While most people would agree that this past year has been extremely difficult, I though I would take a moment to mention just a few things we are grateful for during the past twelve months.

1. In October of 2019 we were grateful for provisions to bless our daughter and two of her classmates with a trip to Boracay for her 18th birthday. Memories to last a lifetime.
2. During the first week of December 2019, our family was blessed and honoured to participate in the dedication of Faith Bible Church with our Agutaynen brothers and sisters in Christ on the island of Palawan. Seems like a lifetime ago when we were first able to visit this village during our first term in the Philippines.
3. A few weeks following the eruption of Taal Volcano on January 12, 2020, Cirena was privileged to participate in a Crisis Debrief for many of the displaced families together with a team of national believers from various churches and mission agencies in metro Manila.
4. In March of this year, just prior to confronting the worldwide pandemic each of us has faced, our daughter and her class here able to participate in their senior class trip. Yes, this trip was cut short but everyone made it home safely and this was also the last time that our daughter was able to spend time with many of her fellow seniors.
5. On April 16 my wife and I celebrated 25 years of marriage. No, not the Silver Anniversary we had planned but the Lord for sure has always been our silver lining plus throughout our marriage and for that we are always grateful.
6. On May 29 our daughter graduated from Faith Academy, Manila having finished her last two and a half months of high-school on-line. What a blessing it’s been to watch her grow in her walk with the Lord and to trust Him.
7. On July 1 following an initial cancellation of our flight back to the US, we were able to rebook and return to the US in preparation for seeing our daughter start school at Grand Canyon University. After a 14-day quarantine, I was participating in a social distancing VBS with Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque, NM as their Missions Speaker.

Truth be told I could go on and on as these are just a few of the things we have to be grateful for during the past twelve months. Today our daughter is a student at Grand Canyon University and we are grateful for her focus on God as she continues her education. Bottom line, with as much as we have to be grateful for now, I can just imagine the blessings in our future.

Philippians 4:6-7

“⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (New American Standard Bible)