“Get Ready to Soar: MMP Welcomes the Exciting School Year 2023-2024!”

With the theme “Bridging the Gap from the Online Platform to Face-to-Face in Early Childhood Education,” Mission Ministries Philippines welcomes the school year 2023–2024 by hosting its annual Early Childhood Education seminars on August 10–12, 2023, for teachers, and on August 17–19, 2023, for administrators. As we advance into the post-pandemic season, MMP stays true to its calling by educating administrators and teachers on issues that are current with the times. The speakers for the aforementioned seminars provided their expertise not just in terms of theory but also on a practical level that the attendees could relate to using examples from their own experiences. This created a vibrant discussion as the attendees expressed their ideas and insights.

With the start of the academic year, four new schools adhere to God’s calling and partner with Mission Ministries Philippines. MMP welcomes the new partners, namely: Elyon Child Development Centre, headed by Ms. Mena G. Rivera, from Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; and Racham Wilbeth School Inc., headed by Ms. Micciella Ma. Keina Jane L. Pabalate from San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Thrivers Learning Center, headed by Pastor Robin Abano, from Dasmarinas Cavite, and Grace Christian School of Life, headed by Pastor Nimrod J. Embalzado, from Trece Martires, Cavite. Dr. Chonabelle M. Domingo, President and CEO of MMP, salutes these new schools as well as its renewal partners for their steadfast support over the years. Their continuous partnership and patronage of the books of MMP greatly help in accomplishing its mandate.

The Training Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education, another program of MMP in collaboration with Asian Theological Seminary, starts its new batch this September with 12 new students in the Child and Development module. The success of the previous batch in the online modality prompted the management to continue offering it online. This extends beyond borders and broadens the impact of early childhood education from the perspective of God’s word. As the Lord expands the tents of MMP, so does the growing number of speakers. MMP invites additional professors in the ECE modules to give quality education to our educators. This training certificate is PRC accredited and has six units credit approved by the Commission on Higher Education. Enrollment is still ongoing. For inquiries, you may email ecemodule.mmp@gmail.com or contact Ms. Erlyn Isidro at 09301434780.

MMP intends to resume in-person seminars, starting with this October 28, 2023, refresher course entitled Raising the Child’s Higher Order Thinking Skills. Learning is more than repeating a list of facts, answering yes or no, memorization, but making sense of information, comparing, analyzing, making inferences—in short, adapting a higher thinking skill. Learning to think critically is a life skill. This seminar will be at Proclaim His Name Christian Fellowship #8 Scout Madrinan corner Scout Tobias Sts. South Triangle, Quezon City. For registration, you may visit MMP’s Facebook page, MMPece.

Watch out for these upcoming activities: Show of Talent with Kids Bazaar, Christmas Party, Teachers’ Camp, Quiz Bee, and more.

“God’s Plan for Family: Nurturing Parenting Seminar”

A Parenting seminar was conducted by Mission Ministries Philippines and partner school Head Start Learning Center last February 8, 2023, at Bagong Silangang, Quezon City.

Dr. Chonabelle Domingo the speaker of the said seminar, highlighted the purpose of God for creating a family and the challenges faced by parents in today’s fast-paced and rapidly changing world. The lecture covers other topics like Understanding the Behavioral Problems, Nature of the children, and Disciplinary Measures.

During group discussions, participants had the opportunity to express their own thoughts and experiences, which sparked parent cooperation and networking. Parents can impart knowledge and insights and learn from one another during the event.

In the end, the attendees were grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow as parents and expressed their appreciation for the organizers’ efforts.

ECE Seminar at K.I.L.A.

On March 17, 2023, Kids International Learning Academy (KILA) in Binangonan, Rizal, hosted a seminar on Early Childhood Care, organized by Mission Ministries Philippines (MMP). Ms. Elizabeth Anne King-Santos, an expert in early childhood education and the author of MMP’s Toddlers Curriculum, led the seminar as one of MMP’s on-call trainers and consultants. Ms. Santos is also a preschool owner and homeschool educator, a professor in the Training Certificate of MMP and ATS, and a regular speaker in the annual ECE seminars of MMP.

