God has continued to bless our commitment to purchase this house! Three more churches have promised to send a portion of the second downpayment! Words cannot express just how thankful we are for all the support we have seen from churches, friends, and family. God has used this entire process to really grow my faith! At this point, we are still lacking $9,000. We have paid for all the taxes, closing costs, and bank fees; now, all that is left is the money needed for the final downpayment. The owner’s original deadline was the first week of February but she has graciously extended that to the end of the month. We’re almost there, the end is in sight! If you would like to help us purchase this house for the ministry, you can send your contributions to our support address. Just designate it on the memo line: Baran House Fund. Please continue to pray for God’s provision!
Micah is 3!
Micah turned 3 on January 20th! He is growing fast and so is his vocabulary! At this point, Micah cannot differentiate between the Cebuano and English words he knows. For him, it is all one big language. At church, when his teacher asks a question, Micah will raise his hand and say, “Ako ako!” which means “Me! Me!” When something gets wet he’ll look at me and say, “It’s basa dad!” This little guy loves to go visiting with me and it makes the Filipinos so happy to hear him speak their language. We have seen the Lord use this to start conversations and witness to people! Even though he’s only 3 God is using little Micah on the mission field. As Micah’s parents, it is our prayer that God would continue to use him throughout his entire life!
Happy Birthday, son!
Committed!
These are exciting times! We signed the papers for the house! Now, the process has begun and the title is being transferred to my name. We also paid $10,000 as part of the downpayment for OUR house :). For me, it was a big step of faith…we have completely committed ourselves! But I know God is going to see this through…He has only continued to open doors for us throughout this whole process! The deadline for the second half of the downpayment is due in February. We cannot emphasize enough just how amazing this opportunity is. During our first four years on the mission field, we rented a house. In the end, we still took care of the house like it was ours…paying for any and all repairs. It does not make sense for us to continue to invest our time and finances into a house that does not belong to us. But this was not something we searched for. This was not something we planned. Our original idea was to look into housing after furlough…but the Lord had completely different plans. He brought this house to us. We know He will provide the funds we are lacking. We want to thank those of you who have already given toward our home! Several individuals have sent their financial support…adding up to almost $1,000! Our home church has sent $5,000 and we praise the Lord for them! This brings the total cost of what we need down to $9,000. If you would like to help us with this wonderful opportunity, please send your contributions to our support address. Just designate it on the memo line: Baran House Fund. Thank you for your faithful support of our family and ministry!
Merry Christmas 2015!
Merry Christmas from our home to yours! As we reunite with loved ones and exchange gifts, may we always remember that the greatest gift ever given was a baby. A baby who came to heal the broken and save the lost. In our dark world, it is Christ who offers hope to the hopeless and peace to the needy. Different cultures celebrate in different ways but for the Christian the emphasis remains the same. On Christmas Eve, we celebrated in true Filipino tradition. We got together with our college students and church staff and celebrated past midnight. The night was full of fireworks, fellowship, and food! Then on Christmas morning we celebrated the American way-our kids woke up and opened their treasures. Later, we had a birthday cake for Jesus and read the Christmas story. We hope you all had a blessed Christmas with your friends and families! May we use this time to reach out to the people around us and share the love of Christ!