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"FEAR NOT FOR BEHOLD I BRING YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY WHICH WILL BE TO ALL PEOPLE" Luke 2:102000 years ago, the angels brought a message of great joy. It was a message of salvation and deliverance to all who called on the name of the Lord. We are so thankful that the angels' message is still valuable today. God is still able to deliver all those who put their trust in Him. THE WAR IS ON…We have returned from two incredible months in the Philippines where the spiritual warfare in the heavenlies is reflected in a shooting war on the ground. Yet God is still able to give "peace on Earth to men of good will." Because of the large Muslim population in southern Mindanao, the war in Afghanistan has had a major impact on the work there. The mountain tribal people are open to giving up their traditional idolatry. The only question is whether they will turn to Christianity or Islam. There are three terrorist groups from President Bush's "hit list" operating in our area where we have been working. Two of them are Muslim and the other is communist. The Abu Sayyef, the MILF (Mindanao Islamic Liberation Front), and the NPA (National People's Army) are all fighting against the government, trying to force the federal government in Manila to give them political control over the island of Mindanao. In the midst of it all, God is moving in power bringing hungry hearts unto Himself.
We went to Mindanao to train a team of full time workers as Bible teachers who will then go in teams of two to train church planters among the tribal peoples of southern Mindanao. Because this team of full time workers is made up of mature believers with proven ministries, we were able to give them intensive training for six hours a day, Monday through Wednesday. Then on Thursday through Saturday, they went to their teaching points to train about 150 tribal workers as church planters. We have completed the basic training for our team of full time workers but it will be at least January or February before they will complete teaching these classes to their students in the field. When that happens, we will return to Mindanao to teach the advanced training for church planters.
…AND WE ARE WINNING!Already the training is having an impact on the churches. Most of our team have already graduated from a two year Bible school but one worker told us that he learned more about the fundamentals of Christianity that he could use to equip his people for ministry in one week with us than in two years at a denominational Bible school. We first shared the vision of a tribal Bible training center with a group of pastors who had the vision of ministry to the mountain tribal people when we visited Mindanao in February. After we returned to the States they incorporated as Church Triumphant Ministries to bring the vision to reality. Already Church Triumphant, Philippines has grown to 25 churches with 1,245 members committed to the vision of reaching all of southern Mindanao with the Gospel. The fields are indeed ripe for harvest. One of our team members just dedicated a new church in a village that was 80% Muslim. The new church building we prayed over in Kipalili is already too small for all the people who are coming to Christ for salvation. Only lack of finances prevents more churches from being established. This is indeed good tidings of great joy. THE OPPOSITION IS REAL…But victories like this always come at a price. The enemy is furious that he is losing ground on Mindanao and so many other places around the world. The anti-American sentiment among the Muslims is particularly strong in southern Mindanao. We must realize that Allah is NOT the God of the Bible. Allah is a god of hatred and violence who commands his followers to kill those who will not submit to him. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a God of love who tells His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who mistreat them. Across Mindanao, many native pastors have been killed for preaching God's message of love and peace through Jesus Christ. Two of our team members, Fred and Rose Labial, were captured by Muslim rebels who held them for several hours before taking their money and letting them go. Had the rebels known that they were pastors who were training others to be church planters, Fred and Rose would probably have been killed. But God was gracious in answer to your prayers for protection over our team.
