For the first time, from April 7 - May 2, the MCF held a servant leadership course in the Philippines.  This course was held at a small college on the Philippine island of Mindoro.  The 26 participants in the course included the college’s faculty members and many of its students.  Cheryl Broetje and Glenn Cross from the Center for Sharing led the course.  Bob Christensen and Dan Ballast from the MCF participated with them, both as learners and as mentors and friends for the Filipino participants.

This course met for about 6 hours a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks.  The entire course was set up to use probing questions, discussions, videos, games and dramas to help students learn from each other.  Students were greatly impacted as they saw their lives through the lens of servant leadership principles.

One key emphasis of the course was simply to model community.  As part of this, students openly shared their life stories, including the pain from their past.  Through this experience, students began to realize that they all were broken people who shared similar struggles.  A wonderful atmosphere of acceptance permeated the group, and they began to see how their brokenness gave them a unique sensitivity to the needs of others.  At the end of the course, students arranged a graduation ceremony, where each student read their mission statements to the group.

Another aspect of the course was to help students think about how they could serve the communities where they lived.   As part of this, the students went out into the communities around the college to see the needs of the people first-hand.  In one poor fishing village, students were amazed to see young children gambling.  They also spoke with many children in the village, who told them about their alcoholic, abusive fathers.  Through this experience, many students began to realize that their own past and experiences uniquely equipped them to serve in these kinds of communities.  

A culminating goal of the course was to help students understand their call as they considered their own brokenness, their unique personalities and their areas of giftedness.  Students developed their own personal mission statements.  These mission statements served to empower these students.  And, they felt further empowered because the group, that now knew them so well, was also supporting and encouraging them in their calls.