These are times of great sorrow and great hope for the ministry on Mindanao. We have great sorrow because Pastor Jekel Sangelia from Rosario, one of our Board members that we taught back in April, lost his wife to lupus on Sunday, November 11 and Pastor Oscar Guimbal, a former Board member that we trained in 2001-2 who has headed up our agricultural training program, lost his father on November 9. We rejoice that they are with the Lord but mourn with those who mourn their loss. Please join with us in lifting them up in prayer.
Pastor Jekel (right) and Pastor Oscar (left)
We have great hope as the Bible school students diligently prepare for graduation as the waiting list for the next sessions continue to grow. A new church has been planted in Upper Ampawid with the help of the students who are also helping with the pastoral responsibilities. We have already had the ground breaking and the building is under construction even now. There is such hunger for God among the mountain tribal people and we look forward to more churches being planted as the students complete their studies and launch out into ministry.
Bible school class
We praise God for a great opportunity that He has placed before us and ask that you join us in prayer that we may take advantage. As you know we have been praying for God to provide a truck to help the ministry on Mindanao become self supporting. In faith the tribal people have been planting their crops and the harvest has come in but we need a truck to transport the extra to the lowlands so it can be sold in the marketplace. We have looked at several trucks in the hopes of finding one we can buy. God has opened such an opportunity for us. The owner wants to sell us the truck but was asking $3,500 as down payment, a sum we did not have.
We need this truck for ministry
Now God has softened his heart. He will sell us the truck for the same price ($6,000) but at a payment of $1,000 a month for 6 months and we can use the truck as soon as we come up with the initial payment of $1,000 by December 1. Please pray that God will speak to His person/people to commit to $1,000 a month (or portion thereof) for 6 months above and beyond their current giving. Please let us know if you want to be a part of God’s miracle provision for His people on Mindanao. The truck will provide transportation for ministry teams to go up the mountain for evangelistic outreach and for produce from the tribal farms to come down the mountain to provide income to the people so their tithes can help the ministry there to become self supporting. Please join us in prayer that God will provide for this pressing need and ask Him if He wants you to be a part of the answer. Be sure to designate your gift “for the truck”. We thank you in advance for your prayers. May God bless you abundantly in this season of harvest and Happy Thanksgiving!
Howard & Barbara Gard