Mar 27, 2019 An Appointment in Heaven

In Iloilo, Philippines, the pastor of the Jaro Church, Rey Portugalete, is a very dedicated pastor, diligently doing the Lord’s work. He has 100 people doing Bible Studies, which is an amazing amount! Lots of preparation was done prior to my arrival there. I was so excited to be there and my assignment to this church was perfect for me!

Many of the people receiving Bible studies on a regular basis could not attend the evening meetings because of work schedules, but continued to study at home. I was also impressed with how vibrant and involved the youth are in providing beautiful music that honors God.

A consistent group of visitors attended every night. This included my friend, Annabeth, who has struggled with many life setbacks, including a tumor in her throat. She is also waiting for as annulment from her first husband so she can be baptizedÑalthough she considers herself a Seventh-day Adventist already and attends church regularly. Annabeth and I prayed together every night and on our last day, the whole team prayed with her. She wants to make her life right. She will have a surgery to remove the tumor this week. She has a fiance and both of them will be married and baptized soon.

Twelve people who regularly attended my evening meetings got baptized on Sabbath. I was so happy to be there with them for the baptismÑthere was definitely rejoicing in heaven!

I received a message from Harly, one of the new members who attended my evening meetings and was baptized: “I’d like to thank you from what you’ve done in my life for sharing the words of Jesus. God bless and I’ll pray for you. Bon voyage.”

I will continue praying for them to be strong in the faith. We made an appointment to see each other in heaven under the tree of lifeÑand I can not wait to see my friends Annabeth and Harly there!

Sandra Firestone
Iloilo, Philippines, team member