Philippines Journal 2007 #17

Today was the big day for the Field School: Graduation! There were 50 who received certificates signed by President McVay that they completed a course in ”Evangelism and Church Growth” and thus graduated from Walla Walla University Field School. They put on quite a production – with all the pomp and circumstance, including processional and recessional and the conferring of the certificate! Many of them were so proud of graduating with their teacher Dr. Dave Parks (yes, he took all the exams and graduated summa cum laude!), and with Walla Walla students. Dave Thomas, the Dean of the School of Theology gave the address. I asked him to lecture on “Assimilating New Members.” It was like the first graduation address for Walla Walla College, where there commencement speaker gave a lecture on the Holy Roman Empire. But Dave address did not go for over 2 hours as that first one did; and I’m sure this one was much more engaging and stimulating than that first one. He did a great job! We also had the guest singers from my meeting last night sing for us today at the graduation.

After the graduation that lasted for over 2 hours, – but 2 exciting hours! – we drove to Malandag where Emmauel Serrano held his meetings. They put on quite a program for us with dance and singing and just a fun time. And then we were treated to a wonderful Filipino meal. They then took us up into a village where they have a little church and are attempting to build a new church. So we got a pitch for assistance. We prayed for their success in raising the $45,000.00 to build the edifice on the main road.

The meeting tonight was a small prelude of tomorrow. We had a very large crowd. It was exceptionally large because of the baby dedication that I usually have at my meetings. There were 70 babies, their parents and sponsors that signed up and came forward for this special moment. Usually for these, it may be the only time that the babies’ relatives and sponsors step into a SDA meeting.

Couple negatives happened; one expected and one unfortunate: I spoke on the topic, “Obeah, Barang, Witchcraft, and the Mysteries of the Unknown” (State of the Dead). There was one person in the audience that became possessed. But the meeting was not overly disturbed. The second was my first Eutycus experience. A little boy fell off the highest level of the stadium. He was rushed to the hospital, and we are praying that he is ok.

One other thing: I’m so very happy with the security. With the huge day coming up tomorrow, and the extra media attention we have been receiving, the security has been beefed up. The last 2 nights we have had police escorts home. One of the high men in the city security forces is part of our security detail. He just told me that because thousands of persons will be coming from all over tomorrow, the security forces are ask to let off our people. The password will be “SDA.” So it will be good to be an Adventist tomorrow. And one last thing: All 8 of us at my site received gifts of barong shirts and Filipino dresses at the meeting tonight.

Philippines Journal 2007 #16

Today was out outing day. It began at the Fishport with the Annual Tuna Festival. Before we left the States we received an official letter from the mayor’s office inviting us to this special event. They had reserved seats for us on the wharf to watch the boating competition, and in the big-tuna area to watch another competition. The largest tuna caught today was 69 kilos. A few years ago the largest was 280 kilos! Then they had the lifting competition. The winner lifted a 35 kilo (about 80 lbs) tuna for one minute and 57 seconds. Two of our team attempted and did superbly: Keith held it for 45 seconds, and Emmanuel held it for one minute and 12 seconds! They were interviewed on TV, as well as others from our team. We should be on the evening news tonight.

We next went to Polomolok where the Motzev’s are speaking each evening. They put on a feast for us there! I understand that there are approximately 250 just from that area that will be baptized on Sabbath in the mass baptism. We then went to the large Dole plantation and processing plant. We were not allowed to take photos in the plant; but the ones of the fields and the reaping, as well as the group photo by their 24-hole golf course are memorable.

Tonight I spoke on “The Women in My Life.” I told them that I really want to talk about a very special woman. But to get there I took them on a journey highlighting (all with PowerPoint) the women in the Spiritual Life and Mission Department, my mother, wife, daughter, granddaughter, and sister. But none of those were the woman. I then introduced them to the woman that my mother introduced me to from babyhood, and who shaped my life significantly: Ellen G. White. But after describing her life and ministry, I emphasized that her goal was to bring people to Christ. So the bottom-line of my presentation was not “That Woman,” but “That Man.”

