Big Bikers Bring Bibles to Bataan

Encouraged by the success of their maiden ride to Bulacan, where they were able to bring 500 copies of the Bible to Grade 8 public school students, The Word Riders Philippines (TWRP) again embarked on another ”ride to bring the Bible to every Filipino home” last October 1.
Despite the heavy downpour that day, big bike enthusiasts led by PBS Trustee Atty. Gerard Mosquera, TWRP volunteers, and staff from the Philippine Bible Society came together to join the “Bataan Loop Bible Ride,” a two-day Bible distribution that aims to distribute a thousand copies of God’s Word.
The Bataan Loop Bible Ride started off with a bit of a challenge as the day began with a little shower. Despite this, the TWRP team pushed through. During the short send-off program, Ptr. Mel Cartera opened with a word of prayer before his wife, PBS Associate General Secretary Perry Cartera, read the Word. For his part, PBS Trustee Bishop Jonel Milan prayed for the riders before sending them off.
After three hours on the road, the team were met by more than 200 excited students of the Orani National High School (ONHS).
“The Bible distribution was very timely. We are thankful to Word Riders Philippines for choosing our school as one of their recipients for these Bibles. ONHS Principal Villamor Magat said. He added that the students “were very happy, especially because they can use the Bibles at home, with their family, and also in their daily lives.”
During the distribution, the students were grouped into clusters that were joined by a TWRP Member who spent some time to fellowship with them.
TWRP Rider Atty. Rupert Buste shared that there were some from his group who do not know what a “chapter” and a “verse” is. “Most probably, many of these kids received a Bible for the first time that day,” he said. Atty. Buste then proceeded to teach these children how to use their Bibles and how to read it effectively.
The team stayed at ONHS for almost two-hours, even spending time with the students during lunch. The riders swapped stories with them, sharing many an encounter. Students, on the other hand asked TWRP riders to sign their copies of the Bible for posterity. Indeed, it was a memorable day for all of them.

From ONHS, the team went to its second stop for the day, Lamao National High School (LNHS). Close to 300 students warmly welcomed the Riders and volunteers.
LNHS Principal Cesar Valenzuela said was grateful for the Bible distribution efforts, saying that it “was truly needed, especially to the Grade 8 students who have been one of the most difficult grade levels to handle.”
Meanwhile, Grade 8 teacher Laureta Andaya noted that the distribution was “great because the riders and volunteers made students understand the importance of the Bible and taught them how to use it.” “The Bible distribution is indeed a blessing to our school,” she said.
“We praise and thank the Lord, for his blessings, protection, and provision for a successful first day of the Bataan Loop Bible Ride of the Word Riders and Philippine Bible Society. We’re very excited and very happy. We felt tired but the joy, warmth, and the happiness that we saw in the faces of the students made up for it,” Atty. Mosquera said.
On their second day in Bataan, the weather worsened due to Typhoon Kabayan. The local government of Bataan suspended classes at all levels, prompting the team to call off the scheduled Bible distribution in other towns in the province.
“Even if the bad weather conditions cut short the TWRP Bible distribution, the Bataan Loop Bible Ride was still a success. The team was able to distribute over 500 Bibles to students and donated Scripture materials to the libraries of the two national high schools. Praise God for opportunities such as these to make His Word known to these young generations,” Atty Mosquera said.
Atty Mosquera also said that the TWRP will return to Bataan to finish distributing the remaining 400 copies of the Bible they intended to give during the shortened ride. “As a team, we have agreed to deliver the balance of 400 copies of the Bible intended for the Grade 8 students from Bagac and Morong on December 4,” he said. He added that they have also lined up several rides next year, committing to bring 5,000 copies of God’s Word to students from Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Rizal, and Aurora.