News & Stories

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come". -2 Corinthians 5:17-

We had our SULADS evangelistic effort last April 24 to May 1, 2021 as part of the SULADS Caravan – a simultaneous preaching in all mission schools around Mindanao. Part of our nightly program was a question-and-answer portion and everybody was so excited to answer, not only because of the prizes they will receive, but because they know the answers as they listened attentively every night. Their excitement was so interesting. During the easy round, hands flew in the air, it seemed that everyone knew the answer! When I threw the hard questions, they found it difficult to answer and many were just guessing the answer for quite some time. The guessing and cluelessness ended when one young boy, our pupil, came on the stage and correctly said the answer. I just thought that someone had coached him so I asked him right away, “Who taught you that correct answer?” To our surprise, the young boy answered while still holding the microphone, making his answer so audible to everybody, "I prayed hard sir that God would give me the right answer." I was touched by this young boy who learned how to pray to our Omniscient God. Right at that moment, with him on the microphone, it gave a strong message to all that God is the only answer and the Source of all wisdom. As the evangelistic effort came to a close, a call for baptism was done. 27 souls made a lifetime commitment to accept Jesus as their Saviour. 27 was indeed a blessing, but a 28th person came over – the little boy! I was shocked yet inspired with the faith of this young lad. He became the 67th soul to be baptized from the whole village this term. GOD REALLY DESIRES THAT ALL MAY BE SAVED AND COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH, AND THAT INCLUDES THE ENTIRE VILLAGE OF LANGILAN. AMEN!

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” - Isaiah 52:7 On December 1, 2020 we reached the mountain of Manggabon, Sabangaan, Barangay San Luis, Malitbog, Bukidnon – a village of a Higaonon tribe, a pioneering work of the SULADS during the pandemic. The community leaders of this area personally requested our church leaders to have SULADS in their community. The inhabitants called themselves "Alimaong" (Tribal defense forces). They lived in bunkers, typically used in wartime. The village people plant sweet potatoes, sibujing (a variant of spring onion), abaca, cassava, and lanot (Corypha palm fiber bristles). The Manggabon people hunt in the forest for other means of survival. They still observed "Panagulambong hu Pagpakilala-kilaha daw Pagpadawat-dawata" or memorial customary laws that offers an animal through blood shedding ritual to their ancestors and spirits of the mountains, water, forest, stones, and air, of whom they believe are responsible for their protection. People from neighboring villages may look at them with contempt and label them as rebels, kidnappers, and outlaws. However, never a tint of this image marred my perception of them as a loving and happy people residing in a peaceful place, blessed with the beauty of nature. As SULADS volunteers, my partner and I desired to connect or mingle with them despite all their labels. We do recreational activities with them. When they plant, we plant with them. When we have the privilege to cut hairs, we cut their hairs. When we have the opportunity to massage their tired bodies, we massage. When they are sick, it is our joy to visit their home and pray with them. We were inspired with Mrs. White's statement: "In almost every community there are large numbers who do not listen to the preaching of God’s word or attend any religious service. If they are reached by the gospel, it must be carried to their homes. Often the relief of their PHYSICAL NEEDS is the ONLY AVENUE by which they can be approached." – Ministry of Healing, page 144. I have learned that they also acknowledge God as Supreme in Heaven and Earth beneath, the One who blesses men. They know Him as "Magbabaya". But with all their general knowledge about God, they were ignorant of the God who created the universe, the God who saves. Yet there were some who were longing for greater light. That gave us a privilege to have worship program early in the morning and evening. Though the wind was freezing cold, they managed to make bonfire for warmth. Young and old gathered. The dim surroundings could not cover the light of God's word; the whistling wind could not prevent the message of hope to their attentive ears, of what our loving God would like them to know. They were happy to share their reflections, full of praises to the great I AM. Bae Mimin, the tribal Datu Manliyaban's wife once told me in private: "I think you were the ones chose by Magbabaya to lead us to worship the real God. I am so thankful to you both. I hope you will still lead more to the knowledge of the True God and many more who will be opened to the truth. Now I realized that no matter how sinful I am, God is still calling me to come to Him, not to the spirits." Our hearts were warmed. Not only that, she further added, “Sir, I want to join you worship on the Sabbath day.” I praise God for His working in her heart. And I will even praise Him more! The life of every volunteer is one of uphill, toil, hardship, and danger. Pioneering work wasn't easy but I have no reason to complain for this privilege. There are more blessings and miracles than the hardship, even the miracle of a changed life. May His Name be lifted up. God bless.

