How will they hear?

The Philippines Branch of Source of Light International recently celebrated their 43rd anniversary. It was a blessing for my wife and I to finally be back. Our trip was initially scheduled for April 2020 when the pandemic closed the borders and, until recently, prevented travel to the country.

The Philippines holds a special place in both our hearts. When we were in college, we made trips as a part of two different musical teams. Both of us, after having been impacted by the needs we saw for the Gospel, committed to go wherever the Lord would lead us, as missionaries. We knew each other then but weren’t even really friends, just acquaintances. So, it’s interesting how God would take us both there, put missions on our hearts there, eventually bring us together, send us as missionaries around the world, and then give us the opportunity to revisit 30 years later.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and spending time with our missionaries. Getting to know them, their ministries, and their stories was inspiring. Many of them have served with SLM for decades now and have stories about how the early missionaries who came after World War II had a profound impact on the Philippines and on them personally.

One retired missionary recalled his first encounter in “the province” with just such an American missionary. He said the missionary came to his province and visited with his family when he was a very young boy. He was enamored with this “Joe,” since he had never seen a white person before (Joe was the nickname given Americans during the war, named after GI Joe). He said his dad hung onto every word this missionary shared.

He recalled his father shouting at one point, “This is it! This is what I’ve been looking for, longing for!” He said his life, his family’s life, and that remote village were changed forever when the Gospel came with that missionary. Soon after, he became acquainted with the SLM lessons, and it was then the real spiritual growth began and soon after a church was established. During this time, this now-retired missionary felt the same call that those who came to his village must have had. Who would go if not him? How would the thousands of other unreached villages hear if someone didn’t leave the comfort of their village to be a messenger of the Gospel? That is why he committed his whole life going where others have “never heard.”

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).

The 43rd anniversary of “PhilSOL” was an excellent time for SLM administrators to recast that vision and to challenge the dozens of missionaries and volunteers to keep pursuing the Great Commission. These men and women serve faithfully and sacrificially through the provinces with a wide range of ministries.

The team has been involved with Bible studies, church plants, and literature distribution throughout the country. They have reached into every aspect of Filipino culture and life. They lead Bible studies and outreaches in the workplace, factories, prisons, police stations, and in government at local and national levels. In fact, two men I sat with at the anniversary were both part of the President’s cabinet. The president has asked our missionary, who has ministered to these men, to consider a cabinet position himself within his government.

God has greatly used these missionaries and the generous support of financial partners here in the US, who have supported the literature ministry of the Philippines this entire time. But as time has gone on, with the untimely passing of two former directors and the retiring of the most experienced SLM missionaries, we are recognizing a need to retool and retrain, which started at the conference and was greatly welcomed. Our newer missionaries and board members are hungry for additional training, so we plan in the coming year to “refit” the Branch with training on every level (board, administration, use of materials, and translation) and attempt to bolster their finances with additional partnerships from the US. Be in prayer over this. We are excited about what God is doing in the Philippines.

We are also excited that in 2023, we will begin adding new countries like Portugal, Mozambique, Cuba, and a few other possibilities, but we have a lot of work that must go into retooling our already existing Branches who are aging and in need of new leaders.

The task of the Great Commission is still not complete, and Source of Light aims to continue to be just a small part of seeing it through. In this Reaper you will hear about the steps SLM will be taking in the years to come with new ministries, new literature printed on new presses, new methods of literature delivery, new leaders, new countries, and making sure our existing ministry personnel are well trained and better prepared to face the challenges of this and future generations.

There are generations of people who still have no one to call on in their lostness! No name to believe in, have faith in. They have still never heard the name of Jesus, and Source of Light aims to, with your help, go to the remaining places as the herald, the messenger, the preacher of Good News! We hope that you will join us and find out how in this edition of The Reaper.