SULADS STORIES

2012-10-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

THIEVES AND CRIMINALS NO MORE

By: Levi Laput

Log Deck-5 Mission School

October 2000

It was after reporting time at Mountain View College. My shirt under my heavy fully-packed backpack was soaked from my sweat as I slowly climbed the hill that sunny morning. “Whew!” I unloaded my pack and breathed some fresh air under a cool shade. In a distance I noticed the familiar lowlander we call "Manong" coming by.

“Going home to that Manobo village again?” he greeted.

“Yes”, I said, “and I am waiting for some boys to fetch me.”

“How many hours will it take you to climb that high mountain?” he asked, pointing to the forested mountain I was about to climb.

“Two hours,” I replied, ”and then from the top of that mountain you can see the village about two kilometers away.”

“You know”, he continued, “I've been here for some ten years now and I haven't visited that place yet and I never will.”

“Why?” I was curious.

“Those Manobos in that village are thieves and criminals. Whenever animals are lost in nearby villages, the owners would visit that village and on the way they recover extremities, rope, and some remains of their lost animals. In the village they could see children playing and discover their lost animals' heads skinned to the bones. They recognize their animals only by the horns. Whenever they are apprehended, they kill with their bows and arrows, spears, and bolos. I can't understand why you people from Mountain View College keep on going to that village. What are you really doing there?” he asked again.

“I am a student missionary to that village. The college has an extension literacy program to the natives around and I am assigned here to teach them how to read and write and tell them about the love of Jesus,” I explained further.

“These people are stiff-necked thieves and criminals. No amount of good will come out of that dirty village,” he said and left.

I was stunned to hear such a story, but deep inside me I pondered for a moment and sought for a positive side of my people. ”They are God's people still, no matter how wicked they are, because God paid the ransom of His Son's blood for these people. I am the assigned missionary here and I am duty bound to teach them,” I said to myself.

October 22, 2000, was the scheduled date for a baptism. Neighboring churches under the district of Pastor Vistor were invited to witness the big occasion. One church elder said, "I never thought there would be any person who would change their life to accept Jesus from this village, and now I'll be witnessing with my own eyes. This is GREAT.”

We assisted them in filling up the baptismal forms, and laboriously but successfully they were able to sign their names. Their big happy smiles were enough to show us that they were proud of what they had learned in their adult class. There were ten who filled out the application forms. I was surprised when my partner told me that four more men approached him wanting to join the group to be baptized.

“They should not be baptized,” I stated. “They should undergo Bible study first. We should produce here ripe Christians who know the truth well and can stand and die for it.”

“Why not interview them, Partner,” he suggested. And so I did.

They said, “While you were giving Bible studies to our families since when you started your first batch of Bible studies in our homes, we were listening in the dark outside and we understood. We realized the sins and wickedness we've been doing, but our vices were so hard to do away with. We had a hard struggle in fighting our mortal enemy of "self". We made up our minds to leave our vices, and now we are happy to tell you that we have been successful. We are asking you to please include us in this second batch of baptism.”

I recognized these four men as the hardened thieves and criminals, alcoholics that cause trouble in the village. I was moved to tears when they requested, "Please pray for us, Sir, and don't forget to include our names in your daily conversation with your God, for the renewal of our "old nature" to the new-born self.” I understood because in their culture, they converse with their gods in a normal way of conversation.

Who could ever say “no” and deprive them of the privilege of being baptized when they make a request such as that?

I then pictured the thief and criminal hanging with Jesus on the cross on Calvary who pleaded with Jesus to remember him when He comes in His Kingdom. I long for that grand reunion when I'll meet them all in paradise.

We had 14 precious souls baptized last Sabbath (October 28).

If you would like to be a part of this ministry, please write a check to AWESNA and send it to:

AWESNA

2417 S. Azusa Ave.

West Covina, CA 91792

Mark the donation for MVC/SULADS. You should receive a tax-deductible receipt in a few days.

If you know of others who would like to receive these mission stories, just send their e-mail addresses to flwebb@mlbly.philcom.com.ph and they will be included on the mailing list.

2012-10-22T18:10:00.001-07:00

SAVED BY AN ANGEL

by Ruvilyn Sona

Log Deck 5 Mission School

I rang the bell that morning to tell the whole village that there will be a meeting that day. After a while the chief who is also one of our active members of our church asked to be excused in the meeting. I have an important business in town today ma’am he said, My two sons will be with me.

They left that morning but we proceeded with out meeting. After a while we heard gun shots. We didn’t bother because gunshots are just normal in our village because of the presence of NPA (New People’s Army ) communist rebels.

And then we were surprised to see three armed men. They came straight to our meeting. Their leader happened to be polite enough. He offered his hand to me for a hand shake. They introduced themselves as NPAs. He said, “Ma’am may I have a time to talk.”

“Sure yes,” I approved.

“I killed your chief!” he said boldly. I was shocked. My partner was pale. The people were crying. In no time we were scattered. We went straight to where we heard the shots from. We saw fresh blood. We followed the line of drops of blood but we did not find the chief. The line of drops of blood led us to a nearby stream and there we got lost. We could no longer trace where our chief was. He might be somewhere still alive hiding in a bush. We searched the stream down and in the bush but we did not find him.

We went home tired and grieved. Our hearts were crying for our dear chief. We gathered the village people for a special prayer for our chief that god would spare his life.

The following morning we heard news from another village. The messenger said that, they were having a meeting that Sunday morning when we were interrupted by a cry for help. They stood up to investigate and they saw in the distance a man waving his hand bathed in his own blood asking for help. They rushed to the rescue and they recognized it was our chief. They rushed him to the hospital in Valencia and thank God he was saved.

In the hospital the chief related his ordeal that while they were on their way to town that Sunday morning three armed men blocked their way. The two sons were held at gunpoint while he, the chief, was hog tied and led to a bushy part of the trail and asked to close his eyes. “I closed my eyes but I prayed,” the chief explained.

“The man said, ‘Chief this is your last. I’m sorry, but I give you time to pray.’ With the first shot I was hit on the back of my head but I was surprised it did not bleed. And so he shot the second time and the third. I was bleeding but I was conscious. I played dead. Sensing maybe that I was already dead, I received a hard kick and he untied me, and he left. When I heard that his steps were fading away, I slowly opened my eyes stood up and ran towards the stream.

“I headed for Santo Domingo village where there is a military detachment. He noticed me running and he run after me. I ran faster praying in every step I took. Lord! I cried please save me. I am thankful to my Lord he sent an angel to save me.

Today, the chief is in the custody of the government military but the mission school was closed for safety reasons. The chief was sad that his people have been scattered now because of the incident. His two sons that were held who also were active members of our church there have joined the military to retaliate. What a mess. But the chief is still hoping that he can gather some if not all of his people again in another village.

That is exactly what the SULADS are helping to do now. Some of the chief’s people have moved to Log Deck 5, a newly opened village. Pray with us that we will be able to reach these people with the Gospel story so that they will no longer be involved in bloodshed and violence. Also, pray for the safety of the SULADS as they work under these tense conditions.

