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The Philippines
consist of an 1,100-mile chain of 7,107 islands, running north
to south from near Taiwan to near Malaysia. Seven hundred of its
islands are inhabited. Because of almost 400 years of domination
by Spain, the nation is solidly Roman Catholic-the only Asian country
with a "Christian" majority. There is a strong Muslim
presence, especially in the south, exerting pressure for increased
political autonomy for Muslims. Communist rebels and Islamic fundamentalists
constitute the greatest threat to political stability in the Philippines.
English and Tagalog (Filipino) are the official languages, with
an additional 166 languages spoken in the country. The gospel has
had an excellent hearing in the Philippines. There is much openness,
except among Muslims. The past decade has seen a multiplication
of churches, though there has been no real breakthrough among the
resistant groups. Of a total of 114 distinct people groups, 30 are
considered receptive. International Christian Fellowship (ICF),
which later merged with SIM, began work in the Philippines in 1984
in cooperation with other mission agencies. The small SIM team is
seeking to provide a viable Christian witness to the resistant peoples
of the Philippines, and to help prepare a translated Bible for one
of the large groups that has no Bible in its language. Please pray
for:
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