We are in the Philippines
After one year preparing to move from Brazil to the Philippines (selling and donating our things from a rental apartment, and moving from Campinas to Uberlândia, our hometown, for the end of the year), it was time to go! But our journey had some unexpected bumps along the way.
The year started with the first challenge, just before the New Year we tested positive for Covid-19 and had to delay our travel plans for over a month. Then, the first attempt to arrive in the country was unsuccessful because of a document that hadn't been required before by the airline, which meant we were stranded in São Paulo for another month. Finally, in the end of February we arrived in Butuan to start the new season God had prepared for us.
The Center
In the first month recovering from the trip and jet lag were quite difficult, but we were glad to have arrived and started to know the team and the city.
We took the picture on the left during a beautiful sunset, it shows the front of the SMI Center.
We were blessed by the opportunity to rent one of the rooms at the center for 2 years, it meant we were always close to the team and office.
The Staff and Team
An important part of the invitation we received to join the team, was the opportunity for an international team to work closely together. We welcomed Geof and Marion from Australia just after a month from our arrival. We had previously had a few opportunities to work together in Latin America but only for short periods of time.
In the photo (from the left to the right) you can see Geof (International Regions Coordinator), Marion (IRC Assistant), Ting (Training Coordinator), Ram (Cook and Driver), Lecille (General Manager), Land (General help), Ethan (Editor), Karen (Designer), Jerimy (Editor), Virly (Administrator) and Katherine (Global Desk).
Kairos Course in Davao
In May we had the great opportunity to join Ting on a Kairos Course in Davao, a city in the south of the island we live in. It was great to enjoy this experience as we journeyed with the YWAM Davao Staff. Although English is a common language in the country, it was very evident in this course how the main languages (Tagalog and Bisaya) are their heart languages, some participants struggled with the materials in English and having Ting, Edna, Klied and Ate Beng (all filipino facilitators) help with a few sessions was pivotal for the participants.
Karen’s Wedding
In June, we celebrated Karen (SMI Designer and Multimedia Supervisor) and Ian Calo’s wedding. It was such and incredible cultural experience for us and we were very happy to see them accomplishing their dream. The whole SMI team attended and we had a great time together.
Online Meetings
Simply Mobilizing is in more than 100 countries both through its courses like Kairos and through partner churches and leaders. With in person meetings and travels still facing many difficulties due to the pandemic, our teams have invested more and more on online encounters and we praise God for this opportunity to utilize technology to be together with our brothers and sisters.
We had the opportunity to organize and participate in a meeting with more than 60 leaders with Ken Chua (Singapore), learning about his legacy in developing the course Empowered to Influence.
We have weekly meeting with the SMI Staff. Devotional on Mondays, and a planning meeting on Tuesdays. Both are also attended by Max and Dorothy Chismon (New Zeland).
Recordings
In July we welcomed to the Center Eugie (Zimbabue) and Ettiene (South Africa), that together with Noemi and Klied (Philippines) recorded 5 video classes for our new course “The Unfinished Story for Youth”. The Multimedia Team (Karen, Ethan and Jerimy) were responsible for the recordings and will be editing the final product. It was amazing to see this team come together and creatively work towards bringing this into reality. The launch of the course is expected by 2023, most probably in our International Conference.
Prayer Focus
Pray for our adaptation in the Philippines, for health and safety.
Pray for the SMI team, for the new members that have joined us this year and for all projects being developed.
Pray for the development of the course “The Unfinished Story for Youth”, for all the young leaders involved.
Pray for the Global Development Consultation, a meeting to be held online in August. We are expecting over 100 participants, leaders from all around the world.
Pray for the development of our roles in the team, the Youth Mobilization Coordination and Caleb’s Social Media management.
