Team Karis has taken on “the Tunnel” as their main ministry while in the Philippines. (Read more about The Tunnel here. See all four stories on the left.) The Tunnel is dark both literally and spiritually. They have nothing and most have given up hope of a better life.
But Karis has gone out daily to meet the families who live there and to develop relationships. Karis is the Greek word for grace and that’s exactly what they’ve shown the families in the tunnel. They have laid the foundation of grace by loving on the poorest and most forgotten families in the Cuatro Community by bringing them food, medicine, the healing power of prayer and most of all, their love through the relationships they’ve built. But when Karis leaves who will visit these families? Who will love them, care for them, offer them food and the power of prayer?
When I first arrived in the Philippines, I was introduced to some ladies in the Cuatro Community who attend the local church here. I instantly fell in love with these ladies and joined their Bible study. Last years World Race team started this Bible study and these ladies have been going strong ever since. These ladies invited me into their squatter homes and we’ve shared Cokes, sticky rice, cheese fries and A LOT of laughs over the last few weeks as they’ve listened to me try to learn words in Ta-ga-log, the Filipino language.
I asked God what impact he wanted to make through me while in the Philippines, specifically with these ladies. I prayed God would fortify their marriages, for their families, health issues, and their financial problems. I prayed he would expand their Bible study and multiply the fruit that has already been produced in this community.
These ladies are strong in their faith with the Lord. They know the hope he has given them even in the midst of their poverty – they are rich and so full of love and life. So I asked them if we could reach out to more ladies in the community who don’t yet know Jesus and invite them in as well. After a few days of not much effort, I wondered how this was going to happen. I mean these ladies have families of their own and struggles of their own that challenge their faith daily. What do they have left to give to another person in need? And then God said to me, “Take them to the Tunnel.”
I began to see this vision of the ladies of the Bible study bridging the gap into the Tunnel and carrying on what Karis began. So I asked some of the Bible study ladies to come with me to the tunnel this past Monday. They didn’t sound very excited, so I had low expectations. But Monday morning rolled around and there were 4 ladies ready to go. So I grabbed my teammate, Angi, and we all headed for the Tunnel. These ladies hadn’t had real connections with those in the tunnel for 10 years.
I wanted to connect these ladies to those same families that Karis had formed relationships with hoping that they would continue to visit the 
Tunnel community every so often. We met up with Jason, who lives in the Tunnel and he introduced us to a bunch of different families. We visited Bebenchiai and Theresa who are 70 and 80 years old. Bibenchia has about 1 month left to live and has utterly given up hope on life. They wanted us to pray for them so we laid hands on them and prayed for God to restore their hope and healing.
We visited their neighbors, big Lita and small Lita, chatted with them for a while and invited them to the ladies Bible study. I was surprised when they said they actually wanted to go. We prayed for them and then I asked Maricel and Elena to pray for them and it was an amazing time of prayer.
We passed by some folks who were clearly drunk (remember we were their in the morning, so we’re talking 10 am). I noticed one of them was the same women who I randomly met last week who had been celebrating her birthday. She was with friends, again around 10 am drinking vodka and eating fish and motioned for me to come over and take her picture. So I did. All I knew then was she was drunk and celebrating her 40th birthday.
So we pass by her and those same friends she was with last week and I said hello. I didn’t recognize her at first, but we began talking and the drunk men were doing most of the talking/slurring. Then Marical translated that she was celebrating her birthday and then I realized it was the same woman from last week. Her name is Launi and she told us how sick her children were and how she 
needed medication for them. I found out that she’s the “town drunk.” If she’s not drinking, she’ll soon be. Through the conversation, we found out she is 5 months pregnant, has 5 other young children who are all sick. During our conversation, which was all translated, she was giving permission for Elena to adopt her unborn baby. (!)
I was so disturbed by the fact that she has all these kids, and one on the way yet doesn’t even want this baby and in fact is killing her baby with all the alcohol she’s consuming so I confronted her with the truth in love. I got serious for a moment and asked her why she was even having this baby to begin with. Asked her if she was so concerned about the health of her other children then why wasn’t she spending the money on medication rather than alcohol. She shared that her husband left her. She drinks because she’s lonely and I could tell through her eyes, and hiding behind her smile that she has also lost hope.
God told me to tell her that he loves her, so I took her by the shoulders and put my face in front of hers, up close, and looked her straight in the eyes and told her that “Jesus loves her.” I told her this over and over and the tears streamed down her face. Aletheia is Greek for Truth and God brought the truth to Launi. I told her that she was no different from us – because we’re all sinners, but that we had this gift that we wanted to share with her. This gift is knowing who Jesus is and the saving power of his grace and mercy. I told her that he paid the price for her sins by dying on the cross. That he’s completely forgiven her and wants to give her a hope and freedom and a new identity if she simply believed him, confessed and turned to Him. I told her that HE would meet her right where she’s at. That he accepts her just as she is. Through her tears she said she wanted to know Jesus and right there we prayed and she received Christ into her life. All of heaven rejoices when one comes to the Lord and all of heaven was rejoicing yesterday. I believe Launi will be a light in the Tunnel!
After we left Launi, Team Dunimas came in and brought the power of God’s word into the hands of Launi as she cried out asking for it. Dunimas is Greek for Power. Grace paved the way for truth to be spoken and then the power of Gods word was left with Launi. God orchestrated something beautiful by using each team in a very unique way with different purposes to accomplish His perfect will. I LOVE how God works despite us. (Read Vicki’s blog to find out more…)
We went on to visit a man named Porchiano who has had Diabetes for over 30 years. He has lost most of his strength and the ability to walk and now can only get around on his knees. I knew the moment we piled into his small living room, that God said to me he wanted to heal him. We talked with Porchiano and learned about all of his health issues. Porchiano is a Believer and in the midst of his suffering He knows God is good and remains hopeful. Micah 7:7 hangs from his front door for all the community to see.
my God will hear me.
During a powerful time of prayer, I heard God tell me to ask Porchiano to stand up and walk. I was like “Lord, really? This poor guy can
barely move.” But he kept telling me to ask him to stand. I kept thinking about the cripple who Jesus told to take up his mat and walk. So I asked Porchiano to stand. He tried with all his might and we helped held his arms, but he couldn’t move. Little while later, God told me again… “Tell him to stand up and walk right now. I put it off for a bit while everyone was talking, but I kept hearing him say – tell him right now. So I asked him again. I asked him if he believed that Go wanted to heal him and he said he believed. I know I believe God can heal him so he tried again. He pulled himself up to his knees but was too weak for anything more. I told him maybe its not today, but healing is coming. I found out later that a few others from other teams have clearly heard God tell them the same thing.
Porchiano has such a strong presence in the Tunnel community and I walked away asking God why he didn’t heal him and God told me this time it was about my obedience. To do what he’s asking me to do. I trust that God will heal Porchiano in the right time and that he will be dancing in the streets of the tunnel proclaiming what the Lord has done for him. The kingdom of heaven will be made known in a powerful way to Porchiano!
The best thing was seeing the Bible study ladies become heart broken over this community and the families they met. They decided to come every Monday to continue visiting these families, pouring out God’s love on them in practical ways, meeting their needs and giving them a hope that they can’t find anywhere else other than Jesus Christ. God lit a flame in Launi today. These Bible study ladies will fan this flame into fire that will make the Tunnel shine brightly.
