Showing posts with label UGAT Center of Union Theological Seminary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UGAT Center of Union Theological Seminary. Show all posts

Friday, January 6, 2012

Traveling Five Hours by Bicycle to Seminary

Revs. Jay and Grace Choi, missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries, are with their sons. What follows is a story from Jay about his work at the Union Theological Seminary in the Philippines. Grace works with the Harris Memorial College with the Community Health Program. (photo courtesy of Grace Choi)

Knowing how local pastors do their ministries and study under hard circumstances challenges me more.

Pastor Honeylet Limos is serving in a small congregation in a mountainous area. One time, he came all the way to attend class riding his bicycle. It meant that he had to ride the bicycle for five hours from the mountain to the school. The reason was simply because he had no money to pay for the public transportation which was 300 pesos (six dollars) for the round trip bus. What he receives from his church assignment monthly is 500 pesos (ten dollars).

The members of the church are poor farmers who cannot afford give their pastors more than that. As many other rural churches do, the members share in kinds like rice and other food with the pastors. But when there is no more money, the workers fall into trouble like traveling with bicycle.

By God’s grace, a Korean missionary provided Pastor Limos a scholarship for the study. The life of a seminary student serving God’s people in such a condition echoes like a prophetic message to the churches that tend to depend on money and power in doing God’s mission.

Missionary Grace Choi distributes deworming medicine. Because the children had difficulty swallowing pills, a group sent chewable tablets so the medicine was far easier for the children to take. (Photo courtesy of Grace Choi)


Read the missionary bio of Grace Choi or Jay Choi to learn more about their mission and ministry.