Welcome to our first of many e-mail newsletters! Our prayer is to make this a monthly affair, updating you on how the Lord is using us in Cebu, sharing the latest happenings from the Shelter, family life, and more.

Pre-Departure

First off, our family would like to thank all of the churches that hosted us these past six weeks. It was a blessing to be prayed for, encouraged, and sent off by such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ. Being able to partner with you has been one of the best aspects of this calling.

What was probably most interesting about our visits (funny story #1) was how Heather’s Mennonite heritage connected her, through blood or acquaintance, with at least one person at each church. To give you an idea of how separated these churches are geographically, our travel itinerary was:

• First Baptist Church – Cambridge, Minnesota (August 11th)

• Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church – Lustre, Montana (August 18th)

• Emmanuel Baptist Church - Mora, Minnesota (August 25th)

• Faith Life Community Ministries – Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (September 1st) 

• Waterbrook Church – Victoria, Minnesota (September 8th)

• Central Baptist Church – St. Paul, Minnesota (September 15th)

• Concert For A Cause – Filipino American Christian Church – Mounds View, MN (September 15th)

At nearly every church, after introducing the kids and sharing that Heather “grew up in a rural Mennonite farming community in NE Montana,” I would notice a few faces light up. As soon as the service was over, folks would stop Heather and ask if she knew certain people; Fasts’, Korns’, … folks with common Mennonite last names. Because of Heather’s Mennonite heritage, she is apparently related (either directly or through marriage) to way more folks than I realized. A couple at one church once rented a room to Heather's former pastor, Pastor Korns. Another became best friends to a lady Heather used to live with in college! This would have been note-worthy had it happened once or twice, but very soon it almost became more strange if we visited a place that had no ties to Heather’s background and family.

Mennonite or not 😊, we want to once again say THANK YOU to all of you. Of all the preparations we made for our move to Cebu, surrounding ourselves, and partnering, with the people of God made the largest and most positive impact (second only to prayer).

Arrival (Story #2)

When we landed in Cebu, we found a funny side effect to our “Home Depot Box” luggage experiment. A while back we blogged about packing our things into Home Depot boxes in order to; 1) save weight and, 2) bring more stuff. Well, we apparently weren’t the only ones with this idea 😉.

The first sign of a potential issue was when we were checking into our flight at MSP (Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport). As we stood in line at the check-in counter we noticed something: TONS of Home Depot boxes being weighed and sent down the conveyer belt into the belly of the airport. Some passengers cleverly labeled their boxes with ribbons, colored masking tape, or even doodles. Our boxes, however—save for our name and address—looked like they came off the store shelves!

When we arrived in Cebu after our short layover in Seoul, we headed to the baggage claim area. What we saw (or at least what my mind’s eye sees now whenever I recall the memory) is a sea of Home Depot boxes … an endless pile of brown and orange. We gathered our carts and started securing our luggage, only to find that we were two boxes short.

I looked around and found a group of Korean Airlines baggage claim personnel staring puzzlingly at two unclaimed Home Depot boxes; all that remained after the cloud of travel-weary passengers left the luggage carousel. I walked over to them and, as suspected, saw two boxes that looked just like ours but had someone else’s name on them. It appears that there were two groups of passengers on that flight (the Atienza’s, and someone else) who hadn’t decorated their box with Hello Kitty stickers and golden ribbons. They had mistaken our boxes for theirs.

We filled out the appropriate paperwork, made our way through customs, and were greeted by the warm and friendly smiles of Joel Reasoner and Kuya Jerry Salgo. I can’t begin to describe how happy I was—how happy we all were—to see them after spending hours crammed in a flying metal tube 😊.

