Colorful  September …

This   month started with a five-day visit to Bicol of our National Director Kuya Erickson Velardo with his wife Ate Dot and their two children Zeik and Jhad.They visited Naga on September 5, wherein Kuya Erickson gave a talk in our Large Group fellowship at the IV Center and Ate Dot gave a song writing workshop and blessed the students with her songs, sense of humor and beautiful voice. It was a fulfilling time with us because the IVPM and RAC also had the opportunity to have dinner and fellowship with them. Before we formally ended the fellowship we all prayed for Kuya Erickson and his family and he blessed us with a prayer in return. It was a very meaningful and joyous time for everybody. Even the children enjoyed and had a great time with Zeik and Jhad.

Last September 18 we had a feeding program in Talidtid, Canaman Cam. Sur where we ministered to more than 100 children. This was done simultaneous to Naga’s 6-day local holiday in celebration of the Peñafracia Fiesta.  We took the opportunity to have this activity on time with the holiday and have ample time to minister to these children. They learned some action songs, played games, watched a “Pag-ibig ng Diyos” skit and enjoyed the food we cooked for them. Seeing them so happy and full made our hearts swell with satisfaction.

As Bicol got busy with the fiesta my family and I also celebrated Charlize’s 3rd birthday last September 16. Thanks to my parents and sister who helped us in the preparations. My mom baked her birthday cake too?. Our daughter enjoyed the presence of her cousins, relatives and playmates.  It was also a joyous and memorable occasion for the rest of the family especially because my dad’s with us on vacation and my siblings and their respective spouse were all present. My daughter indeed had a great birthday!

And on September 22 Jay and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. We thank the Lord for the years of joy, miracles, challenges and journey of faith in the Lord. We also thank the Lord everyday for giving us our daughter who really is a great gift to us. God makes our family life complete, happy and colorful because of her. May the Lord continue to pour out many more blessings to our family as we continue to live a life of obedience and faithfulness and may He find all our prayers  in accordance to His perfect will.

Serving and trusting,
Daphne

My prayer requests:

• Please pray for good health. For my cholesterol level and liver enzymes to normalize (blood test showed I have high cholesterol level and high liver enzymes) and for a perfectly healthy reproductive system.
• Please pray for my preparations for LCDC. Strength and good health during the camp and wisdom and enabling power of the Lord as I deliver my talk on Personhood and Counseling.
• Financial provisions. My husband and I are planning to get a low-cost house and lot unit this year. We will need P10,000.00 for reservation fee.
• We are targeting at least 60 official and committed members for this school year. We already have around 30. Please help us pray as we accomplish this task by introducing unbelievers to Christ.

And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
Isaiah 58:11 (TLB)

Greetings to all our praying partners!

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Do not be afraid for I am with you.” Isaiah 43:1b and 5a
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wastelands.” Isaiah 43:18-19

You are Mine
(Taken from Isaiah 43)
(Text and Tune: David Haas, b. 1957)
(© 1991, GIA Publications, Inc.)

I will come to you in the silence,
I will lift you from all your fear,
You will hear my voice,
I claim you as my choice,
Be still and know I am here,

I am hope for all who are hopeless,
I am eyes for all who long to see,
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light,
Come and rest in me.

Refrain:
Do not be afraid I am with you.
I have called you each by name.
Come and follow me,
I will bring you home;
I love you and you are mine.

I am strength for all the despairing,
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame.
All the blind will see,
The lame will all run free,
And all will know my name. (Refrain)

I am the Word that leads all to freedom,
I am the Peace the world cannot give.
I will call your name,
Embracing all your pain,
Stand up, now walk, and live! (Refrain)

The Past

We thank God who gave us a house to live in last school year, through Jenny’s sister in Bulacan and through Ramon’s sister in Cebu.  IVCF also gave us free housing when we served at the national office last school year. We thank God for having been assigned in Manila during the crucial last few months of Jenny’s father. We thank God for his abundant grace for Ramon to faithfully hold the fort as OIC-National Director of IVCF last school year, and for Jenny as she spearheaded the regionalization of IVCF Metro Manila.

We thank God for supportive friends and prayer partners in the ministry who encouraged us with words and gifts and lifted us up to God in prayer.

The Present

We thank God for bringing us to our new home: Davao.  Our house is not free though.  We are renting a studio on the fourth floor of a three-year-old building.  Pretty new!  No rats, now cockroaches!  Well, also, no furniture and appliances.  But we thank God for some friends who shared their love.  We now have a new refrigerator, stove, rice cooker, electric fans, dining chairs and table, and beds.

It’s our first time to live in Davao even though we have been here many a times before.  It is also our first time to be parents.  On our twelfth year of marriage, we decided to help our growing family (Jenny’s side) raise up some of our nephews and nieces.  We brought with us Gary (16) and Grasya (11) who willingly joined us in our journey to Davao.  They are now enrolled as first year students at the University of Mindanao and Davao City National High School.

We are now facing challenges in the IVCF work in Southern Mindanao.  Ramon leads the team of staff in the region.  Jasher Gasataya is the staff based in Marbel.  Darby Aspacio is the staff based in Tagum.  Ramon and Jenny are based in Davao.  We are blessed to have volunteer co-workers spread all over Southern Mindanao.

