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  • Pioneer Spirit Speeds Up Philippines’ Harvest
  • The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1986
  • Pioneer Spirit Aids Growth
  • Making Adjustments to Pioneer
  • Serving Full-Time Though Blind
  • Full-Time Service as a Career
  • Young and Old Share Willingly
  • Rejoicing in the Progress Made
The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1986
w86 7/15 pp. 28-31

Pioneer Spirit Speeds Up Philippines’ Harvest

IF YOU were in Manila back in 1935 and wanted to get in touch with Jehovah’s Witnesses, you would have had to seek out a small apartment at 1134 Rizal Avenue. There, about 20 persons met regularly to study the Bible. That apartment was the first branch office of the Watch Tower Society in the Philippines.

Today, in the metropolitan Manila area, there are 103 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses with more than 9,000 Kingdom proclaimers! Similarly, 50 years ago there were no Witnesses in the city of Davao, in the far south of the Philippines. Now there are more than 2,800 of them in the 41 congregations in that city.

The increase in these two major cities is part of the evidence that those early Witnesses lived up to their name. (Isaiah 43:10-12) They have extended their preaching and teaching work to all parts of the Philippines. By examining the accompanying chart, you can see the fruitage of Christian disciple making during the past half century. What speeds the growth in the Philippine field?

Pioneer Spirit Aids Growth

Had it not been for a zealous pioneer spirit on the part of the early Filipino Witnesses, it would have been impossible to reach the hundreds of inhabited islands with the good news. That spirit is still very much alive. For instance, the report for February 1986 showed that, in addition to 758 special pioneers, there were 9,090 regular pioneer ministers serving throughout the Philippines. This was more than double the number reporting just two years earlier! In April 1985, 26,630​—a third of all the Witnesses in the country—​were engaging in some form of full-time preaching work.

Yes, Jehovah’s people in the Philippines feel the urgency of the times. This prompts them to spend as much time as possible preaching and teaching God’s Word to their neighbors. Doubtless, you would be interested in learning how some are able to arrange their affairs to get into the full-time service and would like to know about the fine experiences they enjoy.

Making Adjustments to Pioneer

Felipe Ventura of Binalonan, Pangasinan, spent 13 years of his youth in full-time service before raising a family. As his family grew up, he desired to return to the pioneer work, but diabetes caused blindness in one eye. Then about four years ago he became completely blind. Despite this, Felipe was able to continue running a small business to support his family and, with the help of his wife and children, was able to adjust his time so as to become a pioneer once again on April 1, 1985. Despite his handicap, he engages in the house-to-house ministry with the help of his son, who reads Bible texts for him. Brother Ventura also conducts several home Bible studies and is an appointed elder in the congregation. One of his sons serves as a regular pioneer along with him, and his daughter is an auxiliary pioneer from time to time.

Clodualdo Quiohilag, an elder in Biñan, Laguna, was a pioneer and traveling overseer in the 1960’s until he and his wife had a child. But, as he says, “Once you have tasted the joy of full-time service, you always have a desire for it.” So even though he had been successful in business and enjoyed a comfortable life with his wife and daughter, he did not consider this to be his real purpose in life. He comments: “All that I possess would be meaningless if my long-cherished dream of returning to the full-time service was not realized.” To become a pioneer, he reduced his business activity to just half a day, using the mornings in the field ministry. His dream was realized on October 1, 1984, when he began serving as a regular pioneer. Although his income is about half of what it was, his expenses are also lower. Now his wife has joined him in the regular pioneer work, and from time to time his daughter serves as an auxiliary pioneer.

Serving Full-Time Though Blind

Because of a bout with German measles, Pantaleon Tatoy has been blind since he was three years old. In 1972 he heard the truth for the first time and began to study the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. This soon helped him overcome his addiction to tobacco and liquor, and he symbolized his dedication to Jehovah by baptism on July 29, 1973.

