Dear Friends and Family,

I first want to send each and everyone of you a large thank you. You all have had a major impact on what I am doing today. From your prayers, to your support of me on the world race or with Heart For The Philippines, to helping me with dental work and reading my blogs each and everyone of you have been important to me. I can not thank you enough for your faithfulness in God's work.

As many of you know I am planing to head to the Philippines as a full time missionary to help rescue people from human trafficking. Let me take a moment to share with you about human trafficking. Human trafficking is more than just sex slavery, it also includes forcing children to serve in the military, forcing men, women and children to work long hours with little or no pay in dangerous working environments at times far away from homes. Many of them working in foreign countries with their passports stolen from them under the threat of violence to themselves of their families back home. They could be serving as maids in people's homes, working in the construction industry, in manufacturing or even aboard fishing vessels at seas. Estimates say that there are over 29 million people enslaved in the world today.

Have you ever been on a roller coaster? I have been on a couple in my lifetime. Never went on the extremely fast ones. I think the fastest I went was like 74 mph. As someone that doesn't like heights that about did it for me. Freaked me out. But, moving on from that, life is like being on a roller coaster. There are ups and downs, there are fast times and slow times. It is what we do in each of these times in our life that matters the most.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NKJV)

If you read the entire chapter of Joshua 1 you will see that it says, "be strong and of good courage," four different times. God knew Joshua and He wanted Joshua to know that he needs to be strong and full of courage. 

Winter is about half way over now, and for many of us we can not wait for spring to arrive and have the chance to open the windows and sit outdoors in the sun. I know I am one of those people. I am from Michigan and right now there is a lot of snow on the ground and just when you finally finish cleaning up from the last snow fall, more arrives. On top of all the snow is the very cold temperatures. Yes, I wish that the snow would stop coming and melt now, but I do understand the benefit of it all being here.