TravelStream™ news feed for member trentrollings on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/trentrollings en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 04 May 2008 17:31:19 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1209936060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1209936060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1209936060/tpod.html Sun, 04 May 2008 17:31:19 -0400 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Hey There Everyone,  Well I am not usually accustomed to waiting so long between entries but these past couple of months have been pretty crazy.  Well I will start from back in Uganda.  We had an amazing time there as a team ministering in churches, schools, with street boys, in communities, etc.  We also had the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing on our days off which was nice.  We went to the equator, the source of the nile, and on a safari.  After our time in Uganda was finished, we flew back to the Philippines for 4 days, and reconnected with the church that we had been mainly working with in Pampanga.  After the Philippines we flew home via Taipei (Where we had a 9 hour lay over and Curt, Rachel, and myself went to Taipei 101, the world's tallest building) and Vancouver.  I spent a week at home resting, getting over jetleg, haveing an emergency root canal, and then flew off to Victoria.  I headed out to Vancouver Island to visit my friend Randy who is going to Bible school on Thetis Island.  We had an awesome weekend out there hangin out, although we did not get to go bungee jumping because of the snow, but I will go eventually.  After heading back to Alberta, our team reunited and had 2 weeks of focus which is basically prep for spring tour as well as an opportunity to meet with Bible School and missions reps.  We are now currently on Spring Tour.  Our first stop was in Okotoks at my church and then we headed to Bergen and are now at Camp Evergreen.  We will be heading out to Manitoba and Ontario on this tour and I am really excited about doing programs in North America again.  Well, thats all for now.  There are Uganda and Taipei pics up on Facebook.  Check em out.  Thanks a lot and God Bless!!!Trent
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1205064240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1205064240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1205064240/tpod.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 08:13:28 -0400 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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Kampala, Uganda

Hey There Everyone,   Our team has finally made it to Uganda!!!  We left the Philippines @ 12:20am on Wednesday, March 5th and we faced a huge challenge right from the start.  There had been a misunderstanding about the amount of bags that we were allowed to bring.  We ended up taking twice the amount of stuff that we were allowed, and thus would have had to pay $3000 in baggage fees each way.  After finding this out, our team started working on getting rid of stuff that we thought we could do without, and in the end, only ended up being overweight by a few pounds.  Our first flight went through Dubai and was very smooth, except for a gate change in Dubai that had us running through the airport. Finally, we landed in Entebbe, about an hour from Kampala, at Uganda's major international airport.   We realized immediatly that things in Uganda are way different than the Philippines.  One major thing is that they drive on the left side of the road here, which takes some time getting used to, especially when it comes to crossing the street.  Well, our first 2 days we spent getting oriented and getting over our jet lag.  On Friday we did a program at a school in Kampala for about a thousand students.  This was an awesome program full of African spirit, and we even got Ugandan names.  Mine is "Kitende" which means praise.  It is now Sunday afternoon here, and we are resting before our program tomorrow at a shelter for street boys close to where we are staying.     So that is life in our world.  We will be here in Uganda until April 4th, when we will fly back to the Philippines.  Have a great day and God Bless!!!Trent
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1203601620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1203601620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1203601620/tpod.html Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:11:59 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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General Santos, Philippines

