Juliana and her group of friends in NHS

We have again let too much time pass by between letters.  It is hard to believe that we have 4 weeks of school left.  We have finished with sports seasons for this year, but there is enough on our plates to keep us busy.

To recap since our last letter, the girls’ basketball team did very well in their tournament in Guam.  They had some good games and didn’t lose any until the final championship game against Seoul American.  The girls played hard and took second.  They also had fun making friends with girls from the other teams.  After getting back from Guam, Juliana decided to try Track and Field this year.  She focused on field events: discus and shot put and long jump.  She came in the middle of the training and missed the first 2 meets, but did very well considering the short amount of time to train and had fun.  Another of Juliana’s achievements this year was being accepted into the National Honor Society.  We are proud of her.

The girls are getting busy now with end of the year projects as well as performances.  Next week is the girls’ final piano recital.  Juliana is working on a biology project and attempting to grow a tomato plant in a bucket upside down.  She will need to do something with it in regards to the community as well.  The end of this month will be finals for the high school.  Next week, Abby will shadow a 6^th grade student and see what middle school is like.  It is also hot season now and difficult to maintain our energy and focus.

Walt has been very busy with scheduling for next year and other administrative things.  He will also be going with the 8^th graders on a retreat this weekend.  Please pray for that.  He has also been busy as a counselor in a not so fun way.  He would appreciate your prayers for wisdom.

We have had a few opportunities to visit with our boys on Skype and that has been fun.  They are doing well and it looks like they have jobs lined up for them this summer.  Paul enjoyed traveling with the college choir and singing in various churches in the upper Midwest.  He also played his trumpet for one of the songs.  We got to see his performance in one church online.  Continue to pray for them and their finances.  They are done next week with classes.

Thank you for your continued prayer for us and our ministry at Faith Academy.  Your prayers and financial giving are a blessing, enabling us to stay on the field.  Continue to uphold the staffing needs for next year.  There are many holes to fill.  You can check out the needs at www.faith.edu.ph.

In Christ,

Cheryl for all the Spicers

Students and Staff of OE '11

Outdoor Education Week 2011 is now history.  Walter is still wrapping up the final details and finances.  It was a very busy but wonderful time.  We had three different sites: the beach site, reef site and volcano island.  The kids were divided up into three traveling squads and traveled to each site with their group.  The beach site was the main site where everyone came the first night then left from there to the other sites and returned in between sites.  At the beach site, the children went to a school for a ministry with VBS and games (they were usually in charge of games and handing out gospel bracelets), and then they cooked their own chicken dinner (starting with a live chicken).  At the reef site, the kids snorkeled and some scuba dived and were able to see and study some marine life.  At the volcano island, they hiked to see various things like fumaroles, mud pots (bubbling mud) and other things on a volcano, including sulfur in the lake. Walter was able to visit all the sites during the week in reverse order of the kids so was able to see all the different squads during the week.  He was in charge to see that everything ran smoothly and bills were paid.  Each night there was a speaker who challenged the kids from God’s Word.  It was a fun and safe, healthy week (I was camp nurse).  At the ministry site, 97 kids and 8 parents prayed to receive Christ and the local pastor will be following up on them.  Pray for the many decisions made for Christ, both with the Filipino school and our own middle school kids.

We are almost back to normal and caught up on most of our sleep.  This Saturday, Walter, Ashley and Juliana leave for Guam for the Far East basketball tournament with the DODDS schools for one week.  Pray for safety both on and off the court and for a good testimony with the other schools.

Thanks for praying for us.

In Christ,

Cheryl for the Spicers

Our family at the beach

We are 1 1/2 weeks into our 3rd quarter.  This is our busiest quarter with basketball tournaments, talent night for the junior class (of which Ashley is an officer) and outdoor education week.  Walter has been busy planning all the details for outdoor ed.  He has made several trips down to the volcano, the town and the camp, meeting with people and checking out the facilities.  He still has another one to arrange transportation.  Many people are involved to organize their part, and the middle school students have been divided into their squads.  The squads have been meeting and preparing as well.  Please be in prayer for this week, February 7-11, for all the logistics, safety, good learning experience as well as the speakers for the chapels each night.  Pray for a time of spiritual growth for these kids and for their squad leaders to be sensitive to them.

Juliana and Ashley have been busy with basketball, as well as Walter.  They have had a few games since school started, some tough college teams and some not as tough.  Walter has been thankful for his co-coach who has helped him out when he was not able to be at practice or a game.

Abby is enjoying her 5th grade class.  It is hard to believe that this is her last year in elementary.  She is busy with piano lessons like her sisters as well as her friends. 

