Joel’s last day in the Philippines started at 8am with the First Sunday Service at CCF St. Francis and I would say this was his most challenging and tiring day. Just imagine, speaking in 5 services at CCF, each one of them different. Now I say that all of them are different because if you were able to listen to Joel from morning till evening you would notice that even though he was just speaking about one passage in scripture, which was Matthew 24, he never emphasized the same thing in the different services but always it was a different verse that he stresses, and I do believe that Joel chose which verse to stress and emphasize according to the leading of the Lord and according to the needs of the people who attended that particular service.

Now, personally, I wasn’t able to sleep right away on Saturday night so I was only able to attend the 3 o’clock service and the vesper service at 6pm. So why was I able to say that each service was different from the other? Well, to tell you the truth a friend who managed to attend all services told me and also I was able to notice it from the differences I saw with the 3pm and the 6pm service.  It was amazing for me how Joel still hard the energy to preach and stand up in front of us even though he already did 3 other services prior to the one I attended.

Other than Joel, Pastor David Ortiz also gave his testimony. He told the story of how God allowed him to reach out to the Palestinians near their place in Ariel in the West Bank, and how he almost lost his son Ami in the bombing of their house but how God glorified Himself through that crisis in their lives. Even though I’ve heard that story many times during the times that we were with Pastor David and the others I was still blessed by the message of the story. Pastor David pointed out 3 things we should always remember whenever we’re faced with any trials and challenges. First, Call on the Lord. Second, God Agapes (Loves) us. And lastly, God is powerful, nothing is impossible with Him. I’m sure a lot of people already know these truths but it’s still refreshing to be reminded of them, as we humans are prone to forget easily. To know more about Ami and his story please visit www.amiortiz.com.

After Pastor David’s testimony Joel came up and started to preach. As before, he never ceased to make the message personal by asking the listeners “Are you ready to meet your Maker when He comes back?” And he hit the nail right on the head. Because it doesn’t really matter how much we tell people about God or how God can change our lives, ultimately Christianity is a personal choice in that we can go to church all our lives but still not have Christ in us. And so it’s important to ask people if they are ready to meet Christ and if not, tell them how to ready themselves by accepting Him as Lord and Savior.

After the vesper service, the Epicenter Team in Manila had a chance to have a thanksgiving and farewell dinner with Joel and the others. The dinner took place at Henry and Princess’ home in Dasmariñas Village. It was a cool, calm night, and perfect for everyone who went there as it allowed all of us to unwind a bit, relax and just enjoy the food and each other’s company. Dinner was great. We had Tom Yum Soup, Binagoongan Rice, Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls, Grilled Beef, Pancit Palabok among others and drinks were Chai Tea or Iced Tea.  Yum, Yum! ^_^

After dinner, everyone was given a chance to share their own experiences and testimonies on what happened to their respective teams and committees during the Conference week. I was blessed to hear the stories of how God answered the needs of the Epicenter Asia Team, like how the Leader’s Conference for Thursday only had about 37 tables out of 100 sold a week before the event but God filled the place up, or how the tickets for the Friday event sold like candy that additional overflow rooms had to be opened up to accommodate people. Everything that happened was a validation of everyone’s faith and a confirmation that it wasn’t the team’s work that made everything possible, it was all God. And I’ve seen that for myself, and I praise God for allowing me to witness His hand throughout the whole week.

Joel, Pastor David, Pastor Hormoz, Pastor Ray and his wife Vicky, and Lance (Joel’s EP for Media) were also given farewell gifts by those who went there and were also given by the media team (that’s us!) copies of the photos and videos that were taken of the Conferences and also the different interviews, activities and functions they attended during their stay here. Each of them also had the chance to say something of their experience here and we’re thankful that they were blessed and they enjoyed their stay. Joel said that Pastor Hormoz and Pastor David were people he thought of inviting over to the conference because they happened to be the ones in the frontlines. Two of the people who are day-in and day-out reaching out to the Jews, Palestinians, and the Iranians in their countries. I would say we are blessed that Joel invited them and that God allowed them to be a part of the Epicenter Conference here in Manila because the stories and the experiences they shared are invaluable in putting the right perspective on what is happening to their people in terms of coming to faith there in the Epicenter, the Middle East.

For those who of you who don’t know yet, Pastor Hormoz is an Iranian Shía Muslim turned Christian pastor who hosts a TV show ala 700 Club style. The show airs every Tuesdays to Fridays and reaches millions of Iranians. During his talk on the Friday conference he showed some clips of people who called up their show to tell people about what God has been doing in their lives, and it’s amazing. I have to admit I wish that like most of the Iranian converts to Christianity, I could see Jesus with my eyes or hear God audibly like the Iranians are experiencing. I am blessed and continue to be blessed by the stories that Pastor Hormoz tells of how God is reaching out to his countrymen. To know more about Pastor Hormoz and his ministry you can check out www.IranAliveMinistries.org. Pastor David of course is admirable because of his boldness in sharing the Gospel to Palestinians, so much so that the Jews are becoming jealous because he reaches out to the Palestinians more than to them that they ask him to share the Gospel to them as well. Let’s continue to pray for Pastor David and Pastor Hormoz in the frontlines for God to continually bless and protect them as they continue their calling.

Moving on, I enjoyed the whole dinner experience but personally what touched me the most was when Joel personally thanked me and Corinne by name for what we did with the blogs. I never imagined that he appreciated it a lot and to know that he and his wife did, among others, really touched us. Thank you Joel for your kind words. It was an honor to be able to observe the way you work and your passion for Jesus while you were here with us. God Bless you brother!!!

Well, the Epicenter Asia conference is over now and Joel and the others have left to continue God’s work somewhere else but for us the end is just the beginning. Being aware of what is happening right now in light of biblical prophecy, the challenge and the calling remains for us to “Make disciples of all nations…” Now more than ever, we need courage in sharing the Gospel to others around us. And so for those who haven’t accepted Christ as their Savior yet, what are you waiting for? And for those who profess Christ as their Lord, are we ready to respond to the call of the Lord of the Harvest to reap the harvest?

We’ve only just begun… join us for the next six weeks as we go in-depth into the Signs of the Times and try to find out What On Earth is Going On? – Joshua Daniel Discipulo