Family Radio Mission to Cebu City, the Phillipines
January 12 – 25, 2005
LETTER #1
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)
Saturday, January 14, 2006. Seventeen members of our group of 20 "Ambassadors for Christ" (13 men and 7 women) from various parts of the US and Holland arrived today in Cebu City in The Philippines, and they joined our group leader who had arrived earlier, and two others will arrive tomorrow.
We plan to proclaim the True Gospel of Christ to the people here during the next ten days by distributing 120,000 "Does God Love You?" tracts in the Cebuano (pronounced "seb-WAH-no") language and 80,000 in English. We will also be handing out over 1,000 Bibles and many booklets and CDs of Family Radio Bible-teaching materials in both languages. The tracts have been printed here and contain the current Family Radio schedules for programming from a 600-kilowatt AM facility on Taiwan (three hours each in Tagalog and English daily), School of the Bible information, and a reference to the multilingual website.
The Philippines is a developing democratic republic located on an "archipelago", or group of islands, in the Pacific Ocean about 500 miles east of Vietnam. The major island groupings are Luzon in the north, the Visayas in the center, and Mindanao in the south. The capital city, Manila, is on the island of Luzon, and Cebu City is on the island of Cebu in the central Visayas group. The population of Cebu province is about 3 million with about 1.4 million in the greater Cebu City area. The country’s literacy rate is estimated at 96%, and the religious makeup is as follows: Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%, Islam 5%, and Buddhist and other 3%
We have arrived near the end of a week-long, annual religious festival that draws large crowds of people. It is called the "Sinulog Festival," and it culminates with the big main event on the third Sunday in January, which is tomorrow.
We checked into our hotel before noon, and most of the group went out to distribute tracks this afternoon at a large religious procession a few blocks from the hotel. It was an amazing sight. Tens of thousands of people made a pilgrimage carrying their religious items, including doll-like idols of the "Santo Niño" (the "Holy Child") and rosaries; and many carried brightly colored umbrellas for shade. The procession filled the whole street and stretched for miles.
We were able to give tracts to the people along the edges of the procession and in the crowds of on-lookers, and the acceptance was excellent. We experienced no opposition to our work whatsoever.
We are thankful for the privilege of serving our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in this country; and we are praying that we will be faithful to God’s Word in all that we do here. May God grant repentance unto salvation to many of these dear people for His glory and honor.
Sunday, January 15, 2006. Today we went out into the huge crowds which gathered to watch the Sinulog parade, which has taken on the appearance of the Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans with colorful and elaborate costumes, floats, bands, and all manner of revelry.
The Sinulog is a dance ritual to the sound of drums in honor of the "image" (idol) of the "Santo Niño" (the "Holy Child"). Historians say that Sinulog, which is of pagan origin, is the link between the country’s pagan past and its Roman Catholic present. The "Sinulog Festival" began in 1980 and has become the country’s biggest spectacle.. Practically all sectors in the Cebuano community get involved, and the Sinulog parade and activities have become bigger every year.
Our hotel is located in the center of all the action, and the crush of people was astonishing. All of our group members emptied out and reloaded their backpacks many times during the course of the day. The event drew an estimated one million people from all over the world, and a huge mass jammed the area near our hotel for a large street party after the parade.
We praise God for this wonderful opportunity to shine the light of the True Gospel to the people here. None of us has ever experienced anything like this in our lives.
Monday, January 16, 2006. Today was a more normal day of distribution in the markets and busy shopping areas. One team handed out tracts at a large sports complex where crowds gathered for the awards ceremonies of the Sinulog.
May God accomplish His good pleasure in the hearts of these dear people of The Philippines.
"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." (James 1:18)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Cebu City
LETTER #2
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
Tuesday, January 17, 2006. Our tract distribution and Bible work continued at a rapid rate again today in busy markets and shopping areas, and in various schools and universities in Cebu City and an outlying village. Acceptance of the tracts continues to be excellent (over 90%), very few tracts have been discarded, and the people have been cordial and courteous to us everywhere we worked. None of us has encountered any significant opposition to our work or the message on the tract itself. We have had several guests attending our evening Bibles studies for the past three nights who have showed much interest in the True Gospel; and a young man and women have been assisting us with the distribution work.
Since we have handed out about 100,000, or half, of our original supply of tracts over the past 2.5 days, we placed an order for 70,000 more Cebuano tracts to be delivered on Friday and Saturday. The printer has some connections with officials in the prison system and has arranged for us to visit one of the largest prisons in the area tomorrow.
The weather has been hot (mid-80s F) and humid with occasional showers since we arrived, but the rains have been light drizzles that do not significantly hamper the distribution work. We thank God for that and the fact that our group members have adjusted to the time and weather changes quite well.