The seminar covered various topics such as Philosophy in Early Childhood Education, Assessment, Methods of Teaching, Classroom Management, and Classroom Discipline. The principal and part-owner of KILA, Ms. Joan Ong, organized the seminar. Ms. Ong is also the author of MMP’s Math Made Easy book and a former seminar lecturer.

KILA started as a small preschool in a small space in partnership with MMP in 2000. Over the years, it has grown into a prominent school in their area, offering Secondary education to the children of missionaries. The seminar marked a revival of their partnership with MMP.

School Seminar Empowers Teachers with New Sunday Strategies and Ideas

On January 28, 2023, Mission Ministries Philippines and Horizon Ministries at Binangonan, Rizal, conducted a Sunday School seminar. The event was attended by enthusiastic Sunday School teachers and volunteers from Horizon Ministries and Aral Simula—the workshop aimed to empower teachers with new strategies and ideas to enhance their students’ learning experience.

The seminar began with a warm welcome by the organizers, who expressed their appreciation for Sunday School teachers’ hard work and dedication. Next, the keynote speakers, Teacher Claribel “Bing” Amihan, Teacher Loida Garcia, and Dr. Chonabelle Domingo, shared their insights and experiences on the topic of “Early Childhood Education in the Context of Sunday School.” The lecture was engaging and inspiring and provided attendees with valuable tips and techniques to improve their teaching skills.

After the keynote speech, the attendees participated in a series of interactive workshops designed to provide hands-on experience in implementing new teaching strategies. The workshops covered many topics, including Classroom Management Strategies, Positive Discipline, Emotional coaching, and Variety is the Key: Teaching Strategies Galore.

The attendees were also able to share their own experiences and ideas during group discussions, which encouraged collaboration and networking among the teachers. The event provided a platform for teachers to learn from each other and exchange ideas and insights.

Ms. Clarisse Baltazar, a student in the Asian Theological Seminary under Matul 555, spearheaded this seminar. She attended MMP’s Early Childhood Education 1 & 2 seminars in 2022, part of the Matul 555. She caught the vision and shared the idea with her church, Horizon Ministries.

In conclusion, the Sunday School seminar was a resounding success, and the attendees left with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and inspiration. The event provided a valuable platform for Sunday School teachers to learn, network, and exchange ideas. The organizers expressed their satisfaction and plans to put up their preschool in the future.

MMP Celebrating the Birth of Christ

Mission Ministries Philippines and its partners celebrated the annual Christmas party last December 10, 2022, at the Good News Global Ministries in Pasig. Another joyful event to fellowship with the partners face-to-face. With the theme “Reuniting, Reconnecting, Remembering … The Christ of Christmas

This event is a reunion and Christmas Celebration of partners after the pandemic. For two years, the Christmas party was held online.

Presents and raffle prizes were in abundance from the good and generous hearts of some key people, with special mention to the MMP Officers of Teachers’ Associations and the supervisors.

Pastor Julian Vallente, the head pastor of the Good News Global Ministries, gave the inspirational message. From his message, we should be one just as Jesus Christ and the Heavenly Father are one. God sees us as one body of Christ and should work together to achieve His purpose for us.

The gathering was also graced by Pastor Joey Casas, one of the board of Trustees of MMP, and Ms. Zeny Ablang, former Children’s Mission Philippines Team Leader who is now helping MMP in her own capacity.

The partners reunite and reconnect because we remember that Christ is the reason for all these things we do in Mission Ministries Philippines.

Teachers’ Retreat Camp

“Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do” was this year’s theme for the Teachers’ Retreat held last November 4 and 5, 2022 at Onesimo Farm and Campsite in Matalinting, Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

It is MMP’s first in-person activity since the Pandemic ravaged the globe. On this occasion, more than 30 teachers took part. There were games that encouraged teamwork, innovation, and interpersonal interaction. Abilities that the pandemic hindered. The retreat nonetheless demonstrated that a family’s love can always triumph over obstacles and distance.

