Elvin's Prayer Letter

“Training Leaders in Reaping the Harvest”

Dear Ministry and Prayer Partners,

Greeting in the Name of the Lord of the Harvest!

Elvin, Bentat Cariz Team and WilsonWe want to joyfully share with you the work of the Lord in His harvest field:

“Partnership yields harvest of souls in rural community”
Bentat Caris ChapelIt was so amazing to witness the result of partnership of God’s people in the cause of the Gospel. This was my feeling during the graduation rite of the Bentat Cariz church planting team who minister among the tribal group in Rizal, Palawan last May 6, 2007. There were an average of 14 local churches worked together to establish new worshipping community in the village of Bentat Cariz for 2 years, not to mention the countless individual believers who prayed and contributed for such purpose within that period. Praise God for these people who partner with us! Pray for the continuing spiritual nourishment of more than 60 new believers that are meeting regularly. The couple of Jacob and Nini commit to continue serve in that new work. Pray for their source of sustenance which their local church has a meager means to support them according to their needs.

“What an enormous task to contextualize our ways to share the Gospel with these people”
This was the comment I hear from one of the members of the new church planting team formed to serve in Linao, Brookes Point, Palawan. The new team started the pioneering ministry on the 2nd week of February. The team is composed of the couple Ricardo Amoto (64) and Vivencia Amoto (65) and brothers Ronnie Jontilano (29) and Bernie Jontilano (21).

Linao can be reached by a jeepney or motorbike but most parts of the road are rough and muddy. The primary source of living of the people in Linao is gathering kopra (dried coconut flesh), making charcoal and planting rice. Market, school and hospitals are quite far from Linao. So, the team is used to walking far distances. Their water source is deep well and small brook. The majority of the people group living in the area belong to the tribe of “palawan.” Pray for the team’s plan to distribute mosquito nets to the residents of the community who frequently got infected with “malaria.” This is their way to meet this particular felt need of the people and serve as a bridge to express the love of God. The team needs fund to purchase at least 60 pieces of mosquito nets, and also to fund the rehabilitation of the community deep deep well which is the village’ potable water source.

Personal Matters. Thank you for your prayers that I was able to come back in the ministry of ECPM after I suffered a “stroke.” I also praise the Lord in providing for my costly medication needs, and thank God for my friends and fellow Christians who helped me on that crucial time of my life. Please continue to pray for my complete recovery.

I also thanked the Lord because for the first time, my wife and my youngest son joined me in my recent visit to Palawan. Aside from helping me in my ECPM duties, we have also found a good time for relaxation which they enjoyed a lot.

Other Concerns for Prayer:

1. Possible church planting ministry at Catbalogan, Samar (southern part of the country) in partnership with GLO by the 3rd quarter of this year.
2. Just started the training for Campus ministry team in the state college located at Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Pray for the sponsorship of 6 students who composed the team.
3. Possible partnership with an assembly in Tarlac to start campus ministry in a college situated within the community of the inviting local church. There 4 prospective young people from that church who are also studying at the target school. Pray for the required sponsorship for the campus ministry training.
4. Sponsorship for ECPM regular staff --Ella Santos, who decided to serve at ECPM as our youth ministry coordinator in full-time capacity beginning this May.
5. Active participation of the new members of ECPM Board. In the recent annual Board meeting, the Board revisited the ECPM’s vision and goals. Pray for the realization of such goals and may God leads us to a more effective ministry direction.


Your prayers and active partnership in the ministry encourage us much!


By His grace,


Elvin T. Buenviaje
Emmaus Church Planting Ministries
Philippines


PS. For more photos of the activities and ministries mentioned above, you can visit my personal blog site: http://www.elvinbuen.multiply.com/