IBC - Dagupan (Effective Leadership Course)

How far is Dagupan, Pangasinan from Manila? Travel by bus will get you there in 5-6 hours max. This is not the usual assignment I can tell you that. First time I went, I thought I had the energy to teach on the same day right off the bus. I was so wrong. The next time around I decided to sleep over and teach the next day. I thought I had been sacrificing already doing this. To my consternation, I found out that my learners come all the way from the Mountain Province, Baguio, Ilocus Sur, Ilocos Norte, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Pangasinan; travel time to as much as 12 hours or more. Shame on me.

Dreams of oysters, bangus, and other seafoods are not so difficult to conjure up. I was not disappointed. But really, what is most precious are my learners. They are such smart people. You can see from the fotos that they are quite a mix of ages. They have been very cooperative as I facilitated their learning, employing adult education approaches which are participative and collaborative. Seeing them work through the Leadership Practices Inventory by Kouzes and Posner of the Tom Peters group of companies and the sharing with them the joy of discovering their leadership practices and behavior was such a delight. I hear them say, "this is so true... Now I know..." It was the first step to their leadership improvement, the next is to work on their plan of improvement in the next six months. They owe a lot to their "observers" who assessed them with the inventory. Now learners know how to narrow their blindspots and improve on the best practices where they lag the most.

I look forward to seeing you all in the next course. May your prayers and petition of me coming back be answered. Pastor Jun Balquin and Pastora Carol Balquin are so hospitable. I commend you. Appreciation also goes to Pastor Rene and Pastor Albert; we share several things in common, having been sent back by the Lord to carry out his present assignment for us in our motherland.

IBC - Cubao (Life of Christ Course)

I started out teaching Church History in IBC-Cubao and the rest is an on-going history. This is a thrid year class in the subject the Life of Christ. One more trimester by January 2005 and that will be the last course for these learners. They will be graduating with a degree Diploma in Pastoral Leadership. I will surely miss them. I have shared my life and learning with these special people and we have been reciprocally blessed. The Life of Christ course has opened a lot of insights and wonderful experiences from the students as a direct result of their studies. I feel very priveleged to have listened to their testimonies as they did their reports and submit their reflections.

One such testimony is that of Pastor Sonny de Viller of Taguig. As he reflected on the sufferings of Christ, he was reminded of how the Lord has called him from being a persecutor of his family, a practical atheist, and a nuisance to the church. He heard the Lord call him, "What is it that you don't like from me? Go to church and serve me?" It was such an unreal experience. He looked for the JIL church in Taguig, got saved and consequently began serving the Lord.

IBC - Malate (Effective Leadership Course)

Malate is a new assignment for me. These are first year students. I suppose a much longer relationship will be cultivated with these learners. I have learned a lot from them as well. As you can see, most of them are my senior. They have some funny reactions on having found out their leadership practices and the behaviors that need improving. See you next trimester.

IBC-Batangas (Effective Leadership Course)

I have sixteen students enrolled in the Effective Leadership course. My camera battery lost power and there was no time to buy batteries in Tanauan, Batangas. I guess the rest of the first year class would be envious for these guys on thes pixs. We'll do better next time.