What Asian country has the highest literacy level?

In addition to having the highest literacy level in Asia, this country....

1. is one of the world's largest producers of coconuts - mangosteens, papayas, and bananas can also be found there.
2. is the largest supplier of nurses worldwide - partially due to the limited job opportunities in the country, many citizens seek work abroad.
3. has three of the 10 largest shopping malls in the world. Side fact: I, Patrick have been to all 3. 
4. is made up of 7,641 islands, making it the second-largest archipelago in the world.
5. This Southeast Asian country is the 13th-most populous country in the world, home to more than 108 million people.
6.  has Manila as its capital, which is considered the world’s most densely populated city.

Answer: The Philippines.  

We have been standing with Filipino ministries for decades at Tenth by hosting a Filipino church in our building, supporting the Christian and Missionary Alliance, sending teams (including Debbie Hawker – our Director of Local Community Engagement), and supporting missionaries.  

Most of what I have learned about responsible community development, church planting, and discipleship came from my 7 years of living and serving in an urban poor slum community in the Philippines with my wife and kids. 

Having a strong literacy rate is a good foundation to help millions of out of school children in the Philippines have a better future.  

Presently, we stand directly with 3 missionaries in the Philippines. 

1. Rhonda Wilson with the Christian & Missionary Alliance 
2. Linda Tue with Overseas Missionary Fellowship
3. Tancho Baes with Hope for the Nations 

Hectares of Hope

• One of Hope for the Nations Philippines' recent projects is called Hectares of Hope. 
• Below is a short video showing an ariel view of Hectares of Hope, with singing by Tancho Baes. 
• Hectares of Hope is a market-driven, organic farming business. Its goal is to establish a professional business operation in a poor, rural area of the Philippines, train people, help the community, meet the demands of customers in the marketplace, and maximize profits. Those profits will be reinvested directly back into the business for the ultimate benefit of the people in the community. Hectares of Hope offers a new paradigm of “Opportunity Not Charity” to the marginalized people of the Philippines. It is an opportunity for them to get on a new path to a better life. 
• www.hopeforthenationsphilippines.com  

Fact sources

• https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2019-06-20/10-things-to-know-about-the-philippines
• https://www.factretriever.com/philippines-facts
• The picture above includes Executive Director Tancho Baes on the left, Board Chair Scott Louie (who has family at Tenth) on the right and Board Trustee Tony Yeo.