The Church in Sitio Nawan

Here are a few photos from the recent visit to Sitio Nawan, Pangian, Malita, Davao del Sur.

The uphill climb takes an average of 45-90 minutes. 

The brethren welcoming those who are visiting for the first time. The church in Nawan is a 15-minute motorcycle ride and an hour's hike away from the church in Pangian, which planted it two years ago and continues to nurture it. Elders take turns taking the hour-long hike up the hill every Sabbath.  

Elder Esperanza (middle, last row), Bro. Joseph and Bro. Anthony with the youth and children of Pangian and Nawan on a hill near the church.

The children of Nawan and Pangian giving a special number, action songs and memory verses, during the Sabbath afternoon program.

The brethren who came for fellowship.

The hike back proved to be a greater challenge because of the pull of gravity and the steep trail.

One of the many dangerous bends in the trail. One misstep could send you sliding along the slippery slope and down the hill. Before their church was established, the brethren of Nawan walked this trail back and forth every Sabbath, sometimes having to walk an additional hour all the way to the church in Pangian. Such devotion!

Despite the distance and the scarcity of resources, the brethren in this remote area continue to be faithful, denying self and giving all in their God-given ability to serve Him.

May God richly bless this church, the brethren of Pangian, and ourselves as we endeavor in our respective capabilities to surrender all for the cause of our Lord.

Bito Church - December 2010

A couple of months ago, a worker was installed in Bito, Malita and we're all carefully observing the progress of the work there. Bro. Ben Negre's wife, Sis. Beth, joined him in Bito to aid in the work there. She accompanies him during house calls and specializes in teaching youth and kids in the church.

A few weeks ago, Bro. Ben had to be brought back to Davao due to a knee injury he incurred during his stay in Bito. Sis. Beth, along with Sis. Wylie Ann "Nene" Mariano, then faithfully took up the work there in order to hold the people who come to church but are unable to keep up the services.

When Sis. Nene had to come back to Davao for a few days due to a death in the family, four young people were sent out to aid Sis. Beth in the Sabbath programs.

While there are still only few adults present during the church service, there was a fair number of youth there who actively help Sis. Beth to the best of their abilities.


Sis. Gladys and Bro. Joseph with the youth who aid Sis. Beth in Bito church

The service went well. During Sabbath School, Sis. Ruth Mae Canonero talked about giving praise and thanks to God. The lesson was conducted by Sis. Gladys Laguardia. A member of the church, Bro. Boni, also shared his knowledge on health by giving a short lecture about the digestive system. For the Divine Service, Bro. Joseph Baldemor spoke about giving the heart to Jesus. In the afternoon, Sis. Jaylyn Esperanza gave a follow-through to Bro. Boni's lecture by elaborating on the digestive system and how it can be better cared for.








Before heading back to Davao, we visited an active church member who was sick and thus couldn't make it to the Sabbath program.

The endeavor in Bito needs much work and much prayer. Please include this work in your prayers.

Fellowship at Bito Church

On August 28, we once again made the trip to Malita for our monthly fellowship there. Brethren and sisters filled our blue jeep before the sun was up on Sabbath morning, arriving in Bito church just in time for breakfast before Sabbath School began.

As always, we had the warm support of the brethren from Pangian church. We were also blessed to have with us a couple of brothers from the SDA Reform Movement who also shared their knowledge, especially in the line of prophetic events.

Representatives from the different churches shared how they go about God's work in their locality. Lunch was wonderful, especially as the brethren continued to discuss Bible subjects and natural methods of healing.

Speakers for the Sabbath included Bro. Benhur Negre, Bro. Roger Laguardia, Sis. Gladys Laguardia, and Bro. Randy Akyatan (SDARM).

We look forward to the next fellowship, which will be on September 25 at Pangian Church. God bless us all.

Malita Fellowship

For three months now, the brethren of Royal Valley Free SDA Church have been fellowshipping with two churches in Malita - Pangian and Bito. The monthly fellowships, held on the last Sabbath of each month, are conducted as part of our joint efforts to revive the church in Bito and also to help nurture the church in Pangian.

The three churches have agreed to hold the fellowships alternately in Bito and in Pangian. The brethren of Royal Valley then make the three-hour trip from Davao City to attend the fellowship and share in the worship and study.

Please continue to pray for these three churches to prosper more in the grace of God and in the knowledge of His truth.

Happy New Year!

2010 is finally here and we're wishing everyone a very happy new year.

the past year has been the busiest for the Royal Valley SDA Church - a year filled with activities and projects that the Lord has graciously blessed with success.

up to the end of last year, the members have been busily going about the business of serving and teaching.

on december 25 and 26, we paid Ilang Church (Tibungco, Davao City) a visit as they were hosting a youth fellowship there.

Sis. Risha Catubigan stressed the importance of thorough heart-searching and self-examination. She also conducted a special activity that aimed to help youth find out their strengths and weaknesses.

A couple of weeks later, some of these youth came to visit us at Royal Valley to spend the Sabbath afternoon with us.

Bro. Bruce Palange gave a lecture on the effects of too much sugar in the body. He also gave a message especially for the youth.

The following is a song performed by the Ilang Adventist Youth during their visit.

"Come Higher" - the perfect watchword for the dawning new year. :)

Another Fellowship with Our SDARM Brethren

Sabbaths are always wonderful. It is a time we devote fully to the praise and worship of our mighty, loving God and to the study of His sanctifying truths.

However, the past Sabbath had been more wonderful than usual, thanks to the 50 or so brethren who came to worship God with us at the Royal Valley SDA Church.

The visitors were mostly brothers and sisters from the SDA Reform Movement, coming from Davao City, Digos City, and Tagum City. But there were also friends from Mati and from Laguna.