The highlight of the retreat was the message of Pastor Efren Roxas, former Camp Manager of Onesimus Camp Site and a dear friend of MMP, He is also the husband of Mrs. Becky Roxas, author of Bip-Bip, MMP’s book in Filipino.

The message of Pastor Roxas is to increase one’s adversity quotient as well as their intellectual and emotional quotients. No matter how we feel about it, bad times will come and go. But even when we go through these difficulties, we may overcome them and succeed. In order to be tough, we must switch from asking Why (why is this occurring) to What (what can I learn from this circumstance?). Although following God’s word is not simple, we must recognize the lessons He is trying to impart to us. Awards were given to the 5 groups: WOW, Resilience, F6, Victorious, and Undefeated. The names of each group derived from their experiences and how they were able to face the pandemic.

ECE Batch 2022 Get Together

The new batch of students of the Training Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education or ECE modules finally had their first face-to-face get-together last November 26, 2022, at the Peri Peri Restaurant in SM Megamall.

This was attended by some students that have access to the venue since some students of the ECE are from different places as far as Catanduanes from the South and Isabela from the North and even a student from Jakarta, Indonesia.

It was an opportunity to interact with each other personally. Sharing laughter and best wishes to everyone. The group also agreed that this will be just the start of many get-togethers.

In the course of the Pandemic, this program was inactive since there were no students enrolling. In April of this year, finally, students started enrolling and started the program again.  This program is being offered online.

The Training Certificate Course in Early Childhood Care and Education, a joint program of Mission Ministries Phil. and Asian Theological Seminary was created in response to the growing need of offering quality Early Childhood Care and Education distinguished by a biblical perspective.

A Journey to Transformational Leadership – Dr. Chonabelle Domingo Doctoral Achievement

A graduation is a commendable event. It marks the end of a long journey. And the beginning of another chapter. And every journey tells a lot of stories. There are no journeys without challenges, setbacks, and trials.

 Studying would be one of the most challenging experiences Ms. Chonabelle Domingo faced. She embarked on this journey as part of her being the leader of Mission Ministries Philippines. As the former President and founder of MMP the late, Dr. Stewart De Boer encouraged her to further her studies.

 And who wouldn’t be inspired to take your Doctoral degree when your first class is a tour of Jerusalem. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. But just like the story of Jerusalem, it was not a smooth road to travel. It has its highs and lows.  Just like Moses on whom Ms. Domingo compares her pilgrimage.

 Ms. Domingo finished her degree in DTL or Doctoral in Transformational Leadership. But for her DTL means Divine Transformation of the Lord. In her statement in the dedication and acknowledgment of her paper, she said that it is a humbling transformation of her character as His child and humble servant. This has brought her to her knees to be fully reminded that Jesus is Lord. “ Without Him, I am Nothing, and He is everything! To God be all the glory, honor, and praise” she continues.

Ms. Domingo further said that having a Doctoral attached in her name is just a bonus from God. What is more important are the lessons she has learned from this.

Her paper will be published in Bethel Bible Seminary School’s journal. Dr. Natalie Chan, her adviser, believes in the work MMP is doing and she wants the world to know how early childhood education transform lives.

MMP Visitation of Partners

Most of us have probably experienced difficult times, especially in light of current world events. Many of us have felt isolated, depressed, and despairing during the pandemic’s two years. So, inspired by Christ’s passion and love, MMP employees considered traveling and fellowshipping with our partners.

The staff’s first stop was at Precious Care Tutorial & Learning Center, AGBN Learning Center, JLLC Learning Center, Angels Dream Learning Center, and Eastgate Fruitful Life Learning Center in Montalban and San Mateo, Rizal.

Seeing them in person and learning about their lives was an unforgettable experience. Informing them that we are all family and serve the same God.

When we are sad, having someone by our side makes all the difference. MMP and its partner schools are available to support and encourage one another at every stage of life.

Mrs. Precy Valliente, the president of the MMP officers, has also joined the team.

The staff and officers are looking forward to the upcoming visitation of the partner schools.