Back to School UPDATE

This has been way overdue. Like "last year" overdue. Before we left the Philippines last year, we asked for support in helping children at Isla Bonita get ready for Back to School needs. With your generous support we were able to buy ALL of the students supplies and hand it out to them. This post may be simple but we felt it would be good for y'all to see your gifts blessing these children. Also, be sure to visit the FMC website and look for the Bailey Family as they are currently in the same town of Malaybalay and starting their own Back to School fundraiser. These kids really need the help so please pray and if you feel called...donate! God bless!

Through your generous support we were able to buy pencils, ballpoint pens, rulers, notebooks, writing tablets, scissors, crayons, and other items to fill a small bag. These are only the small items. We were also able to go out and buy some backpacks, shoes, and help with the cost of fabric for uniforms. We even had a donor that gave enough to sponsor an older student to finish high school. She had lost her mother and had to move in with her elderly grandmother who didn't (and couldn't) have enough to support both of them. Thanks be to God, she was able to commute to and from school, have meals throughout the year, and graduate!!! She is now (June 2014) enrolled in college and is beginning her first semester at San Isidro College!

Quick Recap

No, we did not fall off the face of the Earth! It sure seems like it though. Wow! It has been almost a year since the last post. Unbelievable! To be fair though, we did not have much internet connection since leaving the Philippines in July of 2013. Before we get too far ahead, here is a quick recap of (just about) everything that has happened since we left Malaybalay:

1. We had a family retreat and felt God calling us back to the States. A couple of things led to this decision but the reality of our house in Kansas set to close at the end of July was the most pressing. It would've been kind of hard to sign papers from the other side of the world :) 
2. Most of you know that we have had many offers on our home and ALL of them have been cancelled, rejected (by the bank), or "who knows why?". Well, this offer was no different except that it was the most promising of all previous ones. Still, Bank of America decided it wanted to squeeze $10,000 more from the buyer...with only a few days left to close!!! NOOOO!!! Needless to say, there were no papers to sign after all. Well, now what?!
3. We spent a few days at Big Woods in Louisiana recovering from jet lag and the sadness of leaving our Filipino family so quickly. We were totally surprised by this latest event and didn't have any idea what to do.
   
   August was coming up and we knew that the Midwest Catholic Family Conference in our hometown diocese of Wichita was around the corner. We wanted to see family and friends anyways...so we decided to go and set up a table for FMC! What a success! We had many visitors and we were able to pray with a lot of them for different things. The most memorable was when the Bailey Family stopped and inquired about mission life. We prayed for their discernment and a few weeks later (after they also went to a Come and See in Louisiana) they decided to join FMC! Praise the Lord! Please pray for them as they are now serving in Malaybalay and Blair is pregnant!
4. I missed one step before leaving Big Woods. We were thinking that if we were going to be back in Kansas and maybe moving back into our vacant home...I might have to get a job. I applied online and within literally just a few seconds I was already offered a job interview at the airport. Went and got the job to start late August. God moves really fast sometimes!
5.  So, after fighting the thought of having to go back into aircraft, I did anyways. After all, God knows what He is doing. My schedule was working nights on a 4day- 10hr shift. Not too bad having a 3-day weekend every week! Still, it was pretty rough getting back into paint-mode after never thinking about it for 3 years... and house painting doesn't count. This is waaay different. 
6. We moved back into our empty home in Rose Hill. Our very empty home... except for the fridge and stove that stayed.

   

   Girls trying out their room

   We were preparing to sleep on the floor for a few weeks or months until we would save enough to buy used furniture. Well, that didn't take long. Did you know "God is in the miracle business"? <---as Mr. Frank says. It wasn't even a whole day that passed when our entire 7 bedroom house was fully furnished with hotel bedroom, living room, and kitchen furniture! The Stolz Family had mentioned our need to a friend in the hotel business and they donated it all from the Mariott franchise. The Stewart Family also let us use their 12 passenger van for a few

   

   STORYTIME!...in the brand new chair

   months and the Stolz again helped us with a loaner car that I could drive for work. The Rohr Family that helped with groceries, gas, and other necessities. So many to thank for their generosity. Thank God for amazing friends! 

