The Focus of this Collection of Stories is on STM Trips in the Philippines

Preliminary Concerns

During the time I was a missionary, active on the field, productive, and living on a minimal income is when the popularity of STM trips first began and I witnessed how ineffective such trips can be. So, I have had and still do have mixed feelings about STM trips. The amount of monies spent on these trips is often inconsiderate of the needs and ministry of local missionaries. Nonetheless the world changes and we must reconcile ourselves with said changes. This thinking led to producing intensive trips built on preparation of the STM trip participants. It also directed the blessing of the trips, or of our presence, to the country’s national ministers and ministries.

Over the next five years these trips increased in intensity, were planned better, and the preparation included language learning, cultural practices, Philippine history, geography, and building practices. A few of the participants on these trips have spent up to six months of active presence in the Philippines since this first trip. Only one of the participants has become a full time missionary; he married a Filipina girl from Zion Bible College and has three kids (at present), he is also fluent in the local language. It is my prayer that some of those young people who are now busy raising families will return to pursue ministry in the Philippines.

The following paragraph is a broad but informatively helpful note on the years between 1986-2006.

  Twenty years past before we would return to the Philippines. During this time we did not forget our family and friends in the Philippines we sent boxes of goods to Zion Bible College and Nympha’s family. I raised my kids. Worked as a plumber, helped my father grow both our plumbing business and open a TruValue hardware store, I worked as an expert witness, pastored for seven years, served in pastoral help positions with both the COGIC and the Evangelical Free Church. I attended seminary and completed an M.Div. and an M.A.R. from Azusa Pacific University by 2002. We moved to Tennessee in August of 2002. I traveled to Venezuela, Mexico, and Africa on STM trips between 2002 and 2004. In 2006 I joined with my son to help start ‘The Institute for G.O.D. Int’l.’ and in the summer months we began taking our students and others (prospective students) on STM trips to the Philippines. I completed a D. Min. in 2011 while recovering from hip replacement surgeries.

Stories from 2006 STM trip to Lucena, Olongapo, Tacloban, and Lapu Lapu

We began the Institute for Global Outreach Developments in 2006. I had been teaching classes to the ministry staff (including my son Gregg), a few of the parents, Elias Rukenya from Africa and our first six students. For the first six months I paid my own salary, the second six months I received $1000 a month, after this time period I received a salary comparable to a High School teacher. The STM trips were to provide lived experience abroad for students and other participants. Gregg had been leading this type of trip to Mexico and Africa since he was a student at APU. I made the trip to Africa with him and participating young people in 2004.

On the ministries first STM to the Philippines Nympha, and I and Joel Olson would leave in advance to visit places for future ministry in Olongapo, in Southern Luzon, in Leyte and in Cebu. Joel, Nympha and I were picked up at the airport by my friend Bob Haase who was my high school buddy, lead guitar player in our first band, and fellow Jesus freak from the Jesus movement in California. Bob had been living in the Philippines with his family for eight years. Bob introduced us to Ver and Linda Jacinto who built and managed ACBS (The Asian Center for Biblical Studies) in Majayjay. I was blessed to speak for their students. We also visited Faith Hope and Love orphanage in Sariaya Philippines. On another trip, another year, we would return with a group of ‘interns’ as we called them to visit both places in order to capture a vision for the future.

This first trip for us was a reuniting with friends and adjusting to changes that had taken place in the past twenty years. This particular trip was preparatory for our students and the others who came solely for the STM trip. Since my first experiences in the Philippines were during my time in the USMC we visited the former military base in Subic Bay. The base had been turned over to the Philippines and Olongapo was no longer a major city for U.S soldiers to engage in the activites of bars and girls. The base was now an ‘economic zone’, a tourist spot with zoos, zip lines, atriums, and a developing project similar to sea world in San Diego.

However, some of the old retired servicemen continued to run their bars around the hillside over in Barrio Barretto. One of the highlights of this trip was to meet Father Shay Cullen founder of the PREDA Foundation. Shay battled the U.S. military’s abuse of women for decades. I had seen a few Aeta persons long ago, but had not yet visited their homes in the mountains. Nympha and I and Joel would do so on this exploratory part of our first G.O.D. Int’l trip.

James and Lily Balista (my ministry friends from the eighties) met us in Olongapo and visited the Aeta people with us. After preaching at the Hansen St. church (where my first wife met Christ). James, Lily, Nympha, Joel and myself left for Manila where I spoke at Bethel Bible College. After a couple days in Manila, Joel and Nympha and I left flew to Leyte. James and Lily stayed in Manila. Lily visited friends in Manila before flying home to Cebu. James stayed to meet Gregg and the STM trip travelers.

