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Pastor Ricardo De Asis, the district pastor of East Visayan Conference, conducted another mental health session with college students at Ormoc City Institute of Technology in Brgy. Cogon, Ormoc City. 

The event, held on November 20, 2024, accommodated a class of students eager to learn more about mental health. Strongly supported by the school administrators and faculty, Pastor de Asis holds regular sessions with the secondary and college students and another session for the faculty.

The school administration, handling about  600 students, has recognized the importance of sound mental health for every student, thus making mental health sessions one of its top priorities.

They realize that mental health is essential for students because it impacts every aspect of their lives, not just in academics but far beyond the classroom. While regular mental health classes motivate them to do well in their studies, these lectures are crucial in raising awareness and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health. Students will gain valuable tools for personal growth, resilience, and braving the challenges of student life. 

Furthermore, they'll learn to recognize warning signs of mental health struggles in themselves and others, enabling a supportive environment and making early interventions.

Pastor De Asis, a theology graduate and one of the Adventist Church's ordained ministers, has succeeded in invading government agencies and military and police offices to promote faith and resilience against internal and external chaos one may encounter in city life.

He has stood before political podiums, calling Jesus the secret to sound mental health, especially during the pandemic. He has bravely spoken with the government elites, giving them advice on how to face a unique set of challenges that make them particularly vulnerable to mental health issues. He let them feel that he saw their constant public scrutiny, pressure to make critical decisions, and demanding work schedules that create a high-stress environment for them. These can lead to burnout, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

When asked how he has braved invasion in this almost impenetrable elite grounds and does elite ministry? Pastor de Asis replied, "It is not me, but the Lord who goes before me. I just feel the weight of these souls' need for salvation. Since the pandemic, reaching out to them has become an unquenched thirst on my part, and God has filled me with the warm acceptance of these elites.

Dwelling on Ellen White's emphasis on the importance of mingling with people, showing genuine interest in their well-being, and meeting their practical needs according to Jesus' example, Pastor de Asis echoed her claims behind her success in reaching people on diverse platforms. 

In her book Ministry of Healing, she stated that Christ's method alone will achieve true success in reaching the people.

In one of her manuscripts, White also emphasizes urban evangelism, saying, "Again and again, I am instructed to present to our churches the work that should be done in our large cities. There is great work to be done, not only where we have churches already established but also in places where the truth has never been fully presented."

In response to a question about how the elites of Ormoc City Health Office appointed him as a lecturer and mental health advocate to the entire city of Ormoc, Pastor De Asis shared, "I just read, read, and read the Bible, Ellen White's books, mental health books, and learn from mental health experts until God led me to connect with heroes in uniforms."

This advocacy isn't confined only to the four walls of government offices but extends to different schools and barangays, where Pastor de Asis conducts regular mental health lectures. Moreover, to enhance mental health prerequisites such as physical health, he also leads physical exercise sessions, stressing the importance of exercise before one can achieve sound mental health.

Ever since Pastor de Asis successfully entered these government halls and offices, fire brigades, politicians, students, faculty members, military personnel, and police officers have been seen holding Bibles and reading them while listening to his lectures.

To be equipped further as a mental health advocate, the Department of Health in Ormoc City invited him to join the Psychological First Aid Training, rendering him a certified first-aider. 

Pastor de Asis resonated with himself in Apostle Paul's message in 1 Corinthians 9: 20 -22, which says, "To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so as to win those under the law." 

"To those not having the law, I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak, I became weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means, I might save some."

In recounting the progress of his urban ministry, Pastor De Asis also revealed that the regional director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology asked him to conduct regular sessions with his personnel and even the persons deprived of liberty.

"There is indeed so much work to do in the cities, "Pastoe De Asis said after sharing the scope of his ministry. "May God send more workers into His field," Pastor De Asis said.

To encourage the church further to also focus on urban evangelism, Pastor De Asis quoted Global Mission, United Centers of Influence. It says, "Today, the rapidly growing urban areas of the world loom as our greatest mission challenge. In most parts of the world, Adventist churches,  institutions, and services tend to be located outside cities instead of where the majority of people live."