Sagada Pics Feb 2008 - Click on Picture to Enlarge

The morning clouds over the mountains, in Benguet Province

Moving out of Benguet Province into Mountain Province.

The road across Mountain Province

Rice Terraces along the way.

Sagada

A shop keeper in Sagada, who remembered Mike and Bev well.

An elderly woman who lived with and helped Mike and Bev Smits

The Sagada Rice Terraces

Update, Feb 8, 2008

Greetings. This coming Sunday I will be speaking once again down at Baguio Gold and would covet your prayers. I have been asked to speak twice on Sunday morning. First in Chapter 4 of Genesis, and then I will be sharing from a wonderful trilogy of Psalms; Psalms 22,23 and 24. Then we will be joining the saints from Navy Base in our weekly visit with the assembly in Fatima.

Pray for the new outreaches from the Navy Base assembly. There is door to door evangelism going on in the neighborhood surrounding the chapel building and it is already bearing fruit as one lady has committed her life to Christ and attended the assembly meeting last Lord’s day. The young people are out sharing the gospel, and the ladies group goes out once a month into the homes of neighbors to share. This along with the various home bible studies are the avenues being used to get the gospel out. Those of the assembly are doing a wonderful job. The word is being sown, it is being watered and we are trusting in the Lord to bring the increase.

This coming Tuesday Joyce and I will be making our first trip up the Mountain Trail to Sagada. Our desire this trip is just to scout things out, as it were. The contact that I thought we had there is no longer living in Sagada so we are going in not really knowing anyone, so it will take a few visits before people become familiar with us. Mike and Bev Smits have given us good counsel, and we will be taking things slowly and asking the Lord to open doors for us. We would appreciate your prayers for safety and His direction.

We spent a couple of days this past week down in Manila. It was good to visit with the saints at San Juan on this past Lord’s Day. It was quite an enjoyable time to see them all again. One of the brothers has asked me to consider taking a trip with him to Palawan to visit with the saints there, so please pray with me for direction.

January 24 Evening Bible School Pics

January 24, 2008 Update

Greetings to you all once again. Just a quick up date for all of you that have been praying for the Evening Bible School at Navy Base Christian Fellowship. We are entering our fourth night of classes and the response has been very good, for which we give thanks to the Lord. We have had 15 who have been coming each night, and a couple of others who have come as their schedule has allowed them. We are working our way through the first four chapters of Hebrews and hope to complete all four chapters by weeks end. I must admit I am a bit behind having only completed one and a half chapters with only two nights remaining in this first session.
Each one has shown diligence in completing their assignments and all are on time each night for classes, most arriving early so as not to be late. They are such a pleasant group of saints I just love being with them.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we work through these last two chapters.
I will also be speaking this coming Sunday in the book of James and certainly could use your prayers as I prepare for that lesson as well. Then down to Fatima for their afternoon service. What a joy!

Update January 8, 2008

January 8, 2008

Happy New Year to all. As I reflect back on the past year I am so very thankful to our Lord for His overwhelming kindness to us. Last year at this time we were leaving Hinton, West Virginia heading for South Carolina. This year we are in the mountains of the Philippines. What a difference a year makes. The Lord in His grace has seen us through another wonderful year in His service and we are so very grateful to Him.

A couple weeks ago I was able to speak down in Baguio Gold to the small assembly meeting there. They were celebrating 13 years as a functioning assembly in the present location. They have gone through some hard times of late, but the Lord has preserved them. It was a delight to share with them from the Scriptures. I will be going back again in February and hope to be part of the regular rotation of speakers there. They could sure use your prayers, as can I, as I seek to share the Word of God with them and encourage them in the things of the Lord.

This past week I spoke at the Navy Base assembly twice. Once at their joint Sunday School and then at the regular preaching service. This coming week I will be speaking on Wednesday evening at Navy Base and then Sunday at the assembly in Fatima.

The first session of the bible school at Navy Base will be upon us soon, Jan 21, so please keep that in your prayers as well. There are ten signed up for the classes so we are thankful for that, and others will join as they are able to audit the classes. We plan on covering the first four chapters of Hebrews in this first session.

We are still planning on making our first trip up the mountain trail to Sagada by the end of the month, Lord willing. We are not sure what we will find, so please be praying.

We were not able to get the needed repairs done on the truck this last week in Manila. So we will be looking to do that up here before making the trip up the hill.

We were able to secure our licenses while in Manila, and all in one day!! Just a three hour ordeal, which is nothing compared to what it used to be.

We have a planning meeting at the Navy Base assembly on Saturday the 12th. So be praying as we plan for the coming year. I would love to see a new outreach using the Emmaus Correspondence courses!

Thank you all so much for your prayers for us. We trust this new year will find you walking closer with your Lord than ever before.

Pictures January 8, 2008 - Baguio Gold Assembly