A Big "Thank You"

    I would just like to share this post from one of the newsletters that we sent out last year, before we even started this blog. It's just our way of thanking those who have supported us and felt that it would be great to include it here again.

     We want to take this time to thank all our prayer and financial partners. In a short period of time, we were able to raise 90% of our goal! Currently, we are still looking for 13 people who can commit to $50/month to help us complete our fundraising for this trip.  We are so grateful to all our partners who have encouraged us through this process.  This amazing response has been an answered prayer that God is blessing this journey.

      

     Our first step to this journey was to complete our Pre-Missionary Training in Springfield, Missouri last June 2014.  Although we were there for only 2 weeks, we were able to connect with other missionary families, and we were also able to create friendships that will last for a very long time.  The training had an incredible program for the kids called” ISMK,” International School for Missionary Kids. The children learned that they are not only “Missionary’s Kids”, but that they are also Missionaries!   We were all excited to be commissioned as official “Missionaries.”  As the Great Commission states in Matthew 27:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Our 1st Church Visit

AMIGOSENCRISTO

      We are also thankful to Edward Vega who invited us to speak at their church AmigosEnCristo.  It was a wonderful experience to be a part of a Spanish Christian Church, and also to meet people who were so excited to hear about what our family is doing.  This was definitely a wake- up call for us to start immersing ourselves in the Spanish Language.  Selah is now watching Dora and the “Frozen” movie in Spanish!

MVP'S (MOST VALUABLE PARTNERS)

*JULIAN RUIZ

      Currently, we have our fundraiser shirt program by Booster.com.  The first time we launched the fundraiser, we were able to raise $450.  By popular demand, we decided to re-launch the fundraiser program till August 31, 2014. Our designer, Julian  helped us create shirts that will help “Give Smiles, Change Lives!”  Thank you to all our partners who joined in the “Wear it and Share it” program!

Our fundraiser shirt

*GRACE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

      We would like to thank Grace Christian School for raising $100 during the Clubhouse Summer Camps and for supporting our family to our trip to El Salvador. During the summer camps, they passed an offering collection for their special mission project,  Phil and Mia Gendreau, Evangelism and Dentistry Missionaries. They asked the kids to look around the house for tubes of toothpaste and dental floss, and to bring a quarter for each one they had. We were so blessed by having our daughter’s school spread the word about our mission trip to El Salvador.

*MEDSEND

      Thank you to MedSend for approving the grant to pay for our student loans! Phil received an email about this while he was at a lecture taught by a professor who is a part of the MedSend board.  God is so good!

      This is the new medical rural clinic where Phil will be serving alongside Dr. Boris, Abbey Richardson, RN, and Tammy, RN.  The building was dedicated on August 22, 2014. Don Triplett, Founder of the King’s Castle Ministries gave an inspiring message during the dedication. The medical building is in the center of an area where there is a great need of medical and dental attention.  The area is surrounded by a city of poor people that have no access to any hospitals or clinics.  We are excited to be there to help these people take care of their physical needs, and to share to them the Good News about Jesus Christ.

Training in Virginia…

   Phil just came back from his dental missionary training in Abingdon,Virginia. The training was held at the Jubilee Retreat Center August 13-17, 2014. He had the privilege to train with around 30 other medical professionals.  He learned many things about how to treat patients in a different country and how to maintain balance with his family at home.  Phil also was able to spend quality time with our Aunt Hazel and Uncle Richard who happens to own a lovely bed and breakfast in Abingdon, Virginia.  

Stay tuned for the next post as we prepare for our trip to Costa Rica...


Your missionaries,
Phil, Mia, Selah, and Shiloh

First Step: Pre-Missionary Training in Springfield, Missouri

     

Our family at Springfield, Missouri

     Our first step to this amazing journey was to complete our Pre-Missionary Training in Springfield, Missouri last June 2014.  Although we were there for only 2 weeks, we were able to connect with other missionary families, and we were also able to create friendships that will last for a very long time.  We were able to spend an  entire week training with all the missionaries from the Latin America/ Caribbean Region. It was vital to meet all these families because these are the same families that would be going to language school with us in Costa Rica.  It was nice to spend some quality time with people that have the same heart to serve Jesus in another country.  There were 100 missionaries from all over the world present during this training. Each day was filled with classes from 9am to 5pm with amazing speakers that focused on different subjects such as adapting to a different culture, raising our children in a different nation, building connection with other missionaries, and knowing how to use available resources for healthcare and financial budgets.  It was very inspiring to be a part of a group of people that all had wonderful testimonies of how the Lord called them to serve on the field. 

We are officially in training

    In addition, the training had an incredible program for the kids called” ISMK,” International School for Missionary Kids. The children learned that they are not only “Missionary’s Kids”, but that they are also considered “Missionaries!”  Selah did so well with this program. As a mom, my biggest fear was that our children would have a hard time dealing with changes.  But one thing that we learned during this whole training is that children are super resilient.  Selah loved her teachers, and she enjoyed participating in all the activities. It impressed me how she handled being away from mommy and daddy for the whole day and not feel any separation anxiety.  This was another God-answered prayer!

Mommy duties in between training sessions.
This is Selah, our eldest and her younger sister Shiloh.

