24 years, 7 months, and 9 days ago we left the United States with just Rebekah for the first time and stepped upon the soil of the Philippines. On that day in September of 2000, we didn’t have a time frame of how long we would be in the Philippines, but we came to serve the Lord wherever He wanted us, and for as long as He wanted. At that time, we had planned on joining veteran missionaries in a tribal work that was already started, but the Lord led us to open a new work, with no partners at first, among the Agutaynen people.
During those 24 years, 7 months, and 9 days, the Lord enabled us to learn two languages and be a part of establishing a church among the Agutaynens. There is no greater joy than seeing people “Turn . . . from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18). It has been a privilege to serve the Lord.
On our last Sunday at Faith Bible Church, the service started shortly after 9am. There was singing, a message from a Tagbanwa (another ethnic group) pastor, many letters of thanks read by the believers for the Lord bringing missionaries to them, a potluck lunch, lots of pictures, and a game. There were moments of joy mingled with moments of tears. Five and a half hours later, we left the church for the last time.
Tomorrow, we step onto the airplane with just Jonathan for our trip back to the States.
Many of you have partnered with us for over 25 years, others have joined our team in more recent years. Whether new or long-time partners, together we praise the Lord for what He has done through all of us for His glory in the Philippines!
Now the question is: How many years, months, and days will we serve together for the Lord’s glory in the next ministry?