The Next Generation of Bethany Christian Leaders

Greetings from the Philippines. We have just a couple of more days here in Isabela with the Bethany churches. Alberta is wrapping up her Entrust women's training today - more about that later. 

The first graduation exercises of the Bethany Center of Ministry Training (BCMT) demonstrated the resolve of Bethany's leadership team to respond to the need for more Christian leaders for future expansion. 

When I asked which churches the new graduates would be assigned to I was surprised by the leadership's response. None! The churches are developing their own leadership teams so the fresh graduates will be taking on the new outreaches the current churches have begun. Graduating new workers will give Bethany Philippines the ability to staff outreaches with committed trained leaders. Pray with us for the school to continue to equip new workers for the harvest field. (note - in the picture is Dr. Paul Hartford, who started and led the school until I took over, Ptr. Eddie Longgat who took over the school from me and Ptra. Nati Noveda, the current director). 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for 14 year old Tantan, son of one of our graduates from the 90s. He is confined in a hospital ICU due to undefined heart problems. 

2. Pray for the 4 Entrust ladies completing their training today. Pray that they could push through their last module when it is offered. They experience a lot of challenges with internet, scheduling, work and family conflicts.

3. Pray for the 6 new graduates that God would guide in the selection of their places of service and would provide for their every need - even financial! 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

Bethany Mexico Retreat 

For a variety of reasons, it had been 20 years since we have experienced a retreat for cross cultural workers in Bethany. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, we and 20 other workers from "the Americas" were treated to 4 days at a luxury hotel in Cancun, Mexico and amazing fellowship with fellow cross-cultural workers and staff from Bethany headquarters. One of the staff asked us to text the number of years we had been 'on the field' and the total came out to 879. That is over 40 years each! So yes, we weren't  a bunch of spring chickens but we did have lots of stories to share as encouragement of what God had been doing in our lives and ministries. 

We had breakout sessions doing Discovery Bible studies together and also learned of Bethany's renewed passion and vision to reach the unreached. 

All in all, we came home very encouraged. Pray with us for the next season of life for these long-serving Christian workers. Some have been away from their passport countries for so long that they will end up retiring in their country of service. Others are not sure. We covet your prayers for wisdom for our brothers and sisters in ministry as they seek God's will in their "golden years".  

Praise Reports:

1. We asked for prayer for Heather's residency permit and it was granted! Thanks for praying.

2. We have received all of the funds we appealed for last month for Alberta's trip to Thailand in September as well as the funds needed to install air conditioning in our training room on our Bethany campus in Isabela. How cool is that! Thank you! 

Prayer Requests: 

1. We have mentioned our Filipina god-daughter - Melonie Fiesta Mills in previous updates. She came to the Lord in the church we started in a village in the Philippines. Melo married 4 years ago to Kenny Mills and we are sad to report that Kenny passed away March 7. Please pray for Melo and Kenny's extended family as they mourn his passing. 

2. Pray for our trip to the Philippines. There are always a lot of moving parts for us and for our partners in the Philippines. The war in the middle east has created new challenges for travelers. Pray for our preparations and for our visit to be meaningful for those whom we are desiring to serve. 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

 Closing the Loop in Missions

We have regularly been in touch with one of our spiritual sons from our church planting experience in the Philippines. Humphrey and  his wife Gretchel and their family currently reside in Sao Paulo, Brazil! 

Humphrey's journey of faith began in the Bethany youth group we started in the village of Gappal in 1990. From that simple beginning, he has taken on teaching assignments in Indonesia, China and currently, Brazil, where he teaches Science at the Pan American Christian Academy (PACA) in Brazil. 

2025

We realized that, in a way, Bethany's ministry has circled the globe - Humphrey closing the link between the Philippines and Brazil. As the diagram shows, Bethany sent out cross cultural workers to Brazil in 1963. Next, Alberta and I  went to the Philippines in 1989. Finally, Humphrey and his wife and kids traveled from the Philippines to Brazil in 2024.

Humphrey is creatively using his work platform as a spring board for ministry. Praise the Lord that He has called and sustained Humphrey and his family in this new ministry opportunity. Pray for Humphrey, his wife, Gretchel and their 3 kids as they reflect Christ into the lives of his students and the students' families.

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for us as we head to Cancun Mexico March 8-13 for a Bethany retreat for all their cross cultural workers in the "Americas". Bethany has been monitoring the security situation and feels it is safe for us to continue plans for the retreat.

2. Pray for Alberta as she continues her Entrust/Equipping Women Int. course on Tuesdays 6-9 am 😴. She will finish this course in person when we are in the Philippines.

3. We have a financial request we would ask you to consider: 

Bethany Philippines needs a new air conditioner for their dining hall/seminar room which we and other trainers will use in our meetings in April. We would like to help them with this need. The cost of a new air-con is $800. 

   

Alberta will be making an additional trip to Thailand in September to help with an Entrust/Equipping women's training. This is outside our normal budgeted travel expenses for the year. Price tag - $1700. 

If you would like to contribute to either of these needs let us know      and we will insure that your gift is used for the need presented. Once we have received commitments for both of these requests we will send a confirmation informing you that we have enough pledges to cover these expenses. Giving instructions are in the left margin of this blog post. 

