to take pictures and video footages of the six classes. All the children actively participated with their teachers. Their snacks was served at 3:30 pm. Some classes had treasure-hunting activities. Others had drawing, arts and crafts activities. At 4:00 pm we had our closing assembly back to the conference hall. The kids had already memorized their first memory verse. This became the routine for the VBS classes.

DAY 4 - The following morning we accepted more children and then we closed the registration for good. We made it a rule that only one absence could qualify them to graduate. Our teachers for the unschooled 4-5 yo were Desiree and Maricris. They had 24 students in their class. Then our next age groups were 5-6 yo who are in school already. It was handled by Reychelle, (yes, she was determined enough to make it and hitched a ride with Mitzu's sister and brother-in-law and arrived in time for the lessons), and her assistant Camilo. They had a total of 34 students. Ages 7-8 yo were handled by Jun and Gilbert. They had a total of 39 students. Sheila and Rose Anne handled the 9-10 yo. They had a total of 41 students. Minda, who was occasionally helped by Cris, taught the 11-12 yo. They were 32 all in all. David and Ptr Falla's wife, Zeny, taught the youth 13-16 yo. They had a total of 42 students. 

Mitzu and Cris had a total of 21 Mangyan children in their class too. Their experience with the Mangyan children was incredible. When the kids first arrived they were all sweaty and dirty after a long trek down the mountain. We gave them bath soaps, hair conditioner, cologne, powder and alcohol to use after their bath in the morning. The children were incredibly polite. Every time a visitor would come into their classroom, they would all stand up and bow their heads in greeting. They listened and participated in discussion while the teachers taught.  A lot of them already knew about Jesus and salvation. They learned new songs which they seemed to have enjoyed judging on their happy faces.

When Rhea, Mitzu's sister, taught the Mangyan's about hygiene they were all very attentive and listened. She even had one student demonstrate how to brush their teeth properly. It was a fun experience for them and they each received a hygiene kit containing a comb for hair lies, mirror, nail-cutter, bath soap, toothbrush and toothpaste.  Mitzu got to fix the girls' hair much to their delight. She braided all their 13 heads! It was a very rewarding experience for everybody especially for these girls who had never experienced having their hair personally attended to and fixed. They loved the small elastic and colorful hair bonds and butterfly clips that were put on their hair. They hid their smiles in shyness but their eyes sparkled with glee. It was more than enough to wipe away the thirst and heat of the day.

Later that day, we gave out clean clothes for them to wear to school since they only brought what they had on.  After the closing assembly we loaded all the 22 Mangyans in the van and brought them to their temporary dwelling.  It wasn't an easy driving for David as the tires of the van were worn out and the road rocky, unpaved and uneven. By God's grace, he survived it all!

DAY 5 - we had the same routine only this time we scheduled our class pictures. Each class had their photos taken. It was fun arranging the children according to their heights and sizes! It wasn't easy though as children wouldn't sit still or stand still even for a while. Nevertheless, we had success as the pictures turned out all right with everyone's faces in it! This was the children's last day of classes. Friday afternoon was graduation. After going through our regular routine in class, we were able to fix our school supplies for the final time. We also gave out more nice clothes for the Mangyan kids to wear for their graduation. Some kids got the new t-shirts that has Jesus' name printed on the front. Not all of them got the t-shirt as they were too small for the other kids. Whatever they got, they were very happy to have.

DAY 6 - Friday afternoon, the conference hall was packed as parents also came to watch. There were people outside looking-in as there was no more space left inside. It was so exciting! The program started with David welcoming everybody. Then the governmental minority representative gave his speech, Ptr. Sano of the Mangyan Church spoke about the minorities and Ptr. Boyet Falla of the Mamburao Nazarene Church (our VBS Pastor) gave the message to the children and their parents. The children received their graduation ribbons, certificates, award ribbons and their much-awaited bag of school supplies. Then each class had their presentation after their awarding ceremony. The children with their parents opened their bags in haste. Their expressions overcame with much anticipation quickly broke out in broad smiles! They even compared items with other kids who likewise received their bags.

