When International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries Steve and Judy Anderson return to the Philippines in May 2004, they’ll be taking on a new assignment, one they’ve anticipated for the last four years.
“We were open to whatever God wanted to use us in; however, we believed it would be dorm parenting at the start,” explained Steve Anderson.
“But that was not in God’s timing. So we followed Him to Davao to work with the college students there,” he said. “God had to teach us to be submissive and obedient before it became His timing to put us in the dorm as parents.”
For the last four years, the Andersons and their four children, Brandon, 12; Brittney, 10; Bailey, 5; and Beth Ann, 3; have served in the southern part of the Philippines on the island of Mindanao, in the city of Davao.
Classified by the IMB as church and home outreach evangelism workers, the Andersons worked one-on-one with college students on five different campuses.
Steve Anderson recalled, “God richly blessed our efforts. And through God’s provision and timing, we were able to see many young nationals discipled and carry the burden to their fellow classmates.”
In May, the Andersons will move to Manila to serve as dorm parents for Southern Baptist missionary kids (MKs) attending the international Christian school Faith Academy. The three oldest Anderson children will attend this school as well.
Steve Anderson describes the new assignment as “mentoring missionary kids for God’s kingdom.”
As an MK himself, Steve Anderson is uniquely qualified for this new assignment. He was born in the Philippines to Alabama-born, Southern Baptist missionaries Phillip and Martha Anderson.
He accepted the call to missions and ministry as a teenager in a missions meeting led by Baker James Cauthen in Baguio City, Philippines.
Steve Anderson said he knows he’ll be able to use his MK experiences in this new assignment. “Since I grew up as an MK, I am familiar with the constant adjustment and change they go through. You’re always moving. You don’t get to stick your roots down too deep.”
Judy Anderson was born in Selma and grew up in Thomasville, where her parents Allen and Laurelle Stoudenmire still live and attend Thomasville Baptist Church.
She credits Girls in Action (GAs) for introducing her to missions and says exposure to missionary kids at Samford led to her call.
Samford connection
Steve Anderson was one of those MKs she met in the Baptist Student Union at Samford while studying in the Ida V. Moffet School of Nursing. They married in January 1989. Judy Anderson conceded that adjusting to life overseas isn’t always easy.
“It’s always difficult to be separated from your family, and there’s the language barrier to deal with,” she said. “It helps that most kids in the Philippines study English from the time they’re in kindergarten, but if you really want to speak to their hearts, you need to be able to speak their dialect.”
The Andersons have studied Cebuano, one of the many dialects found in the Philippines.
Since arriving in Birmingham in July, the Andersons have traveled to New York, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and many parts of Alabama. They have met with individual churches to advocate missions in Royal Ambassador (RA) and GA meetings as well as Sunday services.
They’ve also shared in On Mission Celebrations and global missions conferences.
While you certainly can’t call their stateside assignment a “vacation,” the Andersons are also enjoying having time with family and friends while living in a missionary residence provided by Mountain Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham.
“A real joy for us during this time is our great visits with our families and friends,” Steve Anderson said. “They have all been so supportive and such a blessing to us.”
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