Here is the new update of the Born Again Badjao mission as end of Dec 2012. We want to express our appreciation of your prayers and support for this mission. You’ve been a faithful partner and supporter and through you, many lives have been touch and changed. Children’s lives have changed forever as they are given new opportunities. God will also not forget your good deed.

Please continue to pray for more of God’s provision as we are going to other parts of the Philippines this coming May to spread the Gospel to other Badjaos.

The following are the highlights and updates as of end of December 2012. These projects are continually being updated as you read this post. You can follow us for the latest activities in Facebook ( www.facebook.com/bornagainbadjao ).

A. On Education

• The Born Again Badjao Church has been chosen again for the year 2013 as Service Provider of educating out of school youth and children, Badjao and Tagalogs who cannot afford to go to school by DEPED ALS A & E for youth, and BLP[Basic Literacy Program] for children. This is the way God has taught us to evangelize and reach the youth, children and teachers for Christ.
• In April 3 this year, Arlene Eje, it is the first time a Badjao student graduated from Batangas State University from the department of College of Teachers Education [CTE] with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (BSEE).

B. Evangelism

• Ten (10) Badjao families were added to church by the Lord this year end 2012.
• One hundred (100) people, a combined number of both Badjaos & Tagalogs accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior last December 21, 2012 during an evangelistic medical ministry held here at the Born Again Badjao Church.
• At end of Dec, 2012, there are 45 families in total who are members of the BABC.

C. Mission

• Mission church planting in Bawing Village, Gensan City will very soon open by May 2013. Currently in preparation arranging for the right plan, strategies and workers and currently praying for provisions and support.
•  Four (4) potential Badjao workers who will be part of the church planing in Badjao-Gensan church were immersed in this Badjao community last February 2013.
• We will continue to evangelize, disciple, teach and train Badjao workers and members of other tribal communities to pursue the church vision, that is to raise, send, church planters & cross culture missionaries to other tribal communities in our nation and other countries. The Lord guide us, teach us and provided us all the needs of this vision.
• Evangelism of Badjao children, basic literacy program and food feeding are ongoing at Maisan Badjao community in Malitam and this activities are conducted by Badjao church workers headed by Sis. Tess Santiago, Badjao teachers Arlene Eje & Anthony Pendor. Seventy (70) to one hundred (100) children attended this program where we conducted food feeding.

Prayer Requests

Please continue to pray for us and the rest of this ministry so that we can complete what the Lord has laid in our hearts to complete. Your prayers and support are very important as you are also part of this ministry.

1. Financial support for our trip to General Santos Badjao mission

•  We will have a courtesy call first with gift to tribal leaders of the community and ask permission to stay for 1 month or more to conduct Literacy among the children and adults and also food feeding for all the children weekly. This is our initial move to befriend the Badjao community. Sooner, relief and medical mission will follow.
• Community development is the second phase of our mission church planting follows by livelihood by helping and supporting them fishing gears and materials.
• Live with them, eat with them, work with the people, learn from them and plan with them to win the hearts of the people for our Lord Jesus Christ. We will cater first the FELT NEEDS of the people before we introduce the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Please pray for a more generous-mission loving supporters, who will support and prays for the expanding needs of BABC mission works and for all our pupils and students in Kindergarten, Elementary, High school and college. We need your prayers for all our children’s spiritual life in Christ Jesus.

3. Please Pray for Badjao discipleship and prayer meetings in Badjao-Maisan handled by Bro.Lito every Wednesday and Friday afternoon. Please pray for the Badjao new converts spiritual growth and perseverance in their faith in Christ.

