Starting a New Life
How do you translate, starting a new life? ... “Parang panibagong buhay kami” (Seems we’re starting a new life).” That’s what it feels like for us as we prepare to head back to the Philippines in June.
Taking Time to Rest & Recover
...taking time to rest and recover when needed is a necessary part of the missionary life.
A Couple of Not-So-Awesome First
Our last update focused on a couple of awesome opportunities we had over the summer. Unfortunately, between the two ministry opportunities mentioned in that article, we also endured a very negative first time experience which was being pick-pocketed for the first time on a crowded mass rail transit system in Manila. Normally I try […]
A Surprise Visit
We live in a very needy world and there is much work to be done.
Answered Prayer!
Our three month home-assignment has come and gone and we can honestly say that this has been an answer to prayer on so many fronts. During this time we reconnected with friends and family from coast to coast, visited with six differenct churches, had some much needed medical & dental work taken care of, recieved some […]
Connecting With the Local Church
A few years ago I took a Perspectives course on missions at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Cebu. Just to get our brain juices flowing the question was asked, “Does missions exist because churches exist, or do churches exist because missions exist?” That’s a pretty profound question and while it’s true, churches would not exist […]
“Wow, I can really see now!”
Those were the first words out of my wife’s mouth after I saw her coming out of surgery for cataracts in her left eye. Those words were repeated at various times throughout the week since then. Taking care of medical needs is just part of what we were hoping to accomplish during our three month home-assignment. Thanks […]
Welcome Home Smith Family
This has been the greeting we have received from day one since our home-assignment began. Whether it’s been the greeting we received from our friends who picked us up when we arrived in California, friends opening their homes to us, or the churches we have shared in, we have been extremely blessed. One friend in […]
An Unexpected Mother’s Day!
We praise God for His provision for the Agta VBS team. One portion of the team went in by boat (three hours by land and then nine hours on the open ocean) while the rest of the team were able to fly in (a much shorter trip by air). The original plan was for our […]
Another Christmas in the Philippines
Surviving Christmas Away from Loved Ones!