Global Sharing Spotlight:

CASTILLEJOS, Philippines

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As we welcome in 2021, our GS team of staff and volunteers is praying for the world to open up again. While we wait, we invite you to explore with us the regions where our global ministry partners work. These places are unique and vibrant, each boasting their own special beauty. And the people? Well, we believe the people are extraordinary. And we think once you get to know them better, you will too. So we invite you to venture out with us virtually as we celebrate the people, places, and ministries God has called us to serve around the world.

ON THE MAP

Just three or so hours away from busy Manila, the town of Castillejos is nestled snugly between the region’s lush mountain jungles and the South China Sea. Cheerful and unpretentious, the 60,000+ people who live in this densely populated area are hard working folk. Colorful jeepneys tote tourists to and from nearby beaches and to local markets filled with tantalizing fruit and cheap souvenirs. The relentless tropical heat is often broken when the heavens burst open and douse this hidden gem with a cooling downpour. The heat soon returns and life goes on.

HISTORY

Not far away, Mt. Pinatubo stands tall over all and has made its presence felt most acutely in this northwestern corner of the Philippines. It was nearly three decades ago that this sleeping giant came roaring to life, angrily spitting fire. The explosion produced high-speed avalanches of hot lava and gas, giant mudflows, and a cloud of volcanic ash hundreds of miles across. The largest volcanic eruption in history to affect a densely populated area, nearly 1,000 indigenous people lost their lives and an estimated 20,000 were displaced into resettlement camps.

These are known as the Aeta, dwelling in remote mountain villages, easily forgotten by in the swirling in the hustle and bustle of Castillejos. While their way of life has been mostly untouched by either the history of colonization or the modern forces of progress relentlessly pushing forward, it was drastically altered by the angry Pinatubo. With soil turned to ash, the fields they had farmed were now infertile, and their subsistence existence in jeopardy. This has kept many in severe poverty and nearly 30 years later still with little to no resources or work. However, one organization is devoted to improving the future for the Aeta.

MINISTRY

Since the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, God has inspired Wilson and Cora Ladringan, a godly, dynamic couple, to break the chains of poverty through education and bring the gospel to the Aeta people. They founded To God Be The Glory Ministries which holistically addresses the needs of the indigenous Aeta with education, medical care, vocational training, and spiritual instruction. Today, over 30 graduates of the Ladringan’s school have gone on to become pastors and church planters with over half of them returning to the mountains where many Aeta villages are without the gospel. In addition, To God Be The Glory Christian Academy is a beacon of gospel light, and the only school for the Aeta children and youth living in the dark shadow of Mt. Pinatubo. The school offers free preschool, elementary, and high school education, and vocational training for the Aeta. Boarding the school-aged children from the mountain villages provides them the opportunity to live full time in a Christian environment full of love and godly values. The ministry has not only expanded the Kingdom of God through serving the marginalized Aeta in practical and holistic ways, but it has also positively impacted the region of Castillejos by providing much needed jobs for the community.

TODAY

Global Sharing is proud to partner with Wilson and Cora and their team at To God Be The Glory Ministries and to spread the word about all that they are doing in Castillejos and beyond for God’s Kingdom. To that end, we've connected them with two churches in the US who now actively participate in their work, and we have partnered with them to see 25 more indigenous churches planted in the unreached mountain villages that dot the surrounding region.

While we will continue to offer them the encouragement of friendship, prayer support, and teams of volunteers, we have found that it is they who encourage us by their love for the Aeta people and their faithful service. As they press on, deeper into the mountain villages, continuing to meet basic needs in creative, holistic ways, we will continue to tell their story, support them how and when we can, and invite you to join us in walking the Kingdom path with them.

PRAYER POINTS

• For To God Be The Glory Ministries to continue their work in the region in favor with government officials, local leaders and the community that surrounds them.

• For protection over the team, ministry staff, students, and pastors for the spiritual battle is raging.

• For the teachers who are visiting the children weekly and bringing school to them in the mountain villages.

• For the parents the teachers are engaging during their visits, that their hearts would be soft and receptive to the gospel.

• For relief from the COVID virus and its hold on the nations.

• For the bakery project to vocationally train many Aeta.

• For leadership transitions as Wilson and Cora plan retirement.

THANK YOU

Thank you for making our partnership with To God Be The Glory Ministries thrive. Thank you for praying for these partners and the beautiful people of Castillejos they serve. Thank you for seeing the challenges and being part of bringing change to this corner of the world. We press on with your help, and we press on because the hope and healing of Jesus is the only change that will last.

To receive our prayer email updates for our partners, click HERE.

To give to To God Be the Glory Ministries through Global Sharing, click HERE.

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The beautiful photos shown in this email were taken by Lauren Wells while on a service and ministry trip to Castillejos with Global Sharing in 2019. Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your time and talent and so poignantly capturing for us the heart and soul of the region and the people.

A New GS Partner: Global Recordings Network

Global Recordings Network knows the power of storytelling. In terms of our faith, storytelling has been an effective means of spreading the gospel for millennia and it will continue to be a powerful witness in this century and beyond. More than two-thirds of the world's population are oral communicators and that means they are people who prefer to learn and communicate using oral rather than written methods. GRN is passionate about telling the story of Jesus to the people in these communities and others who might otherwise never encounter Christ. They create and distribute audio recordings of Bible stories in over 6300 languages! With the help of these recordings, GRN missionary teams have been introducing people to Jesus since 1939.

