The church in the philippines is healthy and all about Jesus. The focus is on making Christ known where he is not. There are many types of ministry taking place but they all further this underlying effort.

For many yeas the Philippines was a church planters training ground. Our WorldVenture leadership in the country are both passionate and experienced church planters. This ethos has passed to the church association that WV started fifty years ago. Now that association is continuing to advance the church into places where it has never been.

The maturity of the Filipino church has lead to a very broad ministry style. There are many needs that are still present in the Philippines. This means that Journeyers have the opportunity to serve in a litany of ministry types. Here is are some examples:

Community Outreach Community development Community health Community Health Education (CHE) Developing livelihood projects Business as Mission (BAM) projects Values education (public schools) Moral Recovery Program (military, police, government offices, teachers) Clean water/eco-friendly sanitation Animal husbandry & sanitation I Care Ministries (ICM) Arts (drama, mime, puppets, clowning) Sports (basketball, table tennis, tennis, badminton, chess) Church-Based Ministries Church planting assistant Church outreach worker Evangelism Office Bible studies Evangelistic Bible studies Discipleship (youth & adults) Visitation Women’s Bible studies

Women’s discipleship Women’s reading tutorial Youth evangelism Youth discipleship Youth leadership development Youth coffee shop & Bible study center Youth camps Campus outreach (high school & college) Children’s clubs Children’s Sunday school Feeding programs Child sponsorship ministries Child tutorial Pre-schools Worship team Teaching music (instruments, voice) Arts (drama, mime, puppets, clowning) Sports (basketball, table tennis, tennis, badminton, chess) Other Ministries Create for-profit businesses Construction projects Help develop micro finance projects Help create a new ministry

Ministry in Asia is very exciting because it is relatively easy to travel in Asia. Travel is affordable. One of the goals of this location is to expose you to Asian culture in general. This may mean taking short term trips to other parts of Asia during your program.

One of the lessons learned in the Philippines is that many churches can be started but it does not necessarily transform communities. Therefore a concerted effort is being made by the evangelical community to be very intentional about community transformation. We see this being applied to Journey Corps in two ways.

First is through being a significant influence in different sectors of society, like family, religion, education, business, arts & media, government, and health. Having Journeyers involved in one or more of these arenas of life will help us to be effective change agents in community transformation.

Second is through Business as Mission (BAM) initiatives. This not only includes challenging businessmen and employees to be “salt & light” in their places of work, but it may also include developing for-profit businesses where the profit is funneled back into the ministry, or assisting individuals in starting their own micro finance projects.

Journeyers sit under the mentorship of a national church that has been forced to trust Christ in the midst of civil war and subsequent political unrest. You will learn to grapple with questions like, "What does it look like to thrive in the midst of trials" and "how do you do ministry in a politically challenging context?"

Most of Africa, Côte d'Ivoire included, is highly relational. Journeyers who participate in JCWA will learn about the value of people over projects or tasks. America's obsession with time is challenged in West Africa. It is not uncommon for people to show up hours late to events because they met a friend on the way. Which is better, time orientation or event orientation? In many ways this culture is more similar to Jesus' day then western culture.

Most white Americans have never felt the pressures of being a minority. In Côte d'Ivoire Journeyers will be a minority within a minority. Christians there already battle the stigma of the culture but Journeyers will also be foreigners. What does it look like to serve from within a minority? Learn from local pastors who have been living and working effectively for Christ inspite of these challenges.

Just under 50% of the world's population live on less then $2.00 per day. Journey Corps West Africa exposes Journeyers to that majority world as they observe and learn from national pastors who serve in that environment. Journeyers learn the futility of money as they see it's detrimental effects on poverty if used incorrectly. Money does not solve everything. In this context relationships are the foundation to poverty relief.

Treatable Diseases: Diseases that are easily treated in the United States are often deadly in a third world context. Journeyers will observe the effects of these diseases on ministry. It becomes very difficult to offer people the gospel in word only, inevitably missionaries have to learn what it means to offer the gospel in word and deed.

Côte d'Ivoire is consistent with much of West Africa in that it is marked by folk Islam. Journeyers will be exposed to animistic Islamic culture that is often strongly opposed to the gospel. Learn from missionaries and nationals who have dedicated their lives to understanding and communicating to Muslims.