november novem, 2017 mission link -...
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. David Upp’s monthly Letter on Global Missions November novem, 2017
MISSION LINK My Fifth Manobo Mission “Beyond the Next Mountain” to Kalinawan Village
For the Fifth Time, I traveled
with Caleb Byerly to Iglugsad,
Buikidnon, to encourage the
Christian Tigwahanon Manobo;
but this time we went West past
Kibungkog to Kalinawan, a
nearly one-hour Hike, over a
brand new Bridge [next picture
to the upper LEFT], to a brand
NEW Elementary School (built
at Eddie Payaron’s initiative, in
a red shirt as he translated my
Children’s Sermon). You see half
of the packed house. I taught on
Luke 13:6-9… but since none of the
kids had ever picked a FIG, it
became Jesus’ “Parable of the UN-
fruitful GUAVA Tree”. No, there
has never been a Church in that
village, so everyone was invited &
our team served them in many
different ways (Games, Women’s
Bead project, and Men’s Coffee
project) a remote job-less Village.
I’ll be teaching New Testament Greek and
Homiletics I to 15 Juniors [First Year
students in three-year M.Div. program] and
World-Religions to 9 Middlers. It’s also called
“Asian Religions” since all major religions
began “here” in Asia [SW-Asia for Judaism,
Christianity, & Islam; South-Asia Hindus,
Jains, Sikhs & Buddhists; East-Asia Shinto,
Caodai, Taoism, & Confucianism. Since they’ve
already taken “Phenomenology”--I’ll teach the
actual/factual dimensions of all non-Biblical
Religions (along with ideas for Evangelizing
adherents of those traditions), as well as this
region’s rich variety of Ethno-Religious Paths!
November 6: 2nd Semester at Bishop Han Theological Seminary
MISSIONS During October to Two GIANT Islands: #3 [Borneo] & #19 [Mindanao]
NOVEMBER Features:
MANOBO Missions! in Bukidnon & North Cotabato Provinces: Caleb Byerly’s TEAM
BRUNEI & Sarawak Visits across Borneo, Worshipping with Polyglot Peoples!
NEW Semester Beginning on Nov. 6 at Bishop HAN Theological Seminary… my Three New Classes
Continuing Prayers and Searches for my Daughter, Hannah Upp, disappeared September 14 … 55 days!
Plus … TRIVIA QUESTIONS & Insights into Global Missiology
Dr. David Upp’s monthly Letter on Global Missions
November novem, 2017
2
On October 18, I finally made
it to Kidapawan, capital of
North Cotabato (& main United
Methodist center on Mindanao),
but to a gathering of Tinananon
Manobos rather than the SPM
College or Spottswood Center
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_
Kidapawan_protests] (I’ll go there
in February). Top photo shows
the new Datu [son of Supreme
Datu Lipatuan Veloso] between
me & Caleb, with as top aide &
an M.D. for their new “Save the
Children” Project. Lower photo is
at ECOFI {Evangelical Christian
Outreach Foundation, Inc. or
“E-Coffee’!} an independent con-
gregation in Arakan where I
again shared about God’s Love.
There we also got to meet with
the two young adult translators
for a Tinananon New Testament.
These two “Baby-Christians” lost
the primary supporter when the
Supreme Datu died, & since they
are both women, they lacked
“status” to retain control of this
Project. They’re now married (by
Tribal Customs, but not by the
non-tribal laws… & are thus dis-
qualified from working for TAP
[“Translators Association of the
Philippines”]. Caleb is working
to mend this breach & get the NT
Translation moving again! Pray!
The other new development is a
discovery that OTHER Manobos
also remember the Salminbaa
Event from 13 centuries ago… so
a Tinananon Team may share the
Gospel more widely some day…
with Subanen & W.-Bukidnon
Manobo Tribes [& maybe more]!
Encouraging Tinananon Manobo in Kidapawan and Arakan
there was a new report that she had been sighted [www.Facebook
.com/pg/FindHannahUppUSVI/posts]… November First, near
the Seaborne parking-lot in Charlotte Amalie. When I first took
Hannah to the US Virgin Islands, we both enjoyed watching the
sea-planes take-off & land (from our hotel window). In February
2016 and 2017, we flew on Seaborne down to the Contra-Dance
events on St. Croix. Since Hannah was last seen September 14th,
nearly two months have passed without any word. Hannah
disappeared 1 week after Hurricane Irma and 1 week before
Hurricane Maria (both Super-Typhoons, classified “Category 5”).
