Activities from April 2 to 16

April 2, the start of the long awaited Preachers Training Program here at Tuguegarao finally started and we help the 25 students to get their long sleeves, pants and shoes that they can use for the whole duration of the training. We need to work as early as 5:30 in the morning for the preparation of daily activities. 6AM is their breakfast and as we done before, they need to give any verse in the bible before they can take their meal, that is, for the 3 times meal every day(breakfast, lunch and dinner), just a way to teach them to memorize verses that they can use when they preach. 7AM will be the singing and at 7:30, they need to kneel in prayer for 30 minutes, this is to teach them that we cannot be successful as a preacher when prayer in not in our lives.

On the first week, brother Ferdie Ong, from Kapitbahayan Church of Christ is with us to teach the students on how to read the musical notes in our hymnbook and how to lead songs during worships with the exact beating that all brethren can follow. This is the first time that we have a music class in training and hopefully they can use it when the students go home. The teachers of the training includes bro. Rody Gumpad, Jerome Forelo, Lordy Salonga and brother Ron Halbrook. They all teach from the four books bro. Ron gave the students about "Basic Bible Doctrine" and also Bible Hermenuetics, How to make an outline and preacher's work. While me, Jay and Jun help the students with some other things especially at night when all the classes are done. We are going to there rooms and helping them the things they didn't understand in their study. We are also helping them make their outlines because every night before their break, 2 of them are preaching to the whole class and a way to help them is to give comments and suggestions on the things they needed to improve. At first, some of them are afraid and shaky to stand in front, but after a couple of days, a lot show improvements from leading songs, prayer leading and preaching. During the night before they take their rest, we are checking everything they are doing, making sure they are studying  and praying after going to bed. The time for them to finally take a rest is 10:30PM, but we are staying their until 11:00 or upward to make sure they are resting. It might sound difficult for us but we feel happy when seeing them understand how we, as preachers do our job just to share God's word to the world.

The training ended last Saturday (April 14, 2012) wherein the graduation was held. We gave their certificates as to show they attended the training and not for other reasons. Hopefully they will continue to preach as they go in their places. On November, another PTP will be help here at Tuguegarao but it will be longer and is for three weeks. By the way, just to remind everyone, the training is not a work of the church and we cannot read that we need to have a preachers training, that's why all the funds that was used came from individuals who willingly shared some amounts to help those who wanted to preach. Paul said to Timothy that he needed to teach also those who are willing to preach.

More Images: Preachers training Program

April 8, brother Ron both teach in our Bible Study and Sermon in the Lord's day here at Metro Tuguegarao. He preached about "The great commission" and it is a lesson that everyone needs to know that God is asking everyone to share the gospel to all the world and baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. In the afternoon, four students from the training came with me in Palca (Elpidio Lumboy, Randy Tiene, Ronuel Apalla and Marvin Fabros). They all came from different places and are happy to see also the brethren at Palca. Ronuel lead all the songs while Marvin on prayer. Randy taught about "Remaining in Christ" and Elpidio, the oldest from the students(71 years old), preached about "What prayer does God hears?". There are some words uttered in their preaching that needed to be corrected so I stand before closing to summarized all the lessons they shared.

More Images: Tuguegarao and Palca

April 15, in our Lord's day here at Tuguegarao, brother Jerome taught in our bible study about "To whom do we bow down" and brother Jun preached about "The safest place". We have no safe place here in the world so we need to desire to go to heaven because that is the only place that we are safe. In the afternoon at Palca, I preached to them about "What we need to learn before death?". We need to know that there is a hell waiting for those unfaithful christians and sinners, that death is permanent and we cannot come back to life again in this world when we die and we also need to know that the bible is sufficient to save the lost souls. After the service, we went to the funeral of our sister Mauricia "Maring" Fernandez. She is a very faithful sister who is always in the services, but on the last two weeks, she was absent. Her brother told us that she feels dizzy all the time and throwing up that's why she is only in their house. We tried to visit her a couple of times but a news came to me Thursday morning (April 12) saying sister Maring died because of high blood pressure. It is a sad news because another faithful brethren passed away but I know, she is with Abraham right now, in his bosom with all the faithful christians who once lived here in on earth. Her husband is not a christian, but every time I go to their house, I kept on inviting him on the church, he is always saying yes. I am always waiting every Sunday of his appearance but only sister Maring is attending. Her grandchildren are all christians and are faithfully attending the services also.


April 16, together with brother Denis Yuson and his two sons who attended the PTP(Abraham and Malchisedek) and Jayson Tanguilan help me in the burial service at Palca. I first lead songs together with Abraham and Melchi while Jayson led us in our opening prayer. Brother Denis preached to us about "Where are the dead?". There is one of the audience who is drunk with wine and is a relative of sister Maring and not a christians who kept on talking while the study is going on. But the destruction didn't stop us to serve the Lord. We offer a prayer for the family after the preaching that they will continue with their life and to follow sister Maring on how she lives faithfully. After the burial, I am very happy to hear that her husband approached me and said, he wanted to study with us and will set a date for us to visit him again in their house. Hope and pray that we can help him spiritually and someday join his wife in heaven. I gave them a small amount from my pocket which is all I have to help them pay the funeral services because they are only living poorly, the church at Palca also help them. Hope and pray they can find a way to pay everything.

More images: Burial of sister Mauricia "Maring" Fernandez