Jesus has a heart for every person on this planet. He loves the poor fishermen on Bantayan Island in Cebu, Philippines just as much as He loves you. The call that Jesus gave to every one of us is that we should “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”.
Mark 16:15 And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Either the Lord told us to stay where we are at, or we should go. If we cannot go, we should equip those who can go so that they can preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and thereby make ourselves co-laborers with the ones we enable to go.
My wife and I have a ministry to the people of Bantayan Island in the Philippines and have already begun making Jesus known to these humble and extremely poor island dwellers. They live on a remote atoll in the Visayan sea, about 10 miles off the coast of Cebu. The island is just 7 by 10 miles, yet has a population of 70,000 souls according to the 2007 census.
The fishermen of this small island sit under coconut palms daily weaving by hand, their fishing nets in which they hope to receive the daily catch of fish that will feed their families. They live in woven shacks made from the coconut palms and bamboo trees of the island. In 2006 a typhoon struck this tiny island and destroyed almost all of the flimsy native homes of these desperate people.
We have promised to rebuild hundreds of their homes at a cost of abut $2,000 for each dwelling. A small amount when you compare what it costs to build a home in the U.S. or Europe. Many hundreds of other homes can be repaired for about $500 for each damaged home. We can feed an entire family of 5 for about $20.00 a month by providing a supplement of white rice to their catch of fish.
They are often puzzled as to why we are walking into their remote villages and speaking to them. In all of the hundreds of years that these special people have inhabited this island, they have seldom seen a white man come to their homes and talk to them. When we explain that Jesus sent us to their village because He loves them so dearly, they break into tears and trembling.
Will you come alongside us and equip us to return to Bantayan Island in a few months to continue our building of their homes, feeding and ministry of the gospel?
We need the help of at least 100 people who can give $20.00 per month just to feed one hundred families. Others can afford to give $100, $200 or more per month. We need a team of supporters who can give $2,000 to rebuild a destroyed home on Bantayan Island. We need prayer warriors who will lift us up everyday so that the gospel will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to reach into the hearts of the people we share with.
To those who are already making a monthly donation to Bantayan Island by our Pay Pal link or are sending a check to our mailing address, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your love and support keep us inspired to continue making the 20-hour trip to the Island over and over again to meet the needs of these wonderful people and share your love with them.
Rest assured that we tell them about every new person or family that sends their hard-earned money and entrusts us to use it to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the people of Bantayan Island.
With many more to help us, we hope to be leaving the United States for Bantayan Island no later than October of 2011. This will be a 4 to 6-month trip in which we will be doing a tremendous amount of work in building homes on the island. If we do not receive the financial help that we are praying for, we will still go and just trust the Lord to provide for us once we get there.
In all of the 36 years that I have served Jesus in Ministry, He has not once failed to meet the needs of my ministry, or take care of my own needs.
Marissa and I look forward to many more of you coming alongside us to help and support the work that is ongoing on Bantayan Island. You can write to us at the address on our www.bantayanisland.org web site and see pictures and video of the work we are doing there.
I have included a very special video by Keith Green on why the Lord commands all of us to be involved in missions to foreign countries. I hope you will enjoy Keith’s video.
Rob Robinson
Click Here to give your support to our efforts on Bantayan Island
