Welcome to the City of Golden Friendship!

Last Saturday our team arrived in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines and the airport sign said, "Welcome to the City of Golden Friendship" and that seems to perfectly describe our time here.

It's been a busy couple of days so far. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to:

 On Sunday morning we went to the small seaside village of Igpit for services. In the afternoon, there was a general feeding for the children in the community. These are the kids that Bernie and Daisy Senonis work with.

 Here are some of the Igpit kids!

 On Monday and Tuesday we held seminars for pastors and church members. Since it is summer holidays now, a lot of the kids attended too.

 Brian Niemitalo opened the seminars by speaking about confession and forgiveness.

There was lots of time to fellowship with one another or sing together!

We are now in the van on the way to Kitcharao where we will visit various churches as well as hold a convention with churches from five different towns! Please continue to pray for the missionaries as well as the people that we will meet here in the Philippines.

Blessed time in Guatemala

The time that God allowed me to be in Guatemala this year was absolutely invaluable and extremely blessed.

First of all I was able to follow up in very many ways the work He called me to do there a year ago. Especially the seminar teachings that had been given and the revival among the young people at that time had led to many repentances and a complete rejuvenation of the spiritual life for instance in the youth group. Also Pastor Giovanni and I were then involved in many home visits for prayer and counseling which bore much fruit. In one case a man, Julio, with a background in alcoholism, came to the throne of grace and then to church on several occasions then. Another case was of a young child, Jonathan, born almost totally blind who we found in a very hopeless state. After telling hid story on the net we found support for him from a couple in our congregation in Canada. In the year since then Pastor Giovanni has been able to take him and his mother to Guatemala City on several occasions for diagnosis, treatment and therapy. His mother now is in church with him regularly and the hope for a meaningful life for him is improving greatly.

This year a special focus of my visit was to follow up on the seminar that was held in Zacapa in February of this year by Scott Niemitalo, Bruce Estola and Colin Kinnunen on pivotal doctrinal issues. This proved to be blessed beyond belief. Issues of baptism and Holy Communion had been dealt with during that seminar in depth. As a result of this Pastor Giovanni, Ryan Ruotsala and I decided to culminate my stay there with a very special combined service celebration to make the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion available for all three congregations, Zacapa, Juan Ponce and Piedras Azules. For baptism we were especially thinking of the children, so many of whom were not yet baptized.

When we brought this idea out to the congregations there was a great and wonderful response. EIGHTEEN parents brought their children to be baptized last Sunday, April 7, at the special combined service celebration in Zacapa and ELEVEN adults also requested the holy sacrament - in all TWENTY NINE persons!! Little Jonathan was baptized and Julio, who has been sober for months now, even brought his son to be baptized! Later members of all three congregations participated in Holy Communion. For many it was their first opportunity. It had already been practiced in Zacapa but it was announced that it will now be served regularly in Juan Ponce, too. I anticipate that Piedras Azules will not be far behind!

In addition to this great response to the February and earlier seminars there was also a touching response among the youth to my stay. Besides the many personal contacts and "mentoring" times that we had together I was active in the Sunday evening youth group each week and then in a totally unforgettable "camping trip" with them to a mountain near Jalapa. Among many other memorable experiences, the night around the campfire was most precious when almost all of them opened up in a beautiful and moving way.

In all areas I had the incredible support, assistance and guidance of that most seasoned missionary and servant of the living God, Ryan Ruotsala. Furthermore Pastor Giovanni and I reached a whole new level of understanding and cooperation, which we share truly as brothers in Christ Jesus. 

Besides the celebration service last Sunday, April 7, during the last week I held seminars in both Juan Ponce and Zacapa on the theme of "Forgiveness". The attendance was great in both places. Each seminar was culminated with the "Lasting Change" session which includes the instruction and practice of confession and absolution in the name and blood of Jesus.

"Oh what fellowship, oh what joy divine!!"

Most sincerely in God's Peace,

Dennis Hilman

Report from South Africa

Every month, we ask the foreign pastors we work with share what they have been doing in their congregations. Here is the March 2013 report from South Africa:

Sunday School
Sunday school teacher training has been done, where a teacher from each congregation attended, the aim being to equip the teacher better in teaching the children and to use the Bible material provided for them by the foreign mission. The teachers also had a chance to discuss different problems they encounter in the congregations. Teachers suggested that this workshop should be held once everything three month.

Preaching the Word of God

We manage to organize and preach the living Word of God in places which we have never visited through contact of one women called Alinah we preached to the people in Kagiso where several people attended and some asked to be baptized. We also shared the Word of God with people at Kokcsoord and we were also request to make visit to them.

Youth Bible Studies
With the assistance of the youth committee, we conducted Bible studies for the young people I several places and conducted lectures on HIV/Aids at two high Schools. In these schools we met several young people who are involve with Satanist worship and practices. The principal asked us to conduct Morning Prayer once a week at this school.

Easter Service
All our congregations and Pastors met together on Easter Sunday to celebrate the Risen Lord with Songs and the Word of God in the remotearea of Ikageng, under a big tent.

Future Plans
On the 27th April – 29th April, Pastors and other leaders of the congregation will meet in Mohlakeng for a three-day retreat, sharing the Word of God and Prayers.

Problems we need to work on
The church need more trained pastors in other places, in other places their are women leaders as there are no cable men. Secondly even if most of our people are very poor, as stewardship teaching is needed for the people to know that even the little they give the Lord will bless it. We suggest that in future our visitors from the foreign mission should also assist us these two matters.

 Bishop Louis Mphaplele

Love and forgiveness!

Missionary Dennis Hilman just finished an extended trip to Guatemala to visit the congregations there. Here are some pictures from the trip there taken from Dennis's and full-time missionary Ryan Ruotsala's Facebook pages.

Ryan: Today's lesson: The true meaning of Jesus washing His followers feet, and what He meant when He told us to do the same.
Dennis: An attentive youth group in Zacapa tonight.

Dennis: "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them!" And what better way of DOING than to follow Jesus example and proclaim personal forgiveness in His name and blood?!
Ryan: A visible example of what Christ teaches us to do, humble ourselves and forgive as He forgives! 

 Ryan: A wonderful closure to Dennis' teaching on forgiveness! What a blessed time!

 

Ryan: Dennis sharing about how Jesus loves all the children around the ball.... I mean world! :)
Dennis: Probably the closest I will get to a basketball court. :-)

 Dennis: THE HEART OF A MAN! Ryan Ruotsala at his best at an orphanage near Jalapa, Guatemala.

Dennis in now in Florida getting ready to travel to the Philippines. Ryan is, of course, still in Guatemala. Please pray for both their ministries!