Philippine Update #1

Hello AGPMA Friends and Family,

On the road again! Kim dropped me off at the Houston airport Tuesday at 1:00pm to catch my 4:50pm flight to Cebu, Philippines (with a few stops along the way). After patiently awaiting my marching orders from above, I finally zeroed in on my next Great Grandmaster Adventure and was lead to make contact with my next teacher in this adventure, Master Henry Jayme. Master Jayme is a well rounded practitioner of Philippino Martial Arts who I will be studying under for the next two weeks. I have asked him to train me as well as to introduce me to the local practitioners where I will witness their training methods and train with them as the opportunity arises. I have been in prayer for this great opportunity for some time now and I know many of you have been praying for me as well.

As I find my seat on the plane, I meet my next answered prayer. Let me introduce to you, Michael Holcomb, President of Keppel Marine Agencies International. Keppel manufactures offshore rigs and Michael is president of the Houston location and in charge of marketing all of Keppel’s locations worldwide. Michael is 56 years old, a father of two, and lives in Missouri City, Texas with his wife. His office is in the Galleria area and he is traveling to Singapore on business. We have a 24 hour flight to get to know each other and, come to find out, we have a lot in common. Michael is a marathon runner with 17 marathons under his belt and a goal to run one in every state. I have four marathons under my belt and (though not quite as ambitious as Michael’s) a goal of running one every five years. As Master Instructor I have asked my black belts to keep a "stretch goal" in their life to keep them growing and always reaching for a new level. I set that goal for myself after running my first marathon at age 35 as a way of leading by example, and God willing, I will run my fifth marathon in 2011 at age 55. It was inspiring to meet someone else who is setting and reaching similar goals.

The first leg of our trip our trip is exactly 12 hours to Moscow and the second leg is 12 more hours to Singapore. Needless to say, we have plenty of time to get acquainted. Being runners gave Mike and I an instant connection and we exchange running war stories and stories of overcoming. We also have time to exchange our work experiences, our family blessings, and I filled him in on my Great Grandmaster Adventure. Michael was interested in how I incorporate Christ into teaching the Martial Arts. Talk about a captive audienceJ! Neither one of us had anywhere to be so… his curiosity was enthusiastically answered with an introduction to some of AGPMA’s core concepts (Jim Collins’ "Principles of Good to Great," Chip Ingram’s "Ten Characteristics of Great Christians," Stephen Covey’s "Eight Habits of Highly Effective People," and AGPMA’s "Core Scriptures"). Michael was quite an interesting guy and he seemed very interested in the introduction that I gave him. He even showed interest in attending one of my Boot Camps! (Mike…If you are reading this, I hope to see you drop in for my next Boot Camp scheduled for February 15!) Pray for Michael and our future time together. I have a feeling our paths will cross again and I know that God has a purpose in our meeting that is way beyond our understanding. I leave his company feeling like I’ve made a new friend who I hope to keep in touch with.

On my final flight, from Singapore to Cebu, I meet seven month old, Marcus, and his mom, Sara. Sara is an intensive care nurse in London who is Philippino. This is a very short flight in comparison to the first two. I read, sleep, talk a little with Sara, and help with Marcos from time to time.

Travel mercies have been granted and I arrive safely at my destination in Cebu, Philippines 30 hours after leaving the Houston airport. I exchange $20 for pesos and begin looking for a taxi cab. I was approached by many cab drivers and their representatives, but I was advised by Master Jayme to find a cab with a meter and with the price posted. Turns out, this was very good advice. I find a cab and I arrive at Fuente Pension House, my home for the next two weeks, around 1:30pm on Thursday. The attendant informs me that there is only internet connection in the lobby and café. As anxious as I was to communicate, having had very little sleep in the last 30 hours, I retire to my room where I quickly crash and burn.

I wake up at around 1:00am (my schedule a little off) and I unpack, shower, and check to see if, by chance, I can get internet access in my room. Bingo…I have access (I must have misunderstood him)! So I sit down to check my email and to write this update to you. I have an email from Master Henry Jayme and I communicate with him, making plans to meet him in the morning for our first training session. I am full of anticipation as to what my training here will bring and to who all God will put in my path along the way!

It has been amazing to watch as God has put together the pieces of this trip from the time that He put it on my heart until now. I want to thank my sponsors who have so generously given to this trip. I, of course, have to mention our accountant and friend, Mr. Joseph Polizzi, who helps keep us in line. I can’t thank him enough for all he does for us and for the community (If you need an accountant, he is your man!) Also, as many of you may have heard, for the last few months, Premier Martial Arts has been home to a church family who was displaced by Hurricane Ike. After the hurricane, our students and friends, Pastors Carter and Laura Ware, were without a place to meet and we offered our school’s facilities. I have in turn been so blessed as I have been a part of the transition and growth at Faith for All Nations. The pastors and church family decided to bless me by supporting this trip with their missions offering and they were overwhelming generous in their contributions. Last Sunday, before I left for the Philippines, I was asked by Pastor Carter to encourage the members of Faith for All Nations and to say thanks for their contribution. That morning as I was studying my Bible, God gave me the encouragement I was looking for, both for myself and for the church, and it was found in the book of Isaiah. The following scriptures were scheduled for my morning reading (no coincidences…just Divine arrangements J).
Isaiah 52:7 How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace And brings good news and happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God Reigns!"
Application- God says that the feet of those who bring good news are "beautiful". It is a wonderful privilege to be able to share God’s Good News with others, his news of redemption, salvation, and peace. To whom do you need to give the Good News?
Cross Reference- Romans 10:14-15 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

It is truly amazing the way God puts things together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! As I mentioned earlier, I have been in prayer for this great moment and I know that many of you have been praying for me as well. I want to thank you for your support and to ask you to keep the prayers coming – for me and for my family and staff as they keep things running while I’m away.
In closing, I want to encourage everyone to walk in the Spirit and to read your Bible first thing in the morning. When we give God the first part of our day, He will bless you and prepare you to be a blessing to others in your day.
God’s Love and Peace,

Al Garza
P.S. If you are new to my Great Grandmaster Adventure, I invite you to go to algarza.blogspot.com to read about my trips in 2007 to Thailand, Brazil, and China. (Thank you to Pastor Laura Ware for putting my blogspot on-line for me.)
Al Garza’s
2047 W. Main C-9 League City, TX 77573
(281) 332-KICK www.algarza.com