 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

 The Growing Ministry of Entrust in the Philippines

Alberta first took an Entrust training in 2012 in Chiang Mai. After finishing the 4 modules and taking the Facilitator Training, she helped facilitate a module in 2019. In it were several Filipinas that traveled to Thailand to take their first course. It was then that Alberta and her co-facilitator, Emily (a Filipina living in the US), began to dream about growing the "Entrust" ministry of the study of the Bible through relational learning - in the Philippines.

 

On a recent Zoom call 50 Filipinos (half of them shown in the above picture) networked to talk about establishing an independent hub of Entrust in the Philippines. With both men and women desiring this type of training, the future is promising for the growth of the Entrust Relational Learning model. Please pray for the leaders of Entrust as they strategize on how best to relate to the Entrust organization and serve the people of the Philippines. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for Alberta's preparation for the new module starting Feb. 17th. She will be one of the facilitators. The module will start online and finish in person in the Philippines in early May. 

2. Pray for our preparations for our trip to the Philippines April 12-May 6. There will be various services - anniversary, Bible school graduation, Entrust training, etc. that we will have a part in. 

3. Pray for Heather as she applies for residency in the UK. 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

 

A God daughter's Growth in Grace

When I (Steve) first met Rosana she was 9 yrs. old. (photo of my mom visiting me shortly after I moved into Rosana's home in 1986).  Her mom and grandma had agreed to allow me to live in their home while I learned the Ilocano language.  She and her sister Tess have become like family to me and Alberta. 

After graduating high school, Rosana came to the  School of Church Planting (SOCP) that Alberta and I served in for 6 years. She married Pastor Eddie Longgat who became my successor in directing the school. When Eddie and Rosana married they asked me and Alberta to become their Ninong and Ninang (god parents) to them, an honor we gladly accepted. 

Rosana has continued developing connections in training for the wider Filipino church community. In addition to her responsibilities in Bethany's school of ministry, she now represents the Philippines for an organization called "The Increase Association". This position of training has taken Rosana to Thailand, Korea and other parts of Asia, providing tools for local churches to enhance the ministry skills of pastors and local leaders. Please pray for Rosana as she juggles many responsibilities locally as well as internationally. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Please pray for our partners in Bangladesh, Omar and Shana (not their real names). Due to the unrest in the country they are considering relocating to Thailand temporarily until the security situation settles down. They are targeted in the unrest since they are leaders of an organization. We will update you further as soon as we know more. 

2. One of our friends, a former missionary with Bethany, Bill Kish was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has recently been moved to hospice care. Pray with us for a peaceful close to his earthly journey and a smooth transition to his heavenly home. 

3. Pray for us as we get back into the swing of ministry connections after some great holidays with Heather and Krista.

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

You Light Up My Life 

 In the years before GPS, when 'ships were made of wood and men were made of steel', the Hole in the Wall Lighthouse on Great Abaco Island was a sight for sore eyes! After crossing 3000 miles of Atlantic Ocean, it was  the first lighthouse mariners would catch sight of as they passed through the Bahamas on their way to the ports on the Gulf of Mexico. When overcast skies hid the stars they navigated by, the lighthouse announced "Here I am, this is the way," allowing the navigators to guide their ships safely through the dark night. 

Light is a powerful theme of the Advent season. The wise men were led to the stable where Jesus lay, by the light of a bright star. The shepherds tending their flocks near Bethlehem were visited by an angel of the Lord who stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and the shepherds were greatly afraid. 

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied "By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." Jesus is, the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the Word of His power. 

As we approach the Christmas holidays this year, we will experience the darkest day of our calendar year on Dec. 21 followed three days later by our celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. 

In these dark and uncertain times, many people are wandering in their own personal darkness. They are looking for a beacon of hope, a light for their path. In Acts 26.16 we read that Jesus sent Paul to the Gentiles to "open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." 

This Advent season, may Jesus send us to those wandering in darkness that they might finally find their way to Him "in whom there is no darkness at all." May we "let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. 

Merry Christmas from Steve and Alberta 

    Someone Will be Killed fromYour Church

According to our friends, Omar and Shana (not their real names), this note was nailed to the door of a Catholic Church in their town in Bangladesh - stating "you must close all churches from Sunday or someone will be killed from your church." 

Christians represent only 1% of the population which is predominantly Muslim. Omar and Shana and their group of churches decided to meet at night instead of during the day and to limit singing and anything that might draw attention to themselves. Since they are the leaders and have appeared in a number of pictures baptizing new believers they are praying and fasting about how God might want them to respond to these serious threats. 

Will you pray with us for Omar and Shana, their leadership team and the church members in their house churches? Also, pray for the country of Bangladesh as they move toward a national election in February. There is a lot of jostling for power in the lead up to the vote and tensions are running high. 

Praise Report

1. We are thankful for all of you who read this blog and support us in pray and other ways. Happy belated Thanksgiving!

2. We praise the Lord for my friend, Larry's, safe arrival in Florida. He joined our Bible study of John this past Thursday on Zoom and is very encouraged. He's already found a church and joined a small group!

3. We are thankful for good health and lots of ministry opportunities.  We are looking forward to Christmas in Atlanta with Heather and Krista. 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta