This is my final report on this Philippine outreach. I have one prayer request. I head home August 31 and the trip will be approximately 36 hours from the time I leave the hotel in Manila and I get to my house in Florida. I have 5 days to overcome jet lag before my wife and I leave for Europe.

From Sept 6-22 I will be ministering with Father Georg Lillemae, Dean of the European Charismatic Episcopal Church. That schedule takes me to Austria, Switzerland and two cities in Germany. Only God will be able to help me overcome the jet lag, and be refreshed for the next outreach. Your prayers are requested for that purpose.

After the Davao meeting, I went to Dumaguete for a few days and stayed in the home of a Filipino family, and then resumed schedule with Hugh Kaiser. We went to Cabuyao in the province of Laguna.

Father Oliver Senia is priest at St John the Beloved CEC with two deacon assistants - Deacon George and Deacon Ben. This congregation, since coming into the Charismatic Episcopal Church, has concentrated so heavily on not making a mistake in the Liturgy, that they have lost some of the evangelical and charismatic fire.

We encouraged them to recapture that fire lest the liturgy becomes dead. This is one problem with Filipino charismatic churches entering the Charismatic Episcopal Church. As they were formerly imbalanced by denying liturgy and overly into "charismania," they now get imbalanced in the other direction.

Daily Morning and Evening Prayer are offered at these CEC congregations, and more than just the clergy attend. As they have restored the centrality of the Eucharist to Sunday worship, they have also restored to their proper place the Daily Offices.

Our day time teaching was with the church leaders [Apostolate], and basically did a refresher course on the Convergence Movement. In the evening sessions with the congregation we related the liturgy to the fulfillment of the joy that we found in the discovery of the Holy Spirit's Power, and that one emphasis does not displace another. There must be a balance and there is a place for each of the expressions of the Christian Faith - evangelical, charismatic and liturgical/sacramental.

On the last night we had an instructive Eucharist. WOW, the Holy Spirit moved. The "charismatic" life was reawakened. There was worship in the Spirit [singing in tongues] and, we had a healing line along with the line of worshippers receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Some in the healing line went down under the Power of the Spirit. The night before we saw a breakthrough beginning when we had some prayer time, and had them to pray for each other. That turned out to be a blessing to them.

Archbishop Adler, CEC Patriarch, had visited them two Sundays prior to our going, and had encouraged them in the same way we had encouraged the recapturing of the Charismatic Spirit. Privately we prayed for one young lady with a fatal heart disease. She felt a change in the heart's rhythm as we prayed for her.

Following the final night the Apostolate shared a dinner with us and reflected on what our ministry had meant to them and done to revitalize the Spirit in their church. We were so blessed by their genuine testimonies, and humbled that God had used us in ways they needed when we had questioned whether we were making any contribution.

I enjoyed my time with the priest. Some Americans have said my ministry in retirement is mentoring younger clergy, and this was one of those times. He shared every meal with us, and took advantage of those times as well as breaks to ask questions about things pertaining to his ministry.

The month has been a spiritually profitable outreach. I had time to reflect over the 18 years I have been doing mission work. Sometimes you wonder if you have made any difference. Most often you never know. Every now and then someone comes up and says how something you said, or some prayer you offered, made a difference in their life.

About one percent of the more than 1,000 students we have helped educate come back to say "thank you." I recall Jesus experienced that also. You do what God calls you to do, and give Him the Glory. Some day we will know what difference we have made in His Kingdom.

Being at Cabuyao encouraged me. When we least expect the effectiveness of our ministry, that may be the very time the Holy Spirit is allowed to do His greatest work.

Non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tup da gloriam! [Psalm 115:1]

After a restful weekend Hugh Kaiser and I went to Novaliches, a suburb north of Manila, with Father Gary Thurman, newly ordained priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. During the weekend I finished the College Scholarship program and e-mailed back home the letters for the sponsors along with the students' budgets for second semester.

June has printed them out and they are in the mail. Previously, I printed them here, sent them by airmail in a package back home, and then mailed them out. What an electronic age in which we live.

The administrative part of Barnabas is now finished for this trip, and from this point on the outreach will be "on-hand-ministry", teaching, praying and mentoring with pastors. In Novaliches we had three full days of Convergence Teaching. This is a mission of the Cathedral of the King. On the last afternoon I did some training in healing ministry and divided the congregation into small groups.

