Chitse Magaspag, a devout Roman Catholic, was in her last year in chemical engineering at Colegio de San Agustin – Bacolod City, when she heard the teaching of the cross in one of their school in campus bible studies. She was struck by the message of the cross and realized that Christ’s death on the cross was especially for her. She became a Christ’s follower through this bible study. Her new found joy in Christ led her to be involved in joining the IVCF chapter in the campus, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and participating in all IV activities in the campus. Chitse also attended leadership trainings and conferences and became a student leader in the campus. She also started going to Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Bacolod.

After graduation, while reviewing for her chemical engineering board exam, she volunteered to be a Grad Team member. She served as GT both in high school and college for five terms from 1987-1994. She stayed in IV Home in Bacolod, where she experienced living with Christians, being nurtured, mentored and discipled by IVCF staff in Bacolod. Slowly, Chitse’s gifts and skill were being honed for service and her vision for God and His work in the world was widening. The time came, when she decided to be involved in full time missionary work.

Chitse Magaspag is now a missionary of Christian Reformed Church in the Philippines (CRCP) serving with the Translators Association of the Philippines (TAP) and Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), part of Wycliffe Bible Translators International (WBTI).

“How can a person know and experience the love and salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ if there’s no Bible written in their own language?” This question challenged her when she visited Cambodia in 1997. This led her to join fulltime in Bible Translation ministry where she is involved in language assessment, translation, literacy, and community development among the people groups who do not have the Bible in their own language.

Her experiences as a Chemical Engineer, a missionary in the mountain tribes, a church deacon, a researcher and a community development facilitator prepared her for mission work. She finished her academic training on Bible Translation and Applied Linguistics at the Alliance Graduate School (AGS) and M.A. in Linguistics at Philippine Normal University (PNU). For her field training, she lived among the Butbut tribe in Kalinga, Philippines. She learned how to analyze their language, their culture, and translate a portion of the Bible and teach them how to read and write in their own language. She also had opportunity to join the field training in Chiang Mai, Thailand with SIL.

In mid 2004, she has been seconded to SIL – Mainland Southeast Asia Group (MSEAG) assigned in Cambodia. She did language assessment for almost four years among the ethnic/tribal minority groups to identify the literacy and translation needs. She trained other colleagues to do language assessment as well. At present, she is assigned as an advisor/consultant of Ratanakiri Integrated Development and Education (RIDE) project of International Cooperation Cambodia (ICC) where SIL is one of the member agencies. Her vision is to see lives transformed through the sharing of God’s Word, His love and salvation through translation, literacy and community development work.

Chitse asks prayers for:

• Good relationship with my new team – expats and locals. Also, support group of friends.
• God’s provision for a motorbike. It is needed when I visited in different villages.
• Good health – God’s protection against malaria, dengue, and other prevalent sicknesses in the province.
• Provision for my monthly needs in Cambodia. Partners who will pledge for my medical and life insurance – this includes evacuation and repatriation. This is required by our organization.
• My nephew – Shem – that God would bring real transformation in his life. God’s wisdom for parents as they guide Shem in God’s way.
• The minority people groups in Cambodia would have access to God’s Word in the language that they understand best.
• Continued growth as a servant of the Lord especially that I would keep my eyes firmly fixed upon Him.

If you want to send a letter of encouragement to Chitse, please write her at:
International Cooperation for Cambodia (ICC)
P.O. Box 612, Phnom Pench, Cambodia
Website: www.icc.org.kh

If you are led by God to send some monetary support to Chitse for her medical insurance, MEANS has made a special arrangement with Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church, Bacolod City, Philippines for Chitse’s support to reach Cambodia. Make your check payable to MEANS and in a separate note write for Chitse’s support. MEANS address is: P.O. Box 8434 Bartlett, IL 60103-8434, Bartlett, IL USA

Article contributed by:

Chitse Magaspag and Lina Padilla

First of, THANK YOU all for your relentless prayers for and support of the upcoming Balikatan 2010 Conference. The Planning for this significant event has been on-going for over a year and 4 months, and your Boston Family is ‘wicked thrilled’ (New England dialect!) to welcome you back to the beautiful New England corner of the world!

