Tag: Philippines

06Feb

February 2021 Update

God continues to accomplish many things around the world despite all that is going on in the world. In many respects for ENW, 2020 was a whirlwind and 2021 is off to a great start!

India Mini-Module Course

It was a joy to teach a mini-module course via Zoom in India last month: January 14^th through 18^th (Sunday through Thursday). This mini-module course was taught for Heritage Baptist Bible College and Seminary, Tamil Nadu, India. Dr. Rein Alweill and I had the privilege to team teach that class. This was a change in venue for us, as ENW was able to be in India “face to face” in 2018 and 2019.

Uruguay Pastoral Training Conference

The next thing on ENW’s agenda was an ENW series of video recordings for Uruguay’s Pastoral Training Conference. “Foundations for Advanced Biblical Counseling” was the module. We will meet at Park Avenue Baptist (Pastor Dave Robinette) February 8^th through 10^th and begin the training on Monday morning.

Brother Dave and I will be doing this training. Kevin White, our missionary contact in Bolivia, is home on furlough and joins us to do all the verbal translating. ENW is incredibly grateful for this providential timing. Rossana, pastor Gaby’s wife, did all the hard copy translation work for the men in Uruguay.

The sessions for this year include:

How to think and what to do about your past
The Cultural Doctrine of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, and Self-Image
Anthropology: The Scriptures Speak
Biblical help for stressed-out people
Replacing sinful pride with Christ-like humility
Dethroning the god of materialism

Philippine Youth Conference and Pastoral Training Conference

ENW will be conducting a second youth conference via Zoom in the Philippines at the end of February (26th). Pastor Vanni Solores (pastor of Anchor Baptist Church in Legaspi) is the host pastor and is working diligently to make all the technical connections as well as to get as many pastors and youth in his area involved as possible.

In addition to the youth conference, Pastor Vanni is organizing a pastoral training conference to be conducted on three consecutive Saturdays for the Filipino pastors (Friday evenings from 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 A.M. for us). This Pastor’s Conference will also be conducted through Zoom on March 19^th, 26^th, April 2^nd. The training will be from Unit Two — Foundations for Biblical Counseling.

Please pray that the devices, electronic equipment, and internet/Zoom connections will all be functioning at peak capacity for all these training sessions.

Myanmar Training Conference and Special Need

ENW had tentatively set up a tour in Myanmar for June, but this will most likely be postponed based on the latest political happenings there. Please pray for wisdom in this decision and for the people of Myanmar through the challenges occurring.

One of our concerns in addition to the pastor’s conference is our church plant in Tedim. The pandemic has affected Pastor Mang’s meetings with the church plant group. Also, the basic food needs of the study group are serious. One individual told Pastor Mang that they boil 2-3 cups of rice for 8 to 10 family members. One bag of rice can last a family for one month and the cost of each bag is approximately $35. If anyone would like to sponsor one or more bags of rice for these families, please send the money to our sending church, Grace Bible Fellowship (address at the end of the update). Please mark your donation for the “Mang Rice Fund” and we will be sure it all goes for this project of supplying rice for the Myanmar families under Pastor Mang’s pastoral influence.

Doctoral Work on Ordination

On sort of a personal note, I have gotten my doctoral work published and will receive my first hard copy in the mail soon for final edits. I would love for this to be a help for many churches/pastors as we prepare the next generation of shepherds. The title of my doctoral work is ORDINATION: Rediscovering & Restoring the Biblical Process to the Ecclesiastical Context. This is the biblical process whereby young men are identified, recognized, evaluated, prepared, and authorized by the church based on their passionate desire (I Timothy 3:1), character qualifications (I Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-9) and sovereign gifting by God (Ephesians 4:11). Please pray with me that God will, indeed, use this work for His glory and His church.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support especially during these times of uncertainty and readjustments.

18Nov

Philippines November 2019 Report

ENW just returned from our 13th Tour in the Philippines. This year was our third conference on the Island of Bohol where we taught on “Foundations for the Christian Family”. Once again, God showed Himself strong as we served these wonderful pastors, wives, and workers.