Right now while I’m writing this the rain is falling heavily outside so everybody has stayed behind listening to a concert by a super good group that came to present the special music tonight. The music has been so exceptional every night. It is an evangelist dream. God has blessed. The crowd was exceptionally large tonight as well. And the amount that came up for healing was also significant.

Philippines Journal 2007 #15

This was one of the best days of our sojourn here because of our visit to Calumpang Central SDA Elementary School. The Principal invited the VBS team to visit the school this afternoon. We arrived just before 2:00pm to a royal welcome. The balconies were filled with children waving and cheering us, and the marching band putting on a very impressive show. Then we went into the Church for a special Chapel service. Those kids can sing! My O My!! They put us to shame! Incidentally Dave Thomas and I have been talking about have a great songfest at the College Church and a great Preach-out! He has been inspired – or his inspiration has been intensified since he has been here. After Chapel we got a tour of the School. It is one of the largest SDA Elementary School in the country – nearly 500 kids, with some classes having over 50 kids. But you have never seen children so happy.

This morning we had the last regular Field School before Graduation on Friday. Hiroshi Yamagata did the devotional. He is a fourth generation SDA from Japan. Adventist makes up .01% of the population there. He told the story of the struggles his grandfather had to keep the Sabbath and attend University in Japan. He finally gave up and studied at Loma Linda after receiving an anonymous gift of $7,000.00. Today his father is the head of our hospital in Japan. I facilitated a discussion and lecture on “How Big is Big Enough!” I made the case for large efforts to bring large amounts into God’s kingdom without minimizing “nurture”.

Tonight’s seminar topic was “The Greatest Place on Earth.” I told my story how I grew up to have church be the greatest place on earth. As a boy and teenager, I spent more time at church than even at school. Church was my life! So I told my audience why I was a Seventh-day Adventist, including why SDAs adheres to our wholistic lifestyle.

Philippines Journal 2007 #14

Zach Taylor, a sophomore Biology major from Montana, gave the devotional at the Field School today, and Zdravko lectured on “Cross Cultural Evangelism.” After the lecture there was quite a stimulating discussion on cultural issues, the wedding ring in particular. They will not forget an incident where a GC couple refused to take off their wedding ring while they were speaking for a Convention at Mountain View College back in 1997 -- even though they were told that many of the lay members were offended by it.

Following the Field School the neighbours invited some of us over to have coconut water and a drink in which the coconut water was mixed with evaporated milk and the jelly of the young coconut. Then they took us out to show us how to climb a coconut tree. Of course I have seen people climb all my life. But I don’t climb. I have a phobia for heights. So I won’t blame you if you snicker at the photo of me on the tree! -- This is not me, however! NO WAY!!

My “Seminars” on Hope, Health, and Happiness, are not only meant for bringing hope, well-being, and joy to the attendees, but also serves as a practicum of the Field School. The Appeal is one of those practicum illustrators. I vary it; and experiment with various cultures to see what works best. Of course, I believe that all methods work to some degree or the other, because we all have different personalities and respond to varied stimuli. Tonight before I begun I told the audience that I will not be making an altar call, nor asking anyone to stand. Instead we will be handing out decision card with the specific questions as to their desire to become part of the Movement that I represent. (My topic was “The Seven great Religious Movements” beginning with Adam – God’s people falling, and God raising up a people to bring them back to Him. We are part of the final Movement.) One hundred and four persons signed the decision cards positively! I was happily surprised at the variety of age groups and denominations. Again we had a good attendance, and God blessed.

Philippines Journal 2007 #13

Field School resumed this morning. My wife gave the devotional, recounting the devastation of hurricanes Ivan and Dean on her parents’ home and the accident on Sabbath here in the Philippines. Dave Thomas gave his first Seminar presentation on “Tending Ones Personal Life and Evangelism.” Both did a great job! It is great to have the entire team finally together. If any of the PR folks (WWU. NPUC, The Quiet Hour, etc.,) wish to have a group photo for publication, you will find some posted today on the web, or you can use this one.

I have also started a new album with photos taken by team members. The first 2 are Brittany Minden’s and Lydia Troyer’s. They have some awesome pictures that you won’t find in my album. Here is the link to that album:

http://www.wwc.edu/campus-life/spiritual-life/gallery/philippines-mission-trip-team07.

