<![CDATA[PHILIPPINE FRONTIER MISSIONS

Two Decades of PFM Ministry. Maila and I have been with Philippine Frontier Missions (PFM) from Day 1 (which was way back in 1992). Maila had just finished her B.A. in Theology (BTh) course while I was on my final year in A.B. History & Philosophy of Religion (ABHPR) course at Philippine Union College (now the Adventist University of the Philippines). I was initially chosen by fellow founding board members to be the Executive Secretary while Pastor Ray Trasporte was chosen to be the President of PFM in 1993. However, in just a few months, Pastor Trasporte left for the U.S. and during the next board meeting, the board changed my designation from Executive Secretary to Executive Director (with the duties and authority of the President being merged into the latter's designation).

As I was still in college at that time, Maila ended up being the first and only full-time employee of PFM that first couple of years. Even when PFM finally had some money to hire other office workers, Maila and I were wearing several hats. I was trainor, editor, newsletter layout artist, photographer, videographer, video editor, recruiter and fundraiser as well Executive Director. Maila was secretary, HR, working treasurer, bookkeeper, accountant, lodging supervisor, purchasing officer, candidate secretary and fundraiser.

We worked extra long hours. We started very early in the morning and turned off our lights at midnight - especially since the PFM Office was in our living room! We produced manuals, sermons, magazines, videos and visited churches almost every Sabbath for 20 years! Those were definitely the best years of our ministry. But when Maila and I reached the age of 40 (me first by two years), our bodies began to complain. Our health began to go topsy-turvy and emotional fatigue began to show. By 2008, we were ready to "retire." We asked the board to begin looking for our replacement. We told them, we would rather be sent as PFM's foreign missionaries than remain in administrative assignment. We began looking for people to replace us but it would take nearly 6 years before we managed to have someone take over our responsibilities at PFM.

Some Serious Studying. In 2010, Maila was accepted as a subsidized student (together with two other PFM workers - Junarey Padilla and Rowena Aquino) in AIIAS' M.A. in Ministry/Intercultural Studies Big 4 Program. That same year, to help me cope with my burnout, I enrolled in Philippine Christian University's Doctor of Missiology program (which met only Fridays).

While I was doing my dissertation, I met some individuals who, after realizing that I was studying Islam, told me that they know the President of the Middle East and North Africa Union (MENAU) as well as the newly appointed Dean of the Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Middle East University (MEU) in Beirut. From these contacts, the latter eventually invited me to teach a couple of intensive 1-2 week courses from 2013-2015. I fell in love with the Middle East. I desperately wanted to serve there full-time. The PFM board knew that I was looking for ways for PFM to send missionaries to other countries - preferably us! But overseas mission is an expensive enterprise. I felt that PFM cannot afford to support a missionary overseas. But PFM can become a sender of tentmakers - a mission-motivated person who is supported by a secular job. I was praying for opportunities to be more involved in the Middle East.

"Enlarge my territory." During the previous year, I began to pray the prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9). I said: Lord, please enlarge my territory! I want to be able to bring back to the Church what little I had learned about frontier missions. I wanted to be a blessing not just to the Philippines but to the global Church. But there were two big obstacles for that to happen. First, I am not an ordained pastor. That was a drawback to the choice I made of serving with PFM instead of becoming a denominational pastor. Second, I have never been employed by the denomination. As a supporting ministry, church leaders are torn between joy and suspicion when it comes to considering about PFM. PFM's independence threatened some key church leaders.

Fast forward to February 2014. Dr. Jim Park (my former professor and mentor at AIIAS) called me up and said: "Abner, do not pack up your bags yet. AIIAS may give you a call." He knew I was ready to just go and volunteer in Beirut. Since I had nothing to lose by waiting, and since there was really no job available for me in MENAU or MEU, I promised that I would wait for AIIAS. But Maila and I knew that it would be a miracle if AIIAS would approve a call for me to teach full-time. They had invited me to teach a course the summer before that, but to ask me to teach full-time would be going against all precedences! I did not really get excited about what Dr. Park said because the seminary dean has tried once or twice before to get my name approved to be a faculty or at least as a missiologist-in-training but nothing came out of it. (Dr. Park later told me that the two issues I listed above were the main objections).

Six Months Later. To cut the long story short, not only did I receive a call to teach at AIIAS full-time, I also got a call to serve as training coordinator for MENAU and to teach at MEU part time! That situation (having two calls) made it difficult for both Maila and me. My heart wanted to go to the Middle East but something was telling me that God wanted me and Maila to stay - at least until He says: GO.

Maila and I talked, researched, asked counsel of several godly persons and we prayed really hard about. Finally, after weighing all counsels and the inner guidance we both were feeling, we were convicted that God wants us to be in AIIAS. There were several strategic things that we see with our being at AIIAS:

PFM will not be totally orphaned! And this was a very important part of our decision. We want to help PFM to move on without us yet we want to be accessible when they need us.
My being with AIIAS will help me influence pastors and church leaders not just in the Philippines but also within the Southern and Northern Asia Pacific Divisions. I might even be able to influence and motivate them to partner with or start frontier mission programs patterned about PFM in their territories. This is my main burden. I want to promote frontier missions - reaching unreached people groups in the mainstream Adventist Church. Hence, my current position as Assistant Professor of World Mission is an ideal starting point.
I can lend PFM the credibility that AIIAS is giving me and thereby gain more official acceptance for PFM in the Adventist Church.

A Divine Intervention: This is my third month in AIIAS. Maila and I praise the Lord for His Providence and intervention. As Dr. Park jubilantly exclaimed: "Where in the Church can you find someone whose first denominational job begins at the GC level!" (AIIAS is a GC institution). Maila and I know it is only by God's grace that we are here. We also both know that this would not have happened unless God has a special task for me and her to accomplish in relation to our call here at AIIAS.

As Maila and I continue to hone in our little skills at teaching, we will never forget that we are frontier mission promoters first and foremost. As I told my students: "I am not a pastor, I am a missionary!" AIIAS and the countries it serves by extension is our mission field now. We intend to do my best to be all that God can make us be. We also hope to make PFM proud - for AIIAS has now become her field of service as well.

To all our faithful partners and friends in PFM's ministry, Abner and Maila never really left PFM for PFM will always be our first born child. Wherever we go, the cause of PFM will be with us. Please continue to pray for the Dizons and for PFM that we might bring honor to our Master by accomplishing the task for which He has sent and equipped us. The task of reach the unreached - until Jesus comes!