The gift was finally released!...

Today and for the next few days we have a gifted couple who is teaching us how to do ministry with the power of the Holy Spirit - John and Sonja Decker. However the assumption was that everyone in our class had been baptized by the Holy Spirit and could speak in a unintelligible prayer language (or tongues, even though this is not necessarily the only evidence). Anyway at the end of session I raised my hand and said that I didn't have this gift and apparently I was the only one in the class. In the past I had been prayed over for it and even brought one of my friends to support me in getting prayed for and he ended up getting the gift instead of me! Even my wife has had it for years.

Well, today Sonja prayed for me very simply and after I asked God to release it. She told me to listen because the Holy Spirit will tell me what to say. It took a few moments and I heard what this new language sounded like and I opened my mouth and began to speak it. I was reluctant because it was strange so I spoke it quietly and couldn't tell if it was really the Holy Spirit. But it just kept coming out of my mouth naturally. After we were done, I went to the bathroom to make sure I didn't lose it. Since no one was in there I just released it more and more and could really sense the Spirit's presence.

As excited as I am about this, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not about the gift of tongues, it is about moving in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:29, Acts 1:8, 1Cor 14:4, 14-15). Thank you Lord!

Eye Opening Training in our first week

I surrender, I give my life, I will give up everything, I will serve you whole heartedly... 

By the end of the week of FMI training, we have been transformed and our eyes has opened even wider. Training sessions from 8am-7:00pm have been many insightful sessions of hearing veteran missionaries advice, suggestions, and most of all their experiences on the field. It has been a priceless experience and definitely building lifelong family and mentors. Many times we were touched and tears would roll down our cheeks as we imagine and feel the love of God of what they have gone through for God. 

We went to the training with a time frame of 1 year in the Philippines... and we are now going in complete faith and moving as if it is for LIFE or until God moves us elsewhere. "Whole heartedly" has been the theme of this week. Worship whole heartedly, pray whole heartedly, and serve whole heartedly. 

Looking forward to the rest of the sessions this week and next: Marriage Enrichment, Ministry skills (Healing the sick, dealing with demons...) etc... 

On top of all that... the FOOD has been mouth watering delish!

We've left already?!!! - Newsletter 04.05.11

We were blessed to be sent to Los Angeles to receive missions training, thanks to our church Hope Chapel West Oahu. Join us as we document our journey here for the next 2 weeks. We'll include more videos and photos, but we won't send email updates so you'll need to subscribe to our channel on YouTube or visit our website to keep up with the updates. 

If your interested in supporting us by mailing a check, just email us your mailing address at: dj_lynnette@garcesunplugged.com. Or support online by clicking here. We are praying for monthly supporters.

Newsletter 2.27.11: Ways to Support Us...plus a backseat special!

In this episode you can find out about supporting us financially by giving online. Click here to find out all the details on our SUPPORT page. 
Also find out about a new segment in our video called the "Backseat Special".

If you're wondering what this is all about, be sure to check out our first video newsletter where we talk about God's call on our lives to move to the Philippines this June. 

Newsletter 1.19.11: DJ's New Toy!

We are slowly getting ourselves prepared for our move to the Philippines, if you wanna hear more about that, be sure to check out our first video newsletter. In this episode, DJ got a new toy but it's not just for the fun of it, we really want to use it for ministry purposes in the Philippines. We'll be documenting our adventures in Manila as we look to record the interesting stories of Filipinos and also document the way God is working in the city.

Newsletter 1.1.11: What's to come in 2011...

Many of you already know that we (DJ & Lynnette) believe that God has been calling us to step away from the routine of our daily lives here in Hawaii and move to the Philippines, becoming His hands and feet to serve and bless others. So, in June 2011, we’re packing up what little we have and taking off to live in the dense and diverse metropolis of Quezon City, Manila. This website documents that journey. To find out how you can support us in prayer or in finances visit the links above. Below is our latest Video Newsletter: