Participants:
Series Code: DTF
Program Code: DTF000107S
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00:11 Well, here we are.
00:12 Another episode of Destination 1 00:14 Welcome back. 00:21 The food has changed. 00:23 We have now 00:24 been traveling for six weeks and we are exhausted but 00:28 excited about our next country and our next adventure. 00:32 Last flight to the Philippines. 00:37 We are headed to the city of Zamboanga 00:39 on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. 00:45 We are meeting up with the Adventist Mission Director 00:48 for the Zamboanga Peninsula mission, Ranny Devera. 00:52 Ranny's passion is for reaching the Muslim communities 00:55 and he has devoted his life to this task. 00:59 Ranny is also the supervisor for the Gospel 01:01 Outreach sponsored workers in this area. 01:05 A large number of our workers in the Philippines are managed 01:08 and trained through 01:09 a partnering organization called the Sulads. 01:12 Now, the Sulads was established in the 1960s and has built 01:16 an amazing reputation throughout the Philippines 01:18 for specializing in reaching remote places with the gospel. 01:23 The Sulads workers in this episo 01:25 are sponsored through Gospel Outreach. 01:30 The time has come. 01:31 We are leaving to head to this island. 01:34 That's supposed to be quite dangerous. 01:43 We are headed 01:44 to the island of Jolo in the province of Sulu. 01:47 Now, the Sulu Province has a 01:49 do not travel advisory for all foreigners. 01:53 The only reason we are able to travel to 01:55 this place is thanks to an agreement 01:57 between the local church and the military. 02:00 This trip is only possible under the strict supervision 02:04 and guidance of the military. 04:00 We have been ordered 04:01 not to leave the ship until the military comes to get us. 04:06 I think that 04:07 most of the people here are decent people. 04:11 But there's always 04:12 those outliers that would see foreigners and immediately 04:15 have a desire to kidnap us for ransom. 04:18 Ransom, Meaning. 04:19 2 or $3 million. 04:22 This has happened before. 04:23 So that is why we have 04:25 the military's, escort with us at all times. 04:29 Definitely an experience, for sure. 04:31 But we have been assured of our safety. 04:33 And I do trust that 04:35 all the boats are coming in this morning from fishing. 04:37 Last night. 04:40 So as we were coming into port here, 04:42 all these little boats arrived filled with people. 04:46 And you may have heard of these 04:48 people before because National Geographic, 04:50 many other news organizations have done videos about them, but 04:54 they are often known as the Sea gypsies. 04:57 And so they came alongside our ship and people started 05:01 throwing coins into the water, 05:03 and they drove down to get the coins. 05:05 For many of these people, their home is their boats. 05:08 They live in their boats, 05:10 and they say that they can dive down up to 200ft 05:14 and hold their breath for over 13 minutes. 05:17 And this is what they do for a living. 05:18 They'll dive down for fish 05:21 and they'll sell what they are able to catch. 05:25 Okay, time to go down. 05:49 The town of Jolo on the northwestern coast 05:51 is a port of entry and capital of the province of Sulu. 05:55 This city is a main focal point of a lively trade 05:58 with Zamboanga City, 05:59 Manila, Singapore, and the island of Borneo. 06:02 But the main economic activity on this island 06:05 is fishing. 06:22 They provide us security, 06:24 mobilization and logistical information 06:31 Everybody is fully aware of the lurking 06:37 before you couldn't just walk around like this. 06:40 Especially with, you know, with foreigners. 06:43 How long ago was that? 06:44 It was like last year. 06:47 I think this last year, it was only recently 06:50 when, things changed. 06:59 There's been war here in this city, you cannot walk freely. 07:09 So we are here visiting one of the most recent Adventist 07:12 schools that has been started here on this island. 07:15 Right now, there's only one classroom. 07:17 And there's only one teacher, which creates a big problem. 07:20 They're working on creating more classrooms upstairs, 07:24 but they're waiting for 07:25 the money to come in to actually be able to do that. 07:28 What's so unique about this school is it's 100% Muslims. 07:32 Only Muslims coming to this school. 07:34 The military is probably going to be showing up 07:36 in about 20 minutes, and we're going to be heading up 07:38 into the mountains from the school 08:06 I will lay out some restrictions 08:09 when it comes to our movements. So first, 08:12 I understand you have a travel advisory 08:14 going to Sulu, so we're already taking this risk 08:17 We're doing this risk because of Pastor Ranny. So... 08:21 This is going to be worth it. 08:24 If you could just turn on your location, 08:27 turn off your location rather and, Okay, 08:30 I think that would be better. So. Okay. 08:31 Anyone for for one thing, 08:34 you already have your travel advisory not to go here, 08:36 so we have to mitigate that. Secondly, Sinumaan 08:39 is a very, it's still, 08:44 marked as a very hostile area. 08:48 Ok. And one more thing, if, we would appreciate 08:50 if you would, 08:52 I mean, you would cover up. 08:55 it would be better if, 08:57 they wont identify you as foreign nationals. 