I met Pastor Kelly a couple of months ago when he came to do a pastors’ conference for the leaders in the Philippines. He visited both of our ministry sites in Manila and Malaybalay and helped provide several churches with some great vision and direction. Being a “shepherd of a flock” is a powerful gift and Pastor Kelly doesn’t take that lightly. He also will do everything in his power to make sure others are in the right position to lead well.
Over a seven day period, he and Pastor Neil taught principles from The Purpose Driven Church and helped several church leaders develop a vision for where they are headed. This is a huge responsibility for anyone and I greatly appreciate it when men have this calling. In the midst of all the ministry that I was able to take part in while I was over there, I was very rarely ever able to meet with men that were already in positions of leadership. I was only able to attend one of their sessions, but it was such a blessing to hear some of the men talk about their time under this teaching.
On a side note, while Pastors Kelly and Neil were with us, they wanted to get a glimpse of some of the other ministries that we had going on. I was able to show them to our children’s home, let them meet some of our student leaders, and enjoy our Saturday Kids Fellowship. When the tour was almost over, Kelly asked me about the jail ministry because he had heard bits and pieces about it. Immediately, I lit up because I was able to tell these men about some of the people I was most passionate about.
As I was driving, I missed the turn to the children’s home, which ended up being a great move. The jail was a little over a kilometer past the home and they asked for a visit. When I walked the men in, I could tell this wasn’t what they were expecting. People, even criminals, shouldn’t have to live like this. But as they met the inmates and heard some of the stories, they began to see the heart behind the ministry. When one of my calls led them in worship (you read that right) they were totally blown away. They wanted to buy my guys out of their crafts and support anyway they could.
On the ride back, I told them a little about my long term vision for the men and how excited I was to see some of the major changes. However, I wanted the decisions to be lifelong, and many of these men are dealing with serious addictions. I want the men to go through Celebrate Recovery taught in their language, by trained leaders. This happens to be part of the lessons these pastors teach and they asked me what I thought about them sending some men to teach it. I was blown away.
Just today, I received a message from Pastor Kelly giving me the exact dates these men will come to Malaybalay. I’m already starting to pray and get excited. This will bring huge life changes that I can’t wait for these men to encounter.
