Fruit of the Ministry

Last year, as you surely heard, there was a major hurrican (called typhoon in Asia) that totally devastated the entire island of Samar and Layte, along with many other areas. Following the store, we went there to be of help and see the results. It was beyond discription. In my estimation, it was like a catagory 5 tornado that covered an area 50-60 miles wide and hundreds of miles long. Actually, it set a record for wind speed in world history.

Last November, Pastors Tom Raquirag and Deo Pagadroa contacted me and asked me to make plans to return to Samar and be a part of the dedication service of the buildings that they were able to rebuild. God is good and through his children that helped with the need, there were new buildings erected in both places.

As a matter of fact, it was the worst trip I have a been on in the Philippines. Along with continual rain that was going on while we were there, the roads are still being renovated from storm damage. The hours it took to get anywhere, including the continual abuse to our vehicles, I doubt I will ever drive there again. There must be a complete renovation of the highways there before I would do it. Because of 5 landslides and flooding, we spent more than half of our time there, driving on a very small island.

Two pictures of the multistage structure of the Faithway Bible Baptist Church located in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Pastored by Bro. Tom Raquirag.

The following are pictures from Bible Baptist Church, Maydulong, Eastern Samar pastored by Bro. Deo. Pagadora

We appreciate what God is doing with our ministry here. However, we want to emphasize the one who came to provide salvation and allow us to be reconciled with the Heavenly Father.

This coming week, we will be using our beautiful pick-up that God has provided for a long trip.  We will be traveling 24 hours one way, to the area that was so completely devastated by the typhoon (hurricane) last year. Two of those churches that lost their buildings have been able to rebuild.  I will be there to take part and preach during the dedication of the new structures they have been able to build.

We will have pictures and much more about the trip in January. Please pray for the trip.

We have not been able to make our updates on time, simply because of many ongoing activites that have occupied our time.  Just before boarding the plane to return to the Philippines on the first week of September,  we were able to visit, one more time with my father in Kansas City.  We look forward to the time we can see him again.

It was so comfortable to be back in our own place in the Philippines. It took about two weeks to get back into our ministry routine.  At the present we are in semester break of our Bible School.  We hope that we can get all the campuses finished in developing and organizing the schedules for the coming semester.  At the same time, there is a great amount of effort happening to make the upcoming wedding anniversary occassion happen.

Another amazing activitiy is in preperation.  The pastor friends here, have determined to give my wife and me, a wedding renewal of our vows to each other.  About 150 people are being planned for.  We are so excited for this to happen.  Andy, our youngest son will be the officiating minister.  Our son Paul, Pastor of Oak Lake Baptist Church in Houston, is also making plans to be in the Philippines and attend the wedding.

We have also had a great blessing from the Lord.  We sold our F150 a few years ago and have truly missed a pickup since that time.  Well, this past month, God opened the door for us to get a local made  Ford Ranger pickup.

We have truly enjoyed being with our families this past few weeks. Traveling about 5,000 miles already, we will probably add much more.  The 18th all our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren are planning to arrive in Houston and we will spend two days together, celebrating the beginning of this wonderful group of people that we are so proud of.

One of the reasons for the miles, was traveling to Indianapolis, In. to be in the wedding our second grandson, Max.  He was married with a very lovely, sweet and godly young lady who has expressed her love for the Lord and Max, her husband.  We are looking forward to getting to know her much better.

WE ARE NOW IN THE USA

We arrived in the Kansas City airport and was greeted by a wonderful group of people operating the service for missionaried called Baptist Missionary Transportion Ministry.  They we gracious and supplied us with a car for the few months that we are in the country.  They also supplied a place for us to spend the night in their church. Wonderful people.

MY FATHER   

Then it was the next day and we immediately went to my fathers house.  At 92, he is doing very well.  Although he has some maintanance medication to monitor his heart, he is doing well.  Just before we arrived, he had spent a few days in a very precarious time in the hospital. However, they were able to treat him and he was already home by the time we arrived. It was a blessing to see him again.  Of course, he isn’t the robust, hardworking man that I grew up under, but he is still the man in love with the Lord.  I appreciate his commitment to the Lord and His service

ANDY and MICHELE

Our next stop was with our you youngest son and their family.  While we were there, Gloria and I had the time to get over JetLag.  The kids are growing so much and we enjoyed their sweet personalaties.  We did attend some of the services of our AlmaMater for the graduation services.  Nice to see some OLD friends.  Heavy on the old.

Another highlite with Andy was the time on the golf course.  It would really be great if I could keep up but he was gracious.  It is our plan to spend another few days with them before we fly back in September.

AARON and TONI

Then it was on to see Aaron, our 3rd son. I don’t know how to describe our time in Florida for that week. So good.  Aaron has purchased and rides a beautiful Honda 1300cc motorcycle and he has a friend who was so kind to loan his big cycle to me.  Soooo,  Aaron and I were able to do some riding a couple of times.  Put a couple hundred miles on them.   For me, that was the hightlite of all the time till now. I do miss my motorcycle.

We can’t forget the special reason for our going to their place.  Tyler,  their oldest son and one of our elder grandchildren, finished his requirments to graduate from High School and received his diploma from Pensacola Christian Academy of Pensacola, Florida.

 GLORIA’S FAMILY

While in Florida to see our son and his family that week, we made sure we had time to see Gloria’s brother Tom who lives in a near city. He had a major accident a couple of years ago, on a SkiDoo and he was considerably damaged.  However, his recuperation is impressive and we spent 3 days with them.  The family arranged for all of Gloria’s brothers and sisters to be at Tom’s house and we saw the growth the neices and nephews.

During the same weekend, we spent the Sunday services in a supporting church in the town there and became aquainted with a wonderful pastor who had assumed the ministry since our last visit.  He is doing a very admirable job with the leadership there.

