anascomissions.org

People ask us what is our main job or ministry on the mission field. My answer, developing leaders. Training up the next generation of missionaries. Last week we had an incredible opportunity to train twenty one Filipino missionaries. In order to become a full-time missionary with our agency, you must first complete Missionary Preparation Orientation at the Go To Nations world headquarters in Jacksonville, FL. Chris and I completed this training back in 2003. This week Go To Nations held their first ever Missionary Preparation Orientation outside of their world headquarters, actually their first ever orientation outside of the United States. At the Sonshine Center, here in Iloilo, we held Missionary (Affiliate) Preparation Orientation with twenty one candidates. Cities, regions, nations and continents were represented by this class. I believe history was made this week. I also believe that this will be the first of many such missionary trainings to come. For decades missionar...

"You mean the Filipino government doesn't give you a free visa to stay here and do missionary work, you actually have to PAY the government to remain in the Philippines, even though you are ministering to Filipinos?" Incredulously this question was posed to my wife by a local pastor's wife. She couldn't believe that we had to pay the Filipino government visa fees to stay in the country to do missionary work. Actually it costs around $1,000 a year for a single missionary to remain in the Philippines, even though they are here to do missionary work. It's just part of the cost of doing missions. So do the math, there are six of us in our family--no small amount. Jesus did say, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's." We recently had a major miracle with our visa status. We received a heritage visa, reserved for the children and grand children of Filipinos who come back to the Philippines to visit. Because of my Filipino parents and grand parent...