Believers are growing, and both learning and teaching Firm Foundations Bible lessons.

During the last language session of 2012, missionary Gary Smith asked Ronny, a Dinangat believer and his co-worker in translation and curriculum development, to pray.

“Lord we thank you because in good times and in bad times you are always with us,” he prayed.

Ronny is well acquainted with suffering. His son had a meningitis attack and afterward was severely handicapped. Ronny helped care for his son along with helping Gary. It has been difficult to handle all the things demanded of him but he gave this testimony before the church.

“I want to praise and thank the Lord for helping me this year. That even though my son is handicapped God enabled me to teach a complete literacy course and to continue doing translation and curriculum development with Gary.”

This was at the last church meeting of 2012. At that time many others in the church wanted to praise and thank God during the service. Though the Dinangat church is young, the believers are growing steadily.

Twenty seven believers praised God for His working in their lives over the past year, and rejoiced that they can trust Him in the next.

One young woman summed it all up saying, “Before the truth came here I was very unsure what to believe. But today after going through literacy and reading God’s word I can know what is truth and I understand it. I thank the Holy Spirit for opening my eyes and helping me believe Truth.”

The church is looking forward to an evangelism opportunity in another nearby village. They will be joining another church and teaching the Firm Foundation Creation to Christ series in February.

“As word of this has spread,” wrote Gary, “some people from the village that closed their doors to us will be coming as well. We couldn’t see how God was going to open the door to that village, but now He has opened a window in another and those wanting to hear are climbing through it.”

Also next month a believer from another people group will be coming to hold a marriage seminar. The missionaries have had difficulty counseling couple from their cultural perspective. This man will provide Scriptural principles for marriage to the Dinangat believers.

“It’s a new year,” Gary wrote, “and we pray that as God’s word goes forth here many more will be added to the church and each of us will glory in Him alone.”