Trip to the Philippines
One out of every 4 Christians say that they have been in distress at least once in the last year. Those who reach out for help in times of distress are most likely to reach out to their pastor for wisdom and direction. Pastors should be equipped with the information and skills to provide competent and compassionate pastoral care to those who reach out to them. Having the opportunity to share some strategies with the pastors and pastoras who were able to attend the Shepherd’s Seminars in the Philippines in January of 2019 was an honor and a joy. I was able to share with them the importance of viewing everyone in their churches and communities as image-bearers, noting that there’s no situation beyond God’s power to redeem and restore for His glory and the edification of His Church.
Missions director Tim Keep was a wonderful leader and guide. The seminar directors (Pastor Yuccadi and Pastor Magadengdeng) were gifted and godly administrators. The translators (father/daughter team of Ronaldo and Ericka Comilang) were gifted at conveying the truths and passions we shared. The Bible Methodist missionaries (RG and Sarah Hutchison as well as Maricka Herrer) were models of culturally-competent leadership and teaching. Heartland Conference President Chris Cravens and I had a “ton of fun” together as we towered over everyone. The sessions provided by the others on the team were practical, focusing on both outreach and personal spiritual formation.
I went to the Philippines to minister and I found myself the beneficiary of the ministry of those on the team and the pastors and pastoras of the Bible Methodist churches in the Philippines. God is truly at work in and through His people there.
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Paying for an aisle seat was a great investment for a 16 hour flight!
The 6 flights together totaled 50 hours of flying! |
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| I enjoyed being able to talk to the family while I was away! |
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| Adjusting to the menu wasn't as hard as I'd thought. :) |
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| On the first Sunday morning, we visited a new church plant. |
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| We visited the Philippine Bible Methodist Shepherd's College. |
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| Lots of hours of driving behind these 2 - and great conversations along the journey. |
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| Beautiful sights on the drives between sites. |
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| Our first Shepherd's Seminar. |
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| The second Shepherd's Seminar. |
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| I passed out HSBC glasses to the students who came to the second Shepherd's Seminar. |
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| It was a great team to travel with: RG Hutchison, Chris Cravens, Tim Keep, and Maricka Herrer. |
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| We even had a few opportunities to sing together as a quartet. |
