fH/ yNEWS LETTER FROK CHARLES AND ROBERTA SELBY

Philippine Mission Churches of Christ of Northern LuzonForwarding Agent: Mrs. R. L. Tolliver, Box 125, Fairfield, Nebraska 68938

Telephone No. 402-726-2553May 15, 1980

Dear Friends in Christ:

Our last news letter was sent out in January so we have a lot to share with you in thisletter. Conunencement Exercises of APARRI BIBLE SEMINARY were held on Feb. 28. Eight youngpeople received their Degrees and Diplomas this year.

At the close of our commencement program, word came that our greatly beloved brother inChrist, Faustino Peneyra, was dying. He had been failing rapidly for several months and at1:50 A. M. on Feb. 29, he shed the worn out shell of his physical body which had housed hispowerful, faithful spirit for 88 years. His passing caused great sadness for his family anda multitude of friends among whom are hundreds of younger preachers and Christian workerswho have been blessed by his life and teaching. We praise God as we think of the joy hemust have felt as he heard his Lord say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

On Feb. 21, Lloyd and I met Richard and Harriet Tolliver and Elmer and Gerri Plettner atthe Tuguegarao airport and took them from there to visit our two Christian high schools.After very rewarding visits at both schools, we arrived in Aparri at about 10 P. M. on the22nd. Harriet Tolliver is my sister and has been our forwarding agent for many years. Weare so happy that she and Richard could see the work they have been so much a part of for somany years. Their daughter, Ann, lived and worked in Aparri for 9 years. She then marriedDr. Steve Plettner, the son of Elmer and Gerri. Steve and Ann are now in Kulpahar, Indiasetting up a medical mission. Their parents were on their way home from a month*s visit inKulpahar when they stopped by in Aparri for a one week visit. What a wonderful time we hadtogether, although that particular week is always the busiest week of the year for us.

At 6:00 A. M. on Feb. 29, the morning that Bro. Peneyra died, Roberta and I left Aparrifor Manila (along with the Tollivers, Plettners, Lloyd and Mary Pruitt) beginning our longjourney to the TJ, S. On March 3» we left Manila at 12:40 P. M. and arrived in San Franciscoat 4^00 P. M. the same day. Thus we began our 7th furlough in 53 years. During March andApril, I have spoken 59 times in five States in Meetings which include a Faith Promise Rally,a Missions Fair, a Deeper Life Crusade and the Nebraska Christian College Missionary Convention. Roberta has also spoken numerous times to women's and children's groups, as well asspeaking on "workshops" at the NCC Convention.

News-from the Philippines is slow in coming, but we do get some. "It is great to knowthat our oldest son, Lloyd, is there. He has taken over the administration of that entirework in a wonderful way. He is often called upon to preach (he does a great job of that) andhe was asked to deliver the Commencement Addresses at both our Christian High Schools thelatter part of March, He also was the commencement speaker for the Calinaoan ElementarySchool, which he did on about 2 hours notice. He is learning fast what it takes to be amissionary! Lloyd lived in the Philippines until he was 15 years old. He spoke the Ilocanolanguage like a native Ilocano and that is fast coming back to him. He has been doing someof his preaching in Ilocano. He is making an attempt to visit all of the 120 ch\irches inNorthern Luzon during 1980. I doubt that he can get that job done considering all of theother very pressing things that will have to be taken care of this year. By the way, Lloydstill has no regularly committed support for his living expenses. We would surely appreciatehearing from any of you who would be interested in taking him as your living-link missionary.

We are in the process of negotiating for the purchase of 17^ acres of prime rice landlocated very near to Northern Isabela Academy. This is important to us because with thisproperty added to the acres of rice land we already have at the school site, we wouldhave 25 acres of prime rice land which, with irrigation, would make it possible for our twoschools to become totally self-supporting and there could be from ten to fifteen thousanddollars left over each year to put into the new high school and Christian College which wewould like to get underway no later than June, 1982. Already a little over one half of thepurchase price of this land has been committed. We ask that you pray with us that this land

-may be purchased with a minimum of difficulty.

Roberta and I hope to see many of you during this year in the United States. We have arather full schedule already, but we do have some open week-ends and we would appreciate somuch the opportunity of week-night speaking appointments and meeting with mission committeesand other small groups interested in missions. I would also appreciate the opportunity ofsharing with groups of preachers in area meetings. I had a wonderful fellowship just recently when I spoke to the preachers of the Houston area in their regular monthly meeting.

