“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matt. 9:37). This inevitably describes all missionary work, and the Palawano Project is no exception.
A few weeks ago, a woman I didn’t know approached me and asked me if, some Sabbath, we could meet to talk about God in her village of Sineletan. I answered with a tentative yes considering that I have another, more distant Sabbath destination past Sineletan in Emrang.
The following week I stopped in Sineletan on my way back from holding church in Emrang. The group that gathered was very attentive to the story of Lucifer’s fall and how we now have evil spirits in the world as a result. Upon leaving, I told them that we would meet again the next Sabbath afternoon.
At about 8:20 the next Sabbath morning, my friend Dyibin and I began our hike to Emrang. We made our way as quickly as my cut and infected feet would permit down to the river and up a creek on the other side of the valley. Then we climbed a rocky watershed up to Sineletan.
We were planning just to pass through Sineletan and return in the afternoon, but we found more than a dozen people already waiting, so I decided to have the meeting right then rather than making them wait several hours. I got to know the adults’ names and proceeded to tell them the creation story, which they absorbed with grunts and expressions of approval. They appreciated very much having someone hold a meeting in their village. God has put in their hearts a desire to hear about Him.
The problem is that I cannot spend time in Sineletan every Sabbath without neglecting my target area of Emrang. Also, Sineletan is only a 30-40 minute walk from the established Kensuli church. But, aren’t we supposed to carry the gospel to the people? This is why we need more workers. We are praying for more indigenous laborers to carry on the work where we cannot go, either because of location or suspicion of foreign missionaries.
I invite you to join us in following Christ’s instructions: “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 10:38).
