We (Jesse & Chelsey) have been back in the U.S. for a couple of weeks – spending time with Believers churches to connect, work alongside, and plan for the upcoming year. While we are away, the ministry in the Philippines has not been on hold!

Our university ministry, Street Level has been active with Bible studies in Cebu, Toledo and Tagbilaran. Along with that, there has been many outreaches to connect with students as they come back into the city. They also hosted a Tong-its Tournament and have been opening the office up on Saturdays to serve as a free study space for students.

Additionally, we are nearing the arrival of a team from Believers City Church which means there will be Ministry Training Institute classes, a Youth Leader Summit, and other ministry happening in full force. We are looking forward to connecting with the pastors, church leaders and youth who will be involved in that.

We appreciate your prayers for these ministry endeavors, and are excited to see what God will do in the months ahead.

As students are starting to come back to the city, we are looking forward to kicking off a new semester in our university ministry, Street Level. August will be a month full of trying to connect with students. It is a little overwhelming just how many universities and students there are in Cebu City (in addition to Toledo and Tagbilaran where we also have groups). We just have to trust that God will make our paths cross with the right ones.

For Street Level this past week, we had a panel discussion with Andy & Laura, a couple from Believers City Church in Wisconsin. They shared a bit of their stories of how God got their attention while they were in university, and how they have lived out their lives because of their faith – specifically in the area of work. Talking about how being a Christian every area of life is so important so we don’t compartmentalize our life, but instead live out our faith in a way that has actual impact on the world around us.

Starting in August, we are opening our space in Cebu on Saturdays as a free study space for students. We are also looking forward to hosting some events, like a trivia night and a tongits tournament! We are excited to see what God will do this semester!

Summer vacation definitely doesn’t exist in ministry, and thank God for that. We have been blessed to be busy with what God is doing in and around Cebu these past couple months. Here’s a little recap of what has been going on.

In June a team from Believers City Church in Wisconsin joined us for an intensive few weeks filled with Ministry Training Institutes, a Youth Leader Summit, a youth group night, church, a creative writing workshop, a university pop-up Bible study, and Street Level Ministries in Cebu. It is easy to focus on the events, but interwoven through all of it is the relationships that form before, during and after. We met many new friends during these events, and grew deeper in the relationships that have been forming over the years. It is a joy to spend time with pastors, church leaders, and youth who are seeking to serve God and to have that bond together, no matter what side of the planet we are from.

In addition to those scheduled events, we have also taken time to just hang out with those who are part of our church and campus ministry in Cebu – celebrating birthdays and graduations, playing games, and even learning some new art skills!

In July we officially kicked off Street Level Ministries Tagbilaran, which is an exciting new chapter to open. A few members from Cebu joined with a regular attender of our pop-up studies and we spent the morning inviting students – and people showed up! We will now be meeting on the 1st Thursday of each month for dinner and Bible discussion and are looking forward to seeing what God does on Bohol.

This past Saturday we hosted a Printmaking Art Day at our Cebu space. Students and recent grads from all over the city came to enjoy a creative day making their own rubber stamp and a few prints. It was fun to see all the different styles, and the final products were pretty impressive!

For church, we are working our way through 2 Corinthians on Sunday evenings. Recently, we have had three students join the School of Ministry too. Thanks to technology we are all able to join the class in Wisconsin, which is a great opportunity for us.

Looking ahead, we are gearing up for the next semester with many outreaches and events being planned with our university crew. Beyond that, preparations are underway for the next MTI classes and Youth events – so stay tuned for those updates soon! If you pray for Shofar Mission, we truly appreciate it.

We arrived in Tagbilaran this week, ready for action. Street Level members from Cebu along with a couple team members spent the day flyering outside of University of Bohol and Bohol Island State University, spreading the word for a pop-up Bible study that evening.

At the same time, we hosted a Ministry Training Institute and got to meet some local pastors and ministry workers. Even though it was the fourth time teaching this material, it was revitalized with a new class and new insights. It was good to get to know those who attended.

The Street Level Bible study had a few returning guests and a few new guests who came from the flyers. Pastor Jesse taught on John 12:1-8, the story of Mary pouring oil on Jesus’ feet and how we need to give up our security (and everything else!) to follow Jesus. While enjoying some coffee and treats, we discussed our own experiences following Jesus.