SULADS Beginnings Editor’s Thoughts: ......................... SULADS’ Beginnings ............................. Ardys Joy Caballero-Gadia
Featured “SULAD Beginnings” Items: Chapter 1: A Student Missionary Program is Born ..................................................... SULADS website Chapter 2: SULADS – A New Name ............................................................................. SULADS website Chapter 3: The SULADS Pioneers and Sulu Archipelago ......................... as told by Sulad Harlann Gaid Chapter 4: SULADS Canada ............................................................... as told by Sulad Limwel Ramada Chapter 5: SULADS Canada-North .................................................. as told by Sulad Joubert Falcunitin Chapter 6: SULADS Thailand ................................................... as told by Sulad Alejandro Cardeinte, Jr Chapter 7: SULADS USA ....................................................................... as told by Sulad Asher Himbing SULADS’ Corner: ............................. “They’re Coming!” ................................. Sulad Vincent Baragona SULADS’ Corner: ....................... “Training for New Sulads” .......................... Sulad Crisofel M. Abayan Patch of Weeds: ............................................ ............................................................... Jesse Colegado LIFE of a Missionary: .....................“GCAS Connect 2018” .............................................. Romy Halasan CLOSING: Announcements |From The Mail Bag| Prayer Requests | Acknowledgements Meet The Editors |Closing Thoughts | Miscellaneous
Photo used for today’s banner: This photo of the Florence Kern Auditorium and the classrooms and administration buildings of Mountain View College was taken on June 24, 2018, by the Hope Channel Davao Media team. I especially liked the hub of activity in this photo: the people walking under the pine trees and along the ramps, the folks playing soccer just beyond the auditorium and the vehicle arriving at the auditorium. Do you see these?
Editor’s Thoughts: “SULADS Beginnings” Ardys Joy Caballero-Gadia
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s the SULADS 50th Anniversary Reunion slowly fades into the past, sulads around the world still to talk about the events that took place at The Hilltop (Mountain View College), reminisce about their experiences while serving at the Mission Schools (now called Literacy Centers) and organize sulads-related activities! If the group discussions, news and photos in the sulads’ chat room is any indication, then the celebrations are far from over! They continue and they are building momentum fast! Last Friday afternoon, for example, I saw Happy Sabbath Greetings from sulads around the world. What is Sabbath without MVCians greeting each other, right? Remember the Friday evenings at MVC when the boys made Sabbath greetings and the girls received the greetings and flowers? Last Friday per usual, the sulads’ chat rooms were abuzz with Sabbath Greetings. We also receive brief but informal updates from the different SULADS Regional Leaders – a family’s truly heartwarming highlight on a Friday!
SULADS Canada praised God for the good week they had in the farm. They shared photos of fresh brown eggs in nests with healthy happy looking range chickens walking about. They shared photos of their abundant blueberry harvest and photos of their crab apples that will soon be ready for harvest. They also shared photos of lush fresh vegetables newly harvested to be enjoyed during their Sabbath meal. These are all from MVC alumni members who are currently serving as sulads in remote areas of Canada. SULADS Thailand shared how hectic but rewarding their week had been. Their classroom training done for the year and the new sulads deployed, they showed photos of sulads visiting the sick villagers and performing massages and basic home therapies. They showed photos of sulads and villagers sitting on the floor as they studied and fellowshipped together. They showed photos of sulads interacting with happy villagers. The leaders of SULADS Thailand are MVCians working as volunteers however they are actively training local young people to become sulads, serving indigenous tribes in the hillsides of Thailand and Laos, exemplifying the SULADS vision of empowering and equipping unreached communities to reach their own people and become effective agents of change in this world and the world to come. Because of the great need for sulads in the vastly unentered territories of Thailand and Laos, the sulads have had to cover more than just one village. We learned last Friday of sulads who have had to bicycle close to 30 kilometers to get to the other hillside village that they serve. In these remote hills, there is no public transportation. People usually just walk. But when serving villages that is that far from each other, the sulads bicycle. A motorcycle would have been nice but they don’t have the funds to purchase one. 1 1
We learned that in Thailand a used motorcycle in good condition costs approximately $300.
SULADS USA’s our junior sulads have returned from a successful mission trip to Navajo land and are preparing to start a new school year in high school. We lost two of our teen leaders: one left to study at Mountain View College and the other is leaving for the Adventist University of the Philippines. We are excited for both as they start their college education. Meanwhile, we will continue to recruit and train sulads locally. We are also working towards creating a special unit of sulads, healthcare professionals or workers to serve in special mission trips around the world. The leaders of SULADS USA are MVCians however joining into the sulads is not exclusively for MVCians.
SULADS Philippines shared that they were having a monumental gathering with a tribe in Davao. We saw photos of important looking men in serious conversations. The tribal leaders were getting a dialogue on who the SULADS are, what they believe in, and why they serve so joyously the indigenous peoples and tribes. Most of the sulads in the Philippines have either studied at Mountain View College or have taught or worked there, making them MVC alumni members. How did the SULADS’ work start, anyway? This week, we will learn how it started in the Philippines, in Thailand, in Canada and in the United States. As we continue to celebrate 50 years’ of God’s blessings on the SULADS work, let us also continue to thank Him for His goodness!
Ardys Joy Caballero-Gadia
CHAPTER 1: A Student Missionary Program is Born (Information consolidated from the following SULADS websites: www.suladsasia.org/our-story http://www.suladsinternational.org/about , http://www.nemmadventist.org/sulads
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he Student Missionary Program of Mountain View College (MVC) began in the late 1960’s with a dream of Mr. Apo Napoleon Saguan, a supervisor at the College. In his dream, Apo met a Manobo chief in the market. The following day Apo went to the nearby city of Valencia and when he went to the market he met the very same Manobo Chief that he saw in his dream! The Manobo chief, Datu Tibalaw was his name, had been given a dream as well that he would meet a man in the market – a man who looked exactly like Apo. The moment the chief saw Apo he exclaimed, “I saw you in my dream!” They then had a dialogue in their local dialect and the chief related to Apo the need for teachers to teach his people. Arriving back at MVC, Apo met with James Zachary who was a teacher at MVC at that time. Apo excitedly related his meeting with Datu Tibalaw and the datu’s request for teachers to go teach his people up in the nearby mountain ranges right across campus. Peter Donton and Dave Saguan were the two students MVC sent to survey the villages. They found the villages very primitive and the tribe war-like. The tribe were hunters and gatherers, moving from place to place within their territory in search of food. Entry into the tribal territory
Peter Donton and Dave Saguan. Photo credit: from the files of Dr. Milcah Donton
by another clan or family would bring retaliation and many times bloodshed. For months, Peter and Dave made frequent visits to the villages. During one of their visits, a Manobo villager came up to them intending to kill them. Quickly, Peter and Dave fled for their lives running in different directions. Two weeks later, the two students met again at Mountain View College campus. In 1969, James Zachery conceived the Student Missionary (SM) program. It was a communitybased extension program under Mountain View College where students from the college would take a year off school to live and serve these villagers. It was learned that the Manobo tribe was suspicious of “lowlanders” and did not readily accept strangers in the mountains. Yet over time, the student missionaries won the confidence of the village chiefs (datus) and the student missionaries were welcomed into the villages and culture of the Manobo. The program of the student missionaries included teaching the people farming methods, village sanitation, public health, and literacy. They assisted in civic problems by helping sitio and barangay leaders, in teaching villagers to be good citizens of our country, and the value of having an almighty God to worship. A method used in teaching was the singing of religious songs and the reading of Bible stories. The first datu to accept the “beliefs” as brought by the missionaries was Datu Tibalawan, the same datu who met with Apo and asked for teachers to come to his village of Dampaan with is located at Conception, Valencia City.
