In Bicol

Things are marching forward with the work in Bicol. Steve has been down there a couple times recently, and while there have definitely been some growing pains with how quickly things have expanded with the Tribal Bible College and the BOOST (livelihood + church planting training) all starting the same year, it has been exciting to see the progress. Steve's been working with the guys to manage the books, make strategic decisions & provide Godly leadership. Lots of new things for them, so keep praying! 
The first 2 pics are inside some of our new buildings so you can see what the rubber siding looks like.

While he was down there, Mt Mayon was erupting so the ones connected with the BOOST training took a field trip to see it. Beautiful!

The new semester for the Tribal Bible College started with 11 students attending! So thankful for the ones that God is leading to dive deeper into His Word in this way and for the sponsors who make it possible. While Steve was down there the beginning of July, one of our teachers passed away suddenly from a heart attack. While it was incredibly difficult for the whole community, God is using it to draw more people to Himself, with more students attending. The Mangyan tribal church also sent 2 additional teachers down to help out while the principal (brother of the one who passed) takes a short break, and it sounds like one of those teachers will stay on to replace the one who passed away. Thanks for praying with us for this group as they navigate it all.

Tribal Partners

We are so very thankful for the amazing ministry partners with whom God has blessed us! We currently have partnerships with several different tribal groups with the vision of working together to reach the Agta tribes in Bicol. Recently, we were able to formalize our relationship with the Mangyan tribal church on the island of Mindoro. By formalizing this relationship, we'll be able to be more involved in trainings on the front end, not just working with the ones they send out.

It is always good to see pics on FB or when our tribal partners send them to us. It is amazing to see the way that God is using them to reach other tribals across the region of Bicol. I especially love the Bible study in hammocks pic :)

 

Random Happenings

Last month, we made a trip to the city of Baguio in the Philippines. One of Jen's Tagalog students will be moving there next month, and we were helping them scout things out and get plugged in to their globalization ministry there (see next post if you don't know what globalization is). I can't post pics with them because of security concerns for places they travel, so you'll just have to make do with this one of Steve & me at sunset. Beautiful city in the mountains. And chilly enough to need a jacket, even in hot season!

Both Steve & I had our birthdays in the last little bit, and we enjoyed a nice meal out with good friends to celebrate. Steve also threw a big party for me with our coworkers, and we had another smaller gathering for Steve's, but this was the only pic we got. :)

So Mt. Mayon, the volcano down by our tribal areas in Bicol, has been getting some attention. Isn't it amazing? It does this often enough (every couple years) that they don't expect any casualties or property damage, since no one lives very close, and the ones in the 6-km "danger zone" have been evacuated. It is likely to last several weeks. Pray with us that it stays controlled like this.

Taiwan

 Steve & I recently traveled to Taiwan for meetings with our globalization team. Globalization is the hat we wear as we help our churches in the Philippines (and other countries) to be able to send out some of their very own to reach the nations. They join teams with our colleagues in other countries to fit into a strategic role to shine His light in the darkness. This globalization team has been functioning for several years, but this was the first time that we've all been able to be in the same room. It was a very productive time, and we are thankful to be a part of what God is doing in this ministry. 

I can't post pics of the meetings because of security issues for the ones who attended. But here are some fun pics from our "team bonding" day. This rock formation is called "Queen's Head".

Thanks for continuing to partner with us in prayer, both with Tribals Reaching Tribals, as well as how we are empowering the nations to GO to the nations.

1 year anniversary

Last month, Steve traveled down to Bicol to celebrate the one year anniversary of when we broke ground for the Tribal Bible College. Crazy to think all that has happened this past year! Thankful.

The speaker for the anniversary celebration is an old friend of Jen's family. They traveled down with Steve from Manila, and it was good to see how God used them there. Their primary ministry is helping different language groups write worship songs in their heart language and preserving their cultural music styles. It was good to see them connecting with the tribals, and we're hopeful that God can continue to use them in Bicol. 

Things are going well with the "BOOST" project as well (the livelihood skills training combined with church planting training). And they even have a sign on the property now!

Pray with us for God to bring the right students to study at both facilities for the next semesters, hopefully starting next month.

Our "Kids"

People ask us all the time how our kids are doing, even though we all know they're not kids anymore. We are so proud of the young adults they have become and the ways that they are chasing hard after Him and being used by Him in mighty ways. 

Please continue to pray with us for Mikayla as she serves in a home for girls rescued out of trafficking. As is to be expected (though it doesn't make it any easier!), this ministry is a real challenge. On mothers day, I was blessed when I stopped by the home, the girls had made a big display and paper flowers for me. It has been good to be able to be involved in small ways and show love to these girls who have been through so much.

Meanwhile, Zach was commissioned by our home church as he went out for the summer to serve in Fiji. He is leading a team there, and we appreciate your prayers for wisdom for him as he's navigating many challenges and trying to figure out how best his team can fit in to the work there. 

He celebrated his 21st bday at the leader's orientation for the summer trip. Proud of this guy!

Only pics I've gotten so far from him have been while they were traveling, but I'll take what I can get. :)

Also praying for Ben as he serves at a summer camp in South Carolina. He'd appreciate prayers that he would walk closely with God and be used by Him this summer as well.

Send Relief

We hosted another group since we've been back - Send Relief is an organization that has helped with several disaster relief & community development projects through the years, and we are looking forward to continued partnership in the future. Once again, Steve drove down to Bicol, then I met them in Manila & flew down with them. Then we put them on the plane at the end of the time, and we drove back up to Manila. Our time with them went well, and it was good to see the progress at the Tribal Bible College (1st pic) as well as the BOOST project (2nd pic; Bicol Out Of School Training - livelihood/skills training combined with church planting training). 

Thanks for standing with us in prayer!

All the Hats

As you guys know, while our heart beat is Tribals Reaching Tribals, there are also several other ministry hats we wear, and we're passionate about those as well. One of them is supervising and guiding new coworkers who are studying Tagalog. On the way back from Bicol, we stopped through to touch base with them and see how they were progressing after our time in the States. 

We also spent some time on another island helping with a 2-week training for Filipinos who are preparing to GO to the nations. Such an inspiring time as we see how God is using and will continue to use Filipinos in the harvest fields!

We also got a visit from someone from our home church. Claire has just finished college and is praying about her next steps. She was such a blessing to us in the 3 weeks she was with us. She helped sort through and set up Steve's new office and many other tasks around our house, as well as joined us a trip with Send Relief to Bicol.

Several of you have asked how much we've been able to see Mikayla (she's serving in a home for girls rescued from trafficking here in the Philippines). We're thankful to say that, while we honestly weren't sure how much we'd be able to see her, we've actually been able to hang out quite a bit. She comes to our place often on her days off, and we've been blessed to be able to hang out with her & their girls on several occasions. It is a joy to see how God is using her in that ministry. Thankful that we get to be a part! Claire & Mikayla enjoyed getting to catch up too.