Outreach blessings in the Rain!

Students on a sunny afternoon on their way to their territory.

Can you find blessings even when it’s raining and you’re getting wet? Yes, of course! This past week, our PAFCOE students started their outreach, even amidst some very rainy, wet days! However, God blessed each one and they are excited to share their stories of what God did for them!

One student said, “This week as we went to out assigned territory for outreach, we saw that the rain was coming. So my partner and I ran to a tiny restaurant nearby to wait for the rain to pass by so we could continue. While we were waiting, we decided to talk to one of the workers in the restaurant. He was really interested in prophecy, so we gave him the first Bible study guide and he was so grateful and promised to study it!”

They weren’t planning to wait in that tiny restaurant, but God had someone He wanted them to meet and share with! Another student had a similar experience and said this:

On the bus to their territory.

“Last week as my partner and I got to our territory, it started raining. We ran the bell of someone’s house, but she wasn’t interested to come out because it was raining. It started raining so heavily, so we ran to the edge of the eaves and there was an old man also standing there to take shelter from the rain. We did a survey on him, but he wasn’t interested at first. However, we kept talking while we were waiting for the rain to stop and he decided to study the Bible with us! So for around 50 minutes, we were standing and sharing from the Bible to him! I think it was a divine appointment!”

Yes, it definitely was! The student’s partner said this, “We had received so many “no’s” to our offer for Bible studies and I was getting disappointed. But it was all for the best because God was using the trials and rejections to bring about His good for us.”


Running into a shelter from the rain and finding an interest for truth seemed to happen more than once as another student added his story to the collection by saying:

“God used the heavy rain to bring about good. We sheltered ourselves in a small restaurant to wait for the rain to stop. Some of the store’s goods were getting wet, so we helped the workers to move them further inside. As we talked we discovered they spoke the same dialect that we did! We talked more and shared ideas with them and then did a survey on them and one lady accepted a drop-off Bible study!”

His partner said, “We were so tired of waiting for the rain to stop, so we decided to talk to the people in the restaurant and we were able to get a Bible study!”

Yet another student told his story. He said, “As we travelled to our territory, we noticed the dark clouds forming and knew it was going to rain. Sure enough, it did! We took refuge under a small tree and waited. As we waited, we noticed there was one gate that was open! We tried to enter and found a young man inside. We asked him if it’s ok for us to stay there for awhile to wait for the rain to stop. He agreed. We stayed there almost 30 minutes while the rain poured so hard! We talked with him and he wants to learn more about the Bible. I really believe God prepared a place for us there inside!”

Another experience was shared by a student, who said, “We had a lot of trials and mishaps this week, but even in the storm, we found blessings! As I was wading through ankle-deep water, I was thinking to myself, “When is this rain going to stop?” I looked up just then, and saw some of my classmates. They were completely dry because they had taken shelter under a nearby roof. They smiled at me and that brought a sense of relief during my trials. I realized that even when we are in trouble, God will put in our way people to encourage us!”

The inspiring experience of one student was this: “We were so blessed to easily find our territory! We prayed and gave thanks to God. Then we started our survey and the first house rejected us. At another house, we approached the maid and she really didn’t want to do the survey because she was afraid she might be fired for talking to us instead of doing her work. We insisted that it wouldn’t take long and just then, the owner came out. I thought she would be angry with us, but she delightfully received the survey and was willing to have a Bible study, even though she is a Muslim! Praise God!”

The last inspiring experience comes from a student who is not from the Philippines and she said, “I saw God’s love in all the people we worked with this week on outreach. But I want to mention one family in particular. We had just gotten a Bible study with a young boy of 8 years old as well as his older siblings. Nearby there was a couple rummaging through a garbage heap. They looked very wild and very dirty. I walked over to them to greet them ‘Hello.’ The man returned my greeting with ‘Hello, Ma’am!’ I felt a sting of emotion run through me as I heard his voice. It was so soft and polite and there was kindness in his voice and a smile on his face. My partner gave him a bit of food and he was very grateful. There was nothing wild in their manner that I could see!”

She continued, “The encounter with the homeless couple I mentioned earlier has inspired me that everyone we meet out in the field must be introduced to Jesus. Regardless of their appearance, we must take a chance to talk with them. It saddens me that people can be down in the dumps without the hope of even the basic necessities of life being met, going through the garbage for food and people just pass them by without doing anything for them. They need hope – hope that Jesus can alone can give them! They need Jesus to put a smile on their face and joy in their hearts to match the kindness in the man’s voice. I want to reach that homeless couple for the Lord!”

Friends, these are just a few of the many more inspiring experiences to be shared with you – coming soon!