Mission Schools The very first mission school was formed in Dampaan by Abraham Carpena and Samuel Napigkit. Bulalang was developed as a secondary school for the Manobos and included an airstrip, dormitories, a cafeteria, classrooms, and a sanitary water supply. A mission school was formed in San Fernando, Bukidnon. By the ‘70s and ‘80s, eight active mission schools were established which spawned churches and schools in each of the villages. From the San Fernando area, these mission schools were Durian, Bulalang, Dao, Balaas, Usarayan, and Mahayag in addition to the mission schools at Sto. Domingo in Quezon and Dampaan in Conception Valencia, Bukidnon. All the mission schools were non-formal and, at that time, received no recognition from the government. All new MVC students entering the program were required to attend a training program which included teaching techniques, health education, agricultural techniques, home treatments, anthropology, and other needed topics. The students would spend a year working with their assigned village after which they would return to school. Eventually women students were admitted to the Student Missionary Program and community service was extended beyond cultural minorities to include hospital-based outreach and health education. An airplane was used to service three of the schools and airdrops of supplies helped others.
Funding Financial resources were always a challenge as initially no solicitation of funds was made. Reports of the program were many and worldwide. These reports sparked the interest of many and funds flowed to help in project support. Mountain View Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. was formed to assist in raising funds for the community service and on-campus projects of Mountain View College. These included the funding of DXCR radio which had regular programming for communities in central Mindanao. The Student Missionary Program was funded and expanded in part by funds raised by the Mountain View Foundation. A publication known as The Hilltop Messenger was sent worldwide to tell the story of the community outreach of Mountain View College, including the Student Missionary Program. In the early 1980′s the need for a higher degree of self-support was seen as the dependence on donations was too great. With funding from Mountain View Foundation, various agricultural projects were started. Villages began to participate in the production of products which included woven mats, furniture, baskets, greeting cards, paper products, and items made from rattan. These were marketed locally and overseas. Between its founding in 1969 until 1990, it is estimated that 325 students participated in the program. These students graduated from Mountain View College and are in various occupations worldwide. A study done in the late 1980′s indicated that the average former student missionary had three times the likelihood of completing an advanced degree than non-student missionaries. The program not only benefited those whom it served but helped to train a very motivated and balanced graduate.
Sulads headed for Sto. Domingo on June 24, 2018, to provide free dental-medical clinic at the remote area
Chapter 2: SULADS – A New Name Information consolidated from the SULADS' websites: http://www.suladsinternational.org/about , http://www.nemmadventist.org/sulads and www.suladsasia.org/our-story)
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ith a change of personnel and value perception of the program, it declined rapidly in the early 1987/1990′s. Promotion declined and eventually it appeared that the Student Missionary Program would no longer continue.
The program was revived when Dr Bland of the Prison Ministries of the General Conference started 100K Missionaries. With former MVC student missionaries Joel Velasco, Alex Panes, and Daryl Famisaran and who were joined by Dr. Fred Webb of Mountain View College, the group sought to revive the Student Missionary program. And with the help of new leadership, donors from the United States and others, they did just that. In November 1994, eighteen student missionaries were on their way to revive the eight (8) mission schools. The organization was renamed SULADS, which in the Manobo language means brother or sister. The acronym SULADS stand for Socio-economic Uplift, Literacy, Anthropological and Developmental Services. The motto: Reaching The Unreached. The vision: empowering and equipping unreached communities to reach their own people and become effective agents of change in this world and the world to come. The mission: to reach, train, and serve unreached communities through the avenues of the Health, Education, Agriculture, and Livelihood (also known as the HEAL Program). The term mission school was also changed to Literacy Centers. By 1996 the Philippine government began to recognize the outstanding program that the SULAD program was offering. In 1997 the SULADS Program was awarded recognition from the Department of Education and Culture for its outstanding work in literacy training. Fidel V. Ramos, President of the Republic of the Philippines named the Mountain View College SULADS program as the Most Outstanding Literacy program in the Philippines for 1997. The program director at that time, Daryl Famisaran, was also awarded a plaque by the President as the Most Outstanding Literacy Worker in the Philippines for 1997. By the year 2000 the program was serving 22 villages with 44 Sulads. Also in 1996, the first sulads missionaries were sent to the Muslim tribes. By 2000, Ranny de Vera returned to the sulads work leading to this day especially in this part of the world. In the late 2003, seeing the need for secondary level education for the SULADS mission school students Daryl Famisaran spearheaded the creation of the first SULADS High School. The school was located at Santo Domingo, Lumintao in Quezon, Bukidnon. Free education, free meals, and free lodging were provided as many of the students came from villages too far away to commute. Plus, unlike when the students were home in their villages, their parents could nolonger provide for them. In 2007, further recognition was given by media network ABS-CBN recognizing SULADS Director Daryl Famisaran as a Philippine Hero (Bayaning Pilipino) for his work with the indigenous people
Daryl Famissaran (L), Lowell Limbagan (blue shirt) and friends
(tribes) of the Philippines. He was also awarded the Geny Lopez Award for years of “setting aside self for the sake of others� as the evaluators put it. The Geny Lopez Award is a recognition awarded to modern day Filipino heroes; search for these unsung heroes is launched world-wide and nominations carefully considered. To this day, there are only 14 individuals in the world who have received the prestigious Geny Lopez Award. In 2011, the Deaf Ministry under the leadership of Sarah Famisaran was launched. It all started in 1991 with her husband Daryl F. Famisaran's deaf sister. Together, the couple received training on how to communicate effectively with the hearing impaired. Together, they taught the skill to others. Eventually, more and more hearing-impaired individuals were referred to them that they eventually created a school for the hearing impaired. They taught the hearing impaired not only how to communicate effectively but taught the skills that would help them survive in the real world like basic skills in gardening, carpentry, sewing, etc. It took 16 years from the time the Famisarans took sign language classes till the time the doors of the Comprehensive School for the Deaf opened for classes but the school continues to flourish and reach many unreached individuals. Today the SULAD Program continues to grow reaching more than 60 villages and having close to 100 active duty sulads. The program nolonger serves only the Manobo tribe but it reaches out to a wide variety of peoples and groups in the Philippines as well as in Thailand, Laos, Canada and the United States. It also branched out and has a SULADS Comprehensive School for the Deaf.
