One of the ministries I’m involved with at North Cebu Baptist Church is the College and Career Sunday School Class. It reminds me of former days when I taught the adult class back at our home church in New York. There are some things that are uniquely different about this particular class though. Space at the church is limited and because of this our class has been meeting outside under a tarp. There are three seasons in the Philippines-hot, hotter, and really hot-so that tarp has been a blessing! Then one morning I showed up at church and was surprised to discover a chicken in the back of our class! (Apparently supper for the Bible college students later that week.) I could only smile to myself and think only in the Philippines! During these past few months we’ve had a faithful group attend the class with several new Christians who are eager to grow. It has been a blessing for me to teach this group and take part in their lives!
A Missionary & A Handyman
Since moving into our house we’ve experienced a few surprises. One thing we learned right away was when using your appliances for the first time~READ THE MANUAL! You just never know what amazing things your washer is capable of until it’s too late. And being in a foreign country you also realize that the manufacturer doesn’t always give you a warning. That being said, I’ve had some experience hooking up appliances but this was something I didn’t see coming. The drum inside our washer had been bolted down from the inside to keep it from moving during delivery (which I appreciate) , however, no one mentioned that to us. So being a good husband, I hooked up the washer for my wife and we put in our very first load. When the washer reached the spin cycle the entire machine starting jumping off the ground. I’ve seen overloaded washers shake and make noise but this machine was literally jumping across our floor! For a few moments it looked like our dryer was losing in a robotic boxing match. Thankfully, it was a simple fix and we counted it a lesson learned. As I’ve been working around the house, Abigail has been a curious observer. She has fun trying to sweep and wash the floors. Whatever daddy and mommy are doing~she wants to be right in the middle of it. I’m so thankful for our baby girl and her sweet smile. She makes being a handyman even more fun.
Anniversary Sunday at NCBC
This past week North Cebu Baptist Church celebrated its eighth year anniversary! There was a lot of preperation and prayer involved and when the big day finally came it was great to see the fruit of eight years of labor. The Lewis’ have invested their lives, funds, and love into this ministry and the Lord has blessed. Praise the Lord for their faithfulness to serve in a foreign land despite the different obstacles that have come. For eight years, North Cebu Baptist Church has been a light to the surrounding community, actively soul winning, reaching out to kids through extension classes, getting into the public schools, providing a bible college, and much more. Elizabeth and I are just excited to partner with this ministry and see what God is going to do at NCBC in the future!
Friends on the Field
We are so thankful to be with the Lewis family here in Cebu. They have helped us set up our home and find a place in the ministry at North Cebu Baptist Church. It’s been a tremendous help to have the wisdom of this veteran missionary family and their friendship. And now the Lord has brought another missionary to us. Miss Leah, born in the Philippines but also an American like myself, has decided to serve the Lord in Cebu. She just retired but instead of taking this time to enjoy the benefits of years of hard work, she has chosen to give her remaining years to the Lord. One of the things she would like to do is teach the people at church how to sew and provide a living for themselves. This is a very practical need that will be a great blessing to our people! Miss Leah comes to us with minimal support. Her trust and dedication to the Lord have been inspiring for my wife and I. Here is a lady, retired but who wants to give her life to Christ…now. Many reach this point in their lives and look for reasons to do less and less for the Lord but Miss Leah is surrendering it all. It’s true, you’re never too old to serve God!