Emz's Testimony

Click here to watch Emz's (farthest right) video testimony!

Rosman's Story

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A Story of Boldness

Lizzie, Glenda, and Jayson 

    I cannot express my joy because of what God has done in my life through my joining Nehemiah Teams. God used NT to grow my spiritual life. He is really victorious in our lives and in our mission. During my experience of NT this summer I became more confident in sharing His world. I am no longer afraid!

When I went back to my family, I shared with my mother what God had done and I also shared the gospel with her…and she received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior AND decided to follow Christ in water baptism. WOW! God used me to [share His truth with] my family and I can say this is the fruit of my sacrifice on Camotes Island. I thank God for the boldness to share His word.

Glenda

Camotes Team

A Commitment

Click here to watch the video!

Molens, Luzon Franchise

Luzon Slideshow

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE LUZON SLIDESHOW!

An Update

Bicolano

WHO are they? Isn’t it amazing how many people groups there are in the Philippines

alone? While they all share some similarities, every one is unique and special to God.

Today we will learn about the Bicolano people, a tribal group of people that are still, for

the most part, isolated from modern civilization. Their lifestyle is built around one main

thing—survival! Most of these tribal groups are farmers, but their techniques are so

primitive that they often harvest very little. Another important thing about the Bicolano is

that they are broken into many, many tribes. Each tribe is run by one chief or leader,

and sometimes the individual tribes even have their own language! However, some of

these tribes are so far away from civilization that it can be difficult to reach them with the

gospel of Christ.

WHERE do they live? The tribes that make up the Bicolano people group are scattered

across the Philippines, but they are mostly on the islands of Luzon and Mindanao.

HOW many? There are more than two million Bicolano people, and only 1.3% of them

are evangelical Christians.

WHAT do they worship? The Bicolano people are mostly animists, meaning that they

believe in lots of gods and spirits, who they think are in control of their lives and

circumstances. Many believe that they must perform certain religious rituals in order to

make it into their “next life.” Some of the tribes have shamans, chosen people who they

think are capable of communicating with the gods and curing sick people using magic.

While each tribe’s set of beliefs vary, all are depending on false gods and spirits instead

of the one true God. They need to hear the truth!

PRAYER needs:

• Many of the things we take for granted, like quality medical care and a sufficient

food supply, are constant struggles for the Bicolano people. Ask God to protect

and provide for them.

• Pray that the Lord will call people willing to go to the Philippines and share Christ

among these people, who so desperately need to know about Him.

• Pray that the hearts of the Bicolano would be softened by God and made

receptive to the Gospel.

• Pray that the Lord will rise up strong local churches among each tribal group.

5 ways to pray for NT participants.

1. SAFE TRAVELS. Teams are heading back home soon, please pray for safe travels and for opportunities to share with their travel mates.

2. A STRONG FINISH. Please pray for the teams as they near the end of their time on the field that they will finish strong, never losing sight of the end goal.

3. FAITHFUL TO TELL. Please pray that the NT participants go home and faithfully share about what God has done through them and their team. Pray that they can encourage churches and mobilize youth to go for the next year.

4. CONTINUE ON! Pray that the new believers continue on in their faith and are discipled. Pray that their faith grows and continues to spread throughout the community.

5. CHECK UP. Please pray that people are willing and able to go and visit the areas that hosted teams. Pray that they can be encouraged in their faith by the visit.

Waray Waray

WHO are they? The word Waray Waray means nothing. And that is what they have—

nothing. Many earn a meager living as farmers, harvesting architectural products like

coconut, rice, corn, white sugarcane and tobacco. The Waray Waray also have several

traditions that can be traced back to pre-colonial times. For example, the Kuratsa dance

is a popular traditional dance that the Waray-Waray often perform at many social

gatherings, especially weddings. The couple dancing the Kuratsa is showered with

money by the people around them. The belief is that the more money is showered upon

them, the more blessings will come their way.

WHERE do they live? The Waray Waray reside on Eastern Samar and Leyte.

HOW many? There are about 3,375,000 Waray people, and less than 2% of them are

estimated to be evangelical Christians. Some churches have been planted among the

Waray Waray, but there is still a great harvest that has yet to be reaped!

WHAT do they worship? The vast majority of Waray-Waray people are Roman

Catholic. They take their religion very seriously and celebrate many saint-focused

holidays.

PRAYER needs:

• Pray that God would provide for the physical needs of the Waray Waray people.

• Pray that the growing number of church plants among the Waray Waray people

would continue to grow and be strengthened.

