Philippines Holy Work Briefing

Philippines Church News

Mindanao Island is the second largest island in the Philippines. Because of the abundant resources and land, Filipinos call this place the promised land. Due to political instability, however, sixty percent of the residents live in poverty. In this beautiful land, kidnapping and battles against the government are constant occurrences. Yet God has especially loved the residents of Mindanao Island. In 1983, a Pentecostal pastor came to seek the truth in Bacolod and became our member. He then brought the gospel back to Pagadian within the island. There are 8 churches established in Mindanao Island and six houses of prayer, nine places of worship, three pastors, and two theological students. In terms of holy work, this is the most prosperous region in the Philippines.

Status of the Cagayan De Oro House of Prayer

In 2010, sister Jenny Lin who came from Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay House of Prayer married and moved to Cagayan De Oro, which is in the northern part of Mindanao Island. There was no True Jesus Church at that time, so Jenny Lin and her cousin Melanie Padilla observed Sabbath at their own home. In 2014, Pastor Ezekiel visited them and Pastor Zacahi Yang and other holy workers also assisted in pastoring.

In 2016, Sister Jenny Lin’s father, Jaime Pasad Opmia was inflicted with headache. The local doctor diagnosed it as high blood pressure. However, the illness got worse and he would often vomit, was not able to function normally, and was bedridden. Sister Jenny Lin took care of her father at her home in Cagayan De Oro. Through the diagnosis of the doctors there, they confirmed he had a brain tumor and hospitalized him. They informed the family that her father needed a high-risk brain surgery. The family was greatly worried at this news and saddened by the thought that their father had labored his whole life but had not had a chance to enjoy life. Jenny and her family prayed to prolong their father’s life. The entire family relied on God with one heart and requested intercession from churches from various areas. After one month of prayer, her father’s illness was obviously getting better. They took their father in for another scan and the doctor confirmed that the brain tumor disappeared! Sister Jenny’s father was then discharged from the hospital. This miracle has strengthened the faith of members in Cagayan De Oro.

In 2016, Jenny Lin’s house was not big enough, so they built a simple hut with three white cloths on land nearby and used it as a place of worship for a year. In 2017, the members increased to fifteen, so they bought a land together and built a small twelve by sixteen-foot chapel. They put on the True Jesus Church sign and lifted up the name of the Lord.

The Hut for Service in 2016

Current Chapel

Second Wave of the Work of the Holy Spirit

In 2018, a spiritual wind arose again. On October 25, the Philippines Evangelical team received a letter from an International Assembly worker informing them that a pastor named Rebecca Regino from Cagayan De Oro started studying our doctrines after receiving our church’s Manna magazine. The pastor would use the information from Manna to teach his members during service. This pastor wrote a letter on October 3 to our International Assembly office and got in contact. In November, the Philippines Evangelical team sent Pastor Ezekiel, Pastor John, and Deacon Joseph to Cagayan De Oro to meet with pastor Rebecca Regino and six other pastors. They held two days of seminars where the attendees were very diligent in learning, especially pastor Rebecca Regino. There were no debates; the attendees raised questions on the topic of God and were able to humble themselves to kneel and pray for the Holy Spirit. They then agreed to hold monthly seminars after this trip. The next day, another pastor came and inquired on the topic of Sabbath and infant baptism. Several days later, pastor Rebecca Regino texted and expressed his willingness to baptize his entire family in the True Jesus Church.

Doctrine Seminar

Two pastors with our workers

Mindanao Island residents have lived with a lack of material abundance for a prolonged period of time, but their hearts have longed and thirsted for the hope of heaven. Like most Filipinos, they love to sing, so they sing mostly about the heavenly kingdom. From this we can see that their hearts desire for the promised beautiful land of heaven. Let us raise our hands in prayer and remember the brethren in the Philippine churches. May the name of the Lord Jesus be even more glorified in the Philippines.