Miles Ahead in Manila
A lot has taken place over the last two months in Metro Manila. Through prayer and the Lord’s leading, Miles was able to visit the Philippines for four days at the beginning of September. This type of visit would normally follow 6-8 months of work. Yet, Miles Ahead team members have only been on the ground a total of ten days in preparation for the festival. That’s how fast God is working! It was a whirlwind trip. God is obviously orchestrating an amazing opportunity. During this initial visit Miles spoke to 1200 youth on Sunday night. Over 200 responded to the message to give their hearts to Christ. The following day, over 1200 pastors and leaders gathered for a vision casting meeting to learn more about a Do Something Festival. We saw over 500 churches come together to consider this opportunity for a Festival in February/March 2011. Shortly after this session all of the senior church leaders of Manila issued Miles and the Miles Ahead team an official invitation to come and hold a festival in their city. Each leader had even signed the document!
Manila Underwater
On Sept 26th, just three weeks following Miles’ visit, many Manila citizens managed to save only the clothes on their backs as a tropical storm set off the worst flooding in four decades to the Philippine capital. Miles Ahead Festival Director Tim Innes barely missed the downpour, being scheduled to fly in just two days after the storm hit. The visit was initially planned to continue the work in Manila and to begin building leadership for the Festival in 2011. But the need to send aid to the flood victims became abundantly clear during the first hours on the ground. Three million people had been affected by the flooding. With over 300 people reported dead in only the first week, and roughly 80% of Manila underwater, disease was likely to kill many more in the weeks to come.
Doomed by geography and crippled by poverty, the Philippines had long tried to minimize the damage caused by the 20 or so typhoons that hit every year. With its underdeveloped infrastructure there is nowhere for the garbage to go. Sewage water flows together with rain water, disease is rampant. One relief center housed 2,000 people and around 500 families; 21 families per room, with shared mats or bare concrete. Sickness was already beginning…people complaining of stomach flu and dysentery.
God at Work in the midst of the Calamity
Pastor Gilbert of Destiny Ministries is one of the partners for the 2011 festival and his church was in the heart of the flood zone. His home was flooded and his car totally submerged. He moved his services to the roof top of his in-laws home and people waded through the flooded street to attend church. Many received food for a day, but more importantly, they received the love of Christ and many made decisions for Christ!
The following day, Tim went with Bishop Chito Sanches to bring food and aid to Pinagbuhaten (suburb of Metro Manila), a poor community where drugs, gangs and street kids go unnoticed and uncared for. Bishop Sanches has been a tremendous support to Miles Ahead in the early stages for the Festival. Their ministry has an orphanage with thirty children, the youngest being four years old. They drove through chest high water in a two and half ton army truck to get to the orphanage. Tim waded into the water with Bishop Sanches and worked to bring food to over 300 families, many who had not eaten for several days since the Typhoon hit.
Do Something in Manila
Through funds given from San Diego, Miles Ahead was able to purchase enough food to feed 10,000 people. A team of 30 volunteers worked overnight to assemble food packs. Those packs were then distributed to six ministry partners who distributed the food in the hardest hit areas.
In addition to this, the Rock Church in San Diego collected five pallets of aid to assist the ongoing efforts on the ground.
God allowed us to partner with our relationships in Manila and, in a very tangible way, do something, to show the love of Christ to their community. Please pray for all those who have been affected. Also, please consider giving a special gift toward the Festival work as we move forward. Our work in Manila has just begun. As the church continues to assist in recovery, we will be challenging them via the Do Something Festival to continue to be salt and light in the midst of the challenges and struggles that lie ahead.
