Today, we spent the entire day at Pastor Martin’s Pastors’ & Workers’ Conference. We arrived at the church at 8:30 a.m. and were blessed by four messages from four different preachers.

 

At the conclusion of the morning services, we were treated to a meal at a very nice restaurant, serving Filipino cuisine. The food was delicious, and the view, overlooking the Iloilo River, was outstanding.

 

We headed back to the hotel for a few hours in the afternoon. Different members of our group used the free time to do different things. Several rested in their rooms, while others went shopping at a local department store. A few of the guys even went to a nearby bowling alley where a game cost only thirteen pesos (or about twenty-six cents in US currency). This included a personal scorekeeper and a man at the end of the lane who manually reset the pins after each frame.

 

The final service of the conference began at 6:00 p.m. Once again, their church orchestra played for approximately thirty minutes at the beginning of the service. In addition, their church and college choirs sang four beautiful songs. On a lighter note, Bro. Martin called Bro. Tim up in front of the service to lead their “Welcome to IBC” song during the greeting portion of the service. We’re not sure if everyone else enjoyed it, but our group definitely did.

 

It is amazing to see the love and dedication these people have for God and His Word. There are hundreds who have sacrificed just to be able to travel to the conference, with many sleeping on the wooden pews in the auditorium each night. Their joyful spirit for what God has given them is so very humbling.

 

Our trips to visit the churches that North Valley has supported will begin tomorrow. Stay tuned for more pictures and updates!