Miracle Lights

"I will support this school of the *SULADS as long as I am the chief here and as long as I live!"
By: Dr Fred Webb

I learned that there was a struggle during the pioneering days of Migtulod Mission School in 1994. The late Datu (Chief ) Alipio Lagunday was the sole supporter of the SULADS program. The rest of the villagers, including his wife, were against the coming of the Mountain View College (MVC) students to put up a school for them in their village. "This is a trap" the people complained. “We don't know what MVC is up to and why they would like to put up a school in our village.”

“This is strange!” one parent commented. “Educators with good sense would never put up a school in the forest with only a handful of children. I can sense that MVC is after our land. I suspect that that white man (Dr. Fred Webb) wants our land.”

But Datu Lagunday could not be moved! "I want my children to be educated. If you will not send your children to this village school I will not force you but I will support this school of the SULADS as long as I am the chief here and as long as I live!” he announced. “I believe that someday soon this village will be a SHINING LIGHT to other villages.”

Unfortunately Datu Lagunday was bitten by a rabid dog and passed away some three weeks after his wife was buried leaving four boys as orphans. Just before he was rushed to the hospital he was able to plead with Daryl and Sarah Famisaran, who were the Program Directors of the SULADS, to leave his four boys under their care. And so the four orphan boys are with the Famisarans now.

The SULADS closed the school after the chief's death because of lack of interest and opposition from the villagers. The new chief and the villagers realized later that, after all, MVC was not after their land. They realized that their children needed education and only MVC, through the SULADS, could give it free. The school was re-opened at the request of the new chief, Datu Schmitt. With their full support the village became alive. As morning and evening worship songs filled the village air and reverberated into the nearby woods, the village people never realized that little by little Migtulod had become a shining light to the villages around. The village became the cleanest of all the small communities Mt. Nebo. The children could compete successfully with students from other villages. The parents and their children joined other mountain farmers selling their farm produce to MVC on market days.

But something spectacular was SHINING from Migtulod this time. A new church had been erected on a hill overlooking the neat village of Migtulod. A 150-step dirt stairway snakes to the church door from down below. It is landscaped with beautiful flowers. From this church waft the lively songs of worshippers on mid-week and vesper nights. The church is lighted with only a gas lamp. Sabbaths are grand with the church filled with members and visitors bringing with them their provisions so that they need not go home after divine worship. They continue their worship till sunset.

Early one morning, the wife of the new village chief saw a bright star shining from the church on the hill. She awoke her husband and children and they enjoyed it with awe! “Truly our CHURCH IS SHINING to other villages!” the new chief, who is now the church elder, declared.

Rainy season brought difficult situations for the village worshippers who wish to attend mid-week and vesper meetings in the church on the hill. The mud became so sticky making the climb to the hill church very difficult. They decided to just congregate in the village assembly hall for mid-week and vesper meetings but on Sabbaths they would go up to the hill church to worship. Some even suggested that the church be transferred to the center of the village down below so that the old folks wouldn't have a hard time climbing to the church.

But something strange was happening without the knowledge of many of the villagers. One evening a lady attended the prayer meeting in the village assembly hall leaving her not yet SDA husband home to attend to the already sleeping children. All went well during their worship. Nothing strange happened. But when she returned home, her husband was waiting for her "Where did you have your prayer meeting?" the husband asked.

“In the assembly hall” was her ready answer.

“Yes. I presumed you had your meeting at the assembly hall because I heard the singing coming from there! But I saw the church up there shining all lighted up just like it was when you were having your worship there in the evenings.”

“YOU MUST BE KIDDING!” the wife answered in disbelief. “May I see that.”

When she looked at the church on the hill it was all dark. “It is dark as usual,” she said as she turned to her husband.

“Yes it is dark now but it was shining when you were having your worship. The lights went out when your worship was over.”

In the morning one of the relatives who lives on the adjacent hill said, “You had very beautiful music last night during your worship. The light from that hill church was very bright!”

For vespers that week they still had their worship in the village assembly hall. That lady remembered what her husband had seen during the mid-week. She looked at the hill church to check for herself. Sure enough it was lighted.

“LOOK!” she interrupted the singing. Everybody looked at the church on the hill! All were awed with what they saw. Their church indeed was brightly SHINING! Tears escaped their eyes as joyous hearts were humbled. Those worshipers believed that a host of angels came down from heaven to worship with them and make Migtulod SHINE!

They have decided not to transfer their church from that hill. They want the Migtulod church to continue to be a shining light to the neighboring villages.

Dr. Fred L. Webb is the SULADS Fund Raiser

*Socio-economic Uplift Leading to Anthropological and Developmental Services (aslo means ‘brothers’ in the mountain dialect.)