We have
just returned from a very fruitful visit to Mindoro, one of the more than seven
thousands islands on the Philippines. It is a beautiful island with even more
beautiful people! We thank God for bringing us there.

Tone and
Noralv Askeland are doing a tremendous work in this island as well as in other
islands on the Philippines. On Mindoro they are running a pre-school as well as
distributing school material to hundreds of young students. They are also
engaged in community transformation programs, especially directed towards the
Manyan tribe. We were able to visit many villages of the Manyan people. At the
village of Kadilavan we were really impressed with what has been achieved. The
entire village was destroyed in a severe typhoon, but has been relocated and
rebuilt, or more exactly a totally new villages has been built with a multi-purpose
hall. The people are being given the word of God and lives are being changed.

When we
visited Kadilavan we took part in a pastor’s seminar on training people to
follow Christ. Seventy men and women were gathered to receive teaching from the
word of God. I brought a mango with me as an illustration. I asked them what
they saw while I held the mango in front of them. They all saw the mango only
and could describe the delicious taste of the mango. I asked them to see beyond
the visible and tell me what they could see. The seed was mentioned. Then I
asked them to see beyond the seed and look prophetically into the future. Then they
could see a tree and eventually they could see a mango forest or a mango
plantation.

This
illustration helped them to see beyond the present situation and look for the
seed and the potential of each new disciple to produce a great harvest of
disciples who make disciples and multiply living churches.