   

   Boys loving their room

7. By early December, we had decided to move out of the house after again Bank of America's games were too much to bear. They wouldn't let us refinance and wouldn't let us enroll in a repayment program. They said our house was still ours but at any time they could foreclose. Yes, we could have stayed there "rent" free this whole time but something didn't seem right. We are now back in Wichita and within minutes from the airport. ***Update*** We do have a buyer and expect to close in mid-May so please continue praying for that to come to a close! Pardon the pun.
8. January 2014 was a good beginning. The Romero Family whom we served with in Malaybalay came for a visit. They stayed with us for a few days and kept our mission life burning with updates from the field. We all were invited to speak at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita including the Baileys before they were sent out to the Philippines. It was during the question and answer segment that something special happened. A question that was directed specifically to us: Will the Alvarez Family be going out in mission again soon? I answered that we weren't sure yet as God had not told us exactly yet. We were happy to be home for the time being and were very happy to be helping Fr. Jarrod Lies who is now in charge of missions for the Diocese.

   

   Romeros at the Spiritual Life Center

   We had been in talks about setting up some short-term trips in the near future. Immediately, the crowd started whispering and smiling when they heard this. Most were surprised that short-term trips were an option, a possibility. It was not long (that very night) before a group was already starting to form for a possible trip to Mexico! Led by Tony Habashy and family, the group was calling and emails were being sent. I think by the end of the week we were already discussing the size of the group and possible dates to travel. Don't know if I've said it before but God moves fast sometimes!

That's about where we are right now. The next post will be about the Mexico short-term trip that we led and just returned from. LOTS to write about that mission so please return and check it out. God is good. All the time!!!

The Stewart's "Gus" mobile

1st Birthday Party at Grandma's

"You can eat any of the fruit except from...oh, well go ahead!"

Getting a squeeze from the birthday boy!

Back To School

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

      Many of you have followed our mission in the Philippines closely and faithfully visited this blog to stay in touch. I have tried to keep a current blog but many times have been too busy to sit and write a colorful one with many details. This post is actually a last minute idea that got put on the back burner for way too long.   

      Back in April, a few of our friends from the community at Isla Bonita that we have been working closely with since arriving last year, came to us and asked for help for their children's school supplies. We had the idea of taking their picture and pairing them up with a benefactor to donate for their needs. April was a very busy month of travelling for us and here we are at the end of May preparing for the SSME trip that is coming to consume all of our month of June! June is the beginning of the school year here and many of the families at Isla Bonita do what they can to live on about $4 a day. The fathers try hard to provide by doing odd jobs as available. The mothers add their share by lending themselves out as wash ladies or making rugs out of old clothes. Going to school is considered a luxury for some of them as their income is just enough to buy their daily rice.

      We humbly come before you all and ask you to help these children with whatever you can. All we ask is for a one-time, $30 donation which we will put to immediate use. We will shop for the following items and post in our next blog with a Thank You note and a picture as they get ready to go Back to School! Please pray for these children and their education. You can click the link to be directed to our donation page on FMC's website to beat the JUNE 3rd deadline! Thank you and God bless and reward you all.

(Click below to donate)

Back to School List:

Pencils 

Backpack

Ballpens

Notebooks

Paper

Shoes

Jhony Lou Gumonay

Cristyl Phobe Marcelino

Barbie Zulita Matildo

Bherdelme Diego

Alexa Angela Basco

Jessie Cris Gumonay

Qine Qine Torres

Jade Mowell Gumonay

Margarette Nallos

Maria Christel Nallos

Ryan Dave Diego

Ian Rey Gayon

Manilyn Simbo

Nellfa Cris Beltran

Gebrandon Beltran

Mark Anjorey Torres

Julian Salinday

Ashley Monding

Aiza Monding

Kerry Shane Monding

Ruby Jhean Into

Aljohn Monding

Jomarie Carias

Jovie Rose Carias

Beboy Torres

AndyBoy Namata

Kylle Namata

Christsan Anthony Salinday

MJ Tahom

Arbil Tahom

Aldrich Neil Namata