Philippine

M ISSION
^HaRCHESOF
^HRIST OF NORTHERN LUZON
P.O. Box 14, Fairfield, Nebraska 68938
MISSIONARIES
Charles and Roberta Selby
Lloyd and Marivic Selby
Field Address
P.O. Box 49, Aparri, Cagayan 1118, Philippines
December, 1984
Vk
Furlough Time Again
Charles and Roberta Selby are making preparations to go ^
to the States in the Spring, after Commencement exercises at
Aparri Bible Seminary inMarch, 1985. While visiting relatives in
California, Texas and Nebraska, Charles will speak in nearby ^
churches on the weekends. Two Faith Promise rallies have been
scheduled in May, and then avisit to our faithful living-link church, wjw ,^^ ^
the Indianola Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio, Jim
Walker, minister. This church began supporting the Selbys in
1947 whenJim's grandfather, W.-R. Walker, was minister there, v.
and has continuedsupportingthe wholefamily throughthe years, ^
not once failing to send that monthly check. We praise the Lord f
for our being a part of this great church. They consider us their
ministers in the Philippines. They also give partial support to
Lloyd and Marivic. In addition to family support, many classes
and individuals give regularly for the support of the work here.
During the last several furloughs, we have "lived" in our car,
stopping frequently with good friends, sometimes for several days f'
at a time, with no place we could call "home". We have decided to * ^
rent an apartment inFlora, Illinois, wherewecan "light" occasionally inour traveling- a placewecancall home. Flora
is within a day's driving distance of most ofthesupporting churches ofthe Lord's work here, andFlora Christian
Church has supported the work faithfully since 1950. We look forward to being among good friends in Flora.
We will appreciate opportunities tospeak andpresent thework. We always feel theneed to"give anaccount of
our stewardship and ministry" to those churches and individuals who give regularly, and will welcome invitations
from these and other churches. We will have aslide program, and avideo-tape which can be shown in small groups,
such as missionary committees. Until mid-February, please write tous Air Mail here in the Philippines. Requests
after that should be sent to our forwarding agent.
New missionaries Roger and Joey Fletcher and three children,
^ David, Sarah, andDaniel, arrived in Manila October 30 andin Aparri
Llox^d and Marivic Se/by November 5. Roger began teaching his classes the next day in Aparri
Bible Seminary. They have been staying with Sid and Marj
Boudreaux while getting awater system set up in their rented house, and buying needed appliances, such as stove,
refrigerator and washer. We are happy they are finally here. Pray for them to make the necessary adjustments to
climate, culture, food, people and language, easily.
Two more additions to the missionary family made their appearance in*|
November. John Matthew was born to Liz Carman November 15,
welcomed by father Mike and brother Christopher. Mary and Bert
Bureros welcomed Jordan Lee, born November 30 in Manila. Mary's vBmX (f-|t| nTTT
parents, Bobby and Jean Pruitt of Grants Pass, Oregon, were here for less
than amonth to be with them and get acquainted with their newest grandson. / (1 ISlv ^
Joy Collins stayedwith the children atthe CVCH for more than amonth while ^ AMI
Mary and Bert were in Manila. '
Praise the Lord for a successful skin cancer operation for Sid Boudreaux in September.
Welcome to Shcri Kafton, who spent six months at Kulpahar Kids' Home in India. We were happy to have her
parents and brother visit us for a few days. They also visited Sheri in India and had some real travel adventures there
and here. Sheri will be staying here another six months; she is excited about teaching a journalism class this semester
in the Seminary, and we are excited that she is re-organizing our Seminary library. (Note: The ABS library is very
small; gifts of books are very welcome. Parkcrest Christian Church, 5950 Parkcrest St., Long Beach, OA 90808-
2199, has agreed to receive donations of books for ABS and forward them.)
Sandra Kimzey, in addition to teaching Carolyn Boudreaux and her class in ABS, goes on Saturday to the
Children's Home to give several piano and guitar lessons. She also teaches and sings in a trio, often sings special
numbers, and teaches a children's class on Sundays. We are blessed to have Sheri and Sandra staying with us while
the Fletchers are at Boudreaux's.
Charles and Mickey Richards came to Aparri last Thursday for Chuck to give his sermon from scripture
(memorized), "The King of Kings" at the Seminary chapel. They stayed over for Drama Night on Friday; some of
their Itawes students were members of the drama class. On Friday we missionaries enjoyed our co-op thanksgiving
dinner together at Sid and Marj Boudreaux's.
Caqayan Valley Children's
Home now has 65 children (including
: Mary's new baby). We praise the Lord
: for a wonderful corps of workers.
' jit- Pictured here are the children who
L L' Mi ^ celebrated birthdays in October,
i Every month they have a birthday
party and each child has his own cake;
it is a very special day for them. We
always enjoy attending theparty andpeeing thechildren, knowing that many ofthese dear children would not bealive
today if they had not been brought to the Home.
