Urgent update on our church brothers and sisters Salug

Aloha everyone,

We are still praying for and seeking donations to help our brothers and sisters at Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Salug, Zamboanga del Norte. Some time ago, the property which the church has rented for eight years was put up for sale by the land owner. The church needs to raise 120,000 Philippine Pesos (a little less than $3,000 U.S.), but that's not likely to happen without our help.

We are thankful for Love in Action Ministries, a ministry to homeless people and prisoners in Dothan, Ala., that has agreed to help us raise the funds for Pastor Clemente Gumapit and his church. So far, we have raised $1,300 of our $3,000 goal.

Recently, we got some updated information about the situation there, and we need to intensify our prayers. One of the church neighbors has the money and is willing to buy the property. According to our source, the neighbors mock the church and even have their drainage canal open toward the church property. Some of the waste water has gotten into the church building. Fortunately, "the land owner is patiently waiting for the church to buy because he knows it's God's work," our source told us.

First, let us pray for God's favor on this landowner, who is waiting for God to provide. As we understand it, he is selling the property because of family needs. Thankfully, he is waiting to see if God will provide for the church to buy it. If this man does not already know Christ, we pray that he will. We also pray for him to be blessed for his patience when there are other buyers available.

Second, let us increase our prayers for the property. As you share this prayer request, please consider whether you can give to help out our fellow believers. Remember, in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, Anglo nor Filipino. All who have trusted Christ's death and resurrection as just payment for their sins are part of God's family. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Please consider helping your family, if you are a part of Christ's family. If you can't give at this time, then please commit to praying for us. God will raise the money, of that we are certain.

Below are some photos of the church taken at its anniversary service March 29. Babies were dedicated, several pastors spoke, and close to 10 people prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. There were also two families baptized during the celebration.

This is Pastor Jun Begafria, pastor of Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Ozamis City. His church is the mother church for all the SBB churches in the Philippines. He celebrated his birthday in March.

One of the pastors prays a prayer of dedication for a young child.

The choir sings a song.

The entrance to the building in Salug.

As you see, God is doing a work in the Philippines. If you are able and willing to give to help these our brothers and sisters, please contact Love in Action Ministries, where you can write a tax-deductible check. Just indicate the gift is for the Philippines, and 100 percent of your donation will go to help this church.

May God richly bless you. Thank you for your time.

Photos from Shiloh Bible Baptist in Dipolog City

Hello friends!

Today we share with you some photos from Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte. Homegrown Harvesters, thanks to the help of a generous friend, was able to help this church add onto its structure. The church added a wing to the building. An anniversary service is planned for May, so please keep the church in your prayers. We also have some other photos from the church to illustrate some of the ministry work. Photos taken by a dear sister in the Lord.

Children learning from a banner. Pastor Mario Montero makes use of illustrations in his sermons.

No matter what language it is, there's never a better sight than this.

A lovely teacher illustrates her point to the class.

Here's the wing addition being put up. We were able to provide the money less than two weeks ago, and the church members started work immediately.

Here's the roof going overhead.

Work continues.

Work continues on the wing of the church building.

More work is done. The church is outgrowing the building, but added seating space under a roof gives the church a little space to grow. Please pray for a lot also for this church.

Happy anniversary

Anniversaries are special times for all of us. Whether it's the anniversary of a wedding, a first date, a child's birth or a new job, we tend to mark out certain days for rememberance.

It is the same in church life. For the churches that we are praying for in the Philippines, it is no different. This coming week, two of the churches will celebrate anniversary services, and we would ask you to join us in praying for them.

The first will take place March 28 in Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay. Pastor Nestor Burtanog and Shiloh Bible Baptist Church of Siay will celebrate their first mission anniversary. A couple of points are worth noting here. First, if you are in the United States, remember we are about a day behind the Philippines. So, even though the 28th is a Monday, it will feel like Sunday to us. Second, these anniversary services are similar to our revival services in the States. They are a time of celebration as well as a time of evangelistic focus. Pastor Nestor was ordained by Pastor Samson Turno of Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay. Let us pray for this day that is coming up soon. This church plant is relatively new, so let's pray with them that this anniversary service would be fruitful for the Kingdom.

One day later, on March 29, Pastor Clemente Gumapit and SBBC Salug, Zamboanga del Norte, will celebrate their eighth anniversary. As we noted in a previous blog, Pastor Clemente asked this request for prayer for the anniversary service, "Please pray for souls saved and follow the Lord in water baptism during that day." As we are sure you recall, Pastor Clemente's church is the church for which we have been seeking prayers as they try to purchase their church lot. This is a good time to remind you of our goal. We are at $1,400 of the approximately $3,000 we need to help the church purchase its lot. (The total need of 120,000 Philippine Pesos is slightly less than $3,000, but with fluctuating currency exchange rates, it's better to be on the safe side.) Anyway, please continue to pray as we seek to raise the funds. If you are interested in giving, please contact our friends at Love in Action Ministries.

