"UPDATE FROM THE PHILIPPINES: (March 2006)" "Personal…….. " We just got back from a simply wonderful and eye opening trip to the Philippines. Our trip started out by visiting a messianic congregation in Seattle Washington called El Shaddai. There was about 150 Brethren there and it was truly a wonderful experience. The next day we had a rare opportunity to visit a Sunday keeping congregation also in the Seattle area. Yahweh’s spirit was really moving with that particular group. I gave a message about the Torah being binding for all time and how modern Christianity has changed many of the original customs of true believers including changing the Sabbath day to Sunday. The message was well received and the Pastor invited us to lunch afterward and was truly moved by the message. He was so moved that he wants to take the whole congregation into the Hebraic roots movement and wanted us to come back for a week to teach about the Torah, Holy days etc. Praise Yahweh! We left later that night for a long trip across the Pacific Ocean through Taiwan to the Philippines. We were quite humbled at what we saw during our time there. There is an expression that goes, “I thought I was poor because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet”. This is what we felt in the Philippines. I had thought that I saw poor brethren in Africa, but the situation seemed even much worse in the Philippines. Many brethren are what are called squatters. This means they have no land to live on and are just living on any land that is available. This also means the government can come at any time and forcefully evict them from their land.

The average wage in the Philippines is about $5 per day and unemployment is about 25% or higher and it seemed much higher in the congregations. One of the reasons for the high unemployment in the congregations is the fact that most Filipino’s are forced to work on the Sabbath to hold a job. This even puts more pressure on those Filipinos who are working. Most brethren could not even afford $1 or $2 for bus fare to come to services. Also many of our widows in the Philippines are without any financial help and some do not even have food.

Crime is relatively high and many face the risk of being lashed with a knife right in the streets. The government there is mostly corrupt and does little for its people. There is almost no retirement or health care for the poor. People live day by day because they don’t have much other choice and there is little hope of any change in the future.

We were most amazed that even under these dire conditions the mood of the Pilipino brethren was cheerful and most excited to see us. Elder Rodolfo Malapit, who is the head Elder in the Philippines for Congregation of Yahweh met us with much joy.

He told us of the history of Sabbath keepers in the Philippines that started with his father in 1943. His father Polycarp Malapit joined the Church of God 7th day at that time. He then joined the sacred name movement in the year 1950 under Elder Clarence Dodd who was co-author in his timeless book called “A True History of the True Church”.

Since that time many different congregations have started and there are over 1,000 brethren in the Philippines.

Petra and I paid for 2 busses to pick up brethren from many different areas, to bring them to services, to meet us and the brethren. We also have been blessed by Yahweh to pay for a meal afterward as we were told that the brethren did not have money to bring food for Sabbath. There were about 140 brethren present. They all seemed so joyful to meet us and were so excited about the message of hope and unity that was brought to them.

Afterward we had an Elders meeting with about 14 Elders that were present at the service. I was informed that all the different factions groups that had been separated for almost 40 years now wanted to be united together with Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem and the work that the Heavenly Father was blessing us with. I most welcomed the opportunity to help them and work with them. There were congregations that were formerly associated with Jacob O Meyers Assembly of Yahweh, YNCA- Yahweh’s New Covenant assembly, and other various groups loosely tied to everything from former Worldwide Church of God and other sacred name movements. I was quite humbled that they all wanted to be united with us. Presently about 60 congregations have joined with the efforts of Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem.

I asked them why they wanted to be associated with Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem and they shared that we were the only group that was reaching out to help the poor Pilipino Brethren in their struggles to survive, and most other ministries would not even visit them because it was not in their interest financially. It was very discouraging to hear that so many in the leadership in the US are selling the gospel and constantly panhandling the Brethren for money no matter how poor they are. This MUST be stopped in the congregations and again I ask that anyone who has a catalogue and is selling the word of Yahweh to be marked and disassociated with. This is the only way that some of them might repent.

I really don’t think that most of us in the west realize how many physical blessings that we have and how much our brethren around the world are suffering. Some of our brethren in the Philippines have recently had their homes and possessions destroyed by flooding and mudslides and have lost everything. We brought clothing and financial aid to help these people try to survive the tragedy of the situation.

We in the US also had tragedy last year in Hurricane Katrina as well as others; the only difference being that through government programs and insurance at least most Americans (but not all) have the opportunity to rebuild and move on. To the Pilipino brethren this is not the case. No one in the Philippines can afford insurance and most will never recover from such tragedies. In both scenarios Katrina and the Philippines there was also tragic loss of life.

We spent almost every penny that we brought with us to the Philippines and we barely scratched the surface of the problems there of helping the brethren. We did bring much hope to them that brethren around the world want to help them and also pray for them. We were able to set up several programs for the poor and widows and also were able to give a man who is an elder money for a hearing aid; he had lost his hearing aid over 15 years ago. Just think about that! If any of us lost our hearing aid we would probably replace it within a week or so, but this man like most in the Philippines had to wait until Yahweh sent someone to give him the money to replace it.

We will continue to work with and help the Pilipino Brethren with the problems that they are facing there. We also shared with them that we are also living by faith and were only blessed to go there and help them because of you the brethren that funded this project. We truly thank you from the bottom of our heart for this! You have helped to make a major difference to the brethren there and we will continue to help them as Yahweh blesses us to do so. If anyone is led to give specifically for this project please write

“ Philipino Project” on your check . We thank you so much for your prayers for us both on this trip and your love for us.

As Passover is drawing near I am so moved and humbled by the amazing love and grace that our Heavenly Father Yahweh has bestowed on us by sending His only Son Yahshua to die for our sins. I am also sobered at the responsibility that we have for the things of Yahweh that he has entrusted us with. We must start to get a unified focus toward the end time work of Yahweh for the body of Messiah. This is not a one man show but we are all members of that one body and brothers and sisters together for the glory of Yahweh. It hurts so much to see some in the body of Messiah to have to live under such dire conditions. Some of the Elders in the Philippines have been Elders for almost 40 years and have no retirement or money to live on for their old age. But they are full of faith and securely know that the true reward will come at Yahshua’s return. You have no idea how happy I am that Yahweh allowed me to help these people and how blessed I feel for having so many wonderful loving co-workers in the harvest as yourself who sacrifice and care for the less fortunate sheep of Yahshua.

May Yahweh bless each and every one of you for your sacrifice and service to him during this special Passover season.