THE HARVEST

[April 11, 2016 at 8:39am]

The Kirayan Baptist Church has successfully culminated last week its Vacation Bible School, or VBS, and I’m still happy for the huge turnout of children aged 4 to 15 from here and from Banuyao and Naulid, our neighboring villages.

We would like to thank all their respective parents for allowing them to join in this summer activities, to learn and hear about the Bible, about Christ and His saving grace, and to promote goodwill and camaraderie among those kids

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We’d like to thank likewise Pastors John and Ryan and their assistants Ma’am Paopao, Ma’am Jera, Ma’am Kakai and Ma’am Bembem, student volunteers from Doane Seminary, for a job well-done. The joy is truly unparalleled when despite the hardship and pressure and physical struggle under the sun, one gives diligent efforts and total dedication and passion for the work of the Great One.

We know that such efforts are definitely not in vain if our motivation is not the world’s accolades or award. If our desire’s to become partakers of God’s promise: “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Gen.15:1).

I quietly observed those initially noisy children who could not contain their excitement obviously, especially when their culmination program was finally starting last Saturday. And once more, I saw myself among them, just like four decades ago, when I too was so excited and happy, singing, playing, memorizing verses and listening to a Bible story.

I was sure the happiness and laughter they were having at that time were genuine and pure. Thus it was a delight to see that crowd of innocent young children, the adults of the future.

Some more years from now and each one of them would take his own path, begin his journey and follow every dream and desire of the heart. And like the rest of aging men among us, they’d know that the world waiting for them is composed both of deep happiness and a deeper hurt.

The sight of innocent faces filling the church did me amuse. And I remembered Jesus’ words, “the harvest is plenteous” (Matt. 9:37).

That thick “harvest” in the vast field against the dwindling number of harvesters who also sowed the seeds and the coming of uncertain days in the hearts of those kids are what make the pastors worried. But as it’s written, though some of those seeds may fell by the wayside, among thorns, and on stony places, there’ll be some on good ground to yield fruits, some thirty, some sixty and some in hundred (Mark 4:3).

As the Lord Himself said, “My word. . . shall not return to Me void,” this He told Isaiah the Prophet: “but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa.55:11).