Looking Back and Moving Forward

A year ago six foreigners were standing on the side of the road with luggage. Colene stopped, offered help and dropped them off at their designated spot. An hour late I got a phone call wondering if i could house these same people and 'oh by the way they are looking for ministry opportunities". A year later three ministry teams have come in separate months and done amazing things for the children's home in Manila, Malaybalay as well as the communities we reach out to... Over fifty workers and ministers of the gospel joined our efforts and many other groups around Manila this past month.

A year ago over twenty middle school kids were stranded at the Manila airport. They had just arrived and were suppose to head up north to minister however a typhoon shut down all travel and thus the call came to our children's home wondering if we could put these young adventurers to work. We did and a year later this same school has sent over administrators , two other work teams, and countless blessings for the homes in Manila and Malaybalay.. The middle school teams from their school arrive again next Monday!

Two years ago a team of aspiring workers showed up from Minnesota with a young couple named DJ and Rachel Langefels leading the team. A year ago this couple had enough of short term experiences and came to give their lives to God while working with our Manila children's home. This past couple of weeks the core group of the Minnesota team from 06 arrived again. After finishing their time one person wrote about the amazing change that had occurred in the lives of the kids and how impressed they were with DJ and Rachel's role and how they were being used by God!

God has indeed blessed our small group in 2008. We are pumped and excited to see what stories will be told a year from now as we see some of our first kids being adopted into forever homes all around the world!! First up are our twins, Daniel and Jacob who will be traveling to live with their parents in Elgin, Ill. sometime later this year or early next. Oh yeah, it was a little over a year ago that a group of short term medical missionaries were involved in saving the lives of the twin's mom, Daniel and Jacob....

What has your year been like? What will the next year hold? Keep looking for those God given opportunities to be about HIS work and have fun looking back at what God has done in your life in the coming year....

Thanks for allowing us this privilege...

Jeff for the Longs