Praise and Prayer

We have been praying even more intensively about Kids Club recently as I have been very discouraged. Not many children were coming. Those that did come usually were not staying but coming in and out distracting others. I know God had spoken to me about this ministry and I needed to keep on and trust the power of His Spirit to work. Yesterday when I came to church there were six children sitting in chairs waiting for me. They asked to have Kids Club early so they could come as the time it was scheduled is when a few of them need to sell newspapers. I have learned the value in flexibility so we moved it up two hours and 11 children came and stayed. I also was blessed that I had five Filipino college students assisting me. They helped with games and provided some translations when the need arose. We shared some laughs, games, brownies, and God's Word. It was such an answer to prayer and an encouragement to me. Looking forward to what God is going to do next week...

Thomas is just left to travel about 14 hours so he can attend Robuan's funeral. There are many traditions surrounding death in the Philippines and we believe it is important for the family of Robuan and the rest of the village to remind them of the proclamation Robuan made in front of them all when he accepted Christ as his forgiver and leader and was baptized. Robuan struggled against old habits as he grew in his new-found faith. But he was a child of God because our salvation is based on the work Jesus has done for us, not the rules we obey.

This will be the first time we will be separated since moving here. It is never easy to do without him but add to it still adjusting to life in another culture and it becomes a bit more overwhelming. He'll be gone until Thursday morning. Please pray for safe travels and effective witness to the village of Kakaby and pray for the five of us staying home. I can't just slip a frozen dinner in the oven or take the girls to their grandparents or a friend's house for a distraction. To add to the adventure, for the last three days, we have often been without water. Thomas drew me a diagram of the different ways to adjust the valves in hopes that one out of the three will provide water while he is away. Hoping that we will not only survive while he is gone but will enjoy some special girl time together...

Lisa