We’re Going to the Philippines!
March 26, 2009
It is 4:42 AM as I write this note. In a little over an hour we leave for the airport. This happens to be one of the rare trips where we can fly from Tupelo. Once we leave here we fly to Memphis, then Detroit, then Tokyo, then Manila. The total time in transit will be about 27 hours, the longest leg being thirteen hours from Detroit to Tokyo.
There is a thirteen hour time difference between Tupelo and Manila so when we arrive at 11:10 PM on Friday, it will be 10:10 AM in the Central Time Zone. So that means our body clocks will be discombobulated for the first few days. They say it takes a day to recover for each time zone so by the time we get adjusted, it will be time to fly home. Every person is different, of course, but I generally feel the jet lag a lot more when we come home. The excitement of the trip tends to make it easier on the front end.
We’ll spend the night in Manila and then fly to Davao City in the southern Philippines. We’ll be doing all our ministry under the sponsorship of PABWE, the Philippine Association of Baptists for World Evangelism. I’ll be speaking at two churches, two commencement services, a citywide meeting of churches, and giving eight messages at the Mindanao Ministers Conference in Bukidnon.
Marlene and I are delighted that Derek Taylor will be going with us on the trip. Besides assisting with prayer, logistics and personal ministry, Derek plans to shoot a video that we hope to upload to the KBM weblog so you can get a feel for the trip day by day. So stay tuned to this blog and in a couple of days you should see the first installment of our Vlog–Video blog, which we hope will become a regular feature.
Many people have written to say they will be praying for us. Thank you in advance for partnering with us by prayer. Thanks also to those who gave financially to support this ministry to the Philippines. A KBM friend in England sent me the following note. I pass it along because this prayer expresses the desire of our hearts as we prepare to leave:
Have, above all, a blessed, safe and fruitful time in the Philippines- may the Lord anoint you with His power and may His words flow through you with fire, oil and water with the power to heal, feed, exhort and convict, whichever is needed the most in each setting.