Soul Winner

We arrived in the Philippines on the 3rd of May. The team consisted of men with years of experience of grass-roots as well as those with some and one with none. The team were Aiden Orsborn, Kristian Mould, Jared Hunt, Kevin Piper and I. We were there in response to an invitation I received by the OMF –Opon Ministerial Fellowship (Opon is the original name given to Lapu Lapu City). Not only were we invited by the OMF, but the Chairman of the OMF (the Revd. Dr Alex Esmoso) wrote the itinerary and travelled with us much of time to help administrate the itinerary. Ps. Alex has been a real blessing. He is hard- working, encouraging and God has used him to open many doors for us.

The Mission 2013 team from left- Kristian Mould, Marty Rochfort, Jared Hunt, Aiden Orsborn and Kevin Piper.

The highlight and main appeal of this mission trip was the opportunity to plant eleven churches in only three weeks. It wasn’t long before we realised that some of those churches were already planted but they needed help to grow. It wasn’t long before I realised that some of those churches were already planted and God had brought us there to help them grow and inspire the congregations. We did however help plant 5 churches, win many souls, experienced and witnessed Gods power like never before, forged life-long friendships, had many adventures, and learnt new ways to do things.

So much happened-I’ve decided to just give you highlights

Fun and Games in Cebu

The guys and I arrived at Lapu Lapu City on the Island of Cebu at 11.30 am on the 3rd of May. We met a few of our hosting pastors, did our first grocery shop and settled into our rental accommodation. The next day the boys and I were thrown in the deep end with an unscheduled kids program in a Cebu barrio. Fifty plus kids and a few adults made first- time commitments to Christ and the morning was topped off with a feeding which we paid for.

A Feeding: Feeding the kids is a strategy I sometimes employ to gather children. It is inexpensive -$30-60 to feed 150 kids. A typical meal may consist of chicken, rice and a bag of juice. “Doing a feeding” not only helps gather the children and ensures the (always poor) children get at least one good meal that week. It also garners favour in the community for the Church or planting pastor.

One of the men helping that morning was a pastor I had worked with in 2011. At that time I was working on a church plant in a squatter area known as “Big Foot” in Lapu Lapu City. The (then) team and I door-knocked and I preached in the open-air. When I preached about a dozen drunk and stoned men mocked me, however, when I challenged them to turn to Jesus many of the spectators including these men did- that was less than 2 years ago. The pastor told me the church now has eighty souls and the 12 ex-drunks are key members of the fellowship.

One of the highlights for me was teaching evangelism and church-planting at Jubilee Theological Seminary. Dr Mike Ogang and his wife Beth are the Director and Principal at the seminary. Mike and Beth are truly Kingdom people and their student’s go on to plant churches for many denominations including Methodist, Baptist and several Pentecostal groups. Two of my team also spoke; Kevin Piper taught “How to Use God’s law in Evangelism” and Jared Hunt spoke on “Faith and Praying for the Sick.” We had a wonderful ministry time afterwards. All the students received prayer and there were many tears of joy.

Some of the students at Jubilee Theological Seminary.

That afternoon we took the students out to do door to door, some of them interpreted as we lead several people to the Lord, others were able to pray for the sick. All the students were excited to see many of the people they had met and spoke with, turn- up for church that night.

Palawan Island

On May 9 we travelled to Palawan Island. Palawan is a very beautiful Island. Filipino’s call it the last frontier because it has mountains, “untouched” native forest, and dense jungle. We were brought to a mission house owned by the Word of Life Church; it became our home and base of operations for the next few days. Next morning we travelled 15 km to a barrio where we began work on our first church plant. We went door to door and did another feeding/ kids.

I had only just finished speaking to seventy kids when KEVIN PIPER came walking down the road with the same number again- he was the “Pied Piper” that day. Kevin and I prayed for a boy with chicken pox all over his mouth and nose, his face had bad scarring and the chicken were infected. Kevin saw the same boy the next morning, the chicken pox had gone and his mother was giving praise to God.