I must say a word about the meals that are being provided for us. They are absolutely awesome. Every meal is tasty, healthy, and creative. The cooks take care of our every need and always have something surprising. The combinations of foods and juices are delightful. For example, today they combined passion fruit with soursop for a delicious juice. If there is a particular dish or fruit that we like, you can be sure they’ll get it for us. Today there was a large basket filled with sweetsop! Vie and myself were in tropical heaven. And when they found out that I loved the fibery (hairy) type mangoes, even though they are not in season, they found a few for me. I’m sure that when we get to heaven they will be part of the team to prepare the meals for the long dining table about which my mother told me when I was a boy!

Tonight’s topic was baptism. Many came forward to make a decision for baptism. Included in those coming forward was a Colonel. He was part of a team of “high power” visitors, including an attorney, and someone like a “village chief.” I found out later that among the group was an apologist for the Catholic Church who always knocks Adventists on his radio show! They all came by after and expressed appreciation for the Seminar.

Finally, I want to share a letter I received from a young man who belongs to the Christian Alliance Church. He normally attends Emmanuel’s meetings, but over the weekend he attended mine. After the meeting each night we have had a wonderful conversation. Since last night might be the last time I see him, he gave me the following letter with his reflections. I invite you to pray for him, as he is doing the same for our church:

Dear Dr. Maynard-Reid,

It has been an honor and pleasure to have a conversation with you. I confirmed what my mentor in Apologetics advised me that there is a way to discuss differences on matters of belief in the atmosphere of respect and cordiality. I absolutely agree with your presentation of salvation with all my heart even though it seems to me that we hold differing views regarding the role of the LAW in the life of the believer. If at some point I might have offended you, I ask your forgiveness. What I want to say is that the Ten Commandments in and of itself lacks the very point of how a believer must treat his neighbor. So I should have said that setting aside the “letter” of the Law does not necessasrily mean one has the prerogative to kill, and it is not the sole basis of not doing so. Jesus said that we should love our enemies and to sacrifice our lives for our friends. I believe that a careful look on the Ten Commandments reveals that these are not stipulated in such Decalogue. Why should I kill, if I am commanded to love, to sacrifice? There hangs my contention of classifying the argument as non-sequitor. But I admire the sharp statement of your colleague (sorry I forget his name as of this writing) that what I am concerned with is the observance of the Seventh-Day Sabbath. It is consistent with your conviction that one should observe it and I greatly respect you for that. If sabbaton becomes the shadow pointing to the substance of sabbatismos in Jesus Christ, and that God sets eternity in our hearts then a rest in any day cannot give the complete comfort and solace for our souls’ restlessness. It seems to me that I must hold on to the substance lest the shadow becomes the real thing. This brings me to the point that life and worship must be coextensive. To be honest, I know how this could be responded by you provided that yours would be consistent with the statements of Clifford Goldstein and Dr. Samuele Bacchiochi and even Desmond Ford.

But the thing that strikes me most is that I neither sensed any awkwardness nor “vexation of the spirit” at the moment when we discussed these matters. I don’t know how to say this, nevertheless I cannot help but to concede that there is a sense of the Divine in your countenance and ministry. I don’t know if we can still find time to talk again, but I can promise you, you will be on my prayer list. To end this, let me rephrase W.E. H. Lecky’s statement (see further below) regarding Jesus that would fit my acquaintance with you. “…it may be truly said that those simple minutes of three meetings of conversation with you has done more to redefine and to soften the barriers I thought with my potential brothers [of other faiths] than all the theological calisthenics of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, and all the exhortations about pro-life advocacy of the Roman Catholics that somehow may conceal her bloody history of persecution via Inquisition as the literatures of the SDA might have uncovered.” By now, I am studying the extra biblical evidence about the historicity of Jesus.

May God richly bless you, thank you.

Yours most sincerely,

Harold

W.E.H. Lecky’s original statement:

“…it may truly be said that the simple record of three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers, and all the exhortations of moralists.”

