Developing Friendships of Trust

Centuries of injustice, war, and distrust have created a chasm between Christians and Cousins in the Southern Philippines. The missionary life is one of danger and uncertainty. Who can be trusted and who will ever trust us? The heightened risk in the past decade have brought tremendous obstacles in presenting the Good News of Jesus Christ to our Cousins. It is essential that this friendship gap be bridged with authentic agape love, as certainly Christ would have done.

Ramelan & Lastri have discovered the bridges that the Lord has prepared for them in order to Develop these Friendship of Trust. It has been a natural process and one which has been received with enthusiasm by the leaders in their Cousin community. They have already done a few pilot projects on their own with limited funds, and have seen an excitement and genuine interest on the part of their community. They are ready to expand this strategy to touch more lives. Ramelan and his team will run Badminton clinics & tournaments for both children and adults throughout the year. Lastri will have two women's gathers at her home each week covering cooking lessons, health, and beauty techniques. Ramelan will not just continue his Music tutorials in Guitar and Keyboard, but will expand to offering lessons in other instruments as well. They will convert one of their rooms at their residence into a simple sound proof practice room to facilitate these activities.

Through these services, Ramelan and Lastri will heighten their involvement in the community, deepen others level of trust in them, and ultimately, facilitate and exemplify genuine Christ-like love in these times of distrust. This is not an easy strategy. It takes time, effort, and love--all in the context of tremendous risk, but this cannot be accomplished without financial assistance. The community's economic condition cannot sustain these services at this time. They need your help in developing these Friendships of Trust.