We're boarding the plane tonight

Tonight, we board a plane for the Philippines.

It feels strange to write that. Familiar, yet weighty. Like stepping back into a story that never really ended.

Our girls are excited in their own ways. One of them remembers life there: the sounds, the people, the rhythm of it all. The other was only a year and a half when we left, so for her this feels like stepping into a place she’s heard about for years but doesn’t yet remember. For us, it feels like returning to a calling that has quietly shaped the last fifteen years of our lives.

Before we go, we want to say thank you.

This past year has been a gift. We’ve reconnected with old friends who have walked with us for years. We’ve made new friendships that have strengthened us more than you know. We’ve shared meals, conversations, prayers, and encouragement that have reminded us how deeply supported we are.

Leaving never gets easier. Every goodbye carries weight. We leave family and close friends, and the truth is, our parents aren’t getting any younger. Watching them say goodbye to their grandchildren, knowing the years they’ll miss and the moments they won’t be there for, has only gotten harder. We’re asking them to sacrifice time they can’t get back. We feel the cost of that more than ever.

But we go because there are people who may never hear the gospel unless someone goes.

None of us are worthy. Not us, not the people we’re going to serve. But Jesus is worthy. He is worthy of the lives He paid for. He is worthy of every sacrifice, every mile flown, and every season of transition. We don’t step back onto the field out of obligation or duty. We go because we love Him and we are grateful for what He has done for us. We want others to know Him too.

This marks our fifteenth year as missionaries. That feels humbling to say. What began as a simple yes has become the framework of our lives.

We are especially burdened and excited about planting a church in Davao City, a city of nearly two million people. Thousands of Indian students are there studying medicine. Five international schools educate children from around the world. Indigenous tribes live both within and beyond its borders. Some of them are still considered unreached, less than one percent Christian.

Nearly half the population speaks English. And yet there is not one English-speaking church.

We feel the weight of that gap.

Our prayer is to see a church that reflects the city itself: Filipino, Indian, international. A spiritual family that mirrors the diversity already present there. A church that becomes a beacon of hope and a sending place to the nations represented within it.

There is much we don’t yet know about the months ahead. We don’t know the names of many who will become part of this church. Some of them have not yet placed their trust in Jesus.

But God knows them.

And they are already on His heart.

Would you pray with us?

Pray for the men and women who will become family to us, and for the children who will grow up in this church community. Pray for those who will hear the gospel and respond in faith. Pray for wisdom as we lay foundations. Pray for protection and peace for our girls as they transition back into life overseas. Pray that this church would become a place of belonging, transformation, and hope.

Thank you for standing with us, for your prayers, your generosity, and your partnership. We do not go alone.

We board the plane tonight with grateful hearts.

And we go together.

With love,
Justin, Anna, and the girls