In our family we often request pie instead of cake for birthdays. Pecan pie is a favorite in the States, and mango in the Philippines. Each gets the same loving preparation and, when hot from the oven, has sweet juices bubbling through a flaky golden crust. Each also has its own special flavor. It is like this in our ministry too. God is using us to multiply workers for missions, so the “crust” of our ministry is the same wherever we serve. This passion, however, has a different flavor depending on where we are.
Before my January training trip to the Philippines, a church in northern Alabama asked us to come and help them re-ignite a mission vision in their church. This is like offering us a slice of pecan pie loaded with extra pecans, especially since this church just sent one of their leading families to Japan with TEAM as missionaries. During their January mission conference, they commissioned two more missionaries to join TEAM’s work in Japan. We have been asked to continue meeting with their missions committee to help form their mission vision for another generation. For us, this is like whipped cream on top!
Our service has a tropical mango flavor in the Philippines. In mid-January, I landed in Manila, with temperatures 60 degrees hotter than Alabama. A bus carried me through the night to the mountains of Baguio. As I taught the next morning, afternoon and evening, I sensed the hunger these pastors and church planters have to know God’s Word, and to be fruitful serving Christ. Since many of these workers have never completed any formal Bible school training, in addition to our discipleship and church planting courses, we also teach doctrinal studies. One visiting pastor begged me over and over to come teach all the pastors in his area when I come out next time. The pastors in Leyte asked us if we can return there in April as well. As our disciples model church multiplication principles, other pastors are asking for the same training. We want to serve them all!
Just after this trip, while my body was still insisting that day was night, and night was day, we talked with a family applying to go to the Philippines with TEAM. Any way you slice it, we have all the mission pie we can “eat”.
Thank you for supplying us with the ingredients to keep baking mission pie! Your prayers and financial support keep us rolling. We have more opportunities than ever, yet less resources than ever with which to serve. Please pray for God’s faithful supply. Our next trip to the Philippines is in the oven for April. February and March we will be at various mission conferences here in Alabama.
Blessings, David & Joy & family
Pies out of the oven: Praise God for new pastors in the Philippines who are asking for church planting training; Even with a grueling travel schedule, God gave grace to do multiple teaching events in Baguio and Leyte; Praise God for a relationship with another church that wants to become a missionary sending church.
A peek in the pantry: Please pray for wisdom planning April’s church planting training trip to the Philippines. Pray we will be strategic with the opportunities we have. Pray that Filipino workers will see God’s faithfulness as they plant churches. Pray we will know how to help this new church be an effective missionary sending church. Please pray for $2,000/month we still need for this ministry. Would you like a piece of this mission pie? (and a taste of Joy’s apple pie as well?) Click here to donate via TEAM’s website or click here for more donation options. Thank you!