October Rice Mission - Half of the Money for Rice Already Donated

Pastor Jordan Palangyos is getting ready for the next rice mission in October. The goal for buying rice is $1,000. Already - $500 has been donated. 

Other needs are car costs and a laptop.

Pastor and Mrs. Palangyos took the Gospel to the area where they grew up. Land was donated and a small chapel was partially built by hand. The Corona virus led to a lockdown in the Philippines, many delays and hardships. The weather has been bad for the rice crop, so our mission began to deliver bags to those in need. Rice is basic to all their meals and essential.

Some people mail checks to Bethany Lutheran Church, 1104 Letha Drive, Springdale, AR, 72762. The money is forwarded to the mission the same day it arrives - 100% of the amount given or designated.

Others give directly to the mission through this PayPal address -

amabelpalangyos@yahoo.com

Mailing checks directly to the Philippines does not work out well, so we use PayPal for the currency conversion and speed.

Pastor Jordan Palangyos and his wife Dr. Amabel Palangyos. She earned a PhD in linguistics.

                 This is how they began building the chapel - from scratch.

Pastor Jordan Palangyos - Home, Sweet, Home

This is Pastor Jordan Palangyos' uncle's home, where he spent his high school years.

Pastor Jordan Palangyos Baptizes a Family

 The roof project was stalled by the Wuhan Flu virus and lockdown. However, now Pastor Palangyos can reach his members.

Pastor Palangyos:
"A mother always prayed for her children to go to church and believe in Christ. For years, the prayer seemed not answered. Still, this mother faithfully prayed and hoped  that someday one of her sons will go to church and follow Christ. This July 2020,  God answered her prayers.

Eric and his whole family was baptized in Bethany Lutheran Mission church last July 5, 2020. He was sick and cannot stand but his faith carried him together with his four beautiful children.

His eldest daughter, Jerica, always attended Sunday school. She wanted her whole family to come to church as well. Most young people her age already started to abandon the church but she remained faithful and clung to our confession. During my visitation, her father accepted the Word and decided to be baptized. I was surprised but was joyful by his decision. We pray that this pandemic ends soon so we can conduct home visitation and continuously study the Word. Also, we pray that others will follow his footstep.

I and other lay leaders are happy with this development and this proves that even during pandemic, God is still active and is working in mysterious ways . Bethany Lutheran World Mission is an instrument of God to announce God's forgiveness."

 Handcrafted sign by G. Jackson via Photofunia.

Read the Bethany Lutheran Mission News Posted by Pastor Palangyos -Their Building Brings Back Memories

 The second phase raised enough to obtain most of the materials. Read more here - from Pastor Jordan Palangyos.

We started in New Ulm, Minnesota, where the CLC (sic) pastors helped two or three people fuss over pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. 

We rented a place for Sunday worship and looked for something permanent. God provided. When nothing was available, an elderly man wanted to sell his land to us. We obtained a loan for the down payment and a mortgage from the bank. The seller wanted to stay in his house and pay us rent, which paid the mortgage installments.

A carpenter in our midst saw the potential for a chapel by closing in the carport. That came together with a gift, our labor, some rented skilled labor, a donated organ, donated chairs, and donated hymnals. We started with nothing but a defenestrated group and faith we could worship in spite of the obstacles.

The group named the congregation after Bethany, where Jesus - by His Word - raised  Lazarus from the dead. That was about 23 years ago. Since then we have worshiped and broadcast - by phone - from Phoenix, and - by Internet video streaming - from Arkansas.

I mention these details because nobody could predict all this in advance. The opposition was like a hive of yellow jackets stirred into a stinging frenzy. But God can take the greatest evil and turn it into the greatest good, as He did with the crucifixion of His Son.

Wouldn't "conservative" Lutherans welcome books based upon the Reformation? Quite the opposite was true. However, that has only made it easier to distribute free and low-cost books for this generation and generations to come, God willing.

People have given with great joy so Pastor and Mrs. Palangyos can gather their own people to hear the Gospel.

Glen Kotten has visited at least twice to help.

 Pastor Jordan Palangyos and his wife Amabel are from this region and they are bringing the Gospel Word to their people, with help from everyone there.

