August -November 2010

We want to be the first to take this time to greet you a happy holiday season!

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to each one of you!

May God keep you and bless you,

now and throughout the year

Presently we are in the middle of the YWAM Family Ministries School (FMS) and the Foundations for Family Life Seminars (FFL) 2010.
This week the students have a one week field assignment where they take that which they have learned in the past 6 weeks and begin to apply it to their personal relationships.
For us as staff it is a time to catch up on work such as administration, newsletters and to prepare for the latter 6 weeks of the lecture phase.



First Day of class with A Welcome Message

Classroom 2010

Students from Cambodia


We have been so blessed in this school as God has poured out his healing touch on so many of the students and we have seen so much restoration. This year we have 20 students coming from the Philippines, Mainland China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Denmark & Norway. We have 20 staff who are also from various nations including the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, New Zealand and Thailand. This year our lecturers have come from , Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, Norway, New Zealand and the United States & Denmark. Due to these many nations represented it has brought such an interesting flavor/mix to the school and we are thrilled with all that God is doing and is continuing to do in all of our lives.
Life is certainly interesting when we are living and working in God's Kingdom!



YWAM Baguio Training Centre Dining Room

FMS/FFL Class Picture 2010

FMS/FFL Classroom Staff 2010

FMS/FFL 2010 Children' s Ministry Staff

We always have a welcome night on the first weekend and.....

we always have porky pig present!

...and to counteract all that cholesterol we have plenty of local fruits available!

Another highlight during the school is the special romantic night

Brenda pictured with some of the staff ladies..Mel was away on this special evening driving our guest speaker to Manila to catch his flight. The next day he collected our lecturers for the following week and brought them back to Baguio.

As a staff we transformed the classroom into a restaurant for the students.
..a great evening for all...

Dessert served with fruit punch!

Every week one of our staff ladies decorates the cross according to the topic of the week...
This particular week it was done according to Revelation 22:1-6

Student's children in the home school class.

While the parents are studying in the FMS /FFL we provide a home school for the school age children, a preschool for the 3-5 yr old and a nursery for the babies.

Before the FMS began one of the main things that God spoke to us in our family ministry team prayer times was that this particular school would be
' A Seed School and A Multiplier of Family Ministries ' to other nations..The Lord gave several of us pictures from Him of a Papaya tree which symbolizes this.



Papaya tree heavy with fruit and with much to share to others.

We have seen this happening already as students are expressing the desire to begin a work like this in their own nations.
We were also privileged to have the training leaders from a restricted access nation visit us for five days and Mel & I were able to meet with them and plan for next years ministry in their nation.
Lord willing we will run two new FFL's next year in two restricted access nations here in Asia.

The ripe Papaya fruit ready to eat and with hundreds of seeds.

YWAM Staff and students outside the YWAM Baguio Training Centre

On a personal note we are truly looking froward to our daughter Joanna' s arrival on Nov 28 . She will be home with us for two whole months!!
She has almost completed her first year of teachers college at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute in Tauranga NZ.
Here she is pictured at the end of year school ball..her first by the way.

Then our son Jonathan arrives on December 12 for a few weeks stay as well. He was recently promoted to Assistant Cruise Director with the Norwegian Cruise Lines.
He is presently on the Canada Western Caribbean route .....I think!!

Here he is pictured in his embarkation uniform.

We are so glad to be able to have Christmas together this year as a family! Yipee!!

We would appreciate your prayers for my Dad (Brenda). This past month he has been to hospital three times via ambulance with another heart attack his second this year and some transient-ischaemic attacks.
Today he was confined again to the hospital after collapsing while with friends. It is difficult to help and to understand fully his situation when we are living so far away.

Thank you once again for all that you do on our behalf.

We so appreciate each one of you!!

until next time take care and God Bless

Mel & Brenda