pope francis

I recently started seeing a lot of posts from the Love What Matters movement on my Facebook feed. It’s touching.. stories, photos, and videos that highlight what’s really important in life, especially when there are so many negative things in the news and in our own lives that try to steal our focus and our joy.

The house is finished! On Mother’s Day we drove to Nanay Ludi’s house for our weekly visit, our gift of a litson manok (a rotisserie chicken, her favorite) in hand. We arrived to find a very happy couple inside a very cozy, newly completed home!

Over the mountains and through the jungle…Grandma’s house is on its way to being finished! (Read Part 1 of this story here.) Together, you all have donated over $800 towards giving Ludi and Lope a home where they can be safe and comfortable in their elderly years. That kind of generosity goes a long way here in the Philippines!

Today was a beautiful day of being a missionary here in Malabalay, Philippines. We started the morning making 2 cups of “hand-brewed” coffee and oatmeal for the family. Up until recently we had 1 pot and 1 pan. Recently we were given a second pot! We feel a bit spoiled, but it sure is nice to be able to make…

Ludi Opena is 87 years old. Her husband Lope is 85. We began visiting them every week three years ago. We bring them rice, vegetables, fruit, and their blood pressure medication and we pray with them and enjoy each other’s company. Ludi talks our ears off and cuddles the baby and sings songs to the kids and talks to them…

A couple of years ago we caught the notion that praying, singing, and walking in circles around a village could make walls of sin and oppression come crashing down. That a miracle from the Old Testament could happen in modern-day Isla Bonita; that prayer and faith could free men and their families from the evils of alcohol addiction. (Read about…