"He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Cebu City
LETTER #3
"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." (Psalm 119:160)
Wednesday, January 18, 2006. Our teams spread out again today to busy areas near several schools, at a large hospital, and in the markets within Cebu City and some small outlying towns. One team continued to place tracts and Bibles in the very poor areas of city where people live in very squalid conditions. Another team visited three prisons today, and the team leader provided this report of their activities:
As is customary in these mission trips, we try to gain access to the prisons to proclaim the precious Gospel of Christ to those who are looked upon by society as the very wicked; but we know that God is not a respecter of persons and that all the unsaved are wicked in God’s sight. Although we may not be locked up in a physical prison, we are all in bondage to sin and Satan before unless God in His great love and mercy saves us.
By God’s guidance, the owner of the print shop where our tracts were printed knows some of the prison authorities and obtained the necessary permits to get us into three of the largest prisons the Cebu City area today.
Our first stop was at the Cebu City Jail that was built to house about 250 inmates, but it now holds about 2,000. The inmates are packed in the cells like sardines in a can. Most have to sleep on straw mats and pieces of cardboard placed the dirt floors in shifts in order to have space to lie down. Many were engaged in all sorts of destructive activities such as gambling and drug use, and some were so desperate for anything of value that they followed us around begging for the rubber bands that hold the tract bundles together. They were very grateful for the tract and Family Radio materials, and we were able to place a few Bible in each small cell packed with up to 160 men.
We then proceeded to the other two prisons that housed both men and women with equally good results. We were allowed to give a 15-minute message about God's salvation plan to the inmates at one prison, and they listened in complete silence and respect. Some even had tears flowing down their faces as they heard the True Gospel of Christ for the first time in their lives, and they thanked us profusely for coming. The prison officials were also very appreciative of our visit and the materials that Family Radio listeners provided to them.
May God have mercy on those poor souls and grant repentence unto salvation according to His perfect will.
Please continue to pray for our work here and for God to do a mighty work of grace in the hearts of many of these dear people of the Philippines.
"For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."(Psalm 100:5)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Cebu City
LETTER #4
"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)
Thursday, January 19, 2006. By God’s wonderful grace, we had beautiful weather today and another good day of distribution with excellent results in many new locations due to the continuing high acceptance of the "Does God Love You?" tracts and throngs of people.
One team experienced the same good results at the city hall. The security guards allowed two of us to stand right in front of the main entrance so that the people coming and going had to squeeze past us to enter and exit. We gave Bible to three of the guards, and one lady guard brought her fiancé to the Bible study this evening. As it turned out, he had received a tract the day before at the North Bus Station where he works as a vendor. They now have several Family Radio booklets to read – including "What God Hath Joined Together."
One lady at the city hall stood by a pillar reading the tract and weeped profusely. When asked if she was all right, she replied that her mother was a Roman Catholic, and her sister became a Mormon; and there is much tension and animosity within the family because of religion. And now she is reading the True Gospel on the tract and is totally confused and frustrated by it all. We explained what the tract was about salvation and not just another religious system from the minds of men because it is based on God’s Word, the Bible. She gladly accepted some Bible-teaching booklets to help her with her quest for Truth.
Another team worked at a large hospital in downtown Cebu City where there was a constant flow of people coming and going all day long. The leader of that team provided the following account:
I gave a tract to a woman in her mid-30s, and after about five minutes she came back and asked me to pray for her physical healing, as she had a damaged kidney and was on dialysis. I explained to her that, although God is totally in charge of our physical health, He may or may not cure her physical ailment. However, if He does cure us physically, any healing is only temporary. We all have to face the fact that we are eventually going to die, and that the most important healing we can receive is the healing of our sin-sick souls by God’s saving grace.
I said that we should not be so concerned with our physical problems that we have for a short time on this earth, but we should be mostly concerned about the spiritual deadness of our souls and where we will spend eternity. I was surprised that she was not offended by what I said, and instead she asked me for a Bible to learn more about God’s salvation plan. She had never had a Bible in her whole life, and I gladly gave her a Cebuano Bible and the "What Must I Do To Become Saved?" booklet in that language. Could it be that she is one of God’s elect whom God is drawing to Himself by the power of His Word? We pray that is so.
It is always a great pleasure and blessing for us to hand out the tracts when almost everyone takes them and keeps them. We continue to see many people sitting and standing around reading them intently, and we pray that God will open the spiritual eyes and ears of many to the True Gospel of Christ.
