Elva Vanderbout (1906–1990)

Country of Origin

United States

Countries/Regions of Ministry

Philippines

Traditions

Pentecostal

Ministries

Evangelist
Healing

In 1946, the passionate missionary Elva Vanderbout was commissioned by the Foreign Mission Department in Springfield, Missouri. She began her incredible journey serving tribal communities and courageously ventured into the mountains, pioneering efforts where no Assemblies of God missionaries or local workers had previously focused. Her dedication truly laid the groundwork for future outreach.

Elva Vanderbout was born on April 28, 1906, and grew up in Oakhill, Kansas. She received a business degree in San Francisco in 1925 and an additional degree from Life Bible College in Los Angeles in 1931. In 1944, she attended a mission convention at the Bethel Temple Church in Los Angeles. One of the speakers at the convention was Howard Osgood, a missionary to China. On the second morning of the convention, Vanderbout took a seat at the front of the church auditorium. As the song began, she felt the Holy Spirit move in her heart and committed to following God's calling.

Vanderbout’s heartfelt calling led her on an incredible journey to the Philippines. Leaving her homeland on December 15, 1946, she embarked on a mission that brought her to the vibrant shores of the Philippines on January 7, 1949, after a challenging twenty-three-day voyage. It was clear that God was guiding her every step. The passion Vanderbout felt for the mountain communities was a beautiful gift from above. With divine purpose lighting her way, she was on the brink of fulfilling her dream of connecting with these remarkable people. The adventure ahead promised wonderful opportunities to make a meaningful impact on their lives, and she approached it with unwavering enthusiasm and hope.

In 1948, Vanderbout and local ministers conducted weekly revival meetings in Tuding, in addition to the regular Sunday night services. The Holy Spirit moved among the gathered people, resulting in many non-believers being saved and more than 150 individuals being baptized. People of all ages—children, young adults, and the elderly—shared incredible testimonies of God's power, which transformed their lives and freed them from the darkness and bondage of sin.

God performed miraculous healings during various services. One girl, eighteen years old, who had been deaf and mute for twelve years, was healed instantly. Each morning and evening, the sick lined up for healing. Numerous deaf-mutes were healed, and many blind individuals regained their sight. Paralytics experienced healing as well, along with people suffering from tuberculosis and various other illnesses. One well-known woman in the city was healed of a large goiter. It began to diminish after she prayed for it on Saturday night, and by Sunday morning, it had completely disappeared. A twenty-eight-year-old man, who had been deaf and mute his entire life, was also cured instantly one morning. The eight days of salvation and healing were extraordinary as countless individuals came to the Lord and many sick people were healed. These phenomena were recognized as the work of the Holy Spirit.

Many villages were completely transformed thanks to Vanderbout's willingness to lay down her life. While foxes had their dens and birds had their nests, she, like the Son of Man, had no place to call home. Fearlessly, she entered pagan villages and the territory of head-hunters, spreading the vital and precious message of Christ. Vanderbout trusted that God would protect her from harm. Her ministry among the Kankana-ey tribe and other tribes was seemingly endless and resists full detail in any single account.

During her mission in the mountains, Vanderbout discovered a heart-wrenching reality: many babies faced serious illness, and some were abandoned, desperately needing a safe place to survive. She witnessed orphans crying out for assistance, and her compassionate spirit couldn't turn them away. It was through her unwavering dedication that children, who would have otherwise perished, were lovingly taken in and restored to health. While establishing an orphanage was not her original plan, it became a heartfelt necessity. Vanderbout’s deep love for the mountain community—both believers and non-believers alike—shone as she offered help for their most pressing needs, especially their precious children.

She then felt a strong urge to build a facility for the children who were constantly arriving. She began to pray for assistance. Her prayers were answered when the Rotary Club of Baguio City made a generous donation to support the construction of an orphanage. The new building was completed quickly enough for children to move in by 1953, and they named it Bethesda Children’s Home.

Vanderbout shares one story about twin boys abandoned by their parents, as the mountain community believed twins brought bad luck. These precious children were left alone in a hut, covered only by a thin blanket. Thankfully, two of Vanderbout’s workers discovered them just in time. When they arrived at Tuding, the twin boys were struggling, but thanks to dedicated care, their lives were miraculously saved! Vanderbout subsequently cared for twenty-two more children in her orphanage, showing the incredible impact of kindness and love.

Another testimony is of a twelve-year-old boy who was part of the Bethesda Children’s Home family. As he grew, due to outside influences, he went astray and was frequently in and out of the city jail. At one point, he spent five years in Muntinlupa National Prison, a maximum-security facility in Manila. However, during his time there, he encountered the Lord and experienced a transformation. He returned to Bethesda Children's Home and was a changed person, even seeking to attend the Luzon Bible Institute on his own accord. This boy eventually grew into a wonderful minister for God’s Kingdom.

Vanderbout pursued the development of a vibrant ministry for children, believing wholeheartedly that they would become the future leaders of mountain ministry. With this vision in mind, she organized the very first kids’ camp in the Philippines in 1961. At that time, the idea of a kids' camp was quite new to local churches. To everyone’s delight, around seventy children attended this groundbreaking event, and thirty-five of them joyfully accepted Christ as their personal Savior! Additionally, ten experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many children experienced extraordinary moments, such as visions of the Lord and the feeling of His comforting presence during prayer. God poured out His Spirit upon these precious boys and girls and became a beautiful opportunity for many others to discover a personal relationship with the Lord.

Vanderbout also established the first Missionette Club in the Philippines at the Tuding church. The purpose of creating the Missionette Club was to train children and teenagers to become future missionaries. Vanderbout initiated programs for all children, emphasizing intensive training to help them memorize Bible verses and be soldiers of Christ. Each girl proudly wore her Missionette uniform, which consisted of a navy-blue skirt, a blouse, and a light blue vest. The Missionette emblem was embroidered on the left side of the vest. Occasionally, Vanderbout held special prayer meetings that spiritually enriched both children and teenagers. Several children were baptized with the Holy Spirit, and many later became dedicated Christian ministers.

Vanderbout got married to a local pastor, Juan Soriano, and had four sons. Her passion for serving tribal people blossomed, and she worked in the Philippines for 37 years, from 1949 to 1986. She joyfully established numerous churches and over 100 preaching points throughout the mountainous regions, touching the lives of more than a hundred villages with the gospel. The vibrant ministry she began continues to thrive through the dedicated young people she trained, who carry forward the seeds of faith she planted. Vanderbout passed away on October 16, 1990, leaving behind a rich legacy of hope and inspiration.

Julie C. Ma
Oral Roberts University

For Further Reading:

Inez Sturgeon, Give Me this Mountain. (Hunter Advertising, 1960).
Julie C. Ma, When the Spirit Meets the Spirits: Pentecostal Ministry Among the Kankana-ey Tribe in the Philippines (Wipf & Stock, 2001).