Wade and Sharon Sigrest are International Mission Board missionaries serving among the Cebu Cebuanos in the Philippines, a nation made up of more than 7,600 islands. The Sigrests have served there for more than 25 years and are involved in Send Relief projects, training leaders, conducting Bible studies and leading a house church.
Both Wade and Sharon grew up attending church, where God shaped their hearts and drew them to Himself. Wade recalled how God used his Sunday School classes and other ministries, as well as pastor’s messages, to reveal his need for salvation. Sharon credited her church experience and the influence of her pastor and family in her accepting Christ as a young child. Her commitment to God was strengthened by a pastor’s wife who discipled her in her early 20s.
Call to missions
Early in their marriage, Wade told Sharon of his call to missions. Sharon remembered, “I didn’t think much about it as he was in the military and we moved around, serving God in the places where He had planted us.” Little did she know that one of those assignments would be a catalyst for their future work with IMB.
When Wade was stationed on the island of Guam, the Sigrests joined Calvary Baptist Church, where Filipinos make up more than half of the church membership.
Later, after resigning from the U.S. Air Force, Wade attended seminary at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and he and his family were a part of a small church in Chalmette, Louisiana. Sharon attended an IMB missions conference at NOBTS where she spoke with missionaries from all over the world. These conversations left her feeling overwhelmed. But when she talked with a missionary from the Philippines, “It was different. I remember thinking, ‘I could live there.”
In summer 1998, Wade, Sharon and their children, Brian and Autumn, moved to Clermont, Florida, to serve with the North American Mission Board doing door-to-door evangelism for a new church. Sharon recalled her pastor sharing about a woman who responded after hearing the gospel. “I was just waiting for someone to tell me,” she said. That answer convinced Sharon that God was calling her to missions. She felt ready to pack her bags and go — without knowing exactly where.
The work
Today Wade is the director of three Send Relief projects in the Philippines. Each project is staffed by local Filipinos who lead classes over a three-month period on topics such as Bible study, agriculture, healthcare and livelihood, including how to make cakes, national delicacies and homecare products like dishwashing soap and fabric conditioner. The Sigrests support the local staff by training them in theology and gospel outreach, discipleship and planting churches.
Sharon leads weekly one-on-one Bible studies with several women. The church she and Wade founded meets in their home, where she prepares after-worship meals. She handles administrative duties for Wade’s Send Relief projects — receipts, reimbursements and reports — and serves as the cluster prayer advocate, hosting an online prayer meeting each first Saturday. Each month she and Wade visit other teams, with Wade delivering leadership training.
Wade leads weekly men’s Bible studies, mentors national partners and shepherds their home church — training members for children’s and adult ministries. Both he and Sharon enjoy Bible study and leader training, though traffic, busy schedules, and long travel distances pose challenges.
The Sigrests travel by car and boat to oversee projects on two islands. Each day they leave Cebu (see-BOO) at 6 a.m., drive an hour to the pier, and load their car onto a ferry for a three-hour crossing. After a beachside picnic, they drive to the island’s far end, then take a 45-minute pump boat to the second island, where a staff member greets them and they rest in a small house. Evening training for church leaders follows. The next morning, they return to the first island for another training, then drive to the pier and catch the ferry back to Cebu.
Relationships are important in the Philippines, and this culture connection is one of Wade’s favorite parts of living there. Filipinos tend to be happy people who enjoy sitting and talking, celebrating birthdays and fiestas.
However, life in the city can be busy with people rushing from place to place. Many in Cebu work in call centers, so their workday is at night to accommodate the time zone difference. Men often work on construction sites. Many people survive with low incomes and struggle to meet their daily needs.
Spiritual battle
In addition to physical needs, there are also pressing spiritual needs. The people need to hear the gospel. Professing Christians need to be discipled regularly, learning the need to make disciples.
Life in Cebu is a spiritual battle. Sharon noted, “People are blinded and deceived by the evil one. They invite Satan into their home with all the idols they own. They don’t know the truth and are convinced praying to the images will help save them.” This daily reality is heartbreaking. Sharon’s favorite Bible verses, Ephesians 6:10–11, provide encouragement and a reminder that believers are called to live differently:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Sharon has studied the armor of God with other women in Cebu to prepare them to stand against the schemes of the enemy.
Wade is reminded of God’s agape love for him and the Cebuano people when he thinks of the story of the prodigal son. He knows God does not want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Prayer requests
He and Sharon offer the following requests for the Cebu Cebuanos in the Philippines:
— Pray more nonbelievers would hear, open their hearts and accept the gospel.
— Pray God would raise up more leaders who will sacrificially disciple others.
— Pray God would raise up more church planters and pastors.
— Pray for the resources and development of the Sigrests’ farm project with a training center and multifunctional building, which will be used for training leaders, holding church and associational gatherings, and hosting youth camps.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Ashley Hall and originally published by the International Mission Board.
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