Chapter 3: The SULADS Pioneers and Sulu Archipelago – As told by Harlann Gaid
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he long envisions to reach the unreached Muslims of Mindanao gained a push during the visit of then GC president Neil Wilson in July of 1982 at MVC. Upon his arrival he announced his intent to meet the members of the campus Student Missionary Club (SMC - the precursor organization of the SULADS). The meeting occurred that evening only a couple of hours after his arrival in the residence of our club sponsor and director Don Christensen. Without preliminaries Elder Wilson hastily asked - “Are you willing to work among the Muslims?” I was then the SMC president and the very first one to enter the house for the meeting with the GC president that night, so I took his question as a challenge personally directed at me. Previously in 1978, during my tour of duty serving as a student missionary at MVC, I was already entertaining the direction to working amongst the unreached crowd of Ishmael. The GC president’s challenge that evening became to me a divine confirmation to an earlier ‘covenant’ I had with the Lord. That was when in the field of action, overwhelmed with a burden for my own people, I demanded from Heaven the conversion of my family and in return heaven responded by granting me the desire of my heart. The One Who answers to my prayers deserves my full commitment to His mission this time to the most unpromising field of endeavor. The aftermath of that personal spiritual encounter was the new conversion this time towards reaching a people I used not to like enough. In October 1982, while conceptualizing the rendezvous to pioneering this ministry to the Crowd of Ishmael, Mr. Don Christensen then the country Director offered the auspices of ADRA to provide me the needed platform towards reaching the Sulu Archipelago of 360 islands. Although it did not materialize however everyone contributed to this corporate venture. In October 1982, I was the first sulad to reach the archipelago coming in as a health educator. Alone, in the merging seas of Sulu and the Celebes, the hope burned within my heart that someday the brotherhood of the SULADS would find their entrance to every inhabited island in the archipelago where 98% of the population are Muslims and only 1.6% are Christians, mostly nonnatives that constituted the bulk of migrant workers. It was not until 1997 that the first wave of SULADS arrived to assist me. The timing happened when, looking at the map of the archipelago, I noticed an island named Sulad. Sulad with an e. I took that as a divine green light for the SULADS to come. Arriving at MVC, I asked for SULADS volunteers to be sent and the following were sent: Francis Doroy and Glenndhon Arriesgado (assigned to Tunggusong, Simunul Island), Alejandro Cardeinte and Elmer Decina (assigned to Sitangkai Island) and Alex Rigor *(assigned in Bongao Island).
Sulads’ backyard in Tawi-Tawi. Photo credit: sulad Jasper Ivan Iturriaga
Before the arrival of the five I was assisted by Victor Palin who belonged to the 2nd batch of 1,000 Missionary Movement members. He had decided to stay after his term ended in 1995. He became my long-lasting companion who also decided to be part of the SULADS Program. Sitangkai church was built after Judge Mustafa became an Adventist. He is a native belonging to the ruling tribe with a royal bloodline. He became the long and lone serving magistrate in the archipelago; nobody seemed to vie for the position. In a region with a long history of bloodshed and violence, Judge Mustafa’s long service as magistrate was an exception. In March 1996, the congregation in Bongao was the first missional church to launch the first AlHanif Islamic Seminar attended by not less than 250 Muslim Professionals. The Adventist-Muslim Relations (AMR) program became very much alive with the elite and the professionals in the Muslim province of Tawi-Tawi. And the bridge for mutual trust was established since. When it was time for building house of worships and boats to reach out to other islands, Dr. and Mrs. Fred Webb together with his network of friends, came rushing in to our relief. Friends abroad became so real and helpful to us in the field where we were without logistics. Sikulis in the mainland Tawi-Tawi, is the source of our lumber used for construction houses of worship and boats. Here, a congregation arose comprised of Christian background Adventist believers. It is here that the believers in the entire archipelago enjoy good reception by the local and provincial leadership.
The pirates’ lair in La Island was first visited in 1998 after the rescue of Al-Basir, son of the island chief. He was found half-dead and got rescued by a local Adventist believer of Simunul island. Since both peoples of the two islands are enemies dedicated to destroying each other this historical event became a significant mileage in the social dynamics for two warring tribes. From an abandoned area of waist deep swamp water, on a big rock is the Bongao Adventist Center that shares space with Bongao Adventist Elementary School. The main building that was then in progression, was intended to put up an Adventist Language Institute. Plaque of appreciation awarded to SULADS on July 1, 2018 by the Mayor of Tawi-Tawi
While waiting, the building temporarily housed the Child Development Program for preschoolers and kindergartens. But eventually it became the successful Bongao Adventist Elementary School.
Today, work in the archipelago continues to thrive, with many new and exciting developments each month. But there is so much more that needs to be done.
Chapter 4: SULADS Canada As told by Sulad Limwel Ramada
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n 2002, Pastor Charles Aguilar, Sulad Lito Fronda and I (Sulad Limwel Ramada) visited First Nation Church at East Hasting, British Columbia, Canada, were dozens of First Nation Adventist believers worshipped together with Pastor Peter Mackey. We assisted them for a couple of years. When the first Native Board of Directors was organized Sulad Ephraim Baragona from Edmonton came to present to them the SULAD Program and its objectives. In 2004, I met with the Elders’ Lunch Coordinator at the First Nation Center in East Hasting. This opened doors that allowed me to connect with the elders. Soon, we received permission to hold a program at the Center every last Wednesday of the month. The Fraser Valley SDA Church (FVC) and Filipino SDA Church joined in to minister to the First Nation People. Seeing many opportunities to serve and since “once a sulad, always a sulad,” former student missionaries from Mountain View College gathered to talk. These were Sulad Levi Estores (church pastor of Fraser Valley SDA Church at that time), Sulad Asher Himbing from California, Sulad Ephraim Baragona, Sulad Lito Fronda and myself. That day, SULAD Canada was born. And that same year, the team presented the SULAD Program and its objectives to the British Columbia Conference who welcomed the team with open arms. The conference assisted the sulads with gas money when they visited all the First Nation SDA members and when they went to connect with the friends of the First Nation Adventist members. The Visitation Project of the sulads continued successfully for six years. Then it was endorsed to Sulad Levi Estores and the Burnaby SDA Church which he also pastored.
In 2007-2010, for three years Pastor Charles Aguilar kept inviting us to come visit the Fairhaven Academy and Farms Campus in Kitwanga, British Columbia, which closed some 20 years ago and which is surrounded by First Nation Communities. Pastor Charles was the Church pastor at Terrace SDA Church at that time. Finally, in January 2010, I asked Sulad Ephraim Baragona what he thought of the Fairhaven invitation. His answer came with a plane ticket! I was to go look! Pastor Charles met me at the airport and took me to Fairhaven. It was winter and the snow was a meter deep. Unprepared for the cold weather, I arrived wearing tennis shoes but I did not mind the burning cold as Leif and Zanna Ove gave me a tour around the campus. My eyes saw a setting that reminded me of Mountain View College. Without a doubt, I had fallen in love with the place. Out in the country, with space to farm, it was a perfect resource for SULADS Missions. The possibility is endless. Leif and Zanna Ove were the first missionaries to the Gitxsan Nation. They came from Idaho and were taking care of the Fairhaven campus as well as doing mission work in the neighboring communities. They had also been praying a very long time for someone to come and help minister to the people. Needless to say, they were very excited that the sulads had responded at the perfect time. In May 2010, I returned to Fair Haven by myself. I had faith and confidence that God will provide for all our needs. Taking care of kids from the Ministry of Children and Family Services provided
us a source of income while God led us in connecting with the First Nation Communities. There were some challenges in the way. One day, at a meeting with the community leaders, I presented the SULADS Program, its purpose and the benefits communities gain from it. A female elder commented saying, “don’t force us to trust you! " I worked as a volunteer at the community youth center. This allowed me to meet people and make friends. Soon, I was doing house-to-house visitation, visiting the friends I met at the youth center. It took me ten months of working there before we finally received positive feedback about the garden box! But that’s fine – life is a journey, right? That summer, I invited my only daughter Yvan Pear to come visit me at Fairhaven and at the same time check out the place. She replied, “you bring me to the end of the world?” Convincing my wife Alta to join me in this ministry was just a tough. Moving from the city to the country, adjusting to the new place and trying to fit in with new friends is not easy. But through God’s Grace, she finally joined me after ten months. In July 2012, Jeffrey Palapar, his wife Sheila and their sons Jeff Shaun, Rey Andrew and Gabriel joined Alta and me. They became the first SULADS Canada missionaries inducted into the Gitxsan Nation. In August 2013, after three years of inviting Sulad Lito Fonda he finally came and joined us in our frontier. His wife joined him two years later. And in January 2015, a newly married couple Viktor-Shamae Sabo join SULADS Canada. His parents, Istvan and Eva Sabo followed year after. SULADS Aboriginal Society was registered in November 2004. In January 2016 there was a name change and we got officially registered as SULADS Canada Foundation.
