By sulad1
Published: October 26, 2008
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JUST PRAY

By: Romel Sumagpi

Malinawon Literacy Center

September, 2008



What? Why? Why? Why?



We wondered why the urgent text message of our Northeastern Mindanao Mission SULADS Coordinator. “Pack all your things and leave the village at once! I’ll explain when you reach my office. Take the long Gibonon to Salug route. Just follow my instruction,” was the text.



How shall we explain this to the people in our village? While this was a shock to my teammate and me, it is much more shocking to the people. We packed as the children and parents wondered. They wailed asking, “Why? Why are you leaving us? You seem not to come back anymore because you are packing all your things up.”



Tears choked me and I don’t know how to explain. “What wrong have we done?” one elder asked. “You owe us an explanation.”



“I don’t know either,” I explained. “I am just following instruction but there must be a big reason. I don’t believe you have done wrong. No not at all. JUST PRAY, JUST PRAY! Whatever this problem is I don’t know. What I believe only is if we pray to our God He will show us the way and we will understand it later.”



We knelt. “Dear Lord,” I prayed aloud, “we don’t know what this problem is all about but there must be a good reason and my leader needs to be obeyed. Please take good care of our people here while we are away.”



“We are coming back for sure,” we assured them. “JUST PRAY!”



Our neighbor SULADS teachers from Sagabalan Literacy Center received the same urgent message from Sir Dawis. We met on the cross trail near Salug. They didn’t know what the problem was about either. Like us they were just following instruction.



Four of us parateachers with all our heavy packs were received by Sir Dawis warmly. “Thank God you’re safe,” he said.



After the prayer of thanks for the safe trip I said, “What was the reason for the urgent message?”



“I received a word directly from the government military officer accusing the SULADS parateachers in your area as actively supporting the NPAs (Communist rebel group) They explained further that we were only using our literacy work as the frontline to support the NPAs. I sent you that urgent message and to bring all your things should their plan to raid you in your area be materialized. At least you are safe here. But I am negotiating for an audience with the military officers to explain our side so that we can clear our name.”



We stayed there working in our vegetable garden at the back yard of our SULADS House. Sir Dawis went to the military detachment to defend our side. We prayed that God would intervene to solve the problem.



He discovered according to the reports that a certain teacher in another school claimed that he is a SULADS teacher. An NPA element was caught by the government troops and was detained in their detachment. This detainee revealed that a certain SULADS teacher gave him his backpack and a rifle. He told many things more of his contact with this certain SULADS teacher. When Sir Dawis asked for the name of this teacher and received the answer, he said, “We don’t have a SULADS teacher with that name.” He sighed relieved. They discovered then that this teacher was just using SULADS as his identity and that destroyed our name. With Sir Dawis’ explanation the military people believed and cleared our name. We then were sent back to our Literacy Center.



What rejoicing there was in the village when we arrived. With tears again, this time tears of joy, the people said, “Sir, truly God answered our prayer. He sent you back to us.”



If you would like to support these youth who are willing to dedicate themselves to taking the Gospel to the people of Mindanao, please write a check to Gospel Outreach. Mark it for the SULADS and send it to:



Gospel Outreach

P.O. Box 8

College Place, WA 99324



You may also donate to the SULADS using your credit card by logging on to www.goaim.org and click on “Donate on Line” and follow the directions. Again, mark it for SULADS.



If you would prefer, you may write your check to the General Conference of SDA and mark the donation for SULADS and send it to:



General Conference of SDA

Donations

12501 Old Columbia Pike

Silver Spring, MD 20904



Thank you for your support of this very important project.



If you would like more information about the SULADS program, please write me at sulads@gmail.com.

I would be happy to supply more details.






--
Fred L. Webb
785 Hazeldean Rd.
Waterford, CA 95386

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vendale
November 1, 2008 11:43:19 AM
Hi sulads...how are you there?
I hope that you keep on
shinning 'til Jesus
comes....be strong and have a
good courage

lovely
September 14, 2008 11:53:54 PM
HmmP aNg takurOg ayawe kalimti
mU sULAds!gOdbLeSs..

adventlester
September 10, 2008 02:43:07 AM
i was there before in mvc...

adventlester
September 10, 2008 02:37:00 AM
good luck to everyone...

vendale
August 29, 2008 11:00:51 AM
God bless you all the time.

vendale
August 29, 2008 11:00:26 AM
Atoy???? Sulads
ko...pigpingawan aro kanyo
olin dyo't bubungan...No!!!
nig ampo koy kanyo olin na ka
magbabayo ug duma ruma kanyo,
dyot bubungan...we pray for
you always Sulads..good
work.May the Lord

lovely
August 28, 2008 12:52:55 AM
...dOnt foRget aNg TAKUROG
ha?..dis ocT 29!

sulad1
August 22, 2008 06:27:07 AM
sulad renvillz, atuwoy ra!
maupia ubag na lalag soin,
upiaon ka pa to Magbabayo ta,
nig ampo koy layon to kanyo,
paragas kid sulad, hapit on ka
pag libod din.

vendale
August 21, 2008 10:28:55 AM
Good work sulads...you are
always in our hearts and in
prayers

Kimmo
July 27, 2008 08:06:33 AM
Nice place

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