Blazing trails and engaging in cultures are nothing new to Pastor Manny Esguerra, the new regional manager of Asian Center for Missions (ACM) Southeastern Mindanao in Davao City.

Just a couple of years after he became a committed Christian, a young Manny joined mission trips among people groups in northern Luzon, including the Ilokano, Igorot, Itawis, and Gaddang. Little did he know that it was the beginning of his lifelong ministry.

Later on he was assigned to help expand the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) network in Mindanao through church planting and discipleship. When he arrived in 1988, there were only two JIL churches in the Muslim-populated region. Today, thanks to Pastor Manny’s heart for advancing God’s Kingdom, JIL now has presence in every key city in mainland Mindanao—from Zamboanga to Surigao to General Santos.

In 1995, Pastor Manny received a bigger and broader mandate from God when he took the World Missions course (now Kairos course) at ACM. This vision of embarking on what he calls “new frontiers missions” took shape during his trips to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia as a visiting pastor.

“In my heart and mind I began to ask, why don’t we reach out to these people?” said Pastor Manny after seeing the eclectic mix of cultures in the nations he visited, and the fertile opportunity to sow the Good News.

Burdened by this new calling and a need to train for the field, Pastor Manny took up ACM’s intensive missionary training program. “ACM helped me expand my vision by learning more about missions and cross-cultural ministry,” he says.

In 2002, Pastor Manny, with his wife Baby and two of their kids, flew to Indonesia for a long-term mission that lasted four years.

The husband-and-wife team held free English classes as well as Bible studies among students and professionals in an urban center. Eventually their students and disciples grew in number, and so Pastor Manny led this fellowship of new believers. Even without a physical church, this small congregation meets every Sunday afternoon, and is now handled by an Indonesian pastor.

Today, Pastor Manny is excited to be back in Mindanao as manager of ACM’s office in Davao City.

“I especially enjoy talking to different churches here in Mindanao. Whenever they hear about ACM’s programs they’re very happy and interested,” he shares.

“The fire to raise up many missionaries is rekindled, and that’s what I love to do and see, for our Filipino Christian brothers to be introduced to cross-cultural missions.”