Firm Foundations
In February of this year the Kalibo Christian Church (Church of Christ) celebrated its 11th Church Anniversary since it first started meeting in Kalibo provincial town center. This was an effort to plant a church in a culturally sensitive region of the Philippines where animism, dark practices and ritualistic practices abound. The church is located in a town that is over 1,000 years old and also was a very challenging pioneer effort.
From the beginning prayer was one of the foundation stones for the new church. The young evangelists walk around the town in the early hours of the morning praying and fasting for the souls that God would send to the church. Overall to date upwards of 500 people were baptized and many new seeds planted for future outreach and evangelism. These challenges are now being realized but there is still a “field ripe unto harvest.” Please continue to pray for the Kalibo church and their preacher Bro. Rey Miravales as they reach out for Jesus in this next phase of church growth.
Another Foundation stone was that of leadership. Many of our converts to Jesus were children and teens. It was very difficult to keep the adults coming and local leadership was limited in vision and experience. However we were able to maintain a small management committee of men and women who kept things going and now we have a good group of young adults and young marrieds who have jobs or are professionals like architects, engineers, and even a Filipino business man from New York who is in Kalibo now for the next few years. Some school teachers have also become Christians and this has made a real change for the church in leadership and development.
Another Foundation stone was a native-style building. We had funds to complete most of it but still lack some of the windows and cosmetic aspects of the building as it was sort of rough and ready. The new members have made many improvements and the front of the building is really noticeable now. We told them to ask each family to supply funds for one of the glass louvers windows and they are doing this and more. They are helping to improve the programs and the church has a real great music program as well as a fine evangelist worship service using hymns as well as some of the contemporary songs. People here really enjoy a lot of our hymns and so that is a real blessing for us. Both young and old enjoy the four- part singing that hymns provide.
Another Foundation stone is the preacher. We have now had Bro. Rey for over 5 years and he is to get married in July. He will marry a young lady converted to Jesus here in Kalibo and who is from the Islamic southern city of Zamboanga. We have been able to finish a small parsonage on the property and he has done a lot of the work himself by hand. It is a good start and another step in helping the Kalibo Church become self-supporting since in order to survive it cannot be dependent of the missionary for every.
Please pray for us as we strive to encourage and help churches become planted and grown here in the Philippines of the Pacific Rim!
Please pray for our finances as some of our supporters have not been able to help us like in the past. Still others have come to our aide and so we thank God for providing all our needs through you!
Please pray for our health. Darryl just got over a very serious tropical respiratory infection but is fine now. Carol will see a specialist neurologist this week to seek a cure for some of the back and leg nerve problems from her past back surgery.
Please thank God with us for all His care and safety in this land that is often difficult and dangerous. Your prayers are so important to us!
May God continue to bless us all and once again thank you all for the great help you have been to the Kalibo Christian Church (Church of Christ) pioneer church planting effort.
Serving the Lord with Love for the Lost,
Darryl & Carol Krause
Pacific Rim Ministries
