High and Lifted Up!

by | Apr 30, 2024 | What's New

Dear All,

Tuesday’s Bottom Line:

They made it to Loo (“LOW-oh”) and Scott is very excited about who all is expected to attend the one-day DM seminar there. His health is improving.

Tuesday’s Prayer Requests:

1. God’s mercy for the folks in Kenya devastated by disastrous floods (details below).
2. Scott to connect well with the Loo area pastors; a DM outpost to be established there.
3. No distractions to hinder Wednesday’s seminar; all technical, logistical, and relational things to go well!Tuesday’s Details:

First, the crisis in Kenya. A few days ago, Scott said, “Hellen’s home was flooded. She is thankful to be alive.” Hellen is one of the key leaders of the Kenya Discipleship Network. She lives in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Today, Scott said, “Please pray for our Disciple-makers in Kenya. The flooding they are experiencing has caused much property damage, roads destroyed and loss of life. Rev Hellen’s home was flooded and a dam broke near Pastor Peter’s place. May God have mercy.” I heard on national news this morning that, “Massive floods and a landslide near Nairobi have swept away homes and cars and killed dozens of people… At least 45 people are confirmed dead with about 50 still missing.”

This article gives more details. Please pray for those who have lost family and/or homes in this disaster, and pray for our team members there.

Back in the Philippines… On today’s drive from La Trinidad to Loo, our team (Scott, Pastors Wilson and Angelica, and Johnwell and Aprila) stopped at the highest point in the Philippines.Sightseers at the Filipino top of the worldScott said, “We are in Loo now and have met with the host pastor and his leaders. They have over 60 registered from 18 churches for tomorrow’s seminar, including 14 pastors. I’m very excited to hear about the projected attendance. Please pray that we are able to connect with a good number of pastors and establish a healthy DM Outpost here in Benguet province.”

He sent us these pictures, saying, “It is so beautiful!”Pastor Wilson capturing the viewMountains and terraced fields
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7, NLT).

Your PRAYERS during this mission trip are enabling Scott and our team to bring good news and transformational teaching to pastors in the Loo area. Thank you for standing with us so faithfully. God is good!

Blessings,
Patty

They GOT it! (And going up!)

by | Apr 29, 2024 | What's New

Dear All,

Monday’s Bottom Line:

This morning, Scott had a refreshing reunion with friends who had attended his Raising Champions parenting seminar five years ago. This afternoon and evening he taught that seminar to a number of new folks who had not heard it before. Tuesday will be a travel day to the next city, where Scott will present a one-day RDM seminar.

Monday’s Prayer Requests:

1. Sound, restorative sleep and healing for Scott.
2. Safe travels from La Trinidad to Loo on Tuesday.
3. Divine connections between Scott and any individuals God wants him to partner with in establishing a disciple-makers outpost in the Philippines.
Monday’s Details:

This morning, Johnwell, his wife Aprila, and their children met Scott for breakfast at McDonald’s, and their story was a great encouragement to him. When Scott was last there in 2019, they attended his Raising Champions parenting seminar and immediately began putting into practice the principles he taught. Since then, they have been consistently loving, leading, and disciplining their (then) young children, and the results speak for themselves. Their kids are doing great in every way, and their 13 year-old daughter wants to be a missionary.  = )
Johnwell, Aprila (in pink), and their kids with Scott
Johnwell and Aprila’s story is also amazing in another way. They know a business owner who has six restaurants, and he has hired them to disciple all his employees! On Monday morning, they go to Restaurant #1 before it opens and lead a DM group with those employees. On Tuesday morning, they go to Restaurant #2 before it opens and lead a DM group with those employees, etc. There are 150 employees total, and Johnwell and Aprila are being paid to make disciples of them! AMAZING!

Sometimes, when Scott spends a lot of time, prayer, preparation, money, and effort to minister to just a handful of folks, he wonders if it’s all worth it, but stories like this remind us of the power of investing in just one. It’s good to remember that the results are God’s responsibility; our job is to obey him. = )

On Tuesday, Scott will travel from La Trinidad to Loo (“LOW-oh,” at the top of this map). It’s a three-hour drive, but the distance is only 56 miles! That’s because the road from La Trinidad to Loo is up in the mountains and is very curvy, with an average speed of only 20 mph.
Map of Scott’s Philippines travels (again)
Consider these altitudes (feet above sea level).

Tombod, where Madam Myrna lives                           79
La Trinidad, where the singles seminar was held   3,615
Loo, where Scott will teach on n Tuesday              5,927

So, the road from La Trinidad to Loo climbs almost one-half mile vertically over only 56 miles. That’s one VERY steep and curvy road, so you can see the reason for Prayer Request #2.

If you can, would you please take a moment now to pray for Scott and those he’s working with? We really appreciate your prayers!

Blessings,
Patty
 

What a Singles Seminar!

by | Apr 28, 2024 | What's New

Dear All,

Sunday’s Bottom Line:

Both Scott’s Sunday morning message and his afternoon Singles seminar at Pastor JR’s church in La Trinidad were very well-received, and lives were changed! Monday he will present his Raising Champions parenting seminar. Scott’s still dealing with fever and cold symptoms. 

