Surprise! and a Family Wedding

So some of you know that we have returned to the U.S. recently. We had a family retreat in May and really felt that God was calling us home for a visit, to have the baby, to share our stories & miracles about missions and to be sent back into missions after the baby is born. We kept our return a secret because we were going to surprise Donovan's sister Tina for her wedding. I told only a few people (like our parents) and asked that no one post anything about our return (that way Tina wouldn't figure it out before we could surprise her). Thankfully she had no idea and we had such a great time surprising her!

Jacob & Tina

Her wedding was this past Saturday at our home parish St. Jude in Wichita, KS. A few days before the wedding Donovan's sister Melissa told Tina and Jacob that “Mom and Dad have a little wedding present for you and they want you to open it at their house.” So they came over to the house and we hid in the garage behind a work bench. Donovan's Dad hid Felicity in a large tote box and kept the lid open until they were walking up to the garage. As they preceded to open the tote box I expected to hear something, but it was quiet. Tina didn't realize it was Felicity in the box! She was thinking to herself, “Why did they put Maggie (Felicity's cousin) in this box?” Donovan stood up from behind the work bench and we all followed. When Tina saw Donovan it finally clicked and she started screaming. She gave us all huge hugs and was very happy to have us back for the wedding!

At the wedding reception

Even though we showed up two days before the wedding Tina invited Felicity and Grace to be flower girls and Hannah & Catherine to pass out programs. Thankfully I had left one fancy dress for each of the girls and they fit the wedding perfectly! And after a few phone calls to friends they all had pretty shoes too! The wedding was beautiful and you could just see the love that Jacob & Tina have for each other.

Pretty little flower girls

Wedding Programs anyone?

A few days after the wedding we were invited to Tony & Monica's House to have a potluck dinner with six other families involved in missions (long-term, short-term & support of the missions). It was so cool because the Keihl family was there on their way back from California. It was a blessing to see them and share time with all of the families! We were also asked to do a talk about our experience in the Philippines at the Spiritual Life Center next Monday (keep us in your prayers). Our family will represent Full-time missions, some other families will talk about short-term missions, and Jake Seymour (Diocese of Wichita's Family Life Office Director) will talk about how to be a missionary in your own home & community. We are excited about this opportunity to share our stories and blessings and hope for many more opportunities while we are back in the States. If you are in the Wichita area we would love to see you Monday night, July 28th, from 6 to 9 pm at the Spiritual Life Center. Please click here for more information and to register yourself or your family (there is no charge). We will also be at the Mid-west Catholic Family Conference from Aug. 1st - 3rd in Wichita, KS. We will have a Family Missions Company table so please come by and say hello! Click here for more information about the Conference.

Thank you to all of you who are praying for us and for supporting our missions! Thank you to all of you who made special donations towards our traveling expenses to return to the U.S. Please continue to pray for our family’s discernment as we pray about where God wants us to go into missions after the baby. We are praying about returning to Malaybalay or going to another mission post. Please know that all of you are in our prayers!

Picture Blog: Our trip to Camiguin

We visited the group of missionary women on Camiguin Island. We had such a blessed time with them. The Island is beautiful, but VERY hot. We really enjoyed visiting with them and being inspired by their great missionary example.

Overlooking Cagayan de Oro, from St. Peter's Convento,
where Fr. Jo brought us to eat breakfast.

On the ferry to Camiguin Island. It took about an hour
and twenty minutes.

sweet sisters on the ferry

Watching the boys who climb the ferries and jump into
the water to pull in the ropes to tie it to the dock.

A beautiful view of  Camiguin.

enjoying the ride

Trying to stay cool.

getting closer!

Watching the cars unload from the ferry.

Visiting with Breana and Genevieve in their outdoor dining room.

At the waterfall for desert day.

Sisters swimming in the soda water pool.
It was so refreshing on a hot day!

Chilin' in Daddy's hammock.

Hannah looking at clams (6 out of 7 of the worlds
species can be found in Camiguin).

Passed out after a long day.

Hannah & Genevieve by the ocean.

Rebecca and Grace on the ferry back to CDO.

A beautiful view from the bus on the way
back to Malaybalay.

One of the blessings of missionary life: more time together as a family. Thank you Jesus for this gift!

