NTM

Over the last six months we have been incredibly blessed as we have had opportunity to reconnect with friends from our home church in San Clemente, California along with many friends from other churches in the area.  With our return to the Philippines fast upon us now however, we thought it best to take advantage of the summer months and head out to visit friends & family in other parts of the country to share the vision God has given us.

Mesa, Arizona

Our first stop outside of California was in Mesa, Arizona where we visited with long time friends who we have lost touch with for awhile.  Thanks to FACEBOOK we were able to re-connect with dear friend Rachel Bush & in the process with her mom also, Lois Brice.  Unfortunately, Lois’ husband, Rev. Bill Brice passed away not long ago & so we missed seeing him.  Bill assisted in the marriage proceedings for my my wife & I over 14 years ago.  Bill & Lois also stood up with us as sponsors (a Filipino tradition), acting as second parents for our wedding along with three other older couples in the Lord who we could look up to as mentors.  As you can imagine, this reunion was a very special time for us as it has been nearly that long since we saw them last.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

From Arizona we made our way to Albuquerque, NM, where we are spending time with family & friends.  For the fourth of July we enjoyed spending the day as a family & then lit a few fireworks out on the sidewalk while watching the bigger fireworks through-out the city.  We had a wonderful visit to Hoffmantown Church the next morning where pastor Wayne Barber preached an always wonderful message & especially timely for us concering Trusting & Obeying the Lord.  That same afternoon we spent the rest of the day at Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque where our son Jay played the drums for a special independence day celebration followed by more fireworks.

What’s next?

From Albuquerque we will travel back to Missouri to visit with friends at NTM’s Missionary Training Center for a couple of days, then on to Chicago to visit with dear friends & supporters.  From there we will travel to Ontario, Canada to visit with friends & family.  While in Ontario we will give a report & share the word at Ohsweken Baptist Church.  From Ontario we will travel to Dover, DE to visit with family & then to Raleigh, NC to visit with a long time friend & others before turning west again to head back to Albuquerque for a few more days.

Your prayers as we travel & share are much appreciated.

Sharing the vision God has given can be an incredible journey.  On the other hand, it also has it’s own unique set of challenges that sometimes only those that have been through it or are going through it can understand.  So when the opportunity arose to spend time with future NTM partners to the Philippines, we were extremely excited.

For the first few days of June we have had the pleasure of hosting future NTM Philippine partners, Lucas & Naomi Lorenz along with their three children; Solomon, Patience, & Eden.  Lucas & Naomi were fellow students with us at NTM’s Missionary Training Center in Camdenton, MO..  Like us, they have been busy sharing the vision God has given them for reaching the unreached in the Philippines since graduation.

Currently the Lorenz’s are on a six week road trip, visiting friends & family across the United States.  Beginning in early July, we too will start a similiar journey to visit friends & family across the country.  These can be very exciting times but they can also be very tiring times.  

Please be in prayer for us & our future partners as we are on an exciting journey.  Both families would like to be in the Philippines by August but we also fully recognize the need to patiently wait on the Lord.  Whatever God’s timing, it has truly been an encouragement to spend time with each another, Encouraging One Another on the Journey.  Our parting words as they left were, "See you in the Philippines."

Please join us in praising the Lord for the progress we have seen in partnership development these past few months.  Currently we have 62% of our recommended support.  Another $700 of monthly support will get us to 75% of the recommended support, which is requested before returning to the Philippines.

We truly thank God for each one that has chosen to partner with us up to this point & for those that God is preparing to partner with us.

Our goal remains to depart for the Philippines by early August and so please be praying for us as we wait on the Lord through this process.

Should the Lord lead you to partner with us financially please feel free to contact us or visit our give page for information as to how you could do this.

Praise God for the progress we have seen as we have shared the vision God has given us for church planting in the Philippines.  As of May 1st we are now at 51.5% of our recommended support for the Philippines.

Please pray now as we seek His perfect timing.  As recommended by the Philippine Field Leadership, our goal is to have 75% of our support before returning. 

Since graduating from NTM’s Missions Training Center, our hope has been that we would return to the Philippines by August of this year.  

We have Three Major Drivers:

1.  To get our daughter enrolled at the mission school, Faith Academy, when the school year begins in August. 

2.  For myself, getting started sooner rather than later with language study seems most appropriate given my age.

3.  With Cirena speaking two different languages in the Philippines, there is opportunity for her to jump in & help out with the language program & other areas helping new missionaries transition to life in the Philippines.

As you can see, needing to close the gap with another 23.5% of our recommended support and our desire to return to the Philippines by August is getting down to the wire. 

1.  Our partnership development is now well underway and already we have seen an increase in prayer & finacial support.  Currently we have promised approx. 32% of our recommended support for the Philippine Field.  We praise God for the numerous opportunities & invites we have had to share over the past few weeks.

2.  For myself, Robert, please pray that I will remain diligent in everything necessary for effective partnership development.  Please pray that I can communicate clearly the vision God has given us and the financial need that goes along with it.  Praise the Lord for the opportunity I have had to plug in to the Men’s Bible Study group at our home church that has adopted us as their missionaries.

3.  Cirena has done an incredible job in her role as hostess during the many home meetings we have had already.  I praise the Lord for all of her hard work (cooking & cleaning) in this area & for her joyful heart in the process.  Praise the Lord she has had the opportunity to plug in to a Women’s Bible Study group at our home church.  These ladies blessed us incredibly by fully furnishing our new apartment.

4.  Last but certainly not least, please pray for Sheila Marie.  We praise the Lord for the vision God has given her too for reaching those that have yet to hear. 

By God’s grace on December 19, 2008, Cirena and I have graduated from NTM’s Missions Training Center.  Having served with NTM first as Associates starting in December of 2002, we are excited now to have full membership with NTM.  For those of you who have partnered with us during these past six years whether by prayer, sacrificial giving, or encouragement, we thank God for each one of you.

So what’s next?  Now begins the process of partnership development.  Logistically speaking I would consider this to be ensuring we have our beans, bullets, & bandaids for the ministry God is calling us to.

No, we’re not taking bullets to the mission field with us but we do need to ensure we are properly equipped for what lies ahead.  This would include the cost of computers, printers, maintainance, repair, equipment replacement, etc… 

Eph 6:12-13
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
NAS

As for our beans this is nothing more than our basic sustanance, which includes not only food but also clothing & the cost of shelter. Band-aids refers to ensuring that by way of benefits we are prepared for possible medical needs, emergencies, & even retirement.

By way of reminder, NTM is a faith based organization which means that all of us as members of NTM are required to look to the Lord for our provisions.  We pray that you would be willing to consider and pray about being a financial partner with us in reaching those that have not yet heard.