I am in the Philippines for the S4 Conference hosted by Global Surge, a ministry of BBFI missionary Greg Lyons. I divided this trip into thirds. The first couple of days were spent primarily with their camp ministry located in Iba, Zambales at the Highlands Camp about a five hour drive north of Manila (you can read about that by clicking here). The last two days will be spent at the S4 Conference (you can read about that by clicking here). These middle two days were much more relaxed.
On day 3 I was able to spend some one-on-one time with Global Surge founder and president, Greg Lyons. I love to spend time with “big vision” people and this definitely describes Greg. The bonus of this day is I got to travel around metro Manila and see much of his vision in practice. We visited his first church plant which serves as their primary church, but also saw many sites that host churches in their non-facility dependent model of church planting. We also saw Rizal High School which is the largest high school in the Philippines (second largest in the world) with approximately 25,000 students.
Day 4 was the most relaxing day of the trip. A small group went to visit the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. It contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II. Over 17,000 buried and over 36,000 memorialized that are missing in action.After we left the cemetery/memorial we met up with the Nisly family who are also missionaries here in the Philippines for lunch at a local mall. Not going to lie, it was great to have lunch at an American restaurant. That evening we met up with missionaries from England that are in town for the conference, Tarl Reeves and his son and Justin Rhoades.
Here are five takeaways from days three and four. (Plus an important bonus).
There is such a huge need to share the Gospel.Being completely transparent, I came to the Philippines thinking it would be overly “churched.” I have heard the stories of Bob Hughes as well as others that have been in this country for decades. I have heard of the huge Ministries that exist here. Unless you have been in one of these major cities of Asia you just can not understand the density of people. There are people everywhere, at all hours of the day and night. Yes, there are lots of churches and yes, there are lots of Christians, but the need is greater. I have heard pastors say they are not going to support any new missionaries to the Philippines because there are enough. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Maybe God is calling you to the Philippines? If not, it is definitely a wise eternal investment to partner with missionaries here or coming here.
It is amazing what one person with a great vision can accomplish.One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 3:20. Talking with Greg he shared this was a significant verse for his life as well. I have heard Greg “talk” about all that he has going on here in the Philippines for years, but to get to see it all in person is nothing short of amazing. He shared that it is truly “exceedingly abundantly above all he could have asked or thought.” Here is a list of ministries that one person has started, or helped get started … Evangelistic Youth Camps, Sports Camps, Kidz Jam, Youth Jam, Honest Deceivers, Tough Guys, Feeding Centers, Medical Clinics, Urban Small Groups, Non-Facility Church Planting, BBC Asia, and Global Missionary Clearinghouse. These are just the ones I could think of. I know there are more. For you that are reading this, what is the vision God has given to you? If you can accomplish it on your own then you don’t need God and He will not receive the honor and glory. God’s vision for you is greater than you know.
One person can’t do it alone. Speaking of all these ministries, one person does not do it all. It takes a great team of people to accomplish great things. It has been said that nothing significant ever is accomplished by yourself. One is far too small a number. We have to surround ourselves with others that are on the same page. The real key is for each person involved to be unified around a single vision and that vision has to be God’s vision not man’s. It seemed like everyone I have met this week is involved in ministry somewhere. Many are involved in multiple ministries.
I am thankful for those that serve our country. As excited as I was to see the ministry in the Philippines, I also wanted to visit something in relation to World War II. I did not know exactly what that would be but was hoping it would work out. Originally we were going to take the day to visit Corregidor Island. This was the location General MacArthur left the Philippines with their president for Australia. Shortly before leaving he made the famous statement that he would return one day. Unfortunately, the government shut down Manila Bay and we were not able to visit. Our second option was to visit the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. I am thankful I had this opportunity to visit this place, one week before Memorial Day, to pay my respects to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom that I enjoy today. Outside of visiting Arlington Cemetery, specifically the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, this was the most moved I have ever been in this regard. To look across the property and see over 17,000 crosses serving as tombstones for those that gave their life was something I will never forget. Take time today to thank those that serve our country.
Not only I am thankful for those that serve our country,I am even more thankful for those that serve our Lord. One of the great perks of my job is that I am around so many that have committed their lives to full-time Christian ministry. I get to spend time with pastors pretty often. We typically connect because we have the common ground of serving a local church in the States. I don’t get to spend as much time with missionaries so when I am given an opportunity I usually try to take advantage of it. This week, pastors from the States are the minority. There are missionaries everywhere. I have really loved sitting down over a meal, or in a van ride across town, or enjoying Starbucks and hearing stories of what is happening in the lives and ministries of many missionaries. It is a good practice for Christians in America to hear what God is doing in other places around the world. Far too many Christians view God as only an American God and the church as an American organization. If you have not been out of the country and seen what God is doing I highly encourage you to do so. If you have not had a conversation with a missionary lately I highly encourage you to do so.
Bonus … Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. I don’t know who the first person to say that was but it is a very true statement. Day 4 hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been doing fairly well with the jet lag but something happened on this day. After the trip to the cemetery/memorial and lunch with some missionaries, I spent some much needed time with my pillow. I am confident that time will be vital for the next two days.
Make sure to check out one more post coming soon. The final post will focus on the S4 Conference.