I had Pastor James rent a passenger bus owned by the AG at Bethel Bible College in Manila. James would drive the group to Leyte utilizing a ferry to cross over from Luzon to Samar. The entire trip was 35 grueling hours (James expected to do it in 24 hours but the roads in Samar were more challenging than he expected). Along the way James broke and said, “I need real food, I can’t eat this junk food, I need some rice and some buko juice”. The diet of young Americans was not working for James. The first stop for the group was Zion Bible Institute where they spent over a week and explored the area surrounding Tacloban City.

Listen to your Elders

Myself, Nympha and Joel arrived at Zion Bible College prior to the arrival of the bus from Manila. James drove while Gregg was teaching and keeping the team focused. Joel’s wife Rachel and their baby Moriah were sitting up front in the bus with James and Gregg. Joel was happy to have his family arrive. Joel wanted to take Rachel into town (Tacloban) and asked me how to get there from Zion. I told him to walk down to the end of the road and catch a Jeepnee headed to his left with Tacloban on the side as a destination. I also told Joel about the pick pockets and their diversion tactics; one of the pick pocket team might drop some coins while the other might drag their bag across your lap as they exit the Jeepnee and be reaching in your pocket or Rachel’s purse. For this reason I told Rachel to keep her purse in her lap and if any commotion began to place her arms firmly on her purse. They quickly became victims to the scam I had warned them about. Joel and Rachel were robbed within fifty yards of their first Jeepnee ride together. It’s always wise to listen to your elders on matters where they have more experience than you.

Visiting Nympha’s Family in Barnagay Sagkahan

When we first arrived at Zion Bible College, Nympha left to see her family in Sagkahan. Her father, Porferio Tibe passed away the day before we arrived. The ministry paid for his funeral.

It was quite a spectacle in Sagkahan to have a bus full of young Americans unload into their little community of poor people. Our story as a family was becoming a part of our STM team members lives. The male STM team members cleaned up the old family Nipa house after visiting the local hardware store to acquire some tools and building materials. The female team members visited with the mothers and learned about their needs and challenges rearing children in an impoverished environment.

I was particularly blessed to visit the Church that Levis Montes had built from our beginnings where we rented a room at Leyte College for our church services. Levis had already immigrated to the U.S and the church had a gentle elderly Filipina woman serving as their pastor. They sat out a beautiful catered meal for us on fine china plates. Personally, I was disturbed by the lack of empathy for the children nearby who were poorly dressed, thin, and longing to eat. So, I began fixing meals for them served on that fine china. When I spoke my message formed around not neglecting the poor. I’m sure the Pastora meant well and desired to bless us with the fine meal we were served. I in good conscience could not eat so well while others nearby set hungry.

At Zion our interns or team members took their meals with the students of Zion and sat at the same table eating the same food. The cost of the meals was 15 U.S. cents per person. Meals consisted of some small fish, rice, and a serving of vegetables or fruit. They also had some fun basketball games and learned that Filipinos regardless of their size were formidable opponents on the court.

We took a trip on the bus driving over a large portion of the Island. Along the way we visited the city of Dulag where Nympha’s brothers Artemio and Milly lived. We spent a few nights in Kanangan near Ormoc City with Pastor Jerry De La Pena. My friend Bob Haase told Pastor Jerry about us and he came to Zion to invite us to his place. It was a beautiful area and the church sat on a hill overlooking the green landscape of rolling hills and mountains adorned with coconut trees and forested areas. While we were there the students and other trip members sang and a few of them were given a time to preach a sermon for the first time. We also visited some of his smaller home churches where my son Gregg preached.

When the time to came to begin the journey back to the U.S. James and Gregg took the team and Joel back on the bus to Manila for the arduous trip none of them were anxious to repeat. Nympha and I flew to Cebu to meet up with my friend Ray Nemenzo for whom I had preached many times and held a crusade and youth revival camp in Southern Leyte. On the small island of Lapu Lapu that connects to Cebu with a couple of bridges is where I would reunite with my old friend after 20 years. When I went to Ray’s house that sat alongside his church he talked with me about his ministry to the people at the Lapu Lapu dumpsite who scavenged in the garbage to survive. Ray held a Bible Study there regularly during the week. I went along with him. Ray has always been a devout and passionate man who cares deeply for his people. In years to come I returned here to provide meals for the poor who work amongst the refuse.