Sunday’s Prayer Requests:

1. The singles who repented of sexual sins to have good support and accountability as they move forward in purity and freedom.
2. Continued healing for Scott; sound sleep, good energy, no more congestion, drainage, cough, or jet lag.
3. God’s clear direction for Scott throughout Monday’s parenting seminar.
Sunday’s Details:

Scott preached Sunday morning at Pastor JR’s church in La Trinidad to a congregation full of young people who really ate up his message on “Laying Hold of Your Purpose.” He said it flowed well, and they received it and caught it. We’ll be excited to see how they run with it!

After lunch, Scott delivered his Singles seminar to 60 mostly young adults, some of whom had come from other churches. He said, “They were on the edge of their seats. I told them stuff they had not heard before. You have never seen people repent and cry aloud to the Lord as these singles did today. Several of them repented publicly of sexual sins… It was so powerful.”
Singles repenting
Scott also sent us a link to a seven-and-a-half-minute video testimony from one of the attendees. He said, “Here is a personal (tragic) story of one of the singles who attended the seminar. I hope it will encourage you and the partners that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
By the end of the seminar, the singles were all smiles!
WHAT a forgiven and free group of believers!
And after that seminar, Pastor JR sent this message to Scott:

“Good evening Pastor Scott

Just wanna Thank you for everything you did today, please extend our gratitude to ma’m Patty and the TTC partners for sending you here.

It’s a great blessing for us to have you this Sunday morning’s service preaching about our Real Life’s purpose and having you the whole Afternoon for our singles seminar. Those four topics you’ve shared is a big help for our singles especially the ministering part where many were set free.

I praise God for giving you the grace to stand and teach this whole day till evening. Thank you and God bless you always. See you tomorrow.”
It’s tomorrow there now, and Scott did not sleep well, but he’s trusting God for everything he needs as he presents this Raising Champions seminar today!  

We are so thankful for your faithful prayerstoday and throughout this mission trip. You are helping TTC make a difference in the lives of our Christian family members on the other side of the world!

Blessings,
Patty

From Here to There and Everywhere

by | Apr 27, 2024 | What's New

Dear All,

Saturday’s Bottom Line:

After completing the second day of his DM seminar, seven pastors and leaders signed up to join a new DM group in Anao! Scott is now in the city of La Trinidad, where he met Saturday evening with a number of local church leaders. After church on Sunday morning, he will be leading a Singles seminar that afternoon and evening.

Saturday’s Prayer Requests:

1. Continued healing for Scott. All cold and flu symptoms to go and not come back.
2. Scott and all our Filipino team members and helpers to communicate clearly with each other.
3. Those who attend Sunday’s Singles seminar to have open hearts, keen insight, and the willingness to do the things they learn from Scott’s teaching.Saturday’s Details:

Scott was pleased with the results of his first Raising Disciple-Makers seminar in Anao. Here are the folks who signed up to join a new DM group in Anao. We’ve learned that it’s vitally important for a new DM group to start meeting within two weeks of sign-ups, so we’re glad that this group will have its first meeting on Monday, May 6th!New group members learning what will be involvedToday I’d like to tell you about Madam Myrna who is wearing the aqua shirt in the picture above. She is Filipino and (I think?) met her husband when he was stationed in the Philippines. They came to the States some 35+ years ago, and she attended Bible school in Arkansas. Some years later her husband passed away, and she returned to the Philippines where she started a Bible school to train pastors. Myrna is now in her 80s and still going strong, leading a five-month Bible school, and continuing to train and mentor pastors and church-planters.

As a widow and ministry leader, Myrna’s title of respect is “Madam,” and she hosts various ministers and missionaries in her home. Scott stayed there for his first couple days in the Philippines. 

Madam Myrna is an excellent Bible teacher, but she has not experienced the disciple-making process according to the specific “Jesus pattern” that Scott teaches. He had really hoped that she would want to join this new group and participate in it for several months before her Bible school begins in the fall. He thinks she may want to offer that experience to her students so that they can also be trained to raise disciple-makers. He’s very glad that she joined the group. It’s going to be great!

Like me, you may want to understand where on earth Scott is during this mission trip, so I’m going to wrap up today with a short geography lesson. Here’s a map of southeast Asia, with places where TTC is serving (plus Hong Kong, where Scott just visited our daughter) circled in red. Right now, Scott is in La Trinidad, Philippines, which isn’t indicated on this big map, but is just above the letter “a” in Manila.The yellow ring encircles the PhilippinesThe Philippines is an extensive nation comprised of more than 7,000 islands that stretch 1,150 miles north to south and about 700 miles east to west! Here’s what it looks like superimposed on a map of the eastern United States.The Philippine islands in orange. Scott’s between Manila and Detroit!  = )And here’s a detailed map of Scott’s planned in-country locations during this trip. Madam Myrna lives in Tombod (near the bottom), and Scott’s Friday afternoon and Saturday morning DM seminar was in Anao (at the bottom), about 30 minutes south of Tombod.Scott’s expected Philippine travels during this mission tripFollowing that first DM seminar, on Saturday afternoon, he drove about two hours north from Anao to La Trinidad (in the middle), which is where he is now. In La Trinidad he’ll preach Sunday morning, hold a Singles seminar Sunday afternoon/evening, and lead a Raising Champions parenting seminar on Monday.

