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A Special Valentine’s Day

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Valentine’s Day has always been a fun day for me, mainly because it’s also my birthday.  Now that I’m married it has become special to me in other ways as well.  As I contemplate all that has happened I can’t help but be amazed.  Last year I celebrated my birthday for the first time as a husband and now this year I’m about to become a father. I’m so thankful for everything the Lord has given me! This year I was asked to speak at Grace Baptist Church’s Valentine Banquet in Greenville, Pennsylvania.  It was a wonderful evening spent with my wife and some of our friends!

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Our Baby

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We are excited to announce that our Baby Baran is a girl! Well…there’s an 80% chance that she is a little girl.  We’re hoping to schedule one last ultrasound just to be sure. Whatever the outcome may be we’re greatly looking forward to this little addition to our family.  Personally we would like to know the baby’s gender just so we can prepare a little more specifically.   In this last ultrasound it was a great blessing to see that our little one has grown well.  As for names, if this baby is a girl we will be calling her, Abigail Elisabeth Baran. Please continue to pray for my wife and the baby as we travel on the road! One more piece of exciting news, my wife just received her new passport!  This was the final item that we needed to change her name to Baran.  This was another thing that needed to be done before she could change her tourist visa to an immigration visa.

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Prayer and Praise!

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“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

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Winter Activity with the Teens

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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!

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