ahh yes a job well done

Things are somewhat back to normal after the flood, especially for us here at the Mission Center.  We still have many guests coming & going all the time which keeps us busy.

We have completed 7 queen size bedspreads and 13 twins size out of all that fabric we showed in a previous update.  We are also working on reupholstering furniture.  With 34 guest rooms there is lots of furniture to make, refinish, recover, etc.

What in the world does this have to do with Church planting, the Gospel and Bible translation?  It shows that we are all part of the team.  There are missionaries, language consultants, mission teams, family members of missionaries, pastors, doctors, training personnel, all staying with us at the Martin Burnham Mission Center for various reasons such as medical, dental, travel, some may be here for training seminars, well you get the idea all kinds of people using the Center.  Yes, we are all part of the team planting churches among unreached people groups.

Taltak & his mom Kilsit - Taltak needs surgery on his face

For example the picture attached of the boy Tatak and his mom are from a village where the missionaries will begin teaching God’s Word early next year, in the tribal language.  He was here for 6 weeks trying to get medical attention for the growth on his face (actually to find out the source of the growth).  He will be back in January to have this taken care of.

Thank you for being a part of God’s team with us in reaching the lost.

Nick (works with Ed), had the radio playing in the workshop and a song came on in English which sang about being “blue” and he asked “what mean blue, the color blue?”  and Ed told him malungkot (sad) and proceeded to tell Nick that is how we are feeling now as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach because we miss our friends and family back in America.  So please pray for us as we do MISS YOU!

People in the village soon to hear the gospel!

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for Tatak, his and the many others in his village that God would continue to prepare their hearts and minds to understand and receive the Gospel.

Pray that we can encourage those the Lord brings through the Mission Center to continue on serving as we do not know how long we will have the freedom to spread the Gospel in this or any other country.

Pray for Debbie as she will be having some major dental work done Thursday night your time (4 old crowns redone) they are decaying underneath.

We do Praise the Lord for the health and strength He gives us to serve Him.

Thank you for praying!

May God richley bless you!

Love,

Ed and Debbie

They live in fear of the spirits.

They die without hope.

This is Awayo’s story.

Tropical storm Ketsana besieged the Philippines capital city and nearby provinces with a nine-hour deluge that left some places under 20 feet of water. It is said to be the heaviest rainfall since 1967.

“NTM’s leaders in the Philippines reported. “Relief operations are under way across the city with many missions and individual missionaries involved.”

Several thousand people were rescued from rooftops and stranded cars. At last report, the government estimates there are more than 435,000 people displaced and at least 140 dead, with the death toll expected to rise as the flooding subsides.

The houses of several NTM missionaries were flooded. Belongings were destroyed or washed away, and vehicles were submerged. However, none were reported injured and all of those who were in precarious situations are now safe.

Pray that NTM missionaries can be a blessing to those who have lost loved ones and property.

Have you ever wondered if time is speeding up? It seemed as though we were in fast forward mode for the past 6 weeks since Eddie and Ashley were here and now gone. Eddie and Ashley are our 2 oldest children now studying in the U.S.. Actually it has been more than 7 months since we returned to the Philippines, so maybe we are stuck in FF>>.

We did have a great time having Eddie and Ashley with us and we even got to spend lots of time together having fun as we got to serve together and have some time away from the mission center. We also had friends from Wisconsin come out (Brian and Breanna) as a father-daughter mission trip. They were able to help on some projects around the Mission Center and we did some work on Nick\’s house, Nick is the local guy who has worked with us at the mission center for over 2 years now.

Just recently we had youth workers from Hong Kong meeting with youth workers from the Philippines for a first ever Asian youth summit and they were using our facility for their meeting, eating and sleeping place.

We are privileged to being a part of a variety of different ministries and that happens because you have been a part of our ministry, for without you we could not continue serving overseas.
Thank you for your prayers, support and friendship we truly appreciate all you do!

We are full into the ministry at the Martin Burnham Mission Center. We have been hosting missionaries that arrived back into the country and are preparing to move into a village to learn the language, help the people physically and most importantly teach them God’s Word. There has also been medical needs among some missionaries, Interns arriving from other missions, work to be done on our building, needs among those who live near us and plenty of hot weather to get used to, every day.

On another Island where some of our missionaries are serving 43 Bible teachers attended a teachers’ seminar. The new and veteran teachers have shown true commitment and desire to take God’s Word to their people in other villages.

-Pray for our strength as there are times we feel lacking.
-Pray for those who attended the teachers seminar that they will not get side tracked but have many opportunities to preach the gospel in many villages.
-Pray for Brianna, she needs to take Mid-term exams from Lenape so she can receive credit.  Also pray for her knee that the extra bone growth that has caused her pain and restricted activity will desolve away.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS, SUPPORT AND WONDERFUL FRIENDSHIP YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE PHILIPPINES!

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ” (Hebrews 10:23-24, nasb).

Please pray for us as we return to the Philippines in the beginning of January 2009.  Smooth trip and transition.

Pray for packing, sorting and shipping things we need in the Philippines.  We are  gather things that are hard to get in the Philippines and ship them over.  Thank you for your donations!

Pray that our final visits with friends and family would be special.  They were! BUT now we miss you again:-(

Pray for Brianna as she starts a new school when we return to the Philippines.  She did Very well!

Pray for Eddie and Ashley and us too, as we leave them here in the United States.  Great job Eddie and Ashley!