SULADS STORIES

FOREIGNERS CONDUCT EVANGELISM IN THE MOUNTAINS

by Fred L. Webb

April, 1997

 The Campus SULADS—those who have completed their year in the mountains and are now attending classes at Mountain View College—held a revival series in Kalagangan, San Fernando, Bukidnon, over the Christmas vacation.  The results were raising the average attendance in the Sabbath church services from 8 to about 100!  With this as a background, the village was ripe for an evangelistic campaign.

In March, a group from the Washington and Oregon area of North America came to Mountain View College with four purposes in mind.  This group, headed by Elder Duane McKey, came prepared to build a church in Little Baguio, a church in Kalagangan and to hold evangelistic campaigns in Halitpitan and Kalagangan. 

When the group of 29 arrived they spent only one night at Mountain View College and were on to their work in the mountains.  Approximately half of the group stayed in Halipitan while the others went on to Kalagangan.  The Halipitan group worked on the Little Baguio church during the day and held the meetings at night in the town hall.  The Kalagangan group worked on the church right there in Kalagangan and held open-air meetings at night.

In the groups there were building experts, physicians, nurses, business persons, and students with a large amount of energy and enthusiasm.  The groups were joined by students from MVC to help in the evangelism.  The ministerial seminar worked with the group in Halipitan and the Campus SULADS worked with the Kalagangan group. 

After two weeks of hard work, the group had nearly completed the two churches, treated many sick and injured persons in a free medical clinic and pulled many teeth in a free dental clinic.  Besides that, there were baptisms of over 120 persons in the two towns. 

The workers from North America went back to their homes with a new perspective of what it is like to work with people who have little of this world’s goods.  “I don’t want to go home” and “I want to come back soon” were common remarks as the tired but very happy group left for their homeland.

     Many of these people have gotten the vision of what can be done.  They have seen the dedication of the young people of Mountain View College and have determined to do their bit to make it possible for some of these youth to complete their education so they can return to work for those who are in such great need.  Donations are also coming in to the SULADS program to further the work they are doing among the indigenous people of Mindanao.