Philippines Journal 2007 #12

Today was a laid-back day. Most slept in and got up on time to go to the beach at 9:00am. The cooks sent breakfast to the beach for us. Half of the group simply laid back and relaxed -- reading and watching people, and of course talking theology; the other half played soccer with our Filipino guards and some local kids on the beach. Hardly anybody went into the water. There was a very high tide last night. As it went out it left much debris on the beach. Not very attractive, at all!

Great meeting tonight; great attendance – possibly the largest! Approximately 1000 persons were there. And lots of children! The children time is really great. My WWC VBS team does a skit each night on a Bible story that somehow ties into my sermon topic. Carol narrates the story and the rest of the team mimes it. They are really awesome. And of course they end with the kids singing “Jesus Love is a Bubbling Over” (as I do in all my evangelistic seminars). They also give out gifts, prizes, and candy at times to the kids. They are constantly mobbed by children during, before and after the meeting for autograph, and photos, and just to talk. They are really a great team.

I spoke on 666 (The Mark of the Beast) tonight. Last night I told the audience that I was going to make a specific appeal tonight on this subject. So I wanted them to take the next 24 hours to think and pray about it and come tonight to take a public stance. Although I go through all the traditional SDA interpretation of the subject, I ultimately come down to the point that if you come up short of perfection (777) and purposely don’t do all of God’s will in response to his Grace, you will have the Mark of the Beast. A great number came forward and signed the decision card indicating that they will not come up short – they’ll do ALL his will, by and through his grace.

The other meetings are going well. The reports I’m getting from the Pastors are super. The Mission president told me tonight that he visited Emmanuel’s meeting last night, and he was so impressed. Emmanuel sounded like a seasoned evangelist, and his illustrations were superb. Vie also just told me that the Pastor of Keith’s church told her yesterday that Keith is excellent in his presentations, and communicates very well. Keep praying for them.

Philippines Journal 2007 #11

Today was quite a day. First, we are very happy that the last of our team members, Dr. Dave Thomas, the Dean of the School of Theology arrived safely. He will do the nightly preaching at the Central Church, as well as lecture for the Field School. It is great to have his wit and wisdom around. We all will be blessed by his presence.

The second big thing was the grand celebration at the church in Marbel that started as a result of our meetings in 1998. I don’t know if I mentioned this in a earlier post; but after the meetings W. G. Nelson (WWC President at the time, and my associate for the meetings) and me returned with the story to my Sabbath School Class in Kretschmar Hall. The class purchased a motor bike for the pastor (who had no transportation); paid the salary of 2 associate pastors to follow up on the hundreds that were baptized, and donated funds towards the building of a new church to accommodate some of the new members. The total amount over 2 years was nearly $20,000.00. As you will see from the photos, they have a nice air-conditioned building with nicely tiled walls on the platform and a nice yard outside. Inside and outside was full today. The church also was celebrating the 5th anniversary of the radio program that they have started. And that program has also planted, and is leading out in the building a new church about 30 kilometers away. Part of the budget for the meetings we are presently conducting, go to these churches to prepare persons for baptism. So they will have a large group to be baptized in the mass baptism next Sabbath. Instead of boring you with words, let the photos tell the story of the great time we had today.

The third big thing as that on our way back during a very, very heavy downpour of rain, a large pickup had a break failure and slammed into us. There is no evidence that anyone was hurt, only the vehicles. The team members who were in the minibus were: Carol Hargreaves, Brittany Minden; Elliot Pevida; Vie and me. Also in the van were Pastor Serrano, my translator and Executive Secretary of the Union; the President of the Mission and his wife, and my body guard and his wife. But Praise the Lord we all are safe. If the Devil tried to kill us, he FAILED! Yet the sad news is that another Pastor further north was involved in an accident. He and his wife were on the motorcycle and they sustained serious injuries. They are in critical condition. Keep praying for us all!

Philippines Journal 2007 #10

Today was a low-key day. Lydia gave an inspiring devotional talk. I didn’t know much about her; but found out that she graduated from WWC with majors in psychology and biology in 2005, and then went as a Student Missionary to Poland, and spent last year as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Walla. She begins her MA in biology this Fall. I hope you are enjoying the photos she has been taking with my camera at the night meetings. Great human-interest shots! Dave Parks lectured on Visitations for the Field School. Our Security detail allow Keith to accept an invitation to go on a bike ride into town to eat a durian that has no bad odor (he says it is very expensive). He was very safe. There were 8 motorcycles surrounding him, most with 2 riders! After lunch some of us went to the KCC Mall (it is HUGE). The KCC department store takes up half of the 2^nd floor and the KCC supermarket takes up one side of the entire bottom half of the lowest floor. It is an experience.

