Philippines Archives - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Diving Deep for the Gospel

Despite opposition and personal sacrifice, global workers exemplify “Passionate Service” that goes well beyond surface level.

Jun 01 2023

Author’s Note: Here on the blog for the past few months, we’ve been featuring stories that exemplify each of TEAM’s Defining Values. As we came to the value of “Passionate Service,” I knew I wanted to share a story about a TEAM missionary with a passion for cross-cultural service. Here’s what God showed me in the meantime. A New Adventure I held my breath and kicked hard for the surface. Snorkeling in the teal blue waters off the coast of the Philippines was a new adventure for me. For the first few minutes, I had stayed close to the…

Thanks to CPI's network, dozens of churches like this one in Mangaldan have been planted across the Philippines.

Dec 15 2021

The students at the Church Planting Institute are a mismatched bunch. High school dropouts and college professors. A former gang member and a former aspiring priest. Mature believers and brand new ones. But they’re all attending the CPI because they share two things in common. “It’s basically, do you believe in Christ? Are you passionate about Him enough to invest your life in multiplying for Christ?” says TEAM missionary David Weaver. “And if you are, then … we’ll take you wherever you’re at and disciple you from there.” This easy entry philosophy might not lend the Filipino school much prestige,…

God gives us special gifts for a reason. So how can He use someone with a love of languages?

Mar 20 2019

Jaya was the daughter of a pastor. She went to a Christian high school. She’d grown up reading the Scriptures — and yet, she didn’t know what most Scripture meant. Because there were no clear Bible passages printed in Jaya’s mother tongue. So when she read the Scriptures, she only understood a fraction of what was written. Jaya needed Bible translators. Jaya needed Grace and Keith McCune. Made for Bible Translation Jaya’s predicament is one that tugs at the heartstrings of Grace and Keith. As TEAM missionaries in the Philippines, they help translate Scripture into heart languages throughout Asia. “The…

Everyone in the Philippines has their own menudo recipe. Find out TEAM missionary Laura O'Day's favorite way to make it!

Nov 15 2018

This is my husband’s favorite Filipino dish and a crowd-pleaser with our whole family. Filipinos often eat rice and ulam (which simply means “vegetables and maybe meat, in sauce, that goes on rice”) most for dinner. This is one of our regular ulam meals! Everybody here has their own menudo recipe, with their own blend of meat, vegetables, tomato sauce, bay leaves and spices. This particular recipe came from my friend, Leng. She’s a sweet person and an amazing chef! As a TEAM missionary in the Philippines, I wanted to learn some local recipes, so she graciously let me hover…

Joseph used to think he didn't need God. But when he started attending a local church plant, TEAM missionaries gave him a whole new perspective!

Oct 16 2018

It was a typical growth group meeting with a simple assignment: Make a list of three people to pray for. But when TEAM church planter Kathy North heard her husband’s list, she couldn’t help but feel doubtful. There, at the top of David’s list, was Joseph. This was the guy who visited their growth group, was moved to tears, told them he’d be a regular — and then disappeared for three months. When he came back a second time, the same thing happened. And now they hadn’t seen him in half a year. “I thought, Why him? He hasn’t been…

What does it take to be a church planter? Find out as one TEAM missionary couple shares their church planting strategy!

Oct 09 2018

“The word that sticks in my mind is walls,” TEAM missionary David North told his wife, Kathy when they scouted out the location of their last church plant. “There are cement walls everywhere, it’s industrial, it’s dirty, it’s gray, but there are also spiritual walls.” When David and Kathy moved to the Filipino city of Mandaue they could feel an overwhelming darkness. But still, they moved. David and Kathy North have been church planters for over 20 years and have successfully planted several churches. They are champions for growing the Kingdom. But it hasn’t always been an easy road. Several times…

Even though missionary kids grow up in a Christian atmosphere, it's not uncommon for them to struggle with their faith. See how one TEAM missionary couple is reaching these students in the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Laura O'Day

Sep 12 2017

When it comes to reaching the lost, few people think of missionary kids. After all, their parents are the ultimate Christians, right? But according to TEAM missionaries Seth and Laura O’Day, the MK status as super Christian offspring can be exactly what hinders them from becoming devout believers themselves. “They’ve gotten used to burying things … because it looks bad for their family if they’re obviously having a problem with something,” says Seth. And what could look worse than an MK having doubts about God? When MKs struggle with their faith, many would rather pretend than reach out for help….

In 2016, Christine and her husband started a missional coffee shop in Manila, Philippines. Here are her best tips for other people interested in business as mission. Photos courtesy of Narrative Coffee Company

Mar 06 2017

We came to the Philippines wide-eyed and idealistic. Let’s start a coffee shop: make money for missions and make good coffee. How hard can it be? Nineteen months later, what started as a vision for a large coffee shop with meeting rooms has turned into a small pour-over bar in a 10 square meter entryway within a co-working space. What started as a desire to make money for missions turned into a vision to mobilize and equip other entrepreneurs to use their business to serve God and people — here and abroad. What began as a small dream that “might…

Trent and Christine spend their days smelling like coffee and dreaming of the day when they will open up their first missional coffee shop in Manila, Philippines.

May 03 2016

For the past year, Trent and Christine* have lived in Manila learning everything they can about Filipino culture and coffee in order to open up their first missional coffee shop, Narrative, later this year. Scroll through their photo journal to see how, in a city of millions, they are making disciples one cup of coffee at a time. Meet Trent and Christine (and Gordon, too) Mabuhay! We are Trent and Christine and we’ve lived in Manila, Philippines, together for just over a year (Trent since 2010). We have the best job in the world: setting up a specialty coffee shop in…

Creating a place to call home in a new environment can be challenging without access to favorite stores. But making your house a home is a critical step to thriving overseas.

Apr 07 2016

A week after we landed in Manila, we moved into our condo. Our first morning in our new home, I sat on the floor amidst the half-unpacked suitcases and boxes and cried. We had a table. We had no chairs. We slept on an air mattress we bought the night before. The task before us of settling in, of creating this to be a space of our own, felt daunting and distant. But trying to create a home overseas is more than the actual furniture. What I have written here is 80 percent personal narrative and 20 percent how-to. I…

Tag - Philippines

Diving Deep for the Gospel

The Church Planting Program That Became a Filipino Movement

‘If He Made Us to be a Nose, He Wants Us to Sniff’

TEAM Eats: Recipe for Menudo

From Atheist Club Leader to Sunday Preacher

‘We Don’t Want to be Heroes’: One Couple’s Church Planting Strategy

Why Missionary Kids Need Missionaries, Too

Five Tips For Starting a Business as Mission

When God Calls You to Open Up a Coffee Shop [Photo Journal]

How to Create a Home Overseas