Testimony by Yvette Ang-Afable and Tanya Peque
Yvette Ang-Fable
Building and cultivating relationships is an essential step to be able to effectively share God’s word
Pastor Jay’s family shared God’s love to the Bugkalot first, before sharing God’s Word. By sacrificing their own time & comfort to live with them, learn their language & culture, and accept their worldview as reality, they earned the unwavering trust of the Bugkalot people. This opened their hearts and minds to hear God’s Word, which eventually led them to find their life’s purpose and meaning in Jesus Christ. It was amazing to see firsthand how much the Bugkalot respect Pastor Jay and his family to this day and continue to look to them for guidance and leadership as they continue to grow in their own faith and reach out to other tribes (the Agta).
Our struggles as Christians in our journey to become more like Christ is the same, regardless of our background
Though the church is very much alive and growing, the enemy is also on the move in every corner of the world, and even more so wherever Christ’s army is at work. The only difference is that our struggles and potential idols usually come in different forms. For those of us living in the city, it may be being surrounded by so many distractions, whether in the form of media, materialism, career ambitions or other things that keep our eyes away from Christ and from truly submitting to His will for us. For the Bugkalot, it may be the quest for money or a better life that makes them feel lacking & always wanting, which would distract them from putting their trust in Christ. We both end up struggling to make sure we get enough nourishment spiritually every day to avoid from stagnating, or worse, from backsliding (i.e., for the Bugkalot, it may be by taking a head to deal with grief; for us it may be the decision to chase after the wrong things even when we know it displeases God). Knowing we have similar struggles, albeit in different forms, gives me great comfort and makes the bond I feel with them as my brothers and sisters in Christ stronger. Knowing our brothers and sisters from the Bugkalot are part of the Body of Christ (despite how far away they are) and how much alike we are makes the body of Christ much more real to me than ever, as i used to think we were so different. But now, I only see how much alike we are.
Tanya Peque
Our journey to the Bugkalot tribe started out as just an idea we had as a dgroup to go on a future mission trip there. Little did we know that God planned for us to go this year! We were all excited. The trip was scheduled during the Chinese New Year holidays so instead of going to the beach or travelling elsewhere, we took a 7 hour drive to the town of Lipuga, Nueva Vizcaya. Its more fun in the Philippines 
All set and ready to go with our sleeping bags, backpacks and baon, we ooh-ed and ahh-ed as we drove by mountain after mountain on our way to the first village, looking upon God's wonderful creation. When we arrived in the village, we were welcomed with the warmth and smiles of the people. We instantly felt at home. It was so exciting to finally put faces to the names Pastor Jay tells us about when he preaches. We met the guy who killed the huge snake Pastor Jay encountered when he was in the forest. We were introduced to a person whose name is "Wala lang." We met Taong Milyano, a man who used to have an anting-anting (spirit talisman), which gave him power over water. There were also a lot of unforgettable experiences – We swam in a beautiful river, played with the children in the dark (because there was no electricity), learned to pound rice & learned some Bugkalot phrases, taught Sunday school, and danced & sang Bugkalot praise songs with the people there.
But aside from all of these wonderful experiences, God taught me a lot of things through my encounter with the Bugkalot. This morning I just want to share two things:
First – The meaning of contentment. I liked what Yuri said when he was asked by Ate Persh what he thought was the difference between the Bugkalot and us. He said that the Bugkalot were poor yet content. We, on the other hand, have a lot, but are still not content. Wise words from a child. They really live out what it says in Matthew 6:19 – “Don't store up your treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. Where your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be." Their contentment made me think about where I am storing my treasure – Is it in heaven or here on earth? Do I value eternal things or am I too caught up with the temporal things here like meeting deadlines, work, etc. Do I hold my relationship with God and others as my priority? This made me reflect on how I am living my life
Secondly – I am humbled by God's love. I am overwhelmed that even in that remote, far-away, difficult place where the Bugkalot live, God is there. He loved the Bugkalot people so much that He stirred up people like Pastor Jay and his family to leave their comfort zone and share the Good News with them. That's how valuable each life is to Him, that's how valuable I am to Him. Even if I was difficult to share with because my heart was hard before, He was patient and reached out to me and made me realize that He is all that I need in my life
The Bugkalot value how God reached out to them so much that they now want to reach out to the other tribes in the Philippines (like the Agta), so that they too may know the Gospel. This again made me think about whether I am willing to make the same sacrifices they’ve made – To leave the comfort of their home to share the Good News? For me, this may mean simply leaving the comfort of my chair in the office and share with a colleague. Am I doing my part in the kingdom of God to share and live out the Gospel? I am reminded of Romans 10:14, which says "But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"
I pray, and please pray for me too, that my response to all the things God made me realize on that trip would be the same response Isaiah had in Isaiah 6:8 when the Lord asked, "Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us? and Isaiah said "Here I am, send me."
Thank you. To God be all the glory!
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