God continues to bring Isnags to Himself, both Young and Old

Dear Isnag Ministry Partners,                                                                        

“… the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God,” (2 Cor 4:15).

The Isnags are thanking and praising the Lord for their renovated Church building! During our praise time in our first Sunday morning service after the renovation, one elderly lady said, “I thank the Lord very much for giving us a beautiful Church! Let us also be beautiful and straight in our faith!”  Indeed the Church looks nice, and it is now termite proof. It looks like it could also withstand a strong typhoon and an earthquake! But unshakable of all are the praises of the Isnag believers to God for His goodness. You all made this possible through your prayers and your generous giving. Thank you.  

Despite the age of some of the expat workers (two of them are in their 80’s), they had sufficient strength to do the masonry job. Even the two workers with special physical needs did not need anything special. However one who did not have any special need needed a special care on their last night in the village. He had fever and chills just before supper on Thursday, March 29. Flying him out of the village was not an option due to severe weather. After we prayed, I gave him medicines. He got well enough to walk down the mountain to the river where we had to take the boat the following day. His legs were wobbly, but he was steadied by strong Isnag arms. He made it all the way to Manila with increasing strength. Praise the Great Physician!

Thank you to all who came and helped in the Church renovation in Dibagat. You were an encouragement to the Isnag believers.  Thank you to all of you who sent them. They represented you well. Thank you all who gave generously. God used your resources for His glory. Thank you to all of you who prayed! Rejoice!  God answered your prayers!

A week after the expat work team left, we had our annual Holy Week celebration, which started on Thursday evening and concluded on Easter. On Good Friday, the most sacred day to Filipino Christians, the Dibagat Church was full. After speaking on God’s love, an invitation was extended to the congregation for decisions to surrender their lives to the Lord. About twenty people came to the front and prayed the prayer of commitment.

On Easter Sunday, another invitation to the congregation was extended. They were separated this time. The first time believers stood on the right and the ‘returnees’ on the left. There were twenty one first time believers and eighteen returnees who came forward.

A week after the Holy Week, we had a three day, four night Youth Camp. Fifty young people, ages twelve to twenty one from seven villages, registered. Unfazed by the intense heat at the river bank where we camped, the young people gladly studied the Bible in their personal devotions, group Bible studies, and in the evening Bible hour. Before the camp ended thirty- one of them accepted the Lord for the first time. Praise the Lord!

Those who accepted the Lord gave their testimonies during our Sunday morning worship service. Some of them could not hold back their tears of joy. One young man said, “I cannot express in words what I am feeling today, now that the Lord Jesus is in my heart.” One young girl said, “Even if I were to die tomorrow, I know for sure that I am going to heaven because I have Jesus in my heart.” The others expressed the same assurance that “those who have the Son of God in them have eternal life.”

It is weeding time now in the Isnag country. It’s good to know that the people will go to their fields assured of God’s presence in the lives. Next month is also the beginning of our school year. Many of the young people are going back to school where they will continue to face the challenges in the life of a teenager. It’s encouraging to know that many of them have their hope in Jesus Christ, their new found Lord and Savior.

Please continue praying for:
  -> The young people who just became believers; that the Lord will give them strength in faith as they face the world with a new perspective.
  -> Those who gave their lives during our Holy Week retreat; that they will read the Word of God so that they may grow, and that they will remain faithful to the Lord Jesus.
  ->The Church workers; that they will be zealous in nurturing the new believers through Bible Studies, personal disciplining, and Sunday morning fellowship service.
  -> The Church workers as they travel to villages conducting DVBS and showing the Jesus Film. Please pray for health, strength, wisdom, and safety as they travel on foot through the mountains, and as they negotiate the rapids in the river.
  -> Mark Pugyao as he continues drafting Old Testament books. He is now on Proverbs 15. He and three other Isnag men will be checking Joshua for comprehension and naturalness next month.
  -> Me as I continue to mentor translation consultants, and help in workshops. Please pray for my health. I have just been diagnosed with pre-diabetic blood sugar level, and my energy level has not been good.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,” (James 5:17), and we are righteous in Christ Jesus.

Assured of your prayers, I continue to joyfully serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Always at His Service in Partnership with you,

Rudy Barlaan

Those that came forward to give their heart to Christ. Rudy talked about these in his report

Notice the new walls. Lights, fans, and sound system all run by solar power or generator.

Dibagat Bible Church Youth group - next generation of leaders to reach the yet unborn!

