At 8:00 this morning, we headed to sessions of the Pastors’ Conference. When we arrived, the ladies attended a session taught by Mrs. Wilkerson; and the rest of the group attended the preaching services in the main auditorium. Today’s first speaker was Pastor Billy Caalem. Bro. Caalem pastors a church in Leon and is responsible for starting over 70 churches through the graduates of his Bible college. Pastor Caalem preached a powerful sermon on having God’s grace on our lives. After Pastor Caalem, our very own Bro. Tom Apusen preached a sermon on faith.

Each day, the morning sessions have been capped off with a sermon from Pastor John Wilkerson. Today he preached a convicting sermon about the duties of a pastor. As always, Pastor Wilkerson’s messages have been very encouraging.

Following the morning sessions, we headed to Emillion Restaurant for a very tasty lunch. No one came away disappointed with the food, and all had more than enough to eat.

After a quick stop at the hotel, we then headed to one of IBC’s home-church ministries. This ministry uses homes as a place to conduct weekly church services. The ministry involves one of the Bible college students asking a homeowner if he can hold a Bible study in his home. These services are held on Tuesdays, and those who attend are brought to church on Sunday. We met Christopher, who is the leader of a home church with about 50 in attendance.

Following the Bible study, the ladies were able to pass out candies and play jump rope with the children in the area. Some of our group amused themselves by driving a tricycle and pedicab. This was followed by a great blessing as Bro. Andrew Brown was able to lead a man to Christ.

Our group then headed to a beachfront where people were living in primitive huts raised above the sand and water using bamboo stilts. Because of the lack of a sewage and garbage system, the sandy beach under the huts was literally covered with trash. Most of the people who live here work at the fishing port nearby. Seeing how people live here makes one very appreciative of all the luxuries we enjoy as Americans. Though the conditions were more than rough, all of the people still had smiles on their faces.

After another quick stop at the hotel, we headed back to IBC for the evening services. As in the past, the orchestra was playing 30 minutes prior to the start of the evening service, providing us with great Christian music. The speaker for tonight’s service was Bro. Tom Cantor. Bro. Cantor’s testimony is incredible. He is a Jew who got saved at an early age and is on fire for winning souls. His sermon was on the salvation of the Jews.

After the service, we headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest. Because our next activity doesn’t begin until 10:15AM, it looks like we’ll get to sleep in! Until next time…