" JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, 1978, NEWS LETTER FROM CHARLES AND ROBERTA SELBY

Philippine Mission Churches of Christ, P. 0. Box 49, Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines 1118
Forwarding Agent; Mrs, R. L. Tolliver, Fairfield, Nebraska 68938
March 7, 1978
Dear Friends in Christ:
In the name of Jesus, our Lord, we come once again to express our deep gratitude to
all of you who make it possible for us to keep His work in Northern Luzon moving ahead.
We would like to share with you some of the things that have happened during the past two
months, and some of the plans we have for the months ahead,
APARRI BIBLE SEMINARY completed its 26th year on February 24th when six young men,
all of whom v;ere top notch students, received their degrees and diplomas, and six young
women received their two and three year certificates in Christian Education, Two of
these men have been called to serve congregations on a full time basis. One of these
congregations is among the oldest in the Cagayan Valley and one of them was established
just.recently. Three of the graduates id.ll be working with an evangelistic team during
the simmer months beginning in early April. This team will be empoaed of-five maay Ydur
of whom make up an excellent quartet, and the five will form a basketball team and will
use that, whenever it seems appropriate, as a means of catching the interest of the people,
especially the young people, in the communities where they will minister, All five are
excellent preachers and Bible students.
Just proceeding the Seminary Commencement program, we had our annual Conference on
Evangelism which is sponsored each year by the Seminary. 121 preachers, elders, deacons
and Christian workers registered for this meeting. It was one of the best we have ever
had. Along with the Conference this year, a VBS clinic was conducted with sessions both
morning and afternoon for all the women who desired to attend. This proved very success
ful. The big problem is that we do not have large enough facilities to accomodate this
many extra people besides our regular Seminary family. These are the kinds of problems
we like,
THE CHRISTIAN HICTi SCHOOLS; On March 28th and 31st, Roberta and I will be at the two
high schools for their commencement programs, 202 young people are scheduled to graduate
from these schools this year. As this is being written, the Week of Evangelism is in pro
gress at both schools. Two of our Seminary teachers and four preachers from Churches in
the Cagayan Valley make up the preaching and teaching teams. They are being assisted by a
male quartet and a girls' trio from the Seminary. During the first Semester "Week of
Evangelism", l66 young people were baptized into Christ. We are prajang for several more
to take that~st^ thisl^eek.^ ' . . -
Of great concern to us right now, in relationship to these tvjo high schools, is the
fact that we are losing many of our best and most qualified teachers simply because the
salary scale of teachers is so far below the salaries being paid by government corpora
tions and entities as well as the business world. The basic salary for a teacher as set
by the government is the equivalent of about $58.50 a month and most of those are paid on
a 10 month basis. In the first place, with living costs what they are right nov;, it is
impossible for a family to exist on that amount, and when the two months with no pay come
along, they are really in trouble. As a result, they are seeking jobs with higher pay and
pay that comes twelve months out of the year. If we want to keep good teachers we are go
ing to have to pay higher salaries. At present, income from tuition and other fees pays
about two-thirds of the teachers salaries. The rest is paid by gifts from churches and
individual Christians in the U. S. I would like to increase the salary scale by 20 per
cent this year and put all of the employees on a 12 month basis. To do this, it would
mean we would have to increase our monthly in-put from mission funds. This would not be
possible on the basis of our present income, which is not meeting present expenses for the
total evangelistic program here. Can you believe that $70.00 a month or $840,00 a year
would pay the full salary of a high school teacher? Can you also believe that $20,00 a
month would pay the mission's share of the cost of giving a high school education to 12
young people? This includes a Bible class every day of the 10 month school year! Even
"With this proposed increase of wages for teachers and putting them on a 12 month basis, it
will still only cost the mission about $1.67 a month per student, or $20.00 per year.
