Buhay is the Tagalog/Filipino word for "Life," and it is our goal to bring Life to the lost through sports... namely basketball.  Buhay Sports is the ministry we started with another missionary family who had the same passion and desire to use basketball to reach the lost.  Using basketball as a platform, we are able to partner with metropolitan and provincial churches to assist with recruiting and evangelism.  Imagine playing basketball in front of thousands of people and at half time sharing your Faith.  Teams come from the USA and Australia throughout the year to participate in these 1-2 week ministry trips.  The actual trips happen during the summers (American:  May-August, Australian:  December-January), but the planning and set-up starts months in advance with follow up activities going on throughout the year. 

For more information on Buhay Sports, check out our www.BuhaySports.com.  There is a short video that describes in greater detail the opportunities we have to share the Gospel by playing basketball in the Philippines.

First Love International Ministries:  Hope for the Poor

Both Val and I have been burdened by the numerous needs of the poor in the Philippines.  The difficulties of poverty are everywhere you turn.  It is tough to ignore and even tougher to know where to start.  Some people think that if you can't do something big then why bother with the tip of the iceberg.  However, when you help one person or one family improve their life/lives, you see what a BIG deal it is to them, and you start to see that making a big deal one family at a time, has a way of adding up.  We desire to help people because Jesus did, and we want to be like Him.  However, we have also found that the easiest avenue to share the Gospel is to live the Gospel.  The time and financial resources that are invested in helping the poor and needy are done so that as we address their physical needs, we can also address their greater, more profound spiritual needs.  First Love has a number of ministry areas where this is done on a regular basis and we have gotten involved in a handful of different ways.

Val helps out at a First Love medical clinic in an urban poor area called Tanza and a new ministry area we call The Village.  Basic medical care is something a lot of us take for granted.  However, it is not always accessible for these urban poor families.  The centers are staffed with a Filipino Doctor and 2 Filipino nurses who can help address issues.  We have also partnered with drug suppliers who have given us a supply of antibiotics and other medicines that we give when needed. 

Val also assists with pregnancy centers at each of these locations.  The pregnancy center is staffed with a mid-wife and the same 2 Filipino nurses as the medical clinic.  Children are frequently born with birth defects in these poor villages.  Many of these birth defects could have been prevented with simple medications or pre-natal vitamins.  Teaching these women how to care for their unborn babies and how to care for themselves is a great way to have an impact on their lives.  Just this week an expectant mother accepted Christ while she was at the medical clinic for her pre-natal checkup.

 

Both Val and I have a love and passion for sports.  As many of you know, Val played basketball and volleyball in high school, and I played basketball all the way through college.  When we first arrived in the Philippines we were excited for the opportunity to help mentor kids through sports.  Val immediately took on the role of head volleyball coach and continues with that role today.  Until recently, the basketball side of things was covered and I did not have any opportunities to be a part of the coaching staff for boys or girls.  However, due to some shifting of staff I was approached about coaching the girls varsity team.  After prayer and consideration I accepted and have been coaching since the season started in November.  We believe that some of life's greatest lessons can be learned through sports and are excited to help kids understand what they can learn and the impact they can have on other for Christ through sports.

Athletic Uniforms

One of the fun things for me about living in the Philippines is the thousands of custom tailors that operate throughout the city.  It is always fun to get an inexpensive replica of your favorite professional player or just design something off the wall and have it made.  What started out as a hobby, has turned into a great opportunity to help other ministries as well as raise money for our ministries.

Currently, I am involved with a couple of tailors who I have been trying to help generate additional business and provide better for their family and their workers.  Our ministry plan as it relates to providing uniforms is simple:  If you are with an evangelical organization doing a sports ministry trip, We will coordinate the production and will charge only the cost that the tailor charges.  If you are with a school or team that needs uniforms for regular use, we will mark up the uniforms and the proceeds for our work will go to towards our ministry activities.

This is a great way to help raise funds for some of our projects and contribute to the livelihood of working class Filipinos. 

K.I.M. is an organization that primarily cares for abused and abandoned children.  K.I.M. operates 3 orphanage homes, a school, a guest house facility and numerous community development projects. 

Using my degree in business administration I spend a couple hours a week helping K.I.M. with their financial management.  I am their outside auditor who helps direct financial flow and makes sure that there are controls in place to reduce financial risk. 

My experiences with KIM are also valuable as they are helping me understand how things work in an orphanage, as First Love plans to someday soon open a children's home in Manila that I would be a part of.