Pray for ACU Students in Philippines

May Highlights

-       Scott completed FHU courses on Missionary Anthropology and John.

-       Alexis taught Gospel of John for the Ladies Class at Woodstock.

-       Scottie was promoted to Cadet Airman in his Military Science Program.

-       Scottie won 2nd Place Speech, and Bible Bowl high score at Lads2Leaders.

-       Samantha performed a beautiful and enchanting acapella solo (in Swahili!) for her Atlanta Girls Choir concert.

-       Garrison graduated from Kindergarten and Speech Therapy.

Please Pray for Trip to Philippines

This June, I will be traveling to Luzon, Philippines to serve at Asian Christian University (ACU). ACU is the Bible college my dear friend Derek Brown works for. While there, my main activity will be teaching the Prison and Pastoral Epistles to second-year students. Please pray for these students, and pray for me. My goal is to not just teach facts, but to teach the saving knowledge of Christ in a way that these young men and women will be emboldened to go and proclaim Christ to others.

While at ACU, I also hope to stay busy serving in whatever capacity I am needed. They have already informed me that they would like me to preach at several different congregations in the area, and to speak regularly at the morning devotionals for the students, faculty, and families living at the orphanage on campus.

Also, while in the Philippines, I plan to work with the Metro South congregation in Manilla, serving during their VBS, and preaching during Sunday services.

What is Missionary Anthropology?

This semester, I completed a Freed-Hardeman course on Missionary Anthropology. I didn’t realize before taking the course how much I still had to learn about other cultures. So, what is missionary anthropology? Well, dispensing with the textbook definition, it nudges you out of your own “default‑setting” worldview and into the nuanced worldview of other cultures. For example, one lesson that hit home was the difference between low‑context and high‑context communication. Where I grew up, we expected directness from others — “say what you mean.” But in many cultures, meaning is determined more by “beating around the bush”, relationships, and non‑verbal cues — what’s not said. If I appreciated this nuance years ago, I might have saved a lot of confusion and hurt feelings! It was particularly helpful to write a research paper on the Tagalog people, who I’ll be ministering to over the summer. I gained a greater appreciation for how they think and communicate.

A second project researched how to adapt cognitive frames for more effective communication of the Gospel. For example, many oral-oriented, non-Western cultures tend to think better holistically, analogically, non-linearly, and ambiguously than we Americans do. So, an effective sermon will be adapted to communicate how the audience thinks. If you’d be interested in learning about the results of my research, you can check out a handy AI-generated podcast here to learn more.

Alexis Teaches Gospel of John (written by Alexis)

Over the past three months, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach the Wednesday night ladies' class at Woodstock Church of Christ. This group of faithful women spans a beautiful range of ages, life experiences, and familiarity with Scripture. It was truly a joy to spend time in God’s Word with them.

Together, we explored the Gospel of John with the goal of covering chapters 1 through 12. It was an ambitious plan, as I hoped to walk through the text line by line while also pausing to consider the historical, cultural, and geographical context as well as the signs and ministry of Jesus during His time in the flesh.

Admittedly, I wrestled with time management throughout the quarter. Yet, the time I spent studying God's Word led me deeper into the Scriptures than ever before. I grew as a teacher and I still have much to learn, especially in fostering more application and open discussion. I’m grateful for every step of the journey.

The encouragement and thoughtful questions from the women in class kept us all engaged and challenged, and I felt deeply supported and appreciated. We grew together as disciples, and our weekly prayers allowed us to carry one another’s burdens and give thanksgiving to God as we celebrate one another’s joys.

I cannot say thank you enough for the opportunity to teach, for the love and attentiveness of the women, and for the way God’s Word continues to shape and teach us all.

Love,

The Ihle Crew

Logos Answers Statistics for February—April:

	Lessons Published	Visits / Views	Watch Time (min.)	Interactions
English	2	1,048	843	131
Tagalog	1	311	146	26
Ukrainian	2	11	1	-
Portuguese	1	7	10	-
Arabic	1	5	-	-
Telugu	-	3	-	-
Khmer	6	75	26	-
Swahili	-	1	-	-
Mongolian	-	1	-	-