Padens in the Philippines

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Ps. 46:10   What an astonishing command and reminder! Be still – in the midst of battle, stop, lay down your weapons, allow yourself to be weak, and let go. The past few months have been overwhelming, yet looking back, we can't help but marvel at how God made everything work. Had we insisted on our own way, it could have been a mess. TEAM 4:5 First, we want to thank you so much for all your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. We couldn’t have done this without your partnership. Last year, our family took a vacation to the island of Palawan. We visited the place where Julie and I first met years ago, during a Teen Missions Team trip. That place has now transformed into a beautiful camp, where we stayed for a few nights and reconnected with old friends. In our conversations, the idea of running a  summer  camp came up, and as we prayed, we became certain t...

Tyson, one of our participants for our summer missions trip, is a college student who was originally signed up for the Thailand team. The trip was scheduled to depart on June 19, 2024, and since there were no conflicts with his school schedule, we went ahead and purchased his tickets. However, a few days later, Tyson informed us that his school had rescheduled their finals to the same date as our departure. This almost impossible situation turned into a faith building event. After praying and seeking guidance, we decided to speak with the school's head staff.  Thankfully the administration agreed to let Tyson take his exams ahead of time, enabling him to join the summer team. Praise God that even as we prepare to go God is already making a way and teaching us new lessons in faith. We have participants coming from all over. There will be an American team in collaboration with Royal Servants, a couple American ladies, and Filipinos from 4 different areas around the Philippi...

Things have been picking up since our last update a couple months back. We'd greatly appreciate your prayers as we dive in very busy season.  Remember when we asked for your prayers for our trip to Thailand in January? Well, it was fantastic! We attended a Soul Care Retreat, which was incredibly rejuvenating. Also, Praise God for the opportunity to visit the Rubia's. You might recall them from earlier updates as the Filipino missionaries sent from our church here in Davao City. More pics below. Here's what's on the horizon for the next few months! After years of anticipation, we're finally sending out the short-term teams we've been talking about.   Both Gilmer and I will be leading teams—Gilmer will head the backpacking team, while I'll be leading the team to Thailand. Josiah will join me (Julie) as a team member on the Thailand trip, and Luke will go along as a staff kid with Gilmer on the backpack team.  We've also decided to change the location of th...

As this new year starts, we want to make sure that we look back at God's faithfulness and say a big THANK YOU! You partnership has enabled us to continue working with Filipino churches to send out missionaries to the unreached.  Big News! We praise God for such a special time to celebrate the wedding of Jake and Nhaya! We traveled back to the States this summer and were grateful to be with so many friends and family who came to support this couple as they begin their lives together.  TEAM 4:5 Update One of the ways we develop a vision for missions is through short-term missions trips. For years we have been trying to launch a team but covid and other issues have delayed this. One of the new challenges we have now are the dates. Our school system here in the Philippine can not decide what dates they want to follow. Each school and area choses different schedules. So it is getting harder to recruit or set up a team.  An...