The following day we continued to work on the plant- we door knocked for 50 minutes and won another seven people to Christ. Altogether 152 people came to Christ, 130 kids and 22 adults. Emma, the planting pastora was very excited; she never imagined she would have so many new converts to work with.

Iwahiig Prison Colony had been booked for 2 years but when we got there they were not expecting us and had no record or recollection of our booking. The senior chaplain however, was able to get us access to about 60 prisoners. All the prisoners and most of the chaplains made recommitments, there were several healings and the boys and I prayed for the chaplains. The senior prison chaplain told us the information I had been given about the prison was incorrect, he said that as a result of successive mission teams coming to the prison from all over the world, all the 3000 prisoners had heard the Gospel and many were saved- the exact opposite to what I had been told only two years before.

Pandemonium in a Palawan Jail

It is not possible to tell by looking at this picture, but there are over 500 prisoners around me in the corridor and behind and in front of me in the cells. I turned in a slow circle as I spoke so I could eye-ball all the prisoners.

The chaplain told us about another prison in Palawan; it had up to 1000 prisoners, and off limits to born-again Christians. We visited Palawan Provincial Jail on Saturday afternoon, the Superintendent told us we were the first Born-again believers he allowed in the Jail in over a year and that he only allowed us because we were New Zealanders- his daughter was a nurse working in Christchurch. We were only allowed an “observation tour” as a build up to a possible visit next year. As we walked thru the first unit I noticed that the roof was (exposed) galvanised iron, the windows were small, and although there was at least one visible air conditioning unit, it was not going. The temperature would have been in the neighbourhood of 40 degrees C. The Superintendent was proud as he told us how he managed to squeeze 25-26 prisoners into the tiny 4x6 m cells-there were over five hundred men in that unit. Angry at what I saw I asked the Superintendent if I could address the men. Thinking I was only going to say, hello, he said, ‘yes’. Forty Five minutes later I, through an interpreter, had given my testimony, preached the gospel, and called for a response and about 300-350 men responded; Glory be to God. This was truly a miracle because not only was I speaking without a microphone but so was my interpreter-the chaplain. The chaplain’s voice was not strong; but praise God for His strength is made perfect in weakness (2Cor 12:9) and the men heard fine. The chaplain told us it was the first time these men had heard the Gospel and asked me to contact Prison Fellowship International to let them know the plight of the men in both units. What really blows me away about this experience was that I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near Palawan Island if it hadn’t been for the lure of 3000 “captive souls.” It only goes to show God is a Strategic Planner not a Crisis Manager.

Catching up with a Friend

The next day (Sunday 12) the guys and I were “farmed out” to different churches, all the guys had a great time and most of us had salvations and healings take. I took Aiden with me to speak at an AOG Church in Puerto Princessa the capitol of Palawan. It was a reasonably big church, about 300-350 people and my evangelist friend Gary is on staff there. Gary, originally from the United States had ministered in the Philippines for many years and was married to a Filipina. I first met Gary 5 years ago, he was an evangelist in an AOG church in Cebu then but he had moved to Palawan last year. I was shocked to see Gary so thin, he looked to weigh not more than a 120lb. Apparently Support for Gary and his family had dwindled since moving from Cebu to Palawan, that combined with the fact Gary had been on a Daniel fast for 18 months, meant he was little more than skin and bone. I think Gary was touched by my concern for his health and I was able to talk to him about the dangers of prolonged fasting. I gave Gary some money as well. That afternoon the guys and I started work on the 2nd plant, it was way out in the “boonies” somewhere. The pastor, an elderly man had invited all his family and neighbours hoping we would win them to Christ. We won several to Christ and God worked mightily through Jared and there was some spectacular healing's. While we talked AIDEN ORSBORN entertained 20-30 kids with just his hand and few facial contortions, it was an amazing to watch.

Back to Cebu

The next day (May 13) was Aiden’s birthday, he turned 21. We were awoken by singing at 5.30 in the morning; it was the youth group (mostly young ladies) from the Word of Life Church, they were holding candles and singing happy birthday outside Aiden’s room in the mission house. They sang hymns and thanked us all for coming.

