Saturday, December 17, 2011

Storm can't stop the Gospel

We have some exciting things to share with you about the last few days for the church in Punta, Dipolog City.

First, let us praise God for the safety of our friends there who endured Typhoon Sendong. News reports say, as of this writing, that as many at 69 people died from the storm on Mindanao. We praise God the storm is weakening in the area where our friends in Punta are, but the flooding is still causing damage. In fact, the parents of some of the children ministered to at the family day of the Obadiah Learning and Development ministry are affected by the storm (apologies for the vagueness of that statement, but that's all we know at this point; we hope to update when we can).

Perseverance
But on Saturday, even as the waters rose "up to the knee," a band of believers braved the flash floods to keep their appointment for a time of evangelism. The group hiked to Laoy ("very far" from the church as our sister described it) to the appointed home Bible study. As our sister told us, the young people would not stop despite the storm, and they arrived at the place where the Bible study would take place.

What happened? Well, God rewarded their efforts by bringing a new sheep into the fold. A young man prayed to receive Christ at the Bible study. Our sister Maryjoy asks us this request, "Pray that the brother will come in church." As you read this, it is Sunday in the Philippines, so let us pray this new brother will indeed join the church for worship today.

Preservation
Pastor Endelito Tamagna, a pastor with a different church but a friend of Pastor Mario Montero of SBBC Punta, got caught in rising waters while trying to cross a river. Mercifully, God provided his protection, and Pastor Endelito made it to the other side.

We hope tomorrow to update you concerning the family day at SBBC Punta. But we wanted to share these items with you now. Please pray for those affected by Typhoon Sendong, and pray that this storm might result in more people brought into the Kingdom.

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