This
past Sunday we had two more people baptized! The first was, Edmarie, a young mother that was recently saved at our church. Since her salvation she has attended our services and expressed her desire to be baptized. Genesis is a teenager who has been saved for some time now but finally decided that he was ready to be baptized! Baptism is not something we do to earn our way to heaven. It is a public proclamation of our faith in Jesus Christ! We thank the Lord for these blessings!
Birthday Surprises!
My 30th Birthd
ay came with several surprises this year, making it even more special! First, my wife surprised me by throwing a surprise birthday party-then the bible college students came to our home early one morning to sing happy birthday (A fun Filipino tradition)-then our youth group got together and bought a cake for me! I have been blessed in so many ways and thank the Lord for another year to serve Him. I don’t know what this year will bring but what a great start!
Across the Miles…
Christmas came again for us this past January when we received several large boxes from our home church in Eden, NY! The kids devoured the Twizzlers that were sent and I was happy to find goodies that I missed from home too. When we were on deputation we had several friends warn us that too often, missionaries go to the field and never hear from their supporting churches. Praise the Lord, so far we have been blessed with a different story. Several families and churches have contacted us through emails and letters. We have even received large envelopes, care packages, and boxes from our supporting churches and families in the States. We can’t express just how thankful we are to have people who think and pray for us even when we are on the other side of the world.
He’s 2!
Ou
r Micah turned 2 on January 20th! As we look at pictures from these last two yers, we just feel amazed that our baby is now a little man. He loves basketball and tries to swipe all the stray balls when the teens play at church! As I watch him grow I am overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility. This sweet, carefree toddler needs to be taught and loved. I love the verse in Proverbs, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Raising children is a lot of work, but the rewards from teaching and loving on them is immense! I pray that he grows loving God and loving people.