During the last part of December and the first part of January, Doug Horchak and Dave Baker had the privilege of conducting leadership seminars and ministerial meetings in the Philippines, doctrinal classes in Yangon, Myanmar as well as visiting brethren in Bangkok and Hong Kong.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, December 16-17 Dave Baker visited with a prospective member, Stephen Davis in Seoul, South Korea. Stephen is originally from Biloxi, Mississippi and has lived in Seoul for six years teaching English as a second language. He has been corresponding with Mr. Baker for the past five years. Stephen was baptized on the evening of Wednesday, December 17. Stephen is one of our newest members in Asia and unfortunately he has no one else from the church in his area with which to fellowship.
On Thursday December 18 Dave Baker arrived in Manila, and after enjoying a wonderful dinner with Rey and Cynthia Evasco they departed for the airport for the arrival of Doug Horchak. After a few hours of sleep Mr. Baker and Mr. Horchak visited Corregidor Island at the mouth of Manila Bay to tour the famous World War II memorial.

On the Sabbath, Mr. Horchak and Baker boarded an early flight to Bacolod City where we spent the Sabbath. Mr. Siopan and his wife met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. Later that afternoon we met with 52 brethren for Sabbath services. The Bacolod congregation is a very friendly and appreciative group of God’s people and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with the congregation. We enjoyed special music by their 11-voice choir and after a few comments by Mr. Baker, Mr. Horchak gave the sermon. After services we had a very special treat—as the congregation arranged for Coke and Sprite and some Pizza Hut pizza! What a treat. That evening Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker enjoyed a lovely evening with the elders and deacon and their wives for a special meal of “Bacolod Chicken” served on bamboo skewers and a banana leaf with garlic rice. Topped off with a cold San Miguel beer, it was the perfect meal! (Rumor has it that this was Mr. Clyde Kilough’s favorite while here… I can see why).

On Sunday, December 21, Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker took an early morning flight to Davao City in Mindanao. Accompanied by Mr. Ed Macaraeg and Mr. Daniel Macaraeg, we were able to visit our member who had been in prison for almost four years—Ms. Jed Pilapil Sy. Jed was arrested in January 2005 when the police in Davao charged her as an accomplice with her husband, Allan (a non-member), for the crime of manufacturing dangerous drugs and delivering drug apparatus and other paraphernalia. Jed was unaware of Allan’s activities, but since her husband escaped and was not apprehended by the police, they chose to arrest his wife instead—even though there was no evidence of her involvement. Sadly, this past fall, after a lengthy trial, Jed was pronounced “guilty” and she has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

After meeting and talking with Jed, it was apparent she is a woman of faith, and expressed both her love and deep appreciation for the love, prayers, and letters of the membership. She also expressed her faith that if she must remain incarcerated, she knows that God will see her through. She has been an inspiring example of an inmate, to the extent that the female warden relies on Jed to organize and administer many of the operations at the 110-inmate facility in Davao. Jed’s is a great example of one of God’s people “in prison”—yet being a light to many of those around her. Jed’s brother, Jing-Jhong, is also in the men’s prison for the same false charges and while not a member, does believe this is God’s church and considers himself a prospective member. We were also able to visit Jing-Jhong in the men’s prison. The sad part is that while Jhong is in very good spirits and doing well, the facility that he is in houses over 1,000 men—in the same sized facility that Jed is in with only 110. Both Jed and Jing Jhong appreciate the continued prayers of God’s people for their protection and their ultimate deliverance.

Sunday evening, Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker enjoyed a very lovely evening at a roof top dinner hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Ed and Lorna Macaraeg at their home. On Monday, Mr. Ed Macaraeg took Mr. Baker and Horchak to the site used by the Mindanao brethren for the Feast of Tabernacles, the GSP Regional Training Camp in Toril, Davao City. After a brief visit to the facility we traveled to the famous Philippine Eagle Refuge and park. This is a wonderful park displaying in open aviaries some of the indigenous birds of prey in the Philippines—highlighting the second largest eagle on earth—the Philippine Eagle. But, despite our seeing and learning about some of the animals of the island of Mindanao, the highlight was smelling durian (a specialty fruit of Asia).

