Faith's Ability to Transform Culture 

One of the highlights of our recent trip to the Philippines was being invited to the engagement ceremony known as "iyu-uli" by two of our former students and professed spiritual kids. Pastor Rey Enriquez and his wife Lynn were our students back in the mid-90s. Their daughter, Cyrille and her fiancée to be, Jerico, were scheduled to have their engagement ceremony on April 23, 2026, making it possible for us to attend.  

In the past, the 'iyu-uli sometimes resulted in a heated discussion about how much land the bridegroom's family would give, how many water buffalo were being offered and how much money would be given. Sometimes the discussions became so contentious that the boy's family would pack up and return home with the engagement cancelled. 

Christ has brought a new spirit into these important discussions between the families. Pastor Rey kicked off the formal 'tungtung' or talk - by saying "I want you to know that I am not asking for any material resources from your family in exchange for my daughter's hand in marriage". Rey did not mention that he knew the family's financial situation had been compromised by the death of Jerico's dad several years earlier. "Jerico has treated my daughter and our family with the utmost of respect and has shown himself to be a faithful follower of Jesus. These qualities are more important to me than any physical resources you could offer," Rey declared.  Praise God with us for a culture being changed by Christian influence and pray for Cyrille and Jerico as they move toward their wedding -- on April 23, 2027!

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for us as we travel to Bethany's headquarters July 11-18 to participate in their summer retreat for furloughing missionaries. We will be facilitating workshops on transition - an increasingly important addition to resilient cross-cultural workers' skill set.

2. Pray for Equipping Women Int. staff in Chiang Mai as they finalize plans for upcoming trainings in September. We hope to hear soon so we can make Alberta's travel reservations. 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta