For some time, we have sensed a transition coming. As usual, we were not certain how or when, but we knew we could trust Jesus with our lives and the lives of our beloved Palawano people. In our experience, whenever God has given us a different direction, we have sensed it for a while, and then the actual change comes quickly. This time is no different. We invite you to join us as we transition from being an Adventist Frontier Mission project to an independent project—same place, same people, same work.
Where do I begin to tell the story of how our love for the Palawano came to be, or of how the Holy Spirit placed upon our hearts a burden for the salvation of these tribal people? It all began long before we actually even met our first Palawano.
With Kent and I both having a lifelong desire to serve cross-culturally, we married in 1978 and continued in ministry to the youth in our church in northern California. After the birth of our first two children, Christopher and Christina, two years apart, and after multiple short-term family mission trips to Mexico with the youth to build churches, the Lord made it very clear that a big change was coming. Not knowing what that change was, we proceeded to close our business and make other preparations so that, when the Lord told us where we were to go, we would be ready to follow His lead.
As it turned out, He made it abundantly clear that Kent was to pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Andrews University. This idea had often been suggested to him by others, but it was never part of Kent’s plan. The Lord, however, made a clear path for us, and we obediently followed. Within three months, we had moved to Michigan, driving in a small station wagon filled with two dogs, two cats, five recently born kittens, and two children, all with no idea where we would live once we arrived. But the Lord provided and the next several years were a time of learning to lean more heavily on the Lord as there was no steady income to support us.
During the years at Andrews University, Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM) was born, and we saw it as a possibility for us if the Lord opened the way. But towards the end of the seminary years, Leonda gave birth to twins, Timothy and Stephanie, and the financial burden increased. After graduation, Kent felt he should serve as a pastor for a while to further his experience. And so we transitioned to living in Tennessee, a region and culture utterly foreign to us at the time.
After more than eight years of pastoral service, the Lord again made it clear that another transition was coming, and we began knocking figuratively on AFM’s door. With a growing certainty that the Lord was leading in that direction, we had to pray about their concerns: in our 40s, we would be the oldest couple AFM had sent into the field, well beyond the age at which learning a new language comes more easily, and we had four children. At home, our family began talking about missions, studying and asking the Lord where He wanted us to serve. It has always been a family decision to serve, with each child confirming their own calling.
It seemed that every place we learned about, we said, “We could live there,” but no specific place said, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” That is, until we went before the AFM board, which had by now accepted us for service. When they asked where we wished to go, we told them that it seemed the Lord wanted us to leave it up to them. And that is how we accepted the call to join the Spoon family (1992-1998) in Palawan.
As we exchanged letters with the Spoons and heard about specific people, we fell in love with everyone, sight unseen. Then there was fundraising, moving out of our house, packing and preparing for a whole new life with children aged 15, 13, and two nine-year-olds (no dogs or cats this time).
Talk about transitions! Perhaps you can somewhat imagine what we experienced moving to an entirely new country, climate and culture, and surrounded by new languages . . . all while far from our support systems and on a very limited budget. We have stories we now laugh about, such as when we were so hungry that we tried to eat whatever was available, only to discover we could not. (Ask my children to tell you about green papaya soup.) Or the living conditions and dealing with all the creepy crawlies and slithering reptiles that insisted on sharing our living space.
But it all came into perspective the time I, Leonda, saw my first Palawano. We were on a Sabbath hike into the foothills, following a river up into the mountains we yearned to penetrate. I saw a bare-chested man clad in a loincloth with a machete hanging at his waist and a blowgun in his hand coming down a steep hill across the gorge. What a thrill as I prayed, “Lord, please help us learn the language. Please help us reach these people for You.”
Perhaps we had to work harder than some to learn the language. Perhaps we carried more angst than others might have for the urgency of finding a way to reach these people. Certainly, we endured more cases of malaria than we could keep track of, plus discouragements, setbacks, tears and prayers, yet miracle of miracles, God rewarded us with many people who love Jesus as their Savior.
Through 30 years of hard living, hiking and often painful distance from our children and our families, we have remained dedicated to the salvation of the Palawano people. Even though we are now in our 70s, by the grace of God, we are still going strong. There are more people to reach, more verses to translate and more hearts to bring to the feet of Jesus for healing.
We thank you, our dear readers, for partnering with us through the years. Your support has been invaluable. Today, we are going through a new transition—that of working independently of AFM as we continue to serve the Palawano people.
Together, let us “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling” (Philippians 3:14) for which Jesus commanded us to “Go ye into all the world” (Mark 16:15). That includes going “further up and further in” (from The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis).