• Pray that the evangelical Christians within the Waray Waray people group would

become passionate about evangelizing their own people group.

LEARN more: Watch a video filled with photos of a mission team’s recent work among

the Waray Waray: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1cqctSATwg.

Five ways to pray for NT!

1. GOOD SOIL. Pray that the gospel message falls on good soil, that is able to take root and grow in the hearts of the listeners.

2. THE HARVEST. Pray for the people who have been listening to gospel and trying to make a decision of whether to follow Christ or not. Ask God to convict their hearts and to allow them the courage to make Him their Lord and Savior.

3. ONE SPIRIT. Pray for the team that they can remain working together in one mind and one spirit. Pray that their interactions with each honor God, and that they can forgive each other as needed and work together as a team to glorify God.

4. SHARING. Please pray that as people come to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior that they are bold in sharing their new faith with their friends and family.

5. ENDURANCE. Ask God to give the NT participants the strength, determination, and hope that they need to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given them.

Luzon Prayer Requests

Please click on the videos to hear prayer requests from the Bicol Team as they remain faithful to the end!

Agusan Manobo

WHO are they? The Agusan Manobo are one of eight Manobo people groups in the

Philippines. The eight groups have lots of things in common – a common cultural

language and a heritage that can be traced back to the early Malay people from

Southeast Asia. But there are differences too! Each group lives in a different region,

which means each group has developed its own survival techniques and cultural

traditions based on the unique place where they live. In the Agusan culture, polygomy

(having more than one wife at a time) is common—if a man is wealthy enough. Many

have not had the opportunity to learn about God’s design for marriage, which is

between one man and one woman.

WHERE do they live? All eight Manobo groups live on Mindanao, the Philippines’

largest island. The Agusan Manobo lives near the Agusan River Valley, which is where

they got their name. The word “Agusan” means “water flows,” and they live near the

river.

HOW many? There are about 65,000 Agusan Manobo living in the Philippines today,

and around 15% are thought to be evangelical Christian. While this percentage is higher

than many of the other groups we have studied, that still leaves around 55,250 Agusan

Manobo people who need to be introduced to Jesus Christ our Savior!

WHAT do they worship? The Agusan Manobo believe in many unseen spirits that

interfere in the lives of humans and one “great spirit” that created them.

PRAYER needs: The Agusan Manobo people have many physical and spiritual needs.

• Their farming techniques are currently very primitive, and training would not only

help them harvest more, but it would also give missionaries an opportunity to

enter their communities. Pray that God would call missionaries with farming

know-how to come minister to the Manobo people in this way.

• The numerous dialects and language of this group makes it hard for outsiders

such as missionaries to learn their language! Pray that God would help

missionaries to learn quickly so that the Gospel can be clearly shared.

• Pray against the powers of darkness that are blinding the Manobo from

worshipping the one true God.

Maranao

WHO are they? Many of the Maranao people make their living through agriculture, by

growing all kinds of crops such as rice, corn, sweet potatoes, peanuts, papayas and

bananas. They also fish in nearby Lake Lanao. In the Maranao culture, arts and crafts

such as textiles, metalwork and woodcrafts are important elements. The textiles in

particular, which are worn to indicate the wearer’s social status, are known for their very

ornate designs and colors. Many Maranao people are educated with college degrees,

but the difficult economy has forced many of these college graduates to return to the

traditional occupations of fishing, farming and crafting.

WHERE do they live? Most of the Maranao people live in the island of Mindanao in the

Philippines – and they have been there since the 13th century! However, in recent years

more have been moving to Manila in search of jobs.

HOW many? Out of over one million Maranao people, only 30-50 are known followers

of Jesus.

WHAT do they worship? The Maranao are one of several major Muslim people groups

in the Philippines, which together constitute about 5% of the Philippines population.

Because of this, the Maranao people consider themselves to be Muslim rather than

Filipino. But while they do practice much of the Islamic religion, they often still hold to

their traditional island beliefs and traditions.

PRAYER needs:

• Please pray that the small group of Christians among the Maranao would be kept

safe, strengthened and encouraged. Pray that they would become active in

sharing the truth about Jesus with their fellow Maranao people!

• Pray that God would rise up missionaries to come and share the gospel among

this large group of unbelievers.

• Pray that the Maranao’s hearts would be softened and that they would recognize

their need to be saved by the one true God!

