Blog
Kingdom Fiesta 2013!
Our team has just returned from Beirut, Lebanon, after hosting our 6th annual Kingdom Fiesta at the Middle East LIFE Center! Each night was packed out as churches from all around the city came together to celebrate and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This event has become such a great tool to reach out to the Arabic community, as parents come to support the kids in our Spring of LIFE School or employers will come and watch their employees perform with their church groups. Dozens of people came forward each night to receive Jesus and what He has done on their behalf.
Additionally we have many more people coming to the center everyday looking for help and hope as tens of thousands of refugees continue to flee Syria into Lebanon. We are blessed to work with at team of leaders at the Middle East LIFE Center who are able to meet these precious ones right where they are at and help provide for some of their needs.
Below are some photos from Kingdom Fiesta as well as some of the various ministry with the refugee families-
Refugee Outreach
For many of the past months due to the civil and political unrest in neighboring Syria, we have seen hundreds of people flee to Lebanon for asylum, and many have ended up in our own neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud in Beirut. We have been able to provide food packages and clothing for many of these families and some of the children have started to attend our Spring of Life school.
This month we were able to host many of the families in our newly renovated conference hall where we had a childrens program, a big meal for all and of course were able to share the Gospel! Even though a majority of these families come from Muslim backgrounds, we have found them to be very responsive to the all encompassing love of Jesus. God is doing awesome things in the Middle East. Check out so of the photos from the most recent outreach below.
Philippines- Update
New Plans for Orphanage
A new parcel of land adjacent to our current Mission Center campus was donated to the ministry earlier this year. We are excited for the possibilities this now offers, including plans to build an orphanage to serve the many street children of the area. Once completed this LIFE Home will house up to 35 kids and give them a new hope in life. Plans are also underway to acquire more surrounding property in hopes of building an elementary school to serve the whole neighborhood.
The Mutual Faith Channel
The Mutual Faith Channel continues to be a beacon of light in and around the General Santos City area of the Philippines. The 24 hour channel is currently the only Christian programming offered in the area and has been instrumental in starting new church plants in the region after many people have come to Jesus. Not only do we air teachings from partner churches of the ministry, but the team has also been successful in launching local programming which has been received very well.
Feeding Program!
Posted on March 15, 2012
In addition to our 24-hour TV station and the ministry that takes place with our team in the Philippines, many different feeding programs take place throughout the year. To celebrate his 49th birthday, our team leader Johnny DeVila decided to bring one of these feeding programs to the kids in the city. Over 100 people got a full meal that day and also heard the good news that God loves them completely!
Valentines Youth Day Celebration
Posted on February 14, 2012
Our team in the Philippines just held a great event for youth in their area as they hosted a special Valentines Celebration at our Mission Center. About one hundred youth came out as Pastor Johnny shared on the subject, “Are You In Love?”
Many of the attendees rededicated their lives to the Lord that day as they worshiped and studied the word. After the celebration, a special meal was provided for all whom attended. Check out a few of the pictures below-
Mass Weddings!
Posted on September 25, 2011
One thing that was recently done in the Philippines was to host a “mass wedding,” for about a hundred couples! These are very poor people who could not afford to host a proper wedding on their own! It was awesome! About 1300 showed up to celebrate, and it was the perfect environment too, to share of God’s unfailing love for each of us!
Originally posted March 25, 2011:
Life Leadership Institute Graduation!
Twenty-one people have just graduated from the LIFE Leadership Institute in the Philippines! On the day of graduation, the students went to the local neighborhoods to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Nearly 100 new people came out that night to hear more about this Jesus and what he did for them.
Below are some pictures from the graduation ceremonies. Please keep these brothers and sisters in your prayers and they continue to share the Gospel.
Published on February 21, 2011…
New Salvations & Baptisms
New reports of salvations and church plants are constantly coming from our Mutual Faith Team in the Philippines. Our latest report from Pastor Johnny and Josephine is below…
He writes…
“Today, I visited two of our churches in South cotabato. And, I am so glad to know that they are all growing in faith and also in numbers. In the morning, I spoke in Fatima Village and in the afternoon in Litan Village. God is really good. This coming Feb. 25, we are going to conduct a crusade in Pangyan, Glan, Sarangani Province. We are going to plant another church branch in this area. Please pray for God’s provision and protection. Pray also that God will touch the hearts of the people in this area, that they will open their hearts to listen to the words of God. This is a whole day evangelistic meeting. We will be providing lunch and used clothing.
Attached photos taken during the water baptism of the ten souls saved during our evangelistic meeting in our church last Saturday. The water baptism was officiated by my wife Josephine. Glory to God!”
Church Plant Update- Originally posted October 29, 2010
Another new church has just been planted on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines; this time in the village of Polomolok. Check out the few pictures from the ribbon cutting and first service with Pastor Johnny DeVila. We also have a few images from Pastor Josephine DeVila teaching at our newest Life Leadership Institute in the village of Fatima. We continue to thank God as the Gospel of Jesus is spread throughout this whole region…
Originally Posted on September 22, 2010:
Pastor Johnny DeVila of the Philippines just updated us on their newest church plant in Greenville, Calumpang this past weekend.