The reports from the other nine sites are good. The people are appreciating the presentations and the speakers as well. We got a good report on Keith this morning. On fun comments was that he is becoming as energetic as me! At David’s site there is a problem with transportation especially for those in the hills. But the Mission is working on it. At the Motzev’s sites many of the members work the night shift at the Dole factory, so they can’t come in the week. So this weekend the numbers should be up. Yet each night this week the numbers have been increasing at all the sites. Dave Parks took out a couple nights to visit some of the sites and support, and give helpful critique to our Theology students. Next week after Dave Thomas arrives, Zdravko will do the same.

At my meeting tonight I spoke on the Sabbath. Many came up for the call as they made a decision to join us in the celebration of this special time.

Philippines Journal 2007 #9

Today we went to the 6^th annual Timpupo Fruit Festival in Kidapawan, which is about 2.5 hours north of Gensan. To get there on time we left after 5:00am. When we arrived there the manager of the ABC had a great breakfast for us. At the festival we were introduced to the mayor and interview by the television station. They are trying to be in the Guinness Book of Records as having fruit stretching the longest on one stretch of road. This stretched for 3 kilometers. Before I could get out there to get some super shots, they had the “fruit wars” as they threw the fruit at each other and the passing cars. I did get some not very good pre- and post-shots, however. We then went by the park at the entrance to the city where some local boys were swimming. Lots of our team jumped in with them and played water wrestling with them. The Filipinos are such happy and wonderful people. I have yet to see one “sour” face! They are hospitable and so easy to get along with.

We then went to lunch at a buffet restaurant. But it turned out to be a surprise for Vie and myself’ 37^th wedding anniversary – which is today August 23. It was wonderful. We got back on time for the evening meetings. Tonight one of the features of the “Seminar” was special prayer for healing for those who were chronically ill. I usually do this on the Thursday evenings of my meetings. I was surprised at the very large crowd that came up for special prayer. The huge surprise of the evening was the anniversary celebration they had for us at the meeting – cutting of cake and all! We also had gifts given to us by individuals. On especially precious one was a cardboard vase made by a widow and her son. They are visitors to the meeting, and she was so impressed on Monday night when I announced that I was going to have prayer for healing tonight, that she has been coming since. I was introduced to her on Monday night and I had a prayer for her and her son (he has a huge sore on his lips and she has diabetes). The next night she told one of our workers that when I prayed for her she felt something going through her like she has never felt before. It was the Spirit of the Lord!

I’m sorry, but if you are a faithful follower of the photos, we have lots from today. It was hard to eliminate any!

Philippines Journal 2007 #8

For me the highlight of the day was 13 year-old Brittany giving the devotional at our Field School. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do it; but she came up with a very creative presentation using fruits to illustrate diversity. This is my first time to have a teenager on a mission trip. She has been a blessing. The Field School was marvelous this morning as well. We had over 70 persons attending. I only brought 60 certificates signed by our President McVay. But the interest in the Field School is beyond my expectation. Today I presented evangelism from the Luke-Acts perspective – wholistic! – Taking care of the whole person – the soul and the body are a unit; the social, physical, and doctrinal are all important and must be addressed. As a practical illustration, we gave out packets of seeds which a member in the States sent for us to distribute. Herald Press, a Mennonite publishing press has published my book on this topic: Complete Evangelism: The Luke-Acts Model. It is being used in many Seminaries as a textbook. If you are interested in reading it, Amazon.com maybe your best source. And one other thing: This morning we revived the 1998 Field School theme song that we used in Marbel – “Sweet Jesus”! Did they sing!

