From Stan — This month you will hear reports of our visit with Dr. Thom South, a long-time professor at the BMA Theological Seminary and the pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in Conway. He will teach four classes — Old Testament 1 and 2, Baptist History and General Church History — and is coming for two weeks to help us finish up four of our teachers’ master’s degrees. These degree upgrades are important to retain our recent accreditation from the Philippines Department of Higher Education. We are so excited to welcome Dr. South to the Philippines and our campus here in Talisay, Negros Occidental.
While it is not easy, I am finally able to do some much-needed travel on our island, on other islands and even out of the country. After over three years, I was so glad to travel to the island of Leyte to visit our mission in the mountains of Maasin. On the way home, our little plane had to land in Iloilo (the island next to ours) because of bad weather. We are always intrigued by this little village which is literally in the middle of the ocean, built on stilts.
At the end of the month, I’ll be traveling to the island of Palawan to attend the ordination of one of our former students at the Honda Bay Baptist Church. This church was completely destroyed by Typhoon Odette. The BMA Revolving Loan Fund has been able to help them rebuild. Then I’ll visit missionary Danny Ballard in Manila, looking for a location to plant an urban church in Manila. Donna will arrive in Manila during this time, so I plan to meet her and travel back to Bacolod together.
I have a history in Guam going back to 1976. I was a summer missionary to Guam, serving at the Mariana’s Baptist Church. I was a sophomore in college from Alabama. Like many students who got involved in missions early, my experiences in Guam affected my missionary outlook for the rest of my life. While it was fun to visit the church where I served, that was not my main purpose for traveling to Guam.
Guam is a U.S. Territory, so it was almost like being in the United States. (I ate at TGI Friday’s.) The indigenous people are Chamorros, about 60% of the population. Another third are Filipinos. (Getting the picture?) Another 5,000 people are U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel and their families. After a few meetings with local Filipinos, I determined now is not the time to begin a new work there.
We are finishing Up Work on the Cabiayan Baptist Mission Building. Thanks to friends at South Park Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and First Baptist Church in Magnolia, this new mission building is ready for dedication. With funds in reserve, we bought chairs and had a pulpit made. I must give thanks to our fellow missionaries and friends, Doug and Diane Lee, who shared their contacts with us to make this project possible.
From Donna — While in the United States, I’ve been able to visit a few churches. During my time with Stan’s mom, I was able to visit our supporting church, Home Mission Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala. and give a report of our work. After a visit with our daughter in Columbia, Mo., I spoke at our home church, First Baptist Church in Magnolia. Now I am back in Bullard, Texas for a month to get things ready to return to the Philippines. There are lots of things to do to get ready, and I am looking forward to getting back to the ministry to our precious Filipinos. Once home, I’ll be spending time getting my fall classes ready and catching up on everything. Thank you for always remembering us in your prayers.
— Donna: +63 908-894-6724/Stan: +63 908-894-6723. You can also contact us through email and Facebook Messenger: Donna, gojvcrusaders@msn.com/Stan, stanmusical@icloud.com. Visit thescroggins.com to subscribe to their ministry updates.
