My thoughts on Human Resources Ministry

This morning as I was leaving church, Pastor Pantoja greeted me and congratulated me on my new assignment as Personnel Director. He commented that it is a big task. I agreed and admitted that I am overwhelmed by it. He replied by saying "that's good because that is when the Lord shows He is able." Wow. That is just what I needed to hear this very morning.

For several years now we have been praying for both a Business Administrator and a Personnel Director. Both positions need to be filled in order for our field to grow and to enable us to more effectively reach out in the ministry God has called ACTION Philippines to do. When Jeff became Field Director 6 years ago, we both agreed that I would not assist in the business office. It would not be healthy for our field or our marriage for Jeff to be Field Director and me to handle the finances. So that is a department I cannot assist in. I managed the office and did several other administrative tasks instead. When we returned after our last furlough, I thought that it would be time for me to go back into the publishing ministry. My home office is equipped and I was hoping to expand my skills to meet the needs we have for various publications and presentations.

But last March when we were at the International Council meetings (I did not attend the meetings but I was there), I really felt challenged by the new direction our mission believes God is leading us. That is, to become a global sending agency. ACTION desires to work toward being able to send men and women called by God from around the world to go and serve where He leads them. This is a huge step for us because as a mission, we have many needs for administrative personnel in several of our home countries and fields to manage this direction. I realized that this direction fits the two passions God has given me in ministry: to assist those called of God to make it to the mission field and to assist them to succeed during their first term so they will return for a second term. I thought I would be working on the front end of this passion by developing recruitment materials, but instead, I have moved right into the middle of the process.

One morning while we were in the UK, I started weeping and feeling very heavy. As I prayed that morning, I told the Lord it felt as though His hand was very heavy on me. Later I turned to a passage of scripture that pierced right through me. 1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, casing all your care upon Him, because He cares for you." I knew He was calling me to a deeper level of ministry and even leadership, which is something I have resisted. I committed myself to be obedient to do whatever God called me to do. God is able!

While I was in the UK, I assisted our newly appointed International Director, Nelson Reed, in reviewing applications for a couple that I would call "non-traditional". Nelson formed a committee called the Candidate Reviewing Committee or CRC who process this application. The couple is from a country where we do not have a field or office and they desire to work in an area where we have not yet developed ministry. It is a humbling privilege to review such applications realizing you have the task of helping to discern God's will and direction.

In May, I realized that we have many applications before us right now and Jeff had very little time available to review them and handle follow up details. There was no one else on our field who could take on that responsibility. The Canada office was asking us what our procedures are for processing short term applications. There were others who were applying to join ACTION who were already located here in the Philippines. The USA office was sending us applications to review and approve for service in the Philippines. In addition, Nelson Reed asked me to again be on the CRC of another non-traditional couple who is from a country where we do not have an office but they want to serve on our team in the Philippines. Because our local personnel department has not had a leader for several years, we had to learn fast what to do. All previous records and procedure lists for this department had mistakenly been destroyed when our office moved to its current location several years ago. We also had several short termers arriving and needing answers to questions about finances, schedules, supervision and other matters. I felt very inadequate and unqualified. All I knew was that I have a passion for this ministry and I had a few ideas that might help us get started.

So, from my ladies' Bible study one morning, I sent a text to Jeff from my cellphone informing him that I was volunteering for this position if he thought it would be a good plan. His immediate response was to thank me and accept my offer so I took the reigns. As a part of learning how to process applications, conduct orientation and debriefing, we felt it would be very beneficial for me to travel to the USA office and meet with Nelson Reed, Pearl Kallio (the USA Personnel Coordinator) and Scott Gillespie (the Canadian Personnel Coordinator). There will be others who will join us but we really covet your prayers as we meet July 16-18. I need to learn so much more than just how to receive American missionaries. We need to develop procedures for processing Filipino missionaries and those from countries where we do not have an office.

Part of what makes all of this very challenging comes back to our lack of a Business Administrator in our Philippine office. We must have someone who is very skilled in handling finances and can administrate the business aspect of this field. It is not just a "support" job. This is true ministry and our need is very great. At the same time, our USA office needs a finance manager and our UK office also needs administrative personnel. Perhaps only administrator types will truly get what I'm saying here. But the unfortunate side is that there are many churches who do not get it. Even though they themselves feel they need an administrator on their staff, they do not want to support someone who is going to the mission field to administrate. Our need is great because it will open the door to sending and receiving missionaries for many years to come.