Possibly most of the attendees at the Field School are Bible Workers. They are at the heart of the success of this endeavor. Most of the persons who will be baptized next week are not those who have made a decision for the first time at our meetings. Our meetings are only reaping meetings. Most of the decisions are made with those Bible Workers. They cover the city on their bikes. They have been working hard since the beginning of July. A large % of the budget is dedicated to pay these workers. Some of them are theology graduates who could not get a pastoral job because of lack of funds. Part of the $21,000.00 that we raised to give to the Mission is to pay these workers. We are still short by $6,000.00. If after reading these blogs and you feel impressed to contribute to this worthy cause, please make your tax-deductible check to Walla Walla College, att. “Philippines mission trip.” Mail it to: Spiritual Life Center, Walla Walla College, College Place, WA 99324.

The VBS team members went to the Mall yesterday and bought a bunch of games and sports stuff to give to the kids who fill the play court on the Mission compound after school. They are doing such a fantastic job in playing with the kids and befriending them; assisting in the VBS; and a super awesome job with the “children’s time” in the main meetings. They are also very actively involved in talking with, and greeting the attendees as they arrive and as they leave.

A word on the nightly photos: On Monday and Tuesday evenings Brittany took most of the photos with my camera. Tonight, Lydia had a lot of fun with it. Great shots! I hope that you get time to at least glance at them: http://www.wwc.edu/campus-life/spiritual-life/gallery/philippines-mission-trip07

Philippines Journal 2007 #7

I should have mentioned last night that we did connect with our parents in Jamaica after Hurricane Dean brushed heavily past it. My mother’s house in Kingston did not suffer any damage. The back fence and some trees were down. Vie’s parents home in Mandeville suffered more ill. Parts of the roof were loosed, and many trees were blown down. Everybody is safe, however; but a bit shaken. We praise God for life!
I also forgot to mention in last night’s blog about the super heavy downpour of rain just before I got up to speak. But it didn’t stop the people from coming. Some were even soaked. More even came out tonight. Lots of children came. Not many were at the VBS. But our team was more involved tonight. But the kids turned out in their hundreds for the main meeting, and again the team did a great job with their children’s time. I made an altar call at the end of the meeting, and a very large number responded.
You’ll notice that at the end of the meeting they feed us with a lot of fruits. The last two nights we had lots of coconut water and jelly. Sweetsop is also in abundance; and of course, pineapple, jack fruit, durian, rambutan, bananas, and many more that we don’t have as popular fruits in the Caribbean.
Oh, the day started with the Field School. Ken Anderson did a very good devotional. I gave the quiz and most got even the bonus question for scores of 12/10. Dave Parks lectured on Preparing for the Meetings. They are loving it.

Philippines Journal 2007 #6

The Field School started today. David and Brittney Sandvik led, and will lead the Praise time each morning. This is followed by a 5-minutes devotional by one of the VBS WWC team. Today it was Carol Hargreaves. Zdravko kicked off the lectures with a treatment on “The Blessings of Evangelism.” We had over 50 in attendance. This was followed by reports from all the sites. They all had only positive things to say. They all had good beginnings. I got a report later that the folks really love Emmanuel Serrano at his site. Did any of you notice on some of the banners that WWC is in Washington D.C.?

Electricity was off today until 5pm; so most of us who needed the internet to work on our presentations were out of fortune. Tonight VBS started; but our students were marginally involved. That is expected to change tomorrow.

My translator, who is the Executive Secretary of the Union told us that the North Pacific Union will be conducting a large evangelistic outreach in the Southern Mindanao Union. Our President, Jere Patzer will be the speaker at the main site, and there will be 29 satellite meetings. It is a good Union in which to do evangelism.

Philippines Journal 2007 #5

Tonight was the opening (I started to write “salvo,” but it sounded too military) “blast off” for the evangelistic out-of-this-world mission. This is the first time that the College has taken over a city and blanketed it with evangelistic preachers. Tomorrow at the Field School I’ll get the reports. But I know that attendance totals will be in the thousands. We had a very good turnout for an opening night. It started with a wonderful concert of fine local singing groups. Vie and the WWC VBS team did a great children segment; and I had the best translator any one could desire: Wendell Serrano, the Executive Secretary of the South Philippines Union. A political official of the area spoke and welcomed us and invited his entire constituency to attend the nightly meetings.