They prayed for each other and you could see on their faces the blessings of the Lord. After this prayer, some shared testimonies of answered prayer. We concluded the three days with an Instructive Eucharist that was exhilarating. The Praise and Worship was vibrant.

It is so refreshing to be free to sing in tongues and raise your hands in the context of liturgical worship, and for it to be the norm. Young ladies dramatized the praise in liturgical dance; the song leader's enthusiasm was contagious; and, the reverence shown when receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus gave a genuine balance to exciting Convergence Worship.

During "free" times I finished a new Liturgical Booklet for IDA missions and e-mailed it back to Archbishop Howard's office in Florida. They will print it and it will be first used in Kenya next month at the consecration of new bishops. Certain parts of the Book of Common Prayer were used in this special booklet including the new consecration prayers for ordination that reflect the new line of CEC Apostolic Succession.

On Thursday, Hugh and I flew to Davao City where we joined Bishop Eugene Lilly for a weekend of Convergence teaching at RHEMA Christian Fellowship. Bishop Lilly has a number of evangelical and pentecostal pastors in churches he has planted over the past 20 years, and our task is to help them understand the Charismatic Episcopal Church should they desire to unite with us.

We were joined by Bishop Raymundo Abogatal who is the CEC Suffragan Bishop for Mindanao. I had trouble "reading" the reaction of the people. One pastor who met with us Friday morning and seemed interested, came the first night but was frightened off by others who said among other things, that we were there to "convert him."

Hugh was invited by another to preach on Sunday but then he failed to come get him. My clerical collar scared off any invitations for me. On our last night, we had an instructive Eucharist. Some of the people were former Roman Catholics and my Celebration [in vestments] brought back good and bad memories for them.

At the end I explained that the bread and wine were holy food and we do not throw it away. I asked seven men to come to the table and help me consume the leftovers. Almost before I finished my explanation, one pastor was on his feet coming toward me.

He said later how much he learned. At times during the service he was almost in tears. The host pastor said "Charismatic consecration of the bread and wine is not enough," implying he would start using some of the liturgy we had provided the people - Rite One Eucharist; Book of Common Prayer.

Bishop Abogatal has the liturgy in the local language and will send him a copy. Bishop Lilly preached on Sunday morning at their ordinary "charismatic" service, concluding with a prayer time for healing. All of those I prayed for fell under the Power of the Spirit so perhaps that authenticated me for some skeptics.

After the healing time they showered us with parting gifts. The pastor scheduled me to return next January with a team. We plant seeds and by exposure, try to get the people comfortable with us, letting them see we have no horns. Some evangelicals in the Philippines have given destructive teaching.

Most converts from the Roman Catholic Church have been brainwashed to believe that the Roman Church is evil; the Pope is the anti-Christ; and salvation is obtained only through the evangelical church. Some evangelicals prayed the Pope's plane would crash when he visited the Philippines in 1995.

Prior to our Saturday night Eucharist, a co-pastor conducted an hour service during which time his sermon condemned traditional hymns as not the kind of music that pleases Jesus. He was preaching in his dialect, but unknown to him, we understood enough to know what he was saying. Later Bishop Abogatal confirmed our discernment. We have to gain their confidence and build trust, showing them we are Christians too.

Hugh and I are off to Dumaguete for a couple of days to plan with Bishop David Ga of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, our January outreach. We then go on to Manila to resume meetings with the CEC in Cabuyo, Laguna Province. Hugh's computer is not working and he is hopeful that during the few days before our next schedule he will be able to get it back in operation.

Thank you for your prayers! We are half way through this outreach.

Greetings in the Name of Jesus! This is my first report from the mission field for this August 1998 outreach. This first week I am here alone.

July 31 - Arrived Manila on time. My seat out of Narita was 65H - next to the last row in a B747. As people were still boarding, I saw a Northwest Airline gate person coming down the isle. "Mr. Weeks, you have been upgraded to 17B - Business Class." Praise the Lord. Very unexpected and unexplainable [think the Lord had a hand in it?] since economy was not full, and my Northwest Air travel is only between Tokyo and Manila. I accept all miracles. Bed at 12:30 a.m. Aug 1.