Over the past few years, Global Sharing has been nurturing a connection with GRN, praying to be of service to them and looking for the right opportunity to build a bridge for their ministry. That day came when I was able to connect Roland Heck, a GRN missionary, with Home Jamang, our partner in Northern India. Roland was looking for a contact within the closed country of Bhutan; Bhutan has always been on Home's heart and Home just happens to have the connection Roland needs. They are both excited to forge a partnership to reach the unreached people of Luana with the stories of Jesus and His amazing gospel of grace. And Global Sharing is excited for the opportunity to continue walking out our mission, building another bridge of connection and facilitating another partnership within the field.

Here's a little background on this exciting new project provided by Roland:

Only one thousand or so Lunape people live in Lunana, which is considered the most remote village in Bhutan. Some even say that it is one of the most remote places in the world. To reach Lunana, one must take a long drive on rough roads followed by a multi-day hike over multiple high mountain passes. Experienced travelers usually need more than a week to complete the hiking portion of the journey.

Lunana sits at an altitude of over 11,000 ft. The region is extremely cold and harsh for most of the year. Crops do not grow well there. Therefore, most people are yak and sheepherders. The climate is so harsh that students only attend school for a few months of the year.

There are currently no churches or believers in Lunana. The difficult hike to the village and the harsh climate have made it difficult for people to bring the Good News to the people there. Further, the government has forbidden foreigners to travel to Lunana.

The Lunape are Tibetan Buddhists. There are currently no Gospel resources or translations in the Lunanakha language. In addition, there are no plans to create such resources. Because of inaccessibility and restrictions, the Lunape have very little access to the outside world, including the Gospel.

The Lunape are unengaged, which means that no one is actively trying to reach this people group, but that will change as this project is launched! We covet your prayers as we step out in faith and take the gospel to another unreached people group.

For more information on GRN, Lunana, or how to help move this project along, contact me at ron@globalsharingusa.org! I would love to talk about it!

Homeless Ministry: On This Side of the Pond

In our “almost” monthly updates, we’ve brought to life stories of life-change that God is accomplishing around the world (out there…) through our partnerships with you. Today I want to share with you the life changing work God is doing on “this side of the pond!” We like to say Jesus wants us to blossom here, there, and everywhere, quoting Acts 1:8. God has amazed us in what He has brought about right before our eyes, here!

One of my friends sent me an hour long video entitled, “Seattle is Dying.” It was difficult to sit through both because of its length but more so due to the stark reality of its content: homelessness, drugs, and a deteriorating society all happening right before our eyes. It was disturbing to me and Dorie as we viewed it last Sunday, parked and overlooking the ocean in Pismo Beach, drinking our coffees, due to being “early” for our church service that morning. Our thoughts went from Seattle to our little own town facing the same issues and the reality of drugs and the homelessness they continue to bring into a disturbingly larger percentage of our population.

As followers of Jesus, how do we address this? There are different options:

• Ignore it (as if it will go away).

• Give out one-way tickets to Arizona (they love us for that).

• Get on the cases of our city council (as if it’s solely their problem).

• Ask local churches to address the issue (but many are too busy keeping their numbers up).

How does Global Sharing address this?

In 2003, I gathered a team to start Celebrate Recovery, a Christian 12-step addiction program that introduces Jesus into the equation of lives gone wrong. In 2015, several brave souls started Tunnel Vision: an early Sunday AM attempt to connect the homeless with a cup of coffee, a hot breakfast burrito (thank you Scott Lipscomb), and a huge heart of love. No one would have ever dreamed we’d be where this ministry is today. During our first days, policemen would drive up and say we were wasting our time. We’d respond, “But if just one of these folks gets turned right side up in life, your job would be easier, wouldn’t it?” Reluctantly, they had to concede. Today, they support, recommend, and give us a thumbs up sign as they drive by, seeing typically 10 ministry workers and about the same number of homeless. And lives are being changed too. I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to see a life transformed by Jesus before your very eyes.

Several weeks ago five of us went to visit our homeless friend Neil who’d been hit by a car and was now paralyzed from the waist down. He had been transferred to Southern California to recover from the accident. More satisfying than the look in his surprised eyes when we showed up was seeing the three men, themselves transformed by Christ and off our streets, ministering to a dear brother whom they’ve come to love. Only through the powerful love of Jesus!

It’s all about raw ministry: pizza, drugs, alcohol, anger, deception, love, belonging, laughter, Spirit sensitivity, more pizza, transparency, crying, simple prayers, genuine worship, did I mention pizza? Everyone discovering God for themselves and what He is saying to them through the Word. This is our Thursday nights called “The Gathering.” I believe it is one of the closest examples of Jesus’ description of His Church. It is such a joy to do it with many of YOU. Thank you.

Global Sharing is:

Challenging God’s people

to Connect with God’s Plan

to Change God’s World

I like that. A lot of God, a little of us! He’s doing it through us, together!

Come check us out on a Thursday, 6:00pm, The Gathering, at the Global Sharing Office, 5850 El Camino Real, Atascadero.

Come check us out on a Sunday between 6:00-8:00am, The Tunnel Vision Ministry, at the Atascadero Sunken Gardens.

If you’d like to help with the costs of this outreach click here.

Again, thank you for your partnership in these things. We could not do what we do without you, and God is using you in mighty ways to change the world…around the globe and right here at home too.