For Prayer Praise and Thanksgiving
Daily Bread Missions- February- March 2006
There was every valid reason for not going to the Philippines the long journey confined to a small seat in an aircraft, my hip was painful, my blood pressure had soared due to anti inflammatory drugs, the mud slide, the political situation, the dangers, and at the time I booked my air fare there were no had been arrangements made, and no meetings had been booked.
Over the years this work has always been supported by much prayer but I have never experienced so many people enquiring and praying in Canada, India, Poland, UK, and in the Philippines. However having decided to cancel the mission I was left sitting in pain. I realised that there would be no souls saved, none touched by God. I knew I had to go pain or no pain so I booked my ticket.
How the Lord opened the doors is both amazing and marvelous. Glory to God Pastor Tim Tapang in Negros Occidental with Pastor Ruben and Pastor Marlon from Cebu had arranged meetings in the prisons is San Carlos City Jail , Calaond City Jail, and Gihulngan City Jail. They brought with them boxes of Bibles for distribution to the new converts.
In the three prisons after the Word had been preached 267 prisoners had received bibles and more wanted them.. I was also invited to be guest speaker at a school where 300 children and some adults were celebrating their anniversary
On Leyte Island we visited Ormoc prison. 230 responded to the gospel call. The Lord had prepared their hearts. Pastor Lerion had managed to arrange for me to hire an air con van and after Ormoc we drove directly to Carigara to preach on the way to Tacloban City.
The prison here is situated beside the main road and the men left their huts to assemble in the compound. This meant that we had to speak to them through the high wired fence.
They listened intently and many were moved to tears. The Holy Spirit convicting them of their sins, many repenting and seeking the Lord. We distributed Gospels and tracts through the wire the men scrambled to obtain a copy and were not ashamed to read them immediately. Sadly we had to leave for our next meeting.
In Tacloban City jail around 200 or more prisoners sat as a secular group tuned up for a concert.. At that moment we arrived and Pastor Lerion told the Warden we wanted ¾ of an hour to an hour with no music. Amazingly the musicians packed up and switched off their equipment and were part of the 208 who responded to the Gospel message.
In Tacloban City I stayed in the local NFU university for P600 £6.00 a night while we visited Tacloban City Jail and Baseyon Samar Island where two more jails were visited . Once more the Lord poured out His Spirit and I witnessed many more hundreds of prisoners repenting, believing and receiving Christ as their own personal Lord and Saviour. The Lord having graciously supplied money for Bibles we were able to distribute to the men who manifested a desire for the Word
The arrangements for Bicol Island fell through, I was not disappointed as the Lord had warned me before that this was a possibility and I had made provisional arrangements. The Lord led me to return to Cebu Island where Pastor Ruben and Pastor Marlon had more prison meetings scheduled. More amazing scenes with men in terrible and awful conditions listened intently to the word and responded 100%
The power of praise in the worship times and the evidence and witness of the Holy Spirit confirmed that the Lord had prepared the ground for the precious incorruptible seed.. We visited Cebu City jail, Danau City Jail Lapu Lapu having visited the women’s section there, the junior section and the main prisons where up to 200 or 300 men were confined.
I have been used to the squalor in the jails but was continually shocked at the filth, darkness, heat, overcrowding and in sanitary conditions. Sadly there is not much hope for these men outside the prison with no prospect of employment and a deep, deep poverty prevailing all around.
In all more than 1500 indicated they wanted to follow Jesus , men who have prayed a sinners prayer, some broken and deeply moved by the message who indicated a real repentance and a desire to be saved. The Lord is building His church in a wonderful way in the prisons.
There were many difficulties, English food was scare, the heat, the bad roads, the accommodation ( apart for my stay in Villa Ormoc Hotel in Ormoc City) I was bitten by mosquitoes, bitten by ants, my Case fell out of the luggage rack in the coach breaking my Computer keyboard. My nights were disturbed so I was constantly tired, some days I preach four times added to the long journeys over rough broken roads , but the Lord strengthened me. At times I forgot all about my hip It was anesthetized by God until I returned to London to foolishly run up the stairs at Victoria Station rushing for a train .
I had a meeting in Pastor Lerions Home with 30 Children. Bob Lerion had organized a viewing of the Jesus Film in the LNU University where 60/70 young students viewed the film I was asked to speak to them before the film began. So with the Lord helping I preached the Gospel.