BAM Global Leaders Forum - People, Manila, Philippines (March 2026)

 This forum had a lot of participants. As a result, we did not have the intimacy of knowing each other well. Nonetheless, I met many people one-on-one. Here are some that are noteworthy.

Dwight Nordstrom, Chairman of PRI

John Ng, Mario, from Singapore

He is the CEO of BAM Philippines

BAM in a Box Group

He is the only Rwandan

She is a Kyrgyz, a disciple of Almaz

He is a Norwegian who married to a Korean wife. 

All Koreans and Korean-related people

Julien from Indonesia, the leader of KBC

Brent, a businessman, pastor, and mission agency leader

On a separate note, I met up with Jae Jung Jang, who has been living in the Philippines for more than 40 years. He and I worked together in a BAM program in Korea. He is now deeply involved in the finance business, including a bank and a digital payment network. I was glad to hear that he received a complete healing verdict for cancer. Praise the Lord!

I am not sure what the Lord has in store in all the meetings I had. May Your will be done in Your way and in Your time, Lord! I will obey Your will! - Jeffrey

BAM Global Leaders Forum - Programs, Manila, Philippines (March 2026)

From March 18 to 23, BAM Global held its Leaders Forum 2026 (LF26) in Manila, Philippines. BAM Philippines hosted this event, and their services were sincere and authentic. We greatly appreciated their warm-hearted services. A total of 170 delegates participated in LF26 from 50 countries. When we arrived at the site, a group of young ladies welcomed us with singing and dancing. "Mabuhay!" meant "Welcome" in Tagalog. 

The facility was a compound, owned and managed by the CCT or Center for Community Transformation. I heard the name when I was serving in Rwanda because the CCT owns and operates a microfinance institution as well. The compound was quite large.

The worship time brought all brothers and sisters into unity, filled with awe and honor for God. It was a time of blessings.

I had the privilege of leading a devotion time on "Avodah, work, worship, and service." 

LF26 had a variety of programs, including devotion on Avodah, Shalom, and Kingdom, breakout sessions, and team-building exercises. But all programs were centered around four action pillars: Listen, Learn, Share, and Collaborate. Mats, Jo, and Jaol led the programs. All collected ideas, inputs, feedback, and evaluations would be analyzed and shared at the BAM Global Summit.

Team-building exercises involved impromptu actions and dynamics. 

In addition to a color-coordinated team, I also signed up to take part in the BAM in a Box group. I ended up volunteering for the first initiative to get the ball rolling practically. Out of 17 groups, we were the only group that came up with practical implementation plans. 

I was also part of a team that worked on a special collaborative project. 

Jo took time and introduced all members serving the BAM Global. It was quite a sizeable team. 

BAM Philippines organized an entertainment program as a way of introducing Philippine culture to us. These programs included dancing, singing, and even traditional pig cuisine.

I took a selfie with the Mabuhay sign.

I saw several old timers, including Mats Tunehag, Craig Schugart, and Bill Job. I was also included in the old timers. I was thinking quietly that this would be the last event for me to take part in for BAM Global. - Jeffrey 

Kigali, Rwanda (March 2026)

After the trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe, my next schedule was to take part in the BAM Global Leaders Forum 2026 (LF26) in Manila, Philippines. It would start from March 17, but my schedule in South Africa ended on March 11. So, I decided to take advantage of this time gap and visit Kigali, Rwanda. I stayed at the Nanuri Guesthouse and served at two worship services with sermons: one with the staff of Nanuri Medical Center and the other with the Nanuri Community people at the Sunday worship service. I took an X-ray of my chin to make sure I did not have any hairline cracks on my jawbone. 

The greatest joy of my trip to Rwanda was seeing my former colleagues at Urwego Opportunity Bank, where I worked and served for more than five years from 2009. Many of them were now leaders of different organizations or ministries. Only two of them were still with the same bank, now Urwego Finance. They were Kevin, Isabel (Kevin's wife), Emmanuel, Dan, Faustin, Shelagh, Jessica, Mary, Alice, and Orren. Daniel Ryumugabe did not make it. 

The time I spent with Sang Hoon Lee, now Managing Director of Nanuri Limited, was invaluable. I served as the chairman of the board for a few years until Kristin and I left Rwanda in 2016. He is still teaching at a university in Butare or Huye. The guesthouse I stayed at was well-kept, and I enjoyed the stay. 

Sang Hoon Lee gave me one of his books

With Sang Hoon Lee, his wife Song Hee, and Rev Kyungsoo Kim

I had dinner with Ben Cho and his family at Sakae Restaurant. He was and still is a member of my Shalom Bible Study. 

I also met with Missionary Bohye Kim, Kihyun Kim, and Jiman Park, and their son, at a new restaurant. It was a joyous reunion.

I also met up with Minsu Koh and his wife, Aesim Kim, over lunch. They built an elementary school in addition to the Kindergarten. I enjoyed spending time hearing about their ministries. 

I took time to visit Vinyard Elementary School, which Song Hee Lee was running as Director. She started 2 & 5 School, but after successful years, she ended up handing it over to the church denomination. She felt betrayed, but God healed her wounds, and she took over the management of this school through a 10-year exclusive management contract. I pray that she will manage it and hand it over well this time.  

My stay was short, so I could not meet all the people whom I wanted to, but it was sweet to see some old friends, particularly my former UOB colleagues. May God bless them in their life journeys as His disciples! - Jeffrey