Hello Family and Friends,
We are excited to share our latest update with all of you. Our trip to California was a much needed time to reconnect with family and friends. Although the time we had was precious and memorable, the shortness of the trip meant little rest for the entire family. We all had respiratory issues that we were trying to get over, so coming back to El Salvador meant that our family just needed to have some time to rest and recover. Moreover, this New Year was a perfect time for us to evaluate the last nine months to see if we have made an impact on the people around us and if there are things that we need to rearrange in our lives so that we can be a better witness to those people that we encounter daily.
Updates with Selah and Shiloh
The kids are back in school and are doing great! Selah and Shiloh are doing well at school and excelling in their extra curricular activities. Through their school, we have met several local families and have found so many opportunities to practice our Spanish and learn more about their culture. We learned the importance of stepping outside of our comfort zone and engage in activities that help us be more involved and accepted by our community.
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| Back to school! |
Dental Ministry Updates
Phil is working at both clinics (Lago Coatapeque and Nuevo Esperanza). There have been 2 teams that Phil has worked with since we got back from the States. Phil is so loved by the patients and students from the bible school. He works there with so much joy and love, and they see his pure heart and sincerity when he is there.
There was a team from Marshfield, Wisconsin that served with us in January. Their team was lead by Dr. David Heegeman.
During their visit, 140 people gave their lives to Jesus, 550 people heard the gospel, and we saw 415 medical and dental patients.
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| Phil working with the teams |
Teaching Ministry Updates
I have started co-teaching the Intermediate Advanced English class with one of the American missionary students, Grace Meiners. This is an important class to teach because they need to be ready to become translators for US and Canadian teams that come to help spread the gospel of Jesus through street evangelism, medical assistance, construction, etc.
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| Teaching English |
Another new job that I am excited to be a part of is a team that is being sent to the Philippines to start King's Castle Ministries, also known as Kastilyo ng Hari, Philippines. My job is to familiarize the team with Philippine culture and learn the language, Tagalog. The team hopefully is scheduled to leave January 2018.
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Helping Osmin and Jerrika learn about
Philippine culture and some Tagalog words |
This year, Phil has started teaching French to some of the bible school leaders and some of the advanced students. There are a few missionaries that want to work in certain countries that speak French, so Phil is teaching them the language and about the culture. It has been a great opportunity for the college to expand their curriculum.
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| Phil teaching French |
Sala Cuna/Nursery Update
We are also helping out in the nursery every other week. Basically, we give a short lesson about Jesus, say a small bible verse, sing songs, and do a craft with over 20-30 children between the ages from infancy to 3 years old. It has been a blessing to work with the young ones.
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| Working at the Sala Cuna |
We also had a chance to celebrate Phil's birthday with the missionaries. We had a surprise Captain America/ Avengers themed party for him. It was a great time celebrating his special day with the other missionaries, and it was great to bless him with words of affirmation and encouragement. It was also the first time we ever served a cake with sparklers. Phil had a great time! Phil has made such an impact here at King's Castle ministries. He is an encourager, an evangelist, and a great example of how we should love other people.
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| Photos from Phil's birthday celebration |
We are excited with what God is doing here at King's Castle Ministries, and we are blessed by all your prayers and support for missions. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to share the love of Jesus to everyone we meet.
Blessings,
Phil, Mia, Selah, and Shiloh
