“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8) It has been a very busy couple of months, as we have seen blessings even in the midst of trials.
On August 2, we had International Baptist Church’s first wedding! Emirson Ubas and Clarice Arriola became husband and wife during a beautiful ceremony, which honored the Lord. They are both graduates of our Bible college and part of our church staff. We are proud of them for the pure example they set for others to follow.
Our Bible college started its academic year the first week of August, and we are off to a great start with 4 new students. There is a great spirit among our students, and I have great expectations of them as they continue to grow in Christ under the teaching of God’s Word.
Our entire area has suffered from an outbreak of dengue fever, with hospitals overflowing with suffering patients. Some of our people have been called upon to donate blood and be a comfort to the sick and their families. Please keep praying for God to protect our health as we serve.
It is amazing how blessings and trials can be so close to each other. Jeo, one of our Bible college students, had a great evening of soul winning when he was able to share the Gospel with a group of college students and saw 18 saved. The next week, he became very sick at our dorm, and I had to transport him to a local hospital’s emergency room. He was diagnosed with typhoid and was given IV fluids and antibiotics for a week. We took shifts being “watchers” with him and tended to his needs as he healed. The hospitals here will not allow you to leave until you pay the entire hospital and doctor bills. Thanks to your giving, we were able to “bail him out,” and he is back on the road to recovery.
We have seen God move with some wonderful salvations. One of our lady Bible college students was able to see her stepfather saved after we showed kindness to her mother after a bad case of dengue. The Holy Spirit led me to send some of our men to a construction site close to where I live one evening, and they saw all 9 of them trust Christ! I’ve had a couple of “encounters” with groups of college students at a local park in the last couple of months. What a joy it was to see a total of 19 saved.
We have also recently started another “GAT” route, being led by one of our good men, Sir Tata Manlucot. Some of our soul winners and I have been helping him and his family get started by visiting his area on Saturday mornings. I came across the path of a young man named Carl, whom I had won to Christ in January of 2018. He rode in with Bro. Tata and was baptized. The new route has already had as many as 12 come on a Sunday morning.
We ended September with our annual Missions Conference, centered on the theme of “The Harvest.” We had 8 Filipino missionary families attend, 4 of them for the first time. Dr. Mark Bosje, director of FBMI, and his wife Amber flew in to be a part of our conference. Dr. Bosje’s clear preaching from the Bible about missions was very helpful to our people. Mrs. Bosje taught our ladies for one session, and they really enjoyed her teaching and encouragement.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our work here. At times, we may get weary in the work, but we never get weary of God’s work.
Laboring in the harvest,
Scott Christiansen
