Group 1
(T.J. Apusen, Chad Armstrong, Rene Baltazar, James Goltiao, Zach Langston, Michael Moyer, Rob Rowe, Evan Sprague, and Tim Trieber)
It took awhile to get used to sleeping on the bamboo beds we were staying in, but most of us were able to sleep for a few hours at least. All of us were up by 5:00 a.m. Some of us took that same walk as last night, but this time in the early light of dawn. It was a beautiful sight and one we will not soon forget.
By 5:45 we were off and on our way to another church for the morning service. We started off in a jeepnie through the mountainous regions and then transferred to a bus and finally a trike. It's always amazing to see just how many people can fit on one vehicle in the Philippines. :)
We stopped briefly at Christian Baptist Church pastored by Jirehl Catalan, a graduate of IBC. We enjoyed meeting the pastor and some of the members of the church, and then off to the next church, Victory Baptist Church. Pastor Richard Allan Labrador started this church that NVBC supports in Barangay Cabug, Bacolod, Negros Occidental.
Tim Trieber preached the morning service on "The Lord Is Good," while Chad Armstrong taught the Bible story, Zacchaeus, to the children. It was evident that God moved in the service, and many were saved. The guys in the group sang a few songs, and the church service ended with a children's choir singing "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High." It is encouraging to see the zeal and love these wonderful people have for God.
After the service, we headed to the hotel to get ready for church at Iloilo Baptist Church. The trip again was on many modes of transportation - bikes, boats and jeepnies. Although the trip was tiring at times, I think everyone in the group will agree that it was an amazing experience and one that we won't soon forget. It was great to be able to spend a short time living with these precious people. We learned that we have much for which to be thankful for and that happiness is not gained by "things" but rather by God.
