Our last two days in the “restricted” nation were blessed beyond measure. On Saturday morning I went out to “the farm” where one of the national pastors that we are working with, and have been since our days leading the team here, has been in the process of building a church/college/dorms for the past couple of years. They have run out of money, so the building has stopped for now. If you are interested in helping them please do let me know. Below you will see pictures of the small hut where the college students spend 16 hours per week learning the Bible, a picture of the college “dorm” room, and a picture of the building itself.

Please pray for the necessary funds to come in for these men to complete the project and that God will continue to use them as they train men for the work of the ministry!

On Saturday morning, we had a great time of fellowship with Koumaly and Darath Thongdy. Now that we are out of the country they are heading up our team sent out of Pacific Baptist Church. They are doing a good job, and we thank God for their faithfulness to our Lord. On Saturday evening we had a wonderful time with two missionary couples and two national pastors.

Please pray that God will use these pastors, missionaries, and their wives to make a spiritual dent in this country!

On Sunday morning, I had the opportunity to once again preach for Pastor Aaron and the Filipino congregation, and this time it was for their 12^th anniversary. Praise God for faithful servants of God. I preached from Philippians chapter one a message, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”  We had people from nine different nations [Laos, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, China, Romania, Switzerland, South Africa, and the United States] in this service.

On Sunday evening, we went out of the city limits and I had the privilege to preach for three different and distinct churches, including our team, in one location. Over forty people showed up. I preached a message on “Hindrances to Following Christ.” It was great! We had a wonderful time of fellowship before and after the service, and a great meal afterwards.  My wife and I love these folks dearly and are going to miss them much. We are hoping to get back to the country in a few months.

Please pray for all of the men and women in this “restricted” nation who are faithfully serving Christ and others, in spite of the many restrictions and difficulties!

On a more personal note, while we were in the “restricted” nation one of our granddaughters, Hannah Aquino, was rushed to the hospital. Hannah is our four-year old autistic princess. We are glad to know that she is now all right, and we want to thank many of you for your prayers. Also, some have asked how her little brother Sammy is doing and, thank you for asking. Sammy is our three-year old grandson who has two cysts on his brain. As of right now, Sammy is doing fairly well. They continue to test him, occasionally changing his meds, and monitoring his progress regularly. While he is surely not out of the dark, he does seem to be improving.

Please continue to pray for Sammy, Hannah, and their parents!

My wife and I want to wish all of our family, friends and faithful supporters and prayer warriors a very Merry Christmas!!!