Bethany Lutheran Mission in the Philippines - Raising the Roof

Pastor Jordan and helpers waited six hours to get their order filled for the roof materials.
Read about the progress of Bethany Lutheran Mission here.

 The building materials are in the background of the open air chapel.

 Getting the construction materials and delivering them was a big chore.

 Work starts soon on the permanent roof.

 Many children come to worship and learn about Jesus.

 Pastor and Mrs. Palangyos chose to teach Justification by Faith and be a witness to the truth of the Reformation. They are thankful to God for the support they receive from faithful Lutherans everywhere.
Read about their labor of love at Bethany Lutheran Mission here.

Bethany Lutheran Mission in the Philippines - Pastor Jordan Palangyos -Temporary Roof, Expanding Outreach

 Pastor Jordan Palangyos leads the worship service.

In the first stage of building, the mission congregation began putting together the base of the building. Donations made possible the concrete structure and steel supports.

Donations provided a printer for producing educational materials.

Click here - How to Send Money to the Bethany Philippine Mission

They now have a temporary roof over the chapel and want to use steel and iron to protect the area.

They trust the efficacy of the Gospel Word. "I planted. Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 1 Corinthians 3:6

 The main floor, newly built, is already crowded.

 We met member and Bethany attorney Glen Kotten and worshiped with long-time friends Pastor Jim and Chris Shrader - in Sioux Falls. 

 They are building and improving as they continue worship and education.

 They need to replace this temporary roof before the next rainy season.

Another view of the upstairs shows the temporary roof supports.

Add caption

 Pastor Jordan Palangyos and his PhD wife Amabel.

 In the Philippines, Glen ordered two eggs over hard. But they were quail eggs.

Now on the International Market - The Bible Teaches Faith in Jesus the Savior - translated by Pastor Jordan Palangyos

The Kindle ebook version of The Bible Teaches Faith in Jesus the Savior is available in Ilocano (ilocano) - one of the Philippine languages. Pastor Jordan Palangyos translated it for his mission work.

Norma A. Boeckler illustrated the book and designed the covers.

The printed, full-color version is NOT available. Amazon limits the number of languages they use for printing, and Ilocano is not on that list. However, here is the link for the completed book in full cover, translated by Pastor Palangyos.

Translated into Ilocano - The Bible Teaches Faith in Jesus the Savior.

The main idea in using Amazon was to make the ebook available for only 99 cents, all over the world.

The mission has a computer printer for creating books locally. There are plans and hopes for using inexpensive tablets for literacy training and Christian teaching.

The Building Block of Missions - The Word of God. The Bible Teaches Faith in Jesus the Savior

 The back cover, John 3:16, is designed by Norma A. Boeckler and translated by Pastor Jordan Palangyos.

Pastor Jordan Palangyos started a mission and began working on a church building, which is partially finished.

I wrote a brief booklet to be used (public domain, non-profit) and translated by anyone who wishes to have it. No permissions are needed.

 The front cover is designed by Norma A. Boeckler, and the interior is also illustrated by our artist-in-resident.

The English version The Bible Teaches Faith in Jesus the Savior is available on Amazon and Kindle.

The translated version will be printed at the mission because that is more economical. I understand the cost of the printer has already been donated.

When the rainy season is over, the mission will be able to complete their small building.

Print version.
Kindle version of the Bible Teaches Faith in Jesus the Savior.

A Reader Asked How To Send Money to the Philippine Mission

Luther's Sermons are in the Philippines: Pastor Jordan Palangyos photo.

Use this address below in PayPal if you like giving directly. This is their non-profit PayPal account:

lutheranautonomousmissionsphil@yahoo.com

PayPal wants to mark that as a purchase, so you must twice choose "gift to a friend" to avoid the extra charge. They still charge the sender a dollar, but the money arrives quickly in their currency, so that is worth it.

 Baby Andrea was born in the Philippines and went back to her home in California with her Mom and Dad. 

Hi Pastor Jackson,

Pastor Palangyos was able to get PayPal registered to their non-profit organization Lutheran Autonomous Missions Philippines (LAMP) formed in the Philippines. PayPal donations are currently setup on the bottom right corner of the blog https://lutherancowboysphilippines.blogspot.com/

Thank you for sharing about the mission work in the Philippines!

