Deb leads CPE

It's 10 weeks of intensive Clinical Pastoral Education. Seminary students minister 45 hours per week in the hospital as they counsel, and pray with patients, their families, as well as health care workers and staff. Besides this they spend time in the classroom examining issues critical to their formation as ministers. Individual supervision allows students to get feedback on their on-going experience. This is CPE -- in intensive experience for both students and their supervisor (in this case, you know who). Please pray that they will have energy, insight, and inspiration for this journey and that they might be able to hang on to the end -- just 5 more weeks, May 26!

Ben's Itchy Adventure

Hi there all!

Just an update on Ben. The last few days have been interesting as Ben has spent them in the hospital. Last Thursday Ben and Chris were playing outside when they started to itch. I mean really, really itch. At first it wasn’t so bad for Ben, but Chris had to take a shower with oatmeal soap and take Benadryl for the allergic reaction. This time of year especially the itchy worms can leave their highly irritating hairs all over everything, especially pine needles. The itch hit Ben later that night as he slept. His scalp and neck began to itch. Then on Friday things steadily worsened. After the Good Friday service, he had developed large whelps on his legs. Around supper we made a trip to the emergency room for an injection of Benadryl, and then came home. After an hour, still no effect, so it was back to the hospital at the doctor’s advice. The worse case would be allergic shock that could affect breathing.

So there we were at the hospital. For three days! They tried a variety of anti-histamines, anti-inflammatories, and steroids. The large whelps would clear up one place then appear another moving from legs to back to neck to stomach, etc. At the worst, his joints also swelled and knots formed on the bottom of his feet. Our family doctor felt okay about discharging Ben this morning after arranging an appointment with an allergy doctor this afternoon. Dr. Bustamante was excellent and prescribed more medicines to get the histamine level down. Keep praying for Ben as he is still on the mend. He is still somewhat uncomfortable with persistent itching but his condition is improving.

We are grateful to God as well for allowing us to celebrate Easter – even inside a hospital room! Ben had a great attitude throughout, even though it was his first experience of being attached to an I.V. pole for three days. The Lord enabled us to stay in good spirits despite the stress of it all. We were grateful for the excellent care of the nurses and our doctor. We and many others prayed for Ben’s healing and we are seeing it unfold. Thanks for being there for us.

Love,

Flint, Deb, Ben and Chris

p.s.: The guys have really been wanting Skittles and they’re totally unavailable here. If anyone would like to send some . . . J

Prayer Update

Thought this might be a good time for an update. Debbie would write also, but she’s down with an intestinal virus. We thought it might be an amoeba, visited the doctor, had tests which came back negative. The boys had the flu last week, so we’re trying to outlast the various bugs that pester us. So far I am unscathed, although (knock on wood) we know how that can change. The attempted coup last week, and subsequent state of emergency have been interesting. Here in Baguio, 6-8 hours from Manila life goes on pretty much as normal. Coup attempts seem to be a national pastime, maybe 12 in the last 10 years.

We’ve enjoyed a great time of ministry since returning. Debbie counseling class has been wonderful– there are such needs to strengthen families here in Asia. I’ve had lots of opportunities to preach which I enjoy, and we are excited about the 5-6 doctoral students walking the stage in March. We (Deb and I) have established the “International Ministries, ABC, Award” that recognizes the doctoral graduate with the best dissertation. Besides receiving the award is $100 – not bad around here.

Please pray also,

1. For Ben and Chris’s continued adjustment. They are doing well at Brent, but still miss the States, especially the support of a church youth group, and their schools. Although Brent was begun as an American school 98 years ago, it is today more a hybrid of British, Filipino, and American systems. Also presently, Ben and Chris are the only American, although there are some mixed couples – Filipina plus British, Dutch, etc.

2. For good health. It’s hard to keep up the pace when you don’t feel well.

3. Along with this, energy to finish the term. Graduation is next Friday, March 10.

4. For Clinical Pastoral Education this summer. (The Philippines summer is March, April, May). Debbie and a colleague will supervise the largest batch ever, fourteen students, as they minister in local hospitals.

5. For Flint and several writing projects. In particular the Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary trustees have asked him and a colleague to rewrite the outdated Research and Design Manual that is used in the 8 ABGTS branches throughout Asia. Our target is to complete the task by October. This manual is strategic because it guides grad students through their prospectus and dissertation writing projects. These projects are the most important parts of the doctoral program.

