A House Church in Tastas, Ligao

We asked God to send laborers to Bicol, especially Bicolanos who may have become believers in other places to return to share the Gospel with their family and friends.Jun Tuason, a Bicolano from Tastas, Ligao, married Elma in Manila and became a believer.

Jun returned to his home place in Bicol with his pastor. They gathered some of his family on the porch of his house.

There Pastor Pony explained the Good News about Jesus.

While Pastor Pony spoke to the adults, Michaelle organized the children for a game.One Saturday afternoon, Jun gathered his neighborhood in his yard. His neighborhood is mostly Jun's large extended Tuason family and their spouses.Then Jun gave his testimony. Since his family knew Jun had once been a former New People's Army Rebel in Bicol, the change in Jun's life since he came to Christ was obvious to all. Among the crowd that day was a boy named Mark Jay (white shorts). He had become a believer through a neighborhood church and had been praying for his parents to come to Christ. The Lord was answering his prayer.One of the first in the family to come to Christ was Rey Tuason, Jun's nephew and Mark Jay's father. Rey regularly shares his faith and is a leader in the house church. Since last April, this group of new believers have been meeting every Sunday afternoon for worship.Saldo, one of the house church leaders, usually brings the message. Terry fills in when Saldo's work takes him out of town.

Romel, the 3rd house church leader, is usually the lay leader and guitarist.Christy, Romel's sister, has also learned to play the guitar. Usually, the women and children fill the porch while...

...the men sit on the outside around the porch. This worked well until rainy season.
The men solved the problem by building a grass roof supported by bamboo off the porch. Pray for the Tuason Family as they continue to reach out to their lost relatives and friends.

Agta Nehemiah Team and Follow-up

Meet the 2009 Agta Nehemiah Team:

Hunter, Josh, Billy, and Ernest,

their Filipino interpretter.

The Agta Nehemiah Team packed up

on a beautiful day

to hike into their first location.

During the days before this hike though,

it had rained hard.

The trail was very slippery.

This was definitely not an assignment for wimps!

Terry drove the team as far as he could.

Then Agta men guided them

down a mountain and back up another mountain

to their campsite.

Hunter told us later that

this was the most demanding hike of his life.

Without their Agta guides,

who pulled them up each time they fell

and helped carry their equipment,

they could not have made it.

Finally, they arrived at Cheiftain Shirley's house

where they were to set up camp.

Each day, the guys hiked the trails,

searching for Agtas willing to listen to the Gospel.

Sometimes when they returned to camp,
an Agta child would be just sitting quietly
taking care of her baby brother or
looking out the window their house.
The guys played with the children
and fed them if they were hungry.After the first location,
Jose, a new Agta believer, joined the team.
Jose prepared the way for the team
to go to 3 more locations.
Then we realized their Bible studies
weren't just with Agtas.
Some of the Bible studies were with Bicolanos
such as here in Tubigan.
The guys found a group of mothers
at a children's feeding program
sponsored by the governor of the province.
The guys played basketball nearby
until the children had been fed.
Then they gathered the ball players
and the mothers for a Bible study.

Each day, the 3 guys took turns,
leading the Bible study
with Ernest as their intrepretter.
Ernest said it was difficult
being the mouth for 4 people
instead of just for himself.

So when the guys left for another location,

Terry started leading the Bible study.One day as we were driving home,

Emily, who had been Michaelle's prayer partner

at a Dawn Watch Prayer Meeting,

was standing on the side of the road.

When we stopped to talk with her,

she asked if she could join us at our Bible study.

Since then, Emily has been helping tell

the Bible stories in Bicol and

giving explanations when our Tagalog is lacking.

What a wonderful gift from the Lord!

When the mothers showed

genuine interest in Bible study,

we gave them Bibles.

Jerry and Ernesto are men who come faithfully.

When we gave them Bibles,

Jerry's eyes were too weak to read the small print.

A friend introduced us

to a source of reading glasses

that cost 53 cents a pair.

Jerry wears his glasses

on top of his head

until it's time to read.

We rejoice that the Lord is teaching us

to share the Gospel more clearly

with Bicolanos!

Discovering a Church in a Fishing Village

After 4 rides, including 2 boats, and 9 1/2 hours,we finally arrived at this fishing village.We were warmly welcomed by Bro. Jun,

his wife Inday, and their 4 children.During our visit, Terry and Bro Jun went out on the beach

and in the village to visit and share the Gospel

with the people of Cabacongan.Inday and Michaelle did the same,

finding many curious people

eager to visit with the Americans.

Definitely not a common occurrence in this village!

Bro Jun told how 100 people

were meeting in homes at one time

until this church building was built.

Then the priest told the new believers

they had sinned when they were baptized

and would not be allowed

to bury their dead in the cemetary

if they did not return to the Catholic Church.

That threat scattered this young flock,

leaving only these faithful members, And these children,

who continue to attend church

and the Good News Club

that Inday leads on Saturdays.

That Sunday, Bro Jun led his church

in celebrating their 4th Anniversary.

Terry was the guest speaker.

He told the Parable of the Great Banquet

and told about the Wedding Feast in heaven.

He urged us to keep inviting others

until the Lord's house is filled.

The celebration ended with a banquet

of pancit noodles, a favorite Filipino snack.

Family Events

During April and May, we went home to prepare for and celebrate two special events in our daughters' lives. On May 8, Becca was awarded her nurse's pin from the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing under Mercer University. Her missionary Uncle Allen Hill was there to distribute Bibles to the graduates along with her Filipina friend, who organized the graduation activities.
On May 9th, Becca graduated with her class of 94 graduates,

who had all worked very hard to earn their nursing degrees.
We returned from Atlanta, Georgia, to Memphis, Tennessee,

where Matt and Rachel were to be married.

They both work at Chick-fil-A

while attending the University of Memphis.
Matt's mother Linda and sister Ashley

gave Rachel a shower in Jackson, Tennessee,

where Rachel had attended Union University.The wedding was at the Foresthill Baptist Church,

Matt's home church, who also gave a second shower.

How we enjoyed the members of this church,

who welcomed us and helped in anyway they could.

As you can see,

they also gave generously to Matt and Rachel.
As the wedding day drew near,
Rachel Lehman, our Rachel's dear MK friend,
and Becca arrived to prepare for the Bachlorette Party.
Then there was the wedding rehearsal

with the bridesmaids and flower girls

lined up on one side of the platform.

And Matt with his groomsmen

on the other side.

With the exception of a few special friends,

most of the wedding party were

from the Williams or Buford families.

After the rehearsal, Michaelle

gathered up the flowers for decorating.

Only one problem,

she isn't gifted in flower arranging

or decorations.

But she has a big smile because...

Valerie, Rachel's wedding coordinator,

and her MK friends were gifted

at both decorating and flower arranging.

They did a great job with both.

The Lord provides! Before the wedding, Rachel's grandma,

tied the bow on Becky's bridesmaid's dress.

Grandma had come 3 weeks early

and stayed busy helping in countless ways.

Dad performed the wedding ceremony

assisted by Matt's Grandfather,

who is also a pastor.
Meet the newly weds Mr. and Mrs. Matt Williams.

At the reception, Andy enjoyed a hug from his sister.
Both Brian, the best man, and Becca, the maid of honor,

wished Matt and Rachel God's best.

All our missionary careers,

we have saved for a house when we retire.

Folks said, "Now is a good time to buy."

So we prayed about it, and the Lord provided.

The former owners were godly,

committed Southern Baptists,

whose daughter and husband, the Rollins,

also served as IMB missionaries in Brazil.

Matt and Rachel get to enjoy living in it first.