Presently, our work can be divided into six different areas or phases, as follows:

Ic APARRI BIBLE SEMINARY: Established in 1952, this school will begin its 29th year inJune. The 1979-80 enrollment was 110. Average enrollment through the years has been around80. Over two hundred young people have graduated from this institution since its beginning,Bro, Harvey Beard, retired professor from Pacific Christian College will be teaching in theSeminary during the 1980-1981 school year.

II. SOUL WIHKING AM) CHURCH PLANTING; This is the primary aim of everything we are doing.In 1947, there was really only one preacher in the Cagayan Valley on a full time basis, Bro.Peneyra. Today there are around 50 to 60 preachers involved in every phase of the work, allof whom have been trained in Aparri Bible Seminary, In 1947i there were around 10 churchesin the area, today there are at least 120 churches there, 750 were won to Christ in 1979*

III, APARRI CHRISTIAN PRESS; The press supplies printed matter of all kinds for the Evangelistic program and the leadership training program in the local Churches, It also publishes a Christian paper every two months and the Simday School Quarterly. In addition, itdoes much printing for the Seminary and the Christian High Schools,

rv, THE RADIO MINISTRY; Six days every week, the Gospel goes out over station DZNC inCauayan, Isabela, Recently this station increased its power from 1,000 watts to 5*000 wattsand as a result the program is now reaching a much wider area. Cost of the program has alsobeen increased by more than times, from $5*00 to $18,70 for a fifteen minute program.This means our monthly bill just for the broadcast time will increase from $130,00 to $486,20per month. At least 12 churches have been established as a direct result of this radioprogram since it began in 1970, We believe it is the Lord's will that we continue thebroadcast and we are trusting Him to provide the means to do so,

V, THE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOLS, Northern Isabela Academy and Southern Isabela Academy,Over 1,000 young people enroll each year in these schools. All of them pay tuition for theprivilege of attending the schools and all of them are in Bible classes every day, five daysa week, ten months of the year. 220 were baptized into Christ this past school year. Over2,000 students and teachers have been baptized into Christ since the schools began in I967,

VT, CAGAYAN VALLEY CHILDREN'S HOME, 22 children are presently being cared for in verycramped quarters. Mary Pruitt, the director of this home, is eagerly looking forward tomoving into their new building. This is a concrete, two story building, 78 ft, by 37-J- ft,,located on a portion of the 25 acre tract of land which the mission owns 10 miles south ofAparri, Work on the main building is nearly complete, A smaller building, which will provide space for the laundry and a store room, must also be built. Estimated cost for thisbuilding is $6,000,00, A concrete water tower, with a windmill, costing approximately$1,000,00 must also be constructed for their water supply, Funds are also needed for 50double bunk beds estimated to cost $50,00 each. We also need at least one Maytag WashingMachine with wringer, one commercial size dryer, approximately $200,00 for dishes and kitchenutensils, $200,00 for mirrors and cupboards and good used summer weight clothing for all agesof children (layettes for babies) as well as bedding, towels and wash cloths. At present itcosts approximately $35»00 per month per child for the day to day operational expenses,NOTE: DVBS LESSONS HAVE BEEN PREPARED CONSISTING OP FIVE LESSONS AND AN AVERAGE OP I5COLORED SLIDES WITH EACH LESSON DEALING PRIMARILY WITH THE WORK AND NEEDS OF CAGAYAN VALLEYCHILDREN'S HOME,

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE INCLUDE:"1 )The establishment of a Christian Liberal Arts andTechnical College and High School, and later, as the need develops, a kindergarten and elementary school as well. This institution will be located on the same 25 acre site where theChildren's Home is now nearing completion. Our two present high schools will act as feedersfor this College, Since we will be offering several varieties of technical courses, thisschool will draw young people from a very wide area which in turn will give us the opportunityto reach into many new areas with the Gospel and churches will be established in places wehave never even heard of before, (2). The establishment of a Radio Broadcasting Station.The primary aim of this station will be to reach as much of northern Luzon as we can. Theultimate aim will be to get permission and equipment to reach out across the seas into allof the countries of southeast Asia with the Gospel message of salvation and brotherhood,(3). Opening up the east coast of northern Luzon to the Gospel, Up until the past ten yearsor so this area was marked on the maps as unexplored territory, but now there are large lumber towns over there and there are very few churches of any kind that we know of. It ispossible that we will find this to be an ideal place for another Christian High School, Itis also possible that land for such a school would be donated and that lumber for buildingwould be readily available and much cheaper than-in other places; Lloyd andr-Ben Dugay,-thetreasurer of our two high schools, are planning a survey trip to that area sometime thissummer. Pray for them and for us as we consider this open door.