Today was a low-key day. Many took time to do last minute work on their sermons. Almost all of us spent 3 hours in one of the largest Malls in Asia. Things are very inexpensive there. I picked up a pair of jeans and a pair of shorts for less than $7.00! They also have the largest supermarket I have ever seen. I wanted to take a photo of the Mall, but they couldn’t find the top security person to give the permission. They do have great security. And we had 4 or 5 personal security persons with us. They are taking really good care of us. And we had durian for the first time since we are here! One foreigner said that it was the fruit that God forbade Adam and Eve to eat. And even though it had such a horrible smell they still ate it!

Philippines Journal 2007 #4

‘Twas a good Sabbath! Most of the team members went to their sites. Dr Motzev spoke at his church, but his wife did not at hers. She did visit the church and another nearby, however. The same for the Sandviks: They weren’t quite prepared for Brittney at her church, so she went with David to his and they sang together and he preached. Elliot’s church also seemed not to be ready for him; so he went with Dave Parks and Jane, and he gave the Mission story. They had an interesting encounter with a Seventh-day Baptist there that is Caucasian, but hates America! Emmanuel had a great time at his church. They made him try all kinds of foods for lunch. Keith preached here at the Mission Church; and even though it seemed short to some people, he did preach for 30 minutes. I switched with Zdravko. He preached at the main site and I preached at the Central church. He said that there was a large crowd there.

At the Central Church, the church was almost full when Sabbath School began at 9:00am. By the time for Divine Service it was packed and overflowing. In the program they had Vie scheduled to give a Summary of the Sabbath School lesson. But those of you, who know my wife, know that she is not comfortable with that type of public speaking. So since I have the “gift of the gab” I did it. I also spoke for church. I didn’t know that it was a special Sabbath - “Investment Sabbath.” The Investment Bingo was fascinating. Basically Bible questions; and a prize given to the Class that got them all correct. At the end of the Worship Service they gave me a Certificate of Appreciation, and a barong shirt and undershirt to match. The lunch that was provided for the whole church was awesome. The WWC VBS team came with me, and they loved it. What a spread! It was great to see so many members who brought their lunch to church and just hung around. The joy in the faces of old and young was also infectious. Incidentally, Sabbath School ended early at my church, so service ended at 11:30am. At most of the other sites, Sabbath School went long and ended at 11:30; and Worship service went till 12:30.

This afternoon most of the team had time to catch up on their sleep. They need it. Last night we had a huge thunderstorm that kept some of them awake. For others of us (or was that only me?), it was soothing and gave a great tropical sleep! Then tonight there was a special concert at the Central put on by the Media Ministries. Great lay talent!

Philippines Journal 2007 #3

The team is here! T’was a good trip for the most part. The couple 3 or so hitches include a two hour delay for the flight from LA to Japan (Dave Parks, Hiroshi, and Ken Anderson were on that flight). But they made it just on time to catch the Manila flight. The other was the meals for the bulk of the team from Portland. On our flight a couple days earlier we found that almost all the meals were laced with pork. So we got Bonnie (our travel agent) to call in and order vegetarian meals. It was horrible. One person even got sick. So we will order special meals on the way back. A third thing: Lydia flew from Detroit to Japan and on to Manila on the same plane – 15 hours. The entertainment system was broken! Try entertaining yourself for 15 hours when you expect to have movies and games! They gave each passenger a $100.00 coupon for the first leg and $50.00 for the second. Of course the team was overweight for the flight down to General Santos City (Gensan). But Zdravko and Dave Parks sweet-talked the airlines; telling them about the mission trip, etc., etc. They didn’t charge them a cent!

We were at the airport, on the tarmac again to greet the team (and also another person who was conducting a family life Seminar elsewhere). I think I mentioned earlier that we have a lot of Adventist connection in the airport so we got through easily (after going through security of course). The biggy was the motorcade through the city. We got a good tour of the municipality and Adventism was highlighted. The lead policemen were fun. I hope you can view the videos showing how the cop used his bike to clear the road. At the office there was another great greeting from the staff and the pastors with whom the team will be working. After food, rest and orientation, some of us went to the site for a small vespers meeting. Most stayed here to catch up on their well needed sleep.

