Lynette Orange: October 2024 Newsletter

Mark 4:39-41
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

The Son still shines - even when it is cloudy!
Having just experienced almost 3 days of darkness as tropical storm Kristine passed over us it would be easy to start to doubt if the sun will ever shine again. To be fair, I was starting to feel a bit like that over the summer in the UK! But the truth of the matter is is that the sun is always shining, it's just we cannot see it.

Sometimes, we can feel like that about God too. When storms invade our lives, as they inevitably do, it is easy to feel abandoned or alone and wonder, "Where are you God?" The disciples felt like that in the boat and Jesus was even right there amongst them! However, the truth is, right in the middle of the storm, Jesus is present. Jesus is with us. The Son still shines. Not only that but He has the ability to calm the storm.

Last week, in the middle of the night when the wind was howling, the windows rattling and the rain lashing it was easy to feel afraid. But, then, morning came and the sun shone and I realised that just like my trials, my fears and my doubts they cannot remain when the sun shines because the light removes the darkness. When I allow the Son, Jesus, to shine in my life, when I choose to look to Him and pray and not panic He takes away all my fear. My prayer for you, if you are experiencing a storm in your life, don't forget to pray first, remember the Son is with you and allow His light to bring you peace in the darkness. And remember - morning always comes and the sun will always shine again and Jesus is always with you.

UK Summer

It was so wonderful to be home during the summer, that is if we can call what the UK had this year summer! Being able to come home and share about all the great things that God is doing in the Philippines is an honour and a privilege. It was a very busy time as I visited and spoke in several churches up and down the country from Wakefield to London! I even managed to squeeze a visit to Northern Ireland and had some lovely time with extended family.

Teacher Training 2024

Over the past few years we have been incredibly blessed to have the Senior Volunteer Network partner with us. They regularly meet with the teachers every two weeks or so to help mentor and advise them via video call. It was a great help that they flew back with me after the summer to help conduct a weeks long training programme with the teachers before the start of school. We learned such a lot and had fun at the same time! I am incredibly grateful to this group of Christian teachers who God uses to impart wisdom and knowledge into our staff that enables us to provide the best education we can for our students.

New School Year 24-25

I am struggling to believe that this is my fourteenth school year at City Gates Academy! God has certainly expanded my territory beyond what I every expected or imagined! Our school in Antipolo has grown to 150 students and the schools in Bambang and Coron continue to do well. I am excited for more to come.

Rugby Elim Team 2024

My regular routine was certainly disrupted in September as the team from Rugby, led by Pastor Jon Skelton arrived in the Philippines. It was a whirlwind 2 week visit as we crammed a lot into it from school crusades to building more than 20 flat pack pieces of furniture for the school, sharing testimonies, preaching and helping out in the schools in Antipolo and Bambang. It was also great to have my nephew Luke as part of the team and for him to see what I do day to day!

Typhoon Season is here!

It is that time of year when we are forever on standby for a typhoon. This year has been particularly bad for tropical storms and passing typhoons, yet we are continually thankful to God for our safety and protection. In September we experienced some of the worst flooding since 2009 and the academy classrooms were flooded to knee level. Some of our teachers houses were also flooded. Typhoons can be quite scary as the wind is very powerful and the rain is heavy for hours and hours. This picture shows the last tropical storm to pass by, for which we were very thankful it did not manifest into a typhoon. We currently have a typhoon passing by, which may develop into a super typhoon but will not make landfall. Please keep the Philippines in your prayers as we can have typhoons all the way up to Christmas. Pray for God's protection to be upon us and to keep us safe.

Prayer and Thanksgiving

• Thankful for a great start to the new school year 2024-2025.
• Thankful for the great time had with the SVN and Rugby Elim team.
• Pray for our safety and protection during the rainy season.
• Pray for planned Christmas outreaches that we can maximise opportunities to share the gospel.

P.S. Look who is 3!

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