ACM is the missionary training arm of The 700 Club Asia
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“We’ve waited for so long. Are we going or staying?”

Joey and Raya Gregorio were in tears every time they prayed for God’s appointed time for them to work in His harvest field. For nine years they asked for His leading, and for nine years they waited. They felt like almost giving up.

When Joey and Raya got married in 2000, their hearts were also united for a single cause: to reach the nations for Jesus Christ. Both of them are graduates of Asian Center for Missions (ACM) in Northern Mindanao.

To prepare for their missionary call, the couple started a campus ministry in Central Mindanao University in Bukidnon. They named it PILLARS, or Proactive Individuals Living Lives as Righteous Servants, with a vision of producing a generation of strong leaders with the same passion as theirs—taking the Gospel to every nation and culture.

From nine students in 2002, PILLARS grew into a network of 185 college students with a mindset of excellence and hearts ablaze for God.

“While we extremely enjoyed our campus ministry, the call to missions has never left our hearts,” the Gregorio couple said. So whenever they hear great news from their fellow ACM graduates out in the mission field, a feeling of envy can’t be helped.

“Pakiramdam namin napag-iwanan kami (We felt left in the game),” shared Raya. She confessed they felt disappointed with God, and how they can’t seem to make long-term plans and commitments because of their predicament.

In 2006, a ministry opportunity in Thailand was opened to Joey, only to be cut short by an unnerving bombing incident. The couple was back to their incessant praying.

“We began asking ourselves, are we missing something? Is the Lord hearing us out?” Raya said.

Last year, they prayed and fasted for Thailand once more. Finally, they got a call from an international missions organization who wants a Filipino couple for its campus ministry in Bangkok. As part of a multicultural team of missionaries, they will hold English classes for Thai university students.

Joey and Raya were told they were exactly what the organization was waiting for, as if they were handpicked. At last, their waiting has come to an end.

“The Lord indeed provides! We’ve waited for so long, there’s no turning back now,” Joey said gladly. They left everything they have in Bukidnon, including their laundry business, and have entrusted their PILLARS campus ministry to its leaders.


Joey and Raya are now in Bangkok with their two children. They are expecting crucial transitions in their first year as a missionary family, but that doesn’t seem to distract them from the inexplicable joy of serving the Lord of the Harvest in His perfect time.


FULFILL A MISSIONARY’S DREAM

Many Filipinos like Joey and Raya dream of claiming the nations for Jesus Christ. You can help fulfill their dreams! To know more, click the GIVE TO MISSIONS TODAY button.