Aug 1 - Awake at 4:30 a.m. Jet lag! Met former and current students of the Manila area, and dinner with a professor friend from University of the Philippines. Harlette Quezon [for those of you who may remember her as the student who visited USA with me in 1991] is now Mrs. Harlette Villaoscarez and 2 1/2 months in "the family way" [Filipino for pregnant]. Married last April. Husband is a seaman. Sleep by 9:40 p.m.

Aug 2 - Up at 5 a.m. Flight this morning to Bacolod; met the 5 students remaining there, and drove 4 hours across the island to Dumaguete [well, actually "flying low."] Dinner tonight with friends and three of the students. Two came by boat from Ozamis to meet me because I will not be going to their place due to cancellation of Philippine Airlines flight. They have been on strike and only partial restoration of schedule. Went to home of one student to check out a problem on her computer. A side line job - they think I can do all things! 11:30 bed.

Aug 3 - Up at 5:15 a.m. Breakfast with the Ozamis students and saw them off to their boat back to Mindanao Island. College students all day today. Met several clergy and set schedule for January - three mission churches to which team members will be assigned while I do a HOLY SPIRIT AND SACRAMENTS seminar for the Philippine Independent Catholic Church in Dumaguete, plus interviews with all our scholarship recipients. Dinner tonight with local clergy and former staff people. Airline tickets delivered to me by my Filipina travel agent who is also a former student. Bed at 10:20 p.m.

Aug 4 - Up at 5:20 a.m. Bishop Ga drove me to the pier and I took the Water Jet to Cebu and shuttle to airport for my flight to Manila. Bed by 10:15 tonight

Aug 5 - Miracle of Miracles! I didn't awake until 7 a.m. Must be over the jet lag. Ate some fruit and drank hot tea for my breakfast, packed and headed to airport. Hence began Murphy's-Law day. Flight was scheduled for 11 a.m. and I set schedule in Zamboanga accordingly. Airline changed departure to 1:30 p.m. which became 2:40 p.m. before we took off.

Five students were waiting for me when I arrived at the hotel. Met with those scheduled for today; dinner tonight with Fr. Dan Bustamante, Episcopal Priest of the Church of the Good Shepherd, and Pastor Jun Trinidad, our evangelist in the St. Barnabas mission area of western Mindanao, and Dr. Ron Pacia, M.D.

Building has not yet begun; waiting to get clear title on the land. Saw the blueprints. I am excited about seeing the finished product. We sent the money for purchase of land and construction of chapel earlier this year. Set schedule for January - EXCITING!

Will have Seminar for the 279 high school students at Good Shepherd Mission School in Calarian; a follow up VALUES Seminar for staff at Brent Hospital in Zamboanga; a Bible Seminar at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Zamboanga concluding with evening healing service plus interviews with all scholarship recipients and gift distribution to the children in our Child Care Centers.

Aug 6 - Visited and photographed the 129 children at the four BAHADA Child Care Centers; met the high school scholars at Good Shepherd Mission School and gave them some of the "goodies" I brought. Lunch with the teachers at Good Shepherd and returned to hotel to meet remaining college scholarship recipients. Dinner tonight with Fr. Bustamante and Pastor Trinidad.

Aug 7 - Early morning flight to Manila; changed planes and flew half way back south to Cebu to meet students, but not without incident. Six hour wait in Manila airport and almost a canceled flight. Students waiting for me - two hours late. The weekend is R & R before beginning a strenous schedule for the next two week in seminars with the Charismatic Episcopal Church.

This first week may sound dull with nothing but meeting scholars, getting budgets, looking at grades, photographing children, etc., but this is a very important part of Barnabas Ministries' work in the Philippines. These students could not otherwise go to school were it not for the assistance we give through the generosity of American sponsors.

The support given to these neat young people expresses in a quiet way the Love of God through people who have never met the student they support, but gladly give large bucks to make a dream come true. We are presently preparing a "Wait List" for new high school scholars to be selected in January. Cost is $150 a year. If you want a student, let me know before December 1.

Your financial support to Barnabas Ministries makes possible our continued mission work and your prayers assure me of your standing with me in this work. I thank God for the opportunity to be able to show care and love to these young people.

Now with the scholarship work finished for this trip, next week Hugh Kaiser joins me, and we start two weeks of streneous schedule teaching CONVERGENCE for the Charismatic Episcopal Church in three different areas of the country.

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