STORIES

We traveled in a small boat to reach an elementary school in a tiny village. Upon arrival, we discovered that half the children were not in school because their teachers were away at conference. While my teammate preached in the school, I decided to preach in the village. With the help of some local adults, we gathered the remaining children together on the street. I met the barangay captain (the elected official in the village), who happily gave us permission to speak and sent elders to invite all the adults in the village! Everyone gathered together, and he and his wife also remained to listen. I preached the Gospel, and everyone (about 80 people), including the barangay captain, his wife, and the elders, raised their hands to indicate their decision to receive Christ! With the joy of the Lord evident on his face, the barangay captain thanked us for coming and invited us to return someday.

I preached at an assembly of fourth through sixth graders. Afterwards, a group of girls came up to me and one gave me a big hug. As I spoke with them, they started touching my arms, smelling my hair, and touching my nose. We walked over to the high school, which was next door, and I shared the Gospel there. The group of girls came over again and gave me a notebook that they had made while I spoke. The notebook was filled with beautiful words about asking Jesus into their hearts and being forever changed!

Our first team that visited the Island of Dinagat were burdened for the people who did not get to hear the Gospel while they were there. They prayed for the money to send another team there to saturate the island with the Gospel. God quickly provided the funds and a team, equipped with 5,000 copies of the Bible to distribute!

The team traveled to Dinagat just three months after the first team, with a goal to distribute Bibles, plant churches, and preach in every village of Dinagat. The people were ready to hear the Gospel and many professed faith in Jesus. The first time our team preached, almost 100 adults responded to the invitation and were invited to return the next day to learn more. Sixty-four former cult members and their teacher arrived for Biblical teaching! The cult teacher invited us to meet in their chapel, and that became the location of a new evangelistic church!

The Lord transformed the capital city of San Jose! The growth there began when one of the barangay captains started a Bible study out of her home. Over the next year, weekly church services were held in each of the 12 barangays of San Jose!

When our team visited Dinagat the next year to provide additional discipleship training, we were excited to hear about the vision that God had given the new Christians. They were praying for a plan to reach all the people on their island for Christ and for leaders and pastors to help them fulfill their vision. Various ministries were implemented, including women’s ministry, children’s ministry, TV/radio ministry, and a food ministry where the Gospel was shared door-to-door and again at gatherings when food was distributed. They also began an annual Christmas outreach called “Bundle of Joy.” The church sends carolers to sing and give gifts to the people in the barangays. The people were originally leery, refusing to open their doors, because they expected to be asked for money. When they realized this was not the case, the outreach became a great success.

A team of six Americans and six of our Filipino staff boarded a small boat in Surigao City and sailed to Dinagat, which was known as “The Witchcraft Capital of the Philippines.” They were strongly cautioned about accepting food from strangers on the island because of its potential to be poisoned. Missionaries had been run off in the past, and the area was largely controlled by a satanic cult.

Upon arrival, the team saw no smiling faces, which is highly unusual in the Philippines. The local police asked for copies of their passports for identification purposes in case of an emergency and offered the protection of armed guards. Our team declined the offer and said they trusted their God to protect them.

When they shared about Jesus with the locals, there was no recognition of His name in the eyes of the people. Everyday, the team faced various challenges, such as injuries, mountainous terrain that was difficult on their vehicles, and they had trouble finding boats to transport them from island to island. God overcame every single obstacle!

It was obvious that God had clearly prepared the hearts of the people, as well. They were immediately given the opportunity to present the Gospel in the market. A reporter from the local news station was present and recorded the entire message with his cellphone! Many responded to the invitation to trust Jesus Christ as Savior! When our team returned to preach in the market the next morning, the same reporter was there with a video camera. He had already set-up a sound system for their use, and once again, recorded the Gospel message they shared. They went back to the station afterward, where Charles Stone was interviewed and shared the Gospel with the other employees. Footage of our team was shared on the TV and radio stations during their week there, which facilitated their entrance into the schools to share the Gospel! Many souls were saved, and they received requests for Bibles at every school.

Four years after our first team visited Dinagat Island, we were able to send a fourth team to follow-up with all the new believers. We found that every municipality in Dinagat now has at least two evangelical churches! One of the churches in San Jose was about to celebrate their fourth anniversary and expected 1,000 people to attend. As a part of the celebration, they were planning to have a marriage ceremony for six couples, a baby dedication, and a baptism! Another one of the churches, however, has been under severe persecution. Attacks from cult members caused the church to dwindle from a regular attendance of 200 people to just 25 people each Sunday. These members have proved faithful under great distress and continue to minister in their community through feeding programs. The people in their village are shocked by their generosity. Receiving generosity is something entirely new to them. They are accustomed to giving over 50 percent of their
income to a cult on the island, and some even give their entire income! This church also purchased the rights to broadcast 24 hours a day on a local TV channel. They play their weekly Bible study on a loop, along with additional material, including the contact info of the pastor. Many people are sending him questions. God is blessing the efforts of this church, and it is slowly starting to grow again in the midst of persecution.

There is also a monthly meeting with the pastors from all denominations on the island. Most of the pastors are young in their faith and have not had much training; yet, they are eager to serve the Lord with the talents and resources they have been given.

The whole atmosphere on Dinagat is completely different from that first day our team arrived. The port security guard welcomed us with a smile, a hug, and thanked us for returning. The people are joyful, Bibles are allowed, and churches have been planted. This is all a testament to the transforming power of God’s amazing grace.