We arrived back in Cebu about midday and later that day continued to celebrate Aiden’s birthday in Lapu Lapu City. Later that night Kevin Piper wanted to do some open-air preaching. Kevin and I took an interpreter with us and walked to a basketball court not far from where we were living. Kevin picked out a site and we crossed the court while a game was in progress. There were probably 150 people there and we immediately got their attention. As Kevin and I set up a small crowd gathered to watch, when he began to preach the crowd quickly grew and within fifteen minutes about twenty young people had responded to the Gospel.

Mindanao

The next morning we readied ourselves to travel again, this time to Mindanao. After packing we went door to door in a barrio just down the road from where we were staying. At least two families and a large group of men responded to the Gospel, all the families and some of men were known to our interpreters and will be followed up. That evening we travelled twelve hours by ferry and in the morning another four and a half hours by bus. We ended up in Bisilig City in the heart of Mindanao. We got settled into our accommodation then went to a welcome/worship service at a church in Bisilig. Bisilig is the home of the Kamayo Tribe. Although 7% of the Kamayo are said to be evangelical the Kamayo are still considered an unreached people group. The Joshua Project estimates the Kamayo population to be about 9,700. Jared Hunt preached, he challenged and encouraged the people to operate in faith and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the church responded by receiving prayer for impartation of gifts and for baptism of the Holy Spirit.

A Disillusioned Pastor is Re-focused

The next day the boys and I worked on our 3rd church plant. The young pastor is a very experienced pioneering pastor; his wife however, had become discouraged due to lack of food, provision and success during their 18 months of pioneering. Taking their two infant sons with her she had left him indefinitely and was living with her parents in another City. This young man was lonely and was close to giving up. And with only 3 families in the church things didn’t look like changing anytime soon. The guys went door to door; and I led small open air meetings in the spaces between the houses and one at the bus depot. Many renounced idols and turned to Jesus. The young pastor now has about 40 people to do Bible studies with. The note below is from that pastor; it came to me via Facebook and was waiting for me when I arrived home in New Zealand. The grammar and spelling are not great but I think you can work out what he is saying.

I hope you can visit here again. You know brother I follow up all the people that we have witnessed.......they are so thankful to GOD that they know JESUS because of you. I continue teach them the word of GOD and they are willing. To GOD all be the glory thank you also brother........GOD will bless you more.. You know brother I’m so very very happy because my wife she decided to going home, thank you so much to your prayer brother. Thank you 4 praying me always and I always pray for you and your family brother.....take care. GOD be with you always wherever you go!

An Elderly Couple are Sozo-ed

The following morning we said good bye to Kevin, he and his interpreter Jundel had an assignment in the jungle somewhere. The rest of us travelled another hour to a Kamayo barrio in the mountains. We went to work almost straight away, we dispersed through the barrio with our interpreters and went door to door for four hours. My interpreter Stephanie and I prayed for an old lady outside a store, she had a swollen leg and used a walking stick. When we prayed, the Lord healed her leg and she walked without her stick. She was so excited; she took us home to pray for her husband. This man had had five strokes and was bedridden and severely ill. After prayer he was able to sit on the edge of the bed and move most of his body. We also prayed for his left foot, he had scalded it with boiling water, it was black and without any feeling whatsoever. When we prayed feeling came back into his foot. This lovely old couple were both very open to the Gospel and received it with joy.

Snatched from the Brink of Death

About noon as we rested Kristian told us he had heard there was a young man living in the barrio that was severely ill and unconscious. Apparently a witch doctor had been called, done his thing and left, and the boy remained unconscious. I wanted to confront the witch doctor and asked one of the interpreters if he could take me to see the witch doctor, but he misunderstood me and took me to the home of the sick boy instead. We were invited into the home; many of the young man’s relatives were present. Mistaking the boy’s father for the witch-doctor, I zeroed in on him. He got the Gospel, both barrels, but when I called for a response not only did this man respond but so did all his family and guests -13 in all. The interpreter then told me the family wanted me to pray for the boy, to which I responded, “What boy”?

