All this and more

It's been a rough year with a major health scare and hospital visit for my oldest, a broken down car, school bills, and constant other needs. One of my biggest prayers and desperate needs for this Christmas break is a get away with my family. The levels of stress that I've been carrying are way too heavy and I need my heart to rest and be filled. We need to get out of the city and lay on a beach somewhere for a few days.

Sounds easy enough since we live on an island right? Not quite. We need a car that is in good enough condition to take us out of town, at least 4 hours drive one way. Then we need someone to watch our dogs and our house (they are high maintenance and anxious). On top of that we need the money. My heart is extra burdened knowing this could be the greatest gift I could give my girls and myself, but I can't make it happen. 

This is where it takes a village. We have needs. Yet we know our God is big and always provides. It's just hard living in the middle where the needs pile up and it's hard to see the other side. So, in all humility I set before whoever reads this, our list of needs. 

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Car repairs/ new car 

• Our faithful 2005 Ford Escape has major issues that will cost about $2,000 to repair. We are currently borrowing a from another missionary who is out of country this year, but that car has some maintenance needs as well and isn't able to take us out of our town. 
• We are also believing for a new, fuel saving car that we can use for road trips to bring life changing counseling and ministry to other parts of the Philippines.
• We want to use our Ford to lend to missionaries and Filipino families in need, just like we find ourselves now. 

School fees paid in full

• we are so thankful that Abby's school has been so gracious with us not making the payments on time, but we also know the importance of fulfilling our commitments. We need to pay the remaining $2,700 by January. 
• Every month we pay for tutor fees for Zoey's home school co-op program. We need $60 a month to meet this need
• We are also wanting to get the fees prepared in advance for next school year which total to $7,000.

​Health

• The girls have come to me with preexisting health concerns or neglected health needs. I also have some ongoing skin issues that have plagued me daily for the past decade of my life. 
• We all need our eyes checked to make sure we are seeing clearly. Thankfully glasses are less expensive here and we can receive a free eye exam with a purchase of eye glasses. 
• We need to find a good dermatologist for each of our skin issues
• We each need a check-up with a doctor to make sure we are healthy and our symptoms aren't serious
• We all need to make the fearful trip to the dentist to repair and replace teeth that have been bothering us for awhile.
• Overall our health needs estimate to $1,000 for the initial check up and quick fixes

Honoring our Landlord / repairs

• Our rented house has been a huge blessing and place of peace for us but it's old and falling apart. Just yesterday the kitchen faucet stopped producing water. The last time the plumber fixed it he said it needs need pipes :/
• We want to be a blessing to our landlord by caring for the house, but when the repairs cost more than the rent it's hard for him to want to allow constant repairs. It would be a blessing to have extra funds for big repairs that we could pay upfront and slowly taken from our rent from month to month to allow the landlord to have a livelihood too
• Because our rent is kept so low, we want to be a blessing and show him Jesus at every step of our relationship

Adoption

• My youngest daughter's adoption process has finally started nearly two years later. We are waiting for them to try and track down her bio mother who abandoned her as a baby so they may release her for adoption. This process has been long and painful. 
• My oldest daughter's adoption has been put on hold until April. We will have to proceed with something that has rarely been done in the Philippines and never for a foreigner, an adult adoption. Thank God she's been released from being under social services, but she wants to be officially a "Pense" and we all want it too. 
• We are unsure of the process and "hidden" fees that may occur. We may have to secure a lawyer if the social workers continue to delay the process. Please stand with us in prayer for all the processes and provisions needed.

Counseling training center

• One of my desires is to bring more help and healing to the people of the Philippines. Trauma and mental health challenges are so common and helping professionals are few and far between. 
• I love training others in the skills and knowledge I've gained and have been given. I've been doing this on a small scale with other ministry organizations and schools. 
• My next step is to create a counseling training center where I can train local Filipinos in counseling skills and mental health education. Also, I want to be able to hire and train social workers, psychologist, and counselors who can go out to meet more needs than I can on my own. 
• The vision is big and broad, but the next steps are so near, just needing the extra funding to make it official as a nonprofit business. 
• We've already received a donation toward the technology needed to get started. Praise God!

Monthly Support

• Donations from individuals, families, and churches has greatly allowed us to do the ministry we do here in the Philippines, including caring for my girls and counseling countless others (including an elementary school for ministry families and beyond). 
• As our family has grown and the vision bigger, we are needing more monthly support to continue. Last month we only received $600. By the grace of God we are making it but my anxiety is high and budget is tight. 
• In order to meet our basic needs each month we need at least $3,000 in regular, monthly giving. 
• As a step of faith I'm tithing 11% of our received donations to our local church
• We are also actively praying about ways to be more generous with what we've been blessed with

End of year giving

• Our prayer for our end of year giving this year is $10,000
• This will help cover most of our additional needs and allow us to focus on moving into more ministry opportunities that God has opened the doors for and put on our hearts. 

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