Many of you will find receipts enclosed, some of them dating back several months. Wethank you for your faithful support and for your patience with us in these busy times.

Fadtt^^^y yours iiyCK^st,

i'les and Roberta Selby

NEWSLETTER FROM CHARLES AND ROBERTA SELBYPhilippine Mission Churches of Christ of Northern Luzon

Forwarding Agent: Mrs. R. L. Tolliver, Box 125, Fairfield, Nebraska 68938Telephone No. 402/726-2553 or 402/726-2335

OCTOBER 1980

In the Lord's work in the Philippines we have six different ||||HHministries. While we are here in the U.S.A., we considerthat we also have a ministry as we travel and speak among theChurches. Furlough time is half gone. We have driven over 'r 'jUil18,000 miles and have spoken in churches every Sunday exceptone, in the states of California, Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, •H||pPP'N|MIllinois, Ohio, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana,and Michigan. We attended one youth camp in Oregon, the NACC WS^ *"in Seattle, Wi-Ne-Ma Week of Missions (Oregon), and of course ^K|Lthe National Missionary Convention in Springfield, Illinois, ;i fv y jin October. We have held several Faith Promise or other g / jMissionary Rallies, and 2 one-week evangelistic meetings. We ^ '' ' *have received great inspiration from the Churches and have en- j|H|Ev,^m|joyed the warm hospitality of loving Christians who've opened .their homes to us. Furlough time is not a vacation, but we y."*perience great joy in fellowshipping with the Family of God! J %We have had a few days with relatives in between speaking ap- |||||||||p|^gj|||||||||^ ^polntments, and we look forward to spending the Christmas hoi- AND CHARLES SELBYidays with sons Rick and Rob and their families in Houston.Pray for us as we continue in this ministry of acquainting the churches with the Lord'swork in the Philippines, and exhorting them to greater efforts in world-wide evangelism.

MRS. SHIRLEY TOLEDO

We praise the Lord for answering our prayers regarding the needfor a secretary and book-keeper in Aparri. Mrs. Shirley Toledoof Seattle, Washington, will be going to the Philippines aroundNov. 15. Shirley is a graduate of Cincinnati Bible Seminary, hasworked in McKinley Indian Mission, and she and her husband, TonyToledo, were instrumental in the establishment and continued support of several churches in the province of Tarlac, Philippines,where Tony's family lives. Since Tony's death, Shirley has beenworking in an office in Seattle. She has made several trips tothe Philippines, and is eager to go to work permanently among theFilipino people. We have known Shirley for many years and recommend her highly to brethren everywhere. She is in need of livinglink support; her travel expenses will come from her own personalfunds. Anyone interested in helping Shirley may contact us or herHer address: Mrs. Shirley Toledo, 5220-176th S.W., Sp. 83, Lynn-wood, WA 98043. Pray with us that this need will be met soon.Mary Pruitt has been doing the office work, but is greatly neededas full time director for the Cagayan Valley Children's Home; itis too much for her to do both jobs.

News from the Philippines is encouraging. As mentioned above, the Lord has led us intosix different ministries, namely: APARRI BIBLE SEMINARY, EVANGELISM, APARRI CHRISTIANPRESS, RADIO EVANGELISM, CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOLS and the CAGAYAN VALLEY CHILDREN'S HOME.

Marj Boudreaux, registrar of APARRI BIBLE SEMINARY, reports 75 students enrolled thisschool year, nearly all of these being full time college students. Harvey Beard isteaching my classes this year, as well as a special class for faculty and staff. Wepraise the Lord for Harvey's dedication in wanting to teach on mission fields followinghis retirement from Pacific Christian College after 40 years there. A special week ofinspiration for students and faculty was Deeper Life Week Sept. 22-24 with Dennis McKin-ney and Sergio Banggo preaching. Oct. 6-10 was semester vacation which is always a weekof evangelism for students and faculty, some of them going to the two high schools.

Lloyd reports a very successful summer campaign of EVANGELISM. One evangelistic teamfrom the Seminary including a basketball team and men's quartet baptized 110 into Christ.Two other ABS students baptized 30. A large crowd attended the annual Cagayan ValleyChristian Convention at Calinaoan, Sto. Tomas, Isabela, in April. Over 1500 childrenwere taught in DVBS during April and May. Three weeks of youth camps. Junior, Intermediate and Senior, were held in Aparri with over 200 in attendance; 38 were baptized intoChrist. Cosme Batalla wrote that he had baptized 48 people into Christ from January toJuly. He has a goal of 100 for 1980 in the small community where he ministers.