This, it seems to me, is a very small investment for the opportunity of teaching the Word
to a student 5 days a week for 10 months. This is an investment that will influence the
life of that student all of the years of his life. In addition, his influence will be
felt in the lives of countless others throughout his lifetime.
We are praying for Churches, classes or individuals who will be willing to take the
support of a teacher at $70.00 per month or a group of 12 students at $20,00 or 24 at $4o.
You cannot imagine what a tremendous contribution this would be to the Lord's work here.
THE SVANC^LISTIG V?QRK: Avery important step being taken here right now is the for- '
mation of a special team to be put into the field on a full time basis with the task of
working with local congregations in the Cagayan Valley, training leadersiiip in those con- __
gregations and getting as many of the members of each congregation as possible involved in*
soul-winningc The team will plan to stay with each congregation for two weeks.. Each
morning they will have Bible classes and leadership training classes and classes dealing
with stewardship and personal evangelism. In the afternoons, they will show the brethren
hnw to do personal evangelism by going v/ith them into the homes of the community, and each
evening of the two weeks they vra.ll have, if possible, a public evangelistic meeting. It
is our desire to help every local congregation to become a center for evangelism. This
team will consist of t;-Jo of our finest preachers in the area, both of them very mature in
every way. Both of them have many years of experience in working with local congregations
and both are powerful teachers and preachers of the Word. They will be equipped with a
Jeep and other equipment necessary for successful teaching and evangelistic ministries.
They will have another man with them vjho -.ra-ll serve as their driver and mechanic who will
be responsible for keeping their equipment in working condition. It is estimated that it
will take around $300.00 a month to keep this team in the field. Thiis includes salaries
for the three men and travelling and other expenses connected with a work such as this.
The churches here will be encouraged to share in the expenses of this team and we hope
they will accept the challenge to share in tliis venture in a very substantial way. How
ever, this investment is much, much less than it would take to bring a missionary family
over here to do such a vjork, and even after such a family would arrive on the field, there
\-Jould still have to be Filipino men to work \ra.th them. We are trying to hold down on
missionary personnel and get as m.any Filipinos involved in the leadership of this work as
possible. These men know their people, they speak their language and they know the needs
and how to meet them. A church could not invest $300.00 a month in any missionary work
more needful or one with more potential then this team. We are praying that some church
, will accept this team as their missionary p2?oject on a year around basis.
CAGAYAN CHILDREy'S HOr/IB is coming nearer to reality as each week goes by We are be
coming more and more axvare of the great need for such a home. So many children are living
under conditions so horrible that it staggers the imagination. The need is so great, and
since we do not have funds for the erection of a building at the present time, we are
thinking about renting a building of some ld.nd just to get started. The Social Welfare
people are encouraging us to do this. We have looked at a rather iarge house which is lo
cated on an acre of land about five miles south of Aparri. The owners of this house are
in the U. S. and they have it up for rent, but we don't know as yet if they would be will
ing to rent it to be used for a Children's Home. We cti^e trying to get their address in
the U. S. so we can deal with them directly, but we haven't been able to do that as yet,
\Je understand that it can be rented for $75.00 to $100.00 a month. We own- a beautiful lot
where we intend to establish this ho.me. The first unit of the building v;e plan to erect
will be a two story building containing about 5j850 square feet of floor space. Our Archi
tect estimates cost of building at about $500 to $6,00 per square foot. Please pray ^\'ith
us about this. If you' can help with it, please send gifts marked "for Children's Home",
THE RADIO BROADCAST still continues to go out six days a week and is reaching a very
wide area with the Gospel, This is a 15 minute program of the "preaching of the Word" and
is well received throughout the area.
THE PRINTING PRESS is still a very busy place every day. Along with the Gospel
tracts and the bi-monthly Ilocano paper known as "CRQNICAS", they are very busy especially
right now with much printing for the Seminary, the High Schools and the summer evangelistic
program. The press is a great blessing to our total program here.
