The man looked greatly troubled. His wife was in labor, but she was having difficulty delivering the baby.
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 visited homes and made friends with people, no matter what their background was.
One day, while I was approaching an isolated house, I saw a man whose face indicated he was greatly troubled about something. I asked what was wrong. He told me his wife was in labor, but she was having difficulty delivering the baby. He could not send his wife to the hospital because he had no money.
When I saw his wife, she was very pale. I told the man that his wife should be hospitalized immediately, money or no money.
I found a vehicle that would carry his wife to the hospital. We loaded her into the car, but before we reached the hospital she had died. I helped with the funeral expenses. After the burial, I continued to comfort him until he was ready for Bible study.
He then began to share the story of his life. He was the leader of a group involved with cattle rustling and kidnapping. For the last two months, his group had not been able to conduct normal operations. That was the reason he did not have money for his wife’s medical needs.
Because of my sympathy for his family, he felt a debt of gratitude to me. We studied the Bible together, and he learned of the love of God for mankind. When I presented the good news of salvation to him, he readily accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He was baptized last October.
This bandit commander became a member of our small group in Barangay Baliton. He is starting to invite other bandits to attend our small-group meetings. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will use this man to bring others to Jesus.