If it is displeasing to you to serve the LORD, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
                                                                                                                                  - Joshua 24: 15

Sponsor a Student

Sponsor a Student Program

We are very excited to be working with our mission team on an exciting new project. We have seen the great need in our community for education. Children whose families can not afford their school fees and school supplies drop out of school. Many never go back and grow up to be adults who can not read or write. The goal of our sponsorship program is to provide support for students to continue attending school.

What grades are we looking to get sponsors for?

• Elementary Students (K – 6)
• There is no Junior High School here & students graduate high school in grade 10. As of next year high school will be extended to grade 12. This could result in even more students not completing school.
• High School (7 – 10)
• Pre-school Students attending the Deaf School
• ALS (Alternative Learning School) for continuing education students

What can sponsorship help to cover?

• Sponsoring a student would help cover their school fees, school supplies, uniform, daily food needs, and transportation to and from school.
• For adult students in the ALS program it may also include a scholarship for their families living expenses.

How much does it cost to sponsor one student?

• Each students need is different
• We can match you with an individual student
• OR you can donate to the general fund.

Who needs sponsorship?

• We have several students currently needing sponsorship.
• I have posted their information and picture (if available) below.

How do I sponsor a student?

• If you would like to give the gift of education to a student in need please send me an e-mail at blair1026@hotmail.com

In the e-mail please include your:

1. Name
2. mailing address
3. phone #
4. e-mail
5. Name of student you would like more information about

• We will contact you by e-mail.
• And begin praying for them today!

Remember that sending a student to school can be LIFE CHANGING. The cost to send a student to school in the Philippines is MUCH lower than in the United States. For some it is as little as $15 per month (for school supplies and transportation). 

Please consider sponsoring a student. Perhaps you belong to an altar society, Knights of Columbus, Youth Group, College Ministry Group, Mom's Group, Book Club, etc. and you could sponsor a student as a group. Please pray for the students and for God's help in finding a sponsor.

Students waiting to be sponsored:

Name: Rhea
Age: 10, female
School: School for the Deaf
Grade: Pre-school level 2
Needs: school tuition, food stipend, travel expenses, basic items & vitamins

Name: Casey
Age: 11, female
School: School for the Deaf
Grade: Pre-school level 2Needs: school tuition & food stipend

Name: Jonah
Age: 24
School: ALS
Grade: High School
Needs: transportation fees & income scholarship

Name: Maricel
Age: 27
School: ALS
Grade: Elementary
Needs: transportation fees & income scholarship

Name: Richun Mae
(pictured with her father)
Age: 15
School: School for the Deaf
Grade: Elementary
Needs: food stipend, transportation

Name: Rica Joan
Age: 23
School: College Midwifery Program
Grade: college
Needs: school tuition

Jericho Project in Isla Bonita

The men of our mission team started up the Men's Group in Isla Bonita a few weeks ago. It has been an awesome opportunity for the men of that community to grow in their relationship to the Lord and become strong, husbands, fathers and leaders. A little over a week ago they ended the Jericho Walk (marched around the community praying everyday for 7 days, and on the last day they marched 7 times around). The inspiration for this march comes from Joshua 6.  

Early the next morning, Joshua had the priests take up the ark of the LORD.

The seven priests bearing the ram’s horns marched in front of the ark of the LORD, blowing their horns. Ahead of these marched the picked troops, while the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, and the blowing of horns was kept up continually. On this second day they again marched around the city once before returning to camp; and for six days in all they did the same. On the seventh day, beginning at daybreak, they marched around the city seven times in the same manner; on that day only did they march around the city seven times.

Joshua 6: 12-15

Click the links below to read about the project and its blessings on our missionary brother Sammy's blog.

Jericho Project
Jericho Day 1
Jericho Day 2
Jericho Day 3
Jericho Day 4 & 5
Jericho Day 6
Jericho Day 7

Please keep this Men's Group and the men of this community in your prayers! God can do amazing things!

Maricel Home Project COMPLETE!

A big THANK YOU to all who prayed and supported this project. Maricel and her family are now in their new home. Click here to see pictures of their home before we started re-building the new house.

Here it is during construction:

New cement block foundation and framing the outside walls

New tin roof

h

The new cement floor

Framing the bedrooms
 (now they have 2 bedrooms instead of one big room for everything)

Maricel in her new kitchen

The C.R. (comfort room) or as we would call, the bathroom

And visiting our friends to see the finished house:

A new set of stairs leading down to their house

Jonahcel, Felicity, Hannah, Long-Long & Rebecca

The whole family saying salamat! (Thank You!)