2012-10-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

A VISITOR THAT SNORES

by Salleh Suli

Log Deck 5 Mission School

August, 1999

Have you ever had a visitor that snored very loudly? We had one in Log Deck 5 Village. It was in the middle of the night when I woke up due to a very loud sound—it sounded like someone snoring. Thinking that it was my partner, Darren, it did not bother me too much. It seemed the sound was coming from a different direction but when one is sleeping, one cannot be too sure. It was certainly a loud sound, however. It sounded like a big man who ate too much food just before going to bed. Putting the sound out of my mind, I was soon back to sleep again.

The following night, the same thing happened. Someone was snoring so loudly it woke me up. There must be something wrong. I looked around but saw nothing in the darkness. The fog was very thick that night and I was unable to see anything. I was puzzled but soon fell asleep again. Early the next morning, I woke up and tried to look around but saw nothing indicating the source of the sound. “I’ll see you tonight,” I vowed to myself.

That night, Darren and I stayed up late to investigate what was causing the sound. We talked, sang and studied God’s word until quite late. Suddenly, something big bumped the side of our little house. The sound moved right under the house to the exact spot right under my bed. After a short time, the snoring sound we had heard the previous two nights came again. We peeped down through a hole in the floor of our house and began to laugh. There under the floor under my bed lay a huge pregnant pig belonging to our neighbor. Why did the pig choose our house to sleep under? We don’t know.

The people here in the mountains of Mindanao love to raise and eat pigs. The children play with the pigs and take baths with the pigs in the mud. At this time, we cannot blame them. They do not know any different and do not realize there is a better way.

We have only been in Log Deck 5 for a few weeks. We must win the confidence of the people. Then we can begin to tell them of the Jesus who left the glories of heaven to come to this dark old world and show us how to live better lives. We pray that one day, not too long from now, the sixty-two families now living in Log Deck 5 will eliminate the pigs from their diet and thus from their village. Then our sleep will not be disturbed by the loud snoring of a large pregnant pig!

To be a part of bringing this message to Log Deck 5 and other villages in the mountains of Mindanao, please send your free-will offering to:

Adventist Mission Society of America

2411 S. Azusa Ave.
West Covina, CA 91792.

Mark your contribution for MVC SULADS and you will receive a tax-deductible receipt. The SULADS say “Thank You” for your assistance in bringing Jesus to the unreached people of Mindanao.

2012-10-22T18:05:00.001-07:00

THE MANOBO WEDDING CEREMONY

by Myna Consolacion Buta

Lawatano Mission School

February, 1997

We were so excited for the long awaited wedding. My partner and I were for the first time going to witness a Manobo wedding. At last, on February 17, 1997, about 1:00 p.m. the groom and his relatives arrived at Lawatano from Dao. Dao is a nearby village taking only four hours to hike to Lawatano. The bride was from Lawatano where I was assigned as a student missionary. She was the daughter of Datu Samuel, one of the datus of the village.

When the grooms party arrived, they occupied the two school rooms to prepare themselves for the wedding. Someone shaved the eyebrows of the groom and painted around his eyes with white rice powder which they call in the Manobo language, “antis”. Everybody was busy preparing, putting finishing touches on their faces with lipstick and make-up and eye shadow. They adorned themselves with their beautiful and colorful “baliog” or necklaces.

Then at about 3:00, the bride and groom met in a house newly built by the father of the bride. One of the datus got a chicken for what they called “gaamuadas” or by killing the chicken, they rid the house of evil spirits and any bad omens before the groom entered the house of the bride.

The house where the bride was staying was crowded with the village folks and we had a difficult time getting a place to take good pictures because of the crowd. The groom and bride were each covered with a blanket. The ceremony finally started and all the village people were happy. Laughter filled the air. The bride’s relatives gave her to the groom’s relatives and then the groom’s relatives gave him to the bride’s relatives.

The official solemnizing the wedding was a woman called a “Bai” or chief. She commanded the two of them to sit down facing each other. The Bai held in her hand some cooked rice wrapped in a banana leaf. In the Manobo language it is called “linupot”. The Bai unwrapped the cooked rice and slowly got some of it and formed it into balls using her bare hands. She gave some to the groom and the bride. The relatives all sat around watching the couple eat their share of the rice first. Then the relatives devoured the remains. After all had eaten, the Bai told the couple to hug each other. Laughter broke out as this was done.

Under the house, some of the village folks were cooking food and the smoke came up through the floor but none of us minded even though the smoke irritated our noses and eyes. It was quite hot. We were all there to witness the happenings of the wedding in spite of all the pushing and shoving of the people.

The couple were then seated in a special seat while the datus and other high ranking members of the village sat around in the center of the house. The father of the bride, Datu Samuel, had a handful of “aguloy” or corn seeds. Datu Banog of Dao, who is a Seventh-day Adventist, also had a handful of corn seeds. The corn seed was a symbol of the value of a carabao. In terms of money, that is about P1,000. They were counting up the expenses of the wedding. Each of the datus counting anything from the beginning of the proposal until the time of the wedding by using the corn seeds. The groom’s family and relatives gave a dowry to the bride of money, two horses and a carabao.

Even though it was a rainy day, we enjoyed the day. It was a very memorable day for everyone.

2012-10-22T18:04:00.003-07:00

THE JOURNEY

by Myda Buta

November, 1996

When I decided to be a part of the student missionary work (SULADS), I was not in good health. I was sick and physically weak. Friends told me to stay home for my recovery but I attended the seminar regularly even if I’m still trembling with fever, muscle pains, and colds. As the seminar went on, I became weaker every day. I didn’t eat much food due to my lack of appetite.

My friends noticed that I did not look very well. When they learned that I was planning to become a student missionary, they opposed the idea. They tried to discourage me by telling me of the dangers I would likely encounter in the mountains. They told of the trials I would meet and criticized me for even thinking of going as a student missionary. I prayed and was not affected by what they said trying to discourage me from going through with my plans.

I made an agreement with God that I would not take any medications but asked Him to heal me if it were His plan that I continue with my plans. On Friday of the seminar week, my situation had become more serious. By Sabbath I was really ill. I tried to act normal as I did not want others to know just how bad I felt.

Sunday morning, I woke up feeling very well. I praised God for my healing. There was no trace of muscle pains or fever. I took this as an indication that God wanted me to go as a student missionary. Then I became afraid—afraid of what I will do. I did not know what my life would be like living in the mountain with people of another culture and lifestyle. I thought of the possible dangers I would face from time to time and the hardships and trials that I would likely encounter. I realized then the difficult commitment I was making. Trusting in God and knowing that He was sufficient to see me through all the problems and trials, I decided to go.

The seminar was over. I was one of those accepted to go. The Board of Directors of the SULADS sent us out two by two just like Jesus sent His disciples. My partner and I were assigned to Lawatano Mission School. I had heard reports that this was one of the farthest missions schools—that one had to walk farther from the nearest road than any other school.

November 4, 1996, we left MVC for our assignment. We went with other SULADS who knew the way to guide us. We reached the town of San Fernando that afternoon. We started walking at 4:00 p.m. We hoped to arrive around 7:00 p.m. in the village.

As we traveled along, the road was slippery so I took off my shoes for greater stability. We passed the sitio of Sulog just before dark. There we made a torch called a “palong-palong” to give us light along the path. By the time we reached the river, it was totally dark. We stopped to rest a little. We sat on a rock and had evening worship and ate our little supper of some pieces of bread. We went on. Seven o’clock came and went but we were not yet at the village. My knees were trembling by this time. My partner wanted to go on. He said it was only another hour but that was for fast walkers. I was too tired so we decided to spend the night in a house nearby. We knocked at two houses and greeted the people but neither of them offered us a place to stay. We went on hoping that there would be a house farther on with an open door for us to rest until the following day. At last, the third house opened to us and let us in. The family was native Manobo and a friend of our SULADS guide. We spent a good night of rest there.

