Filipino pastors approve 50th missionary to Asia
by Keith Bassham

Declaring that the Baptist Bible Fellowship preachers of the Philippines “have what we had in the ’50s and the ’60s,” BBFI mission director Bob Baird told them, “It’s your time now.” He made this statement when he met with Filipino pastors and missionaries for retreats in late December 1999 and early January this year.
Baird says he was excited by their response. They said, “We can do it. Let us do it.”

Baird meets with missionaries, pastors
Baird’s post-Christmas Filipino ministry began with a retreat for missionaries December 27-29. Many of the more than 50 BBFI missionaries on the islands met for relaxation, renewal and encouragement in a program similar to the annual retreat held near Springdale, Arkansas.
The next week, the mission director was the guest speaker for the Filipino pastors’ retreat, January 3-6. He spoke, taking his lessons from the book of Philippians, but his emphasis was on worldwide evangelism. Ann Baird spoke for the ladies.

Filipinos leading the way in Asian missions
According to Baird, the churches in the Philippines are gradually taking a missionary burden upon themselves. They have begun to see themselves less as a mission field and more as missionaries. He says, “During one invitation time, three-fourths of the pastors came forward, surrendering themselves to the cause of world missions. They know they can be the hub for a great movement.”
There are great resources available for this missionary thrust. Baird estimates we have 1,700 BBFI affiliated churches and 1,500 preachers in the Philippines. A Filipino missionary can be fully supported with $1,200 to $1,300 per month. He says, “They are not a third world country. They learn languages quickly. They work hard. And they can go places where American missionaries cannot go.”

Mechanism is in place
Baird recalls that in 1993, BBFI missionary Lloyd Baker asked, “Why can’t we have our own missionary clearinghouse?” During the pastors’ retreat in January, the 50th missionary working through the Asian Baptist Clearinghouse was approved. Those 50 missionaries are now serving in 14 Pacific Rim nations.
Some of the first missionaries were sent to Cambodia where there are now 12 churches begun by Filipino missionaries. Baird looks forward to the day when similar clearinghouses are in place in Korea and Japan. He says, “Asians have the potential, in the next 15 to 20 years, to be the greatest leaders in world evangelism.”

Testimony of
Peter de Jesus
Peter de Jesus is a member of Pines City Baptist Church in Baguio City. He recently shared this testimony with Bob Baird and BBFI missionary Terry Weise.

“My father found the Lord under the ministry of the late Bob Hughes. I was raised in a Christian home and met my personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in 1979 in the city of Cebu. The Lord called me to preach in 1981, and He placed a special burden in my heart about China through the preaching of Clifford Clark in our church in 1982.
“I went to Bible college and worked with my father to begin a church after I graduated. I started a church myself and worked as one of the visiting staff members in the ministry of Armie Jesalva in Cebu. Later, though, bitterness sneaked into my life, and I found myself away from the fellowship of the Lord.
“I met my future wife when we were both involved in the underground student movement. She was saved in 1989 and we were married in 1991. The Lord brought me out of the underground movement (National Democratic Front) and we returned to Baguio City. There, the Lord softened my heart through the ministry of Terry Weise. In 1994, I fully surrendered my life to the Lord.
“I studied law from 1992 to 1997, thinking that I could be a lawyer and be active in church as a deacon. Then, I happened to attend the pastors’ retreat in January 2000 and heard Bob Baird speak about China. The burden I had in 1982 has remained in my heart through the years.
“Finally, I gave up my complacency. I realized I have been running away from the call to serve God behind the Bamboo Curtain, and on January 9, I surrendered my life to be God’s laborer. I have decided I will follow Jesus whether or not I pass the bar exam. God’s hands will be upon my family as we work with Him in mainland China.”