destroyed.
The floodwaters hit our area at 1 AM and many barely escaped with their lives,
losing everything. Some didn’t make it out at all.
Our ministry was hit hard. Four of our seven teaching points were destroyed.
All of our agricultural projects were wiped out and we will have to start over
again. Many of our 150 students were among those who lost everything. Some of
them have dropped out of classes to devote themselves to rebuilding their homes
and caring for their families. They will rejoin the training at a later time.
We are knocked down but not defeated. The training is going forward as
churches are being rebuilt. In some places, classes are continuing outdoors
because of the commitment of students and teachers. They have a job to do and
they are not going to let the enemy stop them.
Even in the midst of disaster, God is giving victory after victory. On New
Year’s Day, Pastor Allan Asang who heads the ministry in the Philippines met
with a tribal chieftain and a communist rebel commander to ask for permission to
take the Gospel into their area. Both men gave their hearts to the Lord and were
baptized with their entire families. They have opened up the entire region
for the Gospel to come in and for new churches to be planted.
God has provided abundantly for those in need. When we sent out our last
newsletter in December, we were $2,000 behind in our support for the full time
workers. Since that time, through your prayers and your sacrificial giving, we
have been able to catch up the $2,000 shortfall plus send the full support for
January and February. We were also able to buy $500 worth of rice for those in
the mountains facing starvation because of the flooding.
Through your generosity five new churches are already under construction in
the mountains with more to follow. We rejoice as people follow through with
their commitments to build a village church in a tribal area for $200 (the cost
of the nails and the corrigated metal roofing). At least fifteen more church
buildings need to be built as God’s Kingdom expands in the mountain tribal
areas.
The ministry has grown to 30 congregations with over 1,600 Believers. A new
church has begun in the city of Mawab. They are currently meeting at one of the
public schools but God has opened the door for us to purchase a brick church
building for only $3,300 that would cost at least $10,000 if we had to buy the
land and build it ourselves. He is truly multiplying the seed you have sown into
this ministry.
During a recent outreach into a new area in February, 22 new Believers were
baptized, including another tribal chieftain. God continues to give us favor
with those in positions of authority in the land and they are opening doors for
the Gospel to go forward.
Please keep the Philippines in your prayers during this critical time. The
U.S. Marines have landed in the southwestern part of Mindanao. They are there to
work with the Filipino army to take out the Abu Sayyaf and to rescue the
American missionaries being held on nearby Basilan Island. Pray that the
Burnhams will be safely rescued with a minimum loss of innocent lives. If the
military begins bombing the area of Mindanao where the rebel forces are hiding,
there is a danger that some of our students could be caught in the crossfire.
Pray for a quick and lasting peace in the Philippines so that the Gospel can go
forward unhindered.
God has given many victories but there is much more that needs to be done. We
hope to return to Mindanao by mid-March to teach the advanced courses of the
Bible school to the leadership team so they can be fully equipped as church
planters who can equip others. We still need $20,000 to buy the building where
are Bible school and headquarters are located in Tagum City. We need finances to
rebuild the demonstration farms that were destroyed by the floods. We need
$10,000 so we can purchase a truck to transport produce to market by road and
$1,000 will make it possible to buy a boat motor so we can transport produce
from another region by river. A commitment of $100 a month will enable a full
time teacher to set up a literacy program among tribes that have been denied any
chance for an education.
We need 14 more people who will commit to sponsor one of our full time
workers with $200 a month for the next six months until the agricultural
projects can be restored to productivity. In September of last year, several
people responded to our appeal to support a full time worker with $200 a month
for six months until the agricultural projects would be ready for harvest but
that harvest was destroyed by the January floods. So we have to start over again
with $200 per month for each of the full time workers for March through
August.
We don’t just want to bring the preaching of the Gospel but we want to demonstrate
the power of God to transform society through the redemption He so freely offers
in Christ Jesus. Join with us to see entire tribes transformed through the Blood
of Jesus Christ, who came to set all men free from the bondage of sin and
darkness. Through your prayers and your generous gifts, you can have a part in
seeing every tribe on Mindanao bow the knee and proclaim Jesus Christ as King of
kings and Lord of lords. To Him alone be all honor and glory forever.
