This is the Truth

It had been a rough day ministry-wise for our team. We were walking discouraged down the road back home. We saw a house through the banana trees that we had not seen before. An older lady sat looking at us from her porch. We decided to follow the path to her house to share the Gospel. 

Nathan shared the message of grace with her & explained what a real relationship with God looks like. We learned that in the past Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, and others had shared their beliefs, but all of these just left her feeling empty. 

When we shared she was overwhelmed by the truth and love that our God has for us. She could not believe the unexplainable goodness of God. She was full of joy and could not wait for us to come back to tell her more about this hope!

The next day we shared the story of Nicodemus. I asked her if she had been spiritual reborn and if she believed the free gift of salvation. Excitingly she said that she believed when we had shared the day before. Since then she had felt different because she now had the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of her. We continued to discuss salvation and prayed with her for assurance that she had fully surrendered her life to Christ. 

Nanay T truly had believed and in this we all greatly rejoiced! It was a time of tears of happiness that our God can save us from our sins. Seeing the excitement she had for Christ encouraged us to keep being bold in sharing our faith.

We have been able to have several Bible studies with her since then to continue discipleship. We have discussed the importance of reading the Bible and loving those around us. She has also attended group Bible studies in our house and learned more about the Lord through these. We also had a conversation with her about baptism. She understood the reason of baptism and now wants to follow the Lord in this act of obedience. 

It has been a testimony to see how the Lord has moved in and through her life. She has already faced persecution from her neighbors for her newfound faith but she is pressing on in the good fight. We are excited to see how God continues to use her for His plan. 

Please pray for Nanay T's strength as she can be a witness to those around her on Camiguin Island. 

Just remember that on the hard days when it seems that God isn’t moving... He is. Continue to be faithful in sharing His word. There are many people out there like Nanay T, desperately waiting to hear the true Gospel. Go and boldly proclaim the Gospel to those around you!

Ask God to lead you to a person of peace and that they would continue to share His name and what He has done to others around them.

-Sierra

Philippine Summer: Camiguin Island

From Door-to-Door, to Our Door

For the past month the Philippine Summer: Camiguin Island team has been sharing the Gospel door-to-door and stills continues to do so. Most of the time people are open to having Bible studies at their own homes, but what if we did something different??

The team has taken the time to pray that the Lord would touch the hearts of people to come together into one home to have one big Bible study. The team would go to Bible studies they had already scheduled and invite those people to the house. Only two people came to the first one. What seemed like a small number did not discourage them at all, rather all the more to continue to invite people to join. 

The second Bible study came around and 12 people showed up! The team sang worship songs in both English and Cebuano. Each team member shared a passage and explained it visually to the others. After the Bible study, they would have fellowship, sharing stories, laughing, and playing games with the kids. 

One individual spoke to them saying, “You guys are what a true Christian and a family of Christ looks like.”

Please pray for the people of Camiguin Island to continue coming to the home Bible studies so that that one day a church can be planted.

Philippine Summer: Camiguin Island

 

 

Jesus Loves the Little Children

My favorite moments have been our kids classes that we did the first few days. We were able to interact with the kids, play games, and teach them Bible stories about how Jesus loves them.

Pray for the Gospel seeds that have been planted in the hearts of these children.

-Jules

NT4 Teens

Camiguin Island, Philippines

God opens the doors

I have never done door-to-door evangelism & sharing the Gospel with a stranger was a scary thought! But here i've learned how willing people are to listen. God opens doors & softens hearts when He calls us to minister to others. So... just live boldly in your faith.

-Samantha

NT4Teens

Camiguin Island, Philippines 

A Little Bit of Faith

During Summer 2022, I served with Nehemiah Teams on Camiguin Island in the Philippines.  About three weeks into the trip, our team was  starting to lose steam and I especially felt overwhelmed & exhausted from living hardships and discouraging responses to the gospel. I even began to doubt God's willingness to perform miracles. 

One day, as I sat at an ultimate low, I prayed to God and said "Lord, I can't keep asking you to show me something if I won't actually listen and look." So I decided to look, and that's when God brought Nanay Bibi. 