The next morning, we had morning worship and at 5:00 a.m. we started on our way again to the mission school. We said a hearty “Thank you” to the family and bid them good-bye and went on our way. At 7:00 a.m. we reached Lawatano Mission School.

The school was set beautifully on a hill. The cottage was set on another hill but a bridge connected the two. It was beautiful. In an instant, I loved the place.

On November 6, we held our first meeting of the village people regarding the school situation, their contribution for the development of the school and many other items. We then began the enrollment of the students in the school. The rest of the week, we were busy cleaning our cottage and its surroundings.

November 11 classes began. We also cleaned the school surroundings and cut the grass and re-organized the children into classes. We have regular Bible study classes and serenade the houses every Sabbath morning. We meet and talk with the villagers whenever possible to get better acquainted with them. With these activities, we are praying that God will touch them, that they will accept His salvation. We pray that they will have faith in Jesus and become a part of His family.

2012-10-22T18:03:00.001-07:00

HOW WILL I PAY YOU SIR?

by Golly Policarpio, MVC Student Missionary to Lawatano

as told to Mrs. Nelita B. Janoyan

“Ma’am, how will I start washing these clothes? They are wet with the stool of our patient who has cholera”, asked Golly to the woman who was in charge of the laundry in German Community Hospital.

It was December 13, 1994--Tuesday morning-- when Golly Policarpio was on his way to Halopitan, San Fernando, going to Lawatano Mission School. It was a three hour hike in order to reach his territory. Under the heat of the sun, with sweat on his whole body, he really wished to be in Lawatano as early as possible.

He walked two hours, and reached sitio Balaas, a place before Lawatano, with joy in his heart. That joy soon turned to tears and fears. “Sir, please help. We have a dying man,” somebody cried. Immediately Golly searched for the patient. To his surprise, he saw a man almost dead, terribly dehydrated, and still struggling for his dear life. His eyes were both white and pale. “Lord, please save this man,” Golly prayed.

Fortunately, the German Doctor with his companions were in sitio Balaas having their free clinic. The doctor tried everything in order to save the life of the patient. They put dextrose in both hands because of the serious condition. Unfortunately, they still needed more dextrose but none was available. Golly was instructed by the doctor to boil water to replace the dextrose.

“Toto, ampo hay kaw to magbabayo.” “Toto, pray to God,” Golly said to the patient.

After a few hours, the doctors still observed that the situation was still very dangerous. They decided to bring him to the hospital in Valencia. After improvising a stretcher made of a sack and some sticks, they carried the patient to the hospital. It was already 5:30 p.m. when they started down the hill. Saul Llamera, Golly’s fellow student missionary, carried the dextrose bottle while several men carried the stretcher. The trail was slippery and muddy. There were times they almost fell because they could not see the trail in the dark. Rain come, making the trail more slippery. In their desire to save the life of the patient, they did not pay any attention to the hardship they met. When they could reach the place where the doctor’s car was waiting, they would be able to relax a little.

They finally reached the hospital around 8:30 p.m. The student missionaries took care of their patient. This care included bathing him as he had fouled himself and washing his clothes. They assisted the nurses in attending the patient in any way possible. They did not sleep the whole night and only later realized that their own wet clothes had dried on their bodies.

By God’s help and guidance, the patient recovered from his illness and was back in Lawatano after three days. The people in the village couldn’t believe that he was still alive after what he had been through.

The following day, Toto visited the cottage of the student missionaries. With thanksgiving in his heart he said, “Thanks a lot sir. How will I pay you?” With gladness, Golly said, “It is God who helped you, we were just His instruments.”

Arthur S. Maxwell said in THE BIBLE STORIES Vol 8, p 189, “Remember that whatever you do like this out of a love-filled heart is reckoned by Jesus to have been done for Him. He will never forget the kindness throughout eternity.?”

“What will you do to show that you are really thankful to the Lord?” asked Golly.

“I will attend Sabbath Services from this time on and help build the school for our children here so they can be educated and be ready when Jesus comes.” was the sincere reply of Toto.

2012-10-22T18:01:00.003-07:00

A GERMAN LADY VISITS LAWATANO

by Lowell Limbagan

July, 1996

Miss Gerda, a lady of German origin, was working in Halipitan, doing missionary work among the Manobo villages. She organized a “Mabum Tulugan From German Friends” in which Manobo people can stay overnight if they have an emergency trip to the town. She visited many Manobo villages and one day happened to visit Lawatano. Her task is to visit all the villages in her territory.

When she arrived in Lawatano, she was amazed. There was a difference in these people. They seemed to be more educated than the other groups of Manobos that she visited. The children gathered and sang some songs to welcome the visitor. She then visited the school and asked some questions about the SULADS program. She was delighted to know that the MVC SULADS organization has this concern for the Manobo people. She said, “I’m happy to go back to my country now since there is a program going on in this place which will help educate the Manobo people.”

On July 18, a farewell for Miss Gerda was held and Miss Gerda especially requested the children from the Lawatano singing group to sing at her farewell. She very much appreciated the lovely songs the children sang for her benefit. In her farewell address, she mentioned that she felt comfortable leaving as there was a program operated by MVC--the SULADS--which would remain to guide and teach the Manobo people. Manobos from other villages who witnessed the farewell and heard the remarks of Miss Gerda are now asking for teachers to come to their villages to teach their children also.

The SULADS long to reach all these people who are desiring to know more about Jesus. We also pray that the songs that were sung to Miss Gerda will cause her to desire to seek Jesus as well.

2012-09-19T16:47:00.003-07:00

THE MANOBO WEDDING CEREMONY

by Myna Consolacion Buta

Lawatano Mission School

February, 1997

Even though it was a rainy day, we enjoyed the day. It was a very memorable day for everyone.

2012-09-19T16:47:00.001-07:00

THE JOURNEY

by Myda Buta

November, 1996

The school was set beautifully on a hill. The cottage was set on another hill but a bridge connected the two. It was beautiful. In an instant, I loved the place.

2012-09-19T16:46:00.001-07:00

HOW WILL I PAY YOU SIR?

by Golly Policarpio, MVC Student Missionary to Lawatano

as told to Mrs. Nelita B. Janoyan

“Toto, ampo hay kaw to magbabayo.” “Toto, pray to God,” Golly said to the patient.

“What will you do to show that you are really thankful to the Lord?” asked Golly.

“I will attend Sabbath Services from this time on and help build the school for our children here so they can be educated and be ready when Jesus comes.” was the sincere reply of Toto.

2012-09-19T16:44:00.002-07:00

A GERMAN LADY VISITS LAWATANO

by Lowell Limbagan

July, 1996

The SULADS long to reach all these people who are desiring to know more about Jesus. We also pray that the songs that were sung to Miss Gerda will cause her to desire to seek Jesus as w

2012-09-18T16:52:00.002-07:00

THE KEROSENE FAILED NOT

By Rendy Sebilo

Lapangon Mission School

November 1999

Since all the members of the village Lapangon has been baptized, they meet, young and old, in our front yard to worship each morning and evening. They are hungry for the truth in their new found faith. They want to listen and fill their still empty hearts with the Word.