She e-mailed me after Irma, but we do not know IF she had found
any shelter from Maria. The most-likely explanation for her dis-
appearance is her third “Dissociative Fugue” [her mother may have
experienced such a Fugue on her “missing day” in Summer 2000].
Please, pray for Hannah to “re-awaken” soon. She is a marvelous
person of many talents: Montessori Teacher, Chef, singer, dancer….
Hannah Upp, my daughter, has still not been Found, however…
In Miri, Sarawak, I found Scriptures in
7 more Languages of Borneo, bringing
my Professional Library up to c. 440.
Dr. David Upp’s monthly Letter on Global Missions
November novem, 2017
3
There is NO Democracy in Brunei. The
Sultan is an Absolute Ruler and whatever
he wants to do he does, without permission
from anybody. Fortunately, he is quite civic-
minded in improving Life for "his people."
October brought his Golden Jubilee as a
monarch [1967--2017], Prince Charles &
Camilla dropped by to congratulate him
November 2nd. It is an Islamic State, but I
was able to worship joyfully with several
congregations in a registered church building
[Protestants]; Catholics worship across the
street. I joined worship in English, Chinese,
“Borneo-an”, Tamil, Tagalog & [Tribal] Iban!
Negara Brunei Darussalam is the
country's Official Name which reflects its
polyglot/cosmopolitan nature: Negara is
'nation' in Malay, Brunei may come from the
Sanskrit [Varuna, Vedic God of the
Sea/seafarers] & Darussalam is Arabic
A Glimpse of Brunei… “One Man, One Vote” [Abode of Peace = Tanzanian capital, too].
In USA, "One man, one vote" means
that each Congressional district should have
approximately the same number of people [re-
set by our decennial census}; here it means
only the Sultan's view ["vote"] counts. Who
IS the Sultan? The media doesn't use any
nicknames {He's not a "Sully"}. Each time he
is referred to his full 25-word name, with
titles, as printed: "His Majesty Sultan Haji
Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni
Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien
Sa'adul Khairi Waddien Sultan and Yang Di-
Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam" [Haji = one who has
made a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, ibni = son-of
(so you can see that his father was also the Sultan &
also a Haji)]. His father abdicated in his favor, upon
his 21st Birthday. His picture & his wife's picture
are displayed, by law, in every single place of
business. World Bank rated Brunei “most improved
economy” for each of the last 3 years! It also has a
relatively huge Rain-Forest Park: “Ulu Temburong”!
Dr. David Upp’s monthly Letter on Global Missions
November novem, 2017
4
Cœnobitic Life of Seminary Campuses
The Deeper Spiritual Life of Christians has traditionally
followed one of two patterns: Eremitic (practiced by solitary
Hermits) and Cœnobitic (Communal Life). The Eremitic Path looks back to John & Baptist & Jesus's Temptation in a Judean
Desert/Wilderness [eremos in Greek]. The Cœnobitic Path harks
back the School of the Prophets in the days of Elijah/Elisha & to
Jesus travelling with His Discplies [koinos + bios in Greek = Life-
in-Common]. Between college & seminary I lived in an Intentional
Commune in Houston for two full years: 75 people in extended-
family households: incredibly close, & deeply spiritual! But for
most pastors, Seminary was the closest they have ever come to
experiencing traditional Cœnobitic Christian Life.
I have made Spiritual Retreats in Catholic & Protestant
Monasteries (& I use them for the new UM Clegy Continuing
Education requirement in Spiritual Growth) for fifteen years while I
pastored local churches. I have THRIVED on their shared-life of
communal worship & meals. So I was very pleased that the Bishop Han Theological Seminary decided to make a retreat to the local
Benedictine Monastery.
For the same reason, I always choose, as a Missionary, to
live On-Campus (though in Kiribati, I shared a Hostel at the Church HQ). But not many Christians recognize that our
Seminaries, especially those in Rural Settings, are in fact
Cœnobitic: far from the bustle/distraction of cities, we share daily prayer, worship services, & meals within our same consecrated
Company (+ all of our chores, laundry, classes, and library-study).
Perkins School of Theology [at SMU, with our 450
seminarians amid 9,000 university students was a Neighborhood
of a CITY, within the DFW "Metroplex"] was not a Monastery!
Now I am again living more of a Cœnobitic Life at Bishop Han Theological Seminary, in a rural setting near Laguitas Village.