Youth camp upriver from Dibagat

Young girls and young boys doing Bible studies separately

 Young people growing through Bible studies

Personal Bible study

Personal Bible study

Personal Bible study

Personal Bible study

Personal Bible study

Personal Bible study

Sharing their testimonies at church - impact of the Word in the heart language!

The joy of the Lord brings life --- and strength! - and smiles??

Pray for the young people in Dibagat.  Pray for God to protect them and feed them in the faith.

Karl - Remembering Dibagat

My family have served with Wycliffe for eight years in Papua New Guinea and have many colleagues who served in the Philippines.  This was my first trip to visit the Philippines and Dibagat village.  I first learned about the trip in February when Nard mentioned he needed a Satellite phone and then asked if I would like to go.  It didn’t take much arm twisting to convince me, but the finances were in the Lord’s hands.  God did supply the funds needed for me to go on the trip from many very generous and committed Christians.

Karl finally arrived in Dibagat and relaxing with a cup of coffee at Rudy’s house along with Brian and Vernon!

Karl working with his team Chris and Jim!

It was a privilege for me to serve the Isnag people in Dibagat village with the construction of the church walls.   I specifically enjoyed meeting and getting to know the team members and Rudy.  The work was hard, but very rewarding to see the completed photos of the new church building.

Karl

Reggie and Nard (Reggie had to leave early)

The Team back in Manila before leaving for home.

Team Isnag continues to work

Our Dibagat Team 2012 left Dibagat on March 30, and the Isnags continued the work to complete what our team didn’t finish like  plastering the inside and outside of the walls. Then they built the entrance porch engineered by  Dumayag! Rudy took all these photos showing the progression of the work on the entrance porch. It looks like you can drive through the front and let off your passenger to church and then go park! It looks beautifully done, and the team of Isnags working together got it all done. Rudy said there were many Isnags giving their lives to Christ during Holy Week, and during their youth camp many more young people gave their hearts to Christ! God is at work among the Isnags! It was also perfect timing for us to be there because after Holy Week, everyone had to go work on their rice fields – planting season April to May. The young people are doing Vacation Bible School in different villages as well. So pray continue to pray for the Isnags!

Completed entrance to the Dibagat Bible Church engineered by Dumayag Talosig!

Hallelujah and Amen!!!    

 God built a Wonderful, Beautiful, and Awesome Church for His people to Worship Him.  

 OK who is going to go help paint it? 

(Nard and Rudy are taking names)

A review from Jim

Jim and Christopher working together on another column rebar to get it ready to form.

 
This was my 4th trip to Dibagat and it most likely will be my last.   We helped to replace the walls of the church that had been eaten by termites.  We worked with the Isnag people on this project and were confident that they had acquired the building skills necessary to construct any building that they might need in the future.  I look forward to seeing the pictures from the Easter celebration in the newly renovated church.

 It is so good to know that the people of Dibagat are sending out teachers and pastors to other villages because the people in these other villages need to hear the "Good News".  I appreciate the love and care that the "people" gave us by taking care of our needs.  Before I left the village, the Lord revealed to me the there were children in the village who needed medical attention.  I am now working with Nard to enable these children to get the medical care that they need.  I am hoping that we will both be returning to the Philippines in the very near future.

I enjoyed working with each and everyone of you and hope to hear from you in the sometime soon.

Jim

Jim and Karl putting rings around the rebar on column

Jim and Isnag friend working together on footers!

Nolan's review of Dibagat trip

Nolan working with the Isnags

This was a great experience for me. I felt from the planning of this mission trip that it was God’s will that I should become a part of it. I have been in South America three times but this experience was like a new frontier for me. So, thanks for allowing me to be a part of the team. This was God’s work and with working with the Isnag people this project was accomplished.  As a team, we all had different personalities but we soon learned to work together getting to know each other.

Learning to know the Isnag people was meaningful to me. I was glad that some knew enough English to make conversation.  Since I have been home I wished now that I would have had more conversations with the people there. I appreciated how they helped me in laying block.  This mission trip helped me to build a greater trust in our Lord as there were miracles that took place.

As this was my first trip to Dibagat this adventure was really special to me.   I really appreciated the cooks and the delicious meals they prepared.  The times we had sharing as a group were very meaningful to me.  The trip down the river was an experience I will never forget.  The boatmen sure knew how to handle the boat.  The scenery was beautiful, the bus trip was long but I got a glimpse of what life was like along the route we took.. On this trip to Dibagat I saw what God was doing there in a very remote area of the Philippines which is over 7000 miles away from Orrville, Ohio.   Praise the Lord. 

Nolan helping bend rebar with the Isnags

Thank you Nolan going to Dibagat and sharing what God has and is doing.