LittWorld 2009 Report

From November 1 to 6, close to 150 men and women involved in publishing from more than 30 countries gathered in the hills of Limuru, Kenya for LittWorld 2009. God enabled me to attend this world conference on Christian publishing. Let me share with you our experiences during the said conference.

The cold weather in the conference center (it was 15°C on the first day of the conference) was made warmer with the fellowship of brothers and sisters from around the world eager to learn and share with each other. There were general sessions, roundtable discussion, and panel discussion complemented by devotion time, elective workshops, and professional consultation with experts. I attended the workshops on writing; combining fact, fiction, fun and fantasy in children’s books; maximizing training; teaching writing; ghost writing; and using social media. I also had the chance to have a one-on-one consultation with Robin Pippin of Upper Room Magazine. This was such a wonderful experience for me not only because I received professional advice from her regarding expanding opportunities for writing, but also because I used to write for Upper Room and this was the first time for me to meet in the flesh one of the magazine’s editors.

Participants also had the chance to relax, banter, and discuss things during coffee breaks, lunch, and dinner. We were treated to Kenyan hospitality and local staples ugali (mashed corn), fresh fruits and vegetables, lamb, fish, and chicken. Of course, Kenyan tea and coffee were overflowing. As a treat to the participants, we also had a day trip to the Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha where we saw some giraffes, zebras, deer, sheep, and goats roaming wildly as well as a couple of hippopotamus dipping in the lake. We also saw some birds wading in the lake like the beautiful pink flamingos and cormorants. And a mischievous monkey too!

Attending this year’s LittWorld had me thinking about God’s direction for me for writing in the next months. I was not only encouraged but I also tried to encourage my peers (I hope they were). I came out of LittWorld refreshed and recharged once again to tackle the numerous writing and training assignments God has for me. At the conference, two of the speakers said, “Every Christian book is a missionary.” Please pray that God will continue to use me to write books and to train those who write books. On November 21, I will be facilitating a writeshop for devotional writers of Scripture Union Philippines. I am also working on another Bible curriculum for a Grade 2 textbook for Glad Tidings Publishing. Thank you for your partnership in Christian publishing!

To view photos of LittWorld in Kenya, please visit http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=124065&id=684578540&ref=mf. For photos of Lake Naivasha, visit http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=2909458&id=684578540.

More Powerful Than Typhoons

Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Ondoy) devastated a large part of Metro Manila and nearby provinces with the worst flooding in more than forty years. Typhoon Parma (Pepeng) followed right after Ketsana and threatened to unleash its fury particularly in Northern Luzon. In spite of the aftermath of Ondoy and the brewing of another typhoon, 12 writers and editors decided to brave the storm and camped at Bayview Park Hotel in Manila to attend the writing conference of Magazine Training International.

From October 4 to 7, magazine writers and editors from Japan, Malaysia, India, United Kingdom, and the Philippines listened to us trainers as we shared about the calling of the Christian writer and the craft of writing and editing magazine articles. I particularly shared about the keys to powerful writing and got the participants busy with some writing exercises.

While writing this, I received an email from one of the participants from Japan. She informed me that she and her colleagues will be sharing to their editor-in-chief the things that they’ve learned while in the conference. During the conference also, a Filipina participant asked me if she could save a soft copy of my presentation. She anticipated echoing the seminar to her coworkers in the communication department of their institution.

I have been privileged to coach these brothers and sisters along with trainers Dr. Michael Ray Smith and Kim Snider. Dr. Smith is an award-winning writer, photojournalist, academic and conference speaker, and professor in communications at Campbell University (http://www.maryanndiorio.com/blog/archives/general/000413.php). On the other hand, Kim Snider is the editor of Moms magazine (http://www.apmedia.org/site/moms/) and coordinator of print publishing for Asia Pacific Media Ministries.

I could not have done my part during the conference if God had not empowered me. Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng showed their destructive force but God is continually building up people’s lives through the powerful writing of those whom He has called.

You may view pictures of the conference by clicking on this link http://www.facebook.com/marlene.legaspi.munar#/album.php?aid=115390&id=684578540

Magazine Writer

I grew up with an aunt who, even though, she did not finish school, had a great love for reading. She kept stacks of magazines and comic books in her attic. During summer, my hideaway was her attic. Time stood still for me in the attic as I get engrossed in stories and enchanted by behind the scene details about celebrities.

