Greetings from the Espinosa family! We would like to share exciting news from our AWA Philippines – Palawan Project!
Christmas in July? A reality in the Philippines!
It is hard to think of snow and Christmas bows while the smell of sunscreen and fresh-cut grass floats through the air. Yet, this is where Christmas in July comes in! We learned, in real-time, last year, that a box shipped in October will not arrive in time for Christmas. There are so many Filipinos living abroad who like to send their loved ones gifts at Christmas, that the ports become backed up by customs trying to process it all. The boxes sent to us in October did not arrive until late February.
It is very hard for people here to be able to afford food for their families, much less clothes and shoes. Most people here are able to fit all the clothes they own into a plastic shopping bag. In the month of May, we received several boxes of donated clothes, toys, and craft supplies, as gifts for the people in our village. We love being able to share donated items with our community.
Wide grins quickly flashed on small faces and eyes grew big in exciting expectation as children lined up to receive their gift sent by complete strangers from the U.S. Even adults, usually calm and reserved could not hide the excitement in their eyes as they tried on a “new” pair of shoes or held up a shirt to see if it fit.
Not only were we able to share with people in our village, but also at another very small village where we have an outreach church. A Bible worker there also took some of the clothes to pass out to the people who live up in the mountains. The only way up the mountain is by walking up steep footpaths!
If you are interested in sending anything for the people here for Christmas, please consider doing it now as the hum of the lawnmower or roar of a Jet Ski rumbles in the background! You can collect and ship gently used items any time before October. Then, at Christmas, we normally put together bags with those items and food to pass out to those in need. Please contact us at info@flyawa.org for more information.
Newsflash! We are VERY EXCITED to announce that the runway at our airbase has started to become a reality! In God’s timing, a few donors have stepped forward with some significant funding that has enabled us to start in faith. We are keeping a prayer in our hearts that donations will continue as we proceed. The contractor started quickly to haul the apple-sized rock foundation in before the rainy season started. Unfortunately, the rains came a bit early this year. While we are glad for the desperately needed water, we are sad to see the progress slow down temporarily on the runway. However, God is in charge of the weather! Truckloads of gravel still come when the sun pokes its head out of the thick, grey clouds, now lingering over the mountaintops with flashes of lightning. Please pray that we can continue to make progress and push forward with God, the sun, and funds allowing. Thank you all for your prayers and support!
Your AWA Mission Family stationed at the AWA Philippines – Palawan Project,
Edgar and Raylene Espinosa