Chapter 5: SULADS Canada -North As told by Sulad Joubert Falcunitin
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n August 2010, I arrived in Yellowknife Canada with my two girls Jannah and Johannah after being away from my wife for two and a half years. My wife Nancy came to the North (Yellowknife) as an answer to a friend’s invitation to scout the North for employment. She discovered the next day after her arrival that all the talk of easily finding a job was true as she ended up having two jobs and added a third one later on. This is significant as it helped us expedite our coming as she was able to convince the immigration that she can support us financially. My wife and I met in New York Ciy in 2003 and married in 2004. I was employed by the Greater New York Conference of SDA. I was part of a team drafted to do missions among Muslims. The other members of my team were Ranny De Vera (supervisor), Job Flaga, and Mary Jane Manlapao-Shepherd. Our term ended on June 2008, maxing out our R1 visas. Prayerfully, we considered several options and finally, our family decided to immigrate to Canada as my wife is a naturalized Canadian citizen. In order to do this. I have to go home to the Philippines with our daughters while my wife moved to Canada and help us immigrate later. She ended up in Yellowknife. 2010 we joined my wife in Canada. After years of living in the North, I learned about the Indigenous peoples. I met many and made friends with some. I discovered later that the North comprised of many bands and tribes. As I worked to support my family, my heart longed to be involved actively with missions especially with indigenous peoples (IP) and Muslims. You see, the sulad spirit never dies. So I started talking to the leaders and members of our church in Yellowknife about ministering to the indigenous bands and tribes around us. The church elected me to be the Evangelism
coordinator but the challenge of keeping a job and raising a young family was taking most of my time. I did not feel I was effective in the ministry. Disappointed I prayed to God for leading and guidance for His work in the North. The answer came in 2014. One of our church member Albert Dobbin invited us to go to Fort Resolution to witness a baptism. The church responded with a caravan of members driving the 7 h 53 min (626.9 km) hours’ drive from Yellowknife to Fort Resolution. Two brothers were baptized that day. One was from Yellowknife while the other from Fort Resolution. Prem Lal is God-sent to the people of Fort Resolution. Originally from Fiji, he calls Fort Resolution home and his influence as the only SDA in Fort Resolution is evident by the support that he gets from the chief and leaders of the community. In May 2016. SULADS Canada leaders; Ephraim Baragona and Limwel Ramada came to Yellowknife to present the SULADS way of ministry to the Yellowknife Seventh Day Adventist Church (YKSDA), as part of the northern mission summit on a Sabbath. The following day, The Sulads leadership, YKSDA leadership and Alberta/NWT conference president Ken Wiebe brainstormed for the possibility of opening mission fields in the North. In May 2017. Limwel Ramada informed me that there is a family missionary willing to do an Evangelistic weekend in the North. A surprise answer to the prayer of Prem Lal for Fort Resolution. Another group of young people from Burman University under the leadership of pastor Peter Ford was willing to do VBS as their previous appointment was cancelled. Last minute coordination was made and on June 2017 the first SDA VBS was held in Fort Resolution. Preparations were made for the Evangelistic effort in Fort Resolution. God continued to amaze us as He inspired key leaders of the YKSDA church to support the effort on short notice. Elder Noel Cruz notified key leaders in the church and the response was positive. We went ahead with the plan despite the busy schedule of overlapping appointments. In August 2017. The Yellowknife SDA church group with guests from California (the Allan and
Tracee Albano family) and British Columbia (the Jeffrey and Sheilah Palapar family) held a short evangelistic meeting in Fort Resolution. The ground work and influence of Prem Lal in the community helped the Evangelistic weekend meeting a success by God’s grace. This first week of June 2018, the second VBS by the Burman University young people will be in Fort Resolution. The second week in Yellowknife and the third week in Inuvik – their first VBS there. Plans are in the works for a Family health fair this coming August 2018 with Tracee and her team collaborating with YKSDA and Prem Lal in Fort Resolution. We are praying for the plans to build a multipurpose building to be used as a meeting place and lodging for the visitors and volunteers coming to Fort Resolution. The Yellowknife SDA Church has plans to partner with sulads, sending missionaries to the communities within its territory. Currently, we are concentrating our efforts among the Denenu Kue First Nations of Fort Resolution. We are praying that the Lord of the harvest will send more laborers to the vast field of the Northern Circumpolar regions!
For more reading: https://www.adventistreview.org/…/story4040-go-north-god-ha… https://www.adventistreview.org/…/story3923-discovering-adv…
Our night skies in the Canadian Frontier with aurora borealis
Chapter 6: SULADS Thailand As told by Sulad Alejandro Cardeinte, Jr
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n 2004, MVC former student missionaries Alejandro Cardiente, Jr. and Chlowe Mantalaba started the work at SULADS Thailand. The ground work unintentionally started when I was invited by my uncle to visit Thailand. In Bangkok, I walked the busy congested streets and wondered, “Lord, is there a mission field for me here like that of the SULADS Program?” Shortly after, Brian Wilson of the Adventist Frontier Mission (AFM) invited me to visit them at the Chiangmai Province thinking to assign me to volunteer with the Karen tribe at the refugee camp. But without the needed documents, the United Nations soldiers did not allow me into the camp. Undeterred, Brian’s wife suggested that I could partner with the young Mien Pastor and be sent to the Mien village of Pangkhon. A day’s bus ride later, at the Mien village both the pastor and I went house to house befriending the villagers and having evening worship with them. The pastor translated everything for us until I learned the Mien language. Visa was a problem and I had to exit Thailand every 30 days, go to Myanmar (Burma) to get a visa stamp, then return to the Mien village. But the Mien welcomed me and I made a conscious decision to stay and serve. I was a volunteer with no allowance or compensation but I continued to toil trusting that God will provide.