It’s not surprising then that my first writing job was as a staff writer for a lifestyle magazine. It was a short stint, but I really learned a lot of things. Aglow Christian Magazine had just been out in the market for a month or so when I applied as a writer. I was a nervous neophyte but ambivalently, I was also eager to write just about anything. Looking back, I am thankful that I was given the chance to do just that. I interviewed celebrities, wrote cover stories, features, fillers, devotional, how-to-articles, and even restaurant reviews.

Writing for the magazine enabled me to express my God-given creativity and to communicate a Christian perspective. Years later, I would appreciate even more the value of a magazine that communicates the gospel when I saw my ten-year-old daughter reading a magazine. A few minutes later, I saw her crying, still holding the magazine. I asked her why, and she answered, “I just realized…I need Jesus Christ in my life.”

God can use a magazine and its magazine writers to proclaim the good news. As we magazine writers seek to hone our skills, we can be more effective messengers of glad tidings. Magazine Training International will be holding a conference in Manila, Philippines on Writing Effective Magazine Articles from October 4-7. I am privileged to be one of the trainers. For details about this course and inquiries on registration, please visit http://www.magazinetraining.com/UpcomingConferences/mticonf_Writers/. Hope to see you there!

20 Years of Writing Ministry

Last Sunday, I was carefully listening to the Adult Sunday school teacher as she shared about John Maxwell’s Law of Process when I was prompted to recall the year I started writing professionally. It was 1989 when I became one of the original staff of Aglow Christian Magazine, the first Christian lifestyle magazine in the Philippines sold in secular newsstands. Quickly, I calculated that it’s been 20 years ago, and that means this year is my 20th anniversary as a Christian writer.

A colleague was wowed when I told her about this realization. I was also caught by surprise. Until last Sunday, I wasn’t counting the years; I was just writing and writing, following God’s leading. Others may be amazed at such staying power, but others in the know are probably wondering how I’ve survived. Writers, like artists, don’t get rich (unless they’re a Stephen King or a local history textbook writer whose textbooks have been used for decades in most public and private schools in the country).

But I’d like to believe that God is using me to leave behind a “rich” legacy to my present and future readers. A college friend told me that to leave a legacy you have to plant a tree, bear children, and write a book. I am grateful that God has opened the doors for me and enabled me to write a short fiction book (on the theme of finding and receiving love through forgiveness); a Bible-based Values textbook for Grade 3 published by Glad Tidings Publishing (http://www.gtpicomm.com/) used in several private schools for the past 10 years; and another Bible-based Values curriculum for Voice Philippines (http://www.voice-phils.com/) which uses the material in partnership with churches in 115 public schools. The opportunity to shape young minds is an awesome privilege and a serious responsibility. I give all the glory to God for using me as His instrument to write all these and many other devotionals, articles, radio scripts, and translations.

But on the other side of the writer’s legacy is the writer’s process. God led me through many difficult, challenging phases of writing. From a staff writer, I moved on to freelance for both Christian and secular market, for both local and a few international publications. In my earlier days, I would write for free or for a measly honorarium. I would write and rewrite articles. I would imaginatively and diligently craft book proposals that would later be rejected and cause me to doubt my worth as a writer. I’ve battled with pride (especially when a peer was praised and my byline was erased) and impatience (often with the release of a payment). I’ve drunk cups of coffee and stayed up until dawn to beat deadlines. I’ve cried too many times asking for more rewarding projects and prayed almost all the time for wisdom and strength to write every assignment.

Yet, I continue. The words of God have been my comfort, hope, and direction. The God who called me to the ministry of writing reminds me of my calling. As the writer of 1 John says, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete” (1 John 1:3-4).

Through my writings, I want others to know more about God and His grace through Jesus Christ. I want to encourage them to keep trusting God in their daily lives. I am still in the process of becoming a writer useful to God. So I keep on learning. I scavenge for books on writing from book sales; I browse websites on writing; I network with other writers; I attend seminars and workshops on writing and publishing; and yes, I am still hoping I could attend this year’s LittWorld, a Christian publishing conference to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from November 1-6.

Writers or not, we all are called to serve God in the ministry He has entrusted to us. May we all cooperate with God’s process and become a powerful tool in the hands of a mighty God. And at the end of each day and that final day, may we all say, it’s been a pleasure serving you, Lord.

Sausages, Franks, and the Favor of God

As my husband and I descend the stairs leading to the grocery, a chest freezer welcomes us, inviting us to peek and pick its choicest array of sausages and franks. We saw a variety of European sausages, but I particularly noticed those big, bulging, orange-brown tubes labeled “Hungarian sausages”. It’s been a while since we last had those imported sausages. For a second, my husband and I paused, looked and grinned at each other, then returned our gaze on the wieners. “No, it’s too expensive,” I said. So there, none of the sausages made it to our grocery cart.