A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!
[It is] like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, [even] Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, [and as the dew] that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, [even] life for evermore. -Psalms 133


This has been the second time that our SDARM brethren came to fellowship with us. The first time had also been wonderful. Lots of things to share and learn. Since then, we have been able to visit worship with them for a Sabbath afternoon in their church in Matina Pangi.

Last Sabbath, we were filled with health messages from Bro. Jeoffrey Laguit, Bro. Daniel Serrano, and Bro. Manasses Dumaguit.


Bro. Daniel Serrano

The worship was completed with beautiful song renditions from their youth and children.








We look forward to many happy returns.

SDARM Fellowship at RVSDA Church

August 29 - The Royal Valley SDA Church brethren was surprised and happy that SDARM brethren from different churches (Tagum City, Digos City, Davao City, Kibalang, Bukidnon) held their fellowship in our church. Brief text messages passed to church officers on that week to get ready for the special fellowship and with open arms they were welcomed and always welcome in our church.

It was really a blessing to the church as their church pastors, most of them doctor of naturopathy share health reformation lecture in the afternoon. Their Bible students at Digos City also grace the program by giving special songs.

We are looking forward that they can again visit our church or we can visit their churches, for empowering each other in working with the Lord especially in these last days.

Big Little Church: Visiting Pangian

It was an unassuming building beside a rough road that runs and rolls over a rugged terrain. The walls were made of kalakat, the pews of uneven wood slabs. There were no fancy windows, nor was there an utra-modern sound system.

Yet, within Pangian Church one finds a sense of peace and reverence that is too often absent in big-city churches.

Perhaps it was in the way one hears only the speaker on the pulpit and not much else, or in the way one is supposed to leave his shoes outside the door, or even in the modesty of the old electric guitar and the slightly different way the vernacular hymns were sung.

Then again, perhaps it was all of these blended into the way the local brethren showed their hunger and eagerness for eternal truths we have come to share with them.

We first witnessed their eagerness and diligence two months ago in the neighboring locality of Bito. We have since committed ourselves to visiting them in their own church, meeting their needs wherever possible, and sharing precious truths we ourselves continue to study.

The brethren have started a Bible Markings Program where the young and the old study the Bible together. During our visit, ten Bibles were turned over to the church officers for distribution to needing members.



The Sabbath services were filled with messages of present truth and encouragement shared by Elder Gil Tagolgol, Elder Paquito Esperanza, Bro. Anthony Larita, and Sis. Wylie Ann Mariano. They requested for a lecture on health, and we were more than happy to oblige with Sis. Gladys talking about the need for keeping the body clean and Sis. Risha Catubigan sharing about our body's need for rest in order to rid it of toxins. Sis. Jowena Saliling also shared experiences from her youth that have led her to her present devotion to the Lord.

Music made the worship services even more meaningful as the brethren of Royal Valley and of Pangian took turns sharing the gift of song in praise of God and in encouragement of one another.

Although new to the message of reformation, the brethren of Pangian have begun to change old ways of observing the Sabbath and maintaining health.

What the church needs now are more resources, access to more information, books and other learning materials - tools that will help them improve on the truths we have shared with them.

We stayed one more night in Pangian, comfortable in the warm hospitality of Bro. and Sis. Tanyo and their grandchildren. These grandchildren were youngsters who, time and again, have made themselves available for service in their little church, and who have expressed their eagerness in learning more and more about present truth.

In the little church of Pangian, we are once again reminded that the size of a church is not as much the breadth or length of a building as it is the genuine eagerness for righteousness possessed by its members.

PANGIAN CHURCH: SEEKERS OF TRUTH

Our hearts were filled with joy to meet these brethren who are “hungered for righteousness.” All the church members are active and eager to know more of the present truth. The Pangian Church of SDA Conference is not under the mission/conference of SDA but under another conference different from the local church conference. This church is in Malita, Davao del Sur.

The church members are resourceful and diligent in studying the Bible together. They want to learn more of the Spirit of the Prophecy and live the life of our pioneers.

Our meeting with them at Bito Church last May 29-31 was a revival and reformation meeting and they were very happy to learn so much. Sis. Wylie Ann Mariano gave them a set of pocket SOP books and their joy was beyond expression. The Royal Valley SDA Church also promised to give ten Bibles for their Bible Study.

We will meet again for another series of studies this coming August. Let’s pray for these brethren.

(1) Elder Paquito Esperanza as Divine Speaker;(2) Sis. Mariano with the head elder of Pangian Church; (3) the Pangian church members; (4) Elder Leve Catubigan for the Sabbath Reformation; and (5) the Pangian Youth

LOCAL CONFERENCE CHURCH OF SDA INVITES RVSDA

A Camp Meeting of the Local Conference of SDA was held at General Santos City on the last week of May 2009. More or less 300 members of this church conference were present from different parts of Mindanao. The conference, through Ilang Church, invited Sis. Risha and Bro. Leve Catubigan of the Royal Valley SDA Church as their speakers. "Reformation" was the theme of the week-long camp meeting. Some of the conference's member churches are new to this message while others have already accepted the messages and lived by it.

The topics shared during the camp meeting were: "Why Our Work is Not Yet Finished," "Health Message and the Leaders' Responsibility," "The Isaiah 58 Message," "Death Begins in the Colon," "Fecal Analysis," and "Enema."

A positive response was received from the brethren who really accepted the message. Others, however, still struggle to accept these present truth messages.

Bro. Leve and Sis. Risha spent only two days with the meeting and proceeded to Malita, Davao del Sur for another important task.

Pictures: (1) Sis. Risha with the All Church Pastors and Women's Ministry members of Local Conference; (2) Sis. Risha on Isaiah 58 message; and (3) The participants while listening.