Every child received a gift and they knew that the gift they received came from God and from the people who love and care for them (like you). They knew too that these were not their real treasures, for their real treasures are not of this world which is here at one moment and then gone the next. They knew that their real treasures are those, which they store up in heaven through faith in God and good deeds done to others. They knew, for they were taught to be like the people who help them, love them, and care for them. Those people are all of us who did our best to be a blessing to these children. You. We. Us.
 

ACCOMPLISHING MORE FOR THE LORD

DAY 7 - On Saturday, David had a meeting with 25 pastors and workers from Barahan and the neighboring sitios. Two pastors even traveled 40 kilometers in their motorbikes just to attend the International School Of Ministry (ISOM) presentation. They were so thankful because they had no way to train their church workers or even themselves in the ministry. Now, we have set up a system for distance training and provided the equipment whereby the first semester classes and materials are available to the churches. Our FMI center in Barahan will also be a Pastors Resource Center where we will have a library of books essential to their spiritual growth and where they can check-out the various classes. We appointed Pastor Meynard Barrales as the ISOM representative. We also gave out many books and magazines as gifts to all pastors who attended.
 

MEDICAL AND DENTAL MISSION REPORT

Our medical mission didn't go as well as we have planned because of the lack of medical volunteers.  Although, Dr Narwel Barrales and another doctor and a nurse came for a day and ministered to people.  Thankfully, they were able to treat 89 patients all in all.  Our dental mission was cancelled because our dental volunteers couldn't make it for valid reasons.

We need volunteers with a heart for missions and a dedication to accomplish it no matter what.  We are currently looking for volunteer workers in the medical and dental field who would be willing to give of their time to the mission.  Please pray that dentists, doctors and nurses would be available on these dates - May 20-22, 2004.  Email us at familymissions@csica.com 

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THANK YOU

OUR APPEAL

Thank you so much, dear friends and family members, for your partnership.  We are all channels of God's blessings and we believe that we will continue to do so.  As individuals we can only do a limited task, but as a team we can do the impossible!  We plan to have  the annual missions every year in summer after the children's school days are over (April & May).  The youth and the children need this experience for it helps broaden their perspective and encourage them to do the same in the future.  This is a legacy that we can leave to them if their experience is something they will never forget.  What can stop us from reaching more youth and children?  Absolutely nothing!  We will find every available resource there is around us and God will bless our endeavors.  But you can be blessed yourself as we have been blessed spiritually by blessing these children through our organization and by supporting our work.  We only have temporary residency on earth.  Our real home is in the eternal life (heaven) with God.  Let's make our visit meaningful and productive by obeying Jesus when he told us to be rich in good works as Christians.

We hope that you will continue to be our partners in the Mindoro mission.  We are praying that in 2004, we will be able to do it on a bigger scale, reaching more children and teaching them about Jesus (faith, hope and love).  We plan to schedule next year's Mindoro mission for two weeks (from May 24-June 6).  We plan to include 3 villages in our VBS program - Barahan, Dayap and Mamburao.  And a two day trip to the Mangyan community in the mountains for ministry and community service.  We're not only reaching youth and children but their families as well.  If we have enough funds, we want to organize a Family Picnic, where at the end of the VBS we invite the family of the children for a family gathering.  Why do we do this?  Simple.  To bring families closer to each other.  This is in obedience to our vision and mission found in Isaiah 58:12, "Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you wil be called Repairer of Broken Walls, and Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."  During this gathering we will explore together godly family values, and the importance of a Christ-centered relationship between family members.

Our mission addresses not only the spiritual but the natural needs of families.  That's why we have the medical and dental mission as well... which includes educating the people how to take care of their physical body as part of our obedience to the scripture found in Romans 12:1, "offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship."

Once again thank you.  Let our prayers go with you… that the Lord will prosper you in everything you do and bless you abundantly so that you could continue to bless others through God's work.

