A different kind of home.....

Greetings! I apologize for the delay....we are currently in Vancouver and it has been pretty busy!

As Tim shared in previous posts, we were given an opportunity to come back to Vancouver for Tim's best friend's wedding, to visit family, and to spend some time updating and planning with Impact Nations for the water filtration ministry.....

But we also got to announce something VERY special....Tim and I are expecting! Yup, it's true...after many years of praying, trusting and believing God for a miracle, He has provided just that! We are floored by His faithfulness and awed by His grace. Our little one is due sometime in September, we think.....not sure how far along I am....we are thinking anywhere from 7-10 weeks, but we'll let you know when we find out! For now I am just rolling with the everyday changes in my body.....and not fitting into my pants! ARGH!

We told both sets of parents....all reacted with tears and shouts of joy....made it more real for us. And then we had a wonderful opportunity to share it with our church family here during worship. Most of the church knows the difficulty we have had in this area, so the shouts and cries of joy were so encouraging. We also had an opportunity to share pictures, testimonies, and stories about the Philippines and how faithful God has been to us there as well as to the people we have encountered. Tim preached on stepping out of his comfort zone and into the special covering of Jesus....He makes us do strange things sometimes, but uses those strange things to teach, encourage, and bless us while glorifying Himself! He's so cool!

As Tim begins to teach people how to make water filters in the Philippines, access to clean water for all of Mindanao is becoming more and more likely rather than just a hope. He is anxious to get as many people started on building the filters as possible. They are so simple, cheap and effective and the connections he is making are fantastic! People are getting excited and are wanting to get started! This is encouraging as he will be quite busy when the baby comes in September. :)

We also had a wonderful encouragement from our directors at Mercy! They understand our history and the amazing miracle of this pregnancy, so they have been extremely accommodating and helpful in altering my schedule to help with time off before and after the baby arrives. We are planning to have the baby in the Philippines so that we can continue serving the people we have so grown to love. God has been faithful thus far, so we are earnestly seeking Him for daily direction as we enter this new season! It is amazing how the very fact that I am pregnant opens the door to minister to the women that come into the clinic in a whole new way! Many of the women cannot fathom being "infertile" and then God miraculously healing them....it opens the door to ask them what miracle they are praying for or needing....God delivers and shows Himself. Cool.

As for now, everyday is full of meetings, visits and coffee dates....decaf for me. And we are eagerly looking forward to time in Oregon with my family and a time of rest before we get back to work in the Phils in February.

Thank you again for all your prayers and encouragements! No doubt they have been working! We feel like the Lord is taking good care of us and revealing more of Himself to us daily. Some days are crazy hard, but there is always grace. I will have Tim post next time....Be blessed!