SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS:Stan & Donna Scroggins • The Philippines

From Stan — September went by fast, but it seems that is how life is when you get our age. October will bring mid-term exams at the college and a return of the annual Maskara Festival. The festival has been canceled for the past two years so everyone is excited to start back up again. Another exciting event for Donna and me is our upcoming trip to Israel. This has been in the planning for two years and now it is finally going to happen. We will be meeting friends from First Baptist Church in Magnolia (our home and sending church).

In the Philippines, all of the “ber” months are part of the Christmas season, and Filipinos love a celebration. We’ve already heard Christmas carols being sung and decorations are starting to be put up.

Darlene Carey Christian Acadamy — It would be very easy for new generations of students to never know exactly who Darlene Carey was, so we began a tradition to make sure our students and parents know who she was and how her work as a missionary continues through the academy that bears her name. On her birthday each year, we will be celebrating and remembering the life and ministry of this incredible servant of God.

Donna and I finished our postgraduate degrees back in 2020. Because of COVID restrictions, we were not able to participate in graduation while home on furlough in the United States, but our dissertations finally arrived here in the Philippines. We were honored to present them to College Librarian Ivy Carpiano to be added to the library. My Ph.D. dissertation is entitled “A Missionary God from the Very Beginning: A Look at the Spread of the Gospel in the Book of Acts.” Donna’s Master of Religious Education dissertation is entitled “Implementation of Senior High School in the Philippines.” I also presented a copy of my recently bound writings on Systematic Theology.

From Donna — Our campus is filled with over 70 college students and more than 70 elementary students. I’ve been keeping up with all the minor aches and pains and, believe it or not, a case of old fashion shingles. I’ve also been helping with our health education class. This class emphasizes general health issues as well as lifestyle preventative education. Filipinos are scared to go to the doctor or hospital because they only go when it’s too late to recover, so they look at the hospital as the place you go to die. That makes prevention very important.

Stay up-to-date with The Scroggins and their work in the Philippines by visiting thescroggins.com.

— stanmusical@icloud.com