Family Update

Ben has been accepted at William Carey University in Mississippi, and will join Zach there next year. These pics were taken last year when we visited the campus with Zach. 

As for an update from Zach, we don't hear much from him, much less receive any pictures of him at school, but he's doing well there. He's majoring in Christian Ministry, currently with a sports ministry focus, and he's enjoying his classes in his major. He went home to my parents' for Thanksgiving, so we got a couple pics of him from my mom. He was on French Silk Pie duty for the feast, so he and my niece made the pies together. Mikayla and her roommate are in the pics too.

Ben is doing as well as can be expected in this locked-down world where we live. It's been incredibly hard watching him (and his friends) suffer through this time, but he has grown so strong during this time, and we're so proud of him. Please continue to pray for him, especially that face to face classes could start next semester - there is real hope for this, but prayers needed for sure! 

He and a friend recently got to go visit a good friend in another area. It was so good to see them together, and we came across this pic of the 3 of them 5 years ago. So glad they can maintain this friendship in spite of everything they've been through.

Things have actually started loosening up a little in recent weeks here, and kids can actually go into malls again if accompanied by a vaccinated parent. It was crazy how it felt so weird to get them in, felt like we had just accomplished a massive feat. Another BIG thing here is that the use of face shields is no longer mandated! We have had to use both a mask AND shield every time we leave our house, so this is HUGE to be down to just a mask. Sadly, it looks like this freedom could be fleeting as they're talking about making shields mandatory again with this new variant, and we expect tightening lockdowns again. But we're enjoying it while it lasts!

We were blessed to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family as well as some friends who have become like family here for sure. So thankful for these people in our lives. And we even found a turkey to help celebrate! Often Thanksgiving is just chickens because turkeys are hard to find and expensive (this year it was about $50 for a 14 pound bird), so we were extra thankful for the treat this year. :)

Mikayla is doing well at her adventure therapy job, and God is using her in mighty ways there. She has been dealing with some issues though, and we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and strength as she navigates difficult issues.

We are so thankful for you, our team, who stand behind us in prayer and also in concrete ways as you encourage and support us AND our kids. We couldn't press on without you!

Tribal Bible College

I just posted about one exciting development in Bicol where the tribals there have organized themselves to work together for the sake of the Kingdom - unheard of cooperation and leadership because of their cultural barriers. Another truly exciting step forward is the Bible school that has just started in the training center. It is actually a partnership with another group of tribal churches from another island many hours and a ferry ride away - the Mangyan tribes. The Mangyan have a Bible school in their area that has been functioning for many years. In partnership with the our other tribal partners, they sent 2 Bible school teachers down to Bicol where they completed their first semester of studying the Word together. They studied every morning, then foraged for leaves and dived for river clams in the afternoon to feed the group. There were 18 graduates for the first semester! There was a great shot of of all of them with their official certificates; but, while they had permission from local authorities, I am not showing faces here because there are many that would not feel comfortable with this happening at all so I want to be careful what I post.

To celebrate the graduation, the group did an excursion to a local waterfall and enjoyed a picnic of grilled fish.

So very thankful for the ways that God is at work in Bicol! The Bible school will convene again in January for the next semester (provided they can again get approval). Please pray with us that they are able to continue as planned and that God would work mightily in hearts as they dive into the Word together. 

Bicol Tribal Christian Association

Those of you more familiar with our work with the tribals in Bicol know that one of the unique challenges has been leadership development within the churches. This is due to a cultural barrier; in their culture, it is a cultural sin to try to influence other people in any way. Even just inviting someone to an event or activity can be seen as offensive because you are trying to influence them. When you think about the implications of this in a leadership context, you can see the challenges. So that makes this all the more exciting. Recently, the tribal church leaders gathered together of their own initiative to form a leadership team for their churches as a group. Our partners in Bicol stayed to the edges to advise if there were questions, but the meeting was led entirely by the Bicol tribals. They appointed a chairman and made plans for ongoing discipleship and outreach. Praise God for what He has done!
Please pray with us for wisdom and courage for them as they move forward together. 

Steve has had the joy of traveling to Bicol quite a bit in recent months. The typhoon relief projects we are doing down there has granted him access again; he just has to test first, observe protocols, and have all the right paperwork in place. Here are a couple pics from a recent trip he took there.

Thankful

Over Ben's recent school break, we were able to go two places. First, our organization was able to get permission for our personnel to gather for a small group time of training and retreat. It was supposed to be held near us, but at the last minute, that was not possible because of the lockdown status, so they got permission for us all to be tested and travel to another island to meet, provided we had all the right paperwork. It was a blessed time of fellowship and encouragement. We were so proud of how Ben helped with all the younger kids, and how he set such a great tone for the time as families (as the oldest, all the kids were looking to his example). He even helped lead worship one of the nights on his ukulele (he's taught himself to play during online classes). 

The day after getting back from those meetings, we headed to a campsite about an hour from home with some friends. The lockdown means that kids still aren't allowed in most establishments (like beach resorts or hotels), but we found a local campsite that allows them. And since we were traveling "door to door" from private residence to private campsite, within our same province (kids weren't out in public places), we were able to get through checkpoints. I'm avoiding posting too many pics of faces since there are definitely some who do not agree with allowing kids out at all whatsoever, so we try to be sensitive to those who feel differently about how to interpret the current restrictions.

While we weren't able to go to a beach like we hoped, we were very thankful to be able to get out and get some fresh air and enjoy some time with friends. We're praying that things will loosen up again soon and allow the kids to once again enjoy "exercise slots" up on campus together. But in the meantime, we will be thankful for what we do have. 

 

Bayawak Baby

A couple weeks ago, a bayawak (monitor lizard) got into a friend's bathroom. Her husband was out for the day, so Ben volunteered to come to their rescue. 

When he saw it, he said it was just a baby and how cute it was - slightly different reaction from others'. :) He then caught it in a towel and, while walking through the house to release it outside, he asked where to release it. My friend said "just anywhere" so he pretended to bend over to release it in the living room. He got the reaction he was hoping for with that move. :)

Ben started his senior year...online again. Pls pray with us that he gets to have some face to face classes during his senior year!

Gotta love the gorgeous sunsets here!

Graduate!

So crazy proud of Mikayla! Graduated summa cum laude (highest one if u get lost in the laudes) after completing a 4 yr degree in only 3 years while holding down multiple jobs to remain debt free and winning special honors in her department. We were disappointed to not be able to attend her graduation in person because of travel restrictions, but we were so thankful that we got to watch it online (in the middle of the night!) and that may parents and Zach were able to attend and celebrate with her. God has used her mightily on campus, impacting lives as she served as RA then Assistant Resident Director. I know He will continue to use her as she works full time in her field, using adventure therapy to help troubled youth work through difficulties...and who knows where in the world He will lead her on adventures in the future!

The Work Continues

The last couple weeks, I have had many FB memories popping up about summer teams we've had here working with us to reach the tribals. It's sad that we can't have one this summer because of travel restrictions, but as I look through the pictures from our tribal partners, it is so incredibly exciting to see the work continuing. It feels like every other week, there is another post about new baptisms and new Bible studies starting. They have seen more baptisms in the past few months than in the last 8 years combined! While covid restrictions have been so incredibly difficult, it is such an encouragement to see God at work and people so eager to hear the good news.

A couple weeks ago, we faced the sudden death (heart attack) of one of our closest tribal friends and partners in the work. It was incredibly difficult and still impossible to understand from an earthly perspective. However, we trust that God is sovereign and will continue His work. Please pray for his wife and two daughters as well as our partners in Bugkalot coffee as they scramble to fill the massive hole that is left behind.