Whirlwind Visit to SE Asia

In late October, Mike Koerber led a team of member care representatives (Katie Johnston and Steve Neumann) and mobilizers (Heather Brown, Cindy Lucas and me, Christy Ware) on an Amazing Race-style tour that included eight schools in three countries in eleven days. The purpose for the member care reps was to visit our members and encourage them. It was a true privilege to be see what God is doing in that part of the world from three-year-old orphans to graduate students. For the mobilizers, the purpose was to observe the projects we have in SE Asia so that we can better recruit and prepare people for service in these locations.

We visited four MK schools: Grace International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Chiang Rai International Christian School in Chiang Rai, Thailand; Faith Academy in Manila, Philippines; and Faith International Academy in Davao, Philippines. These schools allow Christian workers to stay on the field while their children receive a great education and grow in their relationship with God. We also visited two national schools that are teaching English in another SE Asian country. They are letting their light shine with their lives in a country that has very little Christian witness. Another unique school situation is Pag-asa Academy in the Philippines, which teaches orphans from local orphanages. Our last stop was the International Graduate School of Leadership (IGSL) which has students from 20+ countries.

While we certainly were able to tour these schools and get a snapshot of life there, for me, the highlight was connecting with our staff at each location. We listened, asked questions, and listened some more. What an honor to hear their stories, their struggles, their love, and their passion for Christ and His kingdom. They kept thanking us for coming, but I thanked them more for staying. Their ministry is so beautiful and I returned more energetic to mobilize others to go join them.