In 2005, Pastor Chlowe Mantalaba called for a meeting of former SULADS missionaries from MVC who were now living in Thailand. He purposed to establish a support group for the Sulads Comprehensive High School for Lumads (SCHSL) in Bukidnon because he heard reports that the students and teachers were eating only once a day from whatever food they could forage in the forest! So, the small group of sulads in Thailand pledged a portion of their income and, when needed, sent the funds to the sulads in the Philippines. In 2006, the second sulads meeting was called in Bangkok and this time I attended. I was stationed in Chiangrai Province serving as a volunteer for two years at two provinces and I didn’t even know there was a sulad group in Thailand! At the meeting I told the group of Sulad Goldi Rubino who was serving at the Hmong tribe under the sponsorship of Adopt-A-Minster International (AaMI). I had reached out to the AaMI founding president Mrs. Reva Moore about the need for more missionaries in Thailand which allowed Sulad Goldi to come. As Brian Wilson developed evangelistic materials and worked to edit the Mien Bible, he also provided supervision for Sulad Goldi. A year later AaMI sponsored two more missionaries; Sulad Jared Teves was assigned in Phitsanulok Province and Sulad Erwin Mamhot in the Loie Province. In 2007, Mr. Brian Wilson accepted the call to head the Translation Center for Asia at Asia-Pacific International University (APIU). And he passed the torch to me asking me to continue the gospel work among the Mien people. In 2009, Mrs. Ruth Mackenzie & Mr. Brian Wilson met at Washington Conference Camp Meeting at Auburn, Washington. The Mission Projects International (MPI) had a booth there. He told the MacKenzies of a project that he would like MPI to help with and gave the MacKenzies my name. On March 30, 2012, I was invited to submit a proposal to MPI. I proposed for MPI to fund two SULADS missionaries in Thailand. MPI voted to support two Filipino female sulads and SULADS Thailand then asked SULADS Philippines (Daryl Famisaran) to send two female missionaries. The matter was then presented to the Thailand Adventist Mission (TAM) who gave recognition to the SULADS Program and promptly allocated the program two slots for missionary visas. On July 23, 2012, Thailand Adventist Mission (TAM) officially approved two SULADS missionaries from the Philippines to work among the Mien Tribe in Thailand. The first two missionaries were Sulad Malaika Jean Somoso, a registered nurse, and Sulad Ana Undang Abendan, an education graduate. Visa restrictions in Thailand limits TAM to only a certain number of visas. To expand the Career Missionary Program, SULADS Thailand creatively partnered with a school who needed an English teacher. The contract stipulates that the school provides the visas and a portion of the missionaries’ stipend while the missionaries teach the children to do missionary work and serve at the local church. Sulads Job and Jell Cabanero are the first missionaries to arrive under this program. They serve at the Chiangrai Province. Another innovation the SULADS Thailand engaged in with the blessings of SULADS Philippines under the leadership Dr. Alejandro Panes, Pastor Daryl Famisaran and Pastor Ranny deVere was
Mein and Hill tribes of Thailand and Laos was sending the first Career SULADS Missionaries to the Muslim area in the South of Thailand. There the missionaries are to serve as Tent Makers. To establish an Adventist presence, to demonstrate an Adventist lifestyle, to care for the community, to assist them with their needs in Education, Health and etc. are some of the goals the Missionaries have in their mind. Names of the missionaries are withheld for security reasons. In the context of mission, SULADS Thailand follows the method Jesus used describe in the book Ministry of Healing which says, “Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, “Follow Me.” "The Ministry of Healing, 143" Recognizing the need to disciple local young people in Southeast Asia, on March 30, 2014, I prayerfully sent a promotional message to his friend, Pastor Singkham Phouliphan, who was the youth director of Laos Attached Field (LAF) at the time. Four months later, on July15, 2014, the Student Missionary Program in Thaliand was officially started. The one-month training was held on July 15 to August 15, 2014 in Phayao Province, Thailand. Sulad Chlowe Mantalaba, (the SULADS president), Pastor Kharom Promutit (church pastor of Praponsawan Church), Sulad Ana Abendan (missionary among the Miens) and Sulad Elma Gay de la Fuente (missionary among the Miens) assisted in training the first group. On August 16, 2014, after a month of training SULADS Thailand officially sent out its first batch of student missionaries. Mr. Somchai Raothao (Thai) and Mr. Saengaloun Vannalath (Laotian) served among the Hmong People in Huai Han Village, Chiangrai Province, Thailand. Mr. Kou Xiong (Laotian) and Mr. Jeu Song (Laotian) served among the Hmong people at Phrae Province, Thailand. Miss Pong Khameunlukje (Laotian) and Miss Vannaly Kheuawan (Laotian) served among the Hmong people at Chiangsean District, Chiangrai Province, Thailand. SULADS Thailand currently have 24 sulads serving the different indigenous tribes in the country of Thailand and Laos.
Chapter 7: SULADS USA As told by Sulad Asher Himbing
I
n February 2016, Asher Himbing received a series of calls from Sulads Canada relaying the need to survery Navajoland. It has started with Canada’s Pastor Charles Ed Aguilar II attending an ASI Convention and meeting Allen and Kelly Fowler, some of the leaders of the Navajo people. The fowlers had heard about what SULADS Canada were doing for the Native American people of Canada and they voiced the wish for such a service to be done for the Navajos as well. Can someone send sulads to their people? Quickly, Aguilar informed SULADS International of the need but nothing was done. After repeated attempts to get a commitment, SULADS Canada reached out to Himbing who lives in California urging him to at least go survey the need least the opportunity to serve gets lost. On March 2016, a handful of former student missionaries from Mountain View College met in Los Angeles to discuss the call and an interim set of officers selected to survey the place and assess the need. On May 2016, SULADS Canada leaders Sulads Limwel Ramada, Alta Ramada, and Charles Ed Aguilar drove the long distance from their snowcapped environs to the dry, arid desert of Page, Arizona, where they met with the sulads from California Sulad, namely Sulad Asher Himbing, Sulad Gabriel Reyno and his wife Remedios. Sulad Ismael Rosa, Jr. flew in from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to be there. The group was met by Navajo leaders Allen Fowler, Kelly Fowler, Timothy Johnson, Belinda Johnson, Pastor Dale Wolcott, Ruben Maghinay and family, and Gerlie Wales and her daughters. Returning from Arizona, the survey team gave their report to alumni members of Mountain View College and SULADS USA officers were officially nominated to lead in the Navajo endeavor. By July 2016, SULADS USA held their first Vacation Bible School for the Navajo at Page, Arizona. This endeavor was led by the teenagers at Covina International SDA Church (COISDAC). A year after the second VBS was held as a joint effort by the youth from Covina International SDA Church and Loma Linda Filipino-American Church. Profoundly touched by what they had experienced at
the Navajo land, the youth decided to return during their Christmas break to bring the Navajo children Christmas gifts. They did this both years. In April 2017, responding to the invitation of Navajo leaders, SULADS USA went to survey Hardrock, Arizona. Meanwhile, the sulads have been going to local Filipino Adventist churches to inform them of the sulads group in California, of the needs at the Navajo reservation that need to be met, and to invite these churches to be part of the SULADS USA Family. 2017 marked the year when SULADS USA also registered with the State of California to be a non-profit foundation. Our current officers are Mountain View College alumni members Asher Himbing (President), Romeo CaĂąales (Executive Secretary), Jay Salcedo (Auditor), Ardys Joy Caballero-Gadia (Communications Director), Sammy Salarda (Director for Projects) and Levi Sisona (Treasurer). The team firmly believes in training and empowering our youth for leadership and service, so that said, the team is comprised mostly of teenagers who are the core leaders in most of our outreach endeavors. The team, all of whom live in the Los Angeles and Loma Linda areas of Southern California drive 14-17 hours across state lines to the Navajo lands in Arizona but the joy in their faces speak for itself. Currently, there are 562 Federally recognized tribes in the United States alone and the request for sulads to come help is sometimes overwhelming. The team, however, takes it all in stride stating that they will serve one community at a time as they continue to build their team and increase awareness and involvement amongst the Adventist Filipino communities in Southern California.
