We never imagined it would grow this fast. What began as a burden for souls and a simple desire to reach young people with the Gospel has become something only God could have done. Soli Deo Gloria — to God alone be all the glory.
Our CHOICES Values and Character Development Program is now active in schools across the Zamboanga Sibugay region of the Philippines, and the doors keep opening. Schools are signing Memorandums of Understanding. Principals are welcoming our teams. Students are hearing the Gospel — many for the first time.
What Is Happening on the Ground
The CHOICES program is built around our core message: Christ Hung On an Individual Cross Everyone's Sins. Every session walks students through the three crosses at Calvary — the rejected, the redemption, and the received — and gives them a clear choice to make.
We officially endorsed our Matthew Jackson Team to begin the program in eight classrooms, and before long the school had already requested eight more. At Francisco Ramos National High School, six of our eight volunteer mentors showed up ready to serve. At Magdaup NHS, students responded with enthusiasm from the very first session. At Taway NHS, eleven students accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior on day one.
At school after school — Surabay, Titay, Tungawan, San Antonio, Tiayon, Kitabog, Makilas, Palomoc, and more — pastors and church workers from multiple denominations have set aside their differences and come together for one purpose: to reach the next generation with the truth of Christ.
A School Shooting Changed the Conversation
A recent school shooting in the region — three lives lost, seven others injured — shook the community. But it also opened hearts. Pastors and ministers who had been on the sidelines began reaching out, asking how they could get involved in campus ministry. The tragedy reminded everyone that security alone cannot protect a generation.
The violence is not isolated. Just recently, students at San Antonio NHS were chased with a knife. The threats are real. The danger is constant. And the need is urgent.
Students need the Gospel. They need hope, purpose, and someone who will show up for them week after week — not just to teach them values, but to point them to Christ when everything around them feels like chaos. That is exactly what our CHOICES mentors are doing. And by God's grace, they are making an eternal difference.
A Growing Team of Faithful Volunteers
Our mentor team now includes pastors and church workers from CAMACOP Alliance churches, Assemblies of God, Baptist, PCGAMI, Methodist, and independent congregations across the region. They come from different backgrounds, but they carry the same message.
New mentors were recently commissioned for schools in Kabasalan, with pastors from Nazareth Alliance Church, Buayan Alliance Church, Timuay Danda Alliance Church, Grace Gospel Church of Christ, and others officially joining the team. Pastor Norman Tulabing and Pastora Alona Jalong were endorsed to Tiayon Integrated School. Pastora Merlita Langyon Patcho stepped into Taway NHS — and eleven students gave their lives to Christ that first day.
We are grateful to One Body in Christ for providing school Bibles that were placed directly into the hands of students at multiple schools. God's Word is going where it needs to go.
The Real Challenge — and Why We Need You
The Cost of Faithfulness Has Gone Up
When we first launched in this region, fuel cost ₱48 per liter. Today it is around ₱78. A bus fare that used to cost ₱30 now runs ₱50 minimum. Almost everything our mentors spend money on has nearly doubled — and yet they keep showing up, out of their own pockets, week after week, because they love these students.
We currently have 21 schools and we are intentionally holding off on expanding further until every committed school has enough mentors. We want to do this right. That means we need consistent, sustainable support for the people already serving on the front lines.
Our monthly giving goal for the Philippines operation is $5,000/month. We are not there yet. Every dollar you commit on a monthly basis directly frees our field leaders to recruit, train, and sustain mentors rather than worrying about whether they can afford the ride to school.
What Your Gift Does
Here is what consistent monthly giving looks like in real terms on the ground in the Philippines:
A one-time gift also makes a real difference. Bibles, printed curriculum, and mentor training materials are ongoing needs. If you want to give a capital boost to help us catch up with the growth God has sent, we will put every dollar to work immediately.
Give Today — Three Easy Ways
Every gift — monthly or one-time — goes directly to reaching students in the Philippines with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
P.O. Box 555 · Lebanon, OH 45036
Please Pray With Us
- For the students hearing the Gospel — that the Word takes deep root in their lives
- For our volunteer mentors — strength, provision, and protection as they travel to serve
- For more workers — God is opening doors faster than we have people to walk through them
- For the families of those affected by the school shooting — comfort, healing, and hope
- For Eric and Ethel Carillo and the entire Philippines field team — wisdom and endurance
- For the remaining schools awaiting MOU finalization — that every door stays open
- For consistent monthly partners — that God raises up 100 faithful givers at $50/month
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." — Matthew 9:37-38