Nanay Bibi is an eighty-year-old grandmother who lives with her husband in a small hut that would fit inside a king-size bed. Half of the hut is made of rice bags and most of the interior is a wooden slat to sleep on. 

    

Our team met Nanay on the narrow wall of a giant canal. She was struggling to get on the wall and when she saw us she cried out and said "Please help me, I have no food and my husband is sick." Later I learned that the reason she had no food or help was because her family had rejected her for abandoning the island's Catholic faith. 

    

We immediately helped her back to her hut, since she was in no condition to be moving, let alone climbing. Then we shared the gospel with her and she broke  down in tears.           

When we told her that faith in Jesus meant she would have an eternal relationship with God now on Earth and forever in Heaven, she nodded her head eagerly and asked to have it. We prayed with her. When she opened her eyes we saw tears of joy in her eyes as she jumped and praised God! I had never seen such immediate faith in the few words we were able to share with her that day. A week after her salvation I received news that she had been baptized and is remaining as faithful to God as physically possible for someone in her condition. 

    

Now, a year later, I've gotten to come back & see her once more and hear how she admitted she was ready to die that day. She said she was terrified of dying, but that she "just wanted to be with God forever." It was hard to listen and watch her recount her past because she was obviously in a lot more physical pain than before. Some of the men with us had to carry her to a seat just so she could come out. What really struck me about that whole encounter was that our  team had made no intention to meet Nanay that day. We simply remained faithful in going and God answered my prayer by saying "I have some one special for you to meet, and I want you to tell her about me." I witnessed the miracle of this woman's salvation as she rested on her potential deathbed. 

The problem with people in the same condition as Nanay is: first, there are few gospel proclaiming Christians going to the far reaches to find people like her, and secondly, there are few Christians willing to stay, disciple, and support new believers. I recall Mathew 9:37 when Jesus says "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." 

-Nathaniel

Philippine Summer: Camiguin Island

    

Pray that God sends disciplining believers willing to testify to God's grace and minister to the needs of Camiguin Island. All it took was one faithful conversation for one more soul to be added to God's kingdom. Praise the Lord. 

 

Meet the Team: NT 4 Teens

The first Nehemiah Teams 4 Teens was sent to Camiguin Island in the Philippines for a two-week trip. The team went door-to-door, sharing the Gospel & leading home Bible studies, and sharing with children using healthcare & Bible stories in the several villages. They were also invited in the local schools to share the Good News with the students of all grade levels from 1st to 12th grade. 

Left to Right
Jules | Kylie | Joy | Samantha | Lily 

Field training with Kuya Joe

for more information about NT4 Teens... click here.

Meet The Team: Camiguin Island

Our team is staying on the Philippine island of Camiguin this summer. Our goal is to share with every household in our area, finding individuals who desire to learn more about Christ. We want to disciple and pour into these people with the hopes that they will choose to follow Christ and start churches here. 

Please pray for open eyes for us to see the need & open hearts to receive the Good News we're sharing.

Pray for a lasting sense of ownership by the local believers to start a church here and develop their fellow brothers in Christ.

I am Austin, I’m 22. I am the team leader for the Camiguin Team. I just graduated with a degree in counseling from Liberty University and am pursuing a master's in crisis relief and trauma coupling in the fall. My favorite animal is a raccoon because they are essentially puppies with thumbs and my favorite food is Maryland blue crab. 

Hey guys! My name is Nathaniel, and I’m a tall 20-year-old redhead. I’m currently about to enter my third year of college at West Virginia University Institute of Technology studying Civil Engineering. I love carrots and red pandas just because…(gotta stick with the orange/ginger theme). This is my second time on Camiguin and my favorite word so far is the made-up phrase “kahoy manok,” which is tree chicken!

Hey y’all! My name is Sierra & I’m 20 years old. I am a junior at the University of North Alabama. My major is Recreation Management and I plan to do camp ministry after graduation. My favorite animal is a dolphin and I love to eat tacos. 

What’s up. My name is Maycen & I’m 20 years old. I am a senior at Ouachita Baptist University studying family and community services. I will be pursuing a seminary degree after graduation. Can dinosaurs count as a favorite animal? If not, I like goats. My favorite food is probably mashed potatoes and gravy. 

-Philippine Summer: Camiguin Island Team