The Alabama group arrived at the Manila airport full of excitement at the prospect of holding a free medical clinic for needy Filipinos. Hopes of the Alabamians were soon dashed, however, because the group could not produce the paperwork demanded by the customs guard. Thus, their medical supplies and food were confiscated. The project they worked on for so long seemed doomed.
The three volunteers included Tom Vaughn, director of missions for Sipsey Baptist Association; Robert Pate, pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Gordo and his wife, Ida. Mrs. Pate, a nurse and a native of the Philippines, shared her burden for her homeland after a native Filipino preached in the Pates’ home. In a series of meetings, several Philippines natives living in Alabama were led to Christ.
Obvious need
Seeing the hunger for salvation, the Pates and Vaughn felt convicted that they should plan a missions trip to the islands to hold a two-day free medical clinic on the island of Leyte, give away Bibles and tracts and conduct Bible studies.
They prayed and planned for months, collecting money for food and Bibles and supplies for the medical clinic.
After all the preparation, the 420 pounds of medicine and food donated by churches and individuals for the Filipino people had been confiscated.
“We thought we had done everything possible to avoid delays,” Vaughn said. “The person in charge of customs asked for a letter from their government, which we did not have.”
“There we were, stuck 10,000 miles away from home and without proper papers,” Vaughn explained. We realized if we were in God’s will we had better do some serious praying.”
Returning to the building they had just left, the volunteers were surprised to hear that the circumstances had suddenly changed.
“The Lord opened the doors of heaven and blessed us,” Vaughn said. “The guard said the man in charge had decided to give all of their supplies back.”
And that was just the beginning.
According to Vaughn, the area they visited has a large population of poor people who cannot afford proper food or medical care.
“These people could not even afford a bottle of aspirin,” he noted. “What would cost us one dollar would cost these people more money than they would make in a whole year.”
The volunteers from Alabama joined Lance Sturrock, a full-time church planter from Texas who had donated 1,000 New Testaments and had helped them order Bibles locally. A local doctor, Gloria Fabrigas, and a nurse, Nellie Abuyabor, worked in the medical clinic, along with local pastor Samuel Nebreja and layman Rowan Lago. The first two days, the team ministered to the sick in the city of Cainpaan. They treated people for malnourishment, fungus infections, sores that would not heal and parasites. Among the more touching cases was a little girl who had broken her arm.
“Whoever had put the cast on her arm must not have checked their work,” Vaughn said. “The cast had sharp edges and was literally cutting the child every time she put her arm down. She also had maggots in the wound.”
Important as the medical needs of the people were, their spiritual needs were greater. The group shared Christ with the people at the clinic, and held showings of the “Jesus” film at night. In two days, more than 200 people were saved. During the remaining days the group conducted Bible studies and Backyard Bible Clubs. They gave away 840 Bibles and the 1,000 New Testaments, and saw an additional 55 people saved.
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