In the afternoon of one Sabbath in February 2005, after the Sabbath service and Bible Study, Catherine Castillano was baptized in Tacloban City. Cathy, as her family fondly calls her, is the granddaughter of Cesar Adona and the late Rosenda Adona, both members in Tacloban congregation.

One important event in the Visayas for the month of March took place when we were invited to go to Badian and Moalboal towns in Cebu province. These two towns are three hours of travel south from the city of Cebu.

With my wife and I on this trip were Mr. and Mrs. Edmond Macaraeg, pastor of Davao and Mindanao congregations, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Cebrian, of the northern Mindanao congregation and Mr. Heracleo Gempero, a member from Butuan City.

As we arranged, we all met in Cebu City after lunch on Friday, March 18. Then we got a bus for our trip to Badian and Moalboal, the two towns of our destinations. Upon reaching Badian after almost a three-hour trip, we were welcomed by Mr. Timoteo Duque, the owner of the resort where we checked in, and also the place where we were supposed to meet with other people the next day.

Sabbath afternoon of May 19 at 2:00 p.m., we met the group calling themselves Bible Believers Christian Fellowship. The group consisted of different faiths meeting together every Sabbath afternoon of the month discussing their faith based on the Scriptures. In the group were Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Assembly of God, Seventh Day Adventists, United Church of Christ in the Philippines and some other observers.

After a brief introduction from each one, I presented the subject on Jesus’ statement in Matthew 12:39-40, the three days and three nights of His stay in the grave until He was resurrected, which I supposed the group didn’t believe since they practice the Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations. Reaction from the group varied, some were attentive and were taking notes during the presentation, while others didn’t even pay attention.

The presentation was followed by the question and answer portion, which Mr. Macaraeg and Mr. Cebrian ably answered. This lasted until 6:00 p.m. The following day, Sunday, we proceeded to Moalboal to meet with another group. Moalboal is a town about ten kilometers north from Badian.

The attitude of this group was different from the group we met in Badian, since they were very attentive and receptive to the presentation given by Mr. Macaraeg. We can see on their faces and attitude the willingness to listen and learn. They also participated in the discussion as they were given the opportunity to read the scriptures to answer their inquiries.

We have seen in this group a potential for establishing a Bible Study in the area since they asked if we could visit them in the future. I told them we would make a schedule for this purpose.

Overall, we were able to plant the seed of the gospel and the truth. God-willing, this seed will grow, blossom and finally bear fruit for the glory of God. It is His doing and we believe He is opening the door for His work in that area.