Here is our current prayer letter in PDF form:
January and February 2014 Prayer Letter!
Categories: Missionary Prayer Letter, Tags: Letters!
Paper Trails & Visa Work
We have started the final stage
s of Elizabeth’s permanent residence paperwork! We just took a trip to Manila for an official interview and were approved! With all of the forms complete, all we have to do is wait for final approval from two lawyers. Once we acquire this, paperwork for staying in the country will become much simpler. Abigail, Micah, and myself are all dual citizens so it is not difficult for us to leave and return to the Philippines. However for Elizabeth, that is not the case. As an American married to a Filipino, she is automatically given a one year visa but at the end of that year she is required by law to leave the country. As you can imagine, an annual plane ticket is a pricey expense! However, once she becomes an official permanent resident she will no longer be required to leave the country each year. We hope to find out in April that she has become an approved permanent resident of the Philippines!
Blessings on Wheels!
Paid in Full! We are excited to report that our van has been completely paid off! Our thanks go out to those who prayed and sent money to help us purchase this vehicle! So many of you went above and beyond in your giving and we feel so blessed. Thank you for investing in our family, our ministry, and the lives of the children we pick up!
Please Don’t Spit on Your Baby!
Say What????
Living in a third world country means you will experience some very unusual moments. Sometimes they will make you cringe or laugh. But then there are times….you will just watch in shock and wish that you had NOT just seen that! It was a Saturday afternoon and like most Saturdays I went out visiting people, hoping to talk about Christ. During that time I met two ladies, a grandmother and her daughter. We began to talk and nothing seemed unusual…until I noticed their adorable baby. I remarked how cute the newborn was and immediately the mom spat on her baby. I tried to hide my shock as she continued the conversation like nothing happened. The baby was very sweet so it wasn’t long before I complimented her again. This time grandma got in on the action and spat on the baby! By this time I felt like I was causing the problem and asked why in the world were they spitting on their baby!? As it turns out Filipinos believe that when someone compliments their baby a curse has been placed on the little one. It was almost like I “jinxed” the baby’s good luck and somehow spitting on the baby took away the curse….not sure how that works. After hearing this I told them, “Well, if that’s the case, please don’t spit on your baby! I promise I won’t do it again!” Yep…Just another day living in a third world country…