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The Bicol Bulletin
Volume 1, Issue 3 - May 2003
"Only
God Knows Why" by Wade & Joanna Allen
One of the most difficult things about moving to the
mission field for my daughter was having to leave our dog in the States. So we
told her that as soon as we were settled, we would try to find a new one.
We were told by friends of a market in Manila where we
could find pure bred puppies at a reasonable price. So on our next trip to
Manila, we went to China Town to go shopping. Carly was so excited that we were
finally going to get a puppy! When we got there, there were no good options on
pure breeds, so in order to not have her heart broken again, we picked out a
mutt and named him Buster.
A few weeks later, when it was time for Buster’s shots, we
met Dr. Joy, a local veterinarian. She was very friendly and helpful. Being a
mutt, Buster had more than just a few things wrong that required the vet’s
attention. So over the next month or so, we became friends with Dr. Joy. When
we returned from church camp in Bacolod City, we found Buster looking pitiful.
It looked as though he had some kind of skin disease. Dr. Joy came by and
diagnosed him with mites. While Joy was here that day,
we sat and talked a lot. In the conversation she
asked why we were here, what we were doing, what we believed, etc. (the usual
questions). She said they were Catholic, but didn’t really attend. She seemed
very interested, so in passing we invited her to come to our Bible study that
next Sunday – not making a big deal at all. They came to “church” with us
Sunday and we had a really good time. We spent most of the time just getting to
know one another, because our main goal was to “earn another hearing.” They are
planning to attend next week as well!
Only God knows why I bought a
mutt; and only God knows why he has mites; but it is good of God to open our
eyes sometimes to understand some of the reasons things happen the way they do!
"Evidence of God's Protection" by Wade Allen
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We have enjoyed traveling this past month to be a part
of two youth camps: the National Camp in Negros and the Bicol Regional Camp
in Sorsogon. It was an honor to be a part of these ministries. Many
decisions were made to follow Christ in each of these camps.
Friday morning, April 25, I spoke to the youth at the
Bicol Regional Camp about obeying and trusting in God, even in difficult
situations. I shared the stories of Daniel and the three Hebrew children.
I told them, “To be a success in God’s eyes may mean that you find yourself
in difficult and dangerous situations. But no matter what you are going
through, you must trust God to carry out His will in your life, and be sure
that God receives the glory in all that you say and do!” Little did I know
that I would be the one who needed to remember those words only a few hours
later.
When I finished speaking on
Friday morning at the Bicol camp, I left there in order to return to Legazpi
City, about two hours away. Upon reaching the outer perimeter of Sorsogon
City, I decided to take the diversion road in order to avoid Friday
afternoon traffic in town. The diversion road is “unfinished,” but not a
bad road by Filipino standards. There are large sections of the road which
are gravel. When I came to the end of this long section of gravel road, I
got up on the blacktop and began to pick up speed. About 200 meters later,
I noticed the words “SLOW DOWN” painted on the highway. The problem was
that it was warning me of an intersection less than 30 meters away. I hit
my brakes, but it was already too late—I was already in the intersection.
At that moment, a passenger jeepney entered the intersection. It struck me
on the front left fender. The impact pushed my vehicle about 20 meters
across a ditch and into a field. Once I came to a stop, I saw flames coming
from under the crinkled hood. I immediately crawled across to the
passenger’s door, grabbed the paperwork and my briefcase, and got out of the
vehicle.
Upon further investigation
of the car, I was amazed as to how it was damaged. The front left fender
was completely crushed and the back left door was severely dented, but the
driver’s door was apparently undamaged. I sustained no injuries other than
soreness and bruising. Unfortunately, there were several passengers in the
other vehicle who were injured, including two fatal injuries. Our hearts
and prayers go out to these victims and their families.
We ask that you prayerfully
remember us in the wake of this incident. There are still many legal
matters to finalize. Please pray that the insurance company will cover the
expenses to fix the vehicle and pay for one-half of the victims expenses and
death benefits. We also ask that you would pray for us as we are dealing
with the stress associated with the legal issues. However, our greatest
concern is that we will not allow this to break our resolve to minister in
this place. We are absolutely sure of God’s direction in our ministry, but
something like this has the potential to distract and dishearten us to the
point that we could lose our passion for ministry, for people, and for the
Philippines. Because of the all-sufficient grace of God, we ARE surviving
each day— and as each day passes, our passion for ministry GROWS. We know
that God is teaching us and molding us to become His vessels to be used as
He wants to use us. As we go through this trying time, we greatly
appreciate your prayers for us!
I heard later that the
people at camp had spent a great deal of time praying for me after the
accident. The people here know how trying these situations can be. The
impact of the accident was not only felt by those of us who were involved,
but it was also felt at camp. I was told that many young people made a
commitment in the Friday evening service to trust God to do His will in
their lives! So in retrospect, my trip to Bulan, Sorsogon, was a tremendous
success! Why? Because God was glorified and hearts were changed to be
obedient to Him! |
Special Points of Interest
 | Some have asked if the humidity here is very bad. It is difficult to
quantify something that seems to never go away. Simply stated, the humidity is
so bad that we have to wipe a puddle of water off the top of our salt shaker
almost daily! |
| Filipino Independence Day is celebrated each year on June 12th. This also
happens to be our daughter’s birthday. Carly will be six years old! The
Philippines will be 105 years young! |
Prayer Concerns
Please pray for:
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Legal issues from the accident to be resolved. |
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Our family here and at home in the US. |
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God to provide a vehicle for our transportation, and to sell our vehicle in
the US. |
Thank God for:
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Progress in language learning and in making new friends. |
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The faithful service of Bro. Don Collins to the Missions Department. |
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God’s provision of a new Exec. Director, Bro. Grady Higgs. |
For More Information Contact:
BMAA Missions in the Philippines
PO Box 30910, Little Rock, Arkansas 72260-0016 USA
Tel: 501-455-4977
FAX: 501-455-3636
Internet: www.bmaam.com
E-mail:
wade@filipinomissions.org
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