Like many construction zones that have large, yellow “Men at Work” signs, It Is Written’s evangelism project in the Philippines had a sign: “God at Work.”
For several of the 58 volunteer evangelists, God was at work well before they landed in the Philippines. One volunteer indicated that he and his wife could not afford the trip. They prayed and said, “God, if You want us to go, make a way.”
And God did just that, he said. The couple’s tax refund from 2017 was exactly the amount they needed to travel to the Philippines. This is God at work, the volunteer said.
Before coming to the Philippines, organizers were warned that July is the rainy season. Schools and government buildings were closed twice during the series because of flooding caused by massive amounts of rain. Because of all the rain, a decision had to be made about the 41 evangelistic sites: cancel the meetings or keep going? Organizers decided to go by faith and keep going because, they said, people are hungry for the Word of God.
Pearl, one of the volunteer evangelists, reported that in spite of the rain, attendance shot up. More than 150 people were squeezing into her small venue that comfortably holds about 90 people. God was at work, she said.
Nancy, another volunteer evangelist, noticed some commotion at the back of her venue. She kept on preaching, however, and the people sat soaking in every word. When she was finished and ready to leave, she realized that the commotion had been about the water level on the street rising fast but never coming into the church.
A volunteer evangelist from Maryland, United States, named Kem held his meetings in a venue with a tin roof. Preaching under a tin roof in a downpour is like trying to preach next to a working jackhammer, he said.
In Kem’s own words, “By faith, last night God stopped the rain twice for us. Just when I was about to preach, the heaviest downpour you ever heard began. It was so loud we couldn’t hear each other even though I was using the microphone. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was, but I read the word ‘rain’ on the audience’s lips. That’s when I said, ‘Let’s pray.’ Almost immediately after I prayed, the rain stopped. It was a tremendous answer to prayer. Just incredible. I preached for a while, and then the rain came pouring down again. So I prayed again. And just as before, the rain came to a screeching halt. And it didn’t rain anymore. That night we had an amazing altar call.”
Leaders of the It Is Written team and volunteers said frequently that it was a blessing to be in the front row watching God at work again and again.
It Is Written speaker/director John Bradshaw said one thing, in particular, made a major impression. “It’s a blessing to be where people love to share their faith. Evangelism is part of the fabric of church life here. Congregations know that the reason they exist is to share Jesus with others. That kind of commitment to sharing Christ is rewarded with great results.”
On Sabbath (Saturday), July 21, It Is Written held the first of two baptismal services. Hundreds of people were baptized. City-wide meetings in Manila continued until Sabbath (Saturday), July 28. The final tally of baptisms is still pending.
It Is Written is an internationally broadcast television ministry founded in 1956. It was the first religious program to air in color, and the first to take advantage of satellite technology. The weekly program reaches millions of viewers in more than 140 countries.
