A Big Thank You to All of Our Benefactors and an update

Sorry it has been so long since we have written! It is amazing how easy it is to get busy with life here. We wanted to say again how thankful to all of you who have prayed and donated to our mission. We wouldn't be able to do what we did without you! Here is a quick video put together by FMC to help us say thank you to YOU and shows you all the great things FMC did in 2014!

2014 Thank You video

If you haven't seen it yet look below for our most recent newsletter. Scroll down for update.

We write to you today with exciting news. We welcomed our baby Gabriel Elijah on October 4th! He weighed 8 Ibs. 9 oz. and was 21 ½ inches long. His birth was an answer to several prayers.  We prayed that he would be born before he got too big (Felicity was 9 Ibs. 15 oz. and was a difficult birth). Blair was only in hard labor for less then an hour and we were able to have him with no complications at the Birthing Center in Yoder, KS. We are adjusting as a family to this new little blessing. His four big sisters love to help by holding him whenever they get a chance. 

We wanted to write this newsletter to you to tell you what we have been up to since leaving the Philippines in July (in addition to having a baby). The last time we wrote we shared with you that we had discerned to return to the United States to have our baby. It was beautiful to see the support we received that allowed us to return to the U.S. in early July. God really provided for us once again! It was a smooth flight and a very easy travel experience for the whole family. Surprisingly we had very little jet lag from the 26 hour trip and no one got sick. Praise the Lord! 

Road trip to CA!

Grace enjoying the ocean in San Diego.

We returned to Big Woods first for a week to rest and pray. Then we traveled back to Wichita to stay with Donovan's parents and visit with friends and family. We were invited to Dodge City, KS to speak to the K-8th graders at Sacred Heart Cathedral School about missions. In August we were able to drive back to San Diego to visit Blair's family and our friends. We had the opportunity to share about our mission experience by writing an article for our old parishes newsletter. We were also able to share our stories personally with people one-on-one. 

Enjoying friends at our old Parish in San Diego.

Felicity's friend Mary Grace.

We returned to Wichita in September to await our baby's birth. God blessed us again with a job offer for Donovan at the YMCA where he is currently working and transitioning into a full-time position. A wonderful Catholic family from Wichita is renting their house to us allowing us our own place as a family. God is so good! 

After returning from the mission field we receive our family stipend for three months. After that we are responsible for providing our own income and our donations stay in our mission account. Your donation continues to help us by providing money for our next mission (travel expenses, living expenses, Alms). Just as our stipend was ending Donovan was able to find a job and we moved into our rental house (just three days before Gabriel was born!). Friends and family helped provide furniture, bedding and necessities for the house. Again God provided for our needs! 

Gabriel's amazing God parents Mike & Kelly.

We continue to pray and discern where God is calling us in missions next. We see our time here in Wichita as a temporary time of adjusting to an addition to our family and being missionary where we are. We recently spoke to the PSR classes at Christ the King about missions. It has been more challenging to find ways to serve and evangelize in the U.S. We recently started meeting with other families who support missions in our diocese. We gather to share a meal, pray together, have fellowship, and support each other in being more missionary. We also will be starting a Lord's Day meal like we did at Big Woods and as a community in the Philippines. The Lord's Day meal is celebrated together with other families on a Saturday evening. We share a meal, pray the Lord's Day prayer, and share personal reflections on a short scripture verse. 

We have a few special prayer requests. Our friends and fellow missionary family the Keihls suffered a great loss recently when their 18 month old son Ezekiel passed away. We ask that you pray for their family in this most difficult time. Our friend Christine from Malaybalay died after surgery to remove a hernia. Please pray for her and her family. Lastly, our mission partners in the Philippines, the Seilhan family needs prayers for strength in their ministry. Melissa is pregnant and on bed rest while her husband and children help with all the ministry. UPDATE: Melissa Seilhan and her family are back in the U.S. to have the baby and are in the process of adopting Joshua from the Philippines. Read more about their amazing story HERE. Please remember these dear people in your prayers and offer up a sacrifice for them. 

Thank you again for your continued support and prayers! We ask that you continue to pray for our family and our discernment of our next mission. Please know that we continue to pray for you and your family. 

In the Peace of Christ, 

Donovan, Blair, Hannah, Catherine, Grace, Felicity & Baby Gabriel 

A Gabe selfie from today!

As of now we are pursuing Costa Rica as our next mission post God-willing. We have a contact there and hope to contact the local Bishop soon. We have been praying since our call back to the U.S. about whether God wanted us to return to the Philippines. We feel that He is possibly calling us to Costa Rica and so we will pursue it as long as He keeps that door open. We ask that you pray that we would know and do God's will. 

Our friends the Romeros returned to the Philippines with three other families from our newest Intake. Read more about them HERE.  We miss all of our friends in the Philippines so much but we also look forward in hope of the new things that God has planned for us.

God Bless you all and your families!