OUT OF THE GROUND

The good Lord sent us to start a Bible Institute in cooperation with a functioning local church here in Iligan City Philippines pastored by Ruben Sulapas. The good Lord then allowed the entire church, to be washed out to sea in a major flood disaster on 12/17/12 which also took the lives of 12 members in that church. The property where the nice building used to stand is now a mud field. The disaster put a great pressure on Romans 8:28 but I am happy to report that "THE BIBLE STANDS though the hills may crumble".

The church has kept its integrity and unity and has kept its shout through it all. Through the sacrificial giving of many individuals and churches this church was able to purchase and pay for a most beautiful piece of land (1 hecter=2 ½ acres) with more coconut trees than you can count which will not only serve as shade but lumber too. The men of the church have been working daily since the day after the property was secured to rebuild bigger and better buildings which will soon include the church, printing ministry building, staff housing and BIBLE INSTITUTE AND DORM. Come and help if you like. Photos of all this disaster and rebuilding are on my SWAT REPORTS and archived on website www.streetpreaching.com. We project we can start classes sometime in June.

LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES

In my presentation to the churches last year I spoke of the Philippines as being a harvest field and full of opportunities to minister the gospel and all the counsel of God. This has been evidently set out before me. I preach to the police every Monday morning. I am free to give them NT’s and literature. I have tract racks in Jeepney terminals which I constantly must refill. I preached last week to 33 couples who had applied for their marriage license and were meeting one of the requirements. The government requires them to attend 3 hours of pre-marital counseling. The first hour a government official instructs them on their legal responsibilities of parenting such as how to register their children (so many are born outside the hospital). The second hour I preached to them on "God’s purpose for marriage". The gospel was woven through and through. All eyes and ears are attentive to the message as I give it.

MACARTHUR ALIVE AND WELL IN PI

Ron Giannetto of "Little Red Book" fame in Rochester, NY handsomely supplied me with tracts before we came to PI. One tract was designed special for the Philippines. It has a picture of a six cent US stamp with Gen. Douglas MacArthur in full uniform. These tracts are more desired than free dollar bills. I can walk the mall holding them in my hand and men will come and ask for

one…the same with them in my shirt pocket. I know this is difficult to believe for the Americans reading this but if you give one out you better have 5 more real handy. They sit and read them immediately. I was in a hardware store to buy a lantern, we have so many failures of electric since the flood, and I gave one to the young man helping me and ended up preaching to 5 of his colleagues and 4 customers standing by with every eye and ear attentive to the Word of God.

PERSONAL

We arrived safe and sound after 5 months of scurrying around the world and the USA. The 40’ container with our personal belongings arrived from Romania at midnight about 2 full months after being shipped. Twenty five Baptist Boys (they are called this because they are on call to help in situations like this) unloaded the whole contents in about 1 ½ hours into our three bedrooms upstairs. You see, since the flood our home has become the church until facilities can be completed on the property. All personal items were in good order and we are settled, ready, able and eager to begin the Bible Institute. I have written a curriculum and am presently presenting this ministry in local churches.

Mary Bethany is finishing at BBTI (Bible Baptist Translators Institute) in Bowie, TX on May 12. She then goes to the AMAZON for a missions trip with our home church (Capitol City Bapt., Austin, TX). She then COMES HOME to her mom and dad’s welcoming arms in PI. Can’t wait.

Mary’s brother (James) and his wonderful family have joined us in the work here and they, too, await eagerly Mary’s arrival.