* Missionaries' Inayauan Visit

This past week, Rev. Smit and I visited our contacts in Negros Occidental.  We have been in touch with some of these men for many years (since the late 1990's).  Various delegations visited them while the Philippines was being investigated by our churches as a possible mission field.  And contact has been maintained ever since - also through occasional visits and conferences.


We flew out of Manila on Tuesday, December 20.


After landing in Bacolod City, we drove down to Inayauan.  We were traveling during the peak of the sugar-cane season, and thus had to negotiate many trucks, as well as the occasional load spill.


Beautiful rural scenery awaited us along the way.


Pastor Ezequias Rosal is one of our main contacts, and lives in Inayauan.  He greeted us at his home with a refreshing drink and snack.


Another of our main contacts is Pastor Eduardo Donasco.  He lives in Si-alay, a little south of Inayauan.  We stopped and chatted for a while along the road.


On Wednesday, a conference was held in the church building of the Reformed Free Church in Inayauan.  We even had a visitor there from our Protestant Reformed Seminary! 
(The DVD was played while the attendees were arriving, and also during the lunch break.)


Since we arrived early, I had the opportunity to take a walk down the main street of the small, rural town of Inayauan.


Some were up as early as 4:00 a.m. to begin making preparations for our lunch.  Over 30 attendees were expected.


Rev. Smit spoke on "Saving Faith."  Later in the morning, I spoke on "God's Counsel."  35 adults attended the conference, indicating to us that there is significant interest in the Reformed faith in this part of Negros Occidental.


Pastor Ariel Labrador (red shirt) is another of our main contacts in the area.  He lives in Canturay, about 15 km south of Inayauan.


Some children were present throughout the day.  They came along either with their parents or grandparents.


A few ladies attended the conference - and also helped with the snacks and the noon meal.


After lunch, we had a question and answer time, which lasted a couple hours.  Many good questions were asked - regarding our speeches as well as on various other subjects.


The conference attendees (which includes us, of course) enjoyed the times of fellowship.  We are also thankful for the opportunity we had to meet these men, to get to know them, and to get a sense of their sincere interest in the truth.



We arrived home again late Thursday afternoon - thankful for safe travels, and for the blessed work the Lord gives us to do.
   


* America?

The last few months, as we've driven around, we've had the idea of taking pictures of things that might make you wonder if we live somewhere other than the Philippines.  Enjoy the pics of what we've seen.

Hmmm, this could be America .... but what's that vehicle out front?


That frosty looks pretty good....



Mac's again...


 

 

Good ol' Colonel Sanders.

Even a NASA guy!


Are those Americans out front?

We forgot to get a Pizza Hut picture, but that's another pizza place, more common than Dominoes or Yellow Cab.


Yep, another one.
You can get a McDonald's fix pretty much anywhere (if you really would want to).