It is your gifts that make this entire program possible and we thank you so much for
your faithfulness. We ask you to pray that others will join with you in faithful monthly
support of this work.
in Christ,
Aarles and Roberta Selby
April; my joiis, 1978, news letter from charles AiNd Roberta selby
^lilippine Mission Churches of Christ, P. 0. Box 49, Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines III8
Forwarding Agent; Mrs. R. L. Tolliver, Fairfield, Nebraska 68938
Dear Friends in Christ;
With this long overdue news-letter, we are enclosing receipts for gifts received for the work
here during the past four months. These months have spanned our "summer" months and also the
first month of a new school year. It has been a busy and fruitful summer. Two conventions
were held in widely separated areas. I spoke three times at each of these conventions A
total of 169 young people attended our three camps and 3"^ them were baptized into Christ. A
Spiritual Retreat was held for all of the high school teachers and the Seminary faculty also.
APARRI BIBTE SEMINARY began a new school year in early June with just over 80 young people
enrolled. A large number of students are going out each week-end to preaching points within
50 miles of Aparri, and students remaining in Aparri are teaching in at least four different
sections of the town. We have had to increase the salaries of our Filipino personnel in the
Seminary again this year and thus our operating expense continues to ^ise. It is costing a-
bout 135".O^TlSonth f^ each/full time student. "This includes his room, board and tuition.
TIfE TVAInICtELTSTIC WORK continues to produce results and the future looks encouraging. The
churches are beginning to take more responsibility for the support of their preachers and for
the evangelistic work in their areas. During the summer much evangelistic work was going on
all over our area. One team, made up of some of our younger graduates and seminary students,
v/on 37 souls to Christ and did a tremendous job of reviving churches wherever they went. A
permanent team, composed of three of our older graduates, known as the OBI (Operation Bible
Institute) Team, xvent into the field on a full time basis in May. It is costing the Mission
^250,00 a month to keep this team in the field. It is the goal of this team to reach as many
of the established churches (over 100 in our area) as possible, holding Bible Institutes to
train leadership in the Churches, as well as giving instruction in the matter of stewardship.
They will also be involved in reaching the lost and teaching the members of each church how to
seek the lost in their own communities. There have been 3^4 baptisms reported so far in our
entire evangelistic effort during the first six months of 1978. Over sixty of these were re
ported by the OBI Team just in May and June. The total investment in this program during the
past six months has averaged about $1,100.00 a month,
THE CHRI^IAN HI^ SCHOOLS~have^ total of~T,008 enroll^d^is year. It is truly alhriXl to^
have the opportunity to reach this great number of young people with the Word of God every
school day for 10 months of the year. We have also had to increase the salaries of the nigh
school teachers. We have taken a great step of faith by putting them all on a 12-month basis.
Tuition fees have been increased for the first time in many years, and we are hoping to in
crease income from other sources. Mission investment in the operational expenses of these
schools is around $1.25 per month or $15'00 3- year per student, a m.odest investment to make
in the lives of our future preachers, doctors, nurses, lav;yers, etc. Since the schools began
in 1967? over 1,500 young people and teachers have been baptized into ChristI
THE RADIO BROADCAST continues to reach a large audience in the somex^jhat limited area which the
station reaches. Bro. Danao receives many letters of inquiry each month, I know of at least
8 churches established as a direct result of this program. Bro. Danao reports that the cost
of the program has been increased by aroxand 3''^? going from $3*90 to $5<'''0 program. Our
average monthly cost for broadcast time vdll go from $101.00 to $132.00. We have long wanted
to expand this radio ministry*" a great deal but lack of funds has forbidden it. With this in
crease in prices, our monthly investment in this part of our work x-jill be about $250.00.
THE APARRI CHRISTIAN PRESS continues to make a terrific contribution to our total program here-
It provides printed material for evangelism, teaching materials for the chxirches, including
the Sunday School quarterly, and it does all of the printing work for the Seminary and the tio
Chi'istian high schools. vJhereas our radio ministry does a most effective job of getting the
Word to a limited area, the printed materials going out from the press reach as far south as
Mindanao. Our monthly investment in this part of the x>7ork is around $400,00.
