We would like to start by saying thank you for your patience! We know we missed our May newsletter. Please accept our sincerest apology. As young people in today’s world, part of us is struggling to grasp everything that is going on and put it down on paper (or e-mail rather). However, that is not an excuse to not share with you the AMAZING things that are happening on the ground at Kids International Ministries DESPITE the chaos.
COVID brought a series of trials for the ministry. With no teams coming in, the ministry lacked funds to pay the staff and worried that the difficulties with quarantine and the martial law lock-down in the Philippines may be too much for the ministry to bear. However, instead of harping on these struggles, they welcomed them and allowed the struggles to be a way for God to test their faith. As soon as they laid their burden down at God’s feet, He provided funds and RELATIONSHIPS in miraculous ways. While speaking with the KIDS Director, Norman Denler, he said something that resonated deeply in our hearts. “There is a long term thing that happens in a crisis where long term relationships are built.” Not due to but THANKS to COVID, the beginnings of the new program Youth Lab exploded allowing kids from the community to stay at the ministry center cooking for the feeding program. These teens cooked thousands of gallons of lugau (a nutrient dense porridge) to send off for 100’s of pastors in the community to feed starving people. While they were staying at the ministry center, these teens were spiritually fed and were lit on fire for Christ. Just this past week, 12 were baptized! Let’s sit and think about what God can do with these 12 youth...thousands of lives can be changed forever. Through the challenges that COVID has brought, God has taught the ministry to let go and be transformed. KIDSIM used to focus on small children in the community. However, we are now able to reach out and serve all. With a transformed ministry comes transformed hearts. No longer dependent on the flesh, we can now clearly see a mature dependence on Christ and His faithful promise to show up if we only ask.
Our desire at the beginning of the pandemic was to grow. And ultimately, we have grown as a couple and a small family. But growth is not without pain and frustration. As we have been sitting stateside during the pandemic, we have struggled deeply to maintain and continue partnership development. Though we know what is happening on the ground in the Philippines and are overjoyed by it, the weight of not being there has troubled us deeply, has resulted in a lack of trust and ended in a lot of heartache. We have a lot of continued growth to do. BUT, it’s time for us to take action on that and truly learn from those we love on the ground at KIDSIM and turn our deepest struggles to the Lord and allow Him to provide. We have had so many successes that we need to CELEBRATE--the main one being that we are DEBT FREE!! At the beginning of the year, we set a goal to be debt free by January 2021. The Lord has blessed us beyond what we can even imagine and has allowed us to start saving in preparation for our move to the Philippines. We have now booked flights to head to New Zealand August 3rd to continue partnership development. We will maintain our residency in New Zealand until the Philippines is open for international travel. We are still seeking partners stateside and are aiming to be funded 80% by the time we head to New Zealand. We are currently at 67%. It’s time for us to give partnership development to the Lord and TRUST that He will lead us to those He would like to involve in this beautiful and ever growing ministry whether financially or prayerfully. We know this is an attainable goal because our God is faithful--we need only ask!!
Would you pray with us and for us? Please pray for continued growth in our hearts and that the Lord continues to test us and the ministry as in James 1:2-4. Pray for God to reveal who He would have us reach out to for financial partnership development. Pray for Finley and the drastic change this move will bring to his little heart and mind. Pray for those on the ground in the Philippines, specifically that the 12 who were baptized would continue to be on fire for Christ, spreading His love to even more teens and community members. Please let us know how we can be in prayer for YOU and YOUR family.
Love and Blessings,
The Lovatts