The time with the Aaron and Toni continued for another week as we traveled to a resort in North Texas and shared their vacation time.  The kids gave up their room for us.  Wow, what a blessing it was.  A beautiful place.  The weather was perfect with a little rain, lots of cloud cover and just the right temperature, about 75 degrees.  Of course, we had to have another round of golf.

We will continue the trip in our update of this blog next month.  We are expecting to have an ongoing amazing time with our family, including my mom and other sons in the coming weeks.

Dennis and Gloria

This is our 50th wedding anniversary year.  With that happening, our sons have organized a family reunion in Houston Texas and spend a few days together.   It is our hope that most of the grandkids and their families can also be there.  We have greatgrandkids that we haven’t seen yet.  They are getting older and growing up without us.  SAD.  But, that is the loss of being in another country.  The fact is, we are always glad that God has given us the chance to serve Him in the Philippines, but we do miss our family.  They are all an amazing people.

Then, in September, we plan to return to the Philippines and the pastors here have determined to give my wife a wedding that she never had.  We were married, like so many other have done, with our family in a very small wedding in street clothes, with no bling.  So, our friends here have decided that Gloria deserves a beautiful, full blown, with much bling, wedding.  She is excited about that.

So, April 29 we fly to KC,  MO to  spend a time with my 92 yr. old father there. Then spend a time with my brother, also in Kansas. We havent seen either one for several years.  My Father is not in good health and is praying for God to take him home.  I can’t say I blame him.  Then, we will spend time on the highway between the 3 grandsons who will graduate and the churches that we will report to.  It will be many miles and travel from New York to Arizona.

Please pray for our safety in travel.

It has been several weeks now since our trip to Guiuan,  Eastern Samar.  The purpose of the trip was to take some building materials not available to them.  Also, we wanted  to see the extent of the damage in the area.  I have tried to explain to Americans the impact of this storm, by comparing the damage to a Category 4 tornado.  However, the difference would be the damaged area is much larger.  This typhoon’s extreme damage covers an area of more than 5 miles wide and extends more than 50 miles across the islands.  Surely by now, you have seen pictures in CNN or some other international news program.  Nothing can prepare you for what reality is when you are actually there.  Nothing is left undamaged and most buildings are completely destroyed.

We, 12 of us including 5 other pastors,   began our trip with the bus of Bible Baptist Temple, Pastor Primo Tabanda. It is not the most comfortable vehicle, but it was durable and carried the materials that Pastor. Tom Raguirag needed to continue to have services until they could rebuild their building that is totally gone.

We spent about 75 hours on this bus for the 6 days of our trip.  I have to admit that it isn’t  the very comfortable ride but very serviceable. Once we entered into Samar, there was no place to eat, or rest, except along side the hiway.  So it was a good thing that we had a small generator and cook stove.  Then we had our “kitchen” anywhere we were.  Gotta eat you know.

After leaving the church in Manila  and beginning our trip, we traveled about  5 hours driving with out stopping.  Eventually,  we came to the dock at the town of Matnog where we were  to take a boat called a “roll on, roll off”.  Locally they are know as RORO ships.

But the purpose of the trip was actually the area of damage in the Island of Samar.  Once in the area and while traveling through, it is impossible to describe.  Even pictures cannot .  As you see the picture below, You can see the complete damage as you look down this street in the town if Guiuan.  At the right picture is what is left of Bible Baptist Church in the town..  Actually, the only thing left is the back wall with the baptistery built into it.  The awning was a gift from the Americans for some shelter.

We are still helping these people try to get some balance in their lives.  This past week we gave our two church in that area, a mechanical hollow block maker. Hopefully that will enable them to make their own, quality hollow blocks and they can build buildings that will not be destroyed so easily.  Of course, that is going to require more money for cement, sand, gravel for the mixture.  Also,  for other simple things like Sunday School materials, song books etc.  We thank Beams Bibles of Missippi, USA because they directed us to give several hundred Bibles to the churches in these areas.

So, if there is anything you would like to do to help In this endeavor, just send it to International Baptist Missions, 4346 N. Galloway, Mesquite Tx. 75150  Make the check to my name and designate it for Samar relief.  That is the address of our home church and clearing house.  We appreciate any generous actions to help those churches to continue reaching people and discipling them for the Lord.

Several pastors that work with us are making preparation to use a minibus and take building materials as well as money and other material, to Guiuan Eastern Samar. Then we will go to Tacloban. If you have been watching the news, you are sure to know the devastation that is there. One of the main problems is building materials and utilities. They have also lost their equipment for services.

We will be taking some roofing, a generator and other materials to rebuild the house and church to make them usable. We also have some bibles and other materials. They have lost there key board, the small amplifier and speakers in their churches also. That means we could use some help with the cost of those materials. If you would like to be involved, here is the address that you could send a check. Make it payable to me, Dennis Ebert and designate it to Relief.

International Baptist Missions
4346 N. Galloway
Mesquite, Texas 75150

Of course, any help, whatever the size, would be very much appreciated. Don’t think that you don’t have much, so your help would be too small. By the way, I would make the observation that these people are going to be in this situation for some time to come, so you could always have a part later on. This is not just an immediate need, but will be prolonged.

We have been contactec by many, both by telephone and internet. We are encouraged to know that there are people who do care about us. Actually, we are in a place of the country that was not affected at all. Not any damage or danger for us.

However, we do have so many in the Visayas that were affected and at this time, we are waiting for communications to opened up again so we can get some information for particular people. More than what the news will report. It is bad. I mean, really bad. I am sure you have already seen the news and know that it is bad. But it is worse than the news reports could ever report. The dead and destroyed property is indescribable.

We will post again, when we know more about those churches and pastors that we have worked with.