Women's Trio u;hfch sang at SIA.
Christian High Schools
Twice during each school year, a special "Week of Evangelism" is
conducted at the two high schools. Northern Isabela Academy
and Southern Isabela Academy. A singing group from the
Seminary, plus Seminary teachers and some preachers, go to the
high schools to conduct special evangelistic services each day, teach
new songs, conduct the Bible classes, and do personal evangelism
among the students. Sandra Kimzey, Marivic Selby and Cecille
Castillo composed the trio that went to SIA, and the Sophomore
Boys' Quartet went to NIA. The quartet was trained by Ruth Lopez,
who is teaching music for the second year at ABS.
As a result of regular, daily Bible classes, plus the concentrated evangelism of this week, there have been exactly
200 students baptized into Christ this school year, llOatNIA, and90 at SIA. Most ofthe older students and teachers
are already Christians. Pray for these new converts to remain faithful; pray for their teachers to show them the way.
Both SIA and NIA are in rural areas in municipalities where there were no other high schools when they were
established. They draw students from quite a wide area, and in many places from which they come, there are no
established churches. As a result of over 3,000 young people having been won to the Lord, it has been possible to
reach many of their parents, and other relatives and friends, and a number of congregations have been brought into
being. Brother Daniel Sagabaen, head Bible teacher at NIA, writes encouragingly of a number of these
Soys' Quartet and Ruth Lopez.
Teams ready to go to high schools for Week of
Evangelism.
congregations meeting regularly, with NIA older students or graduates providing the leadership including the
preaching. Brother Daniel has taught for 17 years at the high school, and would like to be relieved to work full-time in
a progam to teach and shepherd those who have been won, as well as to teach their relatives, hoping to win them to
the Lord.
Bro. Sagabaen writes: "I feel a great burden placed by God in my heart, a responsibility to look on thefields white
for harvest, and to take care of the spiritual needs of the sheep without a shepherd. I am reminded of the words of
the LordJesus to Peter, 'Ifyou /oi;eme,/eedmy lambs.. .feed my sheep'. At present I am visitingfive congregations,
but I can only meet each congregation once a month. I really feel the need to be relieved completelyfrom my school
responsibilities as classroom teacher so I could concentrate on teaching the new and old members, as well as win
new people to Christ. I know this work will be more difficult in many ways. But if we don't do it now, when shall we
obey Christ's command to go? I am not getting younger but getting older. Time shall soon be no more. I want to use
the latter part of my life for this area of the Lord's work to seek the lost and bring them back to the feet of the
Saviour."
Pray with us about this need, and also for a replacement (or two) at the high school to teach the Bible classes
Brother Daniel has been teaching.
Pray for the Filipino preachers! They work under great hardship many times, hindered by storms, wind, rain,
muggy heat, poor transportation; they are discouraged by indifferent church members who are either too poor - or
unwilling to give them enough to liveon; often families become sick and there is no money for a doctor - or no doctor;
children need clothes, notebooks, tuition for school; the economic situation grows worse and worse. Yet their love
for the Lord and their burden for lost souls keep them preaching God's Word.
Just this week we have received several encouraging reports. New work has been started in two towns, Abulug
and Alcala. The work in Alcala is an outreach of Aparri Bible Seminary in conjunction with an old established
church. Elders from this church met with 3 faculty members of ABS and the boys' quartet 3 weeks ago to begin this
work. About 60 people attended a Bible study on Saturday night, and 17 adults and 12 children came for the Sunday
morning service; 5 people were baptized. Brother Edison Marquez, young teacher at ABS, is going there regularly
with one of the quartet, and tells us there were 30 young people on Saturday night last week in spite of heavy rains.
They were so eager to hear the Word and to sing that they didn't want to go home until 11 p.m. Another two were
baptized into Christ.
Another older preacher, Brother Jesus Calumnag, came to report increased giving and enthusiasm in the
church he serves regularly, and an opportunity to win a whole congregation of about 50 people from the Spiritista
sect. He has already baptized 10 of them, and they seem very hungry to hear the Word of God. Brother Cosme
Batalla is holding regular Bible studies for students and teachers in the public schools of Abulug, and hopes to make
a survey of the town soon. He works regularly on weekends with small nearby congregations.
Charles just recently began teaching oneoftheBible studies onFriday nights inthehome ofayoung professional,
justdown thestreet from us. Heandhis wife are keenly interested inlearning what theWord ofGodteaches. Roger
Fletcher isteaching a Bible study for college young people onWednesday nights. People areshowing adeepspiritual
hunger. Truly the fields in the Philippines are white unto harvest. Pray with us for laborers.
