Gods Word and the Pandemic
What do people want most during a global pandemic? There is a long list of items that can meet physical needs, but what about spiritual needs?
During the 12 months that the Philippines has been under COVID-19 quarantine and lockdown, many changes have taken place and have affected the lives and perspectives of the Filipino people. Millions of Filipinos have lost their jobs and hunger is creeping into their homes so fast that the government and the private sectors cannot cope. This is bad news for the general public especially in the areas of health, economics, and education. But despite these challenges, there are good things to be grateful for.
In the midst of hopelessness, the Lord is at work. Praise His holy Name. There is one good thing that has happened during the COVID pandemic. The number of Filipinos reading the Bible has increased dramatically, and there has been a great increase in the number of people requesting copies of the Bible. These people want Bibles because they want to know God’s word.
But there is a problem. We just don’t have any more available copies of the Bible to give. At the end of 2020 Bibles were distributed to pastors and church leaders who lost everything during the terrible floods in the northern Philippines. We gave away every available copy of the Bible, New Testament, and Bible portions. We even started putting Scripture verses and chapters online to share. We contacted Bible publishers and finally received 200 English language Bibles to distribute to individuals who contact us. Since those Bibles are in English, those who cannot read and understand the language well enough are denied having a copy of the Word of God. The goal in the coming months is to find Bibles in the main Filipino languages such as Tagalog, Ilocano, and Visayan.
We are praying for those who receive a Bible, that the Holy Spirit will speak to their hearts and that they will obey His prompting in their lives. We continue to teach the Bible online twice a week. We also send out Bible study notes to a growing audience of pastors and lay leaders in the countryside, and they share these with their contacts. These study notes reach as far as Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, and China. What a privilege and joy to send forth the Word of God.
“. . . So shall my word be which goes forth from My mouth. It shall not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire. . . “ (Isa. 55:11).
Met and Ina Castillo train Filipino and other Asian workers at the Great Commission Missionary Training Center.