The young man had been sick for four days and unconscious for two of those days, his young pregnant wife and his sister were crying. The family had paid the witch doctor lots of money to heal the boy but instead his condition worsened. I prayed for the boy, he was conscious in about 5 minutes and sitting up and responding to questions after 10 minutes. Not long after that the pain in the region of his appendix was gone and the interpreter led him to Christ. Sixty Kamayo came to Christ that day, fifty through going door to door and another ten came to Christ that night. That night we spoke to the church, it was normally a congregation of only 30 people but had swelled to about ninety, all the extra's either came to the Lord that day or that night: Glory Be to God.

A Marriage Restored

After the meeting a woman and her husband came to me for prayer. I had met the woman the day before in Bisilig while doing personal work at a bus stop with the young pastor. At that time we had begun to share the Gospel with her and six others. One by one they had left to catch transport till finally only she and another woman were left to respond to the Gospel- they both did. She looked so sad, even after she responded to the Gospel. When I asked her why, she told me she had family problems, I prayed for her and left. I found out later that her husband had been saved and had been going to an AOG church but backslid because his wife (this same woman) had been antagonistic to his new faith. Now she was saved to. I was able to lay hands on both them and pray for them and their children.

“Farmed Out”

The next morning the guys and I returned to Bisilig and were again “farmed out” to several different fellowships. Aiden and I were taken to Lawigan. Lawigan a coastal town only metres from the sea is one of the most beautiful towns I’ve seen anywhere and not typical of Filipino barrios and villages. It was very clean, many of the houses were larger homes made of blocks or wood. Coconut palms cover much of the shoreline and contrast wonderfully with the pale blue of the Philippine Sea on one side and the red roofs on other. There are even the beginnings of a marina there.

Deaf and Dying

The pastor of the church hosting Aiden and I, took me to pray for a sick man. When I arrived at his home I was told he had leukaemia. His abdomen and right leg were badly swollen. When I prayed for him his hearing instantly came back-NO ONE TOLD ME HE WAS DEAF AS A RESULT OF THE LEUKAEMIA. This man left that night for Davao for the Doctors to check him as he believed he was healed and wanted confirmation. On Tuesday the 10th of June I received the following message via Facebook. The message was sent to me by Ps. Emmanuel Delamvaca, one of three pastors there when I prayed for the man. Again the grammar is not great and I have had to correct some spelling so you can understand what he was saying. We have good news for you, when you are in our place you remember the place of Lawigan there was a sick person that you prayed for, after that the lord healed him .... a week ago in 1st week of June we met the pastor that has been assigned there and I asked him about the person that you pray, he said that he went to the doctor in Davao for a check- up and the doctor said you are now okay and find no more disease he was confirm that he was healed. He went home and praise God and thankful that you pray for him. The people are so encouraged to serve God they have to extension there house for their worship. Some people join their service and they ask prayer for that....

Paralysed No More!!!

On the way back from this now ex-cancer victim’s home we visited another man. As a result of being shot, this man was paralysed for 15 years, and the bullet was still in his body. When a pastor and I prayed for him the feeling came back into his legs. His toes that looked like crow’s feet to me, uncurled before our eyes. I pinched the skin of his legs just above his feet; he told us he could feel it. The pastor and I picked him up and helped him walk -he could shuffle his feet but his muscles weren’t strong enough to carry his weight or lift his legs properly. He came to church the next morning in his wheel chair, he reported that there was even more feeling in his legs and back and that he felt stronger. That morning I preached, AIDEN ORSBORN and Evangelist MARIANITO ALVA prayed for the sick. One woman Aiden prayed for was partially deaf and had a huge cyst on her foot – the Lord opened her ear properly and healed her foot right there.

