Todd has been gone for the past almost two weeks to attend several meetings at GMC in Kansas. Although I am fine staying here in the Philippines without him, I feel safe and love my work and all that, I still really don’t like it when he is gone. Todd and I had been praying before we came to the Philippines, about being in ministry together. I had a really good job, which I had enjoyed for several years, and that provided a large portion of our income, but we wanted to be in ministry together. We thought that was going to be at Hands of Hope Northwest!  In comes Mark Louw with an offer for us to come to the Asia-Pacific Region as missionaries once again. After much prayer and I do mean much prayer, we accepted the position.

Working together in ministry is a wonderful thing! Same time schedule, same goals, same passion for what God has set before us. We work really well together, as we complement each other with our individual strengths. Really it has been wonderful. Hard, yes, being away from our kids and the rest of our families and friends. And the swarms of mosquitoes I am dealing with right now! But so rewarding in so many ways! God is continually teaching us things, and confirming things through each other as we read and study His Word. It is really amazing!

As Todd was getting ready to get on a plane headed “home” to the Philippines, he said “one step closer to home.” That phrase ‘closer to home’ caught my attention and my brain began to whirl. : ) I told him that I was going to use that phrase for a blog update! And here it is.

Closer to home…..is this our home? In some ways the Philippines feels like our home, but every day we are reminded that our kids are in the US and that is our home.

Closer to home….is this world our home? In some ways it feels like our home, but every day we are reminded that our Savior is in Heaven and that is our home.

Closer to home….I like that phrase.  As the airplane carrying Todd and a few hundred other people slowly makes its way across the ocean to Manila, he is getting closer to home. And as we continue to work in ministry together here, growing in our relationship with our Savior – we are closer to home with Him in heaven.

How close are you to home?

What steps do you need to take today to get one step closer to home?

This is the time of year that storms build across the world! With the sophisticated weather tracking software available, you can look online and see the different storms and their intensity. This can either be a comfort or a concern, depending on your location or the location of your loved ones to those storm cells.

Typhoon Ramassan hit us here in Manila as a Category 3, which means that it had winds 111–129 mph and was considered a major typhoon. The local name for Ramassan was Glenda, and she came in like a lion but she left like a lamb!

A typhoon is a storm that has a circular pattern with the winds blowing counterclockwise (here north of the equator). As the storm comes across a point, the first half of the storm the winds will be blowing from one side, but as the eye of the storm passes over, the winds then change direction and come from the other side. Confusing I know, but that is just how it works….typically.

Glenda came in hard blowing rain and debris all over, but as the eye of the storm came over us, the winds died down and rain stopped, which is typical. But they never picked back up again! In like a lion, out like a lamb! And let me tell you I was so very thankful! Todd and I had spent hours out in the wind and rain trying to keep the drains from backing up and flooding out our house! We may be living in the tropics, but with wind that strong and rain pelting you, it is cold! I was miserable! But I was so thankful that I had a house to come into that only flooded from our roof and blowing rain, but never from rising water (we are on a hill). I cannot say that was the case everywhere! There was a lot of flooding and many homes were destroyed.

In comes Nazarene Disaster Response! The Philippine Field Office is really efficient at getting relief supplies together, bagged up, and shipped out to the areas hardest hit. There was a whole team of young folks and older ones alike that came together to make a difference in the lives of those impacted, by supplying the basic needs in the midst of yet another disaster. Some of those that came to help were some great folks from Rancho Cucamonga, California that had come a few weeks earlier (Work and Witness Team) to help rebuilding in the wake of Super Typhoon Yolanda.  Then, courtesy of typhoon Glenda, they missed their connection and had to spend a couple extra days with us! I am so thankful to be part of a church that cares about the whole person and lends a hand in times of need.

As I write this, we have yet another typhoon sitting out to the east of the Philippines. As I said this is the time of year…. This one is named Halong or Jose. They do not expect it to hit us, but as is the way of storms, it will pull in moisture from all around that will drop buckets of rain on the Philippines and cause wide spread flooding and the need for relief supplies will most likely continue.

In the midst of the storms of life, we have much to praise The Lord for! One of those big praises is that Dr. Radcliffe, surgeon at our Kujip Nazarene Hospital in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been released from the hospital and is doing well! We are so thankful to all of you who lifted he and his family in prayer through this difficult time. The Lord continued to show His love and care and brought doctors and staff into their path that they had a connection with and they were comforted knowing that their doctors knew The Lord personally!

Regardless of the location of the storm, they are always an opportunity to let our testimony of the hope found in Christ shine!  We are so thankful that God has provided the opportunity for us to serve here in Asia.  We are also, so very thankful to each and every one of you who are also faithful in prayers and financial partnership.  Together many lives are being touched for the kingdom!  Thank You!!

Many Blessings,

Connie & Todd

We just had to take a moment to share about the West Texas District Tour,  to-date.  We have been so very blessed.  Home assignment this year started out with a bang on the L.A. District, and now here in W. Texas, the blessings have just continued to flow.

God has taken us from small groups in quiet towns like Nocona (very similar to Eagle Point, Oregon – where we grew up) to larger cities like Lubbock.  Everywhere we have gone, the hospitality, warm welcoming churches, and great Texas cooking has been tops!

But, we just have to share quickly in this update about the Cactus Nazarene Ministry Center located in Cactus, Texas.  Last Saturday we thought we had traveled through a time warp as we arrived in this small community in the panhandle of Texas, home to at least 17 different ethnicities (refugees) from areas like Myanmar (Burma), Sudan, Somalia, Guatemala (just to name a few).

Pator Elda and her husband Jose (Wally) Olivarez along with district missionaries Vito and Jenny Monteblanco, have had a vision for bringing the tangible love of Christ into this community and God is truly blessing their efforts.

In just a few minutes, I was realizing that I needed my video equipment and team, as this is a story that just had to be told.  Together, the local churches of the West Texas District have been partnering with the Olivarezs and the Monteblancos, in establishing a church, buying land, and  building a community center that will be home to a medical ministry, social services, refugee support, and a host of other outreach ministries aimed at empowering these precious people who have sought refuge in the U.S. from political crisis abroad.

On Saturday, the Valley View Amarillo Church of the Nazarene along with others, donated literally a small warehouse full of supplies and a “free garage sale” was held where community members could come in and pick up necessities at no charge.  While we don’t have the official numbers (as we had to leave early for our next speaking engagement) I am sure that there were well over 200 visitors from the community.

We also had the privilege of meeting a man from South Sudan, who has felt a call and is working towards the process of beginning a pastoral course of study!

Wow…were we ever blessed!  We had no idea that after traveling home from Asia, we would be given the opportunity to join in ministering to the very people we serve in Asia! Unpacking boxes, sorting clothes, shoes, toys, and household goods, sharing a smile and just “spending time” with these precious people.

Thank you to all who made this opportunity possible and to the W. Texas District for having the vision to be the tangible hands and feet of Christ right here in their home state.

You can find out more about the Cactus Nazarene Ministry Center by visiting this LINK.

Well…we are off and running again in just a few minutes, headed to speak at yet another great W. Texas Church – The Refuge!

Thanks so much for your continued prayers!    Todd and Connie Lou