Mission Link

Wonderful Missions across The Philippines

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How did you spend Easter Afternoon? I got to teach about forty-five leaders of the Arise & Shine Community Church in Laguna, Manila, from 2-4 PM. Guess how many you could gather at that time at your congregation on a day’s notice? They participated enthusiastically in a detailed exposition and application of II Peter 1:5-15 [“Remember These Things”]. That was only one of the seven times I was able to preach/teach during April in The Philippines. I stayed at ten different

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Lodgings on that trip (a few without mattresses—which is my new image of laying down our lives for Jesus Christ). I got to participate in a deep Bible Study with Tamil Medical Students in Davao, interact with Tigwahanon village kids, enjoy costumed-song-and-dance by Ata, Tinananon, and Matigsalug Manobo troupes, Tinikling bamboo-dance, plus unexpected Tausug, Navajo, Brazilian, Swiss, Maori, Korean, & Aussie worship all occurring on the island of Mindanao!

David Upp, GP Conference Missionary May 2015

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

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One of the great features of the April Mission organized by Caleb Byerly was the inclusion of Rankin Barnes (a Mechanics professor) who gave free classes in Motorcycle Maintenance to Manobos in both Iglugsad and Cananga-an. Quite a crowd of students gathered under the shade trees, as he shared about what upkeep has a significant effect and demonstrated how to dismantle, repair, and reassemble the plethora of parts in motorcycles! Such practical outreach techniques widen the impact of sharing the Gospel by attracting new participants—but they also improve the quality of life for those we serve.

Regular readers of Mission Link have been following the miraculous “Open Door” [Acts 14:27] to the Tinananon Manobo through the salimba’a. Here you can see a picture of that instrument along with Caleb & Mandatory Datu

Veloso (near a traditional two-stringed lute) by the Bukidnon—North Cotabato border. For his service to the Tribe, Caleb has been given a head-cloth like a Datu/Chief wears. On Page 1, you’ll see me (with a white beard like Rankin’s) with The Salimba’a, Datu Veloso’s son, & Roselle (a Tinananon translator). We were together at Hope Mountain, an Evangelical Retreat Center founded in 1970, then far from the bustle & traffic of Davao (now 1.5 Million)! Early in April, Michael Burden (one of Caleb’s oldest friends) was part of our Mission Team (he, like Caleb, wears a beaded leg-band of the Tigwahanon Tribe of the Manobos). I got to attend, with his parents, Graduation [in Davao] and Party [in Iglugsad] of Noel Dalumatao: returning to be an Elementary School teacher for the children of his own Tribe (during those critical first 3 Grades in their Mother Tongue) to help insure permanent Tribal Identity/Language.

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Trivia Questions: April & May 2015 APRIL Trivia Question: What legal restriction does the Philippine Govern-ment set on those who voluntarily have themselves "crucified" on Good Friday, as an act of Christian Devo-tion / Lenten self-mortifica-tion? A: National Depart-ment of Health insists participants in these rites should have had tetanus shots & that nails/spikes used should be sterilized.

MAY Trivia Question: Why did the Japanese Empire wait till the day after their attack on Pearl Harbor to attack colonial territories owned by Euro-pean nations and the USA (as part of their surprise expansion of World War II; territories including The Philippines, Dutch East Indies/Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, & Singapore)?

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

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Scenes from April 2015 Mission to The Philippines & Hong Kong

Scenes from my April 2015 Mission to Asia

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I spent part of Holy Week in Hong Kong on my way to Manila, since I had never been there before & needed to change planes somewhere en route. I started & ended my Philippines time in Laguna [SE of Manila], but spent nearly

all of April on Mindanao Island. In Davao I found & attended 1st UMC & then served on their VBS staff (both at the Church & under a tarp in a slum

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alley! I stayed in 2 Manobo villages (Iglugsad and Cananga-an), Hope Mountain (for YWAM’s Island Breeze Conference--2016’s will be in Kansas City) & Overseas Mission Fellowship guesthouse in Davao, & the MABCAM dorm in Malaybalay, Bukidnon [where now Korean Methodists have built Bishop Han Seminary]. It was a delightful to follow-up my January Mission there with Caleb Byerly Mission Team. I’ve been to almost half of their 16 regions now.

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

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Going through my mountain of e-mails from April, I found an Official Invitation to teach at Leonard Theological College in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. The old visa-category-restriction which ended my service there has now been rescinded by the Indian Parliament, so I can resume that vital Mission work. LTC has not been able to offer any advanced Greek

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courses since I left in 2010. This is the only Seminary of the 1.2 million member Methodist Church in India (UMC Conferences until 1981), but it operates as a “Union College” with Board Members from 5 denominations [including CSI, CNI, Mar Thoma & Malankara Syrian Orthodox]. Registrar & Old Testament Professor Rev. Dr. Naveen Rao was selected as new LTC Principal.

Where will my next adventure in Missions take me? Back to Central India!