My Hero is not bored! Would you take a moment to pray for him now?

Thank you!
Patty

First Seminar Started; So Far, So Good

by | Apr 26, 2024 | What's New

Dear All,

Friday’s Bottom Line:

Scott started his first Raising Disciple-Makers (RDM) seminar today, and he’s eager for the attendees to return on Saturday morning for the remaining sessions. Physically he’s gradually feeling better. = )

Friday’s Prayer Requests:

1. Those who were so strongly impacted by the “why’s” of disciple-making on Day #1 to be ready at 8:00 AM on Day #2 to learn the “how-to’s.”
2. The attendees – especially the pastors – who are ready to apply the DM principles in their lives and ministries to sign up on Saturday to join a DM group.
3. Complete healing for Scott – good sleep each night, jet lag to subside, cold symptoms to cease. Friday’s Details:

First, a note of clarification: As some of you know, Scott’s passion is to effectively disciple people in general and pastors in particular, and train each of them to raise up disciple-makers. On his mission trips, in each location he typically holds a discipleship seminar that is about six hours long and is ideally spread over two days. That’s his Raising Disciple-Makers (RDM) seminar, which we often shorten to Disciple-Makers (DM) seminar. In these updates, I may use RDM and DM interchangeably; they are one and the same.  = )

Scott sent me an audio update today, and although I could tell from his voice that he’s not yet feeling quite 100%, we’re both thankful that he is getting better following exposure to whatever germ our grandkids in Hong Kong generously shared with him. He’s expecting that a good night’s sleep tonight – plus all our prayers! – will speed his recovery. The Philippines is 13 hours ahead of Missouri, so while it’s 12:45 PM Friday here at home, it’s 1:45 AM Saturday in Tombod, Philippines.

29 folks, including 7 senior pastors, came for the first day of his DM seminar. The pastors in particular said they’d never heard anything like this. They realized that they’ve been planting “tomatoes” (that have to be re-planted each year in order to produce any fruit) instead of “trees” (that once established bear fruit on their own year-after-year).

Scott asked us to pray for those who really want to move forward in disciple-making to come for Saturday morning’s Day #2 sessions (7:00-11:00 PM Friday MO time) and then sign up to join a DM group. Disciple-making isn’t learned by merely being taught; to become an effective disciple-maker, one must experience the process personally over a period of months.

Even during his seminars, Scott has the participants break into groups at the end of each hour-long session to discuss what they just heard and how they can apply it.Discussion group today between sessionsIn future updates, I’ll give you some background on where Scott is currently, where he’ll be ministering in the coming days, and what the situations are in those places. In the meantime, although there have been a few hiccups at the beginning of this trip, we know that our enemy cannot and will not thwart God’s plans for these next two weeks of ministry!

Scott and I both very much appreciate your prayers today for him and those he’s with.

Blessings,
Patty

To the Philippines

by | Apr 25, 2024 | What's New

Dear All,

Wednesday’s Bottom Line:

Scott’s had three days with our family in Hong Kong, and he’s about to fly to the Philippines, where he will start his first Raising Disciple-Makers seminar on Friday.

Wednesday’s Prayer Requests:

1. Healing for Scott and good health throughout this mission trip.
2. Clear communication with Wilson, Angelica, and Myrna; grace and peace as ministry plans are being made.
3. God to bring to the first Raising Disciple-Makers (RDM) seminar the specific people who are ready to be taught and who will do the most with what they learn.
Wednesday’s Details:

Scott’s time with our family in Hong Kong didn’t go exactly as planned, but it was a wonderful opportunity for our grandkids to reconnect — and in the case of young Nate, meet for the first time — their Missouri grandpa. Despite most of their family being sick, and in spite of rainy weather, Scott took the oldest two (5 and 3) to Disneyland, and they all lived to tell about it. = )

Unfortunately, Scott caught whatever their family had and has been feeling rather cruddy. Hence prayer request #1 above. He flies Thursday morning (Wednesday evening MO time) to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, arriving midday. Then he’ll have a couple hours’ drive to the home where he’ll be staying. Thursday evening he will get settled, and Friday morning will involve final planning for the two-day Raising Disciple-Makers seminar that will start that evening.

One of the main goals for this mission trip is to establish a disciple-makers “outpost” in the Philippines. An outpost is the seed of a discipleship network. It’s usually a group of at least three pastors who have been trained to raise disciple-makers and who are ready to lead new disciple-makers (DM) groups. When Scott goes to a place and presents an RDM seminar to a group of pastors, many of them will want to join a DM group where they can personally experience the process for several months and then raise up disciples in their own churches and communities. So, we need experienced disciple-makers in that place who can lead those groups. Wilson and Angelica are two of those people.

We believe the time is now for this process to start among groups of Filipino pastors, and we are excited to see what God does through Take the Challenge in the very next few days.

Thanks for taking a moment to PRAY for Scott now!

Blessings,
Patty