This continues my pattern at Tangintebu on Tarawa [Kiribati],
PTC in Veiuto [Fiji], GST on the Gbarnga Mission Station
[Liberia], and Shalom Bible College in Imugan, of the I-Kalahan
Tribe [on Luzon, The Philippines]. I have lived the Cœnobitic
[Spiritual-Communal] Life for about eight years now (which is
approximately one-eighth of my life). I have been powerfully Blest.
And so I recommend that you seek this life-style, not only for short-term
Retreats, but for more extended terms, for your own Spiritual Maturation!
My Trivia
Questions
October TQ: The word "Host" has several meanings in
Christianity: Guest-master or
Communion Wafer, and is
found in a majestic Title of God:
"Yahweh Tseba'oth" / "LORD
of HOSTS" (meaning Armies).
God's Armies include Armies of
Men and of Angels. But... Can
you identify a Verse mentioning
HOSTS/Tseba'oth of their
WOMEN? (Clue: it's in the
same chapter as a mention of the number of MEN in Israel's Host when they were first
counted by an official census.)
Furthermore, Can you tell What
those Hosts of Women DID
(which violates OUR Silly
Stereotype of Women) ?!
OCTOBER TRIVIA ANSWER:
Exodus 38:8 TSeba'oth of
WOMEN, who gave up their
MIRRORS for the "SEA of
Bronze"! That is, they valued the
LORD higher than their personal
appearance (long before any
“looking-glass” mirrors existed).
____________________________ November TRIVIA QUESTION:
Which nation now sends the
Largest Number of Tourists
to The Philippines?
_____________________________
November BONUS TRIVIA
QUESTION: Which Airline flies to
the greatest number of destinations?
[Yes, there is an interesting
Religious Dimension here]
Dr. David Upp’s monthly Letter on Global Missions
November novem, 2017
5
Are the Peoples of The Philippines...
ASIANS? There is a skinny little isthmus between
North America & South America, now cut by
the Panama Canal: so those are two
Continents. Africa is linked to the rest of the
"Old World" by a skinny little isthmus, now
cut by the Suez Canal: so Africa is a
separate Continent. Australia is usually
classed as a continent (alternatively, it is the
Largest Island). Antarctica is also listed as a
continent, although it's not a single land-
mass IF you strip off its Glaciers. That
leaves Eurasia as the world's largest land-
mass and population area: 55 Million square
kilometers, 5 Billion people (70% of earth's
people). Obviously, there is no isthmus/gap
between Europe & Asia, though for non-
geographic reasons you will sometimes see a
dotted-line down the Ural & Caucusus
Mountain crests. So, before we can consider
whether Filipinos are Asians, we have to see
IF any "Continent of Asia" really exists. …
I would submit to you that Asia doesn’t exist.
IF ASIA did exist, What would be
its unique characteristics? An "Asian
Rural Institute" speaker suggested:
Bamboo, Rice, & Broken-English... but
seriously, all those are frequently found
beyond Asia. You may refer to
characteristics of East Asia / South
Asia / South-west Asia, but it is much
harder to imagine anything distinctly
& exclusively Asian (besides, we would
again have strayed away from our
Geographical criteria). The name
"Asia" was first applied to a small
province around Ephesus, then was
extended to "Asia Minor" [today's
Western Turkey], then, awkwardly, to
include Everything East clear to the
Pacific Ocean's shores! There's no one
Asian language, script, physiognomy,
political system, nation, or economy.
Siberia & Arabia... Bhutan &
Bahrain... Khmer/Korea/ Kazakhstan...
differ! Which facet of which dimension
of "Asian Identity" would be decisive?
Pacific Islanders often claim
Oceania ["The Liquid Continent"] as
their home... but continents are the
lagest category of Land-Masses. NO
ISLAND is part of any Continent,
although I would bend that rule for
"ayots" located within continental
lakes/rivers. There are thousands of
times more islands than continents, and
they exhibit all types of lands: forests,
jungles, grasslands, deserts, swamps,
live-volcanos, & ice-caps! Many are
un-inhabited, others very heavily
populated (Java, Honshu, Luzon, Great
Britain; Singapore, Hong Kong,
Manhattan, and more). You know,
Islands are ever-so-much more
attractive than Continents!
IF Filipinos were to classify
themselves as Pacific Islanders, they
would climb to the very top of that list,
with a population far higher than any
Pacific nation (currently 105 Million,
or triple the total population of all
Oceania)! Maybe they’re NOT Asians!