Please continue to check the website conference page for updates at www.Balikatan.org, specifically www.Balikatan.org/bc2010.

Meanwhile much mindful of the numerous details of your own conference trip preparations, we are delighted to provide for you the General 2010 Conference Schedule (living document). Please note the detailed version will serve as the centerfold of the 2010 Balikatan Conference Souvenir Program Booklet to be distributed at the conference.

If you have questions or require clarification, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at: Eleanr@hotmail.com or Kuya Ernie Jimenez at ernievee@gmail.com.

His Richest Blessings to Ya’ll (in deference to our southern counterparts!),

Edna Eleanor Bargan
Balikatan 2010 Conference Director

DOWNLOAD OR VIEW General 2010 Conference Schedule

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Dear Balikatan friends,
It is my great pleasure to announce that Ate Lisa and Kuya Leiton Chinn have been chosen as the recipients of the 2010 Hugh M. Jenkins Awards for Excellence in Community Programming by the Knowledge Community for International Student and Scholar Services of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. NAFSA is the leading professional association promoting the exchange of students and scholars to and from the USA.

The purpose of the award is to recognize persons or organizations exhibiting “outstanding commitment to international educational exchange in the community, providing leadership and example for building bridges of friendship between Americans and internationals.” (NAFSA) The people who nominated Ate Lisa and Kuya Leiton gave “outstanding reports of their volunteerism throughout their service, highlighted their extensive service to NAFSA and local organizations, listed numerous accounts of their commitment to active participation with internationals in the local community, and their efforts to forge a link between community organizations, campuses, and international students.”(NAFSA)

Ate Lisa will receive the award at the NAFSA national conference, in Kansas City on Wednesday, June 2. Unfortunately, Kuya Leiton has to attend another event in Edinburgh, Scotland at the same time.
Please join us in praising God and congratulating Ate Lisa and Kuya Leiton Chinn on this honor and blessing (lchinn@intervarsity.org and lechinn@aol.com). May God use this award for His glory!

Sincerely,

Valerie Malabonga, Board Secretary (on behalf of the Balikatan Board)

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce a new position in Balikatan known as Alumni Liaison Communication Specialist. ALCS will contact 100 alumni or more monthly for the next three months prior to Balikatan conference with the purpose of first inviting them to the Balikatan Conference then building relations with them. She will also ask the alumni to prayerfully consider supporting IVCF Philippines and joining the local Balikatan chapter of their residence. Contacting the alumni and channeling them to Balikatan and/or local chapters will be an ongoing task of the ALCS for a year to start with.

During the 25th Balikatan conference in LA two years ago, several members suggested that the untapped alumni of IVCF Philippines be contacted to join Balikatan and its local chapters where the alumni live. Per Erickson Velardo, ND of IVCF Phils, there are about 1000 alumni in the US and Canada who are not involved with either Balikatan or its local chapters. The Board seriously considered this suggestion and brainstormed various ideas including outsourcing a paid position in Manila, which the Board found out included a lot of hurdles and hassles. After several months of deliberations, meetings, emails, phone calls, teleconferences, and prayer, the Lord provided Balikatan the best person for ALCS: MILA PASCUAL. Nobody qualifies for this position better than Mila, a former IVCF Philippines staffworker and Balikatan Board member. She generously agreed to volunteer her time and talent to be ALCS for one year. Her family are both very supportive of Mila’s commitment.

So, Balikatan, please welcome MILA PASCUAL, ALCS. If you have information about any IVCF alumni names, phones, and email addresses, feel free to email Mila at milapascual@bellsouth.net.

Happy Easter everyone!! Let us celebrate the risen Christ in our lives, our families, our churches, and Balikatan group/chapters.