SULADS’ Corner: “They’re Coming!” By Sulad Vincent Baragona (GO-SULADS Volunteer) Supervisor, Davao Territory
I
t has been my constant desire and prayer to learn how God would finish the work among our Muslim Maranao Tribe, especially in Marawi City. I know that there are only a handful of us working with the Maranaos but this is especially important because Maranaos are strict and are the conservative kind of Muslims compared to the rest of the Muslim tribes in Mindanao. So, I prayed constantly and waited patiently. But God works in mysterious ways and in ways we do not expect! The answer of God came. The 5 years of prayers were answered. It was May 10 to 12 when some of our Muslim friends came to the South Philippine Union Conference office to meet with us and to hear the good news of Salvation. They are called MBB (Muslim Background Believers). They are a group made up of hundreds of Muslims around Mindanao. They were brought up with Muslim backgrounds, most of them Maranaos and some from Marawi City which is now in ruins because of the Marawi Siege. We have learned that these Muslims have been converted to Christianity many years before the siege. They have joined different Christian groups, like Baptists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc. They told us that when they joined these churches they were made to eat pork and to worship on Sundays. One of the group’s leaders had been a Baptist pastor. His name is Pastor Khadaffi. He learned about the Sabbath through his personal study of the Bible. Though still a Baptist, he started to keep the Sabbath. One day he met an Adventist pastor. Hearing that the man was a Sabbath keeper, he interviewed the Adventist pastor asking him about the Sabbath. Bible studies followed. Soon Pastor Khadaffi, his wife and their children were baptized into the Adventist faith. They were excited that they now have Jesus and can worship with believers who keep the Sabbath and do not eat pork. He is sure of his Salvation through Jesus Christ. Excited, Pastor Khadaffi shared with his MBB group what he had learned. This led some of their leaders to request to visit with us. At the SPUC office, they listened intently and asked questions. Some asked to be baptized. They said, “This is it! We have found the right Way through Jesus, and we also want to share this with everybody especially with our Muslim family who are still left groping in the darkness of sin. I pray to God that he will send forth reapers for the harvest in my Maranao tribe!”
God has answered my question through these Muslim believers who are now very willing to spread the Gospel to our beloved Maranao people. Alhamdulillah! Thank you for all your prayers and support!
SULADS’ Corner: “Training For New Sulads” By Sulad Crisofel M. Abayan Mayonhayon & Calabuan SULADS Mission Schools Supervisor, NeMM
A
fter one-and-a-half-month training of our new sulads missionaries for the school year 2018-2019 at the SULADS Campus in Mountain View College, Russ Dawis our SULADS Director in Northeastern Mindanao asked me to develop a program here in our conference that will provide additional training to those who will be serving among the native tribes here in Caraga. Fellow missionaries helped to develop the program. Staff members and directors from the NeMM served as our speakers contributing much. Among the topics taught is “How To Conduct Bible Studies” with strategies on how best to approach the tribes and situations. Workshops on cultural awareness were held with special emphasis on the cultures of the tribes we serve here in Caraga: the Higaonon Tribe, and the Manobo tribe of Surigao and the Manobo tribe of Agusan. We discussed what to expect and the rules of behavior (the DO’s and DON’Ts) of being a sulad. With our Caraga-specific training completed, we waited for PAMAS. PAMAS (Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services) is a ministry who has offered to help transport sulad missions to their mission field assignments each year. I was tasked to see to our guests’ meals. Soon, the two PAMAS helicopters arrived piloted by Sir Dwayne and Sir Daniel. With them was SULADS CEO Pastor Ephraim Pitogo and Ranny DeVera! It was a joyous gathering as we prepared to send off our new sulads to their mission schools. But what made us happier was when Pastor Pitogo took time to promote the SULADS during the Sabbath School program in Baan Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Butuan City. He was also the speaker during the Hour of Worship. Then that afternoon, Sir Ranny De Vera spent the whole AY program giving such an eye-opening lecture about AMR (Adventist Muslim Relations) that he was invited to come back soon and continue the lecture! The church certainly looks forward to his return in September, now that the know how important this kind of ministry is. © SULADS International, Inc. If you would like to support this mission program dedicated to taking the Gospel to the people of Mindanao, please write a check to Gospel Outreach. Mark it for the SULADS and send it to: Gospel Outreach P.O. Box 8 College Place, WA 99324 You may also donate to the SULADS using your credit card by logging on to Gospel Outreach's donation site (http://www.goaim.org/) and follow the directions. Again, mark it for SULADS. If you would prefer, you may write your check to the General Conference of SDA and mark the donation for SULADS and send it to: General Conference of SDA Donations 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 Thank you for your support of this very important project. If you do not want to receive any more newsletters, Unsubscribe To update your preferences and to unsubscribe visit this link Forward a Message to Someone this
Carry His Torch Over the Finish Line
T
he Duke of Wellington was listening to a group of Christian men talk as they discussed the possibility of success in missionary efforts among the unsaved. They turned to the duke and asked whether, in his judgment, such efforts were likely to prove a success in comparison to the expenditure and cost. The old soldier replied, “Gentlemen, what are your marching orders? Success is not the question for you to discuss. If I read your orders aright, they run thus, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’ Gentlemen, obey your marching orders.” The question to ask as we work in the final days of earth’s history is not, “Do we have enough resources?” or “Will our efforts be successful?” The question is rather, “Are we willing to be faithful to God’s call regardless of the outcome, regardless of the sacrifice?” Paris Reidhead, a missionary from the mid-1900s, tells the story of two young Moravians who heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British slave trader had two thousand to three thousand slaves. No preachers or clergy were ever allowed on the island, as he didn’t want his slaves to learn about Christ. However, the thought that all those slaves might live and die without ever knowing the gospel was too much for these young Moravian men. So they thought of a plan. They decided to sell themselves to the British slave trader. This they did, then they used the money from the sale to pay their passage to the island where they were committing their lives to his service. As the ship that would carry the young men to their destination left the pier in Hamburg, Germany, many of the Moravians came to see these two lads off. The families were weeping for they knew they’d never see these boys again. Some wondered why they were going and questioned the wisdom of it. The boys were in their early twenties with their whole lives ahead of them. For them,
this wasn’t a four-year term of mission service. They’d sold themselves into lifelong slavery, simply that as slaves they could be as Christians where these other slaves were.