09:01 Every new face is a target for abduction. 09:04 So that's what the security is for. 09:07 He has a different approach. 09:09 His approach is while 09:10 he and his men are killing machines. And yet, 09:14 he wants to instill peace through negotiation. 09:18 You know, what can we do to help? 09:23 He said if there's something 09:25 we can do to instill peace, he'll do it. 09:29 Lexi? 09:31 What if we that order to do it? 09:32 To cover up. 09:46 We thank you, loving father, for bringing us here safely. 09:50 We praise you for guiding us and protecting us. 09:55 We thank you, Lord, for safety. 09:57 We thank you for Aaron and Lexi here with us. 10:00 And as we do our work, oh Lord, 10:02 we ask that you lead our minds. 10:07 We thank you, and 10:08 we praise you because you're such an awesome God. 10:10 You have given us this privilege, 10:12 an opportunity to serve you and humanity. 10:15 So we just ask it 10:16 to bless our humble contribution to your ministry. 10:18 We thank you for all these things. 10:20 We ask in Jesus name, Amen. 10:33 This is where ambush can come, can happen. 10:37 Abduction can happen because no homes around 10:40 and our volunteers hike here every single day. 10:44 With the troops 10:46 Gospel Outreach has a number of sponsored workers 10:50 on the island of Jolo, being managed by the Sulads 10:55 in strict cooperation with the military. 10:59 This is a completely unentered territory 11:02 for the sulads and for Gospel Outreach. 11:05 Our workers have only been working 11:07 on the island for four months. 11:29 I don't think anyone in their right, 11:34 I don't think anyone who is actually briefed on 11:36 how dangerous this area was will ever come in this area. 11:40 I don't think they will. I mean, locals, when you say Sinumaan. 11:42 Oh, no, I would not dare come up there. 11:44 They would not. 11:45 They know how dangerous man was last year. 11:53 I am originally from Manila. 11:54 I came from Manila, 11:56 but for a bit of background I grew up in the Middle East 11:58 so I am not a stranger to Islam. 12:01 I graduated my elementary 12:02 in the Middle East in (Inaudible), so I have lots of 12:05 friends, of different ethnic backgrounds, 12:08 of different cultural backgrounds. 12:10 Religion has never been a divide for me. 12:12 Religion is something that strengthens us 12:14 through diversity. 12:17 This area really used to be 12:19 a battleground for the past 20 or so years. Before, 12:22 you cannot come up here with just a single vehicle. 12:24 You cannot. You just can't. 12:26 You have to have about 100 men, a battalion, 12:30 if you are in an area, in a conflict area in five years, 12:33 if children won't go to school instead of holding pens 12:36 instead of holding pencils, they will be holding guns. 12:39 As soon as people here realize the value 12:42 of having education, having the ability to understand 12:47 what other people are saying through literature, 12:49 through books, it expands their horizon. 12:55 This is by far the smallest library that I've ever seen. 12:58 But this behind me 13:00 is the beginning of something amazing and beautiful. 13:02 And that is the opportunity for these kids in this area 13:06 to learn and to grow. 13:07 And so this is exciting. 13:09 It may just be a few bookshelves, 13:11 but this is the beginning of something amazing. 13:17 Education here has been 13:20 has been very low. 13:23 What our our partners from the Seventh day 13:26 Adventist has been doing here through Sulads, the Zamboanga 13:30 Peninsula mission and AMR have really impacted the community. 13:35 I mean, this is the first time 13:36 that they had a school for the past 30 years or so. 13:41 It's very important 13:43 that we win this next generation. 13:46 We may not stop the current generation from fighting, 13:48 but for this, campaign to be successful, 13:51 we need to take care of the next generation. 13:54 At the end of the day, it's about 13:56 serving the Filipino people. 13:57 We're here to serve and protect the Filipino people 14:00 and these people being not able to go to school, 14:04 these people being less privileged and ours 14:05 does not make them a lesser Filipino. 14:10 Einstein said it 14:12 "Peace cannot be kept by force. 14:14 It can only be achieved through understanding." 14:22 We're actually fighting, confronting two things. 14:26 We're fighting a terrorist and we're fighting an ideology. 14:30 So long as we have young leaders both on our end 14:35 and on the end of other partners who could continue 14:38 this, mission, the military will come and go. 14:41 We are not the permanent solution. 14:44 We actually owe it a lot 14:46 to our, Adventist partner. 