Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes. He arose a Victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign! We serve a Risen Savior!
Once again, we send out this letter to you to keep you informed on the ministry among the Kalanguya people of the Philippines…..and thank God that He’s privileged us (and you!) to be a part of it!
Bob has recently had a very encouraging meeting with some of the folks from Grace School of Theology. Now that our chapel is built and ready for use, they would like to go ahead and have the technicians from their Manila office set it up with all the electronics that are needed to livestream teaching classes. They have also decided that they will first offer a full year of ESL (English as a Second Language). This will be a tremendous help to our college students and many of our Bible teachers who know some English but need to pass an English proficiency test in order to be prepared to take the college classes! Sonia, who is the wife of our manager at CFM and also teaches English in the local school, has already been taking a couple of the GSOT classes online. She wrote us the other day that while she struggles with the difficulty of the college level English, she finds it a real challenge and is learning a lot! PRAY that the plans for installing electronic equipment will happen soon and without difficulty and PRAY for our folks, including pastors from various national churches in the area, who will be able to take advantage of this great opportunity to further their Biblical education! What a challenge this is for us and them!
This week the Kalanguya “singles” are attending the annual Intertribal Fellowship! It’s an exciting time for them as they gather with believers from 4 other tribal groups! Their common language is of course the national language of the Philippines. They usually come back from this retreat refreshed in spirit, strengthened in their faith and excited about the opportunities they have to share their testimonies with others. Pray for them these precious young people who are the future of the Kalanguya church! Please pray for Vicente Luyaman, one of our very faithful elders and chairman of our Board at CFM. About 6 weeks ago he suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed. After much prayer and financial help for his medical expenses from his fellow Kalanguya believers, he is improving in his ability to move and speak. One of the believers recently sent us a video message from Vicente so we could see him and hear his voice thanking God and the believers who’ve prayed and helped! Continue to pray for his complete recovery! He is a true evangelist to his people and a leader among the Kalanguya elders.
Pray for Margie Lumawan in the Philippines and us here at home in Alabama as we continue the work of editing the Kalanguya Bible translation and getting it ready for print. Pray for Bob especially as he recently has experienced severe pain in his lower left leg which has been diagnosed as severe varicose veins. (Probably from all that walking on mountain trails over the years!) Anyway, he is under a doctor’s care and has an appointment for May 2 when the doctor will do a procedure to alleviate the pressure caused by the weakened veins. Medicine has relieved the pain but we know the basic problem still has to be taken care of before we can think about setting a date for our return to the Philippines.
We are still actively trying to get word out to friends (and friends of friends) that funds need to be raised to get the Kalanguya Bible into print later this year! We are encouraged that over $20,000 have already been given! God knows HOW MUCH we need and WHEN we will need it and we are confident of His supply. Bibles will cost about $10 apiece so any gift, large or small, will be appreciated.
There are 3 avenues for giving to this project:
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- For giving using a credit card, we have a printing fund on the ETHNOS360 website https://ethnos360.org/projects/kalanguya-bible-printing
- We have a GoFundMe page that thankfully has been shared numerous times on Facebook! www.gofundme.com/first-kalanguya-bible-in-print You can give directly or if you want a tax-deductible receipt for your gift, clicking on the words KALANGUYA BIBLE that you see at the bottom of the GoFundMe page will take you to the link you see above in #1.
- You can send a check to the Mission. Write the check to New Tribes Mission or Ethnos360. Include a slip of paper that says “Kalanguya Translation: Philippine Field Fund”. Your gift will go through the mission’s home office, then will be sent directly to our Office in the Philippines.
Thank you so much for your love for the Lord and for reaching the lost; your financial support and for your prayers. Thank you for your continued and faithful participation in the ministry to the Kalanguya in the Philippines! We appreciate you more than you know!