Erickson’s Philippines Updates

On Tuesday Andrea, Josiah, my mom and I spent a day with our four-year-old niece, Grace (daughter of my brother and his wife, David and Jennifer). What an amazing day! We started the day by attending Gracie’s dance class. She and her fellow ballerinas practiced a short version of “The Nutcracker” that they will perform officially next week for the parents. The biggest struggle there was convincing Josiah NOT to put on a pink tutu and dance with his cousin. We left from there and I took Grace and Josiah to play at a McDonald’s play place. One hour later neither one of them were ready to leave. They were having so much fun playing together!

Next, we moved on to an “actual” lunch at the Saint Louis Bread Company, where we ran into an old friend I have not seen in years. Then Grace accompanied Andrea and others to Wal-Mart, where they had a great time shopping together. Finally, it was time to head home to relax from our big day. Grace is growing into a beautiful girl and I am very excited we were able to spend the day with her.

We spoke at Cornerstone Foursquare Church in St. Louis, Missouri this past Sunday and all went well! This Saturday, December 13th, we will be hosting an open house at the Spring Lake Marina (303 S. 8th Street, Rochelle, IL), from 1-5pm. Everyone is welcome to attend this event. Then on Sunday, December 14th, I will be preaching at New Life Foursquare Church (109 S. Washington St, Rochelle, IL) at 10am.

We’ve received reports from the Philippines that the kids are doing well. We will be returning there on January 8, 2009.

The question is this: Why in the world did we leave an upper 80’s tropical island to return home to 3” of snow the day after Thanksgiving? I guess the answer has something to do with family, friends, speaking in churches, fund raising… Small things like that.

Andrea, Josiah, and I are doing great, unless you consider shivering and freezing 24 hours a day to be a bad thing! We spoke at New Life Foursquare Church this past Sunday (in Rochelle, IL), and will be speaking at Cornerstone Foursquare Church this Sunday, 12/7 (in St. Louis, MO). We will most likely have one or two additional speaking engagements before we return to the Philippines on January 8, 2009. Your prayers are appreciated as we enjoy time with friends and family, as well as seeking God’s financial provision for our return trip.

Below I have added the most recent picture of everyone currently at Face The Children. It was taken a few weeks ago.