Philippines Update 3 (2019-11-12)

We’ve been busy since our last update, and your emails and prayers have been keeping us going! On Monday, Gil, Rich, and I taught Chiseled again, this time at a large church here in Manila. Rich was battling vertigo for the first time ever, but he fought through it and God moved powerfully in the lives of those who were here for the teaching. It’s so great for people to see this material taught by three different people with different styles, personalities, backgrounds, and gifts.

In addition to men and women from the host church, many pastors came from metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. Our country directors from Singapore, South Korea, and Australia, along with key teachers from Taiwan and Hong Kong, also attended as part of our three-day regional conference.

Today we trained a total of 36 men and women how to teach Chiseled themselves and also how to train others to teach it. The highlight of the day was dividing them into six groups of six so each person could teach part of one of the six sessions. Rich and I agreed that we’ve never seen a more enthusiastic or gifted group of trainees.

Wendell taught like he was born to teach this course. That’s a good thing, since he promised the church he pastors in Hong Kong he’ll share Chiseled with them in six sermons starting THIS Sunday!

JoJo has big plans to share Chiseled with churches in his sphere of influence. He’s especially excited to share the story of Peter with a large group of deaf men and women he ministers to. He says the simple format of the workbook and logical flow of the visuals will make learning easy despite the obstacles, and he’s already translating the material into sign language!

Debbie leads the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in a mountainous region of the Philippines. She brought five of her staff with her so they could be built up personally and also be equipped to teach this new resource in their area. They’re already building a plan to teach Chiseled to the 164 volunteers who lead their Good News Clubs that reach thousands of kids each year. Meeting Debbie and her team was extra special to me since I met Jesus as my Savior through the ministry of CEF!

My iPhone is loaded with pictures and video testimonies from the past two days. It’s almost as full as my heart!

Our team is very tired and it’s overwhelming to realize we still have another week here packed with strategic teaching and networking opportunities. We need your prayers for endurance, focus, and good health. And please keep those emails coming. When you’re getting ready for bed, we’re already starting the next day. Thank you so much for being right here with us through the miracle of prayer. Only eternity will reveal the full impact of our sacred partnership.

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Phil Tuttle is President & CEO of Walk Thru the Bible.