So I guess this is an official notice to you (you know who you are!) that they finally beat me again. For more than three months they have been trying to beat me, even begging me sometimes to let them win so we can go to McDonalds. Today, March 25, 2008 they legitimately beat me. The score was 11-8. It is exciting to watch these boys grow physically, spiritually and emotionally.
Pictured on the right, the boys pose with their five bunk beds in the dorm. By adding these bunk beds we were able to free up a lot of space, and as you know boys like to have room to play! We thank God for His provision and for the bunk beds!!!
In August of 2007, Andrea, Josiah and I returned to the States for three months. We had just finished a one year stay here in the Philippines, and felt God tugging on our hearts to return for an even longer commitment. Our purpose for going home was two-fold. First, we wanted to see our family and friends and introduce them to our son, Josiah Michael. Second, we needed to raise money to return here for at least another two years.
The first two months of being at home were great for seeing everyone, but our finances seemed to be decreasing rather than increasing. We spoke at several churches and shared our vision with friends and family…but still we did not have enough money to buy plane tickets, not to mention what we needed for our monthly support after arriving in the Philippines. At the end of October/beginning of November we felt that we needed to return. So by “faith” we purchased our tickets and put them on our credit card.
As soon as we did, we began getting phone calls and e-mails from people who wanted to let us know they planned on supporting us when we went back. We also had a $1,000 donation from one family. We still did not have enough to pay for the plane tickets or the supplies we bought to send over, but we knew in our hearts that God would provide. Toward the end of December, I started thinking about the bill coming up for these things and wondering how we would meet our budget for January.
I can still remember waking up on January first and reading a text on my phone from my mom. It said something like “I put January’s budget in your account today”. At the end of December, we received a donation that covered what we still needed for the bills we had, gave us our January budget, and even left us with some in the bank.
My point is this: God is faithful. If you follow the call He has on your life and are faithful with His instructions, He will provide. I have discovered that many times He will provide from where we least expect it. Andrea, Josiah and I are happy to be serving the Lord in the Philippines, and we know that this is still just the beginning of what He has for us.
The new bunk beds are built, varnished, and already being used by the kids! I will have some pictures, as well as the final post, up on the website in a few days. However, before I show you the new beds, I just wanted to show you a picture of the old system. And yes…I am joking.
Talk about a SUPER SATURDAY! On Saturday, March 8th, FTC had a VERY busy and fun day! We had regular work projects, chores, dance practice, and even made time to spend with a local high school class (who came to play and have a snack with our kids for an hour and a half). To see the photo gallery of our fun day, click HERE.
It is getting exciting here as we continue to see progress with the bunk beds! The first thing they do is temporarily build them in the work area
Finally, they do the master assembly
In the final assembly stage they check the balance, smoothness, and stability. As you can see in these pictures, these are turning into beautiful, solid bunk beds. Again, we are very grateful to the Lord for His provision!
I am not sure if I have ever mentioned specifically on this blog how much “I love my son”. Just in case I have not, for the record, I love him very much. Being a father has taught me very much about love, life and discipleship. Even now as Josiah begins to learn “what he wants” and even throws a fit sometimes when he does not get it, I am learning that love, life and discipleship is an everyday event. Now, multiply Josiah by thirty kids and you can see why we need all the prayer for God’s wisdom. We have a great team here at Face The Children. I can say that because where I am weak, someone else is strong and where they are weak, we are strong. Teams do not have to be perfect, but the members should complement one another’s weaknesses. A commonly known Acronym for team is:
Together
Each
Accomplishes
More
As we continue on day to day we appreciate all of your prayers. In the first picture you can see Roldan and Josiah; the picture is a little blurry because they were dancing. In the middle picture you see Josiah and Shekaina hanging out in the laundry area. Finally, in the picture on the far right, Josiah is having a blast on the bicycle with Anabelle. I am blessed to have Andrea as a wife, as I have never met a more fair-minded person in my entire life. In everything that goes on with FTC Andrea is always asking herself if it is fair to all the kids. We love all the kids as though they were born to us. They are so much a part of our lives that the thought of losing any of them brings me to tears.
In closing this post I would like to say that FTC is doing great! We appreciate everyone’s heart for what God is doing over here. I encourage you to check out www.jeffpessina.com. Jeff is the director of PFMI, so check out the whole blog, but specifically the post from February 29, entitled “Impact Through Changing Lives”. Thank you all for your continued support and prayer.
Day three of the “bunk bed” project. I decided not to post any pictures because they are doing the exact same thing today that they were doing three days ago. You contractors in the States are gonna go nuts when you hear this… but it is more cost-efficient to pay two guys to plane and sand rough lumber by hand for a week, than it would be to buy it already smooth. Not only that, but it also provides work for two guys for several weeks. It is the best of both worlds. I will get some pictures up when they start the next phase of the project.
