Asian Rural Life Development Foundation (ARLDF) was launched by the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center MBRLC in 1988

To satisfy the mounting level of international interest, in 1988 the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation (ARLDF) was launched by the MBRLC to promote international training and extension for the development of the uplands in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

Since the opening of the ARLDF training facilities, there have been more than 500 inset national visitors to the MBRLC In either training or exchanges of information and experience The countries represented include: American Samoa, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China' Fiji. India. Indonesia' Malaysia. Nepal, Sri Lanka. Thailand and Viet Nam. In addition, the SALT training materials have been translated into the Bahasa language tot use in Indonesia.

NorthWood Church Glocal Impact Pastors

Dennis Jeffares
Director of Global Engagement

Dennis graduated from the NLU School of Pharmacy in Monroe , Louisiana in 1988 and worked as a hospital and home health pharmacist for the next 8 years. During this time he served as a youth pastor and obtained his M.Div. from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1996, Dennis and his wife Danielle began their overseas service in Nepal where Dennis served as country director for the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation (ARLDF). In 2001, Dennis and his family began working in Pakistan and Afghanistan in some of the most underdeveloped provinces in those countries. In July of 2006 Dennis joined the staff at Northwood. He is a rabid Dallas Mavericks fan and is always happy to take and extra tickets off your hands. Dennis & Danielle have four children.