The tour began on the island of Cebu where we spent the first weekend teaching in two of the churches pastored by men who are an integral part of our conferences in that area: Pastor Roudini and Pastor Alfred. Rein Allweil, my traveling/teaching companion for the third year, and I were privileged to speak to two wonderful congregations.

From Cebu, we flew to Bohol for the main Pastor’s Training Conference. Having printed 60-65 copies of student notes this year, we still ran short which is a great acknowledgement of the interest and investment of the pastors in this area. Three days of aggressive teaching and listening was such a rich blessing. The goodness of God was expressed well in the “end of conference” testimonies. Interestingly, two of the most robust testimonies came from a single lady and a pastor’s wife. ENW encourages all who can to attend, especially the wives of the pastors.

Another significant blessing was to hear the discussion of the pastors around the “de-briefing” table at the end of the training discussing our 2020 conference. It was such an encouragement to hear them talk of inviting many other pastors, determining a suitable venue, and challenging themselves to take on a large percentage of the cost of the 2020 conference.

From Bohol, we flew to Legaspi for a “One Day Youth Conference” hosted by the Anchor Baptist Church and Pastor Vanni. This was a first for us in that area, but not the last as we are already planning for this “One Day Youth Conference” in 2020. It was very well attended, and attention was riveted on the Word of God by the youth. It was also an honor to preach in that church Sunday morning and in the Bicol Bible Baptist Church, Pastor Ulysses’ church, in the evening.

It is such a blessing to ENW that the following conferences are already booked for 2020: the “Pastor’s Conference”, the “Youth Conference”, as well as a one day “ENW Introduction Conference” for the Legaspi area pastors.
Thank you for your interest in equipping the next generation of Biblical Shepherds through your prayers and support of the ENW ministry. We are humbled by your continued prayers and support.

Please continue to pray for the needed funds for our Myanmar tour in February. We still need three or four thousand dollars to bring training to 40 pastors and their wives for two weeks. This is a rich opportunity to train in this part of the world.

Chris and I are still looking for “ENW Presentation” opportunities. If you know of churches that are interested in the type of equipping the ENW ministry provides, please let us know. I am happy to contact pastors to request this opportunity. Also, if you have friends you think may be interested, please send them to our website which provides an overview of the ENW ministry as well as provide a link for donations for those interested: www.equippingnationals.org. Financial gifts can also be sent to: Grace Bible Fellowship, P.O. Box 1015 Somerset, PA 15501 and checks can be made out to Equipping Nationals Worldwide. Any financial gift to the ENW ministry is tax deductible, so please consider us in your year-end giving.

Thanks again for your partnership in this much needed and growing ministry. It is to the glory of God we serve together with you all.

27Jun

October 2018 Philippine Tour

It is hard to believe but ENW’s 2018 Philippine tour will be here before you can turn around: October. Last year ENW had the opportunity to take our training to a completely new venue. This year that venue will be on the Island of Cebu.

There is a group of pastors there who are eager to receive training and have asked ENW to come and provide that for them. We are getting prepared to do just that. Included with this letter are a few pictures from last year’s training with some of the nationals teaching the next generation there.

Travel must soon be arranged and therefore finances must be available. So, I am asking you, ENW’s interested, praying, and very supportive partners, to come alongside and help. Would you prayerfully consider what you could do to help offset the expenses for this Philippine tour?

Each of our tours are approximately $2,500. The Philippines seems to be a bit more expensive than others because there are a few more expenses that we incur. ENW continues to help nationals with the cost of food in one venue as well as pay for our own lodging in local motels. If we could raise approximately $3,000 fairly soon, this should cover the Philippine expenses and if there is any left over it goes right into the ENW travel fund for future tours.

Thank you for any help you can offer for this upcoming training. Also, we have asked along the way for churches and/or individuals to consider covering one tour per year. If this is something that you’d
like to think through, I’m happy to discuss any particular details of needs, locations, etc. that your investment may have the greatest impact.

It is a joy and honor to serve these dear men and women by bringing biblical training to them. Thank you for making it possible to do so.