Read the latest news from Shofar Mission in Cebu City, Philippines.

Quarantined

Since our last update, Cebu City went from Enhanced Community Quarantine to General Community Quarantine, and back to Enhanced Community Quarantine. Simply put, we went from a strict lockdown to a slightly less strict lockdown, and back. For the two weeks of GCQ, we could bike to and from the office every day. This was really refreshing after so many weeks at home. God “threw us a bone” by letting more businesses open up and residents move around. Unfortunately, that prompted virus cases to rise, putting us back in ECQ.

Back to Basics

One thing that God taught us throughout this pandemic is to go back to the basics. It can be easy to get caught up in the machine (projects) and neglect the organic (people). Over the past few months, we’ve communicated with people a lot since we’re all stuck at home. We’ve also taken time to assess what we’re doing and why, asking God to teach us and help us apply those things when we get out from lockdown. One thing’s for sure… He has made it clear how important it is to… s l o w… d o w n.

Getting Creative

God has also taught us (in very practical ways) to be creative. Even daily life here requires creativity – especially when you take turns walking/biking to/from the grocery store alone… you make do with what you can find that day and fit in your backpack. In terms of ministry, we have learned how to exploit the technology we have as much as possible to reach people.

Laura implemented virtual science lessons for the summer and has successfully taught lessons to the JFB homeschool group and one of the Christian schools here in Cebu. She also uses social media to regularly share resources that help students/parents/teachers grow in their understanding of how faith and science work together. Most recently, Laura has been working on daily Bible readings for students in grades 4-6 and 7-12. These readings are to encourage students to know their Bibles and why they believe what’s in it.

Brittany has stayed in touch with the Street Level Ministries students digitally. Some have “checked out,” but others have stepped up in their commitment to the Lord. We have a group video call on Fridays, which is open to any student to join and share what they’ve been up to. Usually, 2-3 students join for fellowship. A few students are still volunteering for WOTS and SLR – as much as they can remotely. We recently started a weekly Digital Small Group, where we walk through practical discipleship material over a group audio call. These small groups are open to all SLM members and designed to be small for open discussion and accountability. So far, three ladies have committed to meet each week.

Looking Forward

We don’t know what the next few months will hold – whether we’ll be 100% online, 50% online, or 100% in person. However, God has proven faithful these past months and equipped us to face every challenge He allowed. We look forward to seeing what He’ll do next and are thankful to continue ministering here in the Philippines.

Prayer Requests:

• Our government leaders to make wise decisions regarding quarantines and the “new normal”
• Educational leaders to plan wisely for the upcoming school year
• The growth and health of churches throughout the Philippines – for the pastors to lead well, the churches to be united, creative ways to minister, and patience and endurance for the believers
• The students and staff that we work with to stay strong in their faith and resolute in their obedience to Christ