The Beginnings....
During the late 1960's, Mr. Apo Napoleon Saguan, a Work Supervisor at Mountain View College, experienced a dream one night. In his dream, he met a Manobo chief in the market. When next Mr. Saguan visited the market in Conception, across the valley from Mountain View College, he was astonished to see the man of his dream.
As Mr. Saguan greeted the Manobo chieftain, known as “Datu” , Datu Tibulawan exclaimed, “I saw you in my dream!” Not only had Mr. Saguan had a dream, but the Datu had one too. In the course of their conversation, Datu Tibulawan expressed his great need for teachers to teach his people.
The first mission school, located in Dampaan Village, was formally opened by Abraham Carpena and Samuel Napigkit, followed by Asher Himbing. Over the next ten years the program grew to eight mission schools, gaving rise to churches and literacy schools in each of the eight villages.
Though the schools were not formally recognized by the government, all students becoming student missionaries underwent a training program that included teaching techniques, health education, agricultural techniques, home and health remedies and treatments, anthropology, and other needed topics.
Receiving a monthly stipend of 150 pesos cash for personal needs, each student missionary received another 150 pesos deposited to their account for tuition at MVC on their return to school.
Projects established by the missionaries in the villages included methods of farming, village sanitation, public health, and literacy. All of these village improvements, plus the hymns and Bible stories included in the missionary school for the children, positively influenced the Datu as well as the parents. Eventually, Datu Tibulawan of Dampaan at Conception, Valencia Bikidnon, became the first in his village to embrace the Seventh-day Adventist faith.
Resident American missionaries working at Mountain View College, beginning with Elder J. H. Zachary, Theology department chair, then Dr. Anthony Lewis, head of the Biology department, followed by Mr. Don Christensen, Financial and Administrative consultant worked with local staff and teachers to raise funds and send these student missionaries into the surrounding mountains of Bukidnon, on the island of Mindanao to teach these worshipers of many gods about the one True God.
During the 70's and 90's the program expanded through the thick jungles of San Fernando, Valencia, and Quezon in Bukidnon. The eight active Mission Schools were Durian, Bulalang (pioneered by Rolando Cimafranca and Ephraim Baragona), Dao, Balaas, Usarayan, Mahayag (pioneered by Alejandro Panes and Levi Estores}, all in San Fernando, Santo Domingo in Quezon (pioneered by Albert Gulfan and Edwin Gulfan), and Dampaan in Conception, Valencia, Bukidnon.
These schools continued through the year 1987.
To Be Continued
