Last night Babykiss was baptised. Tonight they went to the ocean again and I was able to witness the Baptism of Kevin. About 20 of us went down to the ocean to share in the joy of this occasion. Kevin came up on shore after the baptism and was shivering almost uncontrollably. They had forgotten to bring any towels, dry clothes or anything else. I mentioned this to him and he said "I was too excited to think about such"... I gave him my shirt (thankful for the excuse to be in a t-shirt.... cooler). The temperature is somewhere in the mid 70's.

Dixie had the privilege of setting in on a Bible Study with one of the students this morning. The girl had already decided she is planning on being baptized. While Dixie was at the center, she counted more than 60 students in various activities. The real joy is seeing that it did not even look crowded! The Lord does truly bless!

Return

Wow, We are sorry it has been so long since we have blogged!

We are back in Digos City. This morning, we were in the Digos City Church for worship and it was a humbling experience to see the increase in the number of youth! About 40 of the 60 that were baptized last year are now active in some part of the ministry of the Church! The others are not "gone" but just not always permitted to be an active part of the ministry by parents, schedules, or such. They need our prayers that their parents will be reached, hearts softened, or encouraged in some way, not discouraged.

I will try to get photos in the future. Ram (some of you may remember the pictures of his baptism on the blog or newsletter) was one of the lead singers in the praise and worship team this morning.

Dixie now has email lists working for updates! If you want to be on that list to receive email updates, please send us your email address to rdshew@yahoo.com and we will be happy to add you.

Return

On my last evening in the Philippines, we all went to the beach after the youth center closed for another baptism. Jereck was invited to the youth center by Joey Vilgonte, has been involved in Bible Studies and ask to be baptized.

Sunday, Oct 3, I see on the face book blog that two more have accepted Christ and were baptized after Church.

I have returned to the States this week. Dixie and I will be leaving in January to return to the Philippines. Rodger

new Life

"The trend is broken"... we are no longer just having baptisms in the evenings, but in the mornings, too! This morning, another young man gave his live to the Lord after being mentored at the Youth Center and being friends with some of the Christian Youth... We pray John will have a long and fruitful life in the Lord!

battle of the bands

The Battle of the Bands was a great success!

From the set up, to the tear down, there were sixteen bands that participated! The winning band took the audience and judges by storm... the were 5 points higher than the nearest competitor. The audience gave them the only standing ovation!

It is 2 am - I will try to get more pictures on Facebook-Mathetes Philippine Youth Ministry, tomorrow... thank you for your support!

In the Philippines

Rodger returned to the Philippines on Sept. 3. The trip was longer than expected but arrived after 50 hours or so, tired, grungy and ready for a nice long sleep.
It is great to see all the team and all is going well. Got one vehicle running after a major purchase or two for repairs... then when I was stopped by the police checking registration, I discovered that my Filipino drivers license had my nationality as Filipino!!!
We are preparing for the annual "Battle of the Bands" on Wednesday. Today we purchased the "prizes" or trophies for the winners. The picture is of Alma unwrapping them after returning from the store to purchase them.
Rodger plans to continue to improve the new youth center while he is here. It is being well used, but there are some things that didn't get done before that will make it better and more usable.

I will try to post a little more often while I am in the Philippines.

e-mail

Our "missionaries.com" email address is no longer valid. If you have sent correspondence in the resent past and we have not answered, Please send again. We were unaware of the problem for some time - we have no idea how long it has been invalid.

Please use rdshew@yahoo.com.

Rodger and Dixie are enjoying the visit of their grandchildren! The grandkids have helped harvest tomatoes, onions, potatoes and dress chickens... truly a field trip to the farm!

We hear that the ministry is going well in the Philippines in the new facilities. All are thankful to the Lord for his provision.