Adopt a Minister International – “Send Labourers to His Harvest”
How Adopt a Minister International Got Started (By Reva Lachica Moore)
In 1998, I sat amidst some 2000 women in a Women’s Ministry Session in Toronto, Canada, listening to our guest speaker, Adli Campos, a minister’s wife from Puerto Rico. Adli told God that she was tired of just taking care of her family, tired of fixing breakfast, washing clothes, etc. She wanted to do more for God. In four years, Adli was responsible for the baptism of over 4,000 souls. While I listened, I became inspired and for over 30 minutes, I talked with God in my mind, asking Him to please call me also to His work, in that I will do anything for Him.
Batiano Seventh Day Adventist Church
Throughout my husband’s illness, my faith never wavered. I believed that God could give him a miracle. But God had different plans. In spite of our (mine and my sons’) pleadings, the Lord allowed Edwin Wallace to rest. At first, I was very angry with God, but not for long because my love for Him is very strong. So, I accepted His lot for me. A week after the funeral, God asked me in an audible voice; “Build Me a church.” I got excited and figured He wanted me to build a House of Worship in my hometown in the Philippines. I had recurring dreams about this church for 8 years. Even when I had wanted to retire early, without hesitation I donated every dollar of my late husband’s life insurance money and built the beautiful Batiano Seventh Day Adventist Church in Romblon, Philippines.
After the grand opening of the church, the Lord placed another burden in my heart (through a dream)—a burden to help our hundreds of unemployed theology graduates in the Philippines, which I didn’t know this problem even existed.
In the dream, a woman in “white” took me to a building. Inside the building I saw a very huge room with a wooden floor. I couldn’t believe what I saw! On the floor were hundreds of babies. Each baby was sitting two feet from each other. The babies looked like they were only a few months old. They were naked, dirty, and malnourished. At the back part of the huge room was a fenced-in area with many more babies, except the babies were a few years older. I was very surprised to see the babies and asked the woman, “Who are the mothers who abandoned them?” The woman didn’t answer me. Instead, she said, “This is your new job. Take care of the babies.” Then she left.
I was so excited to care for the babies. I placed them on one side of the room, and then I scrubbed the floor with soap and water. Then, one by one, I bathed the babies, put clothes on them, and fed them.
Little did I know that the babies in my dream are the hundreds of unemployed theology graduates in the Philippines. I found this out when I asked for two ministers to go to the church that I had just built.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the unemployed Theology graduates. I wondered how they feed their children and how they live since they don’t have jobs. At first, I ignored God’s bidding for three months. But each night while I slept, I’d wake up every 2:00 a.m., as if Jesus was standing by the side of my bed, asking me, “What are you going to do for the unemployed Theology graduates?” Each night I cried, telling God to find someone else. Eventually, I started asking my family and friends to send money to pay the salaries of a few ministers. Thus, the Adopt a Minister program got started in December 2000.
These ministerial graduates are very talented and spiritual young people. Some of them have been waiting for placement for as long as 10 years. The majority of them worked their way through school. Many spent as many as 9 years in college as working students. They do not have means of transportation so, part of their monthly pay goes to paying their travel through tricycles and jeepneys.
Today, there are over 300 unemployed Theology graduates that are under Adopt a Minister and most of them do NOT have sponsors. These ministers are unemployed because the local missions do not have the funds to employ them. Around 30 to 40 new graduates from our 5 SDA colleges/university are added every year to the total number of the unemployed. However, they have been encouraged to continue the Lord’s work because of the help that they receive from Adopt a Minister International. Several of them who were already doing secular work came back to work for the Lord under the Adopt a Minister Program.
In 2002, I asked God to send me help to do this ministry. God sent JR Moore and Mary Grace in March 2003. Today, we continue to do Adopt a Minister with NO PAY. Hundreds of former adopted ministers are now employed and working for the missions. To God be the glory!
We are praying that we can find more sponsors so we can give the adopted ministers full monthly stipends. Whatever amount you can give will go a long way. A few work for a small stipend ($30), or for a sack of rice per month. I also learned that many of them had left the ministry to find secular employment. A minister under the AaMI in the Philippines receives $130/month and $240/month in other countries. Since we all cannot preach, how about helping someone who can!
AaM International uses NO monies from the sponsors’ donations for management. Administrative cost for operating AaM International, including travel expenses are paid by the AaMI staff and family members.
AaM International is probably the only, or one of the few fully (100% Volunteer) non-profit organizations in America.
Every dollar donation goes to the Lord’s work. We give out tax-deductible receipts.
“37…The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” – Matthew 39:37-38