Spring Update 2023

Spring Update 2023 Ephesians 3:14-19 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Too fast, just too fast... When we arrived in January we hit the ground running and it's taken a while to feel normal again and get things in order.  Our main focus right now is to work on our summer short-term missions trip. The plan was to form two teams. One local and the other one is Thailand. It looks like our local team will not happen. We have no one signing up for it and we don’t have a place wiling to host a team. Our Thailand team is more promising. Julie and I went to Thailand a few months ago and were able to travel over and see where the team would be working. It was exciting to see what God is already doing and be part of that great need there. Since that trip we have been all over the place promoting the program in churches, summits, and youth camps. We literally promoted it from north to south of the Philippines.  So here’s where we are. As a result we have 4 people from the north who are planning to come and 3 people from our church here in Davao City. We could use more people signing up so we are still praying that God will provide more.  Some of the challenges we face when recruiting is that it's a 40 day program. Churches are not used to this long schedule but we believe that this is important. Second, is the schedule of the schools. Covid really changed all of that so many schools have different schedules. This really affected how people decide. Third, will be getting their passports and raising their financial support. So, we are in for a faith journey. We have seen so many things that God has blessed us with through it all.  Thank you all for your prayers as we transitioned back into life in Davao City. It has not been easy. Last dinner with Julie's family before leaving Arizona. Not easy to leave Nhaya and Caleb on the other side of the world. Faithful friends willing to take us to the airport at 3am!  On our way back to the Philippines we used the opportunity to stop in Hawaii for a few days and celebrate our 22nd Anniversary.   The boys were finally able to go back to full-time, in-person school after 3 years! Josiah is a Freshman and Luke is in 4th Grade. Praise God they have both adjusted back well and we are enjoying not having to teach them from home!  haha Our car was broken before we left and by the time we got back it was still not fixed! We spent a couple months without it but thankfully now it's working and the Lord even provided individuals and one church to help us with the repairs. Plane, bus, van, toktok, car, and taxi. We got to do it all on this trip. A few weeks after we arrived, we took a trip to Thailand. We were able to do three important things while there. Attend a conference (security sensitive, so no photos), visiting our missionaries from our local church here in Davao, and set-up the summer team.  The last photos are of the young people at the children's home we hope to work at/with this summer. (This is a couple that we have known since our Teen Missions days over 25 years ago.) So excited to work with them again.  Please be praying for Jacob and Nhaya as they prepare for their wedding in August. Our family will fly over for the wedding but then return back right after because the boys start school at the beginning of August.  Again in the air, back to Manila with the boys for a trip to the US Embassy for their passports and then we took a bus up to Baguio City. If you have been on this journey with us from the beginning, you will remember that this was our first assignment. We love our church in the cool mountain city in Luzon and enjoyed sharing with them the vision of the summer team to Thailand.  Ireland I don't have any photos of Josiah alone but he will be going alone this summer as he bravely joins his own Royal Servants team to Ireland. He's been waiting for years to follow in his siblings footsteps and this is the year. Praise God he is already fully supported and please do be praying for him as he takes this step of faith. He will need to fly alone from Tucson to Chicago and back right before the wedding.  Finally back together for Bible Study after so long! Indian ladies cooking up a storm in our kitchen. I dare you to find Josiah in the sea of High Schoolers on their Outdoor Education trip. The last two are of a hike we got to do recently now that our car is fixed and we can travel.  Praises - God's faithful provision and protection as we settled back into life here and traveled so much. - Nhaya and Caleb finishing up a year in college in the States.  - The younger boys adjusting back to life in the Philippines and in-person school. - Our car finally being fixed. It does still need some tune ups so please pray that all the kinks will get worked out.  - Josiah fully supported for his missions trip this summer.  Prayer Requests  - We are still a little short on our monthly support pledges. Please pray for continued provision for this need.  - Caleb is traveling back to the Philippines on May 5th for one month. Please pray for his trip and for direction as he decides what to do next year. - TEAM 4:5 trip this summer. More team members, logistics, provision, protection, successful ministry, and spiritual growth for all.  - Summer plans for the family and all the wedding preparations.  Support Online We are so thankful for your prayers, support and partnership. "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Cor. 15:58 Serving Him, Gilmer and Julie Paden (Nhaya, Caleb, Josiah, Luke) Copyright © 2023 Paden Family, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have shown interest in our ministry in the Philippines. Our mailing address is: PO Box 2101  Benson, AZ 85602 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.