Two days later, I decided to visit an old aunt whom I haven’t seen in perhaps a year. She was out of the house when I arrived, but my cousin and his wife were around to welcome me. My cousin, whom I haven’t seen in a while, excitedly told me the good news.

“God is so good! If it were not for Him, we would not have this new business.” I listened with curiosity, because just a year ago, this same cousin was in distress due to financial problems.

“We asked God for help, and one time, when she was praying,” he said, referring to his wife, “she opened the Bible and saw a verse in Deuteronomy 30 saying something about returning to the Lord and obeying Him so we can see our fortunes restored. We believed it and then God suddenly opened the doors for us.”

From fish processing, they diversified into high-end meat products. They are new in the field, but this early, their clients already include five-star hotels and a well-known supermarket. “We just started but how come we were able to get those clients? Only God could open these doors!”

I agreed and rejoiced with them, especially when I remembered how they struggled earlier and how God has rescued them now. “That’s the favor of God!” I exclaimed. God is gracious and merciful. And God’s favor includes opening doors that man can’t open and can’t close either.

Before I went out of their door that day, I also experienced an overflow of God’s favor.

“We’ll give you some of our products,” my cousin and his wife said. Then they took out a chunk of raw pink salmon and several smoked chicken breasts. In the next breath, he brought out sausages and franks and rattled off their names which to me sound foreign, except for cocktail franks. There’s kielbasa, chipolata, and chorizo Mexicano. All mine for free. I didn’t have to buy them from the grocery. Now that’s favor from God!

Whether you’re desperate and at the end of your rope (like my cousin was), or even when you’re not desperate (like we were) and just longing for something you haven’t tasted in a while, or wanting to attend the next LittWorld, God’s grace and favor is available through His Son Jesus Christ. God is gracious .

The Publisher

Who owns the first publishing company?

GOD does, says Pearl during our morning devotion on the third day of Littworld. Pearl is an author and mentor of writers in Trinidad. She puts forth Psalm 68:11 to support her claim. The King James Version of the Bible says it so aptly, “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” The Amplified Bible magnified the thought by saying, “The Lord gives the word [of power]; the women who bear and publish [the news] are a great host.”

I listened intently to Pearl. I was drawn to what the Spirit of God was saying through her. I took down notes as she shared the word of God and her journey as a writer. I scribbled the following on my notebook:

God is the source of our creativity and vision. Wait on God to get vision from God. God sends His Word to us daily, sufficient for each day—not to be hoarded but gathered, distributed to the household. If God offers us fresh manna daily, how dare we serve a stale revelation to others? Gather while it’s still fresh and publish it quickly. If we neglect to promptly deliver the message to others, He will find someone else to do it.

I gathered from Pearl other important things that a writer should remember: that writing is a craft; that writers should write and rewrite; and that as people involved in publishing, we are ambassadors of Christ. But more than that, the Spirit of God etched in my heart the conviction that to be a writer of God I have to be a woman of the Word of God. I have to read it, study it, apply it, proclaim it. I am called by the foremost Publisher to publish His Word, and oh, what a great privilege, what a great calling, what a great responsibility.

All through out the time that Pearl was sharing, tears blurred my eyes, and I could not speak. My head commanded my hand to record quickly the message being proclaimed so that later on, I could go back to the message again and again. It is clear. My heart was captured by God, and my spirit surrendered willingly. The Lord has given His word, and I am among those that publish it.

A Kindred Soul in LittWorld

One of the pleasant surprises of participating in international gatherings is finding someone who can also speak your language. The following day after I prayed during the opening session in my native Tagalog, I heard a feminine voice greet me from behind. There were only two of us from the Philippines attending this LittWorld, the other one being Mr. Ramon Rocha of OMF Literature. Who then could she be?

I turned around to see a lady beaming, obviously in a merry mood, and seeing and hearing her made me want to hug her. What a delight to find a kindred soul in a foreign land! It turns out that Ms. Miriam Adeney is a board member of Media Associates International and is an anthropologist, author, professor, editor, and mentor of Christian writers. She spent some years in the Philippines as a missionary and that's how she learned how to speak Tagalog.

For the next days, we occasionaly shared meals together and discussed issues in the Philippines like the diaspora of millions of Filipinos working overseas (which we have popularly called OFWs--Overseas Filipino Workers) and its economic and social impact to our society. Attending LittWorld and engaging in conversations with people who have much to share has stimulated me into thinking how I can contribute to my society through writing. This is one of the blessings of attending LittWorld.