Although we meet early each evening before sunset, the hearers are so interested for the study deeper into the God’s word that it gets dark before we end the study. Therefore, my partner and I purchased a kerosene lamp so we can have enough light for the worship service. When the kerosene lamp was first lighted, the people were very surprised to see a very bright light making their little nook in the forest so bright. Their little lamps made of sardine tins produced such a flickering little light that this was amazing to them.

Each night, they anxiously await the time to light the kerosene lamp and this magnificent light can illuminate the village and they can listen to the Bible stories from the picture rolls. They loved that kerosene lamp also because the surrounding villages from quite a distance can see the light shining from Lapangon. They compare that magnificent light with the light of salvation through Jesus Christ brought by the student missionaries from Mountain View College, The School of the Light.

The night came when we ran out of kerosene. We need the light for worship. We asked about if any one had some kerosene. Many raised their hands and with any second thoughts, they scampered to their homes and returned with small amounts of kerosene in their little tin lamps. We poured it all into our kerosene lamp and it was only about half full. We decided to shorten the worship this night because there was not enough kerosene to go as long as we had been in the nights before.

We had a very interesting and lively worship that evening and forgot all about the shortness of the kerosene supply. We went far past the 30 minutes which we thought our short supply would take us. When we finally stopped, we put out the lamp and checked the tank. It was empty. That meant that we would have NO kerosene for the next night’s worship. It is a long ways down to the nearest trader to buy kerosene and we could not spend the valuable time just to obtain that commodity.

As the time approached for worship, my partner decided to drain what little that might be left in the lamp into the sardine tin so that we could have some little light for the evening. To his surprise, the tank was full! He asked me if I had stored some kerosene away for an emergency but I had not. He commented that this was a miracle.

That night, we lighted the lamp again and began worship. My partner emphasized that our God is a God of miracles. God provided the kerosene for our worship. He told the story of the widow and the two boys who borrowed the vessels to fill with oil and the oil failed not until all were filled. We told the people that this was because of the faith of the widow. We compared that to the kerosene in our lamp. The following evening, we inspected the lamp again, and again it was full! This went on for three nights before we had the opportunity to purchase more kerosene.

God really did bless our lamp. He filled it to the brim each evening when we needed it. He performed the same miracle for us that he did for the faithful widow.

“My dear SULADS,” the chief, Datu Malinas, interrupted during our worship. “We have seen the miracle shown by the God in heaven before our very own eyes. We need to be faithful to Him every day!” he emphasized.

“We will be faithful!” the villagers chorused.

2012-09-18T16:51:00.001-07:00

SEPARATED TO MARRY

By Muriel Lane Dulenas

Lapangon Mission School

March, 2000

Maruon is a young man whom everybody admired in Lapangon Mission School. He can preach and get the audience spell bound. He can sing beautifully with his quality baritone voice. He is the leader of the youth in his village. We student missionaries count on him to handle our level one class.

He was one of the first 36 baptized from Lapangon at the SULADS Jamboree 1999 held at Mountain View College. He was instrumental in bringing his entire family to be baptized. He gave them Bible studies and taught them the way. Although he was young, his older brothers looked up to him because of his good decision making ability. They called him a young datu (chief). His parents and the village datu are shaping him to become the next generation datu. What a promising position and honor!

Marriage is a Manobo tradition that one can hardly escape. Mauron was spotted by another datu from a neighboring village to marry his daughter. The custom is for the father or datu from either the lady’s side or the man’s side to bring a dowry for the purpose of marriage. This dowry is expensive and it is dangerous to refuse once the dowry is offered.

In this situation, the parents of the girl brought five horses as a dowry. The only respectful refusal would be to counter with ten horses as a return gift. The problem was, there was only one horse in the entire village! Obviously, the wedding was set. There was no way to refuse without serious repercussions. To refuse without the ten horses would have led to a bloody war.

Mauron did not want to marry yet. He enjoyed the schooling he was receiving in Lapangon and the opportunity to teach and lead out in the youth activities. Further, he dreamed of one day studying at Mountain View College and becoming a student missionary himself to his own people through the SULADS program of MVC. He was frustrated.

He cried and asked for our counsel. We were helpless. We could not give counsel that would change the situation without bringing the retaliation of the other village. If we advised him to escape and they learned that the student missionaries had done so, we would have placed our own lives in danger. We could only advise Mauron to bring his problem to the Lord in prayer. He prayed everyday and night asking for a way to escape the plan. Each day brought him closer to the wedding day.

We noticed that he was no longer the happy young man he had been. Each evening, he would face the sinking sun and crying because he could not prevent the sun from setting and bringing him one day closer to the wedding.

The wedding day arrived. Everyone in the village went with Mauron to the next village to meet the bride. Each one brought something to be given as a part of the dowry according to tradition. The wedding was successful in bringing the two villages closer together. After the wedding, Mauron’s family and friends went back to Lapangon but Mauron was left with his new wife in her village.

Life was no longer the same in Lapangon. Everyone felt the absence of Mauron. His advice to his brothers and sisters was missed. His good sermons and the beautiful singing was no longer brightening the day. His parents wiped away their tears the first three nights when we visited them.

Life was not bright for Mauron and his new wife either. The fact was, he had never met this young lady before. He was forced to marry her. He badly missed the morning and evening worship back in Lapangon.

“I cannot stand this any longer,” he said. “I must do something. I think I should be a missionary to this village. Since I am already married and there is no turning back, I must make my life here bright. I should be a shining light to my new wife and her people.”

With that, Mauron started to sing the Manobo songs that had been translated by the student missionaries. These songs penetrated the hearts of his parents-in-law. He began gathering the children and told them stories from the Bible. He taught them children’s songs. His wife learned fast also. Now Mauron was happy again. He was now a missionary even though he has not yet studied at MVC.

The father of the bride was happy for Mauron because he observed that he had learned to love his new wife. The father is now requesting SULADS student missionaries to come to his village and educate his people.

Will you help us by sending a donation to provide two new teachers for this new village? We pray that the Lord will guide you in your decision.

Mark your donations for MVC SULADS and send them to:

                AWESNA
                2417 S. Azusa Ave
                West Covina, CA 91792

THANK YOU!!!

2012-09-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Let's Make This Into A Church

By Romel Mansaloon

Lapangon Mission School

Lapangon Mission School is a newly opened school. For long years the SULADS studied on how to

penetrate this warlike blood thirsty tribe of the Matig Langilan Manobos. This tribe is the most feared of by other Manobos.

During the survey of the MVC SULADS campus missionaries to this village, they nearly lost their lives. Warriors just sprang up from the bush where they were deploying ready to fly their arrows and throw their spears. God and His Angels were just around during that time to calm them down. Wonder of all

wonders, they too cannot believe their eyes why they can't just fly their arrows and spears, and they

became friends.

My experience in Lapangon with my partner Novo is the most thrilling one. Even if we are Manobos

ourselves they seem to be strangers because we grew up in a Mission School community, it is in Lapangon where I learned more of our primitive life style.

