March 2013 Philippine Mission Visit of Mike, Ben & Pam
Dear friends and relatives,
Wow!  It’s hard to believe it’s just one week until our three week mission visit to the Philippines begins.  Please remember to pray for our preparations and trip.  We feel your prayers make a big difference.  This post includes information about our visit so you better know what to pray for.  In particular, please refer to the tentative trip schedule below.
Above is a photo prayer reminder card to print and put on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, Bible, etc. to help you to remember us.  Also attached is a prayer/support request letter written by Ben & Pam on behalf of all three of us.  By the way, our request for help with trip expenses is more to cover help to the mission than our own personal expenses.  Whenever I go to the Philippines, I usually cover personal airfare and travel expenses myself.  That way whatever is given by others simply goes towards helping the ministry.  This includes extra love gifts for the pastors and churches we visit (including monetary and physical gifts).  Some things will be hand-carried and some were shipped by surface ahead of time (please pray the 3 big balikbayan boxes arrive safely before we do)*.  Items for the field include a new and used laptop, new camera, 3 used projectors, printer, guitar, new & used clothes, personal hygiene items, snacks, toys, and a couple hundred pounds of used Christian books.  We also might like to fund a couple special projects.  Overall, we could use $3000-5000 for extra ministry expenses.
* Note:  As of Feb 26, 2 of the 3 boxes just arrived!
If you want to give towards trip/mission expenses, just make out a check to PAMI with “team visit” written in the memo line, and mail to:  PAMI, P.O. Box 201444, Bloomington, MN  55420-6444.  You can also donate via credit card or Paypal on the donate tab of our website (www.pamimission.org/donate).  Whatever means you use to donate, a tax-deductible receipt will be returned to you.
Besides team visit expenses, on-going mission support is also desired.  We’d especially like to add new workers.  We’d like to retain 2 or 3 EBI graduates at about $75 per month each.  We’re also considering adding a pastor family to begin work in the Muslim area of the southern island of Mindanao, which has been a long-time goal of PAMI.  I look forward to discussing these prospects with potential candidates as part of this visit.
Please pray about a couple other exciting prospects that are developing, which include expansion of our film showings, Bible listening and study groups, and provision of a large number of New Testaments/Bibles.  We’ve mentioned in the past about the E2E (End to End) partnership that started with Faith Comes By Hearing 3 years ago, which has included many fruitful showings of the “Jesus” film with follow-up listening groups using audio Bible Proclaimers.  FCBH may soon be providing more Proclaimers, and arranging for delivery of up to 1000 free copies of printed Bibles from the Philippine Bible Society.  In addition, Vernacular Video Ministry may augment our film showings with some of their productions (Bible-based videos adapted to Philippine language and culture).  We’re planning to meet with VVM Church Mobilization Initiative Director, Darwin Bayani in Manila on the last day in the Philippines.
 
For reference, here is our tentative trip schedule.  A highlight will include attending a March 16 group baptism in Bulan.  Another highlight will be the March 19 EBI graduation of 7 candidates, with me speaking on the theme “Saved by Grace to Serve in Grace” (Eph 2: 8-10).  We also plan to visit PAMI churches in about 9 towns, where we’ll conduct a kids’ time with singing and Bible stories relating to water and fishing.  Since Pam and Ben are talented at music and story-telling, they’ll be more in charge of the kids’ times.  We figure it will be fun to build upon how Minnesota and the Philippines share the commonality of having a lot of water and fish, but yet have differences (like frozen lakes in the Winter).  Furthermore, it’s amazing at how water and fish play such a prominent role in the Gospels (e.g. baptism, living water, walking on water, getting through storms of life, fishing boats, fishing nets, fish & loaves, analogy to Jonah, eating fish with the disciples right before ascension, becoming fishers of men, etc.).
5:30 am Mon. March 4–leave Minneapolis
9:30 pm Tues. March 5–arrive Manila, stay overnight at motel or mission house
Wednesday morning, March 6–fly to Legazpi (via CebuPacific Flight #5J-329 10:45 – 11:50 am), met at airport by a PAMI people (Bro Marlon & Bro Leo), take van to EBI, get settled in and unpack balikbayan boxes with pasalubong sent ahead of time, stay overnight at EB I
Thursday March 7–Stay at EBI until lunch, then go to Castilla in afternoon (maybe via EBI tricycle?), do kids time at church in evening, stay overnight with Ptr Redgie in Castilla
Friday March 8–Visit a couple Castilla households and head back to EBI
Sat March 9–observe Compassion program at EBI, attend EBI outreaches in afternoon
Sunday March 10–Sunday school and worship at EBI church, attend EBI Sirangang outreach in afternoon
Monday March 11–Go to Donsol in morning, visit a couple households in afternoon, do kids time at church in evening, stay overnight with Ptr Abner’s family
Tuesday March 12–See whale sharks with Ptr Abner’s family if available, head back to EBI
Wed March 13–Go to Barcelona in morning, visit couple households in afternoon, do kids time at church in evening, stay overnight with Ptr Pio’s family
Thurs March 14–Go to Bulusan in morning, visit couple households in afternoon, do kids time at church in evening, stay overnight with Ptr Virgil Gacis or Mama Hilda
Friday March 15–Visit family of Ptr Chito and/or Ptr Virgilio Fulo and/or Mama Hilda, go swimming in pool in Bro Ric’s barangay or in ocean, head to Bulan in afternoon, stay overnight in Bulan
Sat March 16–visit a couple households in morning, church picnic and baptism in afternoon, stay overnight in Bulan
Sun March 17–Sunday school and worship at Bulan church in morning, kids time and youth gathering in afternoon, stay overnight in Bulan or Irosin
Mon March 18–visit couple Irosin households, radio program in afternoon, kids time at church in evening, stay overnight in Irosin
Tuesday March 19–Go to EBI in morning, EBI graduation in afternoon, PAMI board meeting in evening, PAMI board members stay overnight at EBI
Wed March 20–All PAMI worker family event with EBI students at either a beach or hot springs resort, go with Ptr Randy in late afternoon or evening on ferry boat to Samar
Thursday March 21-Sat March 23–visit various ministries of Allen, San Isidro, and Catarmin. Head to Irosin Saturday afternoon.
Sunday March 24–Sunday school and worship service in Irosin, head to EBI in afternoon
Monday March 25–Depart for Manila (via overnight CUL bus that leaves from the station across the street from EBI at 5:30 pm)
Tuesday March 26–Meet with some people** and/or see some places and/or rest before long flight home.  Plane leaves Manila at 11:25 pm.
**Probably going to Action International Street Impact Team Office in the morning and getting together with Darwin Bayani of Vernacular Video Ministries in the afternoon.
Wed March 27–Arrive back in Minneapolis at 10:24 am.
 
Thanking God for your partnership with us in spreading the Gospel,
Mike Thorud
PAMI volunteer president/administrator