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GOALS FOR THE REST OF 2003

1.   To have an ongoing mission work in Mindoro by July 2003.  We plan to start a Youth Club and a Children's Club for our VBS attendees.  (click to see 2003 end of the year newsletter)

2.   Set up an ongoing 2-year Discipleship Training Classes for our High School students and involve them in community service and teach them to disciple children through hands-on training and practice. (click to see IGNITE Discipleship Program)

3.   Continue to support the 15 High School scholars in their education.  We hope to add 5 students every year.  (click to see Scholarship Programs)

4.   To keep the ISOM classes an ongoing project for the churches and to be able to complete the semester materials. (click to see International School of Ministry - Mamburao)

5.   Be able to help a 5-year old boy named Arvee Vigilla get his operation to remove the huge tumor on his neck. (click to see Arvee's Operation Fund)

7.   Renovate the FMI Outreach Center in Barahan to be a learning center & library for our Youth and Children's Clubs, local Pastors and church workers.

8.   Build a Fellowship Hall for the Youth and Children to use in preparation for their growing number, which will render the Outreach Center too small. (click to see Youth Fellowship Hall)

Thank you once again, dear Friends, for your partnership in getting this mission carried out and accomplished. Your constant help and support enables all of us to do the work that God commissioned us to do. The success of our missions would not be possible without each other. There's so much we can do together for the glory of the One we serve, Jesus Christ.

See our goals for 2004-2005 by visiting this page: Short Term Goals and Long Term Goals.

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PSALMS 112
 

PRAISE THE LORD.

Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord,

That delighteth greatly in his commandments.

His seed shall be mighty upon earth:

The generation of the upright shall be blessed.
 

Wealth and riches shall be in his house:

And his righteousness endureth for ever.
 

Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness:

He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
 

A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth:

He will guide his affairs with discretion.
 

Surely he shall not be moved for ever:

The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
 

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings:

His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
 

His heart is established, he shall not be afraid,

Until he see his desire upon his enemies.
 

He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor;

His righteousness endureth for ever;
 

His horn shall be exalted with honour.

The wicked shall see it, and be grieved;
 

He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away:

The desire of the wicked shall perish.
 

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GOD BLESS YOU AND WE LOVE YOU!
 

In His Service,

David & Mitzu Grubbs and Team
Family Missions International
 

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS: OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

Ray and Donna Burrows (cash)
Lyford & Martha Morris (cash)
Thad & Rhea French (cash, toys, clothes, candies)
Patty & Lito Abistado (cash)
ABC International Language Program and Christian Development Centre (cash)
Castro Valley Church of the Nazarene (covering prayer & donation processing)
Procter & Gamble Philippines (goods)
Dr. Rey Neri (cash)
Lapu & Rachel Legeza (cash)
Cocoy & Merla Barrales (cash)
Annabelle Ong (cash, clothes and toys)
Fe Ferma (cash)
Atty. Roberto Barrales (cash)
Laszlo & Beth Legeza (biscuits & school curtains)
Claire Grubbs (crafts)
Donna de Leon (toys, clothes, shoes, assorted goods)
Jun & Lita Borlongan (noodles)
David & Marissa Adiv (toothpastes & bath soaps)
Peachy Parra (assorted goods)
Jojo Rebano (clothes and free transportation for donation pick up)
Lito Lacanlale (assorted goods)
Roberto Antonio (assorted goods and clothes)
Shirley Lorenzo (assorted goods)
Alice Cruz (toothpaste and bath soap)
Mara Davalan (noodles)
Jeng Endozo (clothes)
Wilma Desingano (assorted goods)
Mike & Janet Bayot (clothes and toys)
Dulce Bayot (toothpastes and soaps)
Evelyn Perey & friends (toothpastes and bath soaps)
Brenda Cabuyao (clothes)
Boy & Mariz Luna (clothes)
Danny & Chona Pineda (clothes)
Joel & Millet Buenafe (assorted items & books for the pastors)
Hee Young Park (t-shirts, meds, clothes)
Leo V. (noodles)
Tess Costa (clothes, shoes & toys)
Fred & Lelet Araullo (for lending the video camera)
Procter & Gamble Philippines, c/o Mr. Greg Yu (conditioners and washing powder)
Fr. Philemon of the Greek Orthodox Church (school supplies)

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