Within weeks we were so loved by the village people because we adjusted with them. Sleep with them, eat with them, tell them stories, and work with them. School is very interesting. Everybody in the village from kids to adults want to learn to read and write. The chief too would want to learn. In his kingly command he said, "all must join the work to build our school." In 5 days a two room school was built from round timbers and barks of trees. Timbers were used for pillars and braces and the barks were used for walling and roofing.

Then came the big day of the first formal class. All of the children and parents are in level one. The

school was divided into two. Children go together in one classroom and adults in the other room. Children and parents exchange paper when they reach home and compare their work. Mostly parents obviously hide their paper from their children.

The SULADS JAMBOREE was the most awaited time of the year. This is the time when all Mission

Schools of the SULADS come together to show their talents the teachers taught them. The grand parade was colorful. Delegates were in their respective native attire. The week was full of different joyous activities.

The grand day was the Sabbath worship. Fifty seven voice choir ring through the air from children from different Mission Schools. Elder Paterno Diaz, South Philippines Union President was the divine worship speaker. It was their first time to hear such a message especially our chief Datu Malinas. It was stressed in the sermon of elder Diaz that we are all the same in the sight of God. We are brothers as His children with no discrimination of races. That moved him most The last day of the Jamboree brought joy especially to the Lapangon delegation - that in a surprise they were pronounced champion of ALL SULADS JAMBOREE '98 for their excellent performance and participation.

The chief "Datu Malinas" who was with the delegation was moved by this first time experience. Showing their trophy as Champion upon reaching home, he said strongly to his people, "We need to worship our teachers’ God. I have found a new kind of joy in life. I experienced this during the SULADS jamboree. Pointing to the 2 room school building he said..:` Let's make this into a church". We can just make another building for a school. As the missionary assigned to this village I know this new church won't last long. We need a better church built from good materials.

You are very comfortable in your beautiful church. I hope you can share some of your comforts with us.

Thank you and God will bless you more abundantly.

2012-09-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

REGISTERED IN HEAVEN

By Daryl F. Famisaran

September 1999

“My name is already registered in heaven!” Datu Malinas answered as Pastor Edgar Lloren stretched out his hand inviting the chief to come to the water for baptism. “I just made it sure that my people are baptized first,” he stressed. “My assignment now is to get other chiefs in the other villages around to join me in the new-found faith of my village. Then all of us tribal leaders will request you to baptize us in the next batch.”

Datu Malinas was a notorious killer. He was the head of the headhunters who mercilessly killed anybody who crossed their way when they were out to kill. His tribe called the Matiglangilan is the most feared among the Manobos.

I recall when I was a student missionary in 1980 that whenever the Matiglangilan was seen, the children would run for their lives. The parents always reminded the children that the Matiglangilan do not want to be stared at or laughed at. These actions might be enough to stir the anger of the Matiglangilan enough to kill an individual right there and then. The Matiglangilan are easily recognized by their style of headdress. The men always carried with them their sharp bolo knife designed to cut a person’s neck.

When the SULADS sent the survey team to this village, they nearly lost their lives. Head hunters sprung from the bush and surprised the survey team as they cooked their lunch near a stream. It was fortunate that the team leader was a Manobo and he faced the ready-to-strike killers. The other members of the survey team were instant in prayer to the Lord. The team leader explained that he is also a Manobo—the son of a datu. He was leading a team to survey the possible school in their village. The warriors were convinced and dropped their bolos. The survey team offered food to the curious and astonished killers. The killers ate quickly and left.

Upon arrival in the village, the survey team found it apparently deserted. No one was in sight. They then noticed curious investigating eyes peering through the slits of the walls. Behind those split bamboo walls the villagers clutched their spears and arrows ready to strike at the sound of the alarm from their datu (chief). The datu revealed later that they were very curious what these intruders wanted in their village.

The team leader talked with the datu. The talk proved effective as the datu called out a bit later and the people of the village materialized from their homes and crowded around the visitors. At the datu’s command, the people welcomed the visitors.

Student missionaries assigned to the village of Lapangon did their job well. The first baptism of 35 was March, 1999. The second baptism of 65 was in August, 1999. The third baptism is scheduled for the third week of September, 1999. This time the datu, true to his word, will be baptized together with the tribal leaders from the surrounding villages.

As the time approaches for this baptism, please remember them in prayer. Also remember that five villages surrounding Lapangon are requesting student missionaries to come to their villages also to teach them the good news of salvation. We have the missionaries—we need the funds.

One hundred dollars a month will keep a student missionary in the field and will also pay for a month of scholarship for the student upon completion of his/her service in the mountain. Statistics indicate that $100 will win one and a half souls.

Mark your contributions for MVC SULADS and send it to:

Adventist Mission Society of America
2411 S. Azusa Ave.
West Covina, CA 91792
The SULADS say, “THANK YOU”.

2012-09-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

SACRAFICIAL SUBSTITUTE

By Fred L. Webb

June, 2000

The SULADS have heard the roar of the lion again as he walks about seeking whom he may devour.

In several of the stories in the past, you may have read of the great success that has been won for the Lord in the village of Lapangon. It was there that they made the caraw to keep track of when Sabbath comes. It was in Lapangon that the datu postponed his own baptism until others could join him. It was in Lapangon that the warrior was baptized while still wearing his bolo (knife) because it was “bloody and needed to be washed”. It was Lapangon where anyone coming to the village must listen to the children sing and hear the story of Jesus. It was in Lapangon that they needed a new church and set about to build it.

It was during the building of this church that the current story had its roots. There was a need of a carpenter to assist in the construction of this church. One of the SULADS in the village called for her grandfather, a Seventh-day Adventist from nearby San Fernando to come and help them build. He responded and while there became acquainted with a 12-year-old girl we will call Mary. He requested Mary to come to his home in San Fernando to provide help in his household. Mary went with him.

About a month later, Mary reported to the SULADS working in her home village of Lapangon that the carpenter had molested here repeatedly. Quickly and quietly, the SULADS brought Mary down to MVC to protect Mary from both the family of the carpenter and her own villagers. The SULADS also came to seek advice on what to do. It was decided that the first thing needed was a doctor’s evaluation of whether there was physical evidence of rape. Upon submission to the examination of a gynecologist, it was determined that there was physical evidence. Armed with this information, Mary was taken to the police station in Valencia to report the incident. There the police told Mary and the SULADS that since the incident took place in the township of San Fernando, they would have to report to the police in San Fernando.

Off to San Fernando, the group went to the police station there. The report was taken. By the time the police went to arrest the carpenter, he had left town. Some speculate that the carpenter was tipped off and was able to make his escape. At this point, the granddaughter who was a SULAD in the village discovered that her own family were upset with her for reporting her own grandfather and that she should flee for her life. She left Mary at MVC and fled for cover.

By this time, the leadership of the village learned of the rape. They were furious. According to their tribal “law”, four people should die—the alleged rapist, the victim, and the two SULADS who had been responsible for the carpenter being in the village. Daryl Famisaran dispatched Romel Mansaloon, himself a Manobo and at the same time the SULAD that had first started the work in Lapangon, to Lapangon to try to placate the villagers. After some very heated discussions, Romel was able to persuade the villagers that since they were now baptized Seventh-day Adventists and followed Jesus, they needed to learn Jesus’ methods of dealing with problems. The killing of these four people in revenge would not bring back the purity of Mary. Finally, Romel was successful in getting the assistant datu to come down to MVC to talk with Daryl Famisaran.

