Graduate Ronda Sponseller

I have been a missionary with Operation 500 for over three years. I absolutely love being on the mission field! I am from Hamilton, Ohio and I graduated from Spirit Life Bible College in the year 2000 and I couldn't wait to go to the Philippines! Initially I was assigned to the island of Palawan. I invested a year preaching in churches, teaching in a tribal Bible school, children's outreaches and serving in many other areas. I saw much fruit there and I know that as a ministry we planted a lot of seeds!

I am now based in Davao City on the island of Mindanao where God is doing awesome things! I am presently the director of "Kids on the GO!" (KOTG) is an outreach ministry for the children. When I first started KOTG I didn't know if many kids would come from the neighborhood or what would happen. We first started with 16 kids, hardly any supplies, two American missionaries, and one interpreter! As time went on, the KOTG team, which is composed of students and SLBC-Philippines graduates, grew and we began to see fruit in the kids. The children started bringing their friends and they were really entering into praise and worship. Many of them were able to recite their memory verse each week, and they would have testimonies of healings in their bodies!

The Philippines is reported to be 83% Roman Catholic so the form of religion is strong but they don't really understand what it means to have a close relationship with God. It is our desire to bring the children into an intimate relationship with God, so that the form of religion will not have a hold on them as they grow older. We have to root out the lies the devil has told them through years of "religious" teaching that say being a good person will get you into heaven. It takes continuous effort and teaching to change their mindsets, but I know it can be done. "Kids On the GO!" (KOTG) is now reaching into the Shrine Hills area every Saturday averaging 60 kids a week. Shrine Hills is an impoverished area where about 200 families live surrounding a Catholic Church. We meet in the town's basketball court and preach the Gospel to the kids! We have been reviewing with the kids and asking them how we get to heaven, just to make sure they understand what we are teaching. About half of them say Jesus is the way to heaven, so we are making progress. This type of ministry just takes a lot of repetition and patience since we are dealing with such a stronghold of religion. I have been getting some resistance from the Catholics. We've been told by different sources that the Catholic lay minister of that area feels threatened by our presence there and has been telling the mothers not allow their kids to come to KOTG because they will be born again! At first, the number of the kids was cut in half, but now the kids are starting to come back and we had 88 kids last Saturday! We are praying for the Catholic lay minister to get saved!

I also visit the mothers and people living in the Shrine three days a week. The people are getting saved and I am discipling them! It is exciting to watch them grow. Many times they request prayer for healing and I do counseling and make sure they are reading the Bible and pray. At the same time that the KOTG team is doing the children's ministry on Saturday at the basketball court, I've been doing a Bible study right across the street with the mothers and adults who live in Shrine Hills. There is one lady who got saved, but her income came from selling alcohol. I explained that she can't do that anymore and so now she is selling cooked bananas! We've only been doing this Bible study for a couple months, so it is just getting established and beginning to grow in number. Currently, we average about ten people. The goal is to get more Bible studies started in different areas of the Shrine after doing evangelism and discipleship for the next six months. We've been told by people who live there that there has never been a Christian children's program or a Christian organization to come into that community and begin children's ministry or Bible studies! Through the ministry of KOTG, Christianity is being spread and a new generation is being raised up to know Jesus intimately!

I am also an instructor at Spirit Life Bible College-Asia where I teach Biblical Management, Community Outreach, and Children's Ministry. I love teaching and mentoring the students. It is great to watch them change and grow into the men and women of God that they are destined to be!

On Tuesday nights I do a Bible study with a government office. It is kind of like a small claims court but also is responsible for organizing and implementing many community projects within a specified area of the city. Attending the Bible study is the office staff whom are Catholics but are being renewed though the teaching of the Bible. The Priests in the Catholic church here do not emphasize reading and studying the Bible and most Catholic Christians don't know the truth's of God's Word. They are very hungry and they always have questions about the verses we are studying! I love seeing them get revelation and understanding of God's Word as we study!

With the help of one of our SLBC-Philippines graduates, Shayne Cayog, I have been able to minister in two elementary schools with a total attendence of 500+ students each week! I have now delegated that ministry totally to Shayne so that I can focus more on evangelism and discipling the people in Shrine Hills. She teaches grades 1-6 simple truths about God, having good character, and how to be leaders and affect their nation!. It gets tiring at times, but she knows if we can speak into one of their lives about making right decisions, and they remember what she says years from now, then we know it is worth it! She is also teaching in a Daycare Center that is located in Shrine Hills. She is reaching about 20 children through that ministry.

New projects!

I recently also started feeding the street kids of Davao City! These kids either have been abandoned by family or ran away from home due to abuse or family problems. With the help of the Bible school students and Social Services Department, we were able to gather and feed 170 kids rice, spaghetti, and hotdogs in a gym downtown! We also gave them the Gospel through drama, puppets, and the story of the 'Wordless Book" which is a story using a book of different colors representing the story of Jesus. Many raised their hands when asked who wanted to receive God's free gift of salvation! We will be doing this once a month. I am excited about how God will use this ministry to transform their lives!

Another ministry that I recently started is the Community Outreach Program. This ministry shows the love of God through practical service and community enhancement. It is geared toward the poor area where we are doing our children's ministry, Shrine Hills. With the help of the Bible school students, we painted the Shrine Daycare Center inside and out. We also painted the house of a widow who comes to Embassy Christian Center-Davao! She was very happy and felt like she had a whole new home! This last month, I bought new basketball nets for the hoops at the basketball court and the youth are very thankful! Another project on the horizon is building a new waiting shed that is situated on the basketball court. We also have permission from the government to put up signs along the road saying,"PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY, CHILDREN PLAYING." Showing the love of God in this way has opened up the hearts of many of the people to us! We are praying that it will also one day lead to their salvation!

I am trying my best to fulfill what God has for me to do in the Philippines! I am excited about reaching the people of the Philippines and God's call on my life. It is an honor to serve God in this capacity with Roberts Liardon Ministries!

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