This is not an anniversary in the same way the others are, but on March 30, Shiloh Bible Baptist Church Ozamis City, the mother church for all the SBBC churches, will celebrate Pastor Jun Begafria's birthday. His birthday was actually March 20, but the celebration will be at the end of the month. In addition to his Sunday preaching duties, Pastor Jun also leads Bible studies throughout the week at different locations, including among the military. Let us pray for his continued health and effective ministry.

Answered prayers and continuing needs

We are pleased to continue giving you updates on how God is working. If you have been following us at all, you know we have been asking for prayer for one of the churches in the Philippines. Just to refresh your memory, Homegrown Harvesters exists to pray for (and we hope one day to offer regular financial support) the Shiloh Bible Baptist Church family of churches in the Philippines.

One of these churches in particular is in the town of Salug. They have been forced to seek about $3,000 in order to avoid being removed from their church property. This seems like a small amount to us, but for these people, there is no way to raise the money. We are thankful today, because God has provided $1,300 so far toward this goal. We ask you to continue praying for this need, and we are excited as we continue to see God provide.

We are thankful that Love in Action Ministries is helping us raise the funds. Since Homegrown Harvesters does not have the ability to give tax deductions for gifts, Love in Action is handling the financial part of this need. So, if you feel led to give toward this need, please contact Love in Action. As we regularly do, we also ask that you consider giving toward this worthy ministry for their regular needs. They do a great work in Dothan, Ala.

We also have some praise reports as well. First, we mentioned last time about Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Punta, Dipolog City. This church was seeking roughly $600 for an addition to its building. We are thankful God provided the funds for that project.

Another request came to us recently, and before we could post it, God provided. One of the churches was praying for 20 King James Bibles. When this was announced at our church out here, a lady volunteered to purchase the Bibles. They will be in Hawaii this week, and we will either ship them soon or carry them with us during the trip in May. The trip is another prayer request for another day.

One final thought before we close. The church in Salug is having its anniversary service March 29. This is the prayer request the pastor asked from us, "Please pray for souls saved and follow the Lord in water baptism during that day." May we join our prayers to this worthy request.

Let us praise tonight

Sometimes, you are just amazed at how God works. Truly, when we follow Him, we learn that our own strength and resources are not at all what He uses.

If you follow us at all, you know we have been asking for prayer for two churches and their property. One is in Dipolog City, and the need there was for $600 (roughly) to add a wing to the church. Let me tell you something about this church.

The church sits on the property of the pastor. It has enough room for about 100 people, but that's not always enough room. Overflowing church buildings are nice in romantic thought, but when heavy rains fall, they are not so ideal. Our church in Dipolog City, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, wants to add a wing to the building. They especially want to have the wing done by May, when the church anniversary will be conducted. Part of the thrust of the anniversary service is an evangelistic outreach, so the church wanted to have extra space for the lost who might be there for the service.

You will notice I said there "was" a need. Praise our Father in heaven, we have had someone donate the money for this particular need. It is amazing to see how God works things out, to see how God moves in circumstances and relationships and the details of life to accomplish His purposes.

We thank our God and Father who provided for this need. We thank Him for guiding a church full of people to pray and fast for this need.

Our other prayer request is for the Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Salug, also on the island. We are praying with them as they pray to raise approximately $3,000 for their property. Our friends at Love in Action Ministries are helping us raise the money. They are accepting the donations for us and will send the money to Pastor Clemente Gumapit. As of right now, we have $500 raised toward our goal. Please pray as we continue to seek God's provision. We know if we ask Him, He will provide. We are excited to see how He will provide. After the last 24 hours, we are reminded once again that He is with us and will provide for His will to be done.

In the name of Jesus Christ, who saves sinners and puts them in places of blessing, we thank you for your time and consideration. May Christ be real to you today. If you do not know Him, seek Him today and find forgiveness for your sins.

Wise building

"Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." -- Psalm 127:1

I remember the first time I heard this Psalm discussed in depth. I was driving to my parents' house the day my ex-wife moved out. I was listening to the radio, and James MacDonald and Walk in the Word came on the radio. His entire sermon was based on that Psalm.

Now, consider that day. My heart was shattered, and as I pulled up to the redlight in Montgomery, Ala., that first verse came on the radio. It's hard to describe the emotions I had that day, but I was certainly aware that God was speaking to me. Certainly, it is frustrating to try to build what God is not building.

As we begin this work, we ask you to pray for us at Homegrown Harvesters. We are small right now. We have a vision we believe God is giving to us. But we want to make sure that we build our "house" of ministry as God wants it. Please pray for us, that we will only build what God builds. In fact, pray that we will not build anything. Pray that we will only be the tools God uses to build His work here.

In Christ,
Micah Lewter

Reminders

Aloha good folks. This post is a reminder of our two needs we are facing right now.

