Story number 1 for 5 May 2003

(Philippines)–Topping the news, despite assurances from the Philippines’ president that the Abu Sayyaf is on the run, the Muslim insurgency and rebel fighting continues to take its toll. Some Western-based Christian agencies say the violence is hampering their work. However, International Needs’ Rody Rodeheaver says their ministry teams have a different view of the story. ‘In many of the missions that send Westerners, they’re sending them not necessarily to be pioneers and evangelists, but they’re sending them to be technicians, and computer people, and leadership trainers, and that sort of thing.” Rodeheaver says it’s through this approach that their ministry celebrates their 20th anniversary in the Philippines this year. “In that period of 20 years, we’ve seen it start from very small… [to] over 200 new churches planted. That is something that I believe has happened because those people were faithful to God’s call.”