The new church now meets in an old store front, where the store owner was healed from a tumor in a her body after watching the Mutual Faith Channel. The lady had been stuck in the hospital, given only 3 months to live, when she saw the message of Jesus on the TV. Now, 6 months later, her whole family has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and dedicated their lives to the ministry!
The first church meeting kicked off this weekend with 11 families. Pastor Johnny believes it will grow fast since people are seeing many miracles in this area as they hear about the love and grace of Jesus. Please keep the church family in your prayers as they continue to grow in the ways of the Lord and spread the Good News!
Posted August 11, 2010
We just received news of a new church plant from our team in the Philippines. Our team reports that they have just launched a new church in the Muslim strong hold village of Litan. The response has been so overwhelming that they are already planning another church plant in a nearby village next month.
MFM Leader Johnny deVilla reports,
“The chief village captain in this area is a strong member of our church here. He asked the villagers to come every Sunday. Some were in standing position because the chuch is filled already and they don’t have enough chairs… by the way several members of the new church in Litan Village were Muslim. Even the chief captain who is now a believer was raised Muslim. Glory to God!”
Indeed, Glory to God!
Pastors Seminar Costa Rica
What a joy to host Pastors and leaders for a teaching seminar in Limon, Costa Rica. Don and Marjorie Korach, directors of Mutual Faith Latin America were with us as well. The teaching focused on showing leaders how to minister in simplicity the revelation – “we are accepted in the Beloved!” What a freedom people find when they know that God and Jesus cut a New Covenant and we are “included” by our faith in Christ!
New Bible Institutes
We are excited to be launching new Bible Institutes throughout Latin America! In fact, we were blessed to be ministering this month in Cartagena, Colombia. The joy of the people receiving God’s Word is so precious! We carry the “precious seed,” the truth of what Jesus has done on their behalf – and by “faith” they accept their acceptance in Christ! Beautiful! Training leaders in this region is so key!
Run 4 Beirut 2012
Our team in Beirut, Lebanon has successfully completed another year at the Beirut Marathon’s 10K event. This year a total of 33 people from Mutual Faith participated. As the team ran, witnessed and enjoyed the day, they were being financially sponsored by friends and businesses in Beirut, to assist with the training of the children that attend our Spring Of Life School at the Middle East LIFE CENTER. Each year scores of people run to raise funds and awareness for our Spring of Life school that reaches disadvantaged and disenfranchised kids throughout the Nabaa area.
News from Ghana
We have just received an update from our team in Ghana, West Africa, where we have a Life Restoration Center for women and children whom have been trapped in Trokosi Slavery and those who are at risk.
As is custom with the ancient practice of Trokosi Slavery, many women are forced to leave their families and live at temple shrines to pay for the sins of their ancestors. They are often raped by the shrine priests.
Six new women have just entered our 3 month program where they study the word of God, learn their value in Christ, and also learn a trade support themselves and their families. At the end of the program, they are given some seed money to start their own businesses. As you can see in the pictures below, the women learn a variety of things including baking, jewelry making and how to work with batik fabrics.
Also on campus we have a church where we are able to reach out to the surrounding community. The center is located in a very rural area called the Volta Region, about a 4 hour drive away from the capital city of Accra, and has been a beacon of light to the community.
For more information on the Restoration Life Center, visit this link by clicking here.
Guatemala LIFE Homes Update
Great things are happening at the LIFE Homes in Guatemala. The kids onsite ranging in age from infant to 16 continue to grow in the love of Christ and gain skills to lead a productive life. Many of these children come from horrible situations where they had either been abandoned or removed from their homes for abuse.
About half of the kids that come to the LIFE Homes through government placement are HIV positive, but through proper care, medicine, and prayer, most no longer have the virus visible in their bodies.
The government in Guatemala has become more involved with children at risk and placing children at the LIFE Homes, they have been very please with how the children have been raised and taken care of.
As we continue to look for ways to create revenue to support the LIFE Homes, we have been working on our Avocado project and just received a donation for an irrigation system! This is such a blessing as it will help maintain the project without lot of meticulous work. Once these agricultural projects start creating funds in the coming years, the Homes won’t be as dependent on the generous giving of others.
As you pray for the children at the LIFE Homes, please also pray that we are able to acquire a reliable vehicle for the Homes soon. One of our vans was in an accident back in December and still hasn’t been able to be repaired.
Remember, as we join our faith, we can change our world!
Return to the Ivory Coast
We are happy to announce that after last year’s civil uprising, our MFM Representative Mwepu Fernando & his family have been reunited and returned to the Ivory Coast. Tensions in the country last year had caused them to flee to the neighboring country of DR Congo for safety. Although our ministry car had been taken during the war, our offices are still intact and new ministry has started to flourish in the city as they continue to share the Gospel of Jesus.
Just recently, a leadership conference was held with over 250 Pastors and leaders from the city. Some of the pictures from the event are posted below. Please continue to pray for our team and the other ministers of Gospel as they continue to share God’s love in this war-torn city.