Well Hey There Everyone,  So I realize that it has been quite a long time since my last correspondance e-mail, but it has been because we have been so busily involved in ministry here in the Philippines.  My last entry was written from up in Baguio and alot has heppened since then.  Our team absolutely loved Baguio and the people up there as well, and after we finished our time, we headed down to Cabanatuan City.  We ended up staying there for 4 days doing ministry and then returned to San Fernando for 3 more weeks of work in that area.  These 2 weeks ended up being a huge highlight of our time here.   For the first 2 months of our time here we did not see a lot of fruit from our ministry, but that all changed when we returned back to Pampanga.  We saw many people accept Christ over our last three weeks, and even a few new Bible Studies started.  One of the most exciting times were when Rachel and I went surveying in the community and made 4 good contacts with families.  When we went to follow them up later, there was no one home except for one family.  They both welcomed us in with open arms and were very open to the message that we had to share with them.  We had Allan, our Filipino friend with us, and as he shared with them in Tagalog, they accepted Christ into their lives.  Their names are Maricel and June, and we are praying for them, that God would continue working in their lives and would give them a thirst to grow.  There are many stories like this from our ministry in that area, and it has been exciting to see some fruit from our ministry.     On February 1st, we had one of our wonderful VTI Staff Advisors (Coralie) come and visit us for 2 weeks.  This was a huge encouragment to us, and it was really great to have her out to visit.  On February 16th, we put on a "True Love Waits" seminar and banquet for the youth in our community, and the turn out and response was really encouraging.  We have seen our youth group in this church double and triple since we arrived here in November, and the coolest thing is, that the youth in our church are now evangelising to their own peers.  Nothing tugs at my heart more than to see 6 youth accept Christ after a youth event because their peers who already have a relationship with Jesus are reaching out and sharing the gospel and God's love with them.  God is at work, and it is so amazing to see.  Well, on February 17th, the group in Pampanga had a despidida (Good Bye Party) for our team.  This was a time of reflection and ultimatly a sad time of saying goodbye to some really close friends that we have made over the past few months.  Now sure you can say: How can you have really close friends after just 2.5 months with them?  Well, my answer to you is come to the Philippines and find out.  While walking down the street, people always say hi or invite us into their house for Merienda (Snack) and there is a really close family feeling in the communities here.  Our despidida was a really nice time, and there was even a video that the youth made for us which I have posted to my Facebook if you would like to watch it.  After our despidida, we headed to Manila, and then flew down here to General Santos City, on the southern most part of the island of Mindanao.  We are working with the SEND team here as well to reach muslims and catholics alike here in the city.  Today we did some worship songs for a huge crowd at a Christian Festival that they had.  Tomorrow, we will be helping out in a health fair here, wherever we can be of service.Wow, that was a long update.  I hope this gives some idea about our ministry here.  We have a few thing that you can continue to partner with us in prayer for:-The fruit from our ministry and the seeds planted back in Pampanga. That God would help them to grow and that the Holy Spirit would lead them toward a close and personal relationship with our Lord.-Our team, as we are missing our friends back in Pampanga.-Our ministry here in General Santos.  For energy and joy, and that we would catch the vision here.-Safety in travel around Mindanao and then back to Manila on February 28th and to Uganda on March 4th.-Continued team unity.-Adjustments as we move around over the next few weeks.-That we would hear the Holy Spirit and be willing to be guided by Him in our ministry and daily lives.Well, that is all for now.  We thank you for your support and your continuous prayers for us and the people of the Philippines.  We are so excited to share stories with you, and are looking forward to what God has in store for our future here overseas.  May the Lord richly bless you!!!Trent Rollings(F&F 64 Team Correspondent)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1200290700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1200290700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1200290700/tpod.html Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:56:45 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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Baguio, Philippines

