French, Robert & Koleen

Lisa, Debbie and Junia

Quezon City

Philippines 1109

Phone: 011.63.2.284.4987

E-mail: frenches5@aol.com

World Team

Fax: Manila office: 0116329117694

n Serving with World Team

n House church planting

n Training Filipino church planters

n Publishing study guides in English and Tagalog

Bob and Koleen French worked in the BICOL REGION for 16 years. Only 1.5% of Bicolanos are believers. Other than the Muslim areas, the Bicol Region is the LEAST REACHED in the Philippines .

The House Church now based in Manila , the Frenches host a house church every Sunday.

Training workers… 5-6 times a year, they travel to other areas to help train Filipinos to start and multiply house churches.

Publications… Filipinos in rural areas need Tagalog materials, so Bob writes and publishes inductive studies in English and Tagalog.

Church planting schools…. Since 2006 Bob and Koleen have trained 20 leaders who have started 8 “Church Planting Schools” in 3 provinces. These 20 rural pastors and leaders have trained dozens of new workers, who have in turn started about 60 new house churches!

December 2009

A SPECIAL WEEKEND IN NAGA CITY

“Three French hens!” boomed a group in one corner of the large room. Not to be outdone on their group solo for The Twelve Days of Christmas, a dozen teens jumped up and roared, “Two turtle doves!” Laughter and energy filled the air as the Naga Community In Christ (“NCIC”) celebrated their annual Christmas party on December 6.

What a privilege for our whole family to attend! Nearly 250 people filled a rented hall. 160 of these were NCIC cell members. Ingenuity marked each cell’s unique presentation through music, dance, or drama. Especially riveting was a musical pantomime by the Joseph Cell (youth) portraying temptations facing young people today.

In 8 years the Naga Community In Christ has become one of the largest churches in Naga City . NCIC is still led entirely by lay people! Visitors at the party asked, “What caused this kind of growth?” A visiting Filipina missionary from Lagonoy declared, “NCIC will be my model for all that I do.” To God be the glory!

LEADERS TRAINING LEADERS

“I’m nervous that people will ask me a question I can’t answer.”

“I feel like I have too many struggles of my own to be a good leader.”

A dozen potential cell leaders shared honest reasons why they have not yet started a seekers’ group. After several rounds of leading a practice meeting, seven members of the Naga Community In Christ (“NCIC”) pledged to start a new group. Then I (Bob) gave the more experienced NCIC leaders a challenge: help me train leaders in Lagonoy, a rural area one hour from Naga.

On November 16, six NCIC leaders went with our Field Director and me to Lagonoy to train 30 leaders from 6 churches. I had each NCIC member lead a part of the seminar. At the end of the day, 22 people decided to start new groups. Three groups have already begun.

In Legaspi City on November 17, our Field Director and I trained the leaders of 14 Church Planting Training Schools in multiplication principles and biblical finances. Each school is training lay people to start evangelistic Bible studies and house churches.

Currently there are 26 areas in six Bicol-speaking provinces using the inductive Bible study materials and approach developed in Naga City . More than 200 lay people were trained in 2009 to start evangelistic cells and house churches! God has been using lay people with only this basic training to start new groups throughout the Bicol Region since 2005. Please pray that these leaders will multiply more leaders and new groups.

THE ART OF ASKING

With the Naga Community In Christ (2001-2007), Bob and I (Koleen) learned that the best way to influence adults is to help them discover biblical truth for themselves. This principle of adult learning through discovery was broadened for me (Koleen) during a 5-day Christian coaching seminar in Singapore .

Underlying Christian coaching are some logical and biblical assumptions:

· Each believer has the Holy Spirit, the best Guide to solutions to a problem.

· People grow profoundly when they reflect deeply on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them.

· Adults are most likely to implement decisions they make based on their own reflections and conclusions.

· Often a better way to help is to not give advice, but to ask questions that guide a person to discover their own solutions.

To not give advice is very difficult! My unspoken assumption when I give advice (too often my default!) is that I know what is best for the other person. I am learning to reject this notion by asking questions like:

· What is God teaching you through this?

· What options do you have at this point?

· Of your options, which do you think is best?

· What do you want to do now? By when?

Every week I meet with two “coachees.” I thank the Lord for this chance to learn more about the art of asking questions instead of giving advice and opinions.

PRAISE POINTS

· Over 200 lay people were trained in 2009 to start new evangelistic house groups in 26 areas in 6 Bicol-speaking provinces.

· Bob’s presentations went well at the Sept Jonathan Project (2-wk seminar on church multiplication). The JP Director asked Bob to present his case study in Singapore next May.

· Debbie (17 yrs) placed 3rd in a 2009 novel-writing competition. Details are at www.tweenerministries.org.

· Bob’s cancer indicators are still 0.00!

PRAYER REQUESTS

·     For our Home Assignment starting in June, 2010. We are trusting God for many details such as housing, car, etc. Koleen’s mother will still be under our care.

·     For God’s clear guidance as Debbie chooses a college. Debbie loves to write but also has strengths in math and science.

·     For Bob’s complete battery of medical tests in January.