martyrs of the Philippines

These days we've gotten rather used to hearing about all that we are doing in the Philippines, so much so that it almost just seems like it's an extention of our lives here. And yet, it is a place where persecution is a real thing. Here are a couple of eye opening stories that I've found recently that have made me think a bit when I hear people mention the Philippines. Both of these occurred in 1992.


"We have your nephew," said the handwritten note. "If you surrender to us, we will return the boy to his parents." Brother MT stared at the message. It was from the leaders of the New People's Army (NPA), the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines. People in many parts of the Philippines have been threatened and persecuted for years by this group of terrorists.

Brother MT is an evangelist in the Philippines. He travels regularly into the mountains to preach to the terrorist groups. Peter, his eight-year-old nephew, frequently went with Brother MT on his evangelistic trips. He was a special help to him in children's meetings in the mountain villages.

Because of pressure from the NPA, Brother MT was often forced into hiding. Still, as a result of his ministry, some of the NPA soldiers had given their lives to Jesus Christ and left the organization. MT had counted the cost and was prepared to give his life for the Gospel, but he was not prepared for this! He knew there was no hope that his surrender would save his nephew. He knew they would both be killed; still, he hesitated.

The boy's parents insisted that MT ignore this order and continue his evangelistic outreach. As a result, the parents gave their son for the Gospel. Peter was killed on Good Friday, April 17, 1992. He was tortured for three hours and suffered very much. His hands were tied with wire, and the terrorists struck his in the legs and head with an ax. Finally, he was beheaded.

The abductors have warned the boy's parents and MT that if they do not stop their ministry, they will return and torture them. Brother MT is continuing his dangerous work in the mountains among the terrorist groups.



The service was over. Jackie Hamill, a young Australian prison evangelist, was excited about what God was doing. She had felt the love of Jesus reach out to these inmates. Jackie and fourteen members of her church had traveled to the Philippines to minister in a military prison there. They were concerned for the lost souls of the inmates, many od whom were Communist guerrillas in prison for murder.

Suddenly, the quiet was broken by the sounds of fighting and gunshots. The inmates were rioting and had overpowered the guards, seizing their guns and ammunition to make an escape.

The evangelists were taken hostage and held for three days. During that time, Jackie and one other girl were raped repeatedly. But even in the moments when she suffered the greatest shame, Jackie prayed for her captors and spoke to them about God's love. Her face did not show panic, revulsion, or hatred, but glowed with the brightness of God's light.

During her imprisonment, she led the team in singing God's praises and presented the Gospel to her captors. One of the rioting inmates threw down his gun and recieved Jesus as his Savior.

On the third day, there was a shoot-out between the prosoners and soldiers who came to stop the riot. Jackie and Juliet, 16-years-old, were shot. Even as Jackie lay dying, she raised her hands to God, praying for the rioting inmates and for the soldiers. She died while singing to God.