Wonderful greetings in the sweetest Name, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord!
It is always a blessed thought to be able to connect with you. I always thank God for you and pray for your health and strength, both physically and spiritually. Praise God for the family of Rev. and Mrs. Reed. Praying for them and for our IGM family and also for Pastor and Mrs. Newhart. Their love and sacrifices have had a great impact for me in the field, always having it in mind to reach the lost for Christ.
Praise God, the government restrictions in our area continue to loosen. Although our border is still manned by men in uniform, many checkpoints are now gone. Praise God for His power manifested throughout the whole world even with this pandemic. All of us are reminded of God’s encompassing power over everything in this world. Christians can always have a decision to make: make God the priority or just live without minding Him. Many have become cold-hearted and blame God for their disappointments and losses; but to the faithful, all things work together for good to them who love God. Romans 8:28
PRAISES AND PRAYERS
Our New Church Pastor
My youngest son, Daniel Arno, stepped up, after a long struggle in prayer, to pastor our church. Praise be unto the Lord! He is also the principal in the day school and is finishing up his Master’s degree in education. On top of that, he is taking pastoral classes online. His pastoral lessons are from the senior pastors of churches we are associated with, Fundamental Baptist, and By His Grace Ministries. He finished 2 years in music from Bob Jones Christian College in Manila 7 years ago.
Gospel Evangelism/Church:
I praise God for freedom in the Philippines in sharing the Gospel in schools and anywhere else.
Please uphold our church in prayer that we will desire to be more bold in evangelism. We understand that the Holy Spirit must always be the Initiator, the Guide, and the Power in all church endeavors. Please pray for our new pastor for spiritual strength and growth day by day as he leads the flock of God. Praying for spirituality and spiritual growth for us Christians and for willingness to study the Bible for spiritual food every day.
Sunday school for children is increasing in numbers while the young people are becoming fewer and fewer in number as they are already leaving town to work in different places to help their families.
Santa Maria Is a Town in a State of Calamity
On November 17th, our small town had a heavy downpour lasting for many hours. This resulted in the worst flooding and landslides to date. The same was true in all the nearby towns. All classes were suspended for a week so that the roads, bridges, and buildings could be repaired. But God again blessed us with safety, with only ankle-deep flood water entering our premises and classrooms. Other schools nearby suffered heavy damages because of the muddy water that got inside their campuses. Many houses were submerged in flood water and a number were washed out. We were able to share some clothing, food, mats, and bedding with the people who were transferred to evacuation areas. Thank you as you include the people of Sta. Maria in your prayers as many continue to recover.
Family:
We praise God for Arno’s response to becoming a pastor. We pray and support him and his wife wholeheartedly as a family as they serve the Lord.
Dannel continues to fight against hypokalaemia, a lack of potassium in her system. We are praying that the cyst in her adrenals will be removed either by a doctor’s procedure of by God’s miracle. She has been advised to get another CT scan. I thank God for her strong faith, always claiming Matthew 6:33.
Unno and Beryl, with their 3 children, are all well. Please pray for these three grandchildren of mine because they suffer many kinds of allergies from food and other things. Nathaniel, 10 years old and Ysabelle, 6, are both in elementary school. Rafa, the youngest at 3 years old, has lots of food allergies like peanut butter, cheese, and others. They are praying for a house of their own. They rent an apartment which is getting smaller for the growing family.
I was given guardianship for Onyx. He is now 11. The legal adoption is on hold because of the high cost for the legal services.
We live in a world of many uncertainties and challenges. Praise God He is Constant, a personal God Who loves us and takes care of us in all aspects. All of His promises are true. He is dependable at all times.
Please pray for the women, widows, and single mothers in our community. They reach out to me for counseling with their different concerns. Please pray for me for wisdom from God to always be a good listener so that in the end, I can draw them to Jesus Christ. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Only our Savior can make a new creation.
Lastly, wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving!
Nelly Hiquiana