Ultimately, Bruce and Jeanne are joyful because their ministry has come full circle. One of the Bible College graduates is committed to going to East Timor to plant churches. Ferdie Flores, already a seasoned church planter and pastor of Linamon Baptist Church, in a town two hours from Cagayan de Oro City, has resigned his church. Seeing Ferdie move toward a ministry in missions is particularly gratifying to Bruce and Jeanne because Ferdie was one of their first converts when they arrived in the Philippines. After Ferdie came to the Lord in 1987, he faced severe opposition from his family in Mindanao. They had planned for him to have a successful career as an engineer in the Middle East and support the education of his five sisters.
Ferdie remained faithful and attended Lapasan Baptist College. By the time he had graduated, both of his parents and all of his sisters had become Christians and were baptized into the fellowship of Lapasan Baptist Church. Ferdie’s deputation period is over and the Flores family arrived in East Timor in April 21, 2001. With his wife and two young daughters, he is presently living in the capital city of Dili, with a population of approximately 200,000. They are learning the Tetun language, and will eventually begin a work in one of the smaller villages outside Dili. Pray for them in this potentially dangerous and certainly frightening field.
Bruce wrote in a recent missionary letter after reporting on his resignation from Lapasan Baptist Church: “On July 30, my last Sunday as pastor, we had 899 persons in attendance on Sunday morning with four people saved, ten baptisms, and three transfers of membership. When I think back to when Jeanne and I first arrived in 1986 and then look at what God has done in this place in spite of us, it is just simply amazing. May Jesus Christ be praised!”
Adoniram Judson took a step of faith and preached the gospel in a country most people of his time didn’t know existed. Years later, Bruce Rice read Adoniram Judson’s biography and followed the Lord to the Philippines. There he would eventually meet and mentor a young man who would hear the same call to a land equally unknown to most people as Burma was in 1812.
We can only wait to see whom Ferdie Flores will touch in East Timor and where the mission call might take those new Christians. It is true that God has no grandchildren, but He has a long line of older brothers and sisters who pass on a testimony of His promises and faithfulness to the next generation.
And this is a link to a blog with peoples comments regarding the sms'
http://speak-not.blogspot.com/2005/10/pray.htmlLike one person on that blog said, "...the rumour of his execution are inaccurate, thank the Lord!"
TRUELY WE DO HAVE THIS TO PRAISE HIM FOR!!!
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