Arrival in Philippines; Cancer updates: Leoh & Jay; Active Retirement
OMF Active Retirement: We continue to rejoice in God´s faithfulness in our first 1.5 years as "OMF Active Retirees." We have enjoyed responding to invitations and opportunities by governance, mentoring, consulting, speaking/teaching, missions mobilization, serving, personal evangelism, hospitality, and prayer with assorted ministries and individuals face-to-face and/or virtually in the USA and/or the Philippines. We are grateful for an interesting and meaningful retirement, even if we occasionally wish for a gentler pace.
Arrival in the Philippines: We arrived in the Philippines on October 29. We hope to enjoy some relaxed time as retirees, see family, friends, and colleagues, volunteer gently with several ministries here, and continue to mentor leaders. May God give us the wisdom to respond appropriately to the invitations and opportunities He will bring in the four months we plan to be here.
Cancer Updates:
Our dear friend, colleague, and godchild, Leoh, passed away in August from his colon cancer. Thank you for your prayers for him. His wife and two children continue to hold on to the Lord’s faithfulness and to carry on without him. Please pray for them.
Jay had his five-years-in-remission oncology check-up in August. He was proclaimed healed from his cancer.
We do feel the dissonance between Jay being declared healed from his cancer in August and Leoh passing away in August due to his cancer. Why did God welcome Leoh first while making Jay wait until later? We have no answers. We continue to rest in the wisdom, grace, power, and choices of God.
Answered prayers: Thank you for your prayers for the Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship of the Philippines (IVCF-P) conference at which we spoke in July. The IVCF-P alumni in North America who attended were encouraged and challenged. We hosted Di Fernandez, the IVCF-P National Director. She graciously described being with us as “like drinking from a refreshing fountain.” Thank God!
Have a blessing-counting Thanksgiving, a Jesus-centered Christmas, and a hope-overflowing New Year! Jay and Amor