Itinerary for Dr. Raymond Lawrence, General Secretary of the CPSP, while in the Philippines:
WEDNESDAY, 29 February 2012:
2335 H (11:35pm) – arrival at NAIA from USA
Lodge at Horeb Hotel, St Lukes’ Compound
THURSDAY, 01 March 2012:
0900 H – pick – up at Horeb Hotel for Tagaytay via Brent School in Las Pinas
FRIDAY, 02 March 2012:
1100 H – 1300 H – symposium: Phil Children Medical Center [PCMC], Quezon City
1800 H – Special Event With Dr. Sim & Co
SATURDAY, 03 March 2012:
0830 H – 1500 H: Peer review at ECP National Cathedral, Quezon City
SUNDAY, 04 March 2012:
0900 H: Guest preacher at ECP National Cathedral, SLMC Compound, Quezon City
MONDAY, 05 March 2012:
Symposium: ECP National Cathedral
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, 06-07 March 2012:
Central Philippines University Engagement, Ilo-Ilo
THURSDAY, 08 March 2012:
Flight back to Manila
FRIDAY, 09 March 2012:
1915 H [7:15pm] Departure for USA
Author Archives: bukallifeministries
Seminar on March 5 in Manila with Dr. Raymond Lawrence
ALL ARE INVITED!
Know “The Relevance of CPE in your Church Ministry” 
Guest Speaker: Raymond Lawrence, CPSP General Secretary,
Time Monday, March 5. 8:00 – 11:30 AM
at the Episcoplian Hall (Back of St. Lukes Hospital) E. Rodriguez, QC.
Raymond J. Lawrence Jr. is the founding father and the General Secretary of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy. He has been an Episcopal minister for almost half a century. Most of his career was spent training the next generation of ministers in the art and science of pastoral care and counseling. His most recent teaching position was as Director of Pastoral Care at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University, a position he held for fifteen years. Previously he held positions at St Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Houston, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Houston, and New York Methodist Hospital. He has published widely in scholarly journals, and his opinion pieces on religion, ethics, and social values have appeared in most major newspapers in the U.S. His previous book, The Poisoning of Eros: Sexual Values in Conflict, was published in 1989, and was the winner of the 1990 Book Award at the World Congress on Sexuality in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2007 Praeger Press (Greenwood Publishing) published his Sexual Liberation: The Scandal of Christendom.
Some Related Blogs
A couple of articles have been written by others on our (and other’s) work for the flood relief in Cagayan de Oro.
Feburary Updates
Things are getting back to normal after the Disaster Response trips to Cagayan de Oro. We are presently in the middle of 2011 CPE Batch 4A training. We have just started 2012 CPE Batch 1B training. We are also finishing CPO (Clinical Pastoral Orientation) training with PCM (Philippine College of Ministry).
Upcoming:
Feb 17, BBEG Meeting hosted by Bukal
Feb 19-20 CPO-PCM final evals and graduation
Mar 1-4, Dr. Raymond Lawrence joins us during his Philippine Trip
Mar 12, Recollection service at Northridge School
March 19, CPE 2012 Batch 2A (Summer Intensive) starts.
CPE Policy Change Notice
Date: January 20, 2012
To: All Staff and Supervisors of Bukal Life, as well as prospective CPE trainees.
Fm: Administrator, Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center, Inc.
Cc: Executive Director, Board of Trustees, Bukal Life
Subject: CPE Application Requirements
Effective this date, January 20, 2012, all applications for CPE require submission and acceptance of two forms rather than one. The two forms are:
CPE Application Form: CLICK HERE
CPE Scholarship/Finances Form: CLICK HERE
Application and Finances Forms must be received, reviewed, and accepted prior to the first day of class.
Failure to complete these adequately will result in rejection or delay of acceptance to the program. Failure to meet the terms dilineated in the Financial Application will result in termination from the program or receiving an INCOMPLETE on the unit.
All staff and supervisors are requested to practice and enforce this policy change for future applicants/trainees.
Sincerely,
Robert H. Munson, Th.D.
Administrator, Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center
Return trip to CDO for Typhoon Sendong Relief
Our team of seven returned to CDO last Thursday (Jan 5) They have been working with Kagay-an Disaster Evangelical Response Network, Oro Christian Grace School, and DEPED in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. 