Hey There Everyone,  Well, it has been a while since my last update, but that has been because we as a team have been extremely busy with programs, Bible Studies, and travelling from place to place.  Right now we are in Baguio City, about 6 hours from our home in Pampanga, and our team is absolutely loving the cool weather and the beautiful mountains.  We arrived here yesterday after leaving our first stop on this 2 week tour which was the City of San Jose.     I will jump back a little bit further to Christmas, since I don't have a lot for you from Christmas yet.  Our team enjoyed a couple of days off at Subic Bay one the western coast of Luzon before heading down to Batangas, south of Manila, for the SEND Conference.  There, our team was in charge of the kids program for the conference, taking care of all of the kids from preschool to highschool.  We had a great time there building relationships and getting to know all of the different SEND missionaries.     After the conference ended, we headed back to San Fernando for about 10 days of ministry.  During that time we were pretty heavily involved in Bible Studies, including at the San Fernando Prison, where many of the prisoners seem very open to the gospel and to what we have to say.  It has been great to build relationships close to where we live, and get to see God working in some amazing ways.   After those 10 days back home, we headed out on a 2 week tour up into central and northern Luzon, first to San Jose, where we did programs at 2 Christian schools, and a Sunday morning church program.  We really enjoyed our time there staying in Filipino homes, and getting to know the culture.  We even got to ride a water buffalo.  We are now up in the mountains in Baguio City where our team will do ministry for the next 5 days until we move onto our next stop in Cabantuan City down a bit closer to home.   So that is basically what we have been up to for the last while.  It has been great to see the Lord working in so many ways, and it is very exciting to be used by Him to reach the Filipinos.  You can pray for our team in the following ways:-Continued team unity.-Boldness in sharing the gospel here-In our comprehension of tagalog, the main language here in the Philippines-That people would clearly understand the gospel and be open to God and the Holy Spirit-Safety in travel on the rest of our tour-That we would build strong relationships in the cell groups that we are involved in-That we as a team would be willing to be used by God in every situation and that opportunities for ministry would be made clear to us.Well, thats all for now.  Thank you all for your support of our ministry.  May the Lord richly bless you over the next weeks.  Trent
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1198121700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1198121700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1198121700/tpod.html Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:22:42 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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San Fernando Pampanga, Philippines

Hey There Everyone,  Jeepneys, tricycles, merienda, siesta, and air-con are just a few words commonly used in Filipino daily life that we probably don't often use back home in Canada.  During our time here in the Philippines, our main form of transportation aside from our own private vehicle has been jeepneys and tricycles.  We constantly have meriendas (snacks) after each program we do, as well as at random times throughout the day.  Siestas (mid-day naps/relax time) are very popular among the Filipinos as noon is the hottest part of the day, and can be quite unbearable here.  Air-con is one of our team's favorite words, and stands for air conditioning, an essential to Filipino life.        Having been here for just over 3 weeks, our team has had the opportunity to adjust to life here in the Philippines, although some things, like the heat, take a little bit longer to get used to.  We finished our language training, and we have the opportunity to use what we have learned often through programs and just daily life here as well.  We will return to language school in January for 3 days of refresher in Tagalog and to learn more phrases that we need.    We are now full into ministry here, and are doing many programs in schools and basketball courts as well as leading the youth group for our church here in Pampanga.    Our team has grown in so many ways over the past couple of weeks, and are really enjoying working with the Filipino people and getting to know them.      If you asked for a highlight of our ministry here from any of us team members we would probably all say our program at the prison in San Fernando last Saturday night.  When we had heard that we were going to the prison, we all had no idea as to what to expect.  Little did we know, that this program would be so amazing, or that God would work in so many amazing ways that evening.  I was amazed to see how many families were at the prison with small children, and how friendly all of the prisoners were to us.  The real shock was when we got started with the program, and how the crowd got involved in each item.  This audience was by far the most lively and excited audience that we have had throughout our entire time on team.  They even knew and sang along energetically to the song "One way."  Puppets were also a huge hit here, and got a great response from the audience.  At the end of the program, we had lots of great contact and interaction with the prisoners, and we are planning on returning there weekly to lead Bible Studies.  We would really appreciate your prayer for this area of ministry because God is already at work in that prison, and our desire is that He would use us to further His kingdom inside the prison walls.  We are currently in our final week of official program ministry before Christmas, when we will enjoy a bit of a break before leading the kids/youth program at the SEND Philippines Conference from December 29th - January 2nd.  Our programs have been a really good icebreaker to making and building relationships and gaining contacts for bible studies.  Our plan now is to schedule Bible Studies at all of these schools after Christmas and build relationships with those students who would like to learn more about God and about having a relationship with him. Some things that you can pray for are:-Boldness in approaching people and sharing the gospel with people after our programs, and those we come in contact with daily.-That God would stir in the hearts of those we come in contact with, and that they would be open to the Holy Spirit.-For continued team unity.-Praise for God's safety, protection, and guidance.-For our personal relationships with God.  That we would spend time with Him daily and focus on glorifying Him in all we do.-That we would continue to pick up more and more Tagalog and be able to apply it to our daily lives.-That satan would not be allowed to interfere with the Lord's work and that God would prepare the way for us, destroying strongholds that satan has.  (Especially in our Open Air Programs!!!)-Praise for and prayer for continued good health.-That we would rely on God and not ourselves for guidance, strength, and joy.   Well, that is all I have for now.  I wish that you could all be here to experience the joy of seeing God at work in people's lives here, and what an encouragement that we gain from that.  I am enclosing some pictures that we have of ministry and time as a team.  We hope that you enjoy them and that these pictures will give you a bit of insight into life here for us.     Thank you so much to you all for your support of our team, and your partnership with us in furthering God's kingdom.  May God richly bless you and keep you safe over this Christmas season.  Maligayang Pasko!!! (Merry Christmas!!!)Trent RollingsTeam Correspondant  p.s. Us guys have recently purchased 2 birds to occupy the birdcage outside our house.  We have named them Helmuth and Kelsey after 2 of our VTI staff.  Unfortunately Kelsey flew away the day after we bought them, but Helmuth still remains and keeps watch over us 24/7.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1196860080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1196860080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1196860080/tpod.html Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:10:40 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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San Fernando Pampanga, Philippines