As the gap widened between the dock and the ship, one lad with his arm linked through the arm of his fellow raised his hand high in the air and shouted across the water the last words that were ever heard from them. They were these: “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.” From then on, this became the call of the Moravian missionaries! God is looking for faithful men and women—men and women who will pick up the torch, not worried about applause, not worried about the wages they will or won’t receive, and not worried about the sacrifices they will endure. God is looking for faithful men and women who will recognize the urgency of the times and be willing to agonize and organize, realizing that the success of their mission lies only in their steadfast dependence upon Him. He’s waiting for men and women who will carry His torch over the finish line so we can go home. (from Daring to Ask for More by Melody Mason via the Signs of the Times Newsletter)
You Should Be….
M
y daughter Dauna, had been teaching her Grade 3 and 4 students how pioneer families lived. They studied pioneer clothes and manners, as well as how they celebrated holidays. Dauna decided to prepare a pioneer dinner for her classes, with mothers helping to heat and serve the feast. At the end of the meal, one boy raised his hand. "Yes, Michael?" Dauna asked. "Oh, Mrs. Meeks! This was the best dinner I've ever had in my life! You shouldn't be a teacher; you should be looking after our cafeteria!" (from Da Mouse Tracks)
Parachute Problems
T
he topic of the day at Army Airborne School was what you should do if your parachute malfunctions. We had just gotten to the part about reserve parachutes when another student raised his hand.
“If the main parachute malfunctions,” he asked, “how long do we have to deploy the reserve?” Looking the trooper square in the face, the instructor replied, “The rest of your life.”
Gone Out of Business
U
nusual as it sounds, in 1968 the University Christian Movement with offices at the Interchurch Center, New York City, voted itself out of existence. On their door was posted this sign: “Gone out of business—didn’t know what our business was.”
Humorous perhaps, but sad for those who spent many months devoted to a cause only to discover that they were unnecessary and would not be missed. How many others go through life, only to end up in a blind alley? Dreams of youth junked along a hundred highways, no time to start over. No smiles. No peace. Only regrets and sighs. (By Herbert E. Douglass, Signs of the Times, June 1985 via the Signs of the Times Newsletter)
Roller Coaster
W
hen they were at Sea World in Florida Natalie was fascinated by the roller coaster and all its screaming passengers. Matt asked her if she'd like to go on the roller coaster, and she said no, it would be too scary.
"Would you go on it with Daddy?" Matt asked. Natalie said emphatically, "No, it would be too scary!" After a minute or two of thought she said, "Maybe... MAYBE if Jesus came with me I'd ride on it!" (from Da Mouse Tracks)
God Did
I
was the teacher for a toddler-aged Sunday School class, which included my 14-month old daughter. During our lesson on creation, I'd ask questions like, "Who made the trees?" or "Who made the sun?" and the children would respond, "God did!"
I was pleased that the children seemed to quickly learn that God made everything. The lessons at home weren't going so well. I had tried repeatedly to get my daughter to pick up her toys when she was done with them, and she just wasn't learning this very quickly at all. One day I walked into the living room to find toys scattered simply everywhere. In exasperation I asked, "Who made this mess?!" My daughter looked at me, beamed a proud smile, and exclaimed, "God!" (from Da Mouse Tracks)
Satisfaction Guaranteed
W
hen Peters learned that he was being fired, he went to see the head of human resources.
"Since I've been with the firm for so long," he said, "I think I deserve at least a letter of recommendation." The human resources director agreed and said he'd have the letter that next day. The following morning, Peters found the letter on his desk. It read, "Jonathan Peters worked for our company for eleven years. When he left us, we were very satisfied." (from Andychap)
Servicemen Foot Race
T
wo gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor and a young trainee, were out checking meters in a suburban neighborhood. They parked their truck at the end of the alley and worked their way to the other end. At the last house, a woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter. Finishing the meter check, the senior supervisor challenged his younger co-worker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck to prove that an older guy could outrun a younger one. As they came running up to the truck, they realized that the lady from that last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong. Gasping for breath, she replied, "When I saw two men from the gas company running as hard as you two were, I figured I'd better run too!" (from Cybersalt Digest)
Good Job
M
y sister landed a good job with an accounting firm, and after a while she got a generous raise. The day she found out about it, her husband picked her up from work, and they stopped for ice cream. As they continued home, my sister blurted out, "Isn't it hard to believe that I have a job that pays this much money?" Just then, she went to toss the last of her ice cream cone out the window. However, the window was closed, and it smacked against the glass. Her husband replied calmly, "Yes."
Crate of Chickens
T
he farmer's son was returning from the market with the crate of chickens his father had entrusted to him, when all of a sudden the box fell and broke open. Chickens scurried off in different directions, but the determined boy walked all over the neighborhood scooping up the wayward birds and returning them to the repaired crate. Hoping he had found them all, the boy reluctantly returned home, expecting the worst. "Pa, the chickens got loose," the boy confessed sadly, "but I managed to find all twelve of them." "Well, you did real good, son," the farmer beamed. "You left with seven." (from GCFL)
Half the Job
T
his little computer," said the sales clerk, "will do half of your job for you." Studying the machine, the senior VP said, "Fine. I'll take two."
(from ArcaMax Jokes)
Job Application
A
few weeks after a young man had been employed, he was called into the Human Resources administrator's office.
"What is the meaning of this?" the personnel officer asked. "When you applied for this job, you told us you had three years experience. Now I've discovered this is the first position you've ever held." "True," the young man answered with a smile. "In your advertisement you said you wanted a person with imagination."
Caught on the Job
T
he new army recruit was given guard duty at 2 A.M. He did his best for a while, but at about 4 A.M. he went to sleep. He awakened to find the officer of the day standing before him.
Remembering the heavy penalty for being asleep on guard duty, this smart young man kept his head bowed for another moment and looked upward and reverently said, "A-a-a-men!" (from Barbara Hesse via GCFL)
“GCAS Connect 2018”
T
he General Conference Auditing Service (GCAS) held its Quinquennial Conference called, “Connect 2018,” in Barcelo Bavaro Grand Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The hotel is located on the beachfront at Bavaro Beach and is one of the 10 best beaches in the world. It's an all-inclusive resort with excellent views of the Caribbean Sea. The meeting was from July 12 to July 20, 2018 with a battery of well-known speakers who graced the occasion. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation by area (after Cuba) at 48,445 square kilometers (18,705 sq. mi), and third by population with approximately 10 million people, of which approximately three million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city. Punta Cana is a resort town located on the easternmost tip of the Caribbean country of Dominican Republic. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with the nation of Haiti. Punta Cana is a region known for its 32km stretch of beaches and clear waters. The Bávaro area and Punta Cana combine to form what's known as La Costa del Coco, or the Coconut Coast, an area of lavish, all-inclusive resorts. It's popular for zip-lining, windsurfing, kayaking and sailing. The area has beaches which face both the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and it has been a popular tourist destination. The weather is very hot and humid. One of the speakers was Gary Hamel, an Adventist and a graduate of Andrews University. He is one of the world’s influential and iconoclastic business thinkers. He has worked with leading companies worldwide and is a dynamic and sought-after management speaker. He has written 17 articles for the Harvard Business Review and is the most reprinted author in the Review’s history. His books have been translated into 25 languages. Fortune magazine describes him as “the world’s leading expert on business strategy”.