Upon his arrival with three other warriors, discussions began. The datu demanded payment of P20,000 plus a cow to prevent killing. After much negotiation, the datu was persuaded to accept only the cow if the SULADS would see that the rapist was brought to justice which could very well mean death by lethal injection if found guilty. The cow would be taken to the village. On a given day which was to be on Thursday, June 22, 2000, there would be a ceremony in the village where each villager would in turn beat the cow until eventually the cow died. In this way, the cow was the sacrificial substitute for the lives of those who would have been killed.

Some have asked, “If these villagers are now baptized Seventh-day Adventists, why did they still intend to kill other humans?”

My response to this is, Satan was attempting to return the village to its former viscous and bloodthirsty ways. God used this trial to provide a means for the next step in the sanctification of the villagers. Now that the villagers have learned that there is another way to deal with a criminal, perhaps it will be easier next time to solve their problems in a peaceful manner rather than shedding blood.

This is also a good illustration to the villagers of the sacrifice Jesus made for us as sinners. We are guilty. But instead of God seeking revenge, he provided a sacrifice to substitute for our rightful death from our commission of sin. Jesus is our Sacrificial Substitute.

Pray that these villagers will learn from this sacrifice and will continue to progress in their own personal sanctification process. Pray that they will become more like Jesus every day so that in the judgment, Jesus will be able to plead His blood to pay for their sins. Also pray that the alleged rapist will be brought to justice so that the Manobo villagers will know that the SULADS have kept their word. This seems to be a test of the integrity of the SULADS in the eyes of the Manobo. May God’s name be honored.

2012-09-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

PRAISE GOD WE LOST OUR WA Y

By Ann Requillo

With a thud half of my right leg got buried in the mud. I struggled to get free but failed. I was really
caught unaware because I was not expecting that the ground was soft since it look hard already. Ma'am Sha came to the rescue. Yet I still had to get my sandal out because it got stuck under the pool of mud and
didn't came along when I was pulled out. It was only one of the exciting incidents I had on my way to the newly opened mission school of the SULADS.

One day a student missionary - friend of mine invited me to go with them to Lapangon Mission School and assist in the free clinic that will be conducted by a group of Koreans. I gladly accepted the invitation and tried to make the necessary preparations. I was told that the natives of this mission school were still

half civilized. I also heard that the team who surveyed and made the negotiation of putting up a mission school in that area, a couple months ago, was attacked by some natives from another village on their way to see the Chief Datu of Lapangon

The clear blue sky and the scorching hot sun accompanied us on our hike. Seldom do I spend almost 8 hours of a day hiking on an adventurous trail. Along the way I encountered various small creatures that welcome us to the jungle, with some eager to enter my eyes and ears. I tried to concentrate with my hike and at the same time protect myself from those tiny harmful creatures!

A cold shiver run through my spine not because of the thought that uncivilized native might suddenly

attack us, in defense of their territory, but because of the sight of the trail I was about to pass. I paused for a minute and tried to figure out what to do. A landslide had ruined the normal track and a narrow way, which allowed only one foot at a time, served as the footpath. On one side was a wall of soil and on the other was a step slope. There really was nothing for me to hold on at the moment except for the promise in Isaiah 41:10. I cautiously walked on until I reached the other side. There was a time when a trail required me to sit in order to go down and another caused my knee and chin to come in contact when gong up. It was that adventurous.

Just a couple of hours from our starting point we came into a junction of two roads. Three of our companions, who were with the survey team and now were our guides, argued as to where the right trail was. They got confused. We waited while one of them checked the left trail and the other two checked on the right. They finally agreed that it was the right trail and so there we proceeded. It was only then that the three of them realized that we were passing the long trail. The guides failed to lead us to the short cut. We should have covered a few more kilometers if only we were able to pass by the short cut. Anyway, we all decided to pass there on our way home.

After hopping from one stone to another in several streams and passing through slippery and muddy trails, I heard that familiar sound of the "Bangkakaw", the native's dance that served as their welcome to visitors. Some of my companions had arrived already. I increased my pace. I was already eager to get there. At last I saw the village on a plain below the mountain I was standing. When I finally got there r saw the '' people standing outside their homes looking at the new arrivals. Some of the natives smiled when I shook their hands while others merely stared. I noticed most of the natives, both young and old, had dark-colored teeth. Later, I learned that it was an effect of their habit of chewing betel nuts. I also saw a number of half naked women carrying their fully naked babies. It was such a sight!

The next day I helped in the free clinic. One elderly lady had an air gun bullet in her right shoulder for about seven years already and our Korean Medical Team took it out within approximately seven minutes.

Most of the cases we met were that of malnutrition, coughs, colds, and wounds. The natives said they are not surprised of the big tummies of their children since they rely on "Kasilo" (sweet potatoes) every meal time. Well, they thought those sweet potatoes caused the bulging of their children’s stomachs. The natives rarely take a bath in the river located just a few meters from their village, and if they take a bath they do it without any soap. Seldom do they have soap in their homes. Eating rice is also a great privilege for these natives. When they have the privilege they feel very honored.

On that same day I also assisted in the branch Sabbath school. The children listened eagerly to every story given and to every song and finger play taught. Each of the parts were translated either from English to Manobo or from Cebuano to Manobo.

The peaceful village of Lapangon was filled with laughter as it had its very first socials that evening. I enjoyed playing with the kids although at the start I had a hard time communicating to them the mechanics of each game. As soon as they got the instruction they also cooperated and had fun. It was a splendid evening! Data Malinas - the chief datu in that village and the rest of the natives of Lapangon gave a number of chicken as a token of gratitude for the goodness the group brought to their village. At the break of dawn the group prepared for home. At that time I felt bad of leaving Lapangon with very little help I had extended. I wish I could stay longer. We were already a few meters away from the village when I heard a strange story from my companions... The very day we climbed up to Lapangon a group of natives from another tribe were posting at the short cut we failed to pass. They would kill anybody who would pass the area. It has been their belief and culture, and our group doesn't know about it. A meaningful phrase came out from each of our hearts - PRAISE GOD WE LOST OUR WAY!

2012-09-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

THE KEROSENE FAILED NOT

By Rendy Sebilo

Lapangon Mission School

November 1999

God really did bless our lamp. He filled it to the brim each evening when we needed it. He performed the same miracle for us that he did for the faithful widow.

“We will be faithful!” the villagers chorused.

2012-09-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

SEPARATED TO MARRY

By Muriel Lane Dulenas

Lapangon Mission School

March, 2000

Will you help us by sending a donation to provide two new teachers for this new village? We pray that the Lord will guide you in your decision.

Mark your donations for MVC SULADS and send them to:

AWESNA

2417 S. Azusa Ave

West Covina, CA 91792

THANK YOU!!!

2012-09-12T17:00:00.001-07:00

Let's Make This Into A Church

By Romel Mansaloon

Lapangon Mission School

Lapangon Mission School is a newly opened school. For long years the SULADS studied on how to

penetrate this warlike blood thirsty tribe of the Matig Langilan Manobos. This tribe is the most feared of by other Manobos.

During the survey of the MVC SULADS campus missionaries to this village, they nearly lost their lives.