These Badjao children at BT, Tawi-Tawi were often bullied, thus, they were not-so-welcomed at school. But they are desirous to learn, too! Our mastals assigned in the area conducted a Branch Sabbath School for them. They taught them songs, memory gems, and stories such as Noah, spoken in the local dialect. "You would notice these kids were very sincere when we said, Let's pray. All of them would immediately close their eyes and open their hands for prayer. Our heart swelled with gratitude sharing God's goodness to innocent people," testifies one volunteer teacher. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:3

On our way to Nasuokan-Langilan Mission School for a gift giving program, I met a grandmother carrying her Liyang – a basket made of wild bamboo, and it was full of stocks of food. She stopped beside us while we were resting for a while. We asked her where did she come from and in response, she told us that she was from Natampod and helped the missionaries carry their things to Nasuokan, a 7-10-hour trail. My wife asked her if she ate for lunch already and she said no. We shared our trail food with her. While she was eating, she asked my wife in Manobo language, “Huntaw sikan ka mo duma now?” (Who are your new companion?) My wife said Pastor Pitogo, our SULADS President, was with us together with some of our visitors who wanted to visit our mission school. To our surprise, she asked, “Ka pastor nog baotismo?” (Is this the pastor who can baptize?) My wife and I said yes. She later asked to be baptized if it is ok. “I’m longing for baptism! My little grandson, a grade 2 pupil studying in the mission school, told me that he wants me to be baptized because he wants me to be in heaven also. I want to go to heaven that’s why we follow our maestro, a missionary teacher, during worship time. We will worship Jesus with our maestro because they will go to heaven also. Friday, we arrived at the mission school. The next day, Sabbath morning, we approached Pastor Pitogo regarding the request of a grandmother for her baptism. Pastor Pitogo instructed us to let her come to the front of the brethren before divine service. After lesson study, Pastor Pitogo gave the announcement for those who wanted to be baptized to please come in front. Though we only expected one candidate, the grandmother, we were amazed when 14 persons came in front to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. They were instructed that the baptism will be on Sunday early morning on the river, on our way going home. Early Sunday morning, we left the village and went down to the river for baptism. Towards the end of the baptismal service, Pastor Pitogo and Pastor Base already went out of the water to pray for them. Just when they were about to pray, we heard the speedy running feet of 2 persons. “Is it okay if we will be baptized also, Pastor? We also wanted to go to heaven and meet Jesus with our maestro!” So instead of 14 baptized souls, the two pastors went back to the water to baptize the additional 2. One soul turned into 16 – what joy in heaven that must be! Let us continue to pray for our missionaries as they nurture the new church members in our mountain mission schools.

