Joseph Blasco and his wife Evangeline were Christian schoolteachers in the Rizal province of the Philippine when they were introduced to the Good Soil Evangelism & Discipleship training. It had an immediate impact on them, and they became actively engaged in making disciples and passing on the training to others. At their own church, Emmanuel Baptist in Taytay, they trained many of their fellow members with some incredible results:

1. The senior pastor’s mother led her first bible study at the age of 74 and now leads several of them, one consisting of more than sixty ladies.
2. One of the ladies who worked as a hairdresser began to share Christ with her clients and subsequently went overseas as a tentmaker to share the gospel in the same manner.
3. Another member has started a good number of children’s groups with the purpose of sharing God’s redemptive story.

All of this led Joseph to become the missions pastor at Emmanuel, focusing full-time on reaching, training, and sending others. One of the fantastic opportunities that he has had over this past year is with the Philippine National Police. After seeing over 2800 policemen dismissed for administrative and corruption reasons over a three year period, the police force in the Philippines had determined the need for an internal cleansing program focused on values formation to help mold and change attitudes and conduct within the force. Joseph was asked to give spiritual formation to police officers during their weekly OTJ (On the Job Training). For six months, from June to December of last year, he met with several groups each Saturday sharing with them about God’s love and his plan for redemption using The Chronological Bridge to Life Visuals.

Joseph’s instruction was so well received, that he was asked to have a permanent presence within the police force as a life coach pastor to the different squads. As part of the internal cleansing program, the police force was divided into squads consisting of six to eight members with a squad leader who would train and guide them. Joseph meets with each squad in his area for a weekly bible study. Recently, he has begun to lead them through a study of The Story of Hope. He says that they were very impressed by the quality and visuals of the book, and excited about the clear chronological story that it presents. He is looking forward to seeing many faith responses to the gospel from members within the police force.

Please pray for Joseph and the Philippine National Police during this unique time in our world’s history, and as they deal with shutdowns and other issues resulting from the coronavirus. Pray that the hope of God’s redemptive story will be embraced by many during these difficult times.