Warriors just sprang up from the bush where they were deploying ready to fly their arrows and throw their spears. God and His Angels were just around during that time to calm them down. Wonder of all
wonders, they too cannot believe their eyes why they can't just fly their arrows and spears, and they
became friends.

My experience in Lapangon with my partner Novo is the most thrilling one. Even if we are Manobos

ourselves they seem to be strangers because we grew up in a Mission School community, it is in Lapangon where I learned more of our primitive life style.

Then came the big day of the first formal class. All of the children and parents are in level one. The

The SULADS JAMBOREE was the most awaited time of the year. This is the time when all Mission

The last day of the Jamboree brought joy especially to the Lapangon delegation - that in a surprise they were pronounced champion of ALL SULADS JAMBOREE '98 for their excellent performance and participation.

You are very comfortable in your beautiful church. I hope you can share some of your comforts with us.

Thank you and God will bless you more abundantly.

2012-09-12T16:56:00.001-07:00

SACRAFICIAL SUBSTITUTE

By Fred L. Webb

June, 2000

The SULADS have heard the roar of the lion again as he walks about seeking whom he may devour.

Some have asked, “If these villagers are now baptized Seventh-day Adventists, why did they still intend to kill other humans?”

2012-09-11T20:29:00.001-07:00

REGISTERED IN HEAVEN

By Daryl F. Famisaran

September 1999

Student missionaries assigned to the village of Lapangon did their job well. The first baptism of 35 was March, 1999. The second baptism of 65 was in August, 1999. The third baptism is scheduled for the third week of September, 1999. This time the datu, true to his word, will be baptized together with the tribal leaders from the surrounding villages.

As the time approaches for this baptism, please remember them in prayer. Also remember that five villages surrounding Lapangon are requesting student missionaries to come to their villages also to teach them the good news of salvation. We have the missionaries—we need the funds.

One hundred dollars a month will keep a student missionary in the field and will also pay for a month of scholarship for the student upon completion of his/her service in the mountain. Statistics indicate that $100 will win one and a half souls.

Mark your contributions for MVC SULADS and send it to:

Adventist Mission Society of America

2411 S. Azusa Ave.

West Covina, CA 91792

The SULADS say, “THANK YOU”.

2012-09-11T20:13:00.001-07:00

OUR GOD IS ALIVE

By Dave Soreqo

Lapangon Mission School

April, 2000

The people of Lapangon Mission School have learned the habit of praying. Morning and evening worships have been part of their everyday routine. They pray to God expressing from their hearts as talking to a friend. Even in public they are not ashamed to pray.

One Wednesday morning, three men from Lapangon came down to Magkalungay village to sell their gathered abaca fibers. Magkalungay is still a Manobo village with few lowlanders that buy and sell abaca. One lowlander who also buys and sells abaca is a Seventh-day Adventist. They sell their abaca to this man they call brother. Near the house of this brother is a Seventh-day Adventist Church. The nearest house to the church belongs to a Manobo who is a drunkard.

That evening, those three Lapangon men attended midweek prayer meeting with that lowlander brother. Still in their working clothes and as usual with bolos tucked on their hip sides, they invited that Manobo neighbor to attend the prayer meeting. Drunk, he started to laugh and make fun of our God. He insulted our Lapangon brothers of our God. “Why are you attending church?” Our brothers were ashamed by the rudeness of the man.

One brother who was one of the warriors baptized Last November could no longer tolerate the ridicule. “I’d better teach this guy a lesson.” Holding his bolo he stood up and went outside. The two others were alerted and followed him outside.

“No, you should not do that. You’re baptized already. We should not kill anymore.”

“But I can’t stand his ridicule any longer. He is defying our God, he must learn a lesson,” he shouted.

“Let God teach him a lesson. God can handle this simple problem,” one comforted.

After some time of explaining and pleading he went back inside the church for the service to start. During the prayer they requested that God would teach the drunkard a lesson. They went home after the prayer meeting forgetting about the problem.

In the morning they were surprised to see a crowd at the house near the church. They joined the crowd to investigate. “What’s up?” He asked one.

Anggam (Uncle) is dead.”

“Who’s this uncle?”

They found out that it was the same person whom they wanted to teach a lesson the night before.

“Our God is alive!” When they brought this story home to their village in Lapangon they all declared, “REALLY OUR GOD IS ALIVE.”

2012-09-11T19:46:00.001-07:00

MAGAHAT

By: Selpha Velasco

Lapangon Mission School

November 2000

“Magahat” is a Manobo word for “ attack of headhunters”. Lapangon, which belongs to the bloodthirsty tribe of Matiglangilan Manobos used to be the initiator of headhunting. Its chief, Datu Malinas, who is now a baptized SDA, no longer initiates headhunting, but mediates peace talks between conflicting villages.

You may have read and heard of the precious Lapangon stories about the “bloody bolo baptized”, when the vice chief chopped a rapist to pieces right before the eyes of the student missionaries; and when that chopper Datu was baptized and had his bolo baptized with him too. Today, that baptized bolo no longer chops but is only displayed in the chief‘s house as a loud, unspoken, message of peace after receiving the transforming love of God through the SULADS missionaries.

Sometimes, old conflicts, when not settled, take roots of hatred that affect innocent children who are asked to pay blood debt. One day, the villagers told us that there’s “MAGAHAT” coming to Lapangon. We had heard of this thing during our SULADS orientation and seminar. We also heard about it from the folks in the village, but we had not met any of these MAGAHATS on the way and now they were coming to our village. We are the first lady missionaries assigned here but we never have heard of the former missionaries that they were attacked by “magahats” in their time. And now “Lord, what shall we do?”

The village was in terror. The chief announced that nobody should be seen in the outskirts of the village. Curfew was set. We dismissed our classes at 3:30 PM. The village warriors came to our cottage led by the chief. “What shall we do, Ma’am?” the chief asked. “We are already baptized and we don’t plan to kill anymore. But here is the danger that is threatening the village. We need to protect the village from MAGAHAT. What do you suggest for us to do Ma’am?”

I was caught unaware by the question. “Lord,” I whispered. “Please help me! I need you.”

Then I asked the chief, “What do you do, Chief, whenever you encounter such a problem?”

“We used to whet our bolos, prepare our bows and arrows, secure our children in our homes with the mothers and guard our village in the night.”

“And what do you do whenever you spot the MAGAHAT group?” I continued.

“We strike, and whenever we get hold of them, we kill them.”

“Whenever you kill them, does that solve the problem?” I asked.

The chief paused for a while and after a deep thought, he said, “Yes and no.”

“What’s that,” I inquired.

“It solves the problem of our village being threatened and saves the lives of our people but the MAGAHAT’S people would always find a way to retaliate. This threat we have now was a problem we had sometime ago before the SULADS came.”

“Do you plan to kill them, Chief?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“Will that solve the problem?” He was speechless. “Would you still plan to kill now that you are already baptized?”

He still was speechless. After a long pause he said, “What do you suggest Ma’am?”

I said, “We have seen the miracles of our God in our village many times already. We have seen angels in form of bright lights in the night and strange visitors. You have heard of many stories about the hand of God that is a ready help if only we call on Him in prayer. He promised that if we call His name in prayer He will help in whatever situation we are in. He will send His angels to keep watch over us in times of danger.”

The chief was just nodding in approval. “Then what do you suggest ma‘am?” he said.

