SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS: Stan & Donna Scroggins • The Philippines

Darlene Carey Christian Academy — School has been going great at the academy. In November, we will proceed to full-week classes as normalization continues here. Two years of schools being closed is exhibited in teachers expressing how behind the students are in all subjects and even in their discipline and general politeness.

Masskara 2022 — Filipinos love a celebration, and after two years of cancellations due to COVID, who can blame them for going all out for this year’s Mascara 2022 Celebration? Everywhere you go you find mask, dance, parade, singing, food and display competitions. Bacolod is filled with visitors from all over the Philippines and the world.

BMA Bible College — During the recent Teacher Appreciation Week, our students simply outdid themselves by honoring all our teaching staff. We’ve finished mid-terms and now it’s on to the countdown to finals. We are so thankful for our partnership with the BMA Theological Seminary, which helped us finish classwork with four of our teachers for degrees in Pastoral Theology.

Steve Abalos, Nick Gomez, Ricky Giacana and Joemel Samsom completed all classwork. These four will focus on their exit exams to be completed by March in time for April graduation. What started as an effort to get four teachers accredited degrees, ended up with over 20 students participating in master-level classes over the past seven months. Plans are in the works to help these students finish as well.

From Stan — We are in Israel! On Oct.23, Donna and I left for Israel to join friends from First Baptist Church in Magnolia on a tour of the Holy Land. I traveled here back in the 1980s when I was a young music and youth pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Camden. It has been fun to meet up with friends from First Baptist and also those from Rison and North Alabama.

From Donna — This is my first time visiting Israel. It has been such a great experience. Once we get back to the Philippines, it will be time for our annual health check-ups in Manila. Please pray as we will have to deal with lots of “red tape.”