The first Joint Mission Partnership between LSBC Singapore and ETAB Iloilo was a first … a fusion of prayers, commitment and effort … a coming together of cultures … to bring across the love of God … and for a first time, we surmise we saw the hand of God in every detail, we saw the hand of God upon every heart, and distance did not deter God’s sovereign will indeed!
But first, let’s take a look back , which was a year ago to be exact. Miagao, Tig-amaga was a far flung village … hard to reach, except for a couple of hours walk (1 – 2 two hours for seasoned trekkers, and probably 3 – 4 hours for those not so seasoned)… and uphill the most. Horses didn’t exactly help, when your on an uphill climb, through steep and slippery narrow paths, with deep ravines just a shoulder breadth away. One literally reached the top, as a result of desperate prayers and God inclining His ears to us ‘clumsy’ mountain climbers!
It took almost a year of Community Penetration and Missions Trips, to get the ball rolling. Reluctant at first, even Sis. Paz & Bro. Rene Minguez treaded carefully in a predominantly Catholic environment. But that was a year ago.
Of late we have been seeing divine inroads into Tig-amaga. And what was once impenetrable to the Gospel, God literally made a way, where there seemed to be no way. Just months prior to the event, the mountains were leveled to create passage into these hard to reach territories. What was once a perilous, challenging 3 hour ordeal finally became a 45 minute drive up from the city.
At the same time, we are seeing hearts open to the Gospel, responding to the love of God, and the warmth of our Missions Team. It was a partnership that made actual inroads into hearts and lives. A unique combination of youth, zeal, passion, spirit … and fun!
After almost a year, we see our efforts were not in vain. Hearts are now responsive to the Gospel. Both young and old are being won to His Kingdom. And just as He opened a way for us, He simultaneously opened a way into hearts and lives!
Kudos to our LSBC counterparts, under the leadership of Bro. Kenneth Gwee, LSBC youth group, Pas. Dong, and Etab Youth Church. Despite the relative distance, we see His Spirit coordinating all the details for us. Distance and culture wasn’t a problem, seemingly we were brought together in Spirit, for this one single purpose!
To God be the Glory!