I continue to work in the health office.  Last week we completed the health screening for the elementary students.  The nurses were also invited to a lecture on dermatology by another international school here in Manila.  It was a good refresher for us nurses.  The week of outdoor education, I will go along as the camp nurse.  Right now I am preparing the first aid kits.

We were able to Skype our boys a few times during the Christmas break.  It was so good to see them through the webcam on the computer and talk to them.  They enjoyed being together with family during the break.  They were able to spend time with both my family and Walter’s family.  They are both still looking for jobs while in college.  Paul doesn’t have vehicle so it is more of a challenge for him.  He also has a new roommate so is making adjustments there as well.

 Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our family and our ministries.  Please also pray for our mission to finish the paperwork on our helicopter that will service our missionaries on the island of Luzon.  It is still in process.  Pray also for more staff for next school year.  There are many positions that need to be filled as teachers leave for one year or are finishing their assignment here.

In Christ,

Cheryl for the Spicers

Juliana blocking the ball

We are now two thirds through the first quarter at school.  We had a great start even with the missing staff.  Praise the Lord that three of the staff families are here.  We are still waiting for about four more staff to finish raising their support and come help us.

 Ashley and Juliana got involved right away with the first season sports.  

Ashley playing defense

Juliana had a tough time deciding between soccer and volleyball (as soccer changed from 3rd season to 1st season).  She chose volleyball and made the varsity team.  She doesn’t play as much (though she did get a chance when one of the girls sprained her ankle) but she is enjoying it very much.  Ashley made the varsity

soccer team and is one of the back defenders.  She is doing very well in her position.  Both teams will be going to an international tournament.  The soccer team is going to Thailand at the end of October, and the volleyball team is going to Korea for the Far East tournament for the DODD schools (Department of Defense) at the beginning of November.  They are both looking forward to it.  Please pray for us to have the finances for these trips.

 Walter is still going to be the girls’ varsity basketball coach this year.  With the added responsibility of planning outdoor education week, it was decided that he would have a co-coach so that he would be free to focus on outdoor ed. as it gets closer to the time.  The week of outdoor ed is at the end of the basketball season and during the tournaments and final preparation for the Far East tournament at the end of February.  Please pray for him as he prepares for basketball, works with a new coach and also starts planning for outdoor ed week for middle school.

 Abby is enjoying being a fifth grader.  This is the first time that her class has been split up into two separate classes while she has been here.  She still enjoys her friends and has made new ones as well.  She is also in the fifth grade band, learning to play the flute.  A new opportunity for the fifth graders is a fifth grade choir so she is having fun in that as well. 

 Our family is again involved in the A4J ministry at school (similar to AWANA).  Last Sunday we started registration for 400 children.  They all received a t-shirt as their ticket in each week; it was quite chaotic. This Sunday begin the lessons.  We are all working with different age groups.  I work with the junior girls, Juliana with the primary girls (and Abby is hanging out with them and befriending a girl), Ashley works with the kinder age, and Walt works with the primary boys.  (If Paul was here, I think we would have had all the groups covered.)

Our boys are doing well in their colleges.  Both boys are getting involved in the AWANA program at their churches.  Paul is also playing on the soccer team and enjoying that and making new friends, especially on the team.  A week ago, Paul had a mishap and broke his nose.  After seeing the ENT doctor, he determined it is deviated a little and needed surgery.  He had surgery on his nose Tuesday.  Please pray for him.  My parents went up to be with him before and after his surgery.  The surgery went well and he is now recovering.  Please pray for complete recovery and for the pain.  This will also affect his playing time.

 Walter is leading another Bible study for staff called the Truth Project.  Its focus is building a Biblical World View.  Plus Walter and Cheryl lead a Bible study with some of Ashley’s friends called True U.  Both Bible studies are DVD series by Focus on the Family.

 Thank you again for partnering with us and praying for us.  We feel privileged to be serving in the Philippines and are grateful for your support.

 In Christ,

Cheryl for the Spicers

Sightseeing in Manila

Thursday was the first day of school for us here at Faith Academy.  A lot has happened to get this year off to a start.  Registration for the high school was the two days before.  It was quite a challenge for the principal and guidance counselor helping the students get the classes they wanted and needed into a working schedule.  This year was especially difficult due to the lack of staff.  There are many “holes” in the staff.  We are also awaiting the arrival of some staff that are delayed due to lack of finances or health reasons.  Please pray for our staffing situation.  Walter, as the middle school counselor, was busy with the same challenge, scheduling middle school students.

We had a great time as a staff the weekend before school started at our staff retreat.  It was refreshing spiritually and a great way to get to know the new staff as well as reconnect with returning staff.

