Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Boys Dorm
We found out today that we will have a boy's dorm off campus that will have 14-18 kids ages 7th-12th grades. We are very thankful because we have been praying for a boy's dorm. We are very excited for this oportunity. Please continue to pray for us!
Monday, April 7, 2008
To the Philippines
Keatings to the Philippines. It's true. We plan on going to the Philippines on July 15. We are very excited about this opportunity.
This opportunity first came last July. Thanks to Kim's parents, they had an application sent to us from Faith Academy in the Philippines. They asked us to consider being boarding home parents at Faith Academy. Kim and I talked about the opportunity and we both wanted to consider it. So we prayed for a couple of weeks and we both could not stop thinking about Faith Academy and the Philippines. We felt a desire to serve at Faith Academy as dorm parents. We felt that God was leading us to take this step of faith.
We read the requirements of the position and felt that we would be a perfect match. There are four boarding homes at Faith Academy (a school for missionary kids) which house 7th-12th graders whose parents are away on the mission field. In each home there are 15-20 kids. Dorm parents take care of and are responsible for each child. Responsibilities include meals, homework, counseling, mentoring, fellowship, leadership, and much more. There is an apartment that is attached to each home for the family. They are looking for young families with experience with youth. Over the years as youth group leaders we have very much loved our time with young people. What a great opportunity to do this full time, serve God, and serve missionaries all at the same time.
We then talked to our elders at our church and told them about our desires. They had mixed feelings as they did not want us to leave but excited in the way the Lord would use us in the Philippines. They prayed with us and continue to pray for us. It is at this time that they agreed to commend us from Warrenville Bible Chapel.
The next step was to apply for the position of dorm parents at Faith Academy. We turned in our application on October 27, 2007. We then received our acceptance letter on January 16, 2008. During this time we learned patience and how to rely on God.
Over the past few months we have been making preparations for the move. Our house is ready and is on the market to sell. We have started packing/sorting our house. We have plane tickets and passports. It is has definitely been a busy time. In addition to the normal preparations we found out that my mom had cancer. She was first diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her left eye. After seeing multiple doctors the decision was made to remove the tumor and her eye. The surgery, which was on Good Friday, was successful. During this time additional tests were done to rule out any additional cancer. Through a cat scan a mass was found in the intestinal area. A biopsy was done which showed pre-cancer cells. Another decision was made to remove this mass before it developed and spread into cancer. This operation was successful as well on April 2. So now mom is once again cancer free. We are so thankful to the Lord for his healing. Please pray for mom and her recovery.
We continue to trust God during this time in our lives. We continue to feel the Lord's leading in taking us to the Philippines. Obviously this will be a huge change for us but we feel this is what God wants us to do. We would not be doing this if we didn't feel the Lord's leading. Faith Academy is looking forward to our arrival this summer. At this time we are making a two year commitment to serve at Faith Academy.
Our plans: My last day of work will be May 27. Then on May 29 we leave for New Jersey to visit our Mission home, CMML, for two weeks. During this time we will be visiting eight churches and sharing with them what we will be doing in the Philippines. Then we leave for Pennsylvania where we will be attending a Missionary Orientation conference. After that, we go to Connecticut to spend time with Kim's family and then on to Rochester, New York, for the wedding of Diane Brooks to Dave Smith. Then we will return to the Chicago area until we leave for the Philippines on July 15.
We appreciate all of your prayers and support during this step of our lives. We will continue to trust God as we follow Him. We give Him all of the glory!
This opportunity first came last July. Thanks to Kim's parents, they had an application sent to us from Faith Academy in the Philippines. They asked us to consider being boarding home parents at Faith Academy. Kim and I talked about the opportunity and we both wanted to consider it. So we prayed for a couple of weeks and we both could not stop thinking about Faith Academy and the Philippines. We felt a desire to serve at Faith Academy as dorm parents. We felt that God was leading us to take this step of faith.
We read the requirements of the position and felt that we would be a perfect match. There are four boarding homes at Faith Academy (a school for missionary kids) which house 7th-12th graders whose parents are away on the mission field. In each home there are 15-20 kids. Dorm parents take care of and are responsible for each child. Responsibilities include meals, homework, counseling, mentoring, fellowship, leadership, and much more. There is an apartment that is attached to each home for the family. They are looking for young families with experience with youth. Over the years as youth group leaders we have very much loved our time with young people. What a great opportunity to do this full time, serve God, and serve missionaries all at the same time.
We then talked to our elders at our church and told them about our desires. They had mixed feelings as they did not want us to leave but excited in the way the Lord would use us in the Philippines. They prayed with us and continue to pray for us. It is at this time that they agreed to commend us from Warrenville Bible Chapel.
The next step was to apply for the position of dorm parents at Faith Academy. We turned in our application on October 27, 2007. We then received our acceptance letter on January 16, 2008. During this time we learned patience and how to rely on God.
Over the past few months we have been making preparations for the move. Our house is ready and is on the market to sell. We have started packing/sorting our house. We have plane tickets and passports. It is has definitely been a busy time. In addition to the normal preparations we found out that my mom had cancer. She was first diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her left eye. After seeing multiple doctors the decision was made to remove the tumor and her eye. The surgery, which was on Good Friday, was successful. During this time additional tests were done to rule out any additional cancer. Through a cat scan a mass was found in the intestinal area. A biopsy was done which showed pre-cancer cells. Another decision was made to remove this mass before it developed and spread into cancer. This operation was successful as well on April 2. So now mom is once again cancer free. We are so thankful to the Lord for his healing. Please pray for mom and her recovery.
We continue to trust God during this time in our lives. We continue to feel the Lord's leading in taking us to the Philippines. Obviously this will be a huge change for us but we feel this is what God wants us to do. We would not be doing this if we didn't feel the Lord's leading. Faith Academy is looking forward to our arrival this summer. At this time we are making a two year commitment to serve at Faith Academy.
Our plans: My last day of work will be May 27. Then on May 29 we leave for New Jersey to visit our Mission home, CMML, for two weeks. During this time we will be visiting eight churches and sharing with them what we will be doing in the Philippines. Then we leave for Pennsylvania where we will be attending a Missionary Orientation conference. After that, we go to Connecticut to spend time with Kim's family and then on to Rochester, New York, for the wedding of Diane Brooks to Dave Smith. Then we will return to the Chicago area until we leave for the Philippines on July 15.
We appreciate all of your prayers and support during this step of our lives. We will continue to trust God as we follow Him. We give Him all of the glory!
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