The same weekend, Joel de Maria, another member of our team, had a close call as well. Joel and his partner were teaching in the village of Milale among the Dibabawon tribe. His partner Lito Agyam is Dibabawon but Joel is from another tribe. On this particular week, Pastor Lito went to Milale early with his wife to attend a birthday celebration. Brother Joel followed the next day by bus. At the bus depot, he "happened" to meet the cousin of our team leader who is also Dibabawon. They traveled together to San Vicente, the end of the bus line, where they stopped at a restaurant for lunch. During lunch, the cousin overheard the men at the table behind them speaking in the local dialect. They were plotting to follow Joel out of the restaurant, kill him, and take his money, thinking he was a rich businessman. The cousin was able to warn Joel who was able to escape through the kitchen, out the back door, and pay a motorcyclist to give him a ride the rest of the way up the mountain to Milale. …BUT THE VICTORY IS SURE…What Satan meant for evil, God turned around and used for good. The Lord put a burden on Joel's heart for San Vicente. He has teamed up with the local pastor to start a seventh teaching point in the town while Pastor Lito and his wife continue to teach the 25 students at Milale. Already Joel has 18 students and the church there is flourishing. In fact, the gang of men who were going to kill him have repented and come to him asking for forgiveness. Please pray for Joel and his family. His wife just had another child in late October. Little Joshua is very sick but there is no money for hospitals or medicine. Pray that God will touch and heal this tiny baby and provide the money needed for medical care for both mother and child. When the enemy couldn't get at our team members, he tried to come after us. The last week we were there, Osama bin Laden was seen on Filipino television offering a reward for the kidnapping of any American that was turned over to his people there in the Philippines. The very next day a "Muslim" looking man was seen walking down our street five different times asking where the Americans were staying. From that point on, we were not allowed to leave the house and neighboring Bible school location to go anywhere without one of the students going with us. We had already been warned by a neighbor who worked for military intelligence that it was unsafe to leave Tagum City. Muslim bandits were setting up roadblocks on the highways looking for foreigners to kidnap. But the good tidings of great joy is that we don't have to walk in fear when we are in the center of God's will. Thank you for your earnest prayers for our protection. God was faithful and we were able to get back to the States safely. …SO PRESS IN…The violence continues in the Philippines. Pray that the government troops will quickly defeat the Abu Sayyef who have already beheaded one of the Americans they had kidnapped and are still holding a missionary couple from Kansas. When we left, the Abu Sayyef were threatening to behead the American missionaries if the army didn't back off on their campaign against these Muslim terrorists who were trained by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pray that the Barnhams will be safely rescued as the two aid workers were in Afghanistan. Indeed, the battle is raging on Mindanao and the souls of men are at stake. The enemy fights in different ways in different places. On Mindanao the threat is very physical and obvious. Here in the States, the attack has been just as intense but it has been more subtle. Because of the anthrax threat, mail delivery has been severely disrupted throughout the nation but especially on the east coast. When we are not on the road speaking in churches, all our financial support has to come by mail, much of it from the east coast. As a result, our support has dropped off radically. That cuts off our ability to provide support for our team that has given up everything to be able to devote full time to training church planters among the mountain tribal people. Their situation has become increasingly desperate as they cry out to God for their provision. The mountain people among whom they are working have nothing to give them in return.
…AND CLAIM HIS PROMISESThe financial need has never been greater. The potential for spiritual breakthrough has also never been greater. These people are risking their very lives to train others to plant churches in areas that have never heard the glad tidings of great joy that God intends for every tribe on the face of the Earth to hear. Will you help us send the finances to feed their families, care for their sick, and provide transportation so they can get to their teaching points? This holiday, let us not keep the good tidings to ourselves. We are asking you to give sacrificially so that the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus can reach to the highest mountaintops of southern Mindanao. Help us "go tell it on the mountain" that salvation and deliverance has come through Jesus Christ. Allah doesn't love the Muslims but God the Eternal Creator does and He wants them to hear that He has sent His Son that whosoever _ Muslim, pagan idolater, jaded materialist, or nominal church goer _ believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Give the gift of eternal life to someone this Christmas by making it possible for our team to complete the task before them _ preparing workers for a ripe harvest field. God bless you as you put Him first this Christmas. Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with His presence and the promise of His soon return.
A CLOSING WORD FROM HOWARD(Howard is currently in the Washington, DC area ministering together with Allan Asang who is the leader of Church Triumphant, Philippines. I sent him this newsletter for his approval. This was his response.) Hi, this is Howard. As most of you already know, Barbara writes the newsletters. As she usually does, she then gives it to me to look over. As I read over this newsletter, I have mixed emotions. I am happy because of the powerful things God is doing in the Philippines but, at the same time, my heart is heavy because we have not been able to keep our commitment to the full time workers there. At this time, we are a month behind. The workers each receive $200 a month. There are 12 full time workers which means $2,400 a month. I had hoped to give each of them a little extra at Christmas but, as it is, I can't even give them the minimum. We are $2,000 short. I asked Barbara how much we have in the bank. She said only about $65. I sit here and ask myself how can I think about buying presents for my grandchildren when some of our workers may not even be able to buy food for their children. Will you help me by sending at least $25 extra this month above your regular giving? If you have internet capability, you can even send your gift electronically through our website. This will eliminate the problem with the mail that has been very slow since September 11. Thank you and God bless you. Merry Christmas! In His service, Howard & Barbara Gard | ||||||||||||
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