CCI Philippines January 2020 Update

Ashfall, Asthma and Aspirations
“Start with a bang,” they say. And so we did. Taal Volcano erupted in January, after 43 years of peaceful slumber. The eruption spewed steam and tons of ashes 9 miles into the air, which descended all over the southern Tagalog provinces, parts of Metro Manila, and reaching some parts of Central Luzon. Classes were suspended, work schedules were disrupted, and flights were cancelled. 40,000 people were forced to evacuate from the towns around the volcano.

This was not entirely surprising since we just had several earthquakes that totally destroyed villages in Mindanao from October to December last year. We even had a typhoon come through the country on Christmas day! The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and the movement of the earth's crust triggers earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods and tsunamis. There’s never a dull moment in the Philippines.

Photo from ABS-CBN.com

An ashfall is nothing to sneeze at, and my son Melvyn came home sneezing, wheezing and coughing and had to be taken to the hospital. He is a lot better now but we would appreciate your prayers for complete healing.

Serious as they are, natural disasters cannot stop God’s work. I have listed some of the most significant developments below.

Henry Ventura
CCI Philippines

Thank you for your prayers & support and please continue to pray for our ministry in the Philippines.

Promotions, New Classes & Graduations

Promotions

I met with some pastors in Manila and Bulacan to tell them about CCI training. Two of these pastors are leading a network of more than 100 churches nationwide and they are very interested in CCI training. Another pastor who belongs to the T'boli tribe saw our contact information in one of our sample materials and contacted us. He promised to gather several tribal pastors specifically to listen to the CCI promotion. There was a sense of urgency in his voice to satisfy the tribal pastors’ hunger for Biblical training because they are very vulnerable to false teachings. Please pray that we would be able to organize Teacher Training Workshops to prepare these pastors both in the city and in the tribal areas to use our curriculum.

New Classes

One of our goals this year is to start 30 new classes with 300 new students.

Pastor Louie Tutor of Davao City started a class at his own church with 13 students. He had just graduated last November and attended a Teacher Training Workshop in December.

Pastor Jim Paglinawan of Tagum City started a class in January at his church with 7 students. He also attended the same Teacher Training Workshop in December.
Pastor Ismael Baliong started a class at his church with 12 students. He had graduated in June, attended the Teacher Training Workshop in August, and joined CCI as our Area Coordinator in Camiguin Province.
Pastor Eli Aquino’s group started a new class in Mariveles, Bataan with 7 students.

Graduations

Four classes in South Cotabato with a total of 42 students held a joint graduation ceremony in January. The classes were in Koronadal City, Surallah, Polomolok and General Santos City.

Just before the ceremony, the graduating students from General Santos City told me that they would really like to attend a TTW so they can start training pastors in Sarangani Province. This is an answer to our prayers! One of our goals is to open two new provinces this year. It looks like we might be able to open classes in three new provinces soon: Sarangani, Aurora and Surigao del Norte!

Testimonies

From Mariel Graham of Cordova, Cebu

Mariel (center) with her classmate Jong (left) and teacher Dem Sumagang (in red)

“Only in this course I was humbly taught how important it is to teach what the Bible teaches not teach what you feel or what you just like. I am rebuked and corrected in this course that we will be held accountable for whatever we teach and preach. If we teach and preach what the Bible did not teach, then we are considered as false and fools. Improper observation leads to incorrect interpretation which leads to inappropriate application. Hence, I am being very careful and I study harder with the help of the Holy Spirit who illuminates and teaches me."

Mariel teaching the children at their church.

“When I started to undergo this training, God changed my way of perceiving things. I am thankful that God entrusted me with a ministry for kids and adults because now I can apply to the ministry what I learned in this book. All the glory belongs to God alone.”

From Henry Ventura: National Director- Philippines

Please pray with us to reach our goal of holding 24 TTW’s with 240 participants this year
Please pray with us to reach our goal of holding 6 GFP seminars with 120 participants and to translate GFP manuals into Tagalog this year.
Please pray with us to reach our goal of holding 4 SAEP’s with 40 participants and to translate the SAEP manuals into Tagalog this year
Please pray for the success of my ministry trip to Vietnam in February.
Please pray that God would use the novel coronavirus scare to highlight the fragility of human life and the greatness of His mercy.
Please pray with me to thank God for providing the funds to have our roof fixed. Praise the Lord, we won’t have to worry about leaks anymore!
Please pray with us to reach our goal of organizing or reviving two other alumni chapters this year.

Thank you for praying and for giving!
Through your prayers and the help of the Holy Spirit (Phil. 1:19), the CCI ministry is growing and is effectively equipping God’s servants to make a difference in their communities for the glory of God.

Promotions, New Classes & Graduations

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