More Bulan Partition Reports from Ptr Vir Fulo

Note that Pastor Virgilio Fulo has the following roles: 1. senior pastor of PAMI Bulan Christian Church located in Purok 4 of the San Vicente barangay of Bulan town proper (i.e. the mother church), 2. partition head of PAMI Bulan churches (includes BCC and its well-established daughter churches of Fabrica, MonteCalvario, & Lapinig and house church/outreaches in Abad-Santos, Butag, & Tampi) and 3. overall field director of PAMI (which includes three partitions–Bulan and its daughter churches, Emmaus Bible Institute and its campus ministries and daughter churches and Mabini, and a third partition of all other PAMI churches in other towns). Ptr Vir’s reports mainly concentrate on activities of the Bulan Partition, but also include a couple things from the rest of the mission. To see these reports, click on the following links.

Mission life just before and during COVID quarantine

Here’s a pdf that includes an April report from Sis Ofel of EBI, along with pictures of a Valentine couples night, distribution of books/food/relief, gardening, and family worship: April 14th report

First Quarter Reports from Bulusan & Bulabog

Six from San Jose, Bulusan happy to be baptized on Jan. 3rd

Click on the following pdf files:

April 29th Bulusan Report from Ptr Lorenzo Fugen

April 26th Bulabog Report from Ptr Marlon Gabion

March 2020 PAMI Bulletin and impact of COVID-19

Click on the following for the latest PAMI bulletin:  March 2020 PAMI Bulletin.  This bulletin illustrates the 2020 vision and goals of various partitions/churches of PAMI as of the end of February.  Perhaps these plans will have to change now that the whole world has shut down due to COVID-19 social restrictions. As of March 26 there are 707 confirmed cases and 45 deaths in the Philippines, but none yet in our area.  But our area is still included in government mandated lock-down, so church services, EBI classes and internships, graduation ceremonies, Compassion activities, etc. have been temporarily suspended.  Please pray for protection, adjustment, & recovery.
Prior to government mandated restrictions, EBI was planning to graduate 4 on April 3, and an all-PAMI fellowship/summit at EBI was being planned for April 26.  And a new modular study program was going to commence in four churches in June, with various EBI teachers teaching weekly Friday afternoon classes and rotating monthly.  But all this is now on hold.  It’s sort of a double whammy to have this COVID-19 happen right after the December typhoon, and we pray that some measure of ministry can continue.  Although big group gatherings have been suspended, a few pictures of small-scale efforts can be seen below.  Pastor Gumer says, “Glory to God for the opportunity to share God’s word even in hard time due to community quarantine because of ncov19..and I pray that our God be glorify in our lives. Jesus is above all name..Phil.2:9-11.” Read More

2019 Summary, January 2020 PAMI Bulletin and Typhoon Recovery

By the end of January, year-end statements and a January 2020 PAMI Bulletin were mailed out to those that made 2019 contributions to PAMI.  The year-end statements included the following summary of PAMI ministries in 2019:
Dear Friends:
Thank you for your gifts and prayers for PAMI in 2019.  They are fitting of Hebrews 13:16 that says “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” 
This has been another fruitful year of ministry. About 65 people were baptized!  Three graduated from Emmaus Bible Institute on April 3rd.  Two of the three were added as workers, along with a couple that graduated in previous years.  We were able to distribute another 500 Operation Christmas Child boxes and carry out a lot of discipleship along with that.  160 Compassion sponsored kids were served weekly at EBI.  An all-PAMI youth camp was held in April and a crusade in May, with a couple hundred attending each.  Churches were started in Culasi Matnog and San Jose Bulusan.  Other gatherings, retreats, and workshops were held.  Film showings, Christian radio, Bible study outreaches, children’s feedings, and VBS continued.  Weekly Values Instruction Classes were done in several public schools and Family Development Sessions were held with government welfare recipients.  Several balikbayan boxes were sent with books, CDs, games, toys, school and office supplies, hygiene supplies, clothes, laptops and projectors.  Some building refurbishment/improvement and typhoon relief/repairs were done.  It’s through the partnership of dedicated Filipino workers and faithful supporters like you that all this is possible.
Regarding the January 2020 PAMI Bulletin , it includes before and after repair pictures of two of the worst hit PAMI buildings–the PenaFrancia Church near EBI and Candumaay Matnog Church.  It also has some pictures of distribution of typhoon relief goods.  And page 2 is a January 7 report from Sis Ofel that praises God for batches of typhoon relief from different sources along with corresponding ministry opportunities.  For more info and pictures, see below: Read More

Aftermath of Typhoon Tisoy

Actual path of the eye of the typhoon.


A few hours before it made landfall, it looked like the eye of Typhoon Tisoy was going to pass through Legazpi, just a little to the north of Sorsogon Proivince where PAMI is located.  Unfortunately, the eye actually made landfall in Gubat about midnight on Dec 2-3 and passed east to west right through northern Sorsogon Province at category 4 strength (140 miles per hour).  It was accompanied by a storm surge of about 10 feet and about 16 inches of rain.  It practically went right over EBI in Sorsogon City and Castilla.  It greatly affected the whole Province and almost every town where PAMI has ministry.   Many places are still without electricity over two and a half weeks later.  PenaFrancia and Candumaay Matnog churches were halfway destroyed, and sustained over $500 damage each.  EBI had a collapsed classroom cottage and a falling big tree knocked over the property wall and fell on another classroom (denting the corrugated steel roof and breaking rafters).  Several other PAMI churches/parsonages had damage as well.  Plus there’s probably about a hundred PAMI member homes with damage.  Some homes lost roofs, some were flattened, and some were washed away.  With water levels coming up to window level, people hoped to save valuables and electronics by placing them on top of tables.  Many took refuge in stronger built church buildings and schools.  Afterwards, people waded through hip deep water in streets in some areas.  Thankfully no PAMI people got hurt, and no one in Sorsogon Province died.  However, I read a newspaper article that said four lives were lost in other parts of the Philippines.  The following pdf files show a sampling of the damage.
RebuildingPeniaFrancia
Matnog typhoon damage
Bulan-list-and-pictures-of-some-victims-of-Tyhoon-Tisoy
Read More

Dec 2019 PAMI newsletter

Click on the following to see the latest PAMI newsletter: Dec 2019 PAMI newsletter .  It includes a remembrance of my aunt Izzy Allen, who was the sister of my uncle Norval Thorud (the founder and first missionary of PAMI).  It also includes info about Typhoon Tisoy that went through our area on Dec 2-3.