In the BIMI World, Number 2, 2001, we ran an article on the ministry of Bruce Rice. Here is a letter from him telling some of what has happened since then:

Last year we baptized a total of 32 people. Five of those were indirectly the result of a tract given out before we ever moved to Dipolog City. On one of our survey trips to Dipolog City in February of 2001, a member of our survey team gave a tract to an American man staying at the hotel where we were also staying. The man said that he was saved and was also a Baptist.

Although we never saw the man again, we found out that while he was in town, he led a 22-year-old young lady to faith in Christ. He then gave her the tract we had given him and told her she should find that church and attend there. Neither of them realized that Lapasan Baptist Church (the name of the tract) was in Cagayan De Oro City, over six hours away. After several weeks of looking for the church, she just gave up. Then in December of 2001, she heard of our newly started Bible Study Center from a friend and dropped by one Sunday afternoon to ask if we knew where Lapasan Baptist Church was located. She then showed us the tract and explained what had happened.

The young lady’s name is Anie Tantog. The next week Anie began attending our services and has been coming ever since. She got assurance of her salvation. She learned how to give out tracts and how to witness. Anie was in our first group of baptisms in March of last year. Her roommate was later saved and baptized. Her younger sister and her sister’s friend have been saved and baptized. Her illiterate mother accepted the Lord and was baptized. Her mother lives almost thirty miles up in the mountains and comes down each weekend to go to church.

On August 11, 2002, Anie’s stepfather, Mr. Villarin, accepted the Lord during the first anniversary service of our Bible Study Center. He is a soldier in a civilian-military detachment stationed near their village in the mountains. Mr. Villarin has become concerned for the salvation of his fellow-soldiers. Two months ago a group was on patrol and was ambushed by communist rebels. Six soldiers were killed and several were wounded.

Just recently, the week before Christmas, I was invited to go up and preach to a group of Mr. Villarin’s companions and a few civilians living nearby. The enclosed picture is from that service. The majority of them had never heard anyone simply open the Word of God and preach before. No one that we know of accepted the Lord at that time but the seed was planted.

Bruce Rice