When we moved to the Philippines last July we planned to live on the campus of the Seminary we will be partnering with here. While our ministry focus is still connecting with the overseas Chinese community here in Baguio, we are partnering with Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. This partnership not only provides us a visa to live and minister here but is a wonderful collaboration of our gifts and passion for theological education in Asia.
We were thankful the seminary provided faculty housing to us in our first few months of transition here in Baguio. But as we learned about our new city, and the community of Chinese living here in Baguio we realized that to best reach out and minister we would need to move to a location closer to our children’s school and where the Chinese community predominantly lives. While Baguio is a small city, its heavily congested mountain roads make getting from one side of the city to another extremely challenging and long. Our kid’s morning taxi to school was taking us close to an hour each morning and afternoon. And with most of the Chinese connections we were making being at the school our children attend, we realized yet another move was unfortunately necessary.
Thankfully we quickly and unexpectedly found an apartment right next to the school. Since Baguio is a tourist destination in the Philippines, it is often difficult to find affordable apartments available for long term rental. When we found our new apartment, we were amazed at how smoothly and fast we were able to move in. Within a week of viewing it we were moving.
Within a few weeks we realized this was the right move. Our neighbors on the floor above are Chinese and have kids in both Juniper and Finnley’s class. Another neighbor is from Taiwan, and a few other Chinese neighbors live in the apartment complex next door. This move immediately opened opportunities to build relationships with these new friends. I started hosting a weekly English club for some of the Chinese moms we had met at our children’s school. Then this past November we were able to connect over cooking and preparation for holiday meals and play dates with the kids.
We are amazed at the ministry opportunities this move has created. We are thankful to be near the kids’ school and feel a part of the community here. In the past five years our family has unfortunately had to move a lot. After needing to evacuate China during the pandemic we moved through five different countries, two states, and 8 houses. But this last move (we pray the final one for quite a while), was the right move.
Please pray as we continue to settle into our new home and ministry location. Please pray as we connect with the Chinese community here and continue to partner with the Seminary. Pray we will have discernment and understanding as we learn about the overseas Chinese community here, their needs, and ways we can minister to them as they are also in a land foreign to them. Pray this last move of ours continues to open doors to build beloved community and be the presence of Christ here in Baguio, Philippines.