The bird Limokon is a kind of bird that chirps and sings in the forest and we, the lumads or Indigenous People, believe it as sacred in our culture. It serves as an omen bird. While traversing in the forest and the bird hums in front, back, right side or left side, we believe that the bird has something to tell us – either a warning or a good fortune. It was a belief our ancestors taught us until our generation. According to them, if the limokon chirps on the left, it means you will be successful in what you are planning to do. For hunters, it means a good catch. On the opposite, if the bird chirps on the right, you will not be successful in your endeavor. If the sound comes from the back, a danger is following you from behind. If it chirps in front, you will face a problem right ahead of you. It was a sunny day and I rode our carabao (water buffalo) on my way to the forest to gather wood posts for my house. The limokon bird hummed in front, and since I do not know what it meant as I am an Adventist believing that Jesus is my Protector, I continued my journey. I prayed to God for deliverance from danger that lies ahead before entering the forest. I trusted Him and claimed His promises. Again, the limokon bird hummed and I prayed again, and until the third time it hummed but I have faith that God will protect me. Reaching the forest, I prayed again before I cut down the trees to build my house. Little did I know, there was a ‘magahat’ or tribal war going on. A certain tribe will kill anyone who happens to pass by with or without fault, to ease their anger with someone who did them wrong. When the warriors saw me in the woods, they raised their arms aiming a shot at me while I bowed my head to pray. A great miracle happened, the gun did not fire! They aimed to shoot at me countless times and still, the gun did not fire. These people went home and have done no harm to me. The news of a man who cannot be killed while bowing his head beside a carabao spread in the nearby villages and they greatly feared because they had faith in spirits and gods who give amulets. Little did they know that my God is far stronger and mightier than all these amulets. His saving acts goes beyond the warnings of a limokon bird for He ever lives to protect His children! This experience happened in Langilan – a 12-hour forest walk from the municipality of San Fernando. The Manobo Matag-Langilan is one of the bravest in terms of tribal war bloodshed in the Philippines. I am currently serving at SULADS Deaf Literacy Center as Farm Manager for almost 5 years now. I praise God that He saved me. He snatched me from the hands of death.

I, Jemil Ray M. Santuyo, and my partner Jayson Lundoban are currently assigned in Purok Cabanlasan, Brgy. Salapawan, Paquibato District, Davao City as SULADS Missionaries. This is my first time to join SULADS and my partner Jayson for his third time. After one week of being deployed in our area, the pioneering work of SULADS encountered issues; some of the Baganies (Tribal Soldiers) spread rumors that we are members of NPA (New People’s Army). To clear our names, we scheduled time to visit the house of Datu (Tribal Chieftain) to talk about the issues. Upon arriving with the two Church elders, we were surprised that there were a lot of people, there were barangay counselors and Datu’s. After we prayed, we talked about the issue and by God’s grace, it had been clear to them that we are not NPAs. They told us that our requirements were lacking, we need to process some of our papers in the city for us continue our mission. I questioned God why do we need to go in the city and process everything. I was hesitant to go in the city because of the crisis we are facing. But amidst pandemic, we arrived in Davao Mission and immediately processed the requirements with Pastor Punay, the SULADS Coordinator in Davao Mission. One of the requirements was to visit the head of NCIP Davao City (National Comission of Indigenous People) and the head of DepEd (Department of Education) in the division. The head of NCIP was admitted in the hospital at that time and we needed to go there to talk about the requirements that we were trying to comply. Without the certificate from NCIP, we can’t continue our stay at Purok Cabanlasan. His wife welcomed us and instead of talking about the requirements, she immediately thanked us of our presence. She was waiting for a long time for a Pastor to pray for her husband because he is in a critical condition. They spent huge amount of money already in the hospital. She told us that she knows a lot about Seventh-day Adventist. Every summer, she is a subscriber of our literature as she buys them from Student Literature Evangelists of Mountain View College. She shared her problems and we, in response, gave encouragement and a few Bible verses. After an hour of sharing about her personal life, Pastor Punay prayed for her husband and they cried and thanked us. We can see in her eyes how blessed she was, how her problematic eyes turned to eyes full of joy and faith in God. Our next appointment was in the Department of Education. Instead of going to the head of DepEd, we went first to the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Coordinator and shared our concern in Purok Cabanlasan. Surprisingly, after talking about the process, he shared to us his personal life. He told us that he had been a member of many churches, but one church that he liked most, especially when it comes to the doctrines, is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “Everything is found and based in the Bible,” he said upon appreciating our doctrines. Pastor Punay offered a prayer for him and I noticed that at the middle of the prayer, he almost cried. The same with the wife of the NCIP head, his eyes turned into eyes full of joy and faith in God. Then I realized that God brought us in the city for a great purpose – to visit the unreached rich. Those people needed listening ears. They needed someone to comfort them and pray for them. When God will use you, He will really use you anytime and anywhere for His glory and great cause. I remember the story of Paul and Silas, when they were put into prison. They never murmured to God, but instead they were praying and singing hymns for Him. During midnight there was a great earthquake and the doors were opened and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer was awakened and saw what happened, he drew his sword and ready to kill himself but Paul cried with a loud voice “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” Then the jailer called for lights and tremble before Paul and Silas and ask them “Sir, what must I do to be saved?” And they reply to the jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved”. And he shared Jesus to his family. Together, they believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized (Acts 16: 25- 34). According to Acts 16:34, he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. God will use us the way He used Paul and Silas if we allow God to move and fight for us.

