Following the evacuation of nearly 1 million people, Typhoon Uwan is now moving across Luzon (the most populous island of the Philippines) where two people have been killed. Our team has experienced very heavy rain and high winds, but they are all safe and well. In Nepal, many of those who are currently in DM groups are stepping up to become coaches of new groups! Our missions folks are facing another very full week, including – but not limited to! – these specifics.
Tuesday and Wednesday – Scott holds a DM Summit and a DM seminar in Nepali City #4.
Wednesday – Pastor Gil has thyroid surgery in Manila.
Thursday – Mark’s family arrives home from the Philippines.
Friday – Scott travels to India.
Sunday’s Prayer Requests:
1. God’s merciful protection for the nation of the Philippines in the path of Typhoon Uwan.
2. Scott to have wisdom in adapting his presentations in Nepali City #4; those meetings to make significant impacts on the hearts of all those present.
3. The final few days of the Phillips family’s time in the Philippines to maximally productive, helpful, and clarifying.
4. Good health for all our team members (Filipino and Nepali national directors and DM coaches; Mark, Whitney, and their sons; Edwin’s family in India; and Scott) and a successful surgery and recovery for Pastor Gil.
Sunday’s Details:
I have not been able to find out a great deal of information about the typhoon in the Philippines, but I know that it made landfall with sustained winds of 115 mph, that the tide rose somewhat but not terribly, that over 900,000 people were evacuated (roughly the population of San Francisco!), and that the greatest concern as of a few hours ago was flooding.
Meanwhile, a couple mornings ago, Scott (then in Nepal, City #2) sent this picture.
“Check out my breakfast Jeremy made me!”
When I asked who Jeremy was, he said, “Mohan’s son!” I am impressed.
Jeremy, right, with his mom
Scott traveled with Mohan to #3, where they held a DM seminar on Friday and then a DM Summit (for all those in DM groups) after church on Saturday.
Geographically speaking, Nepal’s shape is longer and skinnier than Arkansas’, but their areas are about the same. Arkansas has a population of 3 million, of whom 79% identify as Christians, but Nepal has a population of 29 million, of whom only about 2% are Christians. = { The nation is approximately 81% Hindu, 9% Buddhist, and 5% Muslim.
Here are all the current disciple-makers (those now in DM groups) in central Nepal
From those in the picture above, the ones shown below have committed to be DM coaches! Scott said, “Just finished our first Disciple-makers Summit. All of those (below) are in DM groups and have said they are ready and willing to lay down their lives to become a DM coach for others here in Nepal. In this picture, I am passing them the baton so they can run! Please pray for them as they begin their leg of the race!”
DM coaches-to-be!
Finally, Scott sent this picture, saying, “These people live high in the mountains where the couple on the right pastor a village church. There is no school there, so they had to send their young kids (7 years old) to a boarding school near City #2. They came down the mountain to visit their young kids. They send them away as young as 4, and [the children] never go back home until they graduate high school. 😥
Down from the mountains to visit their children
I’m looking at the two ladies on the left who each have a child on their back and wondering how their hearts must ache to be separated for YEARS just so their children can be educated. This really gives me perspective; I really have no problems.
We can’t solve all the cultural and logistical problems of people in other nations, but we can bring the gospel to them and then coach them to become disciples, who raise more disciples, who raise more disciples… Your prayers today are helping us do that very thing. Thank you so much!
Scott says, “Please remember to pray for Pastor Gil’s surgery this coming Wednesday and now we have another prayer request, not only for Pastor Gil, but for the whole of the Philippines. There is a huge typhoon [hurricane] heading for the northern island of the Philippines (Luzon) where most all of our disciple-makers live. Pastor Mark and our Philippines DM team are expected to take a direct hit. Please join me in praying that God would have mercy on the nation and that there would be no deaths and minimal property damage. God have mercy on this land!”
For updated reports, google “Typhoon Uwan” (named internationally as “Fung-Wong”), but right now please PRAY, AND CONTINUE TO PRAY for God’s protection for the nation of the Philippines and for our many co-workers there.
Although they are now about 2,500 miles apart, things are going well for our wonderful team in the Philippines and for Scott in Nepal!
Friday’s Prayer Requests:
1. Saturday’s Filipino vision-casting DM Seminar in Isabella to be as well-received and productive as the Friday one in Tarlac was!
2. God to give Scott clear direction on what to preach in Saturday’s church service in City #3, and the DM summit late Sartuday and early Sunday to be great encouragement for the disciples there.
3. Favor, health, strength, and discernment for our all of our missionaries and DM coaches in the Philippines in Nepal.
Friday’s Details:
Mark and his family have a little over a week more in the Philippines with national directors Wilson and Angelica and the rest of the team there. Concerning their Friday DM seminar, Mark said “Today we held a vision casting in Tarlac City. It went great. I think we had about 30 that came and 14 pastors signed up to do groups. The coaches have already placed them in groups, and they will start meeting next week. This is a city of almost 500,000, and these pastors are all part of groups of churches, and they want to be found faithful raising up disciples! Very exciting.”
