Philippines and South Korea
Dear Prayer Warriors,
Thank you again for your prayer support! As you might imagine, it is a blessing to teach the Word of God, and this time it was even more special because I was with like-minded friends, Max Klein and his wife, Aileen. Max has been a missionary since 1989. Working with him, I learned a couple of things about the mission field that I did not know.
If you have never met Max and Aileen, they are a great testimony as to how important like-mindedness in the Word of God is to relationships, especially marriage. Neither one lets a day go by without Bible class together. They are a GREAT team. Aileen takes care of everything so that Max can focus on studying and teaching. Max has an extensive ministry to pastors and other students in the Philippines, Korea, and Thailand. He sends his own MP3 recorded messages so they can listen and learn. He also includes his notes so his students can easily follow along. Some of them are more familiar with English in written form than with the spoken language. When Max sits at his desk to record the lessons, Aileen is his one-person audience. Both men and angels who are observing cannot help but be amazed.
We started this journey with a pastors conference on the island of Mindanao, and then we went on to Incheon, South Korea, where we taught some of Max’s long-time Bible students. Max and Aileen are still in Korea and will be for two more weeks to identify opportunities for teaching pastors there.
In Cagayan de Oro, on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, Pastor Henry Magto and his wife, Michelle, hosted a pastors conference in their home. Henry is not only a pastor but also a skilled architect with a very successful business building houses throughout Mindanao. When he built his own home, Henry built it with the idea of hosting Bible classes and Bible conferences. Thus, their house is rather large, more like a compound. It includes a conference room (pictured below), plus many guest accommodations. Henry’s congregation meets there for weekly Bible classes. The Sunday we were there, we had the privilege of teaching the congregation as well.
At the pastors conference, we had pastors and their families not only from Cagayan but also from Davao, which is 6.5 hours south of Cagayan, all on the island of Mindanao. Most of the pastors have been learning God’s Word for many years. Their positive volition is very evident. It is encouraging to teach believers who are so hungry for the Word. Henry and Michelle are the epitome of grace orientation in action. They hosted all those families in their home for the entire conference. On the last day, they served roasted pig, which is a high honor, served on special occasions in Philippine society.
Pastor Federico (Feddy) Andoy led the group of pastors and their families who were from Davao, Philippines. He is another long-time student of God’s Word. He would like to host another pastors conference in Davao in November.
In the picture above, Henry is wearing the red cap, Michelle is sitting across from him, and Feddy is right behind Henry.
The day before I departed Korea for home, we left Incheon and went to the part of Seoul (the capital of Korea) where Max and I first met back in 1990, when he was a missionary and I was in the US Army. We were both very excited to get back to our old stomping grounds. However, everything had changed. Nothing was the same. We did not even recognize the place. Even 8th Army Headquarters was no longer there. We discovered that in 2017, it moved to Pyeongtaek (not nearly as nice a place as Seoul). We were both disappointed. But it is a great reminder that life is like a vapor trail in the sky. It is fleeting. We must make the most of the time we have left. No matter the circumstances, we must finish strong! Finish the race our Heavenly Father has set before us.
Mission first! Failure is not an option.
Thank you again for your faithfulness in prayer.
Terry Wilson
“The Lord your God goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go” (Deuteronomy 1:33).