Last updated on 5/15/99 pretty line

Viewpoint on -- Wallace H. Little Mission.

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The Christian religion is the worship and service of Jesus Christ. It’s not Mary we worship, but her Son. We worship neither saints, angels, a law code, nor even God’s Spirit. It’s JESUS who is to be honored. The Bible is our guide.

Wallace H. Little
<e-mail>  Subject: Our Work for Christ

pretty lineDate sent: 15 May 1999

I arrived here late at night on Tuesday, 16 March. After a couple days rest, flew to Mindanao, and held two lectureships for older preachers. One was in the town of Margosatubig, in the province of Zamboanga del sur. Sixty-five preachers attended. The second was in Gen. Santos City, in the province of Cotabato, South. Here, only 13 of the 35 expected preachers attended. There is an unsavory story behind that, which I may explain in more detail in a later report. Suffice to say here that some involved were less than honest.

Back in Cainta (in the outskirts of Metro Manila), our classes for preacher-students began on Monday, 5 April. It got off to a somewhat bumpy start, as three students drifted in a couple days late. This is typical Filipino approach to time: Nine o'clock is better than 8, afternoon is better than morning, and tomorrow is best of all.

We have twelve students, which is about as many as we can reasonably accommodate in the house I rent. With the approval of my supporters, these come here at my expense (return also), live with me, with me providing a place to sleep, food to eat, the class supplies, and a small stipend each week for their personal needs (soap, tooth paste, etc), and ten weeks to three months of very hard work.

I ask for the brightest and best, and that is what I get. We are in our ninth class for preacher-students, and when we graduate these, the total who have been through our course will be nearly 100. We do not indoctrinate them into any faith-system, and teach only basic Bible. My theory, which I may expound on later, is that while doctrine is important, attitude which drives behavior is far more so. So we allow the students to question, even disagree with us during the teaching.

When this class ends, I have one additional lectureship for older preachers scheduled, and may agree to a second, depending on how tired I am. At 75, I can't keep up with myself and my schedule as it was twenty years ago.

Also, there is a member of one church that supports me who wrote recently. While he is in a six month's school away from home, his wife (a Filipina), and their child are visiting her family in the Philippines. The wife is a Christian and wants me and others to come there and teach her family.

Contrary to the reports of various Americans who conduct their yearly pilgrimages here, and go back boasting of large numbers of converts (one nitwit claimed 2000), it takes as much work here to convert a person as it does in the US or any place else.

pretty lineDate sent: Mon, 08 Mar 1999
From: "Wallace H. Little" <whlittle@snakebite.com>
Subject: Re: My Philippine Work

Dear bro. Downen: I'm up to my ears in preparation, much of which was delayed because my computer was down for nearly a month and a half, and is only yesterday back to where I can access all the programs I needed. I had two consecutive hard drive crashes, followed by a virus that put thousands upon thousands of empty files on my hard drive, making it impossible to access what I needed.

If this isn't enough, I need to be gone to Pensacola, to the VA Clinic there, all Wednesday, to have some medical tests run on me. So my time is on a short tether.

Anyway, I'll give you what I can, but please understand why I must be brief.

This will be our ninth class of preachers-students. As you can see, this is no vacation for any, the teachers or students. Three other American preachers, and five Filipino preachers help me in this, all volunteering their time, believing as I do, that this is a worth-while effort. Since the Philippines is a nation with 154 recorded major and minor dialects, teaching men in English so they will be able to teach in their dialects, we believe, a far more effective means of spreading the gospel there than by Americans acting as missionaries.

Also, I usually conduct two or three three-four day lectureships to older preachers who have had part of what we teach the preacher-students. This time, I am planning at least two before the classes begin, and one, and possibly two after they end.

So far, we have "processed" eight classes of student-preachers, for a total of around 100 (I am not sure of the exact number, as we do not always have the same number in each class). Of the older preachers, we have had six classes, with a total of nearly 100 going through them.

We do not try to indoctrinate our students. Instead, we teach them the basics they will need for a life-time of service to God in preaching. We are not so naive as to expect all will end up in ten years agreeing with each other on doctrine, or with us, either. But we believe they are capable of studying the Bible, and coming to their own conclusions. To this end, we teach very few pure doctrinal lessons, for we would prefer they apply the principles we teach to learn what applications are Biblical.

I first started preaching in the Philippines in 1966, when I was assigned there on military duty. While there, I "fell in love with the Filipino people," and since my retirement from the USAF, I've been going back to preach and teach as often as I have been able to raise the money to do so. For some years, I traveled about that nation, holding one to three day lectureships, including preaching through an interpreter, to the general public. In 1985, I had a massive heart attack, followed by four-vessel bypass surgery. That crimped my style for some time. The doctor did not let me preach for a couple of years, saying my problem was stress, and preaching was stressful (I wonder how he knew?). Anyway, since that time, I found my "git-up-and-go" done "got-up-and-went," and I can't handle the extensive travel as before. Also, my age (I am nearly 75) has slowed me down some, too.

So I began renting a house in the outskirts of Manila, and bring the mountain to Mahamad. As I wrote above, I still do some traveling, but on a much more limited scale, and as much of that as possible, flying. This was not a viable option for many years, but now is useful some of the time. I do this to prevent becoming so wearied with travel.

So now I hold only a few such lectureships each year. Then I spend the rest of my time there in a rented house in the outskirts of Manila, and hold three-month classes for preacher-students.

Below is a listing of the subjects and hours.

Subjects Hours                    Subjects Hours

Acts Of The Apostles 40.0 Bible Authority 20.0
Bible Fellowship 6.0          Bible History 12.0
Bible Law 10.0                  Christian Evidences 15.0
Church History 12.0           Covenant 10.0
Genesis 20.0                     Ecclesiastes 10.0
Gospel of John 45.0           Gospel of Luke 15.0
Hermeneutics 20.0             Homiletics 48.0
Mind Of Christ 20.0            Music And Song Leading 60.0
Nature Of The Church 15.0  Personal Evangelism 8.0
Philippine Culture And Philippine Law and
    Christian Values 8.0        Preaching 6.0
Scriptural Giving-Basis 2.0   Survey of the Old Testament 6.0
Topical subjects 10.0                       Total: 418.0

This is entirely an individual effort. My supporters agreed this is a good work, especially since the Philippines has 154 known and recorded major and minor dialects (English is one), and even a new preacher is more effective in his dialect than any American can be in English.

I have help from three other Americans and five Filipino preachers. They volunteer their time and talents, believing as I do, in the worth of this effort. No one, including me, receives a penny for this effort. Since most of my student-preachers are from dirt-poor families, my supporters allow me to pay their transportation to/from their homes, provide them with a place to sleep and food, give them one ballpoint pen, one notebook, one Bible, and three months of very hard work.

We begin classes Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM, and continue until 5:00 PM (with breaks in the morning and afternoon, plus lunch). At least two nights a week, we hold classes from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Two or three Saturdays, we also have morning classes.

I insist the students be there to worship with the small church where I also do, that they might have the experience of public service where they know others are as inexperienced as they, and won't laugh at their mistakes.

This has been a very satisfactory work, and has extended my service there when otherwise age (I'm nearly 75) and health would otherwise have sidelined me years ago.

That, in brief, is my work in the Philippines. While here in the US, since I resigned local work in 1993, I fill in occasionally, teach classes, and do what I can to "spread the word" on God's work in the Philippines.