       

Making friends!

Selah enjoyed her time at ISMK

   On the last day of training, we were all excited to be commissioned as official “Missionaries.”  As the Great Commission states in Matthew 27:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

A map of America.
The rays show different destinations for God's Missionaries.
For our family, it is El Salvador.

About the Gendreaus

     Before we continue on with the unfolding of the rest of our journey, I thought it would be good for you to get to know us better. Do read on to get more acquainted with us, the Gendreau family.

     

     The passion for culture and missions is not a surprise to the Gendreau Family. From the day Phil and Mia met, not only were they connected by their love for teeth, but they were also connected by their love to help and serve people for God’s Kingdom.  Both are similarly called to evangelize and share about Jesus. Their experience and background in different cultures helped them become great candidates to serve on the mission field.

     Phil was born in Montreau, France, a small town outside of Paris in 1979. He moved to Southern California when he was four years old with his family. Phil knew he had a heart for missions at an early age of 8 years old.  Phil graduated with a Biology degree at UC San Diego. Realizing that becoming a veterinarian was not his cup of tea, Phil decided to go to USC to become a dentist. With his extensive skills in art and surf board-making, becoming a dentist was a perfect fit for a person who loves to work with his hands! Through dental school, Phil participated in short-term dental mission trips to Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador.

     On the other side of the world, Mia was born in Davao, Philippines in 1976. Her family relocated to Manila after a few days and lived there for 20 years.  Afterward, she moved to California to finish her college education at Cal State University, Fullerton. Mia graduated in 2002 majoring in  Marketing with a focus in Business Administration.  Mia works full-time as a dental technical advisor for Glidewell Laboratories, the biggest  dental company in the United States. Mia joined KSOM( Kingdom School of Ministry) in 2007 through Vineyard at Laguna Niguel, and she also went to a few short-term mission trips to Mexico and India. 

     Phil and Mia met at a home group bible study.  They fell in love and got married in August of 2008.  They were able to visit their homelands, France and Philippines, before they had their first daughter, Selah Gisele, on July 2010.  Their youngest daughter, Shiloh Grace, was born on July 2013.  As a family, they love to hang out with their friends and engage in outdoor activities such as swimming and paddle boarding. Phil loves to surf whenever he can, and Mia loves to plan parties.  Selah goes to preschool 3 times a week at Grace Christian School, and Shiloh loves to play with her big sister, Selah.

In the Beginning

Meeting the Tripletts…My first visit to El Salvador

Outside the Dental Operatory at Coatapeque

     Some of you may be asking why we chose El Salvador? Phil has been to El Salvador a few times on short-term dental mission trips.  Three years ago, God spoke to Phil clearly while he was serving on a short term mission trip in El Salvador that He wanted him to move there with his entire family to serve as missionaries.  At that time, there were no openings for a dentist available, so the desire was kind of pushed under the carpet until it re-surfaced again around July 2013.  We barely just had delivered our newborn baby girl, Shiloh, when Phil broke the news that he wanted to move to El Salvador.  All you mommies out there can probably agree that after having a baby, the thought of moving to another country is the last thing you would be thinking about.  Phil knew his calling, on the other hand, I needed to go to El Salvador  to see for myself what life would be like living over there. Some of you may know that Phil practically had to drag my feet to get there, but after some serious counseling (thank you Sheneau Stanley), I finally decided to go  check it out with an open mind.

     When we arrived at the Monsenor Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport, Don Triplett and his wife, Terri, welcomed us at the entrance. Don Triplett, Founder of King’s Castles ministries  opened his home to me and Phil, and gave us an overview of what it would be like serving the people of El Salvador. He raised his entire family there for 25 years, and has become well-loved by the community. 

      As we drove around the cities of San Salvador and Coatapeque, I felt right at home because the area reminded me of how life was growing up in the Philippines. Seeing the busy streets filled with cars trying to make a two lane road into a four lane road was very familiar.  Seeing the city also reminded me a lot of what Manila is like: small little shops, food stands in every corner, and people selling everything and anything in the middle of the road. The Tripletts were so amazing to show us the preschools, gated villages, and clinics in a span of less than twenty-four hours. It was definitely a productive trip.  

     The place that made the biggest impact was visiting the clinics that Phil would be working in, and also a 24-hr House of Prayer located in the main grounds of Castillo Del Rey. The view of the prayer house was breathtaking, and the highlight of my entire visit. I knew living there would not be a surprise, but I needed to know why God was calling our family to live there. To tell you honestly, I did not hear any clear answers during this trip.  However, the cool thing about going to El Salvador at that time was that I got to witness how Phil was energized by the opportunity to serve.  It did bless my heart to see how much the people were so excited to meet a dentist who was willing to give up everything he had to serve them. This was a stepping stone for me to trust God, and to seek signs and confirmations that this is His will for our family.  I left El Salvador not as resistant, but with an open heart to receive whatever the Lord has for our family.

At the Dental Operatory in Coatapeque with the Tripletts.
This is where Phil worked as a missionary 3 years ago.

A church next to the Dental Operatory

At King's Castle 24 Hour House of Prayer

The beautiful view from the top of the 24 Hr House of Prayer

La Libertad

At a resort in La Libertad with Don and Terri Triplett