6. For continued safety. The Philippines is a great place to live and serve, but still the roads can be harrowing at times, as well as the heightened threat of terrorism.

Many, many thanks for praying.

Ministering Hospitality

We like to use our home for all sorts of occasions. Recently we had a send-off (despidita) for an ABGTS student leaving to serve as a missionary in Indonesia. While serving there, she will also do her dissertation field research. We also recently hosted a fellowship for academically qualified students who wanted to learn about the graduate school (ABGTS, The Asia Baptist Graduate Theologica Seminary). Besides this there are holiday celebrations and meals with visiting professors. Through it all Debbie remains the "hostess with the mostest". :-)

Home Sweet Home

If you go up the hill from the central campus you come to our place. We live in the top apartment of this house. Across the road from us is the Winston Crawley Global Missions Center. Here Flint and Deb join others in training Asians from across Asia in preparing for cross-cultural ministry. We enjoy our home and the view it allows of campus.

The Nerve Center!

This is where the learning happens. It is almost overflowing with brain power! Ha! The Adminstration and Classroom Building is near the front of campus. It also houses the chapel and faculty offices. Presently there are around 160 students enrolled and studying at the Baguio campus. There are approximately 800 more students who student across the Philipppines, Asia and other parts of the globe enrolled in seminary education by extension.

A Tour of Campus!

Thought you might like to see where we live and serve. We'll share of few favorite shots of the seminary campus. This is the courtyard in front of the Admin/Classroom Building. The campus is covered with pine trees and beautiful flowers.

It's a REALLY Small World

Hi there,

We sang with the choir at West Baguio for there 22nd anniversary, last Sunday, January 29. At rehearsal we shocked as we began singing"It is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord", a song written by our friend Chris Wommack, the Minister of Worship at First Baptist, Woodway Texas. As we sang, we could imagine seeing the First Woodway choir singing it at the Christmas Pagent last December in wonderful Hebrew fashion. (It sounds Jewish.) This really happened. We're not making this up. The small choir of Filipinos sang with their usual gusto. (That's Deb and I in the back row.)

An Interesting Life

Life in the Philippines is ALWAYS interesting but these past two weeks have been fun! The following is a description of the highlights. We had former missionaries who were teaching and speaking here at PBTS and were scheduled to come for dinner along with our academic dean Dr. Joyce Abugan. The power was out from 7am-7pm and so Leah and I prepared a full course meal (including chicken fijitas!) with our gas stove and candlelight. It was a cozy time when the power came back on! I thought to myself that day, this would have been viewed differently in the States having 10 dinner guests and no electricity all day!

Debbie's marriage counseling class started on Jan. 17th and she discovered quite a cross-cultural diversity! She has 5 Korean, 10 Filipino, 1Nepal, and 2 Myammar students in her class. Can you imagine teaching a counseling class and trying to contextualize it to that many cultures? The class is going very well so far and the Lord has given Debbie great insight into how to lead these students. We are having fun!

The annual Cross Country Race at the boy's Brent International School was held on Jan. 19th. All three of the Miller guys participated and did well. Mom was the cheerleader! Congratulations Chris for winning 3rd place in the division of 4-6 grade. The race was a rugged mile run for him. Flint came in 4th running with the other parents and faculty! (About 25 adults) His race was 2 miles and he felt the steep hills the next few days!

The family attended a Korean mission on Jan. 22 where Flint preached to about 40 kids and their sponsors. Chris even helped dad with his sermon! After the worship we were served our favorite Korean food and enjoyed the fellowship with some of our Korean friends from Brent.

We were also blessed as Koreans contextualized the gospel to their own art forms. A group of Koreans were here for three weeks for the Asia Pacific Institute of Missions. This picture shows them doing the traditional Korean Fan dance to praise music. They also did an effectiveness gospel presentation using drama, mime, and music -- all in ways that communicate in this asian context.

Today, Jan. 29, was the 22th anniversary of our church West Baguio Baptist Church. Flint was the guest preacher and we had a wonderful time of worship and a lunch fellowship. Flint and Deb sang in the special "anniversary choir." Being there with those special folk reminded us of God's faithfulness in these Filipino Christians and our family as well.

God is good ALL the time....All the time God is GOOD!