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Mission News Update July 2007

Dear Praying Friends and Faithful Partners,

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4

As I was going down to the mission house after a meeting with the PMF Yap core group, I looked up at the dark, clear sky, studded with brilliant stars. I could clearly identify the many constellations, especially the Southern Cross and I could not help but be in awe of the immensity of God’s heavens and how insignificant I am. And yet, the Psalmist reminds me that with all the galaxies God has to attend to, He is mindful of man and aware of every need we have and cares enough to meet that need. What a great encouragement it was to me. I thought of all of us who serve Him in these tiny islands of Micronesia and the Philippines, sometimes overwhelmed by the needs we see , the souls that need rescuing, the work that needs to be accomplished and at times feel that we are alone. Yet God assures us that we are not - He is with us and will never abandon us - He is mindful of us and indeed cares for us.

GUAM
We welcome Hawley Iseke as full time mission staff serving at the Guam Headquarters as Administrative Assistant. Hawley has been serving with us on a part time basis since October 11, 2002. He has just graduated Magna Cum Laude, BA in Communication with an emphasis in Communication studies, with a minor in Consumer Science with an emphasis in Nutrition. His dedication and commitment to God has shown in his excellence in academics and service with PMA. We are truly proud of him and thank God he is part of the PMA Team.

PHILIPPINES
What an encouraging trip we had as we visited the Polilio islands. For the first time, I experienced smooth sailing over the Pacific Ocean all throughout our trip. First stop was Kilogan - where we had a great time of fellowship with the PMF core group under Pastor Ed. I thank God for the time we spent in encouraging and listening to them. Next was Calutcot, where under the scourging heat of the sun, the congregation greeted us with singing and prepared a good lunch for us. Nob Kalau was asked to share words of encouragement which I translated - receiving great smiles and laughter from everyone whenever I could not find the right words. From Calutcot we sailed to Patnanungan where we were greeted by Jun and Mercy Sulad, and where we rested for the evening. We had fellowship with all our Pastors and mission staff who all were there for the next day’s meeting. What a great joy it was to be with all our Pastors and mission staff - we rarely see them and so, we spent most of the day, visiting with each other, sharing and praying for one another. By noon, we were ready to sail to Katakian - where we also had such a great time with the PMF congregation. Meeting the new believers was a highlight of the visit as we listened to their testimonies. We thank God for the way He is growing the Katakian church and how He is using Pastor Jorie to disciple and grow workers for our PMF churches in the islands. Then off we sailed to Jomalig where our new workers Jun and Baby Madreza have been assigned. We talked about the work at hand, and I asked them, "Is the work too overwhelming?" They answered in the affirmative, BUT, they said, "God is with us, and He will give us strength and wisdom to accomplish the task in this island." Praise God for such a faith! Please remember to pray for our island Pastors.

BAHAY KALINGA ORPHANAGE
Praise God for John L's recovery from pneumonia and his weight gain. We are also thankful that another Facility has taken him in for special care. Pray for two of our little ones as their birth certificates are being processed. For special wisdom for our social worker, Angie so that all the paper work for adoption can be completed.

PALAU
While we were in Palau, Pastor Bambit Balayo was called upon to minister to a 40 plus-year old man, an alcoholic since he was 16 years old. The doctors had already given up on him and thought that a Pastor could help him. The time we were there, Nob Kalau joined Bambit in counseling, encouraging, listening and praying with him. This man knows the Lord, but has been in bondage for so long. Please pray that he may experience the freedom that Christ promises to those who will trust Him.

YAP
"Thank you, I really learned a lot from your lecture", this came from several participants of the 2007 Summer Youth Retreat. This was in regards to my presentation entitled, "Choices and Consequences". Basically, talking about God’s Plan for Marriage and the consequences of choosing to go against God’s Plan. They say "Thank You", because this topic is rarely discussed in church and seldom talked about at home. To many of these young adults, finally hearing something on this subject comes as a great relief. As for me, I thank God that He used me to share this message with them in the hopes that they will choose to be pure before marriage. Grace Adgil

POHNPEI
"I am preparing for Vacation Bible School (VBS) scheduled on July 23 through 27. We are hoping that many children would join our cool 'Arctic Edge' theme - where they will be challenged to have Courage: Courage to know God, to Trust God, to believe in Jesus, to follow Jesus and to Speak up for Him. How great it would be if all the children would come out of this VBS with courage to live a life for Jesus Christ. That is our prayer and desire." This is from Pia Kaufmann. Yes, please join us in prayer for these children that God will send the Holy Spirit to illumine their hearts and minds to understand His word, desire to know Him and for those who are not believers, that He would bring conviction and repentance, and acceptance of God’s precious gift of salvation.

How thankful we all are that God is a caring God. And how we thank Him for you our partners, who continue to pray and financially support the work in the islands, through your support of a PMA Missionary Family, projects and ministries. God shows His care through you. God bless you!

In Him we live and move and have our being,

Melinda R. Espinosa
PMA Headquarters