"Train up a child in the way they should go, when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 In my three months in the Island of Tah-Tah, by the help of God I had started to teach the Muslim pupils about prayer. I asked them “How important is prayer?" Somebody told me that it is a way of talking to God, the Creator of the whole universe. Another responded, "Inday sir" (I don’t know, sir). So I shared to them how important prayer is. One of the fundamental articles of Muslim is Salah/Salat which means five times daily prayer. In our discussion, I explained it to them carefully and prayerfully in order them to know what prayer is or why we need to pray. As the class ended, l told them that they must practice praying on their own because the Lord will be pleased if we pray heartily. Teaching them on how to pray was not an easy task to do. These children are the shy type and I had to encourage them to pray. I told them that when we pray, it’s like talking to a very close friend, but with respect and awe. Most of them only memorize the Al-fatiha which means the opening, the first surah in the book Qur'an when they pray. It’s a wonderful prayer but I told them that they can also pray from the heart. Days passed, I appointed one of my pupils to pray. In her prayer she said, "Tuhan namo magsarang sukol ha adlaw ini dihilan mo pa kami dugaing kabuhi. Tuhan ha waktu ini mag tagna na kami ha class namo, murmurahan dihilan mo kami ingat bat kami makahati ha ihindu sin mga mastal namo. Tuhan ayaw man kami pasare iban in mga maas namo, iban sin mga mastal namo, iban ha maas nila malugay na tuud sila way nagkita. Dihili kami ulan bat di na kahunitan atawa mabinsana in mga mastal namo mag kawa tubig. Amen" (Lord thank for another day that You have extended our lives. We will be starting our class today. Please give us knowledge and understanding to comprehend the lessons that our teacher will be teaching us. Lord, please guide us always. Please don’t leave our parents, teachers, and the parents of our teachers. Lord, give us rain so that our teachers would not suffer in getting water to drink. Amen) When she finished praying, I can't understand the joy that I felt! I was so amazed and my tears fell on my eyes! I didn't expect that she can pray like she prayed. How sweet to hear that prayer from my pupil! The joy that I felt was an unpayable experience. How much more the Father which art in heaven, how happy is He is when He hears us praying!

Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4 Since I graduated from college and got a job, I have been doing outreach programs on my birthdays. This year since I joined the SULADS, I resolved not to do any, thinking that I am already in the ministry whole year round and the budget was tight. But secretly in my heart I prayed that I can do something special for the people. Surely the Lord grants requests, He sent people to do the outreach programs on my behalf. Two days before my birthday, my sister and her friend visited the mission school, fed the children, and gave out slippers, toothbrushes and some school needs. On the day of my birthday, members from the nearest local church visited the mission school and held a feeding program for the whole community. God has proven Himself faithful, not just by providing our needs, but even granting the desires of our heart. He even exceeds beyond what we pray for! He remembers His people and keeps them in the hollow of His hands. I serve a living and loving God!