Here are some photos from that seminar. First, Mark explaining the difference between believers and disciples.
It’s always an eye-opening and challenging messageFolks seriously considering Jesus’ true ministry focusMarcelo, one of our DM coaches, acting out Wilson’s lesson on the need for “drivers” to take disciples where God wants them to go (Note his car keys and pretended grip on a steering wheel)
Meanwhile, Scott arrived in Nepal, and while I know this may be hard to believe, the truth is that not everyone in that country is thrilled about TTC’s passion for raising disciple-makers. So, for the sake of the Nepali coaches, disciples, and believers there, I will just use numbers instead of city names in that nation. Scott landed in #1 and spent the night in a hotel there before flying on to #2, where he met our friend and coordinator, Mohan (“MOE-hahn”). He sent us a few interesting “culture” pictures. = )
The view from Scott’s hotel room in #1He captioned this one “Power grid in Nepal!”
Scott knows I collect funny signs, so he sent me the following. It looks like it was a decal on a window, maybe on a shuttle bus at the airport in #1 or #2.
“For your funny signs collection. 🙂”
From #2, they had a short, 30-minute drive on Friday to #3, where they held a DM seminar. That night they returned to where they are staying in #2.
Unlike the U.S. with our five-day work week, Nepal has a six-day work week that runs Sunday through Friday, so churches hold their weekly services on Saturday. This Saturday (Friday night MO time), Scott will preach at their regular church service in the morning and then hold a DM Summit Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. This summit will be a special time for everyone in that area who is in a DM group to join together for encouragement and training. As was the pattern in the Philippines (and in Kenya for that matter) the disciples will leave after the DM summit, but the coaches will stay on for a more intimate and more advanced Coaches Summit on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.
Don’t feel pressured to remember all those details; God knows them! I just wanted to try to explain what we think will be going on in Nepal over the next few days. Of course, schedules and details are subject to change, and we know the Holy Spirit is the ultimate project planner!
Thank you for your encouragement and prayers during this mission trip. If you want to get a message to Scott, Mark, or any of our team members, you can reply to the email or text that notified you about this blog post, and I will pass your message on to whomever.
Scott is on his way to Nepal, our team in the Philippines is planning for their next DM seminar in Tarlac, we have an update from our team member, Pastor Gil, and we’ve included some fun flying pictures. = )
Thursday’s Prayer Requests:
1. Scott to safely connect with Mohan in Nepal; details to be finalized and attendees confirmed for Friday’s DM seminar there.
2. Our team in the Philippines to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as they interact with the pastors and leaders at Friday’s DM seminar in Tarlac; the right people to join DM groups and the right coaches to lead those groups.
3. God to enable Pastor Gil’s (“Hill’s) throat surgery on November 12 to go well and accomplish every goal; his recovery to be speedy and complete, and everything necessary to be provided (money, lodging, post-surgical therapies and meds, etc.).
Thursday’s Details:
The Philippines is 14 hours ahead of U,S. Central time, but Nepal is a curious 11 hours, 45 minutes ahead of us, and this always makes the math interesting. That said, I’m pretty sure that Scott should be landing in Nepal soon. As always he will hit the ground running, and we appreciate your prayers for him and our Nepali leader, Mohan, as they prepare to lead a DM seminar in a few hours.
Back in the Philippines, our team will also be holding a Friday DM seminar, this one in Tarlac, a new area about an hour from our base in Villasis. We believe God wants the Philippines Disciple-Makers Movement (PDMM) to expand there, so we plan to establish a DM outpost with a group of pastors there, and we are trusting the Lord to direct our steps (Proverbs 16:9).
We have previously mentioned Pastor Gil (“Hill”) and asked you to pray for his upcoming throat surgery. He is a key member of our Filipino leadership team and has been instrumental in introducing the PDMM to eager pastors in far-flung places. After numerous delays for various tests, Pastor Gil will be having a major operation on his thyroid next week, and he sent Scott this update:
“All laboratory test results are good and evaluated. The surgeon gave clearance. My schedule for surgery is on Wednesday Nov 12, morning – it is also the birthday of my wife Emy . I will be admitted on Tuesday at HEALTHWAY FEU MEDICAL CENTER- Regalado Ave, Novaliches, QC. Please kindly pray for successful thyroid operation, wisdom of doctors, peace and comfort from the Lord, quick recovery and healing, and financial provision. Operation cost is P300,000.00 [$5,086.00 USD] . We are trusting God.”
We are trusting God too!
While typing this I got news that Scott has landed in the Nepal, so that was one kind of flying.
These three wild guys also did some other flying on the Pugo Adventure Park’s zipline the other day.
Mark, Scott, and Wilson preparing for take-off… or maybe this is their post-flight photo?Mark, soaring joyfully above the canopy!My Hero, reducing drag with his aerodynamic pose!Two thumbs up for Wilson, scoring a perfect 10.0 on form!
Of course, only Jesus truly is perfect. He has given us authority to pray in his name, and 1 John 5:14-15 promises us confidence as we bring our requests to God. Thank you for taking time today to pray for our high flyers and the specific requests above. We really appreciate you!