Graduation services for both CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOLS were held in March with Lloyd Selbyand Sid Boudreaux speaking. Enrollment for the new school year in June shows a total of1050 students enrolled, 590 in NORTHERN ISABELA ACADEMY, 460 in SOUTHERN ISABELA ACADEMY.These students are taught Bible classes every day by Seminary graduates, as well as theirregular academic courses by qualified Filipino teachers. Last school year 220 studentswere baptized into Christ. Over 2000 have been won to Christ since 1967.

The CAGAYAN VALLEY CHILDREN'S HOME building was completed enough for Mary Pruitt and JoyCollins with their Filipino co-workers and 25 children to move in on June 7. Since then,all windows and screens have been put in, the building has been painted, and just recentlywas hooked up to electricity. The children are still carrying water, but construction hasb'egun on the new water tower and windmill. This is going to cost much more than anticipated because of rising costs of materials. Since we left Mary has received several morechildren, making operating costs go up. $33.00 a month supports one child.

Many have inquired regarding the economic situation in the Philippines. Costs are risingin everything; consequently salaries have had to be increased. Building materials continue to rise in cost, and all general operating costs of the Mission are up. We praise theLord for providing, and trust Him to continue to provide through His people. Regularmonthly gifts are needed. Some of you giving regularly have increased the amount. We aregrateful to you and praise God for prompting you to be sensitive to this need.

Some gifts have been given and set aside for the purchase of additional rice land nearNorthern Isabela Academy, where we already have 7^ acres in rice. Because of governmentregulations in regard to the Land Reform laws, this is moving much more slowly than wehad anticipated. Negotiations are still going on. Pray with us that this transactionwill be accomplished soon. Another important need here is an irrigation well to makethis land more productive. Any income from this land goes to support the high schools.Tuition collected from students is not enough to meet all expenses. We are attemptingto find a way to make these schools completely self-supporting. Any income over andabove the needs of the high schools will go for other mission projects, such as thosein the next paragraph.

Pray with us also regarding FUTURE PLANS for building a radio broadcasting station,and buildings for a Christian Technical High School and Christian Liberal Arts Collegeon our property at Lallo, Cagayan, where the Children's Home is also located. The samefacilities will be used for both schools. We believe the Lord has led us in formulatingthese plans and according to His will He will enable them to be realized.

Lloyd has now been working in the Cagayan Valley for over a year; he began Sept. 1, 1979.He has a tremendous responsibility as overTall administrator of these many ministries.It seems he is also having many opportunities to preach or teach God's Word. He is veryhappy in the Lord's work there and from all reports is doing a good job. We praise theLord for bringing him there at just the right time. Please pray for him often, that hemight seek and know and follow the Lord's wisdom and leading in all things. As thisgoes to press, he still does not have living-link support. Would you join us in prayerconcerning this need also?

May God bless and reward you for your faithful prayers and financial support of His workin the Philippines. Thank you for praying for us, too.

.ly yours inj2hri,st,

Charles and Roberta Selby

PHILIPPINE MISSIONCHURCHES OF CHRIST

NORTHERN LUZONBox 49 Aparri, Cagayan 1118

PHILIPPINES

A.B.S. FACULTY AND STUDENTS, 1979-1980

^Established in 1952 by Charles & Roberta Selby

^Average Enrollment - 85 ^Enrollment 1979 - 11

*208 Graduates

^PURPOSE: To train Filipino preachers, Bibleteachers, Christian leaders

RESULTS: 1947

60 preachers

CHURCH PLANTING AND SELF-SUPPORTING,APARRI CHRISTIAN PRESS

^Established in 1957

'^Managed by Laureano Lopez, ABS graduate

^Permanent workers, ABS graduates

^Provides vocational training for ABS graduates

^PURPOSE: To provide all kinds of printed materialto aid preachers and churches in evangelisticwork; to aid high schools and Seminary byproviding necessary printing

^ACCOMPLISeiENTS

+Preparation and printing in Ilocano of a 12-pagebi-monthly publication, "CRONICAS", Editor -

AUC rr-y n 11 rt -h ^

FUTURE EXPANSION PLANS

^ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FOLLOWING on the mission-owned25-acre site 10 miles south of Aparri at Lallo:

*A Christian Kindergarten, beginning with childrenin Children's Home, in June, 1980

*A Christian Technical High School*A Christian Liberal Arts College

+These schools will use the same facilities, highschool classes during the day, college classes beginning late afternoon; some teachers being usedto teach in both schools

+Projected to begin in June, 1982+Estimated building cost - $15.00 per sq. ft.+PURPOSES FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF THESE SCHOOLS

1. To provide an opportunity for teaching daily