First, is the $3,000 our friends at Love In Action Ministries are helping us raise for Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Salug. This is an urgent need, and we ask you to help us. Pastor Clemente Gumapit and the church there have been worshiping at this site for seven years, renting a plot of land. The church built its building on the property, but the landowner is forcing them to buy the property or move. We need your help. Please consider giving to this need. If you feel led, contact Love In Action Ministries through the hyperlink here. If you are reading this on the Facebook link, then you can also check out the Love In Action Ministries Facebook page for contact information. If you give through Love In Action Ministries, you can get a tax-deductible receipt. We ask you also to consider helping Love In Action Ministries on its own, because it does a tremendous work in Dothan, Ala.

Our second need is also urgent. Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Punta, Dipolog City, is seeking $600 to add a wing to its building. The construction needs to be done by May, because the church will have its anniversary service then. Its anniversary service will be a time when many of the other church missionaries and pastors visit, and they will use it as an outreach opportunity. Right now, the church seats only 100 people, and these fishers of men are hoping to add to the building before the nets break. We do not have any ministries helping us raise the money for this project, but if you want to give, please contact us and we can tell you how can help. You can contact us at our e-mail address, or if you are reading this on the Facebook page, send us a message through Facebook. We will reply promptly. Understand, we at Homegrown Harvesters are not yet able to give you tax deductions. But we pray that God will bless you abundantly if you help us raise this money.

Below is a portion of an email we received from one of the parishioners of the church in Dipolog. She has been praying for years about this kind of ministry, and it is exciting to be a part of the ministry God put on her heart years ago.

God's work is great and definitely need more laborers, not only laborers but also need resources to touch the great victory and more people will get saved. We know that God is coming back soon, but we do a little work in His work. Here in the Philippines, we are trying to maximized our man power, but we can't go beyond that since we are lacked of resources to use. We are praying God will equip us for His glory and honor. I am so excited in prayers and in action in this ministry. ... I know God has in-store a wonderful and amazing things when we do our part. He is mighty and able to when we are willing to be used.

Our brothers and sisters in the Philippines are willing to do whatever it costs to reach their countrymen, but they are not always able. God has blessed us in the West with financial gains. Please, please consider giving to help our family there reach others for Christ. What cost could be too great to change someone's eternity?

We are praying to meet both of these goals by the end of March. Please pray and seek God for these needs. May God's grace abound toward you today.

Exciting ministry partnership

What an exciting time to be writing to you. We apologize for the space of time since our last update, but we have been researching some things and wanted to make sure we could provide you with accurate information. We are excited to bring you some news today.

You may remember a couple of weeks ago we brought you the story of Bro. Clemente Gumapit, pastor of Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Salug. If you're new to Homegrown Harvesters, let me remind you of our purpose. We are a prayer ministry lifting up the needs of the Shiloh Bible Baptist family of churches in the Philippines. We pray that we will one day be able to raise support and provide substantial help, but right now, we are primarily a prayer ministry. Thus, we offer prayer requests and ask you to pray for these our brethren in the Philippines.

One of the churches we want to help is the one we mention here, that of Bro. Clemente. He contacted us with an urgent need about the church's property. The owner of the land where SBBC Salug meets has told them they must buy the property or move. They currently rent the property. The land owner is charging them 120,000 Philippine Pesos, which is a little less than $3,000, to buy the property. But the church has no way of providing that money itself.

Today we are happy to report that God has brought us a partnering ministry. Love in Action Ministries has agreed to raise the funds for us for this need. Since we at Homegrown Harvesters are not able to offer tax exemptions for any gifts, we are so grateful to LIA for their willingness to help us. Our goal is to raise the $3,000 by the end of March. So, we ask you, if you feel led at all to help us, please contact Love in Action Ministries. When you do, specify in your gift that you want to give toward Bro. Clemente's church building. Love in Action has promised to direct 100 percent of designated gifts to the church's need.

At this time, we would like to also ask you to pray for and consider supporting Love in Action as well. If you are not familiar with them, they are a ministry devoted to helping the homeless, with whom they also share the gospel. They have seen fruit from their ministry among the homeless and those in prison. We would be wrong if we did not thank them and encourage you to support them in your prayers and with your giving as well. We are truly thankful for their willingness to help out.

The need in the Philippines is urgent. Bro. Clemente was thankful for our good news, but now he is asking us to pray that God would protect the gift. Let us join with him in his prayers.

But if you're able, we urge you to consider helping out financially. We in America are blessed so greatly. Please pray and ask God if you can share some of your wealth with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Philippines. (If you live in the United States, you are wealthier than most of the world's population; any amount will help tremendously.) Imagine if you faced the threat of losing your place of worship. We have a chance to help some fellow believers. Please seek God and let Him lead you in what you should do.

Many thanks for your prayers and your support.

Now I must give a personal note. We are a fledgling ministry now, but we have already come under attack. It is no coincidence that as God starts moving, Satan wants to attack the people who are trying to participate in this ministry. So, we ask for your prayers as we battle the spiritual side of things as well.

Blessings and grace to you all.