It has been awhile since our last update because I wanted to wait to see the results of Grace's visa application. We were surprised to see that Grace was denied a tourist visa this afternoon. This is very frustrating since the whole application process is a real pain, and now we are going to have to do it again, as well as get more documents. We hoped that what we provided the right information but apparently it was not good enough, so we will try again. That means at the earliest we will know by early July if she can get a visa. All our plans are delayed again, so please pray with us the second time we will get the visa.
The church has been going well, and we had an excited service last Sunday, with lots of new faces! A few of the mothers from the church were able to go to a woman's retreat last week and they had a wonderful time. I had to drive since another driver could not make it, so I had the time off and enjoyed the lovely scenery. Grace sat in on the sessions and joined in the activities which was nice for her, as well as the opportunity to spend time with the mothers in a special place. There were many encouraging testimonies, and I could see how much each of the mothers enjoyed the time, for sure it was the first time in their lives they had a chance to get away with just the girls! I also spent a lot of time talking with one of the volunteers, Henry, who is professional counselor. He really encouraged me about what we are doing with our church, and opened my eyes to some of the beauties that I was not seeing right in front of me.
Sometimes whether I like it or not, I tend to gauge success on numbers, and bigger is better. Though I don't try it's almost natural, and having a small church does not give the same personal fulfillment as a big one. It's a bad mindset, but I think most people, especially westerns can agree this is our common thinking. Henry reminded me the beauty in small things, and that I have been very blessed to see genuine change and walked through the good and bad times with many young people and mothers. Think about how many times we actually see people genuine change around us, let alone being part of that change. I realized again that small is beautiful, and was very encouraged from my talks with Henry and his great incites about the church and ministering in the Philippines. Grace and I met with him and his wife on Tuesday to see if they could partner with us and help out our church. We had a great talk, and now him and his wife will continue mentoring us! We are both very excited because they are both doctors, and have a counseling clinic and help with small churches. The timing is definitely perfect since we are newlyweds and are both in ministry.
I will make sure to keep everyone posted with new developments in regards to Grace's visa. I was hoping to be able to send a very happy email about coming home with Grace, but if not now that it is not the right time, and in the right time we will be their. In my next update I will make an important announcement about a change in my role here. The details are still being worked out, but it is a very exciting development so please pray with us.
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