Mission Report September 2026 – Asian Odyssey

The main purpose of my trip to Taiwan, the first destination on my three-stop Asian odyssey, was to deliver the graduation speech at Charis Bible College’s commencement ceremony.  In addition to the graduation, I taught in the school and spoke at an event for alumni of the school and pastors and partners who support the school.  I also had the privilege of ministering in a church pastored by the husband of one of the school’s alumnae.  My second stop was in the Philippines where I ministered in two churches that are associated with the school and spoke at a dinner for students who are going through the school’s distance-learning program since the school is not yet registered in the country.  In addition, I had an opportunity to meet a pastor whose ministry closely parallels the vision of Teach All Nations – holding training conferences for pastors and leaders to help equip them to better fulfill the callings upon their lives and ministries.  As we were concluding our time together, he humbly asked if I would lay hands on him and impart a blessing upon him to fully accomplish his vision.  The final leg of my Asian odyssey took me to Hong Kong where I taught at the local campus of Charis Bible College and spoke at their graduation service.  During the reception following the graduation, I learned that one of the graduate’s mother and sister and the guest of another student had been so stirred by the presence of the Lord in the meeting and the messages that had been shared that they accepted the Lord as Savior even without an evangelistic presentation.  In every stop, I was warmly greeted by students who were excited to have the opportunity to meet in person one of the teachers that they had been studying under on video tape.  Many came to me to share testimonies of how the lessons I had shared impacted their lives.

Another special highlight of my time in Hong Kong was the opportunity to minister at New Life Temple, the church that was founded by my mentor Dr. Lester Sumrall.  Since Dr. Sumrall passed away thirty years ago and had moved back to the US about three decades before then, only a handful of the members of the church had a direct connection with him.  I did meet four individuals whom he had baptized and a couple members who remembered meeting him when they were children.  I considered it a privilege to help reconnect them to their spiritual heritage by sharing stories about his life and then challenging them to remember that they have the same spiritual DNA.  Tears ran down the faces of many in the congregation as some heard for the first time the story of the foundation upon which their congregation stands and others were reminded of the legacy of faith they had inherited.  At the end of the service, the front of the church was filled with those seeking prayer for healing and spiritual impartation.  When the first lady in the prayer line began to tell me of her uncertainties concerning her purpose in life, I remarked that that sounded much like the testimonies of many of the students before they went through the training at Charis; she came back at the end of the prayer line to tell me that she had talked to the director of the school and made her decision to enroll for the next term.

Chinese wanton = the “one ton” I added to my weight while in China

Hong Kong national bird = the crane – they have one on the top of every building

It was a great pleasure for us to catch and reflect with someone who can appreciate some of the hurtles we have run through and some potentially to come.  Glad it all came together.