Sharing the Message of Jesus

In the Philippines, the school year ends in late March, with baccalaureate services and graduation ceremonies crowding the final week.  Student leaders and college professors are in the hunt for speakers, which often gives me the opportunity to do what I enjoy doing – talking about Jesus. Of the seven major universities in our city (the most in any city of the Philippines outside Manila) I have had the privilege to speak in four.

Yesterday, over a hundred graduating students from Western Visayas State University gathered for a one-day retreat, with me as their speaker.  For 3 hours I shared about God’s design for men and women as image bearers of our Creator.  Instilled with the purpose of reflecting God’s nature, mankind failed in his mission when he chose sin rather than obedience.  But with Christ’s payment of our death penalty and His offering of the Holy Spirit, the opportunity to reclaim our life purpose is available to anyone who calls on the name of the Lord.  I concluded with an invitation to join God’s kingdom.

Afterwards I reflected about the secularization of America and realized how difficult it would be today to share the message of Jesus in a state-run university.  With the increasing moral and intellectual depravity that is inflicting America’s youth, the message they need to hear the most is now largely outlawed in our schools.  While the worldly influences of pop-western culture continue to spread around the world like a plague, the people of the Philippines maintain an openness to things that are eternal.  At some point in the near future I suspect the Philippines will surpass the United States in terms of openness to the gospel.  We will need missionaries from the Philippines to carry the gospel to American shores!

As a part of building God’s kingdom here, we will be having our 3-day retreat on April 12-15 during Holy Week with the largest gathering we’ve ever had of our churches from this part of the Philippines.  Please continue praying that the Lord would pour out His Spirit and grace in every participant and that all would be done for God’s glory.  Also, tomorrow is our 7^th BOOST graduation of our agricultural and Bible training ministry.  Pray for the 13 young men who will be returning to their home places, prepared to share with their family and friends what they have learned from God’s Word.

On the home front, baby Moses continues to develop inside her mommy’s tummy.  David and Andrea are preparing their house for her arrival around the 1^st of August.  Sara has moved into a new place, a house shared with 2 other Christian ladies.  She is now 8 minutes away from where Jonathan lives and 15 minutes away from the apartment of Martha and Philip.  In addition to her work at the George Ranch, Hannah and a friend have teamed together as conference speakers, traveling to different places in the U.S. to train organizations on how to effectively work with volunteers. She and her siblings try to get together at least once a month, usually at David’s house, for family fellowship.

I hope your Spring is off to a good start and that you are experiencing the presence of our Lord at work in your life.  Blessings to each of you who read these updates.  Your prayers make a difference!