This year, Grace Hill at Vallejo Drive church lived out its belief in global evangelism by taking its first global mission trip to the city of Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippines.
The team spent one week involved in evangelistic meetings, medical and dental services, a gospel concert, and more. During the two days of medical and dental outreach, volunteers joined from the local community, including a medical team from the Holy Cross Parish in the Philippines and the Santiago medical team from the nearby Adventist hospital. The Tuguegarao dental chapter provided the free dental services.
As volunteer Danny Ranchez put it, “My blessing was being able to bless others as well through the power of the Holy Spirit and glorifying God, being able to work in unity to draw people closer to Jesus.”
There was amazing support from the local area beyond the volunteers. The city mayor’s office approved a permit for use of the city gym at a fraction of the cost for the nightly evangelistic meetings, and the management of a large Robinson shopping mall allowed the use of a large open space inside the mall, normally used for business and advertising meetings. They also provided and set up furniture for the medical and dental services as well as a stage with audio equipment where church members and volunteer singers performed an inspiring gospel concert, which helped promote the nightly evangelistic meetings.
Among the 30 people baptized was a family with four children. Soon after the baptism, their faith was tested. The family’s eldest daughter, three months from finishing her college education was told by her grandmother, who is Roman Catholic and living in Southern California, that she is cutting off her support for school because she was baptized into the Adventist church. The family, while heartbroken, didn’t lose faith. They continued to pray for the grandmother. One month later, she reinstated her financial support of the daughter’s college tuition.
“The number one blessing for me,” shared Jonathan Henderson, Grace Hill at Vallejo Drive church senior pastor, “was seeing people understanding the gospel for the first time. That ‘light bulb’ moment where they see God and fall in love with His character. It was truly special to see on this trip.” The ministry of Grace Hill at Vallejo Drive church doesn’t end with this trip. Matthew 28:19 (NIV) says to “go and make disciples of all people.” Discipleship goes far beyond baptism. Future plans include hiring a layman to nurture the new converts plus building a new church. At the current church in Tuguegarao, the roof leaks whenever it rains and there is no space for people to park their private vehicles. Supporting ministry in this city with more than 170,000 people and five universities and colleges is what the Tuguegarao mission is all about.