“Pastor, please call me.” The message glowing on my
cellphone was from one of our students conducting an evangelistic series on
another island. The text messages that we have received from our students
doing their own evangelistic meetings, have been filled with a mixture of
delight and desperation.
One text read, “Praise God. We had the biggest crowd last
night, despite the weather. Some were absent. All is well except my
laptop is bogging down. Thanks for the prayers.”
Another student wrote, “Good morning. How can I work? My old
laptop is totally gone. The problem is the motherboard. I pray to
God for a new laptop please, because I am scheduled to speak this evening and
tomorrow morning.”
We had no money to buy a laptop, and since the student was
partner-preaching with another student who had a laptop, I figured they would
work something out. The next night I received the following text from the
same student: “Good evening. The sound system is broken, and I had
to speak in a loud voice without the microphone. I think God used
me. Last night my laptop died. This night the sound system broke!”
We had conducted a class on speaking without a PA, and I
knew the student had a good voice, so I wasn’t too concerned. His next
message the following day, did concern me.
“I need your prayers for brother Joefer because he is not
feeling well. He started the topic on Hellfire, but was not able to
finish. He became so weak he had to sit down, and I had to take over and
finish the presentation.”
When we called, we learned that his partner Joefer, had
gotten weak and dizzy while preaching. After some careful testing by our
PAFCOE doctor and supporter, it was determined that he just needed more
rest! Both the students had been getting up at 4 am, and going to the
homes of backslidden Adventists to sing to them before breakfast. Then
with a busy day of seminar preparation and visitation, and the evening’s
presentations, they were just overworking. Our kind PAFCOE doctor ordered
them to take a rest on their off days. We agreed!
Another text from a different student read, “Tonight Satan
tried to disrupt us while I was preaching about Hellfire. One kid in the
children’s program started a fire, and all the children came running down the
stairs screaming.”
We learned soon after, that what had actually happened was a
short-circuit in the electrical wiring that started the fire. The
children did go screaming out of the room, but it wasn’t a mischievous kid that
started it. The fire was quickly dealt with, and the children returned
for the remainder of the meeting.
Another student told me on the phone that he had gotten
bitten by a dog while out walking, and had to go in for Rabies shots since the
bite was so deep.
Just today, we heard that one of our students was bitten by
a snake! When we inquired what happened, it seems that the snake wasn’t
poisonous, since the student informed us that he was OK.
Another PAFCOE student, doing an evangelistic series for
children, told us that he has become a “celebrity” in town. Where ever he
goes he often has a group of friendly children following him. They told
him that they like him because he doesn’t get angry with them like their
teachers often do. They go around singing the scripture songs they have
been learning in his program. He said that these Catholic children are
singing the Ten Commandments in their homes!
Some of the children, when their parents discovered what
they were learning, were ordered to “stay away.” The creative kids then
went to their friends, and asked them to go to the meetings in their place, to
get the material and the message. Some have been slipping back into the
meetings against their parent’s wishes. The student has been averaging
over a hundred children each evening!
Our students are in their final week of the evangelistic
meetings they’ve been conducting. It has been a real “adventure” for all
of them! When we get together next week for reports, we are anticipating
some exciting stories. We’ll pass them on to you.
Again, thank you for your prayers and support!
Your friends,
Pastor Lowell, family, and team,
PAFCOE (Philippine Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism)