CAGAYAN CHILDRETMS HOI'^, although not yet licensed, is an actuality as Mary Pruitt cares for
12 children, with the aid of 4 Filipino girls, one a registered nurse. They are all crox^^ded
together in the apartment vacated by the Boudreaux family. It is X'jonderful to watch these
lonely, neglected, frightened children respond to genuine Christian love. The architectural
plans are completed and the building permit has been granted for a permanent building for this
home, 78 feet long, 372 feet wide and 2 stories high, with 6,000 square feet of floor space
Cost is estimated at about $6.00 per square foot. The longer we delay, the more this buildin:<:
will cost, because prices on building materials are rising continuously.
' r" Vli> Vii". SwSlx.r
We have been praying much regarding the need of a bulldozer to level the site on our 25-acre .
property in Lal-lo where the children's home will be built. Renting one would cost 5^25.00 an
hour, |>200.00 a day, $6,000.00 a month. An interested friend in Aparri ran across an old,
medium-sized bulldozer in Manila, still in very good condition, costing about $3?000.00, in- '
eluding freight to Aparri. Since we have had to move fast on this, we are borrowing the money
for this equipment and will trust the Lord to provide it when it is needed. VJith the bulldozer,
we can begin levelling the site for the children's home immediately. Then it will be available
for further levelling, road-building, etc., as the property is further developed. This prop
erty is also the site for the future Radio Station and Christian Liberal Arts College. Needed
bulldozing can also be done at the present high schools. When we are finished with it, we can
probably sell it for at least as much as we paid for it. Praise God for answered prayer.
During the past five months much work has been done on the Lal-lo property in clearing out
brush, unwanted trees, etc, A cement block fence now graces the frontage along the national
highway. Although costly, this work was necessary before the children's home, radio station
and college could be built. This property is in a beautiful location, and when development
is completed, it vjill be very valuable, something that the Church in the Philippines (and in
the United States) can be proud of, something that will produce for the Lord for many years.
You may have noted in the above paragraphs that I have mentioned the costs of our present
program. Our total expenses in the last six months average about $7,680.00 per month. With
this amount, we are running a Bible College with over 80 students, two Christian high schools
with over 1,000 students, a daily radio program, a printing press and a very extensive evange
listic program. Average monthly receipts from the U.S. have been only $5,1^0.00. A big ex
pense has been improvement of the Lal-lo property where vje hope to put the new college and
high school, and those funds have come from special funds given for that college and high
school. Because these funds are running low, we have had to stop all work on this development
and may have to curtail some of our other work. We even gave serious consideration to closing
the Seminary this year, or cutting back sharply on other phases of our work. We believe,
however, that the Lord wants this work to continue to grow and expand, and we just wanted to
share these needs with you. The Lord has provided through His people in a marvelous way, and
we are trusting Him. Pray with us that these needs will be met.
Sid and Marj Boudreaux and family left in May for their furlough in the States. Their address
is Box 1641, Joplin, MO 64801. Roberta, their oldest daughter, was married June 25 in Joplin
to Robbie Pommert. We miss them! A year ago in June, Ann Tolliver returned to the States,
and although she planned to return to the Philippines, the Lord changed those plans. On May 6
Ann married Dr. Steve Plettner, and they plan to go to India as medical missionaries. Mary
Pruitt has been filling in and doing a great job in the office, but is needed full time in
the children's home, so we have been praying. We praise God that Mrs. Naomi Goode of Grants
Pass, Oregon, a friend.of Mary's family, will be arriving next week to fill this need. Naomi
is a retired secretary, living on her retirement income, and paying her own way. The Lord led
her to volunteer her services. God is so good!
How we praise and thank God for the gifts you have sent so that you could share in this work.