Magandang Araw Po Say Un Lahat, (Good Day to You All)We have been in the Philippines for about a week now, and it has already been amazing to get involved with the Filipino culture and start building relationships.  We arrived in Manila last Tuesday at about noon and were really excited because we had already seen God working in helping us find a lost plane ticket and prevent the loss of one of our team members cameras.  All of our flights went really well, and we had relatively no problems (Praise the Lord!!!)  We were however, greeted by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake while we were collecting our bags at the airport.  The center of the quake was north of  Manila, but we did feel it at the airport as well.  Fortunatly no buildings were damaged and there were no injuries as a result.  We spent our first few days in Manila going through orientation into Filipino culture, and doing some sightseeing riding tricycles and jeepneys, and visiting and Old Spanish House, a huge catholic church called Quiapo, and the oldest catholic church in the Philippines.  On Friday, we headed up to San Fernando where much of our ministry will be focused, as well as Minalin, where we will be living for the next 2.5 months.  These 2 places are about 1 hour north of Manila in the province of Pampanga. During our first weekend we got some practice time in and invited people out to a drama that our church (BCCP - Bible Christian Church of Pampanga) was putting on in the Filipino language of Tagalog.Speaking of Tagalog, we are currently in language school for this entire week, and are taking it from a family of Tagalog teachers in a city called Baliwag.  Most SEND missionaries that come to live in the Philippines learn Tagalog from this family.  We spend 2 hours in class during the mornings, and in the afternoon, we are required to go around for 1 to 2 hours and practice our language on the local Filipino people.  We have had the opportunity to lead a Bible Study and invite students at the local university out to our program tomorrow, while at the same time practicing our Tagalog.  We are all learning lots, and it is really exciting to be able to communicate a bit easier with the Filipino people.Some things that you can pray for are:-For health, that we would be healthy and energized for programs.-That we would grasp the language (Tagalog) and learn it quickly.-That our eyes would be open to all ministry opportunities and chances to share the gospel.-That we would depend on God for wisdom, strength, and joy in our ministry and every situation.-That God the hearts of those we are ministering to would be open.-Praise for and prayer for continued team unity.-Boldness in sharing the gospel.Well, that is all I have for now.  May God richly bless all of you!!!  Maraming Maraming Salamat Po (Thank you very much!!!)                                                                                                                                                 Trent Rollings (Team Correspondant)      
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1195942320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1195942320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1195942320/tpod.html Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:14:36 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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Okotoks, Alberta, Canada