That afternoon Kristian, Jared, Aiden and I returned to Bisilig from our respective outreaches but Kevin had left for Cebu on the 19th, he needed to be in Hong Kong by the 21st of May. We heard later that God used Kevin mightily in the jungle. Among other things he had officiated at his second Filipino funeral in 3 weeks and saw many come to Christ. Kristian and Jared came back that weekend with wonderful stories of what God had done through them. The next day we returned to Cebu

Living among the Dead

On May 21 we travelled back to Cebu. The next day we began work on our last 2 church-plants. Actually I am embarrassed to call them that because we did not have to work hard at all, the people were gathered for us and we only had to preach. On Tuesday (22nd) morning we shared the Gospel with 25 families living in a Chinese cemetery in Cebu- these people live in mausoleums. They simply break in, empty the caskets of their bones and use the casket to sleep in or as cabinets to keep their possessions in. The mausoleums become the family home. I shared a Gospel story to the children and approx. 50 came to Christ. Jared Hunt spoke to their mothers and all the 25 women responded; the pastora in charge of the plant was very excited. It was nice not to have to do door knocking for a change.

A Star is Born

That afternoon we spoke at another potential plant, I challenged 70-80 women to forsake idols and JARED HUNT followed with one of the best Gospel messages I've heard in years, as a result nearly all the women responded. Every interpreter, evangelist and pastor that was there congratulated Jared on a job well done.

Jared praying for the sick in Lawigan. Healing Ministry is a big of Jared’s ministry. In the Philippines Jared was forever pushing us to forsake methods and put our faith only in Gods power and Christ’s finished work on the cross- THANKS HEAPS JARED

A Dream Come True

Ever since I first visited the Philippines in 2001 it had been an ambition of mine to preach the Gospel to the Badjao. The Badjao are a Muslim tribe; they are mostly a sea-faring people but some have settled in Cebu City as well as other parts of the Philippines. They too are also considered an unreached people group. On May 23rd I was privileged to lead six to eight Badjao children to Christ. The next day I spoke to 210 women at a local-government sponsored meeting, at least 200 women responded- 30 of them were Badjao- Glory Be to God.

The following morning the guys and I packed and left for the airport. Together we had planted 5 or 6 churches, help grow, motivate, inspire and envision several others. We won many children, adults and youth to Christ- about 1000 (give or take a 100) visited 3 prisons and helped train many evangelists, church planters and pastors in evangelism.

Other Important Stuff

Training Others Training and equipping was a big part of this mission. Apart from the one day at Jubilee Theological Seminary, all the training was “on the job.” We were able to further train many church planters, evangelists, interpreters and pastors in evangelism. It was great to see our interpreters winning souls using the skills we taught them. Several of them now regularly meet together and go door to door and do personal work.

Inspiring Congregations

We were able to inspire several congregations to make every effort and pull out all the stops in order to reach the lost for Christ. Kevin Piper has contacted all the interpreters, church planters pastors and evangelists we worked with, he told me most are reporting revival in the congregations and communities we worked.

Church Planting in the Future

Another mission is planned for April/ May 2014. At this stage I expect to be there 4 weeks. The Director of Jubilee Theological Seminary Mike Ogang and I discussed a team coming in April next year and planting churches in the Bisilig area for four weeks. Jubilee Theological Seminary has a new batch of planters each year; Mike wants us to help them plant.

Crusades and Feedings

A few years ago I stopped doing healing crusades because they cost a lot of money and mostly attracted Christians (at least in the bigger cities). After talking with Mike Ogang I decided to make crusades part of my planting strategy again. We will do them in the barrios only. They will not cost us anything as the students of Jubilee Theological Seminary will take care of the sound and music as well as their own transport. We will continue to do children’s feedings but only at the end of each individual plant.

I just want to say thanks again to those who helped finance this mission and to those who prayed. There really is only one Church and it makes me happy to know that those from different churches, different denominations and in different towns help me. It is proof you understand that are we are one.

I want you to know I have always seen it that way. I have always encouraged other younger evangelists to use my ministry contacts (the pastors and ministries that use me in New Zealand and in the Philippines). Recently God spoke to me about, ‘leaving a path others can follow’ and as you know I have put my training material on my website for free as a response to that. The web-site is online now but I am not ready to promote it yet as some mistakes need fixing and a few changes need to be made.

MUCH BLESSING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES
Marty Rochfort. Dip. Evangelism, B. Theology