Last week Amanda started teaching a Sunday school class for some of the high school girls that were visiting for the first time.  This week, there were five girls and they all received Christ as Lord of their lives.  This has reaffirmed the need, as well as our desire to do more to reach the youth in Antipolo.

School is starting this week, and we will be visiting the principals of three high schools near SBC’s new church plant.  We will be offering the schools the church’s services of teaching acrobatics, drama, and English for the students there.

Please pray that these schools will be open to us working with them and that the youth ministry will grow out of the relationships we build with the students here.  And continue with us in praising God for the work that He is already doing here; for the five young women who gave their lives to Christ this past Sunday.  We know that it is through your prayers and support that God is allowing us to serve Him here in Manila.

Amanda and I just completed our first experience of camp here in Manila.  Over 950 students came together for 4 days of games, friends, and many challenges from God’s Word.  One of the students that came was a girl named Jhoan.  She had attended the acrobatics class a couple of weeks ago with her brother (one of the guys Edmon had invited) and it was then that Amanda and the Makati youth were able to invite her to camp.  Well, during the first evening service of camp, Jhoan came forward to receive Christ.  Amanda was able to counsel her and lead her through the prayer of Salvation.  This is an exciting story of what God did at camp, yet Jhoan was only one of the 299 students who called on the name of the Lord for Salvation.

On the last night of camp, we had 165 students surrender their lives in service to the Lord’s ministry.  Edmon was one of those who made the commitment.  That evening he shared with me that he did not know what God’s plans were or how the Lord was going to use him.  I told him that God was using him already, and that God had even more in store for him.  Please continue to pray for Edmon as he discerns God’s Will for his life.  Thank you again for praying and for helping us sponsor 50 students this year at camp.

 Acrobatics is not the easiest thing to learn, and there are many bumps and bruises that go with it; yet whenever I needed a volunteer, Edmon was always the first to respond.  I remember telling him that the more time he spent walking on his hands, the bigger his arms were going to get.  I was really praying that his interest in acrobatics would grow and that the youth services he attended would strengthen his new found faith.

 Since those first classes with Edmon, Amanda and I have seen him develop into a strong leader.  He has become unashamed of his love for the Lord and regularly invites his peers to the fifth floor of the school where we teach students more than just how to ride a unicycle.  Just last week, sixteen new high school students attended the youth service.  Half of them had been invited by Edmon.

 We praise God for the young men and women we get to serve alongside and it is our prayer that God raises up more leaders like Edmon.  Please pray for the ministry opportunities that we will be a part of this summer.  Camp is coming up this month and it is a great opportunity for many students to surrender their lives in service to the Lord.  Please continue to pray for us as we work and minister to the students here.

Our highlight in this particular ministry has been the partnership we have been able to make with one of the schools. Pio del Pilar National High school is a campus that SBC has been ministering to for several years, but this year we have been able to start an actual church service on campus. Every Saturday, we join the students and staff of SBC Makati to put on an acrobatic/martial arts class in the school’s gym. There is always a youth service to follow, and in the past 4 weeks, we have seen 39 students give their lives to Christ.

Please pray for the continued strength to serve the Lord here in Manila. The acrobatic classes are only one of several ways we are serving here, but it is a daily reminder of how God uses practical ways for His Gospel to be proclaimed. We are in need of several more unicycles, juggling equipment, and tumbling mats. Please pray that the Lord would meet the needs we have for the opportunities He is giving us. Once again, thank you for your prayers and support.

Ingat Po Kayo (Take Care),
Brent & Amanda Longenecker

We’re so thankful that even during our deputation, we have had many opportunities to continue doing ministry.  Even in the month of September, we were able to see 5 students give their lives to Jesus Christ.  One highlight from this last month was the opportunity to be a part of an event called Radically Committed.  It was an event at Independent Baptist Church in Grove, OK where students were challenged to fully commit their lives to the call of Christ. 

During this next month we will continue doing ministry, as we will be a part of a Fall Festival with South Side Baptist Church in Springfield, MO.  We will also be with a youth group at Abundant Life Baptist Church in Lee’s Summit, MO.  Then we will be in a Missions Conference with Liberty Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, TX.    

We are continuing to get the last of our paperwork ready for our visas.  We will apply for our missionary visas once we arrive in the Philippines.  We are so anxious to get started in the work that God has called us to in Manila.  Please continue to pray over this time of transition and preparation.  

Thanks again for your faithful prayers and support.

Brent w/ Bethel Baptist Youth at "Radically Committed."

We’ve been up here in Montana for the last few weeks and I was able to perform at Big Sky Bible Camp, where I first learned to do the acrobatic stunts.  Our family lived at this camp for several years, and when I was 15 years old I started practicing sometimes 5 hours a day.  It was neat to go back to where it all began.  We were also in Liberty Baptist Church in Spokane, WA and have been visiting some of our supporting churches here in Montana.  We’ll be here for another week doing ministry and spending some quality time with family. 

Continue to pray for the work that God is doing in the Philippines.  We are anxious to get there, but we want to be faithful to what God is calling us to do each day here.  We are currently at 93% promised support for when we get to the field.  We know that the Lord will provide the perfect amount that we need.  Please pray for us as we finish up deputation and continue preparing our paperwork for our visas.  

Thanks so much for all of your prayers. 

This is the gym/chapel where Brent would practice every day.

Speaking/performing at Big Sky Bible Camp: Bigfork, MT.

 Four churches and two individuals joined our support team during this month bringing our total promised support up to 89%.  We are getting closer to reaching our support goal every week, and we are anxious for what this next month holds.

 Tomorrow we head to Montana to spend 3 ½ weeks with family and do ministry with several churches.  Please pray for safety during our travels, for the rest of our support to be raised, and that we would stay above reproach meeting new churches and individuals.

 These are some very exciting updates to share with you, and we want you to know how appreciative we are of your prayers and support.

 After the show I spoke about my relationship with Christ.  Now the event was held at a public pool so there were employed lifeguards, as well as several parents who had brought their young children in for a swim.   It was a unique event yet another opportunity for the word of God to be heard.  Many students accepted the challenge to share Christ with their own friends and 5 students expressed their need to start a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

 The month of June gave us many opportunities like this to partner with local churches in challenging their youth to live out their lives for Christ.  We are excited about another busy month ahead as we prepare for the Philippines.  Please pray that as we are on deputation, God will call more young people to surrender their own lives in service to Him.

Here are some pictures from other ministry events this month.

VBS Closing Ceremony, Thomas Road Baptist Church in Phoenix, AZ

Youth Outreach, Bible Baptist Church in Dequincy, LA

VBS, Graceway Baptist in Springfield, MO

I’m thankful that the Lord is giving us opportunities to do ministry while seeking supporters for the Philippines.  There is much ministry to be done, even within the body of Christ.  Here’s some pics from this weekend.