Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him (Psalm 127:3). “Pratiti, I didn’t feel the baby move all day yesterday or in the night!” Manjulika exclaimed to her husband one morning. “Are you sure?” he asked, looking up in alarm. “Yes,” she responded, “I’ve been waiting and waiting, but I feel nothing at all.” “You must see the doctor today!” Pratiti said. “Do not wait any longer.” Manjulika faithfully practiced the customs of the belief … [Read more...]
Our visit with the cave people
I used to teach my grade three class about an isolated tribe of Philippine cave people. I saw pictures of them in a textbook. They lived together with their hunting dogs in a cave. “I wish I could reach them with Jesus’ love,” I said to myself. Then I read that the story about the cave people was not true. It had been created by someone who wanted to make a name for himself. According to the new information, the Tasaday people, who lived in the jungles of South Cotabato, were asked to … [Read more...]
Bandit leader becomes an Adventist
Gospel Outreach workers often encounter people that are against the government and God’s will. Here in Southern Mindanao Mission we usually work in areas where the gospel has not yet reached. Last summer I was assigned to open new church work in the Sarangani Province. I went to a place called Barangay Baliton. The residents there are of mixed tribes--Indonesian, Visayan, Bla’an. This place is a sanctuary for government rebels, pirates and kidnappers. As a Gospel Outreach evangelist I … [Read more...]
When God opens doors
In the biblical book Acts of the Apostles there is a heart-warming story about an angel who opened prison doors and led Peter to freedom just before his scheduled execution. Let us now tell you a modern-day story of how the Lord opened the doors of a hospital and made it possible for a Gospel Outreach worker in Europe to visit a dying patient who was in a desperate need of divine comfort. When Dragica was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she had no knowledge or hope of eternal life. Then the … [Read more...]
Help me be a mother
Art class was the last period for the day. I asked my students to draw something they would like to see or do in the future. “You will tell us about your drawing tomorrow,” I said. The following day I noticed that almost everyone had drawn a hut. The students talked about how they lived in their huts with their families. Some showed their fathers bringing deer home, and they told how they enjoyed a venison barbecue around a crackling bonfire at night. Others mentioned different … [Read more...]
We need this Jesus in our villages
God has answered many prayers. We are delighted to learn that there will be more funds for evangelism where the harvest is ripe. In the last quarter of 2010 we began to work in 125 new villages. We started by distributing tracts. After only one week, people showed an interest in learning more about the gospel. We had requests that meetings be conducted in their villages. Most of the villages presented their requests in writing. Some said, “Now we have learned that Jesus loved the poor, the … [Read more...]
A gift of tongues
Pastor Steven has a gift for training and mentoring Gospel Outreach workers, but he’s never spent a day at school. Born into a Hindu family, Pastor Steven’s parents died early in his life. As Pastor Steven grew up he attended Presbyterian meetings and joined a Presbyterian church. The church gave him a song book and Bible, but he couldn’t read. He cried and prayed for God to help him. One of our evangelists was holding meetings. Steven attended every night. In 1990 he was baptized … [Read more...]
The healing light
The man was desperate. For more than 10 years, his wife had been possessed by a demon. He had offered sacrifices to the spirits. He’d gone to many witch doctors and even paid 3,000 rupees to one who promised to cure his wife, but to no avail. When the demon would take control, the man’s wife would scream, fall on the floor and roll around. She’d tear her clothes and pull out handfuls of her hair. Sometimes she would run away. Then the demon would try to throw her into a well or pond to … [Read more...]