It would be impossible to do. without your help. May God bless you, "supplying your every need
out of His riches in glory through Christ Jesus," as He has promised in His Word.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Charles and Roberta Selby
JULY TO OCTOBER, 1978, MEWS LETTER PROM CHARLES AND ROBERTA SEIBY
PhLillppine Miasr>n- Churches--of-Christ, P. 0. Box 49, Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines lll8
Forwarding Agent: Mrs. R. To]liver, Pai.rfie3.d, Nebraska 68938
Dear Brethren in Christ:
Nov. 8, 1978
Here it is, November and our last news letter was sent out in July. I was so sure I would
get this out in September, but just didn't make it. Many of you will find receipts enclosed
covering the months of July, August, September and October. In this letter, we want to share
with you some of the things that have been happening during these months.
APARRI BIBTiR SEMINARY, now in its 27th year, has around 80 students enrolled. We are now in
the second semester of this school year. Quite a large number of students and faculty members
were involved in special evangelistic work during the semester vacation, Oct. 8 to 15 VTe
viere so pleased to have Dr. Steve and Ann Plettner with us for our "Deeper Life Week", Sept. 26
to 29. Ann Plettner, formerly Ann Tolliver, worked with us here for nearly nine years.
Dr. Plettner and Ann were on their way te-Kulpahar,- India-where-they will be -establishing a^
Medical Evangelism work in connection with the Kulpahar Kids Home. Everyone here vias truly
sad to see Ann go. An offering of $100.00 was given to them by the Seminary family and the
Aparri Church of Christ combined.
THE EVANGELISTIC WORK; 620 baptisms have been reported for I978 so ifar. We wish it were
many more than that but vje praise the Lord for those who have come to know Him. When Roberta
nud I arrived in Aparii In 1947 there v/ere around 10 churches in the Cagayan Valley. Today
there are at least 110, Many of these are quite small but most of them are growing. A few
are running above the 200 mark each Sunday but I suppose most of them would average between
50 and 100 in attendance each Lord's day. Right now we are giving a lot of attention to
leadership training in the local churches as v/ell as to the spiritual growth of the church
members as a whole, without lessening our continuous efforts to reach the unsaved.
THE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOLS: A total of 125 young people were baptized into Christ at the
annual 1st Semester "Week ol Evangelism" Oct. 9-13? 66 at Northern Isabela Academy and 59 S-'t
Southern Isabela Academy. Including others who had been baptized earlier in the school year,
this makes a total of 155 the 1st Semester. These schools are tremendous evangelistic
agencies and at the same time give an opportunity of teaching the Word to hundreds of future
leaders in eve:^ area of our society here. Many of the graduates have already taken positions
of leadership in churches from Northern Luzon to Manila.
^^C^ay^^^IcSol^' Gospel is still being preached 6days aweek over Radio Staticn DZNC
to get this program on other stations which X'/ould permit us to reach a much wider area. We
have tentative plans to get time on at least two other commercial stations as funds permit.
Plans have been made to build a recording studio of our own as soon as funds are available.
This will enable us to control the quality of the programs that go on the air.
THE APARKL CHRISTIAlf PRESS enables us to reach a vast area i>jith the m.essage of Christ via the
printed page. We are pleased with the many requests being received for printed materials.
These requests come from all over the Island of Luzon wherever Ilocano people are found and
many come also from Mindanao, the southern most Island of the country. We believe that this
can develop into one of the most effective tools of our ministry here both in reaching new
people for the Lord and in providing material for the spiritual growth of those who have
already accepted the Lord.
CAGAYAN CHILDREN'S HOM: We were happy to leam just this past week that Cagayan Children's
Home, though not yet licensed, has been listed by the Regional Office of the Ministry of
Social Services and Developiient as a place where cliildren can be brought either for temporary
shelter or for permanent care. I mentioned in my last letter that we hoped tc begin the new
for the Children's Home no later than the 1st cf September. This is now Nov. and we
still have not begun that building. The bulldozer which v;e purchased vias not ready for the
^^^ork that needed to be done as early as we had hoped. The last month has been one of almost
constant typhoons and heavy rains so we still have not been able to get to work on this.
