We started out our year in Indiana, where we had our baby girl (the best thing about 2017!) and spent time with our church and family. We moved to Oregon in the spring and finished our furlough there. We returned to the Philippines in August and life got even blurrier. But this is the nutshell version so we'll leave out the whirlwind details. We moved to northern Luzon, and Alex picked up where he left off in Tagalog study. We finished out the year by celebrating the holidays with friends and refocusing on our plans for the upcoming year.
That leads to... drum roll please....2018! Do I dare write down all that we hope to see come to pass? It's intimidating to say what we hope for because of the disappointment that follows if it doesn't happen.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Prov 13:12.
We are certainly longing to "get our hands dirty" for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our goal is to finish Tagalog study by early March. We can then get into full time PGA (People Group Assessment). This is a time and labor intensive process that involves many trips to the region we'll be ministering in. It's the beginning of so many relationships that we hope to see grow into a mature church one day. This process helps us decide where to build our home, how we will approach ministry, and who our primary audience will be. There's even a possibility we could start studying the Isnag language this year if everything moves along.
Prov 16:9 "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." This verse brings so much comfort and excitement. What relief to know that the Lord is the one in charge of all this, and how exciting that He wants us to be a part of the planning process. It's such an honor to be a part of what God is doing to build His church.
Maybe this time next year we'll be writing you from our new home out in the middle of the jungle!
This little cutie wants to wish you a happy new year!
