Bethany Lutheran Church - Our Philippine Mission Effort
Our church planting site is in Wallayan and Delles, La Union, Philippines, a two-hour trip from my home. I live in Baguio City, Philippines (a former American Base). From home, I have to travel by taxi to go to the bus station. I ride a bus and transfer to a tricycle when we reach town center. From the town center, we ride a tricycle to reach our church planting site.
The Town center
A tricycle
The challenge is that the road going to our mission station is not along a jeepney line. No public transport goes there due to its far-flung location. We have to hire a car to go there. The most affordable mode of transportation is a tricycle. Sometimes, the tricycle drivers do not want to transport us because of the difficulty going up in the mountains.
Description
We have two mission stations. These stations are quite close to each other. The place is a Mountainous rural area in Northern Philippines. The road is cemented but very narrow. The people we are ministering to are composed of kankana-ey tribe. They are peace-loving people. Majority are farmers and broom makers. Most of the houses are shanties made of galvanized iron sheets. Few concrete houses are under construction.
More brooms
However, we are faced with challenges such as the presence of mambunong (shaman or pagan priests), spiritual decay (gambling, cockfighting, apathy, and immorality), and abject poverty. In addition, there is an increasing number of mothers who work abroad and leave their children in the care of husband, relatives, or grandmother. Some of these children are in our Sunday school.
Sunday school today
Despite such, God is at work. People are very much interested to learn God’s word. In fact two families always welcome me, my wife, my two kids and sometimes my brother, Judah. My wife is my partner in the mission field. Naturally, our kids tag along with us. The two families offered their simple houses as the venue for our Sunday worship and discipleship training classes.
The First house who hosted us
The other house who always host our discipleship Training
Today, March 31, 2019, I discussed Dr. Greg Jackson's Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons. Thanks to Dr. Greg Jackson's generosity in donating us his books. We now have materials for our discipleship classes.
We are just starting. There is much work to do in God's vineyard. We ask His grace guidance, and providence (specially for the church building and transportation vehicle) for us to actualize and execute the following programs:
I. Building relations
A. Form barkada groups
B. Form women groups
C. Form men groups
D. Form youth groups
E. Strengthen the children groups
II. Evangelism Program
A. House to house bible study
B. Sunday school teachers' training
C. Bible distribution
E. School visitation
F. Inductive bible study
G. Baptism
H. Cathechism
III. Educational Needs
A. The reading needs of the children
B. English Grammar and Communication needs of the youth
IV.Plan to Improve the community
A. To coordinate the water needs of the community (Water is scarce now)
V. Work in progress
1. Regular Sunday service in the backyard of one of the members
2. Regular Sunday School for about 15- 30 children
3. Continuous doctrine class for the youth
4. Continuous Discipleship classes of the adults
5. Church construction
6. Team building
We are one in prayer for our Lord's guidance, grace and wisdom so that in all the things we do, it is HIS name that we proclaim, trust, and worship.
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