Philippine Trip – Episode 1

A number of friends have asked me to share my experiences and impressions during my three week visit to the Philippines (June 6-27). It was a time of great challenge and reassessment of my own life as it relates to the Kingdom of God. To share the account in one episode would be an overload. I will break it down into manageable bites and send out one bit a day for the next thirteen days. The proliferation of information we receive these days is mind boggling. So please feel free to delete it when Gene Denler appears on your email.

Around the first of April, Norman, our youngest son, called me from Texas and said, "Dad how would you like to accompany our family to the Philippines in June?" Of course, I was elated. He and his wife Tina along with their three daughters, Hannah 18, Kaitlyn 17 and Rebekah 13 had ministered in the Manila area in February 2009 with a group of teenagers. After a week with the group, they teamed up with Ramilo Mateo, a pastor who with his family live and work with the poor of the poorest in Manila. Norman and his family fell in love with these destitute and forgotten people. I believe it has permanently impacted their lives. Their world view will never be the same.

Norman and Tina had planned to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in Hawaii in June. But they all agreed that they would much prefer to go back to the Philippines to minister and relate to these dear people whom God compassionately loves.

As most of you know, Mary and I served with the Navigators in the Philippines for over twenty years along with other Navigator staff (Tabors, Trautmans, Sacketts, Hills and other Nav staff).. It was pure joy to reconnect with those we all had ministered to. Their passion for Jesus and for the advancement of the Kingdom of God was catching. I can certainly identify with the apostle John's emotional response upon hearing of his spiritual offspring living the Truth. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (III John 1:4)

We arrived Manila on Sunday, June 6th at 1:00 a.m. Our Tokyo flight was two hours late. Pastor Ramil met us at the airport. We were schedule to leave four hours later, 5:00 a.m., to minister with Pastor Ramil at a poor primitive mountain church. It was a three hour ride by van and a 35 minute walk with quite a steep incline. But there was one problem. I was experiencing swelling and some pain in my right leg. Could it be a blood clot?

To be continued…..