Tuesday, December 22 Mr. Baker and Mr. Horchak conducted a meeting for the Filipino ministry. This meeting served as the UCG AIA Pilipinas board meeting as well as a ministerial meeting for the Filipino ministry. The meeting began with reports from three of the key office personnel, Daniel Macaraeg, Richard Macaraeg, and Charles Macaraeg. Each of these gentlemen works for Mr. Baker in key areas of the Philippine office. Their duties include administration, financial matters, mail processing and media, along with all Internet and Asian UCG Web site presence. Daniel, Charles, and Richard fielded questions and suggestions from the eight Filipino ministers and wives attending. In addition, each pastor and elder commented on their respective church areas and congregations, along with updates on how the Feast of Tabernacles went in Baguio City, Iloilo City, and Davao City. The afternoon was taken up with a number of agenda items that the pastors wanted to discuss regarding serving the brethren in the Philippines more effectively. It was a very interactive and very productive day indeed!

On Wednesday and Thursday, December 24 and 25, Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker conducted the Philippine Leadership Conference at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City, Mindanao. A total of 61 pastors, elders, deacons/deaconesses, and other congregational leaders met for two days to receive instruction on congregational leadership, teaching, and congregational development. Many of these men are from some very rural areas, yet are committed to assist the pastors and elders to serve the brethren in these more remote locations.

The classes taught were the topics that were presented at the U.S. Regional Ministerial conferences in 2007 and 2008. In preparation for these meetings, the very presentations that were used in the Philippines were videotaped at the last Regional Conference in Ohio in early December. While Mr. Horchak presented three topics at the conference—“Pride and Humility in your Ministry,” “Speaking at the Feast of Tabernacles,” and “Leadership and Mentoring programs”—all of the other presentations were presented from the DVDs made of the taped presentations. Mr. Baker made introductory comments at the beginning of the conference and fielded questions at the end of each presentation. The presentations were very well received. The elders and congregational leaders were very engaged in the presentations and have expressed great appreciation for the many topics covered (Principles of 1 and 2 Timothy, Doctrine in Leadership, Teaching as You have been taught, Submission and Authority in the Government of God, Examining Yourself and Taking Correction, Creating the Right Environment for Growth, Integrity and the Code of Ethics, Preaching the Gospel/Preparing a People). The conference ended at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 25 and the leaders and elders returned to their homes the following day.

On the Sabbath of December 27, Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker were picked up at the Manila Hotel by Mr. Rey Evasco and his wife, Cynthia. We arrived about an hour prior to services and had the chance to meet with some of the brethren. It really was a wonderful experience. As it turned out we had 99 in attendance that day. After a very wonderful special music presentation, Mr. Horchak gave the sermon. He reminded the brethren of the part they played in the larger body of the Church, and that we are truly, “all in this together” in terms of our working both to preach the gospel message of Jesus Christ to the world, and to grow and overcome in our effort to be in the Kingdom of God. After a wonderful potluck meal that afternoon, Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker boarded a 7 p.m. flight for Bangkok, Thailand.

Sunday, December 28 was spent visiting some of the possible sites for activities for the 2009 Feast of Tabernacles in Bangkok. Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker were able to connect with Dr. David Hannaway from Oregon. Dr. Hannaway is on a sabbatical in Southeast Asia and happened to be in Bangkok during our visit. In the afternoon we visited the Vimanmek Palace, a royal residence made entirely from golden teakwood, constructed at the end of the 19th century by King Rama V. After visiting the teak palace, we toured the Ananta Samakorn Throne Hall, a huge ornate Italianate building that dominates the royal plaza at the end of Ratchadamnoen Avenue. The Ananta Samakorn Throne Hall was built in 1912 and is currently exhibiting some of the beautiful works of art produced by the Support Foundation. Both of these palaces are a “must see” if you happen to visit Bangkok.

