Holding up a four-inch celery stick on a fork, Romulo asked, “What do you call this?”
Oregon Conference Women’s Ministries Director Corleen Johnson and I had taken Romulo Tuballes to eat at Izzy’s in Bend, Ore., after the Oregon Conference Christian Women’s Retreat, in October.
We’d first met Romulo when our team of nine women, three men, and one boy traveled to Kidapawan City, Philippines, in March 2000. There, we held an evangelistic series, health clinics, health talks, and family life talks.
We also prayed with many people, held women’s ministries meetings, and had an anointing service for two women, who were healed.
Now the Women’s Ministries Department of the Oregon Conference had brought Romulo to the United States to learn about evangelism here.
Women’s Retreat
We had just attended a women’s retreat for 470 women and one man (Romulo). There, Romulo reported with excitement, “I tell you what your offering last year did for JITA (“Jesus Is the Answer” evangelism).” As a minister, Romulo now calls everything JITA and is proud that every cottage meeting held has a JITA sign.
He reported that in his area, women’s ministries meetings are now held each month and help develop interest in cottage evangelism meetings. Every participating Filipino woman has a prayer partner for whom she prays at 6 p.m.
The Oregon Women’s Retreat offering in 2001 had purchased a laptop computer, a digital video camera, two mini sound systems, two DVD players, a multimedia projector, and a New Beginnings evangelistic series.
The offering also assisted five students with their expenses at Mountain View College and purchased four horses for visitations in the mountains, where vehicles cannot go. One-hundred-twenty-one have since been baptized in three series, where the equipment was used.
Looking Ahead
In January 2003, Filipino members plan a huge endeavor. This October’s Christian Women’s Retreat offering of $5,357 will help sponsor 120 evangelistic series. Relays of five pastors will hold successive two-week series, at a cost of between $100 and $300 each.
During his visit to Oregon, Romulo spoke at the Redmond, Cedar Creek, Castle Rock, The Dalles, Vancouver, and Gladstone Park churches—all in one week. He learned “tips” from Alf Birch and met Mary Necker, who had sponsored him as a college student, back in 1972.
One church he visited gave $1,011 toward the building of a church in Romulo’s home city of General Santos. Someone donated five sets of “Matthew” videos, in all five Philippine dialects.
“They will think it amazing, Jesus is speaking to them in their language,” Romulo said.
At the It Is Written Graphic Group’s headquarters in Vancouver, Wash., he added, “I would like to be able to edit the New Beginnings DVDs and put in my language.”
He was pleased to discover that an international version will be released in 2003 and will allow him to do just that.
Blessings
As we rounded the hill from Oceanside to Cape Meares, he said, “This is a $10 million dollar experience. America is blessed.”
“Yes, we know, and we have a song we sing called, ‘God Bless America,’” we replied. “It’s a song kind of like a prayer, that God will continue to bless us.”
“You are blessed!” he insisted. “Now you have a responsibility!”
Indeed! Lord, please help us to take advantage of our blessings and seize the responsibility to take Jesus to the world.
Diane Pestes, Corleen Johnson, and Romulo Tuballes enjoy Oceanside, Ore.
John Rogers, Romulo Tuballes, Corleen Johnson, and Diane Pestes: the Oregon Conference Trust Department receives the Oregon Christian Women’s Retreat offering of $5,357.
Dan and Mary Necker, with Romulo Tuballes, whom they sponsored as a college student, back in 1972.
