Hello from sunny Manila. Five years ago, if you would’ve told Jessica or me that in December 2023, we’d be sweating in the tropics, we would’ve laughed and told you how crazy that sounds. Yet here we are. I have had several opportunities the last few days to share our story of how God brought us from Bucharest to Manila. My schpiel goes something like this:
In 2015/2016, when I was really getting into my PhD studies, I said to Jessica, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could teach at a university or a seminary somewhere and you could teach high school math again? And maybe, if the Lord gives us children, they could grow up in the same school system and we could really dig into that community?”
Our idea at the time was that God would open those doors somewhere in the US. We never would have dreamed God might open those doors in a place like the Philippines. But seeing the Lord bless us as we use our gifts, seeing my wife thrive in precisely the type of work she was made for, and seeing our children wake up each day excited for school and church and other activities truly makes me bow my head in silent worship. Yes, God’s plans are better than ours. God answered all our prayers.
At this point, we are nearing one year and nine months here. If you ask our kids where they are from, Noah will answer “Philippines” (he was not even 3 ½ when we moved here) and Sara will say, “I was born in Romania, but I’ve spent Kinder and 1st grade in the Philippines.”
Christmas provides a good time to reflect on the ups and downs of the year. So, in the spirit of looking back and thanking God for where he has brought us, I asked Sara and Noah to tell me their favorite thing about living in the Philippines so far.
Sara (age 7): School and the air here.
Noah (age 5): SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!
