Recently we’ve been amazed at the way some churches in the Philippines are reaching out in love to their neighbors and experiencing God’s transforming power. We wanted to share two of our favorites with you.

A Reputation Restored

Sometimes the actions of one person ruin the reputation of a whole church. That happened to one church of 25 members in the Philippines. Two years ago, a local missionary came to live in the community and help out the pastor. But while he was serving with the church, he did something terrible—he kidnapped the baby of one of his relatives and demanded a million pesos (20,000 USD) in ransom to return the child. The community witnessed his evil actions, and had shunned the church ever since. 

The pastor of this church began to study TCT. As he learned about Acts of Love, he immediately had an idea of how to serve his community. He returned home and taught the TCT module to the church, sharing his idea as well—there was a very rough path through their village that about 30 households frequently used, and the church ought to pave it. They had only three bags of cement, but decided to go forward with what little they had. Perhaps they could pave only a small section of the path, yet they began the work. Thirteen church members joined in on the day of the project and, as they worked, a local official noticed them and asked what they were doing. When they explained that they were paving the path for the community, the official was moved to contribute 10 more bags of cement and a tractor-load of gravel. He even helped with some of the work! Some people from the families nearby also came to help out while others gave the workers food and juice. By 5 pm that day, they finished 50 meters of concrete path, and they had gained a new reputation in their community! Now people are talking to the church members again, appreciate their help, and are even sending their children to Sunday School. 

Love Breaks Through

One church in the Philippines had been praying for and attempting to evangelize a neighboring community—about 100 families living on a 25-acre island. The community suffered extreme poverty and was overrun by drugs and alcohol. Though the church had a heart for this island, they hadn’t seen much fruit from their evangelistic efforts there. As they began to study TCT, though, they were inspired. For nine months, they visited the community regularly, doing Acts of Love using the skills and resources they had. They gave people free haircuts, massages, and manicures. They cleaned the roads and gave out school supplies and food. One of the drug dealers heard about the church’s loving actions while he was in prison and was so touched that he donated a plot of land! The local people helped to build a church building on the land, and they held their first official worship service there in October. Seven families attended, including the families of the drug dealer and the village captain. 

To God be the glory as He brings healing and transformation to these and many other communities in the Philippines! May we also see Him powerfully at work in our own communities in this New Year.