Author Archives: bukallifeministries

Project Leyte- Bukal Life Care Team

Project Leyte was a partnership of various Baguio-based groups, including Philippine Nurses Association-Baguio, Philippine Guidance Counselors Association- Baguio, Zero Distance from the Philippines, Nightingale Builders, and Bukal Life Care.

Four members of Bukal Life Care joined. Three went to Isabel (Celia, Becky, and Cori) joined by a nurse, Mimi; while one (Ptr. Bart) joined the main contingent in Tanauan.

The Isabel team was invited by Pasar Foundation, to do stress debriefing with local students and teachers. We were hosted by Pasar and they were most gracious hosts. The team was able to provide debriefing for between 150 and 200, and individual pastoral care for a number of individuals. Isabel, Leyte is an area where there was a great deal of physical destruction and economic damage, but no loss of life.

The Tanauan team was working in partnership with DSWD- Regions 1 and 8. This area had major structural damage as well as loss of life. The team did debriefing work as well as a Medical Mission.

More photos are available on FB (in or FB group and page as well as on pages of our partners). But here a very few for you now.

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Intentional Conversation Presentation

<div style=”margin-bottom:5px”> <strong> <a href=”https://www.slideshare.net/bmunson3/intentional-conversation&#8221; title=”Intentional Conversation” target=”_blank”>Intentional Conversation</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/bmunson3&#8243; target=”_blank”>Bob Munson</a></strong> </div>

CPE Summer

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) will start at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary through Bukal Life Care starting March 24, 2014 and continuing for 10-11 weeks. CPE was developed in the 1920s as a method to provide caring support to the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of those in mental institutes, hospitals, and prisons. It has broadened its role to include care in the church/parish and community.

This is an intensive program of 400 hours of didactic, group work, and practical ministry.

This can be taken as a full CPE unit (400 hours) or half unit (200 – 240 hours).

Practical ministry will primarily be carried out in local hospitals and jails in greater Baguio City. Other venues, such as church/parish work is also possible.

For some, it may also be possible to take CPE for credit with Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary.

If interested or you have questions, you may contact us at info@bukallife.org.

If you go to the forms section of http://www.bukallife.org, you can download our CPE brochure and CPE application. Otherwise, you may email us at info@bukallife.org and we can send you these items.

 

Disaster Response in Leyte.

Part of the Project Leyte team has already left. This includes Ptr. Bart from Bukal Life Care. The rest of our team (including Celia, Becky, and Cori) is leaving tonight. Thanks to groups in partnership with us (PNA-Baguio/Benguet, PGCA-Baguio/Benguet, Zero Distance from the Philippines, Nightingale Builders and DSWD-Regions 1, 8, and CAR). Thankful to the many sponsors. We would like to specially thank those who are helping our group specifically. These include

  • Virginia Baptist Disaster Response
  • PASAR Corp.
  • Analyn Caytap
  • Dr. Alicia Pangilinan
  • Monday Afternoon Club.

Most of Project Leyte will work in Tanauan, Leyte. However, most of the Bukal Life Care team will work in Isabel, Leyte, early in the week and join the others in Tanauan for the medical mission.

 

Intentional Conversation Mini-Workshop

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We recently started our Mini-Workshop series. It started last year with two trainings related to disaster response and stress defusing. This year we started with “Intentional Conversation” especialy focusing on the use of intentional conversation in gaining understanding and or seeking change in a relationship. DSC03924

We had 38 attendees with 1 hour of more standard lecture and an hour of group discussion and roleplay. Thanks to PBTS for giving us space to use for this training, as well as providing snacks for attendees.

We are looking into doing our next Mini-Workshop in February on the topic of “Mediation.”

Mini-Workshop Series Starting

In 2014, we plan to hold periodic (perhaps once or twice monthly) mini-workshops on various topics of pastoral care.

These will be held at the campus of Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. Very small groups could be held at our office there. Larger groups will be at in classrooms.

Our fist one will be on the topic of “Intentional Conversation.” It will be on January 30th (Thursday) from 6pm to 8pm.

Clinical Pastoral Education– Summer Intensive

We will be starting our Summer Intensive CPE in March.

It will 10-11 weeks starting the last week in March.