In Christ,

Glen Kotten, Attorney

2. Through Bethany Lutheran Church

Some readers do not want to use PayPal, so they can send a check to our church (marked for the Philippines) and I will send it to their mission - 100%, the same day. 

Bethany Lutheran Church, 1104 Letha Drive, Springdale, AR, 72762.

Paper checks sent to the Philippines do not work well  because they are cumbersome and expensive to exchange.

Rev. Dr. Lito Cruz, math professor, Philippine native, Lutheran pastor.

Rev. Dr. Lito Cruz got us started on PayPal, so if a check comes through earmarked for the Philippines, I will send that portion or the entire amount of the check to the Philippines. I send it the same day.

A. First Priority - Building Materials - Done
They built the basic chapel and now need to build a permanent roof.

B. Second Priority - Welding the roof, installing windows and doors.

Funds needed for welders.

C. Third Priority - Transportation
Pastor Jordan Palangyos needs transportation for his mission trips, hard to reach areas. A used car there is just as expensive as here - if not more so.

 Our church's attorney, Glen Kotten, set up our non-profit status and sponsored Making Disciples. He has taught at Pastor Palangyos' mission.

How Did Our Little Church End Up in the Philippines? - The Triple Connection

Dr. Lito Cruz and his wife Lynne are long-time readers of Ichabod. He is also a certified Lutheran pastor in Australia. They are from the Philippines.

 Dr. Cruz told me about Pastor Palangyos' Philippine mission. By the way, Dr. Cruz taught baby Andrea's mother's best friend. Glen Kotten traveled to the Philippines to help with the mission, teaching and taking a box of our books - Luther's Sermons, etc.

 Baby Andrea was born in the Philippines when her mother Ivy went there to visit family. Andrea was premature, very weak; we prayed for her every day and at church on Sunday. My wife and I skype with Andrea and her Mom, who are back in California.

 

 Glen Kotten is a lawyer in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, near New Ulm, where we used to live. He proved to be very astute about Biblical theology and translations. He sponsored the Making Disciples booklet we print and give away. He is also our congregation's attorney.

 Glen Kotten brought all these books to the Philippines.
I suggested a blog to communicate their work, and they soon launched on - Lutheran Cowboys Philippines. It is listed on the upper left among my favorite blogs and links.

 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. GJ - The design is from Norma A. Boeckler. The Gems were selected by Virginia Roberts, Christina Jackson, and I. Many people helped in editing and supporting Luther's Sermons.

 That is a long trip from Wittenberg to the Philippines.
The Word of God cannot be silenced.

Our Little Group Is International

The Sower and the Seed, by Norma A. Boeckler

The original meaning of broadcast is illustrated by the Parable of the Sower and the Seed. I have done this when starting a lawn and when sowing easy to grow plants, like lettuce. Someone asked, "Why is lettuce growing in the planter by the front door?" The obvious answer - "I was sowing lettuce seed and some landed there."

The effect of blogging and video streaming over the Net is sending the message everywhere. We do not have a secret code for the videos, so anyone can watch who has a computer and the Net. Many have watched our services during winter emergencies and sickness.

The point of the Parable of the Sower is to broadcast the living Seed of the Word, without regarding where it lands. There will be many difficulties, as explained by Jesus, but the growth will more than makeup for the disappointments.

We have multiple connections with the Philippines. Baby Andrea was recently born there, and now has returned to America with her mom and dad. Dr. Lito Cruz and his wife are from there, and he is a long-time blogging friend. Glen Kotten took a large box of books there and stayed to teach a new, Justification by Faith mission congregation. I suggested a blog for communicating their work, so they began one, which is on our blog list.

Pastor Jordan Palangyos is the mission pastor. This is the blog -

https://lutherancowboysphilippines.blogspot.com/

 The actual Great Commission is based on the Means of Grace - proclaim the Word and baptize. The Calvinists turned Jesus' Gospel admonition into Law - Make disciples! - a fatal mistake. Illustration by Norma A. Boeckler.

These books were donated and delivered to the Philippine mission, including the Paine New Testament Greek book.