When Pantaleon first started to preach to his neighbors, his older sister chided him: “How can you be a minister when you are blind and have only one pair of pants?” But this did not discourage him. Since he knew well the area around his home, he went out alone and preached the truth to his neighbors. In 1984 he rejoiced to be able to help his cousin and nephew to learn the truth, and they were baptized in September of that year.

Pantaleon has also been able to conduct a Bible study with his twin nieces, Lorna and Luz, who are both deaf-mutes. How does a blind pioneer study with such individuals? With the help of an assistant, he uses the illustrations in the publications extensively. When explaining the truth, his cousin Roquina translates what he says into sign language for the twins. Lorna and Luz were baptized on April 20, 1985, despite their big handicap. As for Pantaleon, after serving as an auxiliary pioneer for a year, he was appointed as a regular pioneer on March 1, 1985.

Full-Time Service as a Career

At a high school graduation, a certain student said to a Witness classmate: “Whenever I ask your people what course they are going to take after graduation, they all say, ‘Pioneering.’ What kind of course is that?” The young Witness explained what pioneering was. The fellow student became interested and accepted a Bible study, and she, too, soon had the goal of being a pioneer.

Others have found that college courses do not satisfy one’s spiritual needs. In Bohol, a young sister who was in her last year of college found that she had time to pioneer while completing her studies. Later, she attended the Pioneer Service School and commented that college could not compare with the school and the joy she felt in full-time service to Jehovah. She is now serving as a pioneer where the need for preachers is great.

Young and Old Share Willingly

The book of Psalms foretold that in the days of Kingdom power God’s people would “offer themselves willingly.” It also said that ‘young men, virgins, old men and boys’ would praise Jehovah’s name. (Psalm 110:3; 148:12, 13) This has certainly proved true among God’s people in the Philippines.

At last count, 1,159, or 13 percent, of the regular pioneers enrolled in the Philippines were under 20 years of age. What a joy to see young people like this unselfishly ‘remembering their Creator in the days of their youth’ instead of squandering it in selfish or worldly pursuits!​—Ecclesiastes 12:1.

Some who started full-time service in their youth are now getting up in years but are still serving faithfully. Brother Leodegario Barlaan and his wife Natividad started pioneering on April 1, 1938. They went through the difficult war years and have served in many capacities, including the traveling work. Now Brother Barlaan is 72 and still zealously serves as a special pioneer in San Carlos, Pangasinan, along with his wife.

Others started full-time service later in life and continued into their old age. For example, Leoncio Sabandal started pioneering at age 52 and is still a special pioneer at 92. He and his wife have helped 118 persons to dedicate their lives to Jehovah. Similarly, Cipriano Sepulveda, Sr., started pioneering when he was 72 and was a regular pioneer until his death at age 88 in 1985. Paula Mariano started pioneering at age 71 and is still in full-time service despite infirmities at 88. What sterling examples of faith and devotion these and other older ones are!

Rejoicing in the Progress Made

Looking back over the past half century, Jehovah’s blessing on the zealous efforts of his Witnesses has been evident. From a handful in 1935, what a joy to see 88,113 share in the field ministry in February 1986! The one small congregation on Rizal Avenue in Manila has now grown to 2,454 congregations countrywide, organized into 120 circuits.

And what of prospects for the future? An encouraging indication is the outstanding attendance of 268,526​—more than three times the number of Witnesses in the country—​at the Memorial celebration on April 4, 1985. Additionally, in February 1986, 63,248 home Bible studies were being conducted with interested persons. And no doubt continued growth will be seen with Jehovah’s blessing and approval.

We are glad that Jehovah has made very fruitful the work started by his early anointed witnesses in these islands over 50 years ago. With his blessing and guidance, it is the goal of his people in the Philippines to continue expanding their preaching and teaching work in the days to come.

[Chart on page 29]

Fifty years’ increase in the Philippines

1935 20

1940 222

1950 10,055

1960 31,608

1970 54,789

1980 61,164

1986 88,113

[Map on page 28]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

The Philippines

San Carlos

Manila

Biñan

Zamboanga

Davao

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