Monday, Celia, Ryan, and Cindy returned to Baguio while the remaining 4 stayed in CDO. Tuesday, they were able to visit the evac center at City Central School and have ministered to victims there. The remaining team (Ptr. Joel, Jehny, Becky, and Alma) will travel Wednesday to Iligan City to hold a crash course in Crisis Response Stress Debriefing Workshop with Evangelical churches there.
Return to Cagayan de Oro
Our Disaster Response Crisis Intervention Team returned to Cagayan de Oro for training and crisis intervention. The team will start work with the Department of Education, as well as at some of the evacuation centers.
It may be worth explaining what we do. We are a religious organization and so some might assume that we focus on evangelism. That is not the case. When someone has gone through a major crisis, they should not make major decision, and should not be encouraged to. They need to be taken to a place of safety and security (physically, emotionally, and mentally). They need to be given a chance for ventilation and validation. They need a chance to plan and prepare for the future… to find a new normal.
We use NOVA (National Organization for Victim Assistance) for group intervention. We use Crisis Care Chaplaincy by the Southern Baptist Convention for training of chaplains, as well as Psychological First Aid by NCCTS (and others).
Day Three Disaster Response in Cagayan de Oro
Pictures of some of the stress debriefing/disaster response of our team in Cagayan de Oro can be seen at:
Bukal Life Disaster Response Team with former Senator Dick Gordon, Chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross
Cagayan de Oro Flooding Response Trip Update after Day 1
Our team of 5 individuals from Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center began the trip to Cagayan de Oro (CDO) on Monday approximately 6AM. The previous week flooding resulted in over 1000 deaths and 50,000 in temporary housing. The team arrived in Manila and got on their 4PM flight to Cagayan de Oro. Unfortunately due to bad weather in CDO, the plane was diverted Davao, a city that is 10 hours from CDO by bus. Arriving in Davao, they were able to find a van going to CDO and began the overnight trek. Local government was not recommending taking the overland route because of risk of landslides, but since air travel was cancelled, there was no choice.
The team arrived around 7AM on the 27th. After breakfast, they began training local church and layleaders in crisis intervention. During the previous week, local government, government agencies, NGOs and religious groups joined together in CDO to plan response. Because of our plan to come down, the evangelical churches were given the responsibility for crisis counseling/intervention. They formed Ka-gayan Evangelical Disaster Response Network. This was the group we started training. 97 trainees were with us on the first day of training. The same trainees plan to join us on day two of training. The following day, our team will work with the trainees in crisis counseling/intervention with primary and secondary victims of the flooding.
After the first day of training, the team visited some of the major flood areas. Now they are catching up on their sleep (having been awake for two full days). We will update you all in a couple of days.
Special Needs Parenting
Special Need Parents have it difficult. Often it is even more difficult in the Philippines. The support system is spotty at best. The school system, even where it does accommodate special needs children, is overcrowded, teachers overworked, and children are put together in the same classroom who should not be. There is also a cultural tendency to keep special needs children hidden away at home. 
Much of these problems are world-wide. With that in mind, here is a blog article that we think you might enjoy. It is called “11 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Special-Needs Parent.” Here are the first three items. To read the rest, click on the article at the bottom of this post.
1. Not knowing is a lot harder than knowing. Yes, there is a lot we can do via therapy to help our children walk, talk, learn, etc. But the hardest thing to admit is that most of it is simply up to their brain and its wiring. There are no certain predictors that a special needs child will develop speech, be able to read, be potty-trained, or become self-sufficient . Good signs, yes. But nothing is certain. The not knowing can drive you crazy if you let it.
2. The internet is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, there is valuable information out there. Yet, information overload can get you stuck. You end up reading too many awful things — that often don’t apply to your child at all — and it can deplete your hope and make you paranoid.
3. Connecting to the special-needs community (whether it be acquaintances, support groups, or the internet) can be both a lifesaver and bummer. It is vital to find people who know what you are going through. Yet, sometimes it can produce even more negative feelings. Since there is always someone who has it worse than you, it can make you feel guilty for complaining. And, since there is always someone else who has it much better, you can sometimes forget that, when it comes to parenting, stress and worry are relative. Those people are just as immersed in their concern over their children as you are and, understandably, aren’t grateful simply because it could be worse. It can always be worse.
To Read More, Click on THIS ARTICLE
Bukal Life Care 