GenSan

In a few hours we will be flying out of Mindanao. As I look back upon the past 13 days I am thankful for the Lord’s abundant help and blessing upon the ministries conducted here, particularly preaching opportunities and of course, the first ever DVBS simultaneously held in Davao and Digos cities.

I am now in our hotel in General Santos City (Gensan, for short) resting after a tiring Lord’s day. We arrived here Saturday afternoon; we bade goodbye to the guys in Davao in a buffet dinner Friday night. Dessert was an assortment of native and arancillo durian with coffee. Some of the guys I brought with me from Manila love this native fruit even with its smell! I do too!

Gensan is about 3 hours away from Davao, passing by Saranggani province. Like Davao, it is an expansive city with wide roads. Unlike Davao, there is not much traffic; the king of the road is the tricycle.

Of course, Gensan is not known for tricycles but for tuna; albeit the tuna that is unloaded at the huge fish-port complex facing Saranggani Bay does not come from Philippine shores but from Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. We have been having our share of tuna ever since Davao and Digos in the form of local fare sutukil, which is a compound of sugba (sinugba, grilled tuna), tula (tinola, tuna soup) and kilaw (or kinilaw, raw tuna cooked in vinegar and spices). No sutukil in Manila! Too bad! 

Friday afternoon, we traveled more than 15 km by tricycle to the next municipality, Polomolok, where the main industry is pineapple. This is where multinational company, Dole Philippines, has its farm and cannery. The cool weather brought about by proximity to Mt Matutum, the landmark of Polomolok, makes it an ideal site for hectares of pineapple and papaya plantations. We tried to visit the cannery but we were not allowed. Time was when they entertained visitors, but security is tight today. Except for a flat tire returning home, our trip was uneventful.

The better day was Sunday. I was able to meet with Pas Dexter and his fledgling mission work in the heart of Gensan. Pas Dexter was at the receiving end of persecution from his previous church in standing firm for what the Bible teaches. He has since left that group along with faithful sheep with similar convictions. They began their ministry in a rented function room in January 2013 with four to five families. He has since established a few Bible studies in the locality.

I took the Sunday services and also preached one message to a few pastors invited. Many others could not make it and that is understandable; Sunday is not the best day to invite busy pastors.

All in all, Gensan, Digos, Davao and Tagum were fruitful. I leave Southern Mindanao today blessed that I and MCBC have been given the privilege of playing a part in the advancement of the gospel in the southern corridor of our beloved country.

To God be the glory for all that has transpired and all that has been accomplished! May God continue to promote His cause through His chosen servants here that the power of the gospel that they preach may turn these cities upside down!

Obvious Who the Owner Is

Boxer’s Territory

Reformed Church Plant in GenSan: Strong Reformation Stand

They Meet in This Resto at the Heart of GenSan; P99 Buffet? Unheard of in Manila

Congregation Poses After the Service

Pastors Fellowship

Pas Julius and His Durable Trike: Our Official Vehicle in GenSan

Pas. Dexter and Susan in Their Home

Tuna Capital

Which Fruit? More Expensive Here than Davao

Maybe I’ll Take This One for Free

Saranggani Bay and Saranggani Province in the Extreme Background

Calm Waters of Saranggani Bay: Excellent Boat Haven (or Naval Base?); Heavily Secured GenSan-Fatima Intl Airport To Our Rear; Reminiscent of Subic and Clark

Sutukil Dinner Fellowship at Pas. Dex’s House