Greetings, friends of Davao City Outreach!
Gina & I are refreshed after we were blessed with a one-day vacation at Eden Park resort about an hour from the city. Several of our disciples convinced their employer, William from Georgia, to bring us along when he took them on this retreat. We’re so grateful that he generously paid our way. It was our first chance to take an entire day to enjoy the beautiful nature all around us, & we thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with old & new friends.
Ellen (at the far left in the photo below, with red hair) was one of our first converts. She had been a faithful part of our meetings since December. At 38, she was older than all of our other disciples. They fondly called her “Mommy Ellen.”
When she was hospitalized a few weeks ago (low blood pressure, severe rashes, difficulty breathing, pneumonia), we just knew she would end up being all right. She had to.
As we watched her deteriorate during our visits, I begged God repeatedly through many tears for her healing. But it was not to be…at least not on this side of Heaven. I was honored to preach her funeral.
Nehemiah was, as far as I can tell, the first international mission fund-raiser (approx. 450BC). He learned of the need, he prayed, & he went to someone who could meet the need.
In keeping with his method…
We really need a new stove. Hard-working Gina has to feed 15 people or more, twice per week, using only two single counter-top burners, & one of them was poorly made–it’s not heating as much as it used to, so cooking takes longer. She would reallyappreciate an oven. Gina’s such a good baker, but she has not used that talent since we left the States. A stove/oven here would cost about $400. A decent four-burner stove alone would cost about $130. We hope one of you would buy one of these for the ministry.
We are not in a position to buy anything like these now–we’re in debt. We contributed nearly $400 trying to save Ellen’s life, because the hospital was withholding medicine until a certain portion of her bill was paid. Later, we helped another disciple, Richelle, when her son was hospitalized with Dengue fever. And as I write, we’re trying to find a mechanic who can come to our home, because the little 14 yr old car won’t start (though this expense will probably be low, unless significant parts need to be replaced). It’s definitely a tough season financially. It is always extremely hard for us to save money, because our friends & our disciples are often in need, & it’s so difficult to say no. But it’s not healthy for us to be in debt, so it seems like we need to say no more often.
Please don’t get the impression that our loved ones here are sponges. They all work very hard, & occasionally I have to persuade them to accept help, such as with Richelle. And they are often quite generous, when they are able to be. In this they are probably inspired by you. We often remind them of our generous supporters who make our ministry possible.
Below: Richelle, Jane, Gina, & Ella
Speaking of Jane, she’s staying with us for a month. We love helping Filipino missionaries, & Jane just finished her YWAM (Youth With A Mission) training. At 22, she’s already an excellent speaker, children’s minister, & song leader, with several short-term missions in her resume. She dreams of serving in Thailand one day. As a new missionary, she is now living entirely by faith. She has no income. She didn’t have a phone until we bought her one (we bought her a few clothes, too). If you’d like to get to know Jane, please reach her at janeangelsubala21@gmail.com or ‘Jane Angel Subala’ on Facebook for more info.
Remember how I’ve told you all before that I would rather you help a new missionary get started than for you to send an extra gift to DCO? That’s doubly true for a Filipino missionary. Please prayerfully consider helping Jane.
I wrote much more about money in this post than I usually do. Thank you for patiently reading it.
By the way, have I mentioned that we have been here more than a year now?
We arrived 8/9 of last year.
We are just as excited now with what God is doing as we were then!
And we are just as grateful for your prayers & your support as we were then!
Please pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest.