“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7)
What a difference has taken place in our entire world in the last two months! By the time this letter reaches most of you, America will be continuing to face the tragic results of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those of us on the mission fields of the world are now praying for your safety and for a time of turning towards the Lord.
The restrictions in the Philippines have been constantly increasing, and now the entire nation is in a “lockdown” that has sealed off each province, with no travel except for needed supplies.
As I write, only one person per household is allowed to venture out with a pass for two, five-hour periods a week to get needed food and medicines. Praise the Lord that in our area, the virus is not yet spreading (to our knowledge), and no one in our church has been affected yet.
One of the first steps was to close all schools, which included our Bible college. Minors have been told to stay at home for several weeks now. At first, we continued to hold church services with only adults who provided their own transportation while practicing “social distancing.” Each week we still visited our quarantined children and teens to encourage them and provide Bible lessons. But now, like most of you, we are told to stay home and are holding church with live online technology such as Facebook.
Our students and people continue to maintain a good spirit and look for opportunities to witness. It has been encouraging to see families dress up for church in their homes and participate as they watch the online services (usually on a phone). What is especially encouraging me is to see our college students contact their family and friends on social media and approach them via live media to share the Gospel. Several family and friends have been saved in recent days since everyone is “stuck” in their homes. We wonder how many are being reached who otherwise would not have been because of our usual and busy schedules.
Before our soul-winning times were entirely suspended, Charles, Nico, and I went to a large public park to witness. It was very sad to see that our favorite place to go soul winning had been turned into a “ghost town.” While at times we were the only people there, God still brought some “divine appointments,” and we saw 9 saved that day.
We are praying for God to use this time to open doors wider to the spread of the Gospel. We are also praying for our people kept from jobs and money to buy necessities. Jesus told us to expect these days (see Matthew 24:6-7). Now it is our duty to show the world our hope and joy in Christ.
Continue to pray for power, love, and souls to be saved around the world!
Safe in the hollow of His hand,
Scott Christiansen
