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Dear friends
and family,
As
we packed up our house and prepared to fly home, we wondered what it would
be like, being back in the USA after serving 8 years in the Philippines.
How would we be able to adjust? People drive fast! Nobody walks anywhere!
It gets cold in the winter! Almost everyone speaks English! We won't
usually be the only white people around! Traffic police have cars!
So
after 5 months in Texas, we are settling in, and already preparing for our
soon return to the Philippines, which is not that far off (next July, Lord
willing)! We certainly hope to get more chances to see old friends and
supporters before we go back! We now have 2 kids in college, and our
youngest is in high school. It won't be that long before we are empty
nesters! And guess what? We have a son getting married in January! Now, to
update on the latest for this year...
First, an
update on my sickness. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's earlier this
year, an autoimmune thyroid condition. It turns out that this was the root
cause of all my other illnesses. My digestive tract was damaged to the
point where the full recovery will take a long time, but it is manageable
with a strict diet and the medicine I am taking. I am working with a doctor
here in Texas who specializes in auto-immunity and thyroid issues, and
things are improving. So we believe at this point that there is no
obstacle, and we can return to the Philippines next July.
Click here for the facebook page for the doctor I am working with, following
a modified Paleo diet.
The
diet I am on is a challenge, because the joy of food which so many of us
experience is now significantly limited in my life. My meals are generally
simple – meat and vegetables, gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and
legume free. I was hoping that I would be able to have lots of frijoles
here in Texas on our home assignment, but alas, this pleasure is taken from
me (sigh). When I start to feel down about food, I remember this – John the
Baptist lived on locusts and wild honey! :-)
Second, on the
tribes.
The tribal work is going forward in many areas. In the aftermath of the
typhoon last year, our missionaries in those regions have been able to
build bridges of friendship to rehabilitate and speak into the lives of the
people. In the area we used to live
among the Palawanos, there has been an increase
once again in guerrilla activity, and reports we hear are that it does not
look like it will settle down for some time (perhaps months). We ask for
your prayers for our dear brothers and sisters among the Palawano who have
become believers, and that the rebel activity will be settled down once
again.
Third, on
language consultation. We are in the process of re-working our new
missionary orientation and language acquisition program to make it more
effective. We are bringing up a very capable family from another island to
head up a major component of this program, which is a significant positive
development in our progress. This
will free me up to be able to concentrate more on the consultant side of
things when we return, as we still have many missionaries that are in
language study in the tribes.
Fourth, on the
ministry at Faith Academy, we are looking forward to returning
to the Philippines and Ginny returning to her ministry in the special
education department with the high school students. We are so thankful that
she has had an opportunity to speak into their lives, and to help the
missionary families that have their kids studying there. It really makes us
feel connected to the bigger picture of what God is doing all over Asia by
her ministering there.
And
on that note, we have a new development with regards to Faith Academy.
Recently we received an email from the school asking if I (George) would be
willing to take a part time ministry
position as a high voltage engineer at the school. They have several
electrical projects they want to get going on when we return, and with my
background in electrical engineering (and specifically high voltage), this
is another way I could serve what God is doing in missions around the
world.
We
appreciate your prayers as we press on in the Lord's service!
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