The Word at Work: Bibles Transform Lives in the Philippines

The Highest Life Calling

One phone call changed the trajectory of Clark’s life. He received word that his home had been burned to the ground while he was away for work. Though he was familiar with the good news, it hadn’t changed his life. But this tragedy caused him to ask questions like,

What is my purpose in life? Who is God? Why do we need to experience this kind of tragedy? These questions motivated me to search the Bible seriously. Through my personal Bible reading God spoke to me and revealed to me who he is, who I am before him, and how much he loves me to the point of giving his own life for me. It was in this moment that I was truly saved through being enlightened directly through Scripture.

As believers, we know that when someone seeks God, the Bible promises, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). And this is exactly what happened. As Clark sought the Lord for next steps after his home had been burned, he decided to apply for work with a shipping company and worked on board various ships for the following six months. “Whil working on board the ship,” he reflected, “I deeply sensed God was calling me to serve him in full time ministry. So after six months of working, I enrolled in a Bible school to receive five years of Bible training.”

The Lord had stirred in Clark’s heart a desire for his Word, so Clark committed his entire life from that point forward to whatever the Lord would have him do in ministry. And from personal experience, he knew that would include something related to God’s Word. This is why, when he was offered ESV Bibles for his church congregation several years into his ministry work, he joyfully received them.

Through the generosity of donors to Crossway, believers in places like the Philippines are receiving God’s Word to read for themselves. The Word has power to transform lives! It has done so in Clark’s life and is now doing so through the lives of many in his church.

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Reaching the Youth to Reach the Town

After completing his Bible school degree, He returned home to his church in Mindoro, Philippines as one of their pastors. He recalls that “this didn’t last long, because I started to feel that God was calling me to plant a church.” In January 2021, he was sent by his church to be a missionary and church planting pastor in the nearby city of Naujan.

Bible study has been an important part of Clark’s church planting approach from the beginning because God speaks powerfully through his Word! However, Naujan is a town deeply influenced by Roman Catholic roots, and Clark identified a general hardness toward the Bible, especially among the older generation. “I call them nominal Christians. They think they are already Christians because they’re not Muslims. If you are not a Muslim, you are automatically a Christian.” But he found this to not be as common among the younger generation, so Clark created a mid-week Bible study for the young people who were most curious and open to learning about Jesus.

Just six months after planting the church and investing in discipleship through the Bible study, he was already seeing incredible life change. Clark rejoiced that “in June of 2021, we were able to conduct our first baptism because 14 people got saved! Those 14 brothers and sisters were students, high school to college age.” And when he had first started the church, it was composed entirely of young people—high school and college students. While this wasn’t necessarily what he hoped for in the long term, he had a strategic plan in mind. “Some of our adult members were first invited to our church by their sons and daughters—the young people we started the church with. Their coming to church with their children was the start of their conversion.”

Now each Sunday about 80 people attend—and Clark added a partner in the ministry with his wife Theresa joining the effort and investing in the life of the church alongside Clark. And though there continues to be many youth in the congregation, all ages and stages of life are now represented as the church continues to grow. As more people express a desire to know Jesus, the need for Bibles increases.

The Transformative Work of God’s Word

Most of those who come to Clark’s church already have a Bible of some kind, usually either in the local Tagalog language or an older English translation. Clark praises God that these men and women have access to Scripture, but he has found that instead of diving into the Word during Bible studies and sermons, he spent much of his time navigating the differences in translations.

When Clark was offered ESV Bibles to give to his congregation through the One Million Bibles Initiative, he eagerly accepted. “I like these Bibles because I know that the ESV is a literal translation; it is so much easier to understand than others.” Now as he prepares for sermons each Sunday and Bible studies throughout the week, Clark can be confident that those in the congregation will be looking at the same translation.

Thanks to the generosity of donors to Crossway, brothers and sisters like those in Clark’s church now have access to Bibles they can read for themselves, helping them grow deeper in their faith. Clark is confident that these Bibles are making a great impact as he and his congregation seek to faithfully live by the gospel. “We just trust the Lord because he’s the one saving the people. So we just do our part and share the gospel, but it is the Holy Spirit who opens and that convicts the minds and the hearts of the people.”

Pray for the Spirit’s sustaining presence in Clark and Theresa’s ministry work as they seek to honor the Lord in all they do.

Pray for the Lord’s provision of a permanent place of worship for their church congregation.