I sat in the dimly lit hut with my head in my hands. It was May 2004, and I was in the Philippines trying to contact the Batangan tribe. The summer before, my family and some friends had felt convicted to look into starting a new AFM project among the Batangan. We knew almost nothing about them, so a donor offered to help me fly to the Philippines to visit the Batangan.

I had arrived three days before and had immediately begun preparations to hike into Batangan territory. Two of my old Alangan friends accompanied me as we set out, but we had been anticipated. One of the men whom the Batangan had hired to guard the trailheads met us and refused to let us past. We knew that entering their territory without his permission would cause many hard feelings toward future missionaries, so we turned back.

In the time that remained, I did what I could, going into the foothills where I providentially met a few Batangan and interviewing anyone who knew anything about them. When I left, I was certain I had accomplished nothing except wasting the Lord’s money.

But our God never lets things go to waste. One year later, I discovered the Batangan had heard about my attempts to contact them. The leaders of the tribe had met and decided to modify their foreign policy for me, allowing any Alangan to enter their territory unrestricted, and allowing the Alangan to bring another foreigner with them if they attested to his character.

Friends, God is opening the doors. The Batangan are more open to the Gospel today than they have been in their entire history. Will you join me in reaching them before it is too late?

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