Not only did this project allow us to build this house but we were also able to build a bathroom for another family. We also provided work for several men in the community as they helped to build this home. God really blessed this whole project. Salamat sa Dios!

School Supplies Needed!

So here in the Philippines school will be starting for the new year on June 9th! Wow its literally right around the corner. Enrollment for school requires (among other things) a payment, uniforms and being able to purchase all your school supplies. Sadly, many children do not go to school because their parents or caretakers cannot afford the fees, uniform or even the school supplies. Can you imagine dropping out of school in fourth grade because your mom needs your help to earn money to feed your family? This is an everyday reality for the people here. We need your prayers for this fundraiser and especially for these families.

Our mission team would like to provide school supplies to help children go to school. Could you please make a donation to our School Supply Fund? We will be purchasing pencils, pens, crayons, notebooks, etc. to provide for the children. These items that to us seem inexpensive can be an enormous cost to the families we know. Sometimes the items on their school list would cost more than a few days wages for their parents. If you would like to help with this fundraiser please send your donations to our mission fund and please remember to put School Supply Fund in the memo line. Thank you!

Donations can be made online: CLICK HERE

or by mail to:
Family Missions Company
Bailey Mission Fund
12624 Everglade Rd.
Abbeville, LA 70510

Happy Easter! Alleluia He is risen!

We had a very blessed Easter at our house. The girls woke to a small Easter bag of candy on their bed (and they were very excited)! We read about the resurrection from Johns Gospel while they ate their candy.

John 20:11-18*

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they  have laid him." 14 Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she 

did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my  Father and your Father, to my God and your God." 18 Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Meditation*: How easy it is to miss the Lord when our focus is on ourselves!  Mary did not at first recognize the Lord because her focus was on the empty tomb and on her own grief. It took only one word from the Master, when he called her by name, for Mary to recognize him. Mary's message to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, is the very essence of Christianity. It is not enough that a Christian know about the Lord, but that we know him personally. It is not enough to argue about him, but to meet him. In the resurrection we encounter the living Lord who loves us personally and shares his glory with us. The Lord gives us "eyes of faith" to see the truth of his resurrection and victory over sin and death (Ephes. 1:18).  The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our hope -- the hope that we will see God face to face and share in his everlasting glory and joy.  Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.  As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9). Do you recognize the Lord's presence with you, in his word, in the "breaking of the bread", and in his church, the body of Christ?
"Lord, may I never fail to recognize your voice nor lose sight of your presence in your saving word." 
* scripture and meditation taken from http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/john2011.htm

Then we cleaned up the house and the girls helped me to hand wash and peal all the vegetables for mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, green bean casserole, and buttered carrots.

Washing string beans (we used them for green bean
casserole). I was excited  to find cream of mushroom
 soup in the imported section of the grocery store.

Lots of scrubbing and pealing potatoes,
carrots and kamote (a white sweet potato).

We have a two burner gas stove (connected to a small gas tank). There is no oven so we had to be very creative in preparing all the food. We covered our outside table with aluminum foil and placed it in the sun. We laid out 2 loaves of bread to toast in the sun for stuffing. Each girl took turns fanning the bugs away with a stick. After toasting for a long while we broke it into pieces and used the crockpot to warm it with seasonings and chicken broth. It came out really yummy! Our Filipino friends had never had stuffing before.

Catherine fanning the flies away.

We ordered 5 cooked chickens from a place in town and picked up some fresh dinner rolls. Some of the Filipino ladies prepared rice and sayote and egg. We also found some cakes that looked like angel food cake (but where much heavier) and taste more like regular cake. We topped it with canned strawberries and the Romero’s brought pineapples and fruit salad to go with it.

We started our gathering with an Easter Egg hunt which was a hit for all the children. 

Go, Catherine, Go!

We enjoyed a very delicious Easter meal and dessert with American and Filipino Food! We prayed over the food and sang songs together.

What a blessing to have all this yummy food to share with our friends! We had 22 children and 11 adults (including our family). For a moment I was worried that we wouldn't have enough food and then I realized how silly to doubt God on Easter. He multiplied the food and we even had leftovers!

White Sweet potatoes with butter, cinnamon,
brown sugar and marshmallows.