14:51 Because we cannot do it all. 14:52 We cannot do it all. 14:56 This island has been 14:58 involved with gorilla warfare for the last 30 years, between 15:03 the military here in the Philippines and ISIS. 15:07 The reason that we are here is the military understands 15:11 that as Adventists, we are respected by Muslims due to 15:15 the fact that we don't eat pork and we dress more modestly, 15:19 and we we just have the respect of the Muslims. 15:24 A year ago they were able to take over this area 15:28 from the rebels. 15:29 Now the soldiers are here. They're protecting us. 15:32 They're not only protecting us, but they're protecting our GO 15:34 Bible workers. 15:36 In fact, 15:37 our GO Bible worker lives one kilometer from the school, 15:39 and he is not allowed to walk the one kilometer from his home 15:43 to the school without an escort of eight soldiers. 15:49 We have an incredible work 15:50 that's being done here by our GO workers. 15:52 It's exciting to see the Lord working through them 15:55 in reaching these people. 15:59 We're coming in with our Gospel Outreach workers. 16:02 We're teaching them how to grow food. 16:04 We're giving them, medical assistance 16:07 by way of health workers that we have here. 16:09 And then also, of course, 16:10 we have the school back here where we're able to, teach, 16:14 the Muslim children, 100% Muslim 16:17 children are going to the school. 16:20 Really, there's just you're just seeing a very small part 16:23 of what we're actually experience 16:24 here, experiencing here. 16:26 And I completely understand that 16:27 when it comes to the security of the soldiers, 16:30 when it comes to the security of our GO workers, 16:32 we really can't be sharing some specific details about 16:35 this area. 16:37 We feel like 16:38 the Lord has guided us to this place, 16:41 and we're just excited to be able to, to interact 16:45 with the people here. 16:50 We're going to be leaving here in about 30 minutes. 16:52 We have to get out of here before dark. 16:55 We're going to be coming back here tomorrow. 16:57 We're going to spend 16:58 another day here, and they're actually going 17:00 to be doing some school tomorrow. We're going to be able 17:02 to capture our GO teachers in action. 17:17 We don't need too many comforts. 17:19 Yeah. 17:20 We don't need comforts. 17:21 We're missionaries. 17:22 We don't need comforts. 17:26 I praise the Lord that my wife and I are fairly adaptable, 17:29 because we slept 17:30 on a concrete floor last night with a mat that really isn't 17:33 meant for comfort. It's just meant for cold. 17:36 I guess there are situations that makes it 17:38 too dangerous for us to stay up in the mountains 17:41 at night, but we are going back today for a full day. 17:46 The things my beard is doing 17:48 in this crazy humidity. 17:53 Honestly, things aren't as dangerous 17:54 as they used to be here. 17:56 at least aren't as dangerous as they were a year ago. 17:58 But you can still tell that the soldiers are on edge. 18:01 And I think that's probably partially 18:02 because they have a little bit of PTSD from the past, 18:05 especially driving through specific areas 18:07 where there have been ambushes, soldiers have died. 18:11 So the reality is, is there is, you know, there is danger here 18:14 a lot less now than there used to be. 18:17 They still are vigilant and they're still very careful, 18:20 especially when it comes to visitors coming into the area. 18:29 How's it going? 18:30 Hot! Hot? 18:32 Very hot. I definitely agree. 18:42 Today they typically teach the adults. 18:44 But because we are here, 18:45 the children have come along with the parents. 18:47 We're going to be fellowshipping with them, 18:49 eating some food and having a good time. 18:51 There's a lot of kids here right now, and this is the reason 18:55 why what we are doing here is so important. 18:57 We are creating a atmosphere of learning 19:01 because so many of these people, all they know is war. 19:04 And so by coming in and giving them a place to be able 19:08 to be not only educated but also teach them how to grow foods 19:12 and also give them medical assistance. 19:14 This is huge in healing the wounds that have been caused 19:18 over the last 20 plus years. 19:33 If your happy and you know it, stomp your feet. 19:37 If your happy and you know it, do all three 19:42 Hooray! 19:49 Before I came here, I knew this place from the past years. 19:52 I saw it in televisions. 19:55 From the news that this place is dangerous and many, you know, 20:00 kidnaping and abduction that has happened in this place. 20:06 I am Jovel Pagapong, and I'm a Sulads volunteer. 20:10 We are privileged to work 20:13 with our GO partner. 20:17 When there's a calling about this place, 20:20 I decided with my wife to join the work 20:22 that is to be done in this place. 20:26 And I believe this is God's calling. 20:30 Because I believe that the field is ripened 20:33 already, and God needs more volunteers, 20:36 need more dedicated individuals to to do the work. 20:40 And I'm here to serve him. 20:42 And of course, for the people in this place. 20:53 What are we doing here? 20:54 Yeah, we're doing some. 20:57 Something. We're giving apples 21:00 and oranges to these, 21:03 pupils here at upper Sinumaan. 