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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MovingForward2050" data-source="post: 1328698" data-attributes="member: 18126">Nice, I want to visit the Phillipines.  Do you know if there are any recommended Christian missionary programs in the Phillipines?</blockquote>I assume you are an Evangelical Christian. If so, I would think there would be many good programs for you to consider, that could easily be found online. Or you could simply consult with a local pastor. I am a Mormon, and of course we have many young men and women, as well as retired couples, sharing our message here.I have an old friend who went on an Evangelical missionary trip to South America, when he was in his late teens. He intends to eventually write a book about it, because his experiences were that crazy and hilarious. Though his group was sincere and meant well, there were huge cultural gaps with the locals, that made connecting hard. And he and his fellow missionaries were repeatedly robbed and scammed! Things really went bad, when their small plane crashed, but surely due to divine intervention, no one was seriously hurt. They then had to hike many many miles to find civilization! When he finally returned home, a few weeks later, his pastor asked him, in front of the congregation, what was the most amazing thing about the trip. My buddy replied, "well, I'm not dead!"I have been attending Catholic Mass for a long time now, to show unity with my Filipina lady. I actually enjoy it for the beauty of the cathedral, the message about serving God, and the rituals. And it is always a packed house! What I have noticed as I look at their many community boards, is that to my surprise, they have an extremely strong missionary/evangelizing program, both in the Philippines and abroad. The Jesuit shock troops are on the move!They spent years and years building a gigantic statue of Christ, atop a church building, close to where I live. It has finally been finished! What's so funny is that they have a gift shop with it's image and name emblazoned on t-shirts, mugs, clocks, fridge magnets, water jugs, you name it! Oh, and you can even buy holy water by the liter. I suppose in case you are battling a horde of vampires! LolThe Catholic Church here, though still at I think around 85% of the population, is losing membership fast. The many child molestation cases, misspent monies, and effective missionary programs from Evangelicals, Mormons, Muslims and Jehovah Witnesses, are eating away at their dominance. And I just don't have that warm sense of family/community at a Catholic ceremony, like I do with Mormons or Evangelicals. You are in and out without fanfare, to make way for the next Mass. There are few priests now, and they seem overwhelmed by their tasks. The laity has taken on many things once formerly only done by priests.But what the Catholic leadership has done, to enrage their Philippines membership, is to outlaw divorce, but allow annulments which take forever to get. The problem is that an annulment often takes *10-12 years* to actually be granted! This could be tolerated, if this was applied fairly to everyone, but if you make a "love donation" of around one-hundred thousand dollars, the Catholic Church will put your request into their priority speed lane, and you will be granted an annulment within only thirty days! Ugh....  And so only the rich can take advantage of it...[/QUOTE]

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