Reverend Del Rosario

Who would have thought that Mikel would ever become an ordained minister? Well, by God's grace, it happened.

Yes, last Saturday, right beofore Easter, I was ordained by our church. It went before a council of pastors and even a Talbot prof and defended my 25-page statement of faith. I also answered a bunch of questions about our mission to the Philippines and my personal life and such. I went alright. Our church is now planning an ordination service for us before we leave California at the end of May.

Yes! We are now at 83% of our support. We anticipate being at 90% by the end of April. So we're planning to leave our apartment in California on May 30. We'll fly to Colorada and spend three weeks in an intensive field training program and then stay with Christine's parents in Sacramento for a bit to say goodbye. Then, Lord willing, we'll be flying off to the Philippines!

I'll post more updates as the time draws closer. Right now, please pray everyone who made pledges would give every month during these last critical months. We need to see that support level hit 100% before we get clearance to leave from our mission agency.

Back from Sac

So now I am 28 years old! Not much more to say. It feels the same! :-)

We flew in from Sac last night and pretty much crashed. Travelling with a baby is a bit more work, but it went alright. He did well on his second round-trip flight. And his new car seat that converts in to stroller and a flight seat was well worth the money. Very convenient. Coincidentally, both flights were not full, so Jojo got his own seat for free!

Today I'm playing a little acoustic worship gig at Biola's missions conference. I'll just be playing for about an hour in a courtyard where people can come, worship and pray at their convenience. I'll be welcoming God's presence with the jumbo sounds of my John Lennon model Epiphone EJ-160e! :-) Not that anyone should care! But that baby is simply a joy to play. It should be a good time.

Note from Sacramento

And the travels continue! But this time, the whole family is here! :-)

We flew up on Saturday with Jojo (It was his second time flying!) and he even got his own seat since there were only 30 people on the plane. Unfortunately, even though I am now feeling OK, Jojo and Christine are still a bit sick. Sunday was a big long day with Evangel Baptist Church in Sacramento. They've decided to support us as a group. Pray for the individuals in the church who also expressed interest in getting behind our work.

Today, Christine and I treated ourselves to an overnight stay at a tropical-themed Bed and Breakfast in town. We had dinner on a big white steamboat called the "Delta King." This is the first "vacation" we've had in almost two years! Jojo spent a few hours with his grandma tonight and is back at her place sleeping now. We'll see him in the morning.

Back from Peoria, AZ

After Queen Creek and Mesa, I headed out to Peoria to meet a church that is most likely going to support us, too. It was a good time.

Also, I found out that Christine's biological father lives out there. The man is not a Christian, but he wanted to see me. So I invited him to the church. Guess what? He came! Afterwards, we went out to lunch and had a good discussion. After hiding behind evolution for a long time, he told me he had changed his view and now believes in creation. It's a start. Hopefully, he will visit the church again since they made him feel welcome and it's only 5 miles from his house.

Pray for me since I'm sick right now. Christine's not feeling very well either. Pray especially for her, that God would bring her back to her healthy self.