21:06 And we're here again. 21:16 When our Bible workers 21:18 first came to Sulu, the people here were untrusting. 21:21 But over time, and through the love of Christ 21:24 shown by our workers, they have learned to trust them fully. 21:30 I've heard it said that genuine love is a precious gift 21:33 from heaven, and it becomes even more beautiful 21:36 as we share it with others. 21:50 Not all of God's people, God's children, can do the work 21:54 just like what we've done in this place. 21:56 But the means that you have offered the time that you have, 22:00 dedicated and all the blessings that you have, 22:03 which you have imparted, especially in the ministry, 22:07 do a lot in the, the work of the Lord. 22:15 Every day I ask God what to do w with the opportunity 22:19 that he has given unto us. 22:21 Every day He has given life. 22:23 And so what to do with that life? 22:28 We help them, and God through them. 22:31 Help us also. 22:45 You see, this is only the beginning. 22:48 There'll be more. 22:51 Once people get educated. 22:54 They'll leave the weapons, they'll leave their guns 22:57 and start building their lives. 23:07 It's a very rare opportunity for the military 23:10 to come down and ask us. Rare. 23:14 Before you promise heaven to somebody, show them 23:18 what kind of people will there be in heaven. 23:20 You' show them what kind of people will be there, 23:23 so that they would long for it. 23:25 They will desire to be there. 23:29 Every now and then, side by side in our front, 23:31 and at our back, there are challenges. 23:34 But one thing that has 23:35 strengthened in my faith is my connection with the Lord. 23:39 My devotional life. Put all your trust to the Lord. 23:44 Even the Scripture says that if we will ask when we pray, 23:48 then God will provide. 24:09 So it's the end of the day, and we are getting ready to leave. 24:13 And our workers are getting ready to leave with us as well, 24:16 because it's nearly Christmas time. 24:18 They're leaving, going to the mainland to spend 24:21 Christmas with their families away from the war zone. 24:33 But everyone is quite emotional. 24:34 And I was asking one of our workers why that is. 24:37 And she said that the locals are afraid 24:41 that they may never be able to see our workers again. 24:44 If things escalate while they are away, 24:46 they will be unable to return. 24:52 Bye, bye! 25:04 I believe that those who have the ability 25:06 to act bear the responsibility to do so. 25:10 You know, the Great Commission 25:11 has been entrusted to all of us as our mission on this earth. 25:15 The Gospel Outreach workers on this island 25:17 have devoted their lives to spreading the name of Jesus, 25:21 even going so far as sacrificing the most basic of comforts. 25:26 Everyone's calling is unique. 25:29 So my question to you is what is your mission field? 25:33 Have you sincerely sought the Lord's guidance on 25:36 what you are to do in his service? 25:39 If not, I really encourage you to do so. 25:42 Earnest seeking will reveal your mission field. 25:48 But for Lexi and I, we have been forever 25:50 changed by this experience and we will continue to support 25:55 Gospel Outreaches and vital work in the 1040 window. 26:29 Hi, friends, I want to thank 26:30 you so much for watching this episode of Destination 10/40. 26:34 You know, there is so much to this story 26:36 that we were unable to share 26:38 in this video, but I just want to ask you, 26:40 please continue 26:41 to pray for the Gospel Outreach sponsored workers 26:43 who are working in the province of Sulu. 26:46 This is not an easy job. 26:47 The devil is working hard in the province of Sulu, 26:51 but the Lord is stronger and these people are sacrificing 26:54 so much to be working in the Lord's service. 26:57 Also, I want to thank the Sulads organization. 27:01 The Sulads is a phenomenal organization 27:03 that's been around since the 1960s, 27:06 and a majority of the Gospel Outreach workers in the 27:09 Philippines are being managed by the Sulads. 27:12 They specialize in reaching 27:14 minority groups, 27:15 people who live in very remote places 27:17 and working with the Muslim communities. 27:20 And so we 27:21 really appreciate their support in managing our Gospel Outreach 27:24 sponsored workers. 27:26 It would not be possible to work in the places that we work 27:29 if it wasn't for the Sulads. 27:33 If you enjoyed this episode of Destination 10/4 27:36 and you want to watch more episodes, you can visit 27:38 gotvmissions.org 27:43 And if you want to learn more 27:45 about Gospel Outreach and learn how you can get involved 27:48 with Gospel Outreach, 27:49 maybe in sponsoring a Bible worker or a health worker, 27:52 or you want to find out how you can pray for a Bible worker, 27:56 go to the Gospel Outreach website. 27:58 goaim.org 28:02 and from there you can learn more about Gospel Outreach 28:05 and the work that they are doing throughout the 1040 window. 28:11 Thank you so much for watching. 28:13 We are so honored to be able to share this experience with you, 28:17 and may God richly bless you. |
Revised 2024-09-12