February Newsletter

Volume 17, No. 2

When visiting Sea Gypsies, police sometimes provide protection.

Ministering to Sea Gypsies.

PROVERBS 31 GALS!

“She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”-Proverbs 31:17

Rain clouds gathered daily in increasing measure & floodwaters threatened to engulf Barner Learning Center yet once more. It was a race against time: a race we feared we’d lose. 8 yrs of floods took their toll on us.

The two dozen diggers, masons and steelworkers were getting weary after two weeks of working hard to build up our dirt road one meter higher and lay a 6-inch thick concrete “slab” on top of it, with drainage canals underneath. A friend in Delhi, New York had given us funds for the work.

As the women looked on, one grabbed a shovel and declared, “Looks like you men need some help!” Elvie primed the pump by offering the ladies a nickel a sack to dig the dirt and move it. These women would have put John Henry to shame. One needy mom and her 9 yr old son filled 200 sacks! Others averaged 30. By the end of the day these women had literally moved a small mountain.

Not to be outdone, the men, working side-by-side with these ladies, shifted into high gear. Flexing their muscles & sweating puddles, they welded down the final bars just as the rain clouds burst their sides in torrents.
Thanks Proverbs 31 ladies!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A FILIPINO IF...

You eat using your hands (no silverware)
- and have it down to a technique!

CHANGED LIVES

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?’” –Acts 26:28

In tears Esther listened to the sermon on Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa, thinking back to the few years that her four boys had studied here at Barner Learning Center.

Surrounded by the warmth of Christian fellowship, she, with her Muslim husband and 4 children, felt a special unity like never before. The future looked bright. Barner Learning Center and Faith Fellowship Church were transforming their lives wonderfully.

But then the grandfather, an imam (Muslim priest) demanded that the boys be pulled out of both the church and school. To maintain family harmony they complied. Quickly, the family crumbled.

Esther’s husband found another woman and abandoned his wife, four boys, and newborn baby girl. The boys got thinner and thinner, sacrificing for their little sister. Finally Esther found a job that paid a dollar and fifty cents a day, selling pearls that came from sea gypsies who dove into the reefs to retrieve these treasures.

A small cup of rice and maybe a dried fish or two would have to suffice to fill a corner of their growling little tummies. Then after 3 years of absence, Esther saw Elvie at the mall. She called and waved. Before long they were kneeling down on the floor, crying and praying together.

“Esther, come join us at church tomorrow. You have been gone too long!” This morning there she was, beaming in the very front row with blushing cheeks and a great big smile. Her girl was on her lap and her starving little boys were filled with more than just nourishment, but Spiritual truths as well. They energetically answered the questions I asked the Sunday School kids’ class, having treasured for three years the truths they had learned. Jesus truly does heal broken hearts and lives!

Bebing & son fill sacks with gravel for the workers to raise & pave BLC's dirt road.

DO YOU HAVE A VALENTINE'S DAY PROJECT?

THESE ARE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE TO SUPPLY BEFORE APRIL 2005 ON BLC’S CONSTRUCTION:

CAN I HELP?

Praise God. From all over the world, sponsors of BLC kids sent funds for the kids to have Christmas gifts. One woman who does not even sponsor a child, gave $50 when she heard that the kids, upon receiving their new clothes, had to wait until they got home to try them on, as they were so poor they had no underwear!

Some also asked, “How else can I help the families?” The problem with giving money to poor families is that it makes them dependent on aid, and lethargic. So we are offering odd jobs to families that are unemployed, paying them with funds given by YOU. These jobs/funds will provide for the families until they can find jobs.

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Last edited June 17, 2023
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