As some of
you may have already heard, our family will be adding two new missionaries to our
family in 2015! We are expecting a
new little miracle missionary this April (Blog on that coming soon!) and are in the process of adopting the fourteen year old Filipino boy that we took into our home this year. (Read all about Joshua here.)
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Baby Boy Seilhan showing his might, and Joshua showing the smile that captured our heart. |
But just because we are stateside for a while doesn’t mean
our mission in the Philippines is over or even on hold! There is still a lot of work to be done there, and we will continue to help with as many of our ongoing projects
there as possible while we are stateside.
We have many students that are counting on us, our family and
yours, to continue their education.
There are many families that count on us to feed their families
during difficult times. There are
many there still in desperate need of long term medical care. There are many families still in need a
safe, dry place to call “home.” But most of all there are still so many
people there who need to hear the Gospel!
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| Junar and Diane with their two children Justin and Drizzle and baby on the way! |
We had been working with two Filipino couples the past few months, Ricky and Irene Redondo and Junar and Diane Marduquio. They had been joining us for community prayer and private bible studies each week. The two men had been accompanying Travis to the jail each Tuesday to minister to some of the inmates. They have both already shared with the inmates their testimonies about how God pulled them from darkness into the light and saved not only them, but their marriages. They had also been taking over the work projects: building of houses, reroofing, etc. Irene helped with our medical ministries and the handing out of food to the hungry. She was also one of our main interpreters last year.
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| Ricky and Irene with their two kids King and Princess |
These two couples will be taking over some of our ongoing
ministries while we are away. They have been leading the Thursday night bible study in their community since we left. The men will continue to visit the jail
as often as their work schedules allow.
They will also be tending to some of our regular tasks regarding our
sponsored students and some of our long term medical patients. We have been keeping in touch with them
and will support them and the ministries from the states as much as we are able.
We ask that you pray for the Redondos
and the Marduquios as they try to bring the Gospel to their own people. We all know that even Jesus was not
accepted in his homeland.
During our furlough, Travis will be returning to work with
his former employer until we leave again, and Melissa will be getting the doctor ordered bed rest needed to carry
the new baby to term. Travis and
the kids will also continue the mission work that God sets before them as
Travis’s work schedule allows.
Travis and the kids are already planning to join some of the short-term
trips that Family Missions Company hosts throughout the year. They are looking forward to working
with some of the other FMC missionaries and seeing the differences in ministry
and needs in other parts of the world first hand. Maybe some of you can join them on a short-term trip!
With all this being said, we come to you not only asking for
your continued prayers for our family, especially for a safe delivery and
healthy baby and uncomplicated adoption process, but humbly asking that you continue
your financial support of our mission if you are able. We have seen the “face of the poor”
that Pope Francis so frequently refers to. We have held mothers as they mourned the loss of their child. We have picked up the town drunk off the street, cleaned his wounds, and returned him to his home. We have seen the desperate look in the
eyes of the hungry children at our gate.
But we have also seen the hope all of these people have for
a better life, the life that only Christ can give them. We have stood next to them as they
baptized their babies, received the Holy Spirit at confirmation, and committed
their marriages to God. We have
witnessed numerous miracles both physical and spiritual ones. We have watched them grow in their new
life in Christ and have seen the joy the gospel brings to those who chose to
accept it.
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Our Thursday night bible study/kids catechism group |
We believe that God is calling us, both you and our family,
to continue this mission of bringing the Gospel to all nations, especially to
the poor. We invite you to read more about our all the projects and ministries
that we have going on in Malaybalay here on our blog and then pray about whether God is calling you to continue supporting this
mission.
Continuing to Follow God’s Will,
The Seilhan Family
Travis, Melissa, Isaac, Philip, Emily, Olivia, and baby Seilhan & Joshua
Click here to donate towards to any of our projects: Floors for the Poor, Give a Home, Replace a Roof, Food for Families, Jail Ministry, Sponsor a Student, or Adopt Joshua. Just type the name of the project in the comment box.