I praise God for Jim Craig who is a new missionary with us who has a passion for working with short termers and setting up ministry for them. He believes that when they see the needs and they see how God can use them, they will do what it takes to come back and serve long term. So Jim will assist me, especially in the area of working with short term missionaries.

The position of Personnel Director is still on our list for recruitment for this field. We are still praying for someone to take this ministry--not because I can't do it long term, but because it does add a challenge for Jeff and I to have 2 significant leadership roles on this field. We really need prayer for those challenges. However, at this time, the challenges would be even greater if I did not fill this role.

Under His hand,
Mary Ann

Availability

I recently volunteered to step up to be our field's Personnel Director. Jeff is thrilled. We have been trying to recruit someone for this position for years but no one has come. I didn't want to take on this major responsibility because I know I am not qualified and I totally lack the capabilities needed. So I take on this task with fear and trembling. I have a lot of visions and ideas of what may need to happen, but I am not strong on implementing my ideas. It is clear to me that there are many, many more competent people than myself. I only have a high school degree and 1 year of college. I do not have any particular training. I'm not the most gifted or talented person. There are many publishers who are much more creative and skillful than I am. Many that can type faster, are more hospitable, less timid, speak Tagalog better, have more energy, even look better. But I have one thing that no one else has for the job I am doing. I am available. This job should be done by someone more skillful than myself-- but no one is here to do it. So I am the best one for the job. I do it out of my weakness by God's strength and wisdom.

Mary Ann

Emergency phone call

We got a phone call on our VOIP phone at 3am. Most people who have that phone number know to wait until we are up and awake before calling so I figured it was urgent. Jeff was already up so he answered to a tearful Micah. She asked for me. By that time I was up and heading toward the phone. "I had an accident" she with a tone of urgency. I first thought it was a car accident. That is not what you want to hear when you are 7,000 miles away. No, it was an accident on the ice rink. Her toe pick on her skate jammed into the ice while she was coming down from doing a double flip. Since the left skate didn't budge, she came crashing down on her left ankle. She couldn't get up so she was put on a chair and pushed off the rink. The rink manager asked if they should call 911 to get help and she said yes. They arrived shortly. They removed her skate but there was no way to tell if it was broken or badly sprained so they suggested that she go to the hospital and get it x-rayed. 

This is where I came in. Micah didn't know what hospital to go to. I didn't either. So she handed the phone to the paramedics and we chat. He asked me where to take her and I told him she is a veteran so could they bring her to the VA Hospital. He told me they don't have emergency care so he suggested a hospital close to where they were and it was the one where Micah was born. So we agreed to take her there. He asked me where I was at that moment and he was quite surprised to learn I was in Manila. I talked to Micah a little more and realized that she would not have any way to contact anyone to bring her home. She had no money on her so she couldn't take a taxi home.

For the next hour, I had to locate a ride for her. Meanwhile, she got into a discussion with the ambulance guys and they talked about Iraq. She had a backpack from there and I had already mentioned she was a vet. The guy that I had talked to told her he had a brother-in-law that didn't make it home. Micah realized how grateful she was to have legs to skate on, even though it was possibly broken, she would mend. My parents were not home so I called my sister. She wasn't home either but I learned she was at her daughter's piano recital. I finally got ahold of my cousin Darlene who was more than willing to give up her afternoon rest to go get Micah from the hospital. I had to relay phone messages between Darlene and Micah until they found each other. She and a friend named Diane helped bring Micah and her car (which was still at the ice rink) home.

It was difficult to not be able to help much more than make a few phone calls and pray. The VOIP phone has a Roseville phone number so anyone in the Twin Cities can call us at no charge. We can call anywhere in the US, Canada and UK for no charge above our monthly phone bill. It is so cool. But we are very grateful for friends and family that can help out when needed. The next two days were hard for Micah because there was no one to help her out. My mom was going into the hospital for knee surgery and my sisters had to be available to help her and my dad.