Monday, December 29 we toured the Grand Palace grounds—where Rama I built some of the most ornate and beautiful buildings, Buddhist temples, and palaces in SE Asia. Some of the buildings on the grounds date back to the late 1700s, and have been witness to the coronation of many of the Kings of Siam (Thailand) over the past 300 years. The current king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), was coronated in 1950, and just turned 81 years of age on December 5th. He is the longest reigning monarch currently living. After the visit to the Grand Palace we took a ride in a long-tail boat on the Chao Phraya River. We saw a combination of skyscrapers, river shacks, canoes selling fruit, and a river teeming with catfish. In the afternoon we met with the tour/hotel personnel in planning for the 2009 Feast of Tabernacles.

In the evening Messrs. Horchak, Hannaway and Baker were able to visit with our only UCG member in Bangkok, Mr. Fil Olimpo. Fil and his wife are Filipino and have two children. He has lived in Thailand for 10 years and is a journalist for travel magazines in Thailand. We also had the chance to meet with a young Thai lady—Miss Nattaporn Assawinwannahem. Nattie is a very sweet young lady who is truly brand new to the truth of God. Her first contact with UCG was when she requested to attend the Feast of Tabernacles this past year in Portugal. (Nattie actually traveled to Portugal to attend the FOT with UCG). We visited with Nattie for about an hour and a half. Coming from a Buddhist background (which is typical for Thais), she had some very interesting and thought-provoking questions. All-in-all it was a very profitable visit, with Mr. Baker encouraging her to continue her studies with the UCG Bible Study course. He hopes to meet up with her again on his next visit, and she is looking forward to keeping the Feast of Tabernacles in Bangkok next year! It was a very interesting and inspiring visit.

On Tuesday, December 30, Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker flew from Bangkok to Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (formerly Burma). On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we met with 10-12 men (and a few women) at the modest home of Mr. David Ye Gyan. This group represented other small groups throughout Myanmar. A couple of those attending the doctrinal classes had an overnight trip to get to David Ye Gyan’s home in Rangoon. Each day, the ladies fixed different dishes of rice, chicken, duck soup, and fruits. We had to deal with the power going on/off throughout the day, but that didn’t deter our having lively discussions after each of the eight doctrinal topics/presentations we made. One evening, we continued on till 6 p.m. With the power out, Mrs. Ye Gyan lit two candles on the small tables and two mosquito burners to discourage the mosquitoes!

The meetings went well, and time will tell how each of these men and the small groups they represent will want to affiliate themselves with the United Church of God. Great appreciation was expressed for our visit and the doctrinal classes which we presented.

Mr. Horchak and Mr. Baker arrived in Hong Kong on Friday afternoon, January 2nd. Hong Kong is the “New York City” of the Orient. Hong Kong, along with Kowloon and the “New Territories” area make up a small piece of real estate that contains millions of people, thousands of highrises, thousands of businesses, and the an economy second to none. While here, we were able to spend the Sabbath with the brethren at the home of Mary Ong. There were 16 of us that gathered for services on the 32nd floor of Mary’s apartment building. We had a wonderful lunch with Mary and her children. Then Mary hosted the rest of the group for services in the afternoon. Mr. Baker gave an update on the trip and the church’s activities in Asia and Mr. Horchak gave the sermon. After the service the group went out to a very special Chinese restaurant and Mr. Horchak was treated to his first real meal of “Peking Duck”—what a treat! On Monday evening we had dinner with Peter and Corin Forrester. Peter and Corin had just arrived Monday morning from a ten-day trip to the U.S., visiting Corin’s family and attending the Winter Family Weekend.

Early Tuesday morning we departed for our homes in the US. We had a wonderful visit and we felt very blessed to spend time with many of our brethren in Southeast Asia. It is always a blessing to spend time in fellowship, counseling and teaching God’s people and it is especially true as we had the opportunity to visit some of our brethren in Southeast Asia.

© 2008 United Church of God, AIA - Pilipinas