We will be handling full unit and half unit (400 hours and 200 hours) trainees simultaneously.

Training will be held in Baguio City, Philippines, with practical work at Baguio General Hospital (with other hospitals and jails in the Baguio and La Trinidad area available as needed).

For questions, application, and comments, please email us at info@bukallife.org. Applications should be sent in expeditiously so that evaluation interviews can be set up.

 

Our Latest E-Journal

<div style=”margin-bottom:5px”> <strong> <a href=”https://www.slideshare.net/bmunson3/bukal-life-care-journal-2013&#8243; title=”Bukal Life Care Journal 2013″ target=”_blank”>Bukal Life Care Journal 2013</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/bmunson3&#8243; target=”_blank”>Bob Munson</a></strong> </div>

What’s in a Name

Okay, it is a bit confusing. Some places we call ourselves the following:

Bukal Life MinistriesBukal Logo Small New

Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center

Bukal Life Care & Training Center

Bukal Life Care

Perhaps the following will correct the confusion.

1.  Bukal Life Ministries. When we first formed as a group in October/November of 2009, this was the name that we went by. BUKAL is the Tagalog word for “spring” (as in a fountain of water). We felt the name fit our focus on helping people recover from Tropical Storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng.  Even after our name officially changed, we retained the name “Bukal Life Ministries” for projects that were tied more to social ministry (as opposed to pastoral care or clinical pastoral education). So, in a sense, we never retired the term.

2.  Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center. When we incorporated in June of 2010, we utilized the name “Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center.” The term counseling implied related to our pastoral care and clinical pastoral education work. The term care focused on the social ministry and training work. This has been our official name up until the present.

3.  Bukal Life Care & Training Center.  In November 2012, concerns about the use of the term Counseling Center came up. It was felt by some that the term “Counseling” was inappropriate based on Philippine Republic Act 9258. Based on that, there was a decision to research a name change removing the term Counseling and replace with Training. That actually made sense since it could be said that implied two basic ministries “Life Care” and “Training.”  So we started making changes towards the name change. That stopped based on a reevaluation that we did not violate the Republic Act. <Frankly, the law is quite… curiously…  written. The law professionalizes the use of the term “counseling” but fails to recognize many common uses of this common term, only recognizing  psychoemotional counseling. As such it ignores legal counseling, spiritual counseling, informal counseling, professional/vocational counseling and so forth. The Law also criminalizes the use of the term “center” but doesn’t technically clarify that the such criminalization only relates to psychological counseling organizations. However, one has to appreciate the spirit of the law that seeks to professionalize a noble activity.> Gradually we started moving away from this name.

4.  Bukal Life Care. We often have used this term as the short form or our organization. A number of us have considered the possibility of changing our name formally to this short-hand title. It gets rid of the term “counseling center,” which causes so much confusion in the Philippines. Secondly, it focuses on our main role “LIFE CARE.” Life Care is the term we use for the following sub-topics (both as an activity and as a training are):

Pastoral Care/Spiritual Care

Member Care

Crisis Care

Health Care

 

Our board of trustees will be meeting in a few weeks to come up with a final name. We will let you know what is finally decided.

 

 

 

Bukal Yo Hope” Disaster Response Stress Defusing

Two teams have departed for the Visayas in December in response to disasters there.

Team A. 10 team members travelled to Cebu City and Ormoc City. Divided into two groups, they were on site from December 2nd to 9th. There they did stress debriefing at evacuation centers, a hospital, and door-to-door. Additionally, they did training for ministry leaders in Cebu. The visit at this time was a challenging period as evacutation centers were being closed. As the relief phase ends, there is a need for a development phase. Time will tell how well this transition goes.cebu 1

Team B. 3 team members travelled to Bohol. They assisted a team already there. They were there December 17-19 and did stress defusing with ministry leaders as well as training. Relief goods were also distributed. Bohol is quite different from Cebu and Leyte. Cebu and Leyte were greatly affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Bohol did not get hurt much by the typhoon, but had a major earthquake a few weeks previous. We were actually preparing to go to Bohol some weeks before, but got reprioritized by the typhoon that followed. We are glad we had the opportunity to get to Bohol finally. bohol 1