Philippines Journal 2007 #2

Today we visited all the sites at which meetings will be held. Elliot Pevida is further away than anyone else’s -- a full hour round trip – in a place called Tupi. As you will see in the photos, many of these churches are using the opportunity to give themselves a face-lift. The Tupi church is one of them. We went next to Polomolk where Dr. Mihail Motzev (who teaches in the School of Business) and his wife Rumania Motzeva (they are Bulgarians, and the woman adds an “a” to the end of her name) will preach. This is the town that Dole has a very large pineapple plant and plantations. We have at least 3 churches there; and each of the churches that the Motzev/a will be holding their meetings has a church school. David Sandvik will be at the Country Garden Church. This church building was financed by a business man from the USA by the name of Mckenzie. I think they said the cost was $50,000.00. It is supposed to be the nicest looking church in the Mission.

At the next far end (as a matter of fact, it is about 3 km outside the city limits of General Santos City) is Emmanuel Serrano’s church, in Malandag. There they also have a church school (including a High School). Across the road is the government school; but many of the government teachers send their kids to the Adventist school. Down the road is a military base with many from the USA military stationed there. At the “Christ the King” Church, Dr. David Parks and Jane Li from our College in Hong Kong will be preaching. We are glad that a theology student from Hong Kong could be part of the Walla Walla team. There is also a church school at this site. At the Pag-ASA-Balite Church, Brittney Sandvik (she and David recently got married!) will be preaching. This church is also getting a great face-lift inside. At the large Central Church in the city Dr. Zdravko Stefanovic will be preaching the first week and Dr. Dave Thomas (the Dean of the School of Theology at WWC) will conclude the series. He will arrive late due to a previous appointment this coming week at Andrews University. This church also has a large school. Finally, Keith Rusk will be at the church here at the Mission Office. Some might say he is the fortunate one – he walks a few steps from his dorm room to his meeting place!

We also stopped by the main site where I’ll be preaching. It is a little larger than the school auditorium/gym that we used in Marbel in 1998-99. Next to it is the Sports Complex where we will have the final Sabbath Service, followed by a mass baptism. About a month ago they ended a week of meetings conducted by Dr. Dan Smith (pastor of the La Sierra Church) with a baptism of over 1100 at this same Sport Complex.

Finally a few tidbits: We brought with us, as a gift to the Mission, a Linksys wireless system. That was installed today. So all of us with laptops are able to freely interact with the rest of the world! Drs. Thomas, Stefanovic, and Parks, all have individual rooms here on the top floor of the mission building. The students will be in the dorm built by a team from Gem State Academy a few years ago. All are air-conditioned. The Sandviks and Motzev/a will be staying at a home on the compound next to the dining area. Did you notice our “security detail”? He follows me everywhere. We are safe and secure. One of the top security brasses in the city is an elder of the church on the Mission compound. The entire municipal (and it seems, national, as well) government is looking out for us!

Philippines Journal 2007 #1

Here we are in the Philippines – 2 years since the invitation was extended at the General Conference in St. Louis by the Southern Mindanao Mission. Vie (Violet) and I left 2 days ahead of the rest of the team to make sure all was in place for their arrival on Friday. I’ve done a fair bit of travelling this past 12 months. There was one thing or another on every trip – baggage delayed; flights delayed; people delayed! Nothing like this on this trip! As a matter of fact we were exceptionally blessed to have all the flights arrive on time and well before time in some instances; all our baggage arrive without eventualities; and to top it off we were surprised to be up-graded to the fancy Business Class on the 747 flight from Japan to the Philippines!

And that’s not the end of it! When the flight touched down in General Santos City, we looked through the window and there on the tarmac was the delegation from the Mission with a big sign welcoming us to the Philippines! We were driven in a new car (just purchased yesterday by one of the workers here), and fed a lovely meal, before being taken to our very comfortable air-conditioned room in the Mission building.

I hope you will bookmark this page and keep up with the happenings. My international phone is active. If you need to get in touch with me here is the #: 011-63-928-908-5411. You can also view the photos on a regular basis at http://www.wwc.edu/campus-life/spiritual-life/gallery/philippines-mission-trip07

Thanks for your prayers.

blessings