Dear PAMI friends,
The purpose of this email is twofold: to give some mission updates and to invite you to a fun presentation by me and my energetic friends Ben & Pam Wellumson. This presentation will include stories, pictures, videos, and music from our three week visit to the Philippines in March. Apple cider and something sweet from the Philippines will be provided. It’s scheduled 6:30 – 8:00 pm next Monday, September 9th in the lower activity room of Apple Valley Villa, located at 14610 Garrett Ave, Apple Valley, MN. This is the senior apartment building where my aunt Ardelle Thorud lives. She’s inviting some of the residents, but the presentation is open to non-residents as well. If you are interested, just show up.
We’re doing presentations like this rather than a fall PAMI potluck this year. We’re hoping to do another presentation like this some Sunday morning or afternoon at Emmaus Lutheran in Bloomington this coming December or January. Once we know the date, we’ll put it in a future email/newsletter. We are open to do presentations other places as well, over the next year. Just let us know if you’d like us to come to your church, apartment, or other venue.
Some recent updates and prayer items:
· The EBI school year started in June, with 6 Freshmen, 5 Sophomores, 6 Juniors and 4 Seniors — 21 Students in all.
· The four seniors are finishing their year of internship until semester break in October. This includes Brother JB helping Ptr Redgie in Castilla, Sister Rafaela helping Ptr Pio and Juvy Garduque in Barcelona, Sister Jennalyn helping her mother’s church on Biri Island, and Sister Catherine helping Ptra Lordy in San Isidro, Northern Samar.
· Note that Ptra Lordy and Catherine were transferred from Catarman to San Isidro when Ptr Eduard left San Isidro to live in Manila.
· PAMI has done a little pruning and shoring up/strengthening of current ministries before expanding further, partly due to a budget crunch (we’ve lost a couple sponsors), and partly due to reevaluation. This has included consolidating a bit by discontinuing work in Catarman and Donsol. This has also included a new thrust in reaching and discipling adults and older youth, to go along with a great deal of ministry to children.
· PAMI workers have participated in T4T seminars (Training for Trainers), and a new class in discipleship/evangelism was added to the EBI curriculum (taught by veteran pastor Virgilio Fulo). Students are putting into practice what they learn by helping church planting efforts in the nearby neighborhood of Penafrancia. Construction for a $560 chapel there has been proposed to better help this group turn into a daughter church of EBI.
· Pastors have been putting to use the new Tagalog Proclaimer audio New Testaments that were received from Faith Comes By Hearing on May 24. They use them in several Bible study groups.
· A big emphasis is being placed on scheduling film showings in the next few months, using the Jesus film and new videos provided by Vernacular Video Ministries on March 26.
· Pastor Gumer has started street preaching in and around Irosin, and is pretty excited about it.
· Pastor Randy has been ministering in a high school, college, and even a jail in Allen, Samar. These came about through listener contacts from his daily radio programs.
· A new GAIN SHARE policy has just been implemented to replace an ailing weaning policy. This is meant to be a more positive way to move towards self-support, through pastors sharing some gains from church offerings and side income, which is then to be pooled to fund special mission field needs.
· PAMI youth leaders of different churches are preparing for a large all-PAMI youth gathering for next year.
· An EBI alumni gathering is also being planned for next year. It’s hoped that the alumni might be willing to help fund some EBI facility improvements.
· Designated funds from a past VBS offering were used to upgrade the EBI kids building in April and May, including adding a door, window glass, and wall plastering. Compassion provided paint as a counterpart. It’s looking pretty nice.
· The EBI library/computer room is also looking great, and now includes about 1000 books (which Ptr Lorenzo has cataloged using Excel and organized on new shelves).
· Please pray that an outbreak of Dengue virus in Basud (a neighborhood close to EBI, where we have an outreach) would be quelled. Also pray for the health of Brother Tagoy, one of the Bulan deacons who is suffering from severe TB/rheumatism (especially affecting his legs, so he can’t walk).
· Since PAMI board member John Miller just moved to a new job in Oklahoma, please pray someone else could take over his role as web master. PAMI could also use someone with marketing/networking talent to help promote the mission so we can develop a broader support base.
As you can see, this list includes way more positive things than negative things. Although we’ve had to work through a couple challenges, things are going well overall. Your prayers and donations are key to keeping things going well.
Tax-deductible gifts can be made by writing checks to PAMI and mailing to:
PAMI (Philippine-Asian Missions, Inc.)
P.O. Box 201444
Bloomington, MN 55420-6444
One-time or automatic monthly gifts to PAMI can also be made on-line through credit cards or Paypal with a modest fee of 2.2% + 30 cents by going to the “Donate” tab of our webite:
Please forward this email to family, friends, and churches that might be interested in PAMI.
Grace and peace,
Mike Thorud 9-5-13
PAMI volunteer president
(952)975-3632
P.S. More news and pictures can be found on The PAMI Post: http://pamimission.org/blog/. It currently has about 120 articles about major news items from the last 3 1/2 years. If you look, I’m sure you’ll be impressed by all that’s been going on. Please check it from time to time to see new articles that will get posted.