Vision Trip

 Right after we arrived, a couple from the States came for a visit, called a vision trip, as they pray about the possibility of joining us full time in the work here. We had a wonderful time getting to know Brandon & Macey, and we believe they would be a perfect fit for our team. Now we're just praying for God to lead them!

Thanks for praying with us!

Back to the Philippines

In February, we visited the boys one last time, then we headed back to the Philippines. We met up with Zach & Ben in New Orleans, and we had a great time (and ate some great food!).

Our trip back across the big pond was eventful to say the least, but we arrived just a day later than planned, and thankfully our luggage made all the reroutings with us! The day we got in, Steve went to get me a new vehicle; because he travels so much and public transportation doesn't work from our neighborhood, we needed something pretty quickly. He found a cute little Suzuki Jimny. It looks funny next to our Montero - looks like it had a baby. :)

Our home church recently asked for a video to show about what we've been up to since we got back, so here's a sneak peak for those who actually follow the blog. :) And figured those not in our church would enjoy it too!

Spring 2023

Mikayla to the Philippines

So while we've been back in the States, we've been speaking at churches (every Sunday has been booked!) and connecting with current & potential partners. It's been a busy, but good, time. 

Also while we've been here, we've been helping Mikayla prepare for her move over to the Philippines. I (Jen) even did the 2-day culture & language orientation/training with her and her ministry partner before they left. It was such a blessing to be there when her home church sent her out, and we got to bring them down to the airport to fly to the Philippines. She is doing well settling in over there, and we are thankful for the many people there to help them get their feet under them. 

And in just a couple weeks, we'll be over there too! We fly on Feb 21, so we appreciate prayers as we buy everything we need, say our final goodbyes (we'll go down to see the boys this weekend), & try to pack everything into the suitcases - we used to get 10, but now we're down to 4 since they don't give us bags for the kids when they're not traveling with us. Go figure :)

Phase II

So the Tribal Bible College was Phase 1 of the project on the new land we purchased in Bicol. The buildout for the 2nd Phase has been going on now. This will be a livelihood skills training combined with church planting training, and we are praying that God will use it in mighty ways to plant hundreds of churches amongst the Agta tribes in Bicol. Here are some pics from the building that has happened while we've been in the States.

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with our kids & my (Jen's) parents. We even had a WHITE Christmas! What a blessing to be with family during this time.

Family Time

Everyone has been asking us if we are having a good "vacation" or "respite" while we're here in the States. Actually, stateside assignment (known by some as "furlough") is really not a vacation and, to be honest, is usually pretty tiring. It's especially challenging now that we need to keep ministry on the other side of the world going (tribals are online too!), which means late night and early morning meetings PLUS connecting with churches (we've spoken at a different church almost every Sunday!) and meeting with partners during the week. So it's been busy, but we have taken time to enjoy some family time too, especially while the boys were home over Christmas break.

 So thankful for our precious family and the time we enjoyed together. Man, we'll miss them when we head back!

Work Continues

 One of the cool things while we're in the States is seeing how our partners continue on the work; we see pictures posted every week of Bible Studies and other ministries continuing on. We are so thankful for our partners in the ministry! 

One of the things that has been a challenge during this season is that we feel like we're burning the candle at both ends. When we were first doing tribal church planting, when we came to the States, there was no way to bring any of the work "with us" as it were because no one was really online. However, now, after covid lockdowns, everyone is much more connected online. This is great because it allows us to stay in touch with our partners, even from this side of the world, but it is also difficult because then we are trying to invest on two sides of the world simultaneously. Exciting but tiring. Prayers appreciated as we sort through all the opportunities and find balance - and time to rest - during this Stateside. BUT rejoicing for sure that our partners are there, continuing on the work, even when we are on this side of the world.

Under Construction

In November, construction began again on our new land. The Tribal Bible College is up and running, but now the construction has begun for the Church Planting/Livelihood Skills Training Center. Steve has been coordinating with the guys on the ground as they move forward with construction, even though we are here in the States.

Hagen Family Reunion

One of the things we got to do on this last road trip was attend a family reunion for Steve's side of the family. We had a wonderful time and even spent a couple of days at the beach!

Stateside

 We arrived back in the States the end of Oct for a 4-month furlough; we'll head back to the Philippines on February 21. One of our first weeks back, the boys had a college break, so we got to enjoy some family time. It had been almost 2 yrs since we'd seen Zach, and we cherished every moment together as a family.

We also enjoyed a couple days with my sister and her family; the cousins had fun hanging out again.

In November, Steve, Mikayla, and I did a 3.5 week road trip to visit friends, family, supporters & speak in a couple churches. We are thankful for safe travels, and we got to stop in and see the boys at their school too!

As soon as we got back from that road trip, I was able to attend a fundraising dinner put on to help support Mikayla as she gets ready to move to the Philippines in January.

So thankful for time to reconnect with family & friends during this season!