Walsh Family Newsletter March 2011 | Philippines

The Walsh Five

{ You can click the photos for a larger view}

The Newsletter for Jeff, Rhonda, Ben, Isaac, and Ethan Walsh  March 9, 2011

Greetings once again from Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines.  Thank you for your interest, prayers, love, and support for our family.  Thank you for being partners with us in the Lord’s ministry here in the Philippines.

OUR BIG SURPRISE!
In a few months we will no longer be the Walsh five but the Walsh six!  That’s right.  Rhonda is pregnant with our fourth child, due at the beginning of September.  At first we couldn’t believe it. We were not at all thinking or planning in this direction.  But now we are more and more looking forward to the arrival of our next little one.  The boys were very excited to learn the news, and immediately began picking out possible names!  We are thankful to the Lord for his good surprises!  “You are good, and what you do is good” (Psalm 119:68).  Rhonda has visited the doctor twice, and mother and baby are healthy (aside from the normal morning sickness).
FAMILY EVENTS

On February 2, we attended the birthday party of our dear friend and neighbor Fe Mendoza.  Fe turned sixty, and wanted to share the celebration with family, friends, and church family.  The first photo shows members of Maranatha Bible Church at the party.  The second photo shows our family with Fe (above Rhonda), Toto (Fe’s husband), Churchill and Mary Fe Polo (Toto and Fe’s son-in-law and daughter), and Trish (granddaughter of Toto and Fe).

Another big event was Isaac’s 12th birthday on March 1.  We enjoyed a quiet day at home and a carrot cake to celebrate.
(Photo) The birthday boy is seated, while Rhonda and Ethan ready themselves for some carrot cake!

The boys enjoy the goats that graze around our house.  The neighbors raise the goats.  They will usually tether the mother goats but allow the kids to roam free (they never go very far from their mother).  Sometimes the boys get to play with the kids or give them a drink of water.  Ethan was enjoying this little goat.  By the way, our hens have started laying eggs.  We joke that they are finally starting to pay their rent!

MINISTRY EVENTS
On February 19, Oro Bible College held its annual Youth Rally.  This event attracted 205 high school students from 23 area churches.  The morning included games and a campus tour.  After lunch there were presentations from several churches and from OBC.  Dr. Nely Gamayon, the Director for OBC, shared some promotional material about the college.  The event concluded with a worship service and altar call.  Nearly 30 responded to the altar call.  Some received Christ for the first time.  Others asked for prayer.  And still others were interested in pursuing studies at the college.

Two days before the Youth Rally, Jeff was able to take his Church History 2 class on a field trip to the Cagayan de Oro cathedral and to a museum that houses a collection related to local traditional religious practices and the local history of Christianity in Cagayan de Oro.

Besides teaching classes, the faculty and staff of Oro Bible College are all involved as mentors for the students.  Each faculty and staff member has a small group of students with whom they meet regularly for sharing in the Christian life and for prayer.  It is a joy to be able to share on a personal level with the students.

PRAYER ITEMS

1. Please pray for the OBC students, faculty and staff as the school year is fast coming to a close.  Exams, papers, projects and graduations all make for a busy time of year.  OBC graduation is March 25.
2. Please pray for health and well being for Rhonda’s pregnancy.
3. Please pray for the Advent Christian churches of the Philippines as they plan for their biennial convention, to be held in the third week of May.
4. Pray for our children as they are concerned for their chickens in the increasing heat of the summer months (April and May).
5. Pray for the OBC church planting ministry.  Specifically, that ministry during the summer will continue.
6. Please pray for safe traveling, as we have some trips planned for the beginning of April.
7. Please pray for the family of a student in my mentor group, Vic.  His family lives in Agusan del Norte (the extreme northeast section of Mindanao).  Due to heavy rains, their family home has been flooded since January.  This has caused many hardships, as you can imagine.  Please pray for God to cause the floods to subside.