Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFW) indicate the economic potential of the Filipino workforce that is
also a potential for ministry and mission. The economic potential is such that
remittances from OFWs comprise
10 percent of the Philippines' Gross Domestic Product. The workers are
called "economic
heroes" because of their economic impact, and they have developed a global
reputation for competence and dependability. To get to that point, however,
OFWs
endure homesickness and difficult and, sometimes, inhumane working conditions.
Additionally, the absence of such workers means they are unavailable for work
in the Philippines, creating shortages
in areas like teaching that impact the country's development.
The ministry and
mission potential is clear. Ministry to OFWs seems to me to be in two areas:
the workers
themselves and their
families they leave behind. OFWs are also recognized as potential
missionaries in the lands where they work, bi-vocational workers in true
tentmaking roles. How extensive is the training and preparation for OFWs who
want to go this route?
Some ideas:
- Do schools like Asian Theological Seminary have programs to train and empower OFWs? Such preparation would include not only theology but practical matters like laws and customs of the lands where they will serve. Perhaps preliminary travel to those countries for acculturation and language study would be part of the preparation.
- Practical preparation would include practical skills like those taught at The Master's Mission, a rigorous missionary training center in North Carolina. Such skills can breed confidence in people working in new environments. Perhaps partnerships between these kinds of schools can lead to robust training programs.
- Christian schools might be able to increase their preparation of professionals like engineers, lawyers, and accountants for overseas jobs. Such positions gain greater salaries and place the workers closer to key leaders in other countries.
- Christian schools might also equip those professionals to be entrepreneurs so they can do business globally from the Philippines, a development that might reduce dependence on exporting labor.
Of course, the
desire should be to bring labor back to the Philippines. Remittances are fine,
but the wealth remains overseas. Companies in the Philippines owned by
Filipinos mean wealth stays in the Philippines, creating investment
opportunities that lead to growth and more employment in country.