Hey There Everyone,   Well, it has been a while since my last entry so I think it is time to keep you all updated on where we are once again.  After we finished our ministry in Killam on fall tour, we went to do a program in Hoadley and had a day off (we went quadding!!!) before heading back to the training centre for 10 days of Tune Up (Prep for overseas ministry).  Tune Up was really awesome and we even had a Christmas Party for our team with the staff and their families.  Throughout those 10 days we worked hard at getting our programs ready for overseas, learning a new Christmas program, and condensing our equipment and personal belongs to fit within airline baggage restrictions.  All in all, Tune Up was really awesome and a really enjoyable and refreshing time.  Last night, we had our commissioning service @ Foothills Alliance Church in Calgary.  This was a great time of visiting with people we met along our fall tour and our families.   I am writing this update on Saturday, November 24th, and our team is flying out to the Philippines tomorrow @ 8:30pm.  We will be stopping for layovers in Vancouver and Taipei along the way, and then will be heading onto Manila.  I am extremely excited at this point, and I can't wait to see the amazing things that God is going to do in the Philippines, as wekk as in Uganda.  I will send an update from the Philippines soon.  God Bless and bye for now!!!Trent
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1196064960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1196064960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1196064960/tpod.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 03:17:25 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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Manila, Philippines

Manila Map Pin
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1194899700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1194899700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1194899700/tpod.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:37:30 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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Killam, Alberta, Canada

Hey There Everyone,  You are all invited to our teams commissioning service and Final Program before we go overseas on Frida, November 23rd, 2007 @ 6:30pm.  It will be at the Foothills Alliance Church in Calgary and is a dessert night as well.  If you are interested in attending, you can RSVP @ www.vti.ca.  Thanks and have a great day!!!Trent
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1194762960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1194762960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trentrollings/vti-2007/1194762960/tpod.html Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:01:45 -0500 The Philippines & Uganda with Venture Teams International (Friends & Followers Team!!!)

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Killam, Alberta, Canada

Hey There Everyone,   Well, we are currently 4 programs away from finishing fall tour, 3 of which we will be doing tomorrow.  These past couple of weeks have been extremely stretching, and a very wild ride for all of us team members.   After finishing ministry in Okotoks and Drumhellar we headed to Calgary to do Street Ministry with the Street Church.  This is the church that was on the news a few months ago for having their speakers too loud in downtown Calgary.  When we arrived there, the first thing that they had said to us was, be prepared to be arrested.  See, the next day we were doing a program on Stephen Avenue and there was a threat of us getting arrested and spending some time in jail.  At first I was a little worried about working with them, but as the week went on, I became extremely excited and grateful.  We ended up doing programs near the Drop In Center, on Stephen Avenue, and in front of City Hall, and no we did not end up getting arrested!!!  We also ministered in the lines @ the Drop In Center as well as in the Tequila Night Club line up on Halloween.  All in All this week was awesome, and it was so encouraging and challenging to see the passion that the Street Church has to spread the gospel in Calgary.   After Calgary, we headed down to Taber to do some programs that weekend, and then up to Three Hills, Oyen, Camrose, Hoadley, Edmonton, and now we are currently in Killam for the weekend.  This fall tour has been an awesome experience and extremely stretching as a team.  To datw we have done 22 programs, and I am getting really excited to leave on November 25th for the Philippines.  Our team unity is still awesome, although we do have our struggles sometimes.  We have seen God working in amazing ways, and I continue to look forward to seeing Him work throughout our ministry.  Well, that is it for now.  God Bless and Have a great week!!!Trentp.s. If you would like to come to our Comissioning Service on November 23rd, you can RSVP @ www.vti.ca.  
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