John Holbrook

Career Missionary since 2011.

John and Rodelyn Holbrook grew up playing together in the mountains of the Philippines where John’s family served as AFM missionaries. Both John and Rodelyn heard God’s call to missions while still in elementary school, and both pursued educations to prepare them for this calling. After John’s graduation in the States, he returned to the Philippines to start a new AFM project among the Tawbuid. His friendship with Rodelyn was rekindled, and they eventually married.

John and Rodelyn, along with their daughter Ellen Joy, continue to plant churches among the Tawbuid on the Philippine island of Mindoro. God’s ministry through them and the native church leaders has grown to include four tribes and numerous churches. Currently, their primary focus is training and equipping native leaders and missionaries in church leadership, evangelism, healthcare, agriculture and earning a livelihood. They are also working to help native students receive higher education in order to return and help their tribes in development and evangelism.

Frontier Stories

Launch to Mindoro

Ripppp! I froze, half-way into my seat, and slowly looked around to see if anyone else had heard the sound of fabric tearing. A man in a business suit strolled down the aisle of the airplane toward me. Across the aisle, a retired lady on group tour stared out the window at the ground crew preparing the plane for departure. Behind me, a middle-aged Filipino lady was already asleep. I seemed to have escaped detection.

Trying to act nonchalant, I ran my hand down my hip to inspect the damage. Sure enough, my threadbare jeans had decided to give way. For the next 27 hours of travel to Manila, I had the added comfort of air conditioning for my lower extremities. Yep, I was back to mission life—sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes comical, always unpredictable.

By: John Holbrook
November 01 2011, 7:39 am | Comments 0

Dirty Water

“Get out!” the kids screamed as I naively cannonballed into the crystal-clear water for the hundredth time. “It’s coming, it’s coming!” they shouted, but my eight-year-old brain, more interested in having fun than doing the hard work of language learning, hadn’t the foggiest idea what they were saying.

By: John Holbrook
October 01 2011, 7:36 am | Comments 0

Miracle Stories

Something had gone terribly wrong, though. Instead of receiving a warm reception, the only people in the world who were committed to reaching the Huao now lay dead. Why hadn’t God intervened? Why hadn’t He worked a miracle and protected them?

By: John Holbrook
September 01 2011, 7:34 am | Comments 0

God’s Assignment

I never intended to be a missionary. Just like every little boy, I was going to be an astronaut. That is, until I met God.

By: John Holbrook
August 01 2011, 7:30 am | Comments 0

Joy

And now it was done. I hadn’t done it. I am no public speaker or social savant. I live by the philosophy of, “When in doubt, mumble.” But God worked through me again and again, speaking through me the message He had given me. In fact, the times when I messed up were the very times when He spoke most powerfully to people’s hearts. I could never accept any credit.

By: John Holbrook
July 01 2011, 7:26 am | Comments 0

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