We are so thankful for you and your prayers for our family as we serve the Lord here in the Philippines! God has been kind to us as we approach our 8-month mark of living here. Since Jessica and Sara’s week is fairly predictable (school every day), here is a glimpse of what my (Cameron) week usually looks like:
Monday: Take Jessica and Sara to Faith Academy by 7; pick up the carpool of Noah plus four other kids to go to Noah’s half-day preschool; work at a coffee shop for three hours (emails/Zoom calls/sermon prep); pick up car pool by 11:15 and take them back to Faith Academy; take Noah home to babysitter; head back up to Faith for Tagalog language class from 2:30-4:30
Tuesday: Take a Grab (Uber) taxi to the office at Asian Theological Seminary around 6 am, speaking as much Tagalog as I can with the driver; home by 4 with Grab (Uber)
Wednesday: same as Tuesday
Thursday: Same as Monday, except Tagalog class from 1-3
Friday: work from home; Noah home all day with our babysitter
Two or three evenings per week, I’ll have Zoom meetings with people working in some type of orality ministry around the world, potential students, faculty for our program, etc. Due to our time zone being (currently) 13 hours ahead of EST, evening is usually best for talking with people.
My role as Program Director of Asia Graduate School of Theology’s ThM/PhD in Orality Studies is primarily administrative. I coordinate course times, revise curricula, contact professors, monitor student progress, and receive student applications. I also work closely with our host institution of Asian Theological Seminary (where my office is and where I am listed as part-time faculty). I will teach a one-week intensive Qualitative Research course in January, where our students will come to Manila from all over the world for their first face-to-face session. Thankfully, though, I now have a Program Committee (myself and four others) helping me share the decision-making load. Feel free to check out our program website here.
On the IMB side, my role involves part-time language learning (just took my first language eval and tested Novice High, close to Intermediate Low) and connecting with Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary in the beautiful mountain city of Baguio. I spoke for PBTS’s Spiritual Emphasis Week in late August. I’ll be back up there next week to do a two-part orality breakout session for the Luzon Convention of Filipino Southern Baptists. We have also loved getting to know our IMB colleagues, the Faith Academy community, and church friends!
All this to say, we are quite busy but truly enjoying our life here in the Philippines. Jessica and I both feel we are using the gifts God has given us. Sara and Noah are doing great in school. God is at work and every day is a privilege.
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| Noah pretending to be Cameron |
