Hi, it's been a couple of weeks since we have had an opportunity to write to you on this blog. A lot has happened.
February 4, Peter Kohler, from Champaign, Illinois arrived for a 6 month internship. Peter is a preaching major and senior at Lincoln Christian College. The photo above was taken as he was moving from our house in Digos to his own house. He has been staying in our house and helping with the painting and other repairs before we move in--but today he will spend his first night in his own home.
Peter is already involved with the youth groups in Digos City, learning Cebuano and getting acquainted with the Philippines.
We still live in Davao City but travel each day to Digos to work on the house--almost all of the rooms are painted now and Rodger is involved in putting up wall cupboards in the kitchen, installing 110V electrical outlets in each of the rooms and replacing ceiling there is excessive rain damage. The trip is only 40 miles but it takes from 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way over rough roads and a lot of tractor/trailer traffic on the two lane road. We anticipate moving into our house at the end of next week, February 27. Every day we carry more things down there.
The ministry is beginning to get off the ground as preparations for the first Young Professionals Mission Trip in May is being planned. We are limiting the 9 day Mission Trip to 20 participants, ages 21-30. Our purpose will be to lead a Vacation Bible School for disadvantaged children in Malaybalay City (up in the mountains.) We will also involve the participants in a seminar on Biblical missions and what is their role in the Great Commission. Dixie will be writing the VBS material.
We are expecting a new addition to our family. We made arrangements to buy a yellow lab. It is a male, 10 weeks old as of yet remains un-named. If you have a suggestion for a name we are open to hear it. The pup will join us next Monday--and become our guard dog.
Not much else is new--moving is about all we are up to these days. We covet your prayers as we start working on the Mission Trip, Teen Camps, and Sunday School curriculum work. We praise God for his faithfulness to us each day; for our strength to do the work He has given to us.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Wisdom, clear direction and unity as we work with our Filipino team. We are working on our goals, purposes and strategies--pray that we will do this with a realization of how this will affect eternity.
Former forwarding agent Mary Kay Jarrett; Recovering from a stroke. She has been in the hospital for four weeks but is scheduled to be discharged on Feb. 18. Pray for her to continue to have the strength and courage to overcome the stroke effects.
Feb 27 or 28 we will have a party for the AFC employees to give them their gifts we had planned to give them at Christmas. Pray that we will have a "good" leaving and will be able to continue to work side by side on Mindanao with AFC.
PRAISES
God's mercies are new every morning. Each morning before I read the scripture for that day on my "Read the Bible in a year" program, I write down the needs I have for that day, God is faithful and sometimes very humorous in how he gives me direction each day regarding the needs I wrote down. What a mighty God we serve whose Word is truly living, active and able to meet our daily needs.
