Chris & Elizabeth

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”-Psalm 107:8  It has been a blessing to see the Lord continually work in our lives!  He has provided all of our needs and so much more. With our aging computer we decided that it would be a wise investment to buy a more reliable laptop to take with us to the Philippines. So with this in mind we have been saving our money to purchase a new laptop since last year.  In the midst of a missions conference, one dear church asked us about our needs.  We mentioned a few items, one of those being a computer.  The time came for us to leave and the pastor took us aside and gave us an envelope.  He simply said it was a gift from the church for our needs.  When we opened the envelope we were amazed to find that these dear church folks has given us more then enough funds to purchase a brand new computer!  We praise the Lord for all He has done and for all the wonderful people He has sent our way. We do ask that you continue to keep us in prayer concerning my wife and the paperwork she will have to complete to live in Cebu. We have started the beginning stages of acquiring an immigration visa which would be preferable to the tourist visa she would automatically receive.  These are exciting times but we know there is going to be a lot of work involved.  “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Our home church hosted a tubing activity for the teens in Glenwood, NY this past Monday.  It was fun to spend time with the kids and to participate in this adventurous activity!  Flying down the monstrous hill, at times it was all you could do to just hang onto your tube.  My wife came with the group but wisely decided to stick to the kiddie hill.  After the fun, a devotion was given and our teens received a challenge from I Corinthians 15:33-“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”  The emphasis of the message was placed on the first part of the verse and asked the question what is deceiving you? Many times we discover that it is our own wicked heart that has made excuses for our sin and drawn us deeper then we ever intended to go. After the activity Pastor Seth and his children built a nine foot tall snowman in their backyard!  One thing I will miss when we go the Cebu is all the snow we get here in New York.  Enjoy the picture!

We went to Virginia Beach to join Bible Believers Baptist Church and Pastor Timothy MacDonald for their Wednesday night service. I have been friends with Chris MacDonald, the pastor’s son for many years.  The Lord has truly blessed this church by literally giving them a beautiful building. It was amazing to see the Lord’s provision for this church family.  While we were in Virginia Beach I was also given the chance to see the apartment where I received Christ as my Savior.  This was the first time that I have been back to this particular location for thirteen years.  Praise the Lord for saving my soul and also for allowing me to serve Him.  I am amazed to see what He has done in my life!

On our way to a meeting in Virginia Beach we were able to stay with some friends in Manassas, VA.  This gave us the opportunity to visit their church, the Fairfax Baptist Temple. It was great to see our friends in a church that is thriving in its service for the Lord.  We are so thankful for these faithful churches still serving Christ all across America.  Our visit lasted for a couple days and being so close to Washington DC, we also went to the Philippine Embassy to answer our many questions about paperwork for my wife and our baby. We were excited to discover that all of our future children will be able to become dual citizens!  This is a relatively easy process that I myself had to go through so we know that at some point we will have to return to Washington with our baby to complete the necessary paperwork.  Unfortunately my wife will never be able to become a dual citizen but we can work on permanent residence.  Please pray for us in this matter!