Here are our ministry prayer requests:

1.  May we have regular meetings for college students to reach other college students in Davao campuses, namely University of Southeastern Philippines, San Pedro College, Brokenshire College, Ateneo de Davao University, and University of Mindanao.

2.  We have not yet received permission from three high school principals for ISCF to operate at Davao City National High School, Davao Christian High School and Brokenshire College High School Department.  Pray for wisdom on what to do to share the gospel of Christ to high school students.

3.  Preparations are now going on for the October Leadership Camp-Discipleship Camp and Counselors’ Training Camp.  Thank God for our student leaders who willingly took up responsibilities to run this camp.  Pray for wisdom and the Holy Spirit’s guidance for them and for the speakers.  Pray for provision for and availability of campers.  Pray for us as we coach the student leaders from preparation to evaluation.

Here are our personal prayer requests:

1.  Ramon’s mom in Cebu and Jenny’s mom in Bulacan are in their mid-70s.  Pray for us for wisdom as we provide care for them from a distance.

2.  Gary and Grasya are still learning the ropes of life in Davao and in our household, like we are.  This is our second month together.  Pray for us as first time parents. Both of them already got the flu, an additional challenge to the daily demands of our new family.

3.  Pray for direction from the LORD for our future ministry.  We do not know how long the LORD will have us serve Him in Southern Mindanao and what He wants us to do after that.

Joshua was old and advance in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advance in years, and very much of the land still remains to be possessed.”(Joshua 13:1NRSV)  Prayer:  Teach us, Lord, not to fear our age but to look to you for strength to serve no matter how old or how young we are. Amen (The Upper Room, June 10, 2008)

“See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wastelands.” Isaiah 43: 19

We also would like to know what new thing the LORD is doing in your life.  We’d love to hear from you.  Please share to us also your prayer requests.  We’ll be happy to pray for you.

Your co-sojourners in this desert,

Ramon and Jenny Tecson

“We thank you, God, we thank you—your Name is our favorite word;
your mighty works are all we talk about.” Psalm 75:1 The Message

Hi. How are you? Trusting the Lord that you are blessed in so many ways.  Let us rejoice for His marvelous works in and through us.

Our Ministry…

We had a very fruitful area visit in Bicol last September 4-8.  Students and graduates welcomed us and expressed their support.  We went to Legaspi, Naga, Iriga and Sorsogon.  Erickson shared God’s Words  and gave ministry updates of IVCF Philippines.  He also preached at 2 local churches, one in Legaspi and in Sorsogon.  Dot conducted a couple of workshops on Songwriting and sang in different occasions.  It was a very refreshing experience for us to be teaching and ministering to students and graduates in Bicol.  Zeik and Jahd were so fascinated with the Mayon Volcano.  They also made new friends there.  The four of us had a wonderful time there, meeting old friends and building new ones.

Last September 13, we joined the Prayer Fellowship of alumni and students of SVCF in Los Banos, Laguna.  Aside from giving updates about IVCF, we met with key graduates and student leaders.

Both of us were invited to speak about Love, Courtship, Marriage at SVCF Diliman’s Ladies’ and Gents’ Night.  It was separate yet simultaneous events.  Good thing that the ladies had it at the IVCF Bldg. So Dot was still able to look after the boys.  It is always a joy for us to share not just our love story but also about how God works in and through our family.

Aside from these opportunities, we continued with our usual IVCF assignments and helped at Faith Baptist Church.

Our Family…

Zeik officially finished grade four and is now on a break.  We already sent his exams and grades to the school and ordered his new PACES for grade 5. He is also taking up violin lessons. We are so thankful for Ate Michi Martinez, music professor at UP Diliman and a very good viola player, who takes time to teach him.

Jahd is still in “playschool”. He still enjoys drawing and art crafts.  We are teaching him basic reading, writing and math. Praise the Lord that his astigmatism lowered so now has new lenses.  We enjoy doing a lot of family activities…learning, discovery, and expressing our love for each other.

We celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary last September 17.  Praise the Lord for His love that overflows in our hearts and for each other.  The Lord had blessed us so much in our marriage.  We desire that as we have been blessed, our marriage will continue to be a blessing, too.

Our Prayer Requests…
Praise the Lord for wisdom and eye for details in all ministry assignments, especially for Erickson. Pray for him as he leads the movement. Please pray that we could build good relationships with our people.
Rejoice with us for opportunities of ministering to the students.  Dot is excited to do campus work this coming second semester.
We thank the Lord for our good health. Though we have some body aches and pains due to exhaustion, we are happy that we are strong enough to do our tasks and responsibilities.  All by God’s grace.
For two months in a row, we received on time salaries. Yey! Pray still for provision as we renew Zeik’s enrolment and for his materials.

We rejoice for people like you who journey with us…for inspiring and encouraging us. We are so much blessed and loved.  Sending you all our gratitude, love, and prayers.  God bless you.

In His grace,
Erickson and Dot with Zeik and Jahd