By Joyce Porcadilla-Smith, President of General Baptist Bible College in the Philippines (GBBC)
As a family in GBBC, we praise and thank God for the wonderful opportunity to be able to take part in the General Baptist Ministries 40 days of Prayer emphasis.
We encouraged all the Faculty & Staff and College students to participate and amazingly they all committed to pray for 1 hour on the scheduled date, March 21, 2022. They all signed up to join the prayer activity. Each one was given a copy of the General Prayer items and we also added some specific items to the prayer list.
Since we still don’t have face-to-face classes, each one just prayed where he or she was.
Below are some of the testimonies of the Faculty & Staff and students about their experience of the said event.
Faculty & Staff
“Being able to pray the prayer items I rarely/have never prayed before, being part of an entire community/body of Christ who are praying the same prayer is such an encouragement and a wonderful experience. Intentionally, setting aside an hour to pray brought spiritual joy. That experience allowed me to reflect that I had to extend my prayer and widen my list for prayer. “ – Jonaessete Lopez–Singson
“It was a memorable experience. I am not used to waking up as early as 3:45 am to do a morning prayer but with that, I was reminded of my commitment so I got up and pray for the things listed and I felt peace talking to God with my personal concerns as well. It seemed like I was able to unload a burden in my heart. The list seemed so overwhelming but I was reminded how great our God is who could move mountains and turn the impossible into possible. I was reminded that with all the things that are happening around us, we need HIM for He is a sovereign God. I was able to reflect that I have so much to work on in my spiritual life. Thank you for the privilege. God Bless! “ – Hezyl Pili
“It was a nice experience to pray not just for my personal concerns but more for the needs or concerns of others. Through this activity, God reminded me to be grateful to Him for having a beautiful family, a job, and a ministry. I realized how blessed I am to enjoy everything I have in spite of the pandemic, scarcity, and chaos. It was a great blessing to pray for others and declare blessings and peace to them.” –Livi Cano
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Here at GBBC, Christmas has always been a grand celebration. We started off with our annual Christmas missions outreach in a very remote elementary school where the students and staff of GBBC held a Christmas program, served a meal, and gave out gifts. This was held on December 6th. It is always encouraging to see our students voluntarily put their resources together and share their blessings to the pupils and their families, as well as teachers of the said elementary school. But more importantly, it was a great blessing to see the joy in them because of the love they felt that no matter how simple the celebration was, we were able to make known to them the real meaning of Christmas and the reason of the season we are celebrating—Jesus.
Furthermore, on December 12th, the college students went around the neighboring communities to share the Christmas story through giving out candy canes. The students had the opportunity to share the Gospel and pray for and with various families and even those they met along the streets.
The General Baptist Bible College, Inc. (GBBC) over the years has evolved from a small Bible school of 18 students to a multi-level educational institution. The dream to have a training school has been fulfilled. Through dedication, commitment and hard work this institution was built. We thank our leaders who have gone before us for their leadership, foresight, careful planning, and generosity. If not for their leadership and vision in the past, GBBC wouldn’t even be here today.