Padens in the Philippines

Ready or not Here We Come! What's in this update: -What have we been up to these last few months? -When are we coming home? -Please pray for us. -Family update/highlights in pictures. As a family we are doing good and are healthy. Praise the Lord for that. The Philippines is seeing a high spike of COVID again. That is specifically true in the north- Manila region. They are back to almost total lockdown and the hospitals are running out of space for patients.  In fact, last week our ministry director, who is based in Manila, was diagnosed with COVID-19 and dengue fever at the same time.  They went to 3-4 hospitals and could not find a place for him. It took a few days on a waiting list. Please pray for him, his name is Pastor James.   In Davao city, where we live, it’s somewhat relaxed. Churches are starting to open up providing they only allow half capacity and all wear a mask and a face shield. So I have been preaching face to face and at the same time streaming it ...

Merry Christmas  We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Psalms 33:20-22 Contrast- a state of being strikingly different from something else.    The mall is usually the place to be here in the Philippines. It’s where we shop for groceries, clothes and the hardware store is there, movies, and restaurants. Of course Starbucks is a must as one goes about your busy day and marks off that to-do list.    The mall is almost empty now! Entry is restricted, face masks and face shields are required. You must have your own personal QR code scanned before you can enter and that is of course after you have had your temperature taken. Plastic barriers are up between seats at a table and there are no movies or activities open. Each store requires you to fill out a health and tracking questionnaire on top of w...