I recently returned from a short trip to metro-Manila, Philippines. It was my second time to visit the Philippines, and I was again amazed to see the work God is doing in this country. My trip came at the invitation of BBFI missionary Greg Lyons. I was able to celebrate with him and his Global Surge team for the Global Missionary Clearinghouse’s (GMC) third anniversary. The GMC primarily serves the graduates of BBFI-affiliated school Baptist Bible College Asia. There were 18 new Filipino missionaries approved to bring their total number to 80 ministering in eight different countries from Asia to the Middle East, including Israel. Larry Maddox, the pastor of Central Baptist Church in Houston, TX, was the keynote speaker for the GMC anniversary service. While in the Philippines, I was also able to preach at the Win Our World (WOW) Mission Conference with over 1,200 Filipino pastors, missionaries, and church leaders. It is exciting to see the Philippines move from being a mission field to a sending field as pastors made commitments to support mission works all around the world. On the Sunday of my trip, I was also privileged to speak in two different churches, one Sunday morning, and the other Sunday night. Both were church plants less than five years old but already self-supporting, growing, and supporting world missions.
I try to invest time after a trip like this to reflect and learn. Here are my five takeaways from this trip.
I need to have compassion for the multitudes. One of the first things you notice upon walking out of the airport in Manila is the number of people. It doesn’t matter the time of day; there are people everywhere. The greater Manila area has a population close to 24 million people. As a reminder, New York City has approximately 9 million people. Not only are there a lot of people in Manila, but it is also the most densely populated city in the world with 100,000 people per square mile. As I looked out and saw the multitudes, my mind went to Matthew’s Gospel where it states of Jesus, “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them.” The Great Commission becomes more real when you see in person, “the uttermost part of the earth.”
God is still calling people into world-wide missions. One of the most encouraging parts of my trip was getting to meet so many Filipino missionaries. They are going to Thailand, Cambodia, and other countries all over the world, including several creative access nations. These new missionaries were male and female, young and old(er), all different backgrounds. All of them have recently surrendered to the call to be a foreign missionary. I have the opportunity to be around college students preparing for ministry on an almost a daily basis during the school year, and it never gets old. I do believe that God is calling people all over the world to this vital work. God doesn’t call everyone to be a missionary, but everyone should wrestle with it.
God uses our past to equip us for our future. I got to meet a young man named JB. He grew up on the streets of Manila stealing wallets, watches and anything else he could get his hands on. He learned to have quick hands. Today, he is part of the ministry “Honest Deceivers” and uses the art of illusion to share the Gospel. I also met Rose Marie. She is raising support to be a missionary in Cambodia. Her plan while there is to use her background in beauty care and open shops where she can minister and witness to people as she provides various beauty care services. No matter what our experience, whether good or bad, God will use it if we allow Him to.
Everyone should be generous. One of the most humbling experiences of the trip came after preaching at Path of Life Community Church on Sunday morning. This church plant outside the metro area is just a few years old and is in a more impoverished community. At the end of the service, I was asked to go back to the stage, and the pastor and his wife graciously offered me a small bag full of candies and other Filipino goodies. By American standards, it wasn’t much, but for them, it was an incredibly sacrificial gift. I loved to see the joy they had in giving. It was a reminder to me that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Missionaries come from every county and go to every country. A few years ago, I heard Daniel Kim, pastor of BulKwangDong Bible Baptist Church in Korea, say, “Korea was a mission field, now we are a sending field.” The Philippines is one of the most active missionary countries of the BBFI with 22 missionary families serving there. But the Philippines is quickly transitioning from a mission field to a sending field. Some would argue that countries like the Philippines and Korea are outpacing America in sending out new missionaries. It is time for us here in the States to recognize this and support our brothers and sisters in their missionary endeavors. We have to be wise and strategic as we seek to win our world to Jesus Christ.
