Murrell Family Report
Cebu City, Philippines
Volume 5 - #24 – August 31, 2007
Howdy once again from Texas!
Time has flown as we have traveled around visiting family and friends, and raising support for the next Tour. As I write, we are one week away from departure for Cebu City! It is an exciting time but also something of an uncertainty. Some of our team have had success in fund raising, others are still far behind.
In the midst of all the letter writing and preaching we had time to spend most of July with my folks in the Texas Hill Country. Much of the time it rained, and even stranded us once to the point that we could not go anywhere because of all the water covering roads and bridges. The last week the weather cleared enough so that we were able to do some work for my folks. Before we knew it, our time with them was gone…
We spent most of this month with Shari’s folks helping do some remodeling of their house. In addition, Shari spent much of her time contacting people and doing things to prepare for her parents’ 50th Anniversary celebration, which is scheduled for this weekend! Just today, we finished all the finishing touches on the finishing work in the house and can now relax a little before the “invasion” of relatives and friends begins! It is exciting to think of all the people we might be able to see. Just as in the case of the time we spent with my folks, our time here with Shari’s is almost over very quick. Even though we are sad that our time here is ending we are excited about goning home and getting back to work at the Bible Study Center.
Back in Cebu, the work goes on. Classes for Session 4 ended successfully and session 5 is underway. We had one baptism! Our long-time student Adela Cabugwason was immersed near the end of July! She was a former World Bible School student from several years ago. Her teacher in the US worked through every course they had and when Adela asked to be put into contact with someone in the church the teacher sent her what she thought was MY CONTACT information! Adela tried many times to find me and finally gave up. Then… Last November, she unknowingly came into contact with me when she enrolled in one of our seminars! When we were handing out the certificates of attendance she looked at the names on hers and when she saw my name she could not believe it! (She could not decide whether to hug me or SCOLD me!) It was amazing to see how God had been with her in all her studies and had finally brought us together after so many frustrating years. Adela eagerly enrolled and began her journey with us. We thought that she might become a Christian before we left for the US but she still had questions that needed answering. As soon as she was ready she joined the Lord! It was so encouraging to hear the news and to see the conclusion of such a long journey of faith. Please pray for her as she starts her new life in the family!
 Fund raising is going pretty well. We have made many new friends and visited a number of congregations over the past months. We also visited our sponsor, the Jersey Village congregation in Houston, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together! We received renewals from most of our previous supporters and we have been blessed with a few new ones, however, Shari and I are still short by about $300.00 in monthly support. I am happy to report that we have raised ALL of the one-time support we were seeking and we are so thankful to all of you who have sacrificed to help us prepare for another two years in Cebu!
 The kids are also making progress. I am happy to report that our daughter, Sara, has received even more than the original $200.00 a month she sought for her apprenticeship. (She actually has $250.00 a month!) The Jersey Village folks have agreed to be her collection agent and will receive and forward her funds to her.
 Rachael and Clint are doing very well in their efforts to get their funding. They set a budget of $1,960.00 and are only about $300.00 a month shy of reaching the goal. They also received commitments for ALL of their one-time funding needs! They made many contacts through Clint’s family and associations in the Houston area and they are visiting with potential supporters and have a really good chance of getting everything!
 Jon, on the other hand, is struggling as we enter into our final week stateside! He set out to raise $2,100.00 a month, which includes a monthly amount of $500 for the purchase of a small vehicle. He is also looking for additional funds because he is HOPING to get married soon! So far, he has raised all of his one-time money, but he has only found $620.00 in monthly support and so he REALLY has a long way yet to go in a very short amount of time. He has a sponsor, the Bandera, Texas congregation, and they are behind him 100% but unfortunately are not in a position to absorb the amount he still needs. It is frustrating to see him agonize so over things and it is difficult for him not to be discouraged. Therefore, I would like to make a special appeal to all of you reading this. Can you possibly help Jon complete his funding so that our team will be complete and we can get on that plane, on September 7th, without any worries about finances?
Please keep praying for us and the work in Cebu. We have many family and friends traveling in for the Anniversary celebration and the holiday weekend traffic will only increase the danger. Please pray for their safety. We have many things yet to accomplish before we fly out on the 7th. Please pray especially for Jon and his finances, and if you can help him, PLEASE do not hesitate.
We are so thankful to all of you who continue to support us and pray for all we do. May God continue to give us all strength, wisdom, and opportunities to serve as we go onward through life!
To HIM be the glory!
Barry, Shari, Sara and Amy
PS – To see more details about our fund raising needs click here and follow the links at the bottom of the page.
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