Roman ‘Roger’ Wanasen met me at the airport late Saturday evening on the 2nd of February, and brought me to his home in the suburbs of Manila. The next morning was a happy day of fellowship with our brethren at Lagro in the morning and at Novaliches in the afternoon; both congregations close to the home of Roger and Doris. I presented two lessons to the church at Lagro, then after the Communion and Collection, the children of the congregation presented a lovely song, in English, containing several memory verses and Bible teachings. It was a happy experience for me, and the effort they put into memorizing the song was edifying. The afternoon service was in the home of Rolly and Cora Abianza, who are working hard for the Lord in their community, as well as assisting Roger in his work. Brother Rolly is now under the elders at Macabebe, and we are happy to see them work out this arrangement which is in harmony with the Scriptures (I Timothy 4:14; Hebrews 13:17.) The rest of the day was spent in preparation for our flight to Mindanao the following day.

On Monday we flew from Manila down to General Santos City in the southern part of Mindanao, the major southern island of the Philippines. It had been a long time since any of us had been with Roger to Mindanao due to the problems in the region related to kidnapping threats. It was my third visit to Mindanao, but my first time to this part of the island. Roger believed it to be safe enough now to bring an American, though there were several parts of the island that we carefully avoided, knowing that they were still unsafe. While on Mindanao, the Lord blessed us with two faithful brethren who accompanied us as ‘bodyguards’ while they themselves benefited from the lessons presented at the 15 congregations visited during our stay. Ariel Acha and Moreno Marquez, both of South Cotabato, were always on the lookout for my safety, and their care will always be appreciated.

The first 7 churches we visited on Mindanao were all fairly close to each other: Poblacion President Aquino, Malingan, Bannawag, New Cuyapo, Tantangan, Kalahawe, and Mangilala. All of these churches gave us a warm welcome, and their faith was an inspiration to us. Our main emphasis in teaching was on the subject of “Growth” as we exhorted brethren to continue on to maturity in Christ, as individuals and as congregations. Growing in the Lord provides elders for each congregation, and we were encouraged to see one of these congregations getting much closer to having their own eldership. Several of the brethren expressed appreciation for the teachings we presented, intending to follow through and do better in their work for the Lord.

Early Friday morning we set out from the southern part of Mindanao to travel by van and by bus towards the western side of Mindanao to the place of Sonny Tobias and his son, Jun, and their families. The original route was scrapped when it was made known that we would have to travel through critical areas. So we avoided those areas by taking a more roundabout way. It was longer, but much safer for sure. By evening we made it to Cagayan de Oro where we had a lovely meeting with a group of saints there. They made us feel right at home and enjoyed singing our English songs from the Sacred Selections. We spent the night in a hotel there, and though it would not likely receive a 4-star rating, it was nevertheless a good opportunity to take a break and be refreshed.

The next day we traveled by bus to Lantian where we would spend the next three days with Jun and Joy Tobias. We had studies at Lantian, Camanga, and Siay during our stay there, and continued to encourage brethren to keep on growing in the Faith. During the second week on Mindanao we enjoyed some nice weather; not hot, with overcast skies and some cool occasional showers.

On Tuesday, February 12th, we drove by van up to Baroy, Lanao del norte, to visit the brethren there meeting in the home of a godly brother, Jesus Miculob. We had a good study and afterwards had an encouraging conversation with a young lady who seems close to giving herself to the Lord. Jun Tobias has been studying with her and we pray that the Lord will give the increase soon in the life of this precious soul! After our time with the brethren there, we drove further up the road and took a ferry across the inlet to Osamis, then on to Oroquieta City where we would have studies with three different congregations; Tulyok, Bunga, and Lancangan. We were encouraged by the faith of these brethren and were able to help one congregation pay for a concrete floor for their small meeting place (about $50). We enjoyed our stay with them, and their smiling faces are always going to be a happy memory.

On Saturday, after meeting up with Charles Ross who had been working with Jinny Cris Sarceda on Luzon, we went up to visit the brethren at Macabebe and Resurreccion. It was good to see these brethren again, especially to see the parents of Roger Wanasen, Hilario and Carmelita Wanasen. In addition, we were able to see Roger’s Uncle Pedro Wanasen right before he went to the hospital for treatment. These are all dear brethren and I am grateful for all the work they have done in the church over the years.

We worshipped with the brethren at Cabanatuan in the place of Enrico and Jody Wanasen on our last Lord’s Day in the Philippines, and afterwards witnessed the baptism of a young lady. We had our last appointment on Sunday afternoon with the church at Bulacan where we were warmly received, as well as encouraged by their faith and dedication to the Lord.

Many thanks to the brethren who made this trip possible and provided funds to help with Bibles, songbooks, medical and other needs of the brethren in the churches we visited. Continue to pray for these good brethren as they grow in the Faith!