The Philippines and Northeast Asia have been prominent in the news recently, particularly due to the political, environmental, and economic ramifications of the Beijing Olympics, the earthquake that hit China, typhoons that caused flooding in Myanmar and the Philippines, and the struggle against rising prices of basic commodities.

Against this backdrop, we find that the Lord is moving people into knowing him in a deeper way, elevating their level of spiritual maturity, and preparing them for greater participation in building his kingdom.

"Building on Our Strong Foundation" is the theme of the region this year and the next three to four years. "Go 4 8!" is the rallying call. The number 4 represents the goals:

The number 8 refers to eight strategies for pursuing the four goals.

Come, taste and see that the Lord is good. Witness the Lord’s work in the Philippines, Northeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates.

The church received 124 newly baptized members the first half of this year. It also reached out to 6,982 new contacts in the community through outreach projects such as a daily vacation Bible school, medical missions with partner organizations, values formation classes in several schools and other similar projects.

Five summer camps had a total of 332 campers and concluded with 59 baptisms. While the direct beneficiaries of the youth camps are the campers, another solid benefit is the training of more youth leaders. This year, more than 100 staff who served in various campsites underwent training in counseling, leading a dorm, developing teaching and other youth ministry skills.

Churches in Kalibo, Iloilo and Mindoro received relief, comfort and love from members here and abroad after the area was hit by typhoon Frank. Thanksgiving praise went up to the Lord for sparing the lives of those who were badly affected by the calamity, and for moving many people to send help in the form of relief goods, financial assistance, and prayers. The overwhelming response here and the significant contribution of members abroad, especially through the our Disaster Fund, made the relief efforts a success.

During the Men’s Conference in June, 120 men from all over the country heard inspiring messages about having more of Jesus Christ in their lives. Philippines Chief Justice Reynato Puno (a lay preacher in another denomination) and Superintendent of U.S. Ministers Dan Rogers met with the men for leadership development toward a Christ-centered manhood. Dr. Rogers clarified our understanding of who Jesus is and who we are in him. (For more on this conference, see the Philippine update at http://www.wcg.org/PH/wcgphupd080628.htm.)

Another 90 leaders from the central and southern part of the nation watched the video of the message by Dr. Rogers and met with Charles Fleming, Missions Developer for the Caribbean, at another leadership conference in August 2008. The theme of the conference was Christ-Centered Leadership.

Also in August, 12 young people and Michael and Janet Morrison visited the country for a short-term mission trip. This team represented four churches in the United States: NewLife Fellowship in Pasadena, CA, New Hope Christian Fellowship in Eagle Rock, CA, Christ Fellowship Church in Cincinnati, OH, and our congregation in Nipomo, CA.

The team conducted a Vacation Bible School for about 400 children in Albay and Bulacan provinces. In cooperation with the church in the Philippines and the Jon Whitney Foundation, the group also hosted a teen camp for about 70 high school students. Most of the students accepted Christ during the closing session of the camp. The group was also able to help build a rest room for a school in Albay and help with some facilities and equipment for the church outreach in Bulacan. On August 17, Dr. Morrison spoke at a combined service in Metro Manila attended by about 700 members.

These are just some of the highlights during the last six months, but the local churches continue to do their share in living and sharing the gospel in many ways. About 70 pastoral teams continue to lead about 80 local churches and about 40 outreach areas, as they continue to build on our strong foundation, Jesus Christ. Their zeal and love for God defy economic difficulties and natural calamities as they live out their faith, build relationships and reach out to their communities. Starting this year, there has also been more emphasis for developing community life through small groups.

We have several tentmaking missionaries in China (i.e., missionaries who support themselves with a secular job). After five years of ministry, one of them needed to transfer to another area in the mainland. In preparation for this move, the house church developed by this missionary transitioned to team leadership. After additional leadership training for three days last May, three were commissioned as the new pastoral leadership team for this church in China. They focused on spiritual formation, Christ-centered leadership, small group ministry, and conflict resolution.

New opportunities for missions work in China are being explored through several ministry contacts. Continuing collaboration with an international missions agency may facilitate the sending of missionaries to China and Japan. Another possible entry point to China that is being explored is for native English speakers to teach English in the universities. This will hopefully fulfill the goal of sending teams instead of individual missionaries to China. One of our ministry team partners in the capital city has started planting a church with about 20 native professionals.

This coming Christmas season, a team from the Philippines is set to go to China for an educational short-term trip to promote a Christmas concert. This was done last year by the tentmakers. The plan this year is to do it in a more extensive way.

Although Thailand belongs to another mission development area headed by Rod Matthews, there has been increasing missions partnership between the two regions. The Filipino mission team to Thailand is growing. We now have about 14 Filipino members who are based in several provinces and cities in Thailand. The potential to expand the missionary base in the country is also very promising. An international faculty of the Haggai Leadership Institute is keen on partnering with the church in opening up the country for more missionary-tentmakers. The same is true for a retired Christian military officer who is actively involved in reaching out to the military in the country.

The church in Dubai continues to increase due to the overseas Filipino workers going to the area. From January to March, the members received additional discipleship and leadership training through a senior pastor from the Philippines. A new pastoral team was commissioned last May.

Additional Bible study groups are being started in other areas, such as Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Fujairah, by one of our church planters. The opportunity to reach out to more Filipinos is increasing as more overseas Filipinos go to the area every year.

The church in Dubai is planning to have a special celebration in October this year.

The pastoral team in Dubai has become more active in the Filipino ministerial movement. In a visit last May, I met with about 15 pastors of different Filipino churches to discuss combined activities that will promote unity, networking, cooperation and training among Filipino leaders there.

The Philippines sends tentmakers to some other countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia. Although some of these nations do not allow missionary work, we have missionaries in some of these countries serving as teachers in day-care centers, youth camps and schools, and one is involved in translation work and community development.

The terrain and the situations are often not easy, but their faith remains strong, and their hearts remain cheerful regardless of those challenges.

The work of the Lord is growing in this area, but the workers remain few in comparison. We pray, and covet your prayers, for more people, more teams, more boldness for us to be able to reach those who need to hear and experience the good news. We pray for God’s protection, especially for those who are in difficult circumstances. We pray for provision so that they can keep harvesting.

Perhaps some of you are God’s answer to our prayers. Some readers may be moved to answer the call, and to experience the adventure of learning another culture, have the thrill of sharing their lives and seeing lives being changed. The need for volunteers, teachers, community organizers, remains great. The field is full of opportunities and the world is waiting.

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