Ayson

EZZARD and DALISAY AYSON

Missionaries to Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines

SOUL WINNING CHURCH PLANTING TRAINING THE NATIONALS

A TESTIMONY:  FISHING MEN FOR AN ETERNAL HARVEST

To be able to come and stand in front of you today, fellow brethren in the Lord is already an answered prayer for me. The opportunity to share my ministry to you is already a privilege in itself. Perhaps you have heard of so many stories and visions from missionaries who have visited you in the past and most recently. Please allow me to share mine.

I heeded God's calling all by faith. To be able to come to the United States is a work of prayer and faith. I set foot in your beautiful soil with only faith in my pockets. I have prayed and trusted God to lead me to churches and people who would see my purpose and mission beyond the barriers of language and culture; beyond motives and intentions. But with only an earnest desire to reach my people in far-flung areas with your help. In my briefest time available, please allow me to challenge you to become my partners in this kind of God's business, Jesus' favorite - FISHING MEN FOR AN ETERNAL HARVEST!

My name is Ezzard Ayson, 35 years old. According to my father, my name EZZARD was fished out from the Guinness Book of World Records as Ezzard Charles, the youngest boxer ever which holds the shortest stint as a champion, only 3 months, defeated by the oldest challenger then, Rocky Marciano. Obviously, as you stare at me right now, I do not have the body of a boxer nor a potential to become one. Much as there is to a name, God has a better blueprint for my life. He did not intend me to be a high profile persona but a simple yet determined fisher of men.

I grew up in a big province named Pangasinan lying near the coast of the China Sea. My place boasts of the Hundred Islands, a magnificent creation of God. The very town I lived in was where US General Douglas Macarthur uttered his famous line, 'I shall return.' Raised in this beautiful fishing village I came to know Christ through the testimonial living of a Christian family who were our neighbors. We were 8 siblings in the family under the guidance, of a single parent, my Mom. She would always use our Christian neighbors as examples to us to show us how we paled in comparison to them. So, it was not difficult for this Christian family to invite us to attend their church. We were always curious about what they had in them that we did not have. Why were they so happy and loving? It must be some kind of power or magic, or so I thought. Then we knew why ...

I accepted the Lord when I was 10 years old. Ever since that time, I never wavered in the assurance of that salvation. I knew that I really welcomed Him in my heart that time. In one summer camp, I committed my life to count for God. Through the example set by my pastor who adopted me for sometime, I realized that God is calling me to full-time service.

I graduated from the Baptist Bible Seminary & Institute where I studied for 6 years with a degree in Bachelor of Theology. Eleven years went by and three churches after, God rekindled in me a new challenge. That is, to play an active role in planting a church in my home province of Pangasinan.

Pangasinan is a big province north of the Philippines. It is a 2 1/2-hour drive from Baguio City and 5 hour-drive from Manila. It is the most populated province in the country with over 2 million people. But it is a poor province. Mostly, the people thrive on fishing and all kinds of fish industry.

As I recently stayed there for 2 months prior to my departure for US, God has given back the burden to me to start a ministry here. This is my Jerusalem and Judea. I know the people, the culture, and the language. This is my ancestral place. I felt the need for an evangelistic and spiritual turnaround in this place. There may be a few Baptist churches, but because of the land's immensity and populace, another church would please God.

In that I take challenge. I envision a church with ministries that will put to optimum its advantages for God's glory. I am praying to establish a Baptist Mission Community that will eventually cater to the youth, families, Christian workers, missionaries, Christian guests and friends. My desire is to turn a part of this beautiful environment by establishing a church. With a facility for seminars, retreats, and camps that may cater to the youths, families, & Christian workers who need to take a reprieve from the stress of a bustling city or a busy church-life. I am not strange to this kind of endeavor. My wife and I had been part of these activities in the past. Such camp facility is not accessible to the Pangasinanes because of the place's remoteness. With my faith and the vision God gave me, I would like to start one.

But the hindsight and main purpose of all this is to reach out to the unsaved, the PEBBLES, to make their life count for God, to turn them to STONES and see how God can effect a greater and stronger impact to that place with our testimonies and life! But we will have to fish them out first, and then train them to fish and let God give the eternal harvest we can enjoy.

Today, I am not fishing out for business investors. But I am challenging your church and individuals who are willing to invest in fishing for the lives of these Pangasinenses for God's honor. Just as rich as the marine resources of this place, you may be surprised at the lives you may harvest for eternal gain.

Brethren, I may not have the eloquence of many preachers you knew, or may not have any spectacular talent to show. BUT I AM EQUIPPED. Equipped with a faith and a commitment to serve God in this place called Pangasinan. To reach out to these people who will be forever be grateful to God for letting them avail of His salvation and be counted in His fishnet to be His own.

I have resigned from my church in Manila. It has grown so much and can continue to grow without us. My wife has left a very promising teaching career and headed back to our home place. Ours is a step of faith. Turning our back from a convenient and very good church ministry in the metropolis to go home to the grassroots and reach out to these people.

I pray that you would join me in this fishing expedition. It will take hard work, but God blesses & gives the increase! You will never realize how your support can help mend my fishing net to launch out deeper. And when you go and visit my country a year or two from now, my family and I would love to show you around and let you enjoy the fellowship of your harvested spiritual fishes and the real fishes under-water. Thank you very much.