“I suggest that you continue with what you have planned to guard the village with your weapons, of course, with you, but bear in mind that we should not kill. Whatever we do in our strength and might we will never win them to Jesus whether we kill them or not. Remember they are our brothers that we need to reach for Jesus. We SULADS missionaries are giving our lives in dangerous villages, such as this village when our first missionaries came, and we still plan to reach them, don’t you? They kill because they don’t yet know the message of love about Jesus but if ever they come to know about it, just like you do now, they would not kill anymore. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, I see,” the chief approved.

“Let us just continue our morning and evening worships as usual and we’ll pray for angels to guard our village every night because we do not know when the MAGAHATS will come.”

And so it was that the chief, together with the warriors were roaming every night guarding the village. About six of them were deployed around our cottage. Then it happened one night.

Every thing was quiet now, save the night sounds of the crickets and the snores of the guards asleep. When all of a sudden a cry, “MAGAHAAAAAAAAAAAT”, awakened everybody! The guards were awakened, the dogs howled, I lit a lamp, the children were crying and the warriors were shouting “GET HIM! GET HIM! GET HIM!”

“MA’AM BLOW OUT THAT LAMP! BLOW OUT THAT LAMP!” somebody shouted and my partner blew our lamp out.

We climbed up to the second deck of our bed and there we prayed. “Dear Lord, the long heard of MAGAHAT is now in our village. Save us. Please don’t allow any bad thing to happen. Please send the MAGAHATS away. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

We heard our neighbor in the next house shouting, “HE‘S HERE! HE‘S HERE!”

“GET HIM! GET HIM!” came the male voices, running to the scene.

“Lord, please intervene,” I prayed again. We then heard a group of fast legs going in the direction of the stream. The sound faded away into the night. Then the warriors, children, mothers and everybody came to the cottage to check on us.

“How are you doing here, Ma’am?”

“We are alright. You don’t need to worry about us.”

“Let’s have worship,” I suggested. “Let’s praise the Lord that he preserved our lives from the hands of the MAGAHAT. Let’s also praise Him that you were not able to kill.” In a moment the village of Lapangon reverberated in songs of praise to God at that early hour of 3:00 in the morning.

The chief shook my hand and said, “Our GOD really is GREAT

Yes, “Our GOD really is GREAT!” Please pray with us that the SULADS can reach out to more villages in the mountains. Pray that more Datus or Chiefs will accept the message of Jesus and become peacemakers rather than MAGAHATS.

2012-09-11T19:41:00.001-07:00

KIDNAPPERS

By Daryl Famisaran

Director of SULADS Student Missionary Program

Mountain View College

August 1999

Mindanao is known for kidnap for ransom cases. Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and Marawi cities are often in the headlines. Kidnap for slavery is another case, however. Manobo tribes people that flood the streets during Christmas time begging are easy prey to these kidnappers. For that reason, police and government officials are always on the alert for potential kidnapping cases.

The villagers of Lapangon Mission School decided that their old school building which was tilting off to one side and about to collapse needed to be replaced. They wanted to build it bigger and of materials that would last and they would not have to rebuild the school each year. They wanted to use real lumber sawn from native trees with a chain saw and galvanized iron sheets for the roof. In order to do this, they would need to raise money for the fuel of the chain saw, pay the chain saw operator and by the galvanized iron sheets.

The adults decided to gather abacca fiber from which hemp rope is manufactured and sell it to by the GI sheets. That would help but it would not be nearly enough to accomplish the total task.

The children decided that they also wanted to be involved in the replacement of their old tilting school building. They could sing. They could play the bancacaw or musical log. They would use their talents to raise funds for their school.

One of the things they planned was a trip to Zamboanga to raise funds as one of their student missoinaries, Rendy Sebilo, lives there. The partner, Romel thought it was a good idea so they started off with nine pupils ranging in age from nine to twelve years. They were happy as they waved good-bye to their parents but the parents were not so happy. They wanted their children to go on this educational field trip to see the outside world but it was the first time to see their children leave them to venture out into the unknown world outside the mountains. The parents imagined all kinds of dangers out there. Would they ever see their children again?

Upon arriving in the bus terminal in Cagayan de Oro, all nine children lined up in single file as they are used to on the jungle trails to walk through the terminal. The children were very curious about the sights and sounds they were experiencing. People were running to and fro and dispatcher were shouting. The children wrinkled their foreheads in disbelief at all the activity and all the people. They stayed very close to their teacher as they walked through the terminal, each child clutching his or her own little bundle of precious possessions. Most of the children were barefooted and many were dressed in rags as they dress in the mountains.

In the midst of the rush of the terminal, this group caught the attention of the many travelers. The behavior of the children seemed unnatural to the passengers and they watched with interest. Even the police working the terminal seemed curious about this small group from the mountains. At long last, their long awaited bus came to a halt in front of them. Romel, in one word, instructed them to get inside the bus.

As Romel was giving instructions to the children on the do’s and don’ts of riding a bus, all the passengers were looking at him because he was speaking in a language they could not understand. Romel was speaking in the Manobo dialect. Suddenly, five policeman were face to face with Romel and Rendy. “You are kidnappers!” the police accused. The passengers were alarmed. All eyes were now focused on Romel and Rendy. The children were afraid. The children were now seeing the reality of the most feared stories they hear in the mountain about the horrors of the cities.

“We are not kidnappers,” Romel pleaded. “We are missionaries.”

“And what do you mean by these children?” the police questioned.

“We are on a concert educational field trip.” the boys replied.

“Better stop your lies,” the police roared. “How would you ever convince these people in this bus that these children will sing a concert. Look at the rags they are wearing. Look at the bare feet! Your ID please!” The missionaries showed them their SULADS Identification card but the police were not convinced. “So many kidnappers today profess to be missionaries with all their ID’s and they make money selling children into “white slavery” (prostitution).

“Lord, please make this police officer understand,” Romel prayed silently.

The police ordered, “Let’s go to the police headquarters and there you can explain yourselves.”

“Do we really look like kidnappers?” asked Romel. These children are our pupils in the far mountains of Bukidnon in a DECS-recognized literacy center/mission school. They will be singing religious songs to our brethren in our churches.”

“One song for proof!”

A few words from Romel and the bus was filled with the blended voices of the nine children. A religious Cebuan song was sung which the police officers heard for the first time. The officers could understand every word of the song. The song told of how sinful our world is now and how soon Jesus will come to take His people home. Waiting passengers gathered around the bus to hear such strange music coming from such an unlikely looking group of children. This was the first time something like this had happened in the terminal. The police officers, so recently assertive now stood very still staring at the floor.

After the melody faded away, the head officer spoke with a voice choked with tears. “It is enough,” he said. “I’m sorry.” Then turning to the children, he said, “I’m sorry for holding you so long. You may go now.”

Rendy and Romel breathed a silent prayer for the Holy Spirit who impressed them with what to say and impressed the police officers of the intentions and purposes of the group. Pray for this little band of singers as they try to raise the funds necessary to rebuild their disintegrating school building.

To assist in this outreach work to the unreached people of Mindanao, send your free-will offerings to:

Adventist Mission Society of America

2411 S. Azusa Ave.

West Covina, CA 91792

Mark your gift as MVC SULADS and you will receive a tax-deductible receipt. The SULADS student missionary program of Mountain View College wish to say “Thank You” in advance for your participation in this rewarding work.