HIDDEN VALLEY, PHILIPPINES

Our young family dwarfed by jungle foliage.

Look at the size of those leaves.

HONORING FALLEN HEROES

I have stood in hushed awe in American war cemetaries in the Philippines and Luxembourg, thankful for their sacrifice.

CRUCIFIXION IN A RICE PADDY

Every year they crucify several volunteers at San Fernando, La Union. They march to the site beating their own backs with glass-chip laced whips until they are bloody pulps.

The misguided sacrificer is taken down before death.

This photo is blurred because I was falling as I shot it. When they hoisted the cross up, the surging crowd knocked me down.

PHILIPPINES VIETNAMESE REFUGEE CAMP

More than a dozen Vietnamese "boat people" made it from Vietnam to the Philippines in this leaky ancient boat.

RURAL BARRIO

I will never forget the eyes of this child at the free clinic in the Philippines--nor will I forget her mother's gratitude for our help.

Always we use the clinics as an opportunity to not just speak of God's love, but to demonstrate it.

MT. PINATUBO, PHILIPPINES

Standing in the volcanic ash of Mt. Pinatubo this sweet Aeta aboriginal child has just decided to trust us.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: CHURCH OF THE BLACK NAZARENE

January 9th every year this statue is paraded through the city in a religious celebration. The rest of the year it lies in the church where long lines of devotees file by.

Some crawl all the way from the street outside. They stroke its extended foot, poke prayer requests in scraps of paper through the openings and emote deeply.

I have wept with them over the needs they bring.

It always strengthens my resolve to tell them all that the living Jesus really does care and He answers prayer.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: FAITH ACADEMY

Our daughter Susan (the short one in the middle) was the mascot cheer leader for her big brother Dan's basketball team in the Philippines.

Later in West Des Moines, Iowa she was a high school cheer leader at the famous Valley High.

Ask me if I'm proud of her.

PHILIPPINES, VOLCANO MT. PINATUBO

This carabao cart was the only way we could reach some of the stranded people.

The entire area was covered with lahar (volcanic ash) sometimes 30 feet deep. Rivers and ravines were filled in by lahar totally changing the topography.

LUZON CHILDREN

Whenever we stopped along the road in the Philippines there would be an instant crowd. We used these opportunities to show God's love.

Here we are in the northern part of Luzon. We gave them a "Jesus Letter," a tract written by Missionary Bill Farrand. It was simple and powerful.

Months later we got back one of the tracts we gave these children from Mindanao which is 700 miles south.

A young mother wanted us to know she accepted Jesus because of it.

We had coded the tracts so we knew this was one we handed out to these people.

How many hands did it go through before it got to the lady in Mindanao who read it, gave her life to Christ, and then contacted us?

I read in His Book that His Word won't return void.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: CARDINAL SIN

"Cheers Executive Fellowship Breakfast" was a weekly meeting of government officials and religious leaders hosted by my friend Bishop George Castro.

Cardinal Jaime Sin was seated immediately in front of the podium.

I knew him when he was an Arch Bishop. In those days he used to say, "They won't make me a Cardinal because then I would be a 'Cardinal Sin.'" Interesting body language.

I don't think my message impressed him.

MT. PINATUBO

Another Hi-5.

BANAWE RICE TERRACES

Jean and I spent some time here. We asked a local official if we could hike back deeper in the mountains and spend a couple nights.

"That could be arranged with the chief--but he would require that Jean spent the first night with him."

Jean wasn't interested.

BATAAN, PHILIPPINES

This monument honors the hundreds of American soldiers who died in the cruel Bataan Death March.

It was an emotional place for us.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

My boyhood pastor, Reverend Lloyd Meyer, accompanied me to Asia. It was my pleasure to introduce him to the Philippine First Lady, Mrs. Fidel Ramos, and the Minister of Health Dr. Juan Flavier.

These caring leaders expedited our projects to help the victims of the Mt. Pinatubo volcano.

FREE CLINIC IN BARRIO

Some of my favorite projects are free clinics.

We liked to set up in a local church. People come to the church site to get help and find that the church cares and will continue to help them.

The churches always grew as a result.

Where there were no churches we'd start new churches with the clinics.

Parents of hurting children watch the team show the child God's love in medical help. They listen when the staff tells them about Jesus.

THERE'S THAT ACCORDION

Dave, Jean, Davy, and Danny ministering in the Philippines.

MT. PINATUBO'S "TINA"

They call her "Tina" because she reminds them of American rock star Tina Turner. Sad, they knew more about Tina than they did about the Gospel.

The Aeta tribe of pygmies lived on the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo. When it erupted it blew away their homes, their livelihood, and their ancesters' graves. Their ancestors' graves were their link to the supernatural. The volcano blew away their religeous underpinnings.

Many Aetas accepted Christ as our team brought clean water and food--and the Gospel--to their refugee camps.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

When Jean and I first arrived in Manila we had no idea of what the next years would bring.

My assignment was to serve as business administrator and government liaison representative for the mission.

Senior missionary Derrick Hillary met our plane and said, "Start now. Walk your family through immigration and customs." No small challenge.

It was a bit like throwing a child into the water so it will learn to swim.

We made it.

Many times Jean and I have prayed, "Lord, please let us be missionaries all of our lives."

We still do.

OOPS!

This dumptruck was speeding on Manila's main thoroughfare.

He forgot the dump bed was still in the air--until it hit the pedestrian overpass and wedged the truck up into the air.

JEAN'S FIRST LOOK AT OUR DAUGHTER SUSAN

Jean isn't the only one grinning in that Philippine hospital. It was emotional--even the Filipino doctor joined us in joyful tears.

Born on one mission field Susan now serves on another--Africa.

PHILIPPINE FIRST LADY MING RAMOS

Known as "Ming" to her friends, the wife of Philippine President Fidel Ramos personally thanked me for Children's Cup's relief assistance for the victims of the Mount Pinatubo volcano.

This gracious lady expedited many projects for us.