Because of present v/eather conditions I cannot predict when we will be able to start. Hovjever,
we are hoping to start purchasing materials sometime this month, hoping to get some things
before the expected price increase at the end of the year. It is estimated that this building
mil cost between $36,000.00 and $40,000,00 which is between $6.00 and $7.00 per square foot.
Plans to establish a new Christian High School and Christian Liberal Arts College are
progressing nicely. Last week I had the rare opportunity cf visiting at length with the
acting Regional Director of the iytinistry of Education who is also the District Superintendent
of Schools for the Privince of Cagayan. He is the cne who will have to give primary approval
for the establishment of a school such as is proposed. He gave me some very helpful inforroation
and indicated that there would be no trouble at all in getting a permit to open a "Technical"
high school, and that is just what we want to do. We believe this is the type of school
needed in this area. It will probab3.y be more expensive to establish this sort of school
because of the equipment that will be needed, but it is possible that much of the equipment
we already have for the various phases of our present mission work can be utilized at the
school.
Plans have already been drawn for the Administration and main Academic building of this
school. It will be a two story building containing about 23,000 square feet cf floor space.
Plans call for at least four other buildings, smaller than this one. Theyinclude two dormitor
ies, a shop building for special technical courses and a fairly large chapel building.
Plans have also been drawn for a Recording Studio to be built on this same site. This
will be built in such a way that it can be used as a broadcasting station when we can get a
license to operate such a station. It is our desire to use this radio work as a part of the
technical training curriculimi of the Christian High School and College.
It is estimated that this entire project, the Children's Home, the Recording Studio: and
the five buildings of'the Christian High School and College will cost between $350,000.00 and
$400,000.00/ It is our intention to move forv/ard on tliis only as the Lord provides the funds,
Np_ indebtedness will be incurred.
It is difficult to even imagine the tremendous potential this entire project has for the
future of the Lord's work here. First, hundreds of children will pass through the Cagayan
Children's Home, having been taken out of an aLmost living "hell" and placed in a beautiful
Christian atmosphere where they will come to know the Lord, and where they vri-ll have an oppor
tunity for a thorough Christian education fr'-^m pre-school all the way through college.
i
Hundreds of other students will also be attending the school at all levels, kindergarten
through College. They >7ill come to know the Lord during these veiy important years and will
eventually become very capable leaders in the churches throughout this whole area. At the
same tLme, these hundreds and even thousands of students will leam the principles of Christian
stewardship; then because of their education they will surely be wage earners, and will thus
become the answer to a self-supporting, self-extending Church in the Philippines.
Even as plans are being made for expanding the work on a rather large scale, we remain
deeply concerned about cur day to day financial situation, The cost of living is still esca
lating here as it is everywhere. In the first 10 racnths of this year, expenses have averaged
aroung $1,900.00 per month over and a^ove receipts from all soiur^ceSn Tliis is almost exactly
one third more tlian we are receiving each month. We see no relief from this except closing
down some of the work we are now doing. We do net want to do this and will dc it only as a
last resort. We are trusting the -Lord to supply our needs as He sees them.
Please do pray with us about this Yery serious situation. We Praise God that He has given
us so many, many wonderful avenues of service. We have been in difficult financial situations
before and He has always seen us through. We are certain He will dc so this time.
Please pray also for your missionaries! Sid and Marj Boudreaux (Box 1^4l," Joplin, "Mo," 64801)"
Mary Pruitt, Mrs. Naomi Goode, Charles and Robert Selby, V/e would surely appreciate even a
short note of encouragement from you..
e of our w rful Lord,
Charles and Roberta Selby