Aparri BibleSeminary openedfor the secondsemester November 5,with 91 students, thesamenumber as the
first semester. We have had 6drop-outs and 6new students. We have closed the dining hall, and students are doing
their own cooking at thedorms, which many ofthem were already doing anyway. The dining hall andkitchen areas
are being converted into office space and a music practice room.
Plans are going ahead for buildingthe newSeminary
building on the property at Lal-lo near the Cagayan
Valley Children's Home, 10 miles south of Aparri. We
were ableto buya used bulldozer, a D-6 Caterpillarwith T' **
hydraulic lift, for $5,000.00 and a truck to haul it for --Me?- J** -- >
recreation area, dorms, and faculty housing. The
faculty can apply for a building loan from the government at very reasonable interest, and wewill provide lots for
them on which to build their own houses. They are excited about it.
Pleasepraywith us that the building program for the Seminary can begin soon. Anew building is very
much needed; we are extremely crowded in the present facilities. Because of the ever-changing prices, we don't
know what the exact costs will be; they will be much cheaper than comparable building in the States. We will know
-better in a few months.
Avery encouraging note in connection with the planned new Seminary building is the response of Filipino
churches and^brethren in their monetary gifts. Also, the Seminary is designating half of their Faith-Promise giving for
On July 1,1983, Constante Nolasco, a graduate inbusiness admin-
istration, came to work as manager of the business office of PMCC. He j|^
has been here nearly 18 months, and his training and several years' jH
experience in handling personnel and business accounting have enabled
him to reorganizeand streamlinethe variousoffices anddepartments of
the mission so that they are working much more efficiently. He was such ^ ^. |
youngest son, Rob. He spent many hours in our home. Charles was ^ ^"
way of the Lord more perfectly", and of baptizing them into Christ two jKL-^
provide lots for
Many people write to us, or visitors ask us, "Just what is the situation in the Philippines?" Although there seems to
be quite a bit of unrest, political and economic, we are thankful that it remains peaceful enough that the preaching of
the Gospel has not been hindered. Pray with us for the government leaders so that this country will remain open for
many years to the preaching of the Word. The hearts of the people are hungry. We pray for more dedicated workers.
We pray for the churches to recognize their responsibilities financiallyfor the total work here, but that time has not
come yet. We keep teaching. Sometimes we become discouraged, but we keep remembering that it is the Lord's
work and He holds it in His hands.
When disappoints and discouragements come, as they
must, it is our faith in God that lifts us up. And it is letters like the
following that help to encourage us. This is a quotation from a
letter written to "Daddy and Mommy Selby" from Cosme
Batalla, an orphan boy we reared, now a very fine preacher
and very spiritual man. He and his wife, Agrifina, have three
children, all in high school.
Cosme writes; "Ipraise and thank the Lordfor all His divine
guidance and continuous blessings for all of us who are
working in His Kingdom. I really appreciateyour answer to His
invitation to you to work in our beautiful country. Lest I will
have no more time to tell you this deep-rooted appreciation
from my heart andin behalf of myfamily, let me soy it now, that
indeed you are an asset in the Church of Christ. Because of
your coming over to the Philippines, there were many souls
won for Christ. Because of your love and concernfor the lost,
many have prepared themselves through your teaching the
Word of God in the Aparri Bible Seminary. Your putting up
two high schools in Isabela is a giant stride to church growth in
the Cagayan Valley. Agrifina and I are very, very thankful to
God, to you both, andall our brethren in the UnitedStates who
are giving their valued support and love to me and my family. Please tell them our heartfull of thanks, our love and
prayersfor all ofthem. I alsowant you to know that during my quiet time with theLord, I always mention you allin
my prayers, and in particular I pray to God that He will grant you more opportunity to serve Him, that all the
members oftheChurch ofChrist hereandabroad havea closer, sweeter relationship with eachotheras onebody
in Him. regardless of race or calling."
The Philippines has been going through some severe crises as you may know, political and economic. In 1983, the
value of the peso decreased from F9.00 to $1.00, down to PI8.00 to $1.00. That means we get twice as many pesos
per dollar, but the price of commodities, building materials and gasoline has shot up accordingly. The people here
have really been suffering. We have had to increase salaries to our Filipinopersonnel several times, and have found it
difficult to keep up. The Lord just keeps supplying what is needed, and we praise Him; He is our source of supply. He
has taken care of our needs in a marvelous way through the faithful giving of churches and individualsinthe U.S. We
praise Him for you!
Pray for us and for every aspect of the Lord's work here.
As we think of the Christmas season just past, we are reminded of God's Great Gift of Love - His Son. May His
great love fill your hearts now and through this new year!
In Christ's service,
Charles and Roberta Selby
Lloyd and Marivic Selby
Bro. Romeo Gorospe officiat
ing at the birth of a new brother in
Christ! (This man is one of the 37
prisoners Bro. Romeo has bap
tized.)
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