Like any other story everything has its own beginning. If I had to describe the journey to Indigitous in Iligan, Philippines to hold a Mission X Tech event, it would be as simple as the phrase “hearts on fire.” But this was never just my story, it’s God-knitted stories of different individuals pointing to a single origin of wanting to serve God in their respective expertise.
How did it start? It started deep inside their hearts.
I met this tech savvy guy, Khan Saints, from Iligan City who joined us for this year’s Indigitous #HACK in Manila. He’s one of the influencers behind some Christian pages that passionately mobilize and share the Gospel on social media. I thought what he was doing was way too cool!
He just flew far away from Iligan to Manila just to join a 3-day hackathon, which included all the traffic armageddon here, and all of the expenses that went with the trip. But why ? As the events went on, Khan told us a story of what has been happening in Iligan and how he would like to connect Indigitous with what they are doing there. The heart, the passion, the people. This was exactly the type of opportunity we had been looking for!
All throughout #HACK Manila, we really envisioned exploring the possibilities to bring Indigitous to other cities, share the vision, and mobilize them. But the thing is we didn’t know where to start. Having the right people with a heart that catches the vision really matters.
So yes! We got the right people onboard, not just Khan but a group of people from Iligan. Thats why I’m so blessed daily!
Time, space, warp ! Here we go, Iligan City! Time is limited, so carry the vision and pass it on!
Things escalated quickly. We prayed, thought, and planned about it but nevertheless I expected things to happen soon. Excitedly I packed my bags with a mission to move forward to share the vision. I flew all the way from Manila to Iligan with a brave heart. While traveling, I was aware that Iligan was a neighbor city of Marawi, where there had recently been a siege.
I flew high beyond mountains to the south with my mind wandering on how God will orchestrate everything that will happen. I was with four awesome people united by one God-given desire to make Christ known with their God-given talents.
We landed in Iligan around 7:00 pm, almost 3 hours late, while our friend Simon Seow patiently waited at the airport. Instead of feeling frustrated, I wondered if it might have been God’s divine delay; our previous plane had technical problems that prevented it from flying.
Experiencing Iligan City with God
The “fire” doesn’t make you what you are; it reveals what you were. We met Khan and Cliff as we landed and maximized our time together while driving to our final destination. That night we saw a glimpse of God’s awesomeness in regards to His timing. While going back to our places to rest, we saw how lively the city was. We were told that before we arrived, the city looked dead, with empty streets caused by a 9:00 pm curfew. The curfew had been lifted the day we landed in Iligan City for our expedition trip. As I gazed upon the people enjoying themselves in the streets, I realized that “God’s timing is perfect.” There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
On the second day we met with many new people, people with different backgrounds, professions, and motives. Some were looking to see what the event was about, some wanted to know more about how can they use they talents for God, and some were seeking a purpose for what they do and why are they were put into that field of expertise.
It was not an accident that God brought each of them to the same place at the same time. We were able to hear their hearts cry, see their passion, and witness talents you wouldn’t expect to exist far beyond the mountains in the cities of south.
I was amazed. God filled the room with not just people, but with the right people. It was a great experience to share with them the vision of Indigitous, of #HACK, and how to live on mission. As the Bible says: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2).
At the end of the day, I shared with them about tech, Jesus, and missions. Telling my story was fun, sharing with them that the things they are passionate about are not random, it’s their calling. I was touched by how they wanted to move forward, catching the same vision of Indigitous and wanting to share it not just around their city, but also in nearby cities.
Learnings from the expedition
Hold the vision; trust the process.
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told” (Habakkuk 1:5).
You really need to believe that God is going do to amazing things in your life. Unless you are truly ready to trust His process, you cannot really experience the unimaginable things that will happen to you. Some other things I learned:
- Purpose. The things you like to do most are not just random. And your career is more than just a career; it’s your personal calling.
- Passion. Often times passion makes you something, but having the purpose of why you do it is what keeps you going. No matter how you do things, whether right or wrong, you will always have that longing to find purpose with what you are doing.
- Timing. Your timing and plans may not be the best. Keep on trusting the process and see God’s perfect timing.
- Right people. The success of your ministry is having the right people to share the vision with.
Do you want to bring Indigitous to your city?
As 2018 goes by we would like to bring and share Indigitous around the Philippines. And we would like to hear different stories about how Gods uses technology to shape your spiritual journey. We invite you to come and join us in sharing the vision and running towards an adventure of technology in missions.
Run
Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2)
- Contact Jhonathan or comment below if you would like to see an Indigitous movement in your city.