Almost Married!

I want to thank everyone again for the prayers. I don't get shaken up very easily but this was scary enough to change the way I battle the evil one in prayer. No longer will I take the Lord's protection for granted, but I am now actively asking for it.

Cris Ann and I travelled to Cebu where the US Consulate is located. I have to be cleared by the United States in order to marry here in the Philippines. Once I have the clearance it is only a matter of three weeks before we are officially married. I am excited to say I was cleared by the US to get married. The trip did not go as planned at all and we were almost denied clearance because Cris Ann did not have her birth certificate which she needed to prove her age. This is usually a mandatory requirement because it is not uncommon for underage girls to lie about their age trying to get a ticket to the States. The guy at the window slammed the papers down and said 'No Way!' Great! Days of travel, a couple hundred dollars in travelling expenses and we get denied, I thought 'Lord we need You here!' The guy began to talk to Cris Ann and he really took a liking to her. Every time I would try to say something he would ignore me waiting for her reply. He liked her so much he broke protocol and gave us the clearance, Yeah!

We finally made it home after days of travelling and after only 15min of being home Jr, the orphan from town, came rolling up riding a pink bike with a basket and a bell. He and a friend road the 15 miles from town to my house to stay with us. After the last time I was not sure if he wanted to be here, or if he enjoyed himself, but now I know he did. He then went and picked up another friend in the next town over and brought him to the house as well. We hung out with them, fed them and let them play the iPads. We give the back room to Jr and his friends. It's really a dirty kitchen which is a place for cooking over a fire because the smoke is dirty and smelly. But it has a door connected to the house and is well built. He absolutely loves having his own space! I set up the TV in the room and set up their mats to sleep on and they can't get enough of being in there. We invited a couple of the local kids over so they could have a sleep over and they stayed up till midnight having a blast in their room.

I was cleaning the yard and planting vegetables most of the day yesterday and the three orphans came out to hangout with me. Jr had the IPad and started showing the other two the pictures of my arm after the accident. I was listening as Jr explained to them, very enthusiastically, that I died and it was Jesus who saved my life. The boys came over and I showed them the scares and they started asking me about Jesus saving me. I couldn't get in depth with then because Cris Ann was not here, but I explained that if it was not for God I would be dead. They were really affected by what Jr had told them, they had a look of amazement on their face. This is the first time that they realised that God is not some impersonal Deity who can only be reached through a priest, but He is a personal and loving God. It is amazing to see the Lord work in their hearts and really begin to transform them from the inside out. Jr is really beginning to open up and get comfortable around other children. He is very scared when a lot of children come around but as he spends more time here he is getting comfortable.

Please pray for these orphans and the ability to continue to help them. Also, the blind widow with the two blind sons really needs prayer. She has one son who can see and he is in his twenties but he seriously struggles with inner demons. Last week he got drunk and beat his pregnant girlfriend badly. The whole situation is really hard and we have not been able to help them like we were before. So I ask for prayer for her and her family.  Thank you again for all your prayers!