We had some new guests attend our Bible study tonight in addition to those who have been coming every night, and we are praying that God will send more in the future to hear the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Cebu City
LETTER #5
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." (Psalm 138:2)
Friday, January 20, 2006. We received the first batch (about 1/3) of the order for 70,000 additional Cebuano tracts last night for distribution today, and some teams went to outlying areas. One went over a bridge to the city of Lapu Lapu on the island of Mactan. (The city is named after the native chieftain who killed Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 when he claimed these islands for the king of Spain.) The team was able to distribute all of its tracts and Bibles by early afternoon in a busy market and to have many opportunities to interact personally with the people to tell them about the True Gospel and the ministry of Family Radio. We have met several listeners in many locations and are always blessed by those encounters.
Another team went to a different market area on Mactan Island with the same good results. Yet another team visited several schools in Cebu City, and the team leader provided this report of their activities:
Our assignment today was to visit a few colleges and high schools, and what a blessing it turned out to be for us! The students here are very kind and well-mannered; and they readily accepted the tracts, kept them, and read them intently as they walked along. If someone had already received one they would politely say, "I already have one" and point to a folder or book in their hands. Some say the more common word "finish," which is used everywhere around here to indicate they got one earlier.
We were allowed to stand at the main entrance to a large university right in front of the security guards until we handed out about 2,500 tracts. Then we left for awhile and came back at about 4:00 p.m. when the "day school" students were coming out and the "night school" students were going in. There were thousands of people coming and going through the gate, and we were able to hand out over 6,000 tracts in a short time in that one place. We pray that God will use His Words on those tracts to draw many of those people to Himself for salvation.
We continue to thank God for His protection, and guidance, and the wonderful reception to the "Does God Love You?" tracts everywhere we have gone on this trip, and for the growing attendance at our nightly Bible studies. A busload of about 15 people from a Christian school came in at 9:30 p.m. as we were finishing our Bible study tonight. They made a 2-hour journey from the city of Danao, located north of here, just to attend the meeting. So, we had another Bible study for their benefit until 11:00 p.m., and they headed back home with some free Bible and Family Radio materials.
We received the second third of our order for 70,000 Cebuano tracts this evening for distribution tomorrow.
Saturday, January 21, 2006. Two teams left the hotel at about 5:00 a.m. to catch two different high-speed ferries to cities on two different islands. They went to the islands of Leyte and Bohol, which are 2-hour rides to the northeast and southeast, respectively. One team leader provided these comments about the trip:
Our team of four ambassadors went to the city of Ormac on the island of Leyte. We traveled for two hours on a high-speed, double-hull catamaran that traveled at about 40 miles per hour and the seating resembled that of a wide-body jet airplane. Boarding was similar also with security checks, sniffing dogs, and seat assignments.
We handed out tracts all along the way in the terminal, on the boat, and at the pier in Ormac without any objections by anyone. Then to our surprise, there was a huge market and bus terminal right at the pier where we were able to hand out several thousands of tracts before catching an afternoon boat back to Cebu City. It is such a blessing and a pleasure to distribute here because of the excellent acceptance and retention of the tracts and to see so many people reading them intently everywhere we work.
The team that went to the island of Bohol had similar experiences. They traveled on a single-hull, airplane-like speedboat to the city of Tigbilaran on the southern tip of the island and worked in a large market that processed and sold all manner of fish, meats, fruits and vegetables. Many vendors were there when they arrived but very few customers because the big shopping day was yesterday. However, they were able to hand out all of their tracts and Bibles by working in an adjacent bus station, then at a big, modern shopping mall about a block away, and then in the busy city center before returning to the pier for the boat ride back to Cebu City in the afternoon.
Two other teams traveled by bus to the cities of Danao (2 hours to the north) and Toledo City (1.5 hours to the west); and one leader provided this report:
We experienced the same good response to the tracts in Toledo City as in everywhere else we have worked, and one incident stands out in my mind. I gave some Cebuano tracts to a group of young men, and one of them asked me if I could read the Cebuano language on the tract. I said, "No, but I know what it says." He then proceeded to point to various parts of the tract asking repeatedly in a joking manner "What does this say?" with the whole group laughing along with him.
Then I took a tract and pointed to the last sentence and said, "I know this says, ‘Are you ready to meet God?’" And I told the group, "This is a very serious message about God’s salvation plan from the Bible – not a joking matter. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to return soon; and if you are not saved, you will stand before His Judgment Throne and be found guilty of breaking His laws, and be cast into the eternal lake of fire." They all became very quiet and started reading the tracts as I left.
The Christian school group from Danao showed up on time for our Bible study tonight, and we had a total of about 25 guests in attendance.
We received the last third of our previous order for 70,000 tracts this evening for distribution tomorrow (Sunday), and we ordered an additional 20,000 for distribution on Monday. That brings the total number of tracts for this trip to 290,000 (80,000 English and 210,000 Cebuano).
