Happy Elijah and Family
We are really standing in faith to come back to the USA for about four months. Home is a relative term, but I have not left the Philippines for two years.
In the past two years, a lot has happened: We started doing radio ministry. We started the Refuge Youth Center. We have seen multiple hundreds of youth come to Jesus. We had our first baby. We’ve celebrated two Christmases in the Philippines. Now, we need a short break to refresh and restore some things.
I don’t know if any of you have ever spent over two years straight in a foreign, underdeveloped country, but it can be quite draining. Elijah would also like to see his grandparents and extended family, and Emily and I need to get some restoration and encouragement back home.
We also need to show more people back home what God is doing here and get more churches and individuals to invest in what HE is doing here in the Philippines.
We need about $3,000 for round trip airfare to and from the Philippines. The good news is we’ve already have raised $1,300 towards our travel expenses. When we leave the Philippines, our responsibilities do not stop. We still have to pay about $750 per month for rent for both the Refuge and our home.
We are also open to receiving gifts in kind such as air-miles to help us fly to the USA. It typically costs about 65,000 frequent flyer air miles in one program to get one round trip flight across the Pacific Ocean. I still have about 40,000 miles in my United Account and 20,000 in my Delta account from over twelve years of traveling the globe as a missionary, but it’s still not enough to buy one ticket.
When we arrive in the USA, we also are in need of a short term place to stay in Phoenix, Prescott, and also a reliable air-conditioned vehicle to drive around the Phoenix and Prescott Areas. We also hope to visit ministries, families, and friends in California, Nevada, and anywhere else we are invited.
James 4:2b says, “You do not have because you do not ask.”
I’m already asking God now for all of these things and more. I’m also asking for your help if you can too. Maybe God will use you to be the answer to our prayers and needs at this time.
About one week ago, we hosted our first 24 hour praise and worship marathon at the Refuge. We had about sixty on-fire youth passionately worshipping God the whole time. It ran continuously for 24 hours from Friday until Saturday night. It was amazing to see the hunger, fire, and passion the youth displayed the whole time. The atmosphere for worship and soaking in God’s presence was just wonderful.
