Thanksgiving Missionary Style

I am a firm believer in immersing yourself as a missionary into your host country. I believe you should learn the language, learn and adapt to local customs, etc. I don't believe in forming and living within an American "bubble" here in the Philippines.

However, there are times when you need a little taste of your home country. Our Thanksgiving party this year was more than just a little taste, it was a feast of Americana. Inviting missionary friends and family, we had the traditional dinner complete with turkey and all the trimmings. We watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas, and we also watched some football. We all ate too much. We also kicked off the Christmas season with a white elephant gift exchange. We even enjoyed the glow of a "fire."

I truly love living here in the Philippines. Iloilo is my home. America is also my home, so when I can feast on American culture for one evening, it is a blessing.

Comments

Can You Change the World from a Desk?

A common refrain heard on cop shows and action movies, "I don't want to be stuck behind a desk, I want to be on the street where the action is!" Can you change the world from a desk? In a single day I (Dave) had meetings "in" the Philippines, Nepal, the Ukraine, Poland, Guyana, AND the United States, all while sitting at my desk. In February we were promoted as the Vice Presidents of Equipp...

Empowering the Next Generation

A big step in becoming a missionary with Go To Nations is the Timothy Internship Program . This is a 10 week boot camp that prepares you for full time missionary service in a foreign country. I call it a missionary factory. Chris and I were directors of this internship in the Philippines, Thailand, and the US. Recently I traveled to the Philippines to equip and empower Jeff Weimert and Ryan Hull to be the directors of the ...

Departing

Leaping off the Leadership Development post, I have some somewhat sad news. Chris and the kids will be leaving for the States this Saturday. They leave for Manila on Friday, and then fly onward to the States on Saturday, arriving in Baltimore around midnight (Maryland time) Saturday evening. Why is this sad? My responsibilities with the internship require me to say in Iloilo until the internship is completed. I will be returning to the States March 23. We have never been apart as a family for so long. Honestly I am very much not looking forward to being away from my family. I am not looking at this as a "break" from my kids so I can finally do some "real ministry." I am willing to fulfill my responsibilities here in Iloilo, especially as it involves training future full-time missionaries. However, I am not at all looking forward to being apart from my most favorite people in the world. The reason why Chris needs to leave for the States at this time is beca...

anascomissions.org

Search This Blog