"O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles." (Psalm 43:3)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Cebu City
LETTER #6
"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth." (Psalm 33:4)
Sunday, January 22, 2006. Most of our teams worked on the streets near several churches in Cebu City today with very good acceptance of the tracts and very little opposition to the Gospel message presented. One team took a small outrigger ferry for a half-hour ride eastward to the island of Olango. There was a large church and a busy market near the pier, and many shops were doing a brisk business selling church paraphernalia, such as candles, beads, flowers, idols, and other items.
Our supply of about 25,000 tracts was distributed by mid-day, and we enjoyed a time of private Bible study and relaxation in the afternoon. About 30 guests, including the group from Danao, attended our Bible study this evening, and the people continue to show a great interest in learning more about the True Gospel of salvation based on the Bible alone and in its entirety.
Monday, January 23, 2006. We received the final order of 20,000 Cebuano tracts from the printer as promised, and our teams fanned out for the last time to several busy markets, a bus station, and an industrial area. One team made a 1.5-hour trip southwest to the city of Carcar, and the team leader provided these comments:
We rented a taxi for the day so that we could leave our heavy packs and boxes of Bibles in the vehicle and work the streets with our tracts in small shoulder bags that we refill from time to time. The distribution progressed at a fairly rapid rate in a large market and at several nearby schools where the students were coming out for a lunch break. We left some tracts and Family Radio materials with a school principal who promised to give the tracts to all the teachers for distribution in the classrooms.
On our return trip in the afternoon we stopped at a large funeral procession, and everyone accepted a tract from us as they walked along the street. We also stopped in several small towns along the way to hand out tracts, and the principal of one school allowed us to give tracts to the students in the classrooms and the schoolyard. The students were exceptionally polite, orderly, and well-mannered; and they waited patiently to receive the tracts while seated in the classrooms and standing in formation in the schoolyard. As it turned out, we had exactly enough tracts for everyone there, and we left the school with great joy in our hearts. God continues to bless and guide us in this wonderful manner everywhere we go on these trips.
The following comments were contributed by the four members of our group who are on their first Family Radio trip:
1. It has been a tremendous blessing to me to experience the friendliness of the Filipino people and their excellent acceptance of the tracts. It reminds me of Revelation 7:9-14 that speaks of the "great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues ? which came out of great tribulation."
2. The people have been very polite and respectful to us everywhere we have worked here. Most will say "thank you" with a nice smile after receiving a tract; but one woman, balancing a large basket full of something on her head, angrily told me, "In Cebu the only god is ‘Santo Niño.’" Then she added a misquotation of Exodus 20:4 by saying, "Exodus says, ‘Thou shalt make graven images,’ which would be like pictures of our ancestors, saints, and God!" The people around us continued to take the tracts without paying any attention to her.
3. My first Family Radio trip has filled me with humility and contentment. I am humbled that God has made clear what my purpose in life is; and I am content that God has combined my love for God and His Word, my love for people, and my love for travel into this trip for the edification of His people and me personally. May God use my service for His glory and honor.
4. I was greatly impressed and encouraged by the wonderful acceptance of the tracts here, and it has been a blessing to me to be able to minister the Gospel of Christ to so many of these gracious Filipino people. During this trip I saw how God opened doors for the Gospel at prisons, markets, hospitals, schools, and the huge "Sinulog" parade when we first arrived. It was a great joy to see how God directed every aspect of our work here. The whole trip was run in a well-organized manner, and the fellowship with like-minded believers was especially enjoyable for me.
We hope to serve our Lord again with each one of these people on future trips.
Guest attendance at our Bible study this evening swelled to about 50 with many coming for the first time. We completed distributing all available tracts and have reserved a few Bibles to give to new guests at the last Bible study tomorrow night.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006. This is our last day in Cebu City and our last letter for this trip. We had a meeting after breakfast today to discuss travel plans for tomorrow and to talk about the next trip to Nigeria in April, and over half of this group expressed an interest in going on that trip.
By God’s grace, we have placed a total of 290,000 "Does God Love You?" tracts and 1,000 Bibles in the hands of the friendly people of Cebu. Please pray that God will grant repentance unto salvation to many in this part of the world and will raise up faithful men and women here to continue the work of the Gospel through the use of the biblical resources that Family Radio freely provides and the programming on AM radio that reaches this country from Taiwan. We are praying that God will send even more people to our last Bible study tonight and the He will open the spiritual eyes and ears of those who come.
We thank God for His guidance and protection and give Him all the praise and glory for what He has done with us, for us, and through us on this trip. We also thank the listeners and supporters of Family Radio for their prayers and financial gifts that make these mission trips possible. We consider our being "Ambassadors for Christ" in this manner a great privilege and honor and highly recommend it to others.
May the Lord’s perfect will be done in the hearts of the people of the Philippines.
"Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." (Hosea 4:1)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Cebu City