Transitions are sometimes difficult, but they make room for yesterday’s endings to become today’s success and tomorrow’s changes (paraphrase of a quote by William Bridges).
——
*Christopher George and Somer (Williams) George *
hristopher: Although it has been over 20 years since I was in Palawan, its people have lingered in my heart and mind. I can still see the stunning mountains, feel the mud between my toes, and hear children singing their hearts out in a language that is both familiar and unfamiliar all at the same time. I remember with such fondness each face, each name, each little voice—Mislinda, Silu, Delia, Munding, Abi, Surlin, Meyni, and so many others that attended the little mission school. All of them are now grown, most with children of their own.
Somer (Student Missionary ’99-’01): Kemantian is the place where Christopher and I grew to love each other; the place that shaped our future. He thinks of it as his home, the people there as family. He was so proud to take our children, on individual trips, back to visit and learn about the place where he grew up.
As we now face the challenge of his diagnosis (glioblastoma), these memories become even more precious. Even amid moments of sadness, we have the joy of knowing that our lives are intertwined with so many people on the other side of the globe. We have loved and been loved and have held and been held by the prayers of so many. We hold onto the hope of spending all of eternity praising God together.
——
*Christina (George) Miller and husband Michael Miller *
Michael: Our family’s desire is to minister to those in need. Although there are needs in the USA, God has put it on our hearts to serve the unreached people in a third-world country. The Palawano people have been part of the family for over 30 years, and we will continue to share Jesus’ love there as long as He has a purpose for us. There is something special when you leave home to serve others. The comforts, friendships, and familiarity of life you leave behind shape you in ways that change your whole perspective on life.
Christina: Since we first launched in 1996, when I was 13, the desire to serve God among the underprivileged on Palawan has never died. Watching student missionary nurses save lives inspired me to also provide such powerful service. After completing Physician Assistant (PA-C) training, I waited for my opportunity while paying off my student loans as quickly as I could to be able to engage in mission work again.
Michael came into my life, and we started a family together, knowing that missions would be a part of that in God’s timing. Six years ago, we quit our jobs and took our six- and four-year-olds on our first family trip to the Philippines. What an incredible blessing! We came back to the States a year later with two prayers in our hearts: 1) God, please provide us with part-time employment stateside so we can be missionaries for several months every year, and 2) please send another family to minister with us.
We had no idea how God would answer those prayers.
Michael: God miraculously led us to start a seasonal agricultural drone business three years ago, which keeps us busy from April to October, leaving us with five to six months to work overseas. I quit my full-time medevac helicopter pilot job this past July, and we are stepping out in faith, leaving on December 7 to serve in Palawan for five months.
Christina: Through a series of providential events, God heard our prayer for a family to minister with us. Betsy and Rene Arancibia will be joining us from Peru to head up finance and lowland support for the Palawano Project. Their seven-year-old son, Moises, will be joining our family’s homeschool classroom.
Michael: God is good. We pray that, as there is this transition for the Palawano Project, God will continue to lead, guide and provide in miraculous ways. We have seen Him work before. God is not done yet!
——
Dilya Dagat, our foster daughter (and her daughter Honeylyn)
I am Dilya. One of the biggest blessings of my life was when the Georges took my daughter, Honeylyn, and me into their hearts and home at a most difficult time in our lives. They also introduced us to Jesus. What immense gratitude we have for them, and what a big change it is to become part of their family and God’s. We praise Him for their lives.
——
*Timothy M. George (married to Kristin Thomas) *
Timothy: I was eight years old when I found out my parents were considering moving our family overseas for mission work. It sounded like an adventure to me. I had a vague grasp of what being a missionary meant, and at the time, the plan was for a six-year term before returning home. In my small mind, this was a six-year vacation; a tiny blip in the timeline before we could resume our normal lives. Little did I know that, more than 30 years later, my family would be much larger and our lives would be inextricably entwined with people we had then yet to meet.
The first few years were more challenging than any of us would have guessed. There were lots of spiders, centipedes, snake bites, green papaya soup, malaria and larium psychosis (from a malaria prophylaxis). Our own inadequacies were overshadowed by the immense needs of the local people. My idea of what a missionary did continued to change, but not necessarily in the way I expected. Much of our time was spent in the mundane and sometimes terrifying—helping people who were right in front of us. I began to understand that to love is to have compassion, to share, to sacrifice, to have courage, to doubt my perceived purpose and let God’s love shine through me in ways I had not expected.
