EN2010

I've just returned from an awesome conference in Manila. The event proved to be a time of refreshing and an exciting chance to meet Every Nation family from nations around the world with different accents and costumes, all coming together to worship the King of kings!

The first thing that struck me about the city of Manila is the incredible hospitality of the Filipino people. Everywhere we went were warm welcomes, friendly smiles and a willingness to do so much for visitors like me looking somewhat out of place.
The second thing that struck me, was the abundance of shopping malls. Manila is either a shopper's paradise where you find everything that you could possibly imagine you need, or it could be a shopper's nightmare, where too many options to choose from means that decisionmaking becomes a torturous affair!

And thirdly, let me not forget to mention the traffic on a rainy day!

The conference itself was like a banquet table set for God's children, with God himself inviting us to come and feast. It was a time to receive healing, establishment, victory and love - all from God's banquet table.It was also awesome to listen to stories about what God is busy doing in other countries - testimonies of His grace. An absolute highlight was the attempt to set a Guiness World Record for 'The Most Languages Performed in a Song'. Every Nation sang Amazing Grace in 50 different languages including English, Xhosa, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic and Hawaiian.

Sian, Nobby and myself in our national costumes!

Ladies from the Philippines: Ana, Erianne, and Tim

Above is a picture of Selena and myself with the Real Life Foundation team. We stayed an extra week after the conference to train some members of this team at the Victory Pasig City church in Metro Manila. The vision for the Real Life Foundation is to honor God by serving the poor and improving their lives through educational assistance, leadership development and community service. This they achieve by providing financial assistance to selected students, coaching through a personal growth program, as well as training in practical skills and character development and providing emergency relief where necessary. It was encouraging to see the enthusiasm on the faces of the participants as they learnt more about God's story and how our lives fit inside the framework of His story. One participant said about the course: "It's an affirmation of what God put in my heart a long time ago. It brings focus to what I need to do now and maybe for the long haul. Also a great encouragement as we are starting our work and ministry in the community. It's like saying we are on the right track."

We also had the opportunity to prayer walk in Pasig City, the area immediately around the church and the Real Life centre. Pasig City is a vibrant, bustling place bursting with signs of vitality. As we prayed we sensed that God was already busy in this community, pulling down those things that are not from Him and breathing His new life into it.

And with every banquet there has to be dessert. Behold the Halo Halo!

Halo Halo means 'mix-mix', so what you see here is a blend of ice-cream, jelly, coconut pieces, custard, chickpeas, beans and crushed ice. A favourite dessert that I was told reflects the mixed heritage of Filipino culture.