Most of our team held a very successful DM seminar a couple hours away on Tuesday. Scott flies to Nepal on Thursday, so the whole team will spend Wednesday, their last day all together, debriefing the past couple weeks of ministry and having fun at a local amusement park.
Tuesday’s Prayer Requests:
1. God to continue to guide the new DM groups now beginning to meet; group coaches to lead, communicate, and administrate effectively, and group members to be fully committed to and powerfully impacted by the discipleship process.
2. Grace for our Filipino and U.S. team members to stay strong, healthy, wise, and refreshed as they serve God by raising disciples who make disciples.
3. Safety and wisdom for Scott as he – and his luggage! – travel to Nepal on Thursday.
Tuesday’s Details:
Wilson and Angelica, Daniel and Elsie, and Mark, Whitney, Liam, and Korbin had a full day Tuesday, traveling a couple hours out and back to Nueva Ecija, where they held a “vision casting” DM seminar. As the saying goes, “You’re no success without a successor,” and since these folks have proven themselves more than capable of planning, coordinating, and leading such a seminar, Scott sent them forth and stayed home. = ) They had a great opportunity to introduce Jesus’ discipleship process to a new group of people. Our Filipino team is definitely passionate about expanding outward and influencing more people.
Different team members taught different sessions.
Daniel, right, encouraging and challenging the peopleMark (with Liam and others) acting out the impact making one true disciple
Mark said, “Today the PDMM team did a vision casting in [Nueva Ecija]. Only 12 showed up but all 12 decided to join in the disciple making process.” We all want to do things that really matter and make a difference, and today’s seminar means that the investment of our six people (three ministry couples) yielded 12 new disciples-to-be, which is a 200% return on investment!
Mark said, “Also a pastor came who is excited to be a part and has many connections in a neighboring town. He also had me autograph Scott’s Raising Disciple-Makers book lol even though he knew I wasn’t Scott. It was quite funny. All in all it was exactly what everybody needed, both our team and the local pastors.”
Our team will have a final debriefing meeting on Wednesday and then enjoy some fun time together at nearby Pugo Adventure Park.
Here’s a friendly reminder: Your prayers throughout this trip are going ahead of our team and paving the way for God to use them in influencing others to raise more disciple-makers, and this is not the time to relax spiritually! Mark’s family will still be ministering in the Philippines for another week and-a-half, and Scott is headed to Nepal for a week and then to India for another week, so please don’t stop praying now.
Before returning “home” to our base in Villasis on Saturday afternoon, our team and their families, who have been going pretty much non-stop for many days, were all thankful for a bit of relaxing time at the beach. Scott and Mark each preached Sunday morning in two different churches in Villasis and then in the afternoon met with the leaders of those two churches about their current DM groups and expansion going forward.
Sunday’s Prayer Requests:
1. Those who have already been impacted by the discipleship message during this trip to dive in and stay committed to the process; new DM groups to be led well and change lives.
2. Refreshing for the Flores family (Wilson and Angelica and their three children), the Phillips family (Mark and Whitney and their two sons), Pastor Daniel and his wife Elsie, and Scott; for the Lord to renew their strength for this current week of seminars and meetings and keep them all healthy.
3. Over the next few days, God to prepare the hearts of those who will be at Scott’s seminars in Nepal this weekend; favor for logistical details to work out well.
Sunday’s Details:
On Monday Scott will do a DM seminar in a city three-and-a-half hours to the northeast, and on Tuesday Mark will lead a DM seminar in another city three hours to the southeast. Raising disciple-makers is all about making and deepening relationships with believers who are eager to grow, and it often involves a lot of travel!
But back to Saturday, any idea what THIS is?!?
Is it… a bunch of Golden Globes?
And how many globes are there? Inquiring minds want to know!
Here’s another picture of it, but what IS this thing anyway?!? (uh… the structure, not the Hero on its steps!)
Scott said it’s something like a jungle gym on the beach; looks fun!
He also had fun in the water with Wilson and Angelica’s youngest…
Outrunning the waves!
… while her mom got some much-needed downtime to breathe.
Angelica not moving = )
(Shhh… I’ve also heard rumors that Wilson and Mark took surfing lessons on Saturday, but I have no proof that that is true.)
For a number of reasons related to scheduling and availability, the first week of this mission trip ended up being front-loaded with some of the most intense ministry, the part largely focused on expansion of the disciple-making process into new regions of the Philippines.
While our team does have two more DM seminars on Monday and Tuesday, this week’s focus is more on strengthening our core by providing the stability, clarity, and relational and logistical infrastructure that will facilitate long-term growth, and rest is an important piece of that puzzle: “… ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength… ‘” (Isaiah 30:15).
Scott’s time in the Philippines during this trip will total two weeks, Mark and Whitney’s four weeks, but Wilson and Angelica, Daniel and Elsie, and the many coaches they are discipling – and their disciples are discipling – will be there on the ground on the daily, and we want them to have all the resources possible to stand firm no matter what.
That’s where you, our prayer partners come in! Thank you for praying for our TTC team again today. They really appreciate it, and so do I.
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