4. Please Pray for our much needed mission service vehicle. It will also be used for transport service for all our school children, high school and college students, for our Badjao mission evangelism and church planting in many Badjao communities. We need a A Kia KC220; 4×4 that has a capacity of 15 passengers which is worth around Php 980,000.00

5. Please pray for the physical health of Ptr. Albert, Sis Ellen and Tess Santiago.

6. Please pray for our Badjao workers: Lito Lozada, Emman & Anthony Pendor; Arlene Eje Alex, John Mark Alex, Tams and Joy Marlin so that we will continually have unmovable faith, perseverance, continuous sharpening in the ministry and always have a servant spirit.

7. Please pray for 2 Badjao trainee workers: Jotham Adjarani & Jr. Pendor & Abdurakman Abdulbasa.

Thank you.

Lovingly yours,

Pastor Albert & Ellen Santiago

Missionaries

Born Again Badjao Church Batangas City

After the solemnization the couple danced the cultural dance and were blessed by guests & visitors. The wedding party was very simple with Pancit, kanin, adobong talong and sitaw, juice, lumpia. We can see that the Badjaos enjoy eating with bare hands. Sarap!

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Please pray for our safety and financial provisions from the Lord.

You are our partners in this endeavor.. praying for us also means going with us in the mission winning the lost for Christ.

Thank you so much! The Lord richly bless you all in every areas of your lives.

9 in Secondary

3 has passed the A&E Secondary Exam

1 Graduated the TESDA course

1 BSEed (graduating) in BSU,Batangas

Total of : 55 Badjao children & Teens walking towards a good future because of education the Lord has provided for them.

4 Badjao learners (Malitam Is. ) for Grade I

3 Badjao Learners (Libjo) for Kindergarten

They are now presently enrolled in Malitam Elementary School and Libjo Central Elementary School in Batangas City.

One day, food became scarce in the community. Even the missionaries had no food. Gathering all the believers in the prayer meeting, the people and the missionaries prayed to God to send them food. They claimed the miracle of manna in the Old Testament, when God sent manna to the Israelites every morning on their journey to the Promised Land. The believers claimed, “ Higit pa dito ang ibibigay sa amin ng Panginoon.”

The next morning, to the amazement of the community, each household found a pack of pandesal under their houses. “Who could have brought this bread?” the missionaries asked. There is no bakery in the tribe. The Badjaos don’t eat pandesal because they can’t afford it. Every household got food that day and every one rejoiced as to how the Lord blessed them with “manna” from heaven — the pandesals.

The Badjaos are afraid of the dark, children and adults alike. They are afraid of the dark because of the pangoa which appear only at night. The “pangoa” are night creatures that suck blood from humans. The tagalogs and visayans call it “aswang”. They claimed they saw such creatures lurking at night. It is the reason why the Badjaos make their stairs in the house, detachable and their houses have only one window. At night, they close their window and remove their stairs, believing that the pangoa will not be able to come up to their houses without the stairs.

When the revival broke out in the tribe, the children stay in the prayer meetings every night till midnight. It is amazing that the children were no longer afraid to walk their way home at midnight. The next day, the children testified that the reason why they were not afraid anymore is that on their way home every night, they see angels along side the way telling them, “ Continue in your faith. Do not give up.”. The angels seem to protect them, the children said. Since then the fear of the Lord began to scatter among the badjaos…. That the Lord is more powerful than the pangoa. The Lord can save them from the fear of darkness.

If Jesus healed blind eyes during His time in Jerusalem, He does in the tribe also.

Pastor Albert obeyed the voice of the Lord, but blew only once on the girl’s face. The girl moved her eyelids. Then Pastor Albert heard the Lord saying, “Blow two times!”. Pastor Albert abruptly blew on the face of the girl twice……. The girl Aiza opened her eyes and smiled at the pastor. The bluish black color of her skin slowly faded away as she began to breath.

Aiza’s mother was happy and everyone thanked Jesus for bringing her to life. Now Aiza is a young lady, continuing her faith on the Lord.

Aiza is the girl with a necklace. One of the recipients of our educational program for the Badjao tribe. She is not a Badjao, her parents are Tagalogs but she and her family attend the worship service in the tribe’s Christian church.