Philippines 06' Chronicles #5

Dear Friends & Family,
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He comes shall find him so doing.” Matt.24:45,46

My time here is quickly drawing to a close. For the past month I have been teaching at the Bible School and ministering to various churches on the Island of Negros. The mission here has enough local churches under their care that I could preach every Sunday and not be at the same church twice my entire stay here.
Many of the present church and Mission projects are nearing completion. Two church buildings will be ready for dedication this week. Just in time for the U.S. team from CMAI (Christian Ministers Alliance International) headed by Ira & Sharon Stanley. It sure will be good to talk with friends from the states, it has been close to 3 months since I had that luxury. Other projects have included building a water tower for the mission complex, and repairs to the Gospel Boat, which is now docked here near Bais City.

One of my most enjoyable events this month
was to visit my favorite mountain church in
Palale, a small hamlet village high on the
mountain ridge which straddles
the island, in view of the opposite
coast and the blue waters of the
Sulu Sea. Here four years ago
the children sang with such
angelic voices as to bring the
very presence of God into that
small humble structure. I
wondered if it would still be the
same, and would I recognize any
of the children. I was pleasantly
surprised to see some of the
same faces, but older, still there
and still singing their hearts out
to the Lord. It made the two hour trip up a bumpy rainy road on the back of a motorcycle seem like a minuscule price to pay for such an experience.

I took one of my last “free” days here to visit the neighboring island of Siquijor. Accompanied by one of the young pastors of our fellowship, Jec Jec, we toured the island via rented motor bikes. Siquijor has been known as the center of witchcraft of the Philippines and we hope that in the future to sponsor evangelism crusades here.
Though the island is being developed for tourism, the same pattern of poverty spotted by wealth prevails here as it does in much of the Philippines.

This will most likely be my last “Chronicle” from these Islands but God has already put in my heart to return and also to work on some projects while back in the States. One will be to gather supplies for the mountain schools here on Negros, and if possible ship an entire container over. The U.S. govt. actually has a container program for humanitarian aid purposes. Another project, which I wasn't able to do this time, is to bring the “Jesus” film (in local dialects) over and show it in some of the remote areas which never get to see such things.

This is all for now,
God’s Best & Blessings to You
Russ