SULADS, student missionaries from Mountain View College, are assigned to teach and minister throughout southern Philippines. My assignment as a student missionary was to teach in a Manobo village in northeastern Mindanao. The village is a challenging climb up mountains and through thick jungle. Life is difficult in these places, but God encour-ages us as we spend a year serving Him.
At first teaching was difficult because many of our students were bigger and stronger than we were. But soon they realized that we meant business and cared about them. Soon the once-empty church came alive with young people who had strayed during the time that no teacher worked here. Many agreed to take Bible studies.
Datu Daging, the chief, wanted his people to learn to read, but he wanted nothing to do with God. Often he jeered as we studied the Bible with people. "This is nonsense!" he would say. "I have an abyan (a spirit who the people believe gives power to heal or protection from enemies). My abyan gives me all the help I need, so I don't need God in my life!" While others worshiped with us, the datu scoffed and boasted that his abyan, his god, was more powerful than God.
Then one night the datu told us he had a dream. A big man in white appeared to him. His face radiated calm and love. But the datu couldn't understand him and was about to talk to the being when he awoke. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the being stood before him. He pinched himself to wake up, and still the stranger stood looking at him.
Then the stranger spoke. "If you want to be saved in God's kingdom, you must worship God with the Sabbath keepers. They're God's true people who worship on His Sabbath. God is coming soon to take His children to heaven. So hurry! Your soul is precious to God."
Datu Daging bowed his head and considered the message he had heard. When he looked up, the stranger was gone.
That Sabbath Datu Daging was in church with his wife and children. He asked for Bible studies and was baptized recently in a regional rally. Datu Daging now is an active member of our little village church. Though we SULADS don't often see them, we know that angels have appeared to many who live in the mountains of the Philippines, assisting the SULADS missionaries in their work.
Your mission offerings support Adventist colleges and universities in the Philippines, which send missionaries throughout the Philippines and beyond to share God's love with those who have never heard. Thank you.
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