Prayer partners

Folks, we have a vision for our ministry. We know where we want to go. We know what we want to do.

But we have no idea how it will happen. That's OK. If we knew, we could do it. But since we don't know, we must rely on God to lead us.

So, I'm making this plea for prayer partners to join us. Will you become a prayer partner with us?

I don't know if you've been able to gather this from recent posts, but we are blessed to be a part of something amazing. God, through Jesus Christ, is reaching people on the island of Mindanao, a southern island in the Philippines.

What do you know about Mindanao? Perhaps not much. But if you were to go to the website for Voice of the Martyrs and check on their "restricted nations" link, you would see a dot over the island of Mindanao (the red dot that is about halfway between Australia and China). This is what the website says about Mindanao, "The Philippines has a Muslim minority trying to establish an independent Islamic state on the island of Mindanao. Muslim groups already control six provinces on the island. Several of the Muslim terrorist organizations in the Philippines have been linked to Al Qaeda. Though the Filipino people predominantly profess Christianity, Christians living in areas influenced by Muslim and communist guerrilla organizations face threats, kidnapping and death.

"Category: Hostile Nation
"Religion: Statistics are unavailable for this region.
"Ideology: Islam
"Head of State: Acting Regional Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong

"Persecution of Christians is increasingly common. Islamic terrorists are believed to be responsible for several bombings in train stations, buses and other areas in Mindanao. The terrorists believe killing a Christian will get them into heaven. In August 2009, Christian villages were attacked and burned. Churches and houses throughout the region have been burned and worshipers harassed. An 18-year-old Christian boy was kidnapped, tortured and killed as a warning to other Christians."

Now, we must point out that of those "professing Christianity," very few are Biblical, evangelical churches. Predominantly, the "Christian" population is Roman Catholic. There are also Jehovah's Witnesses, who may call themselves "Christian" but are not. A very small minority of the group calling itself "Christian" comes from Biblical, true Christianity.

Aside from the Muslim population, there are people in the mountains who, if they have any religion at all, are very animistic. As one pastor told us (he is a member of the mountain tribe and after his conversion returned to his people to proclaim the gospel), they "worship the trees and the rocks." There is even a religion devoted to deifying Jose Rizal, the Philippines' revolutionary hero (like George Washington in the U.S.).

The point is, this is a mission field. And the churches we tell you about are reaching these people.

Consider that the first Shiloh Bible Baptist Church was founded in Ozamis City, a place notorious for gangs and violence. But a rough, drinking son of a hired killer met the grace of Jesus Christ head on one day because of Pastor Jun Begafria's mission church. That man led his family to Christ, and is now a missionary pastor.

We could tell you about another man who had to flee his city because Muslim persecutors killed his father and brother. Now this pastor ministers to the Subanen tribe in the mountains, visiting cave dwellers and bringing them the gospel.

We could tell you about a ministry that started because some faithful laypeople witnessed in the village of Moliton while going about their regular business, another mountain community, and people became saved. Now, two lay members of the church in Punta take turns driving their motorbikes up muddy roads to preach the gospel to these precious souls. They alternate weeks making the trek. You can see a photo from one of the trips on our Facebook page.

There is the story of the fisherman's daughter, who always wanted to know if she had done enough to please God. She was a faithful Roman Catholic girl, but she never had assurance of her salvation. Then while at college, she met the Saviour! Her family rejected her at first, but now most of her immediate family (and many extended family members) are believers.

We could go on and on, and it would be our joy to share these testimonies with you. There are more being written now as we speak. The precious thing about these churches is they haven't been infected by the church-growth strategies of the United States churches. They just believe that if they witness, God will save people, and the church will grow. They don't even know about human strategies, so God works through His grace because they only trust Him for the results.

God is moving through these our brothers and sisters. And we want to be a support to them. Our goal is twofold: We want to help them purchase buildings and land for their churches (or help them with the rent) and provide support for these pastors. When they begin their ministry, they do so with no support. They sometimes suffer extreme hardships to reach their nation with the gospel. So, we are praying we can be a support ministry for them.

Folks, the way God will accomplish the finishing of the Great Commission will be through indigenous missions. The greatest way we can be a part of that ministry is to support men and women who are being used by God to reach their nation. This is the time for us to support our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

You've seen our goals. They are impossible. But that's OK. I want no part of a ministry I can accomplish. What an eternal waste of time. Everything in me wants to be a part of a ministry that God accomplishes.

So, we're asking for prayer partners. If you want to be a prayer partner, you can do several things. First, pray! Second, if you want to get regular updates from us, send us an email. Send an email to homegrownharvesters@yahoo.com. We will update you with prayer needs and particular focuses of our ministry. There are some things we don't feel comfortable sharing here for which we would like to have prayer.

Also, please "like" our Facebook page. That way, you can see the updates as they appear there. Also, you can follow the blog here. We have two followers so far, so there is plenty of room for more.

Furthermore, please let your friends, your churches, your small groups know about us. This isn't about Homegrown Harvesters. This is about a part of our family, a part of the body of Christ that is seeing amazing things happen, and we have the opportunity to be a part of it. But we can only do this through prayers. More than anything, we need to humbly seek our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so He can lead us into the way we should go. This is His church He is building, across all nations and languages and seas. He is the One who can make our work last into eternity. Join us as we seek Him.