Thank you all so much for your faithfulness in praying for us! We have finally arrived in the Philippines! It was a long journey to get here, but God has been faithful all of the way. We landed here in Dumaguete City on Negros Island in the late evening of Thursday, November 30, after departing California on Tuesday evening, November 28, so the trip was definitely a long one. We traveled fully loaded with as much luggage as the airlines would allow, and even ended up having a little too much, so we had to cover a substantial excess baggage fee at the last moment. Thank the Lord, though, we arrived with nothing having gone missing! Another thing that happened during November and December was that we celebrated five of our six birthdays! Pray for us, as we are now parents of four teenagers!
November was a flurry of meetings and last-minute preparations, as we began with a meeting in Illinois, followed by a great Missions Conference in Wisconsin and another meeting in Illinois, before going back to Indiana to be ordained and see our friends one last time at our home church, First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. We are so grateful to Pastor Wilkerson and our church for all of the love, support, and faithfulness through the years. We already miss them, but we are excited to follow the Lord’s leading. We then traveled back to Texas for final packing and Thanksgiving with my family before flying to California to spend a few days with Mary-Ann’s family. We had one final meeting in California at a church where Winston and Marina Song attend. They were instrumental in helping bring Mary-Ann to Christ back in 1993. We are thankful to and encouraged by them and others who were used of God to witness to and disciple Mary-Ann and many others.
While in the final month of deputation, we were still faithful to share the Gospel of Christ as we were able. I was able to show a young lady, Emily, how to trust Jesus as her Saviour, which she chose to do! Here in the Philippines, in the month of December, God used our family specifically to lead 27 people to Christ, with one of those being Timothy’s first time to do so! We also had 2 first-time visitors attend church services. Please pray that others will decide to come to church and that we will continue to have great opportunities to share Christ Jesus with the many who are lost and on their way to Hell. One of the visitors wants to come back and be baptized and bring his unsaved wife to the service. Please pray that she will come and that we will be able to present the Gospel to her.
We have been working on several different paperwork items that we need to process, but here in the Philippines, such is usually a long and arduous process. Please pray that we can complete these items in a timely manner. We moved into a more permanent location on December 26, and we are now working to furnish and outfit the place. Please pray that we will be able to do so and that God will provide a little more in the way of setup funds.
Again, thank you all for your faithfulness! Please pray that God will bless our ministry here in the Philippines.
Sincerely,
R. Daniel Williams and Family to the Philippines
All for Christ!
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- With pastors and missionaries at Iglesia Bautista Libertad of Houston, Texas
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- With the boys and our friend Carrey from China
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- Riding a motorcycle pedicab in the Philippines
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- With Rafael and his daughter Empress, our first visitors to church
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- Mary-Ann out soul winning
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- Our first church service at International Baptist Church of Dumaguete City, Philippines
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- With Missionary Walter Stevens at Wyldewood Baptist Church of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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- Mary-Ann out soul winning
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- With Winston & Marina Song, who were instrumental in bringing Mary-Ann to Christ many years ago
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- Mary-Ann out soul winning
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- With Pastor David Moore, Rogelio Carrizales, and Jose Delgado at Iglesia Bautista Libertad in Houston, Texas
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- Celebrating Timothy’s 15th birthday!
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- With Pastor Jason Brenenstuhl at Wyldewood Baptist Church of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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- Hannah celebrating her 13th birthday!
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- With Pastor Daryl York at Brentwood Baptist Church of Des Plaines, Illinois
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- With my new convert
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- With Pastor John Wilkerson after being ordained at First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana
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- At Wings as Eagles in Oshkosh, WIsconsin
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- With four fishermen who received Jesus
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- With Pastor Bruce Goddard at Faith Baptist Church of Wildomar, California
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- Our first Christmas in the Philippines
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- The children singing in the Christmas program
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- Leaving for the Philippines with all of our luggage–and then some
