Philippines (MNN) — The AMG International Skilled Hands Technological College is growing in size as well as recognition. They were just granted college status by the Security Exchange Commission. Another organization has also offered a second campus so long as AMG brings their curriculum.
Most of the students come from poor families and were unable to go to college because of poverty.
They just graduated 150 students and now have 500 enrolled for the new school year — nearly triple last year's numbers. All graduates leave with a skill such as computer technology, auto body repair, welding, and English language for phone operators. However, they also get
personal evangelism and discipleship training. "To have 1,150 welders in a creative access country in the Middle East, you would be really pretty awed that they're there doing work as welders, but they're also witnesses for Jesus Christ," said Paul Jenks with AMG.
Jenks said that it is particularly encouraging to talk to the organizations where their graduates work. One specific company said that workers they hire from AMG are changing the environment of their offices. "They come in with a smile, they greet one another, they're willing to help, they're faithful employees, and they're not out drinking and carousing like so many have a tendency to do today. It's really having an impact on the morale and the attitude of our whole company," explained Jenks.
Pray that their graduates will continue to make their way into creative access countries where they can be a permanent presence where there is very little witness for Christ. Pray that God will sustain the missionaries at the school with strength, wisdom, and passion. Jenks also asks that we pray that programs like this one in the Philippines will be able to be
duplicated in other Asian countries. Jenks said there is potential for expansion to other areas, people just need the training.
AMG Skilled Hands Technological College started when a man from Canada visited AMG's program in the Philippines. As he was an expert in automotive repair, he challenged the AMG staff to teach the children in their sponsorship program a skill that would help them become productive members of society. With that, he gave a donation and a local man was hired to teach the boys to patch truck tires. From that small beginning, all the other training programs began — first care repair, then welding and the others followed.
