Author: Jonathan and Heidi Bamford

Today we are experiencing one of our first tropical storms of the season and the rain is bucketing down. The parking lot hasn’t been filled with umbrellas for quite a while. Even though it was raining we had good attendance at our Sunday service. I was humbled by the fact that some of the ladies […]

When Heidi and I first arrived in the Philippines in 1994, we were soon joined by the Johanson family and over the years we enjoyed playing the role of uncle and aunt to their kids. Rachel, in the center of the picture, is the same age as our son, Charles, and she spent a lot […]

When I was a kid, long before 9/11 and fear of terrorism, I remember the gasping noises my parents would make when they were pulling into the driveway and saw an unmarked paper bag sitting by the front door. They weren’t afraid of what might be in the bag. They knew exactly what was in […]

I suspect that for most people plumbing is not a thing of wonder or beauty. I have to admit that I’ve spent time under the sink and behind the toilet that didn’t have a lot of beauty involved, even if there was the benefit of horrible surprises. Plumbing here in the village is often not […]

We have had a few weeks of very little rain and have had to carry some of our water in buckets from the river, so last Thursday afternoon when I looked up from translation checking and saw black clouds on the hills to the east I thought, “I hope that rain comes here!” I didn’t […]

Last week Heidi and I finished up our Manila meetings, doctor visits, and purchasing and headed north to our northern Luzon guest house. Here at our support center, our co-workers who also attended meetings earlier this month are busy preparing to head back to their various outreach allocations. Yesterday morning our partner David and his […]

Dear Praying Friends, Thank you for your prayers. We were blessed with a good and encouraging conference for our missionaries and their children. It is a privilege to partner with these people. I spent my afternoons in meetings with our church planting teams from all over the Philippines and Heidi spent much of her time […]

Heidi and I arrived safely in Manila. The hiking here is quite a bit different, but we are getting used to it. We do miss our jungle trails. Heidi and I both have been preparing for next week’s conference. I’ve been meeting with the leadership team and Heidi has been preparing for the nursery/toddler care […]

Today was Election Day here in the Philippines and if you look at web sites that have news from the Philippines you will see stories about exit polls. There are many to choose from. I hate to brag, but if you want to know about Post-Election poles you will have to read it here. This […]