Joel and Jerry drove us to our new home in Cebu where we were greeted by even more familiar faces! Marlys, Klaris, and Eunice were waiting to greet us warmly and make sure we felt at home. WHAT A BLESSING! There were many hugs and 10x as many emotions … we were home at last! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

The folks at CSC had filled our cupboards with snacks and lent us sheets for our beds. Because of their kindness, thoughtfulness, and love we were able to head to our beds (at this point it was about 2:30am in Cebu) and get a good night’s sleep. This is what CSC has always excelled at; making people feel at home and surrounded by family at a time when they seem deprived of both.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS (Week #1, Story #3)

The day after we arrived, Kuya Jerry received a call that Korean Airlines had recovered our boxes. Praise be to God! He then took the time to drive us to the airport and pick them up (maraming salamat po Kuya Jerry!) He also showed Heather and I around town, helping us to get familiar with the streets of Cebu and the general “rules of the road.” He gave some pointers and some really good advice, and then before I knew it I was behind the wheel and weaving through traffic! After our driving lesson was over, I asked Kuya Jerry if there was every any point where he was terrified, or even just concerned 😊. He said, “no.” God is good!

This same week, another fun development occurred: Heather and I obtained our Philippine Driver’s Licenses! I’ll soon blog about the process in greater detail for those interested in doing the same thing. Kuya Edwin, bless his heart, took the time to accompany us to the Land Transportation Office at SM Sea-Side (a local mall) where we waited for half a day (not bad, considering what it’s taken others) to fill-out and submit the necessary paperwork to “convert” our foreign licenses to domestic ones. Before we knew it, we had freshly printed licenses in our hands and were headed back to the Shelter.

As we close out our first week in the Philippines and look ahead, our goal remains to continue unpacking and getting ourselves situated. We’ll very soon be starting our regular responsibilities and rhythms: me (Roberto) serving up at the Shelter and Heather homeschooling the kids. Please continue praying with us, especially during this transition time. As we mentioned at the church’s we visited, we are looking at this assignment from a long-term perspective, and we know that succeeding long-term will depend heavily on investments/adjustments made in the short-term. Again, thank you for praying and partnering with us in this ministry!

THE PAST MEETS THE FUTURE (Story #4)

Of course, we couldn’t send out an update without mentioning the kids! The last story we’d like to share occurred this past Saturday (yesterday, our time). On this day, the toddlers and babies were left at the Shelter (with the aunties, of course) while the rest of the kids enjoyed a “safari field trip” thanks to the good people at Arch Global. This meant we could have some precious and uninterrupted time with these beautiful young babies. What a blessing and gift from God these young ones are!

While Heather and I were spending time with the babies in the Duterte Home, I came across a guest book. I’m not sure why I hadn’t noticed this book when I’d visited in the past. With a baby in one arm, I thumbed through the pages of the book, starting at the beginning. The signatures and addresses stretched back through the years. Reading the names of all of the kind, generous, prayerful, and faithful people that had stood where I was standing—all while holding a one-month old child whose life has been forever changed through this ministry—filled me with such awe and gratitude for how amazingly God works. The scope of what God has been doing at CSC and in Cebu over the past 40 years had hit me. What a perfect way to end our first week in the Philippines!

THANK YOU

Thank you all for taking the time to read this first e-mail newsletter of ours. The goal is to send out these much-more detailed updates via e-mail once a month, while also blogging quicker and shorter updates weekly. It truly is a blessing to be able to partner with you in this ministry; we couldn’t, and wouldn’t want, to do this without you. In sending us, you are all a part of what God is doing here in Cebu, and we want to keep you updated so that you can intentionally pray with us.

Thank you for supporting us in prayer, and if you feel called to partner with us financially you can do so by clicking here. Your financial support allows us to share the Gospel and love of Christ in word and in deed with the children of Cebu.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• This coming Sunday (September 29th), I have been asked to preach at Banawa Bible Fellowship, a church just down the street from the Shelter. Please pray that I am able to exposit the Word and present the Gospel with clarity, empowered to do so by the Spirit. I often pray before I preach for “less of me, and more of Him.” Please pray that prayer with me.

• Heather, the kids, and I are looking to start our language lessons soon so that we can communicate in Bisaya. Pray we can find a good tutor and that the Lord allows us to pick up the language quickly.

• As the kids get settled in their new home, pray that we all adjust to life in the Philippines well. The kids are far from their friends and many of their things are still on the way (inside of balikbayan boxes that were shipped in August). Pray for God’s comfort and peace as the inevitable bouts of home-sickness hit all of us.

• Pray for the kids at CSC! My next update will no doubt be filled with stories of hope as my family and I begin ministering to, and spending time with, these wonderful children. May the Lord be glorified in all we do!