Iloilo Franchise Orientation

Iloilo Franchise

Batbatan Island, Team 2 

Trizha
I am excited to join [the Iloilo Franchise of] Nehemiah Teams because there are many unreached peoples and hard to reach places in Iloilo. I am excited about growing spiritually, going on the mission field and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jung, Team Leader      Hi I’m Jung one of the team leaders [of the first] for the [Iloilo Franchise of] Nehemiah Teams. I am so excited and grateful that I am part of this franchise. I am Antiqueño- so I am one of the people we are trying to reach through this project. I am so very excited because I know more of my  co-tribe have not yet heard the Word of God. I am excited to be apart of the team that is sharing the truth with the Antiqueño people.
     I am also thankful because this outreach is an answer to a prayer we prayed many years ago – that Iloilo would have it’s own Nehemiah Teams Franchise. This is a great opportunity for us to serve the Lord- not only in other areas but in our own place. Thank you so much and God bless!
 

Rofer
    I joined this organization because I wanted to spread the Gospel that God has given us.
   I am excited about [beginning of the] Iloilo  Franchise because I wanted to speak out [about] the truth of God’s plan for people. Thank you for your support, prayers, and for the courage you have given us!
 

JunreyI am excited to have an Iloilo Nehemiah Teams Franchise because so many people do not know about God and I really want many people to know Jesus Christ in all the different parts of Iloilo.
 

JasonExcited is not the right word, but I am ready to go on mission for God- I felt mixed emotions about coming here but with one motive: to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News of His love, and about God’s promises.

Pray for Iloilo Franchise, Batbatan Team 2

Rofer

Jason

Iloilo Franchise

Batbatan Island, Team 1

Lorry John
Before we even came here the Lord set the place for us and it is nice. [I was nervous] Because I had heard this place was a stronghold for witchcraft and evil spirits. Please pray for the ministry here that God will set their heart and [they will] hear the Word of God.

Tazha
I am excited about the many people [that are] opening their hearts to God, the Bible Studies that have been implemented in this place, and the many children that we have taught [through VBS].

 Panoy
Here in Batbatan when we have our house to house evangelism- after we shared with the people the good news and we prayed for them (for their sickness). Later when we visited them again she told us God had healed her. We are grateful that God uses us to show His power among the people of Batbatan.

Amic
In two weeks God has done amazing things- we have had opportunity to share the love of God and many people are responsive to His word. We have two house Bible Studies that are willing to learn more about Christ. Please pray that God will continue to work in their lives. Pray also that they will follow in believer’s baptism and that even after we are gone that they will continue to grow in their faith. Through prayer nothing is impossible- God is at work in Batbatan Island!

Tagalog

WHO are they? Also called Filipino, the Tagalog people are the second largest ethnic

people group in the Philippines. Today, they are considered to be one of the most

“Westernized” Filipino ethnic groups. “Westernized” refers to a group that has been

influenced by the modern conveniences and attitudes of a country like America—and it

is not always a good thing! Traditionally, Tagalog people are farmers and fishermen, but

as education becomes more easily attainable, more are entering professional fields. In

their culture, women are trained early on to cook elaborate dishes. That’s why they

often have lavish celebrations during fiestas and holidays.

WHERE do they live? The word Tagalog means “people living along the river,” but

today the Tagalog people live all over the Philippines, and many live in other Southeast

nations as well.

HOW many? There are about 23,678,000 Tagalog people living in the Philippines. 15%

are evangelical Christians.

WHAT do they worship? The vast majority of Tagalog people are Roman Catholic,

and they often mix in some animistic beliefs as well. Like Cebuanos, this means that

while they are familiar with Jesus, they may not have a relationship with Him.

PRAYER needs:

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers to live and work among the

Tagalog people

• Ask God to soften the hearts and open the eyes of the Tagalog people, so that

they will be receptive to the message of the Gospel.

• Pray that existing Tagalog churches would be blessed with excellent Biblical

teaching and that they would place a major emphasis on evangelism.

Five ways to pray.

1. DEPENDENCE ON GOD. Pray that the team remains dependent on God for their strength and effectiveness. Ask God to remind them of His truth and to encourage them with reminders of His love and presence.

2. RESIST TEMPTATION. Intercede on the behalf of the NT participants- that they can remain strong in resisting temptation that could hurt their witness in the community.

3. PRAISE GOD. Pray that the teams do not get puffed up by the success of their works, rather in humility that they give God the praise that is due Him.

4. OPEN DOORS. Pray and ask God for open doors and opportunities to make friends in the community the NT participants are serving in.

5. OPEN HEARTS. Pray for the listeners who are hearing the Word of God, ask God for open hearts that respond to their need for salvation.