September and October were busy and productive months. Praise the Lord for 1,852 precious souls professing faith in Jesus Christ! Of those saved, 617 were saved while preaching in public schools, and 695 were saved during our soul-winning marathon at a cemetery. Every year people spend two or three days round the clock at a cemetery in observance of All Saints’ Day. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel, as hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people are there with nothing to do.
Much of ministry in the Philippines is similar to that in the States. For example, during the months of September and October, we had a wedding, a funeral, and a Baby Dedication. But one of the exciting things about the Philippines is the opportunity to spread and teach the Gospel in public places. For example, we have two men who go to a large public school and teach the Bible from class to class from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each Friday. They are quite hoarse and happy by the end of the day. They started teaching at the school on October 23 and had 28 teenagers visit our church the following Sunday.
We had quite a few folks in our church who had been baptized but had not officially joined the church, so I decided to have a “New Member Sunday.” I announced it ahead of time and was surprised at how excited our folks were. We had 37 people join the church. A teenage boy, whose family joined our church, came up to me and said, “Pastor, I’m so happy!” After the service we all stayed and ate together to welcome the new members.
Our church had a special celebration for Ester’s birthday. We were touched by the kind testimonies by several of our people of their love for her.
Daisy Esquilona
I would like to feature our church secretary, Daisy Esquilona. Daisy was saved when one of our ladies went to her home in 2007. She enrolled in our Bible college that year and graduated in 2011. She loves the Lord, is a hard worker, is a soul winner, and is full of joy. Thank you for your investment in her life.
Our annual Harvest Campaign is in full swing. Our church is divided into three groups for a five-week time of friendly competition. They are extremely excited as they bring visitors, win souls, and bring folks down the aisle. One of our ladies brought 15 visitors on the first Sunday.
We had a blessing recently as our church and Christian school went on a field trip to Manila. The mayor of the city of Dasmariñas allowed us to use their air-conditioned tour bus and even provided a driver. It’s great to be in a country where you can freely preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in government facilities and where the mayor of a city of almost a million people will provide you with a bus and driver for a church outing—free of charge.
Thank you with all our hearts for your prayers and financial sacrifice to keep us in this white harvest field.
Yours for souls,
Courtney & Ester Godsoe