I think many people have ideas about how their lives will go, but what we expect often does not come to pass. Mark 6 says, “When He (Jesus) went ashore He saw a great crowd and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus encountered people, saw their needs and had compassion. Jesus probably had a plan for that day that may not have included the crowd He encountered, but as He saw them and felt compassion for them, He demonstrated His true love for these people He encountered along the way. The Palawano mission is more than planting a church or fulfilling a perceived duty. I have learned that my purpose in life is not to have everything figured out, but to follow Jesus’ example, especially in the unexpected, and be moved with compassion for those I encounter every day.
——
Gielyn (Jilin) S. George, our adopted daughter (married to Junie Milno)
Who is this person called Jesus that I keep hearing about? I heard He loves everyone and that He died for me. Why? I kept wondering when I was young.
I do not remember my first parents. They died when I was a baby. My siblings disappeared from my life. I did not know what it felt like to be loved. The feeling that I knew was pain. Inside and outside. I started learning about love when I lived with the Georges. I was scared of them at first because some people said they came to my village to hurt us. But living with them taught me otherwise. Living with them made me understand what family is, what it means to be loved, and what it means to be taken care of. And in living with them, I learned about Jesus.
I had such a big hole in my heart that I thought it would be empty forever. However, Jesus’ love filled it with a caring family and friends. At first, I was reluctant to love the Georges because I did not want to be abandoned again. Living with the Georges presented a new culture to me. Slowly but surely, God touched my heart and helped me open it so it did not have to be empty forever. Since I had never really felt the love of siblings, meeting the George’s children, my new brothers and sisters, was a first for me, but they made it easier to accept being part of a family.
Being adopted is not easy. I get bullied when I am in the lowlands. People call me names I do not even want to repeat. Hearing those words makes it hard to control my anger because I have lived with so many emotions that sometimes I have to be silent. Having a family has helped me to be a better person. A better friend. A better student. But most important of all, a better daughter.
Having a family helped me feel the love of Jesus and be compassionate towards the oppressed, the orphans and the children in need of love. Passing my love to others and telling them about Jesus is my greatest mission in life. Now, as a missionary myself, I know how hard it is to be far from family. Before, I never thought about how things might have been for my parents, the Georges. I realize I should have helped them understand that they are very important people in my life and in everyone else’s. I shouldn’t have taken them for granted. I should have made them feel appreciated. Their work with the natives is very hard.
Looking back, I think they hid a lot of tears from us, a lot of pain, discouragement, and, most significantly, sadness. Despite that, they have brought happiness and love to the Palawano people. They have shown us the true meaning of love and mission.
Mission is easy to say but hard to do. Yet their time here has not been in vain. They have helped clueless young parents (such as my husband and me) raise their children and teach them about Jesus. Now they are seeing the fruit of their labor. Now I am carrying the torch to other villages so the light spreads abroad.
When the Lord returns, I look forward to being with my parents, hearing the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
——
*A Life Lived in the Moment by Stephanie (George) Mason (married to Ross Mason) *
Stephanie: My parents, full of faith and trust, took us to the remote jungles of Palawan, an experience that has impacted me and given me a worldview that I cherish to this day. In college, a fellow student told me I was not a missionary because I was just a child then. My classmate insisted that only my parents could claim that distinction. I disagreed.
The Palawan people are not just some remote heathen tribe. They are a people to be known and loved. I hiked with them, ate with them, cleared, planted, tended and harvested rice with them. I shivered through long, cold nights with them, laughed, swam and cried. I carried the sick, delivered medication to villages, preached, taught and learned. Palawan was an extreme of cultures; one to embrace. Those lived experiences built a bond that has remained strong to this day.
Despite years of absence, when I return, our stories will be told, retold and remembered. And therefore Emmanuel, God with us, has come poignantly alive. Without our meeting of cultures, without our willingness to embrace each other’s lives, we would not have seen or felt, in some small part, God’s extreme love for us.
And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of every experience, every person, and their impact on my life. But I would say, dare to do what others will not, embrace risk and choose the path less traveled, for then, as my parents demonstrated, your only option is to cling to God and let Him lead.
“For God has provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40).
——
Marlyn (Bubit) Besas (Jilin’s biological sister and part of our family)
I was one of the first girls baptized in the first village the Spoons and Georges entered, and I am the first product of the original mission school. I was able to attend college and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education.
What I have witnessed and experienced with the Georges has impacted my life and given direction to my work. My parents’ (the Georges) ministry has inspired me to branch out and operate non-formal schools in more remote villages.
Knowing the love of the George family has helped me to feel God’s love. Because of their modeling of unconditional love and compassion for the oppressed, I, too, have taken in an orphan, my son James. Because I have experienced love, I can give love to others, too.