Another famous speaker at the conference is Joseph Grenny. He is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, dynamic keynote speaker, and leading social scientist for business performance. His work has been translated into 28 languages including his book “Crucial Conversation” which has sold more than a million copies. On Saturday, Pastor Ted Wilson provided the divine service message. His message was entitled “Christ TMI Ministry,” (Total Member Involvement). He encouraged the participants to continue the good work that auditors have done throughout the world and to be involved in TMI until Jesus comes. On Sunday July 15, the participants were treated to a tour of Sto. Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. We visited the grave of Columbus and the world heritage site in Sto. Domingo. One of the highlights of the meeting was the GC Health Ministries initiative called “In Step for Life.” At 6 AM every morning, participants were encouraged to join the early morning run/walk. On Tuesday, July 17 at 6 AM, a 5-kilometer run was held and those who finished with the best time were given special awards. All participants were given medals. The theme of the Conference is entitled “Communicating Value.” Aside from providing excellent services to the Seventh-day Adventist Church through its audits, GCAS is providing valuable added services which helps its clients. One of the awardees during the meeting is one of the longest serving auditor from TransEuropean Division – Allen Redfern. He is 82 years old. I asked him if he is thinking of retirement, he replied that he has no plans of retiring as he is enjoying his work. It’s a tiring but enjoyable trip to the Dominican Republic with two options of travel to from our home base in Indonesia. You either travel via the United States or through Europe. The Europe trip is shorter in terms of flight hours. In 2013, GCAS held a similar conference in Cancun, Mexico. All auditors worldwide, its support staff and their spouses gathered together for a once in five-year celebration and for continuing education. This was the first meeting of GCAS that used high technology. A special App was created for the occasion. It was announced that the next GCAS connect meeting will be in Trans-Euro Division which is somewhere in Europe.
Romy Halasan
Photos from Romy
Street vendor in Sto. Domingo
With Joseph Grenny
The Halasan Family with Elder Ted and Nancy Wilson
In Closing … Announcements | From The Mail Bag | Prayer Requests | Acknowledgment Meet The Editors |Closing Thoughts
Alumni Announcements
MVCSNAA Announcement We hope to see all alumni, family, and friends attend our MVCSNAA 2018 Reunion from August 31st to September 2nd at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Those who are staying at the Park Inn Radisson Hotel will receive a 50% discount towards MVCSNAA membership fee at registration. The main event on Saturday includes a breakfast, lunch, and banquet package for $120; for those who are not staying at the resort but want to attend the banquet dinner, a $90 package is available. Don't forget to pack your Disney character costume for the Gala for a chance to win some fun prizes. When you attend this reunion, you will be helping the MVCSNAA project for a state-of-the-art nutrition kitchen laboratory valued at $5,000. Also, eligible expenses may be Tax Deductible through the CEU program. Sunday morning also offers awards for the 5K race, the 3K walk, and the Limping Competition. We are encouraging everyone to join us. We are looking forward to seeing you there! Connie Calumia Calica, PIO MVCSNAA
Sulads Who Are Healthcare Providers? ATTN NURSES: SULADS USA in collaboration with the MVC School of Nursing Alumni Association of North America is working to put together a presentation about the joys of being part of the SULADS workforce! If you are an MVCSN alumni (whether in the US or anywhere in the world) who happens to be a sulad, please message Judith Teves (Bai Candelaria in Facebook) or Raylene Rodrigo Baumgart. ATTN HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND INTERESTED PARTIES: In addition, if you are a healthcare provider (dentist, doctor, OR tech, medical clerk, nurse, health tech, social worker, psychologist, surgeon, etc.) retired or working, and are interested in potentially being part of the special unit of SULADS USA who will be going on medical missions locally (in the United States) or abroad, please message Joy Caballero-Gadia in Facebook or email her at watermankids at yahoo.com Or if you are just interested in being part of this healthcare team, contact Joy for more info.
Alumni Calendar When
What
Where
2018. Aug31, Sept 1-2 2018. Dec28-Jan1 2019. Jul 15-19
Reunion MVC School of Nursing Alumni in North America GYC 2018 Reunion School of Nursing 50th Anniversary Reunion Int’l Pathfinder Camporee Reunion MVC Alumni NEW
Florida, USA
For More Info Raylene Baumgart Judith Teves
Houston, TX
https://gycweb.org/conference/information/
MVC Campus Oshkosh, WI MVC Campus
Dr. Gladden Flores Davaney Bayeta
2019 Aug 12-17 2020? TBD
www.camporee.org Dr. Gladden Flores
Meet The Editors This week’s issue of Cyberflashes was by Joy Caballero-Gadia. Next issue will be in two weeks and will be by Raylene Rodrigo Baumgart. Please direct all entries to her or to any of the editors. NAME: Eddie Zamora Evelyn Porteza-Tabingo Jessie Colegado Joy Caballero-Gadia Lily EscaraLare Melodie Mae Karaan-Inapan Raylene Rodrigo-Baumgart Romulo ‘Romy’ Halasan
EMAIL ADDRESS: ezamora594 at aol dot com etabingo at gmail dot com Cyberflashes at gmail dot com watermankids at yahoo dot com LyLare at Hotmail dot com melodieinapan at yahoo dot com raylene.baumgart at gmail dot com romsnake at gmail dot com
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Acknowledgement A special thank you to the following who helped make this week’s issue of CyberFlashes: • Sulad Milcah Donton for sharing historical photos of the sulads work in 1969-71. • Those who wrote reports on how the SULADS work started in their part of the world: Harlann Gaid, Limwel Ramada, Joubert Falcunitin, Jhun Cardeinte, Asher Himbing • Jessie Colegado for chuckles in “Jessie’s Patch of Weeds”, • The SULADS and Gospel Outreach for the Sulads updates. • Eddie Zamora & Lyn Tabingo for their help in editing
Closing Thoughts The Editor The past 3 issues of CyberFlashes, we have talked about the SULADS Reunion. The July 13 issue reported about the impressions of our Navajo young people, the future chiefs of their people, as well as the experiences they had at the reunion and the Philippines. On that issue, we also heard a report about the highly vibrant Opening Day Parade. On the July 24 issue of CyberFlashes, we learned about the medical-dental outreach to Sto. Domingo and the visit to the Orphanage. These were only two of the dozen plus sulads outreach endeavors done that week. I would like to make a correction: I learned this week that the Orphanage does not belong to the SULADS. It belongs to Mountain View College and is a temporary arrangement. However, it remains true that there is no funding for the orphanage and now there are rumors on campus that the orphanage will be closed. Where will the kids go? They don’t know and neither do we… Today’s issue of CyberFlashes explains how the SULADS work started in different parts of the globe and how God continues to bless His work. While we reported only a very little part of the SULADS Reunion, we thought that three consecutive issues of CyberFlashes reporting the event would suffice. We certainly did not anticipate being flooded with positive feedback from readers about the reports. Nor were we prepared for the enthusiasm and passion in which CyberFlashes readers responded to the endeavors of their fellow MVC alumni members who continue to serve as sulads dozens of years after they had left the portals of the training grounds called Mountain View College. Thank you for your feedback and encouragement! They were passed on to the various sulads groups! And thank you for your active support for the SULADS work around the world! Happy 50th Anniversary, fellow sulad!
Happy Sabbath!