Walter had a good time with Paul and Ben during his four weeks in the US, plus he was also able to spend time with his parents and siblings.  It was rough leaving Ben and Paul, but they are both doing well, which is an encouragement to us.  It is wonderful to see the support they have in family and friends.  My parents will be taking Paul to college and getting him settled in there.  He found out that his roommate is the son of friends of ours so at least there is a connection, even if they don’t know each other yet.  The boys will start classes in a few weeks so we would appreciate prayer for them.

The girls and I had a good time relaxing together and doing some projects.  They all had summer reading so spent some of our time doing that.  Ashley and Abby went to camp one week and had a great time, Ashley as a counselor and Abby as a camper.  Ashley had five third-grade girls in her cabin.  She also came back with a souvenir—stitches above her right knee while hiding from the campers.  She was found anyways.  After Walter returned, we were able to get away to a hotel in Manila and spend some time together, doing some fun things as a family.  Our family dynamics have changed with the boys being gone.

The high school retreat is August 26-27.  They go to a camp for those 2 days and have a speaker and activities to bond them together as classes and as a high school.  Pray for the student and adult leaders as they plan and for the speaker.

Thank you for standing behind us in prayer as we serve God by providing an education for the children of missionaries.  We couldn’t do it without you.

In Christ,

Cheryl for the Spicers

Paul as Motel the tailor

Dear Friends and Family,

We are in the middle of fourth quarter and activities are picking up.  Last weekend was the production of Fiddler on the Roof.  There were over 100 students involved in the production with cast, stage crew and orchestra as well as many parents and staff.  Paul decided to venture out and landed the role of Motel the tailor.  He had fun doing it.  It was a great production. 

Basketball season finished the end of February with the girls taking second place in the Far East

Varsity Girls took 2nd place

 tournament in Japan.  They played well and were undefeated in the tournament until the last game.  We are glad to slow the pace down a little.  Both Juliana and Ashley are now on the JV soccer team, but haven’t had too many games.

 Outdoor Education week went well.  The students learned a lot of WW II and

Walter's squad of 10 boys

about sea turtles examining and releasing some into the wild.   They had some great speakers for chapel and a time of growth in their spiritual walk.  The students also had a ministry with a local school next to our camp.  They decided to raise funds to help fix their school and raised over three times their projected goal!

We are praying about Walter’s change of responsibility at school for next year, possibly as middle school counselor.  Please be in prayer with us as he makes the decision.

Abigail continues with the Puppet ministry team.  She is enjoying it.  So far, they have performed in 2 churches with 2 performances each time.  The next

Abigail (left) performing with the puppets

 two performances will be in Tagalog. 

Please continue to pray for us and Paul as we make final plans for Paul’s preparation for college and his return to the US.  Walter will go back with him and help him for a few weeks, but my parents will help him get settled into college.  He is still unsure of his major, but would like to work with youth.  He will also be looking for a summer job.  We are excited that our home church will mentor him this summer, working with the youth, teaching, and also mowing the church lawn.

Ben was accepted to work at College of the Ozarks over the summer so his room and board for next year will be paid.  That is a huge answer to prayer.  He is also looking for a job now to have some spending money for gas and personal items.

Thank you for praying for us,

Cheryl for the Spicers

The Spicer Family

Life at Faith Academy is always full with many activities.  Walter’s classes are going well and we are thankful to be a part of this ministry, helping to spread the gospel in Southeast Asia.

Walter continues to be busy with extracurricular activities.  He is in charge of the middle school senate.  They were in charge of a few activities, including a fund raiser and a Christmas party.  He is getting help from other teachers which encourages him.  I have been doing his shopping for these events. 

Basketball is going well.  The girls’ varsity is still undefeated in high school competition.  They had a good trip to Hong Kong and took the championship!  He has a great group of girls.  Ashley is on his team.  Juliana is also enjoying playing on JV.  Her team is young and has many inexperienced ones, but they all get some playing time.  Now the varsity team is preparing themselves for the big Far East Tournament in Japan.  Due to two players quitting, Juliana will go with the team to bring their numbers up to 9 players (they can take ten players).

Paul had a great time in Malaysia with the Honors Band.  It was a good experience for him, especially since he is considering majoring in Music Education.  He has been busy with classes and being with friends.  He has applied to Calvary Bible Colleges.  Pray for him as he makes decisions regarding his future.

Abby has been making some new friends in her class.  Several of these friends live closer to us so she has had more opportunities to get together with them.  She is also in the Puppets of Praise club.  She is learning how to perform with puppets.  They will have some ministry opportunities this semester.

I have helped a little more often in the health office due to some of the nurses being gone.  It has been nice to interact more with students and other staff members as well. 

We had a wonderful time with Ben as he came home for the holiday.  It has been an adjustment having him so far away and 14 hours time difference.  We are thankful for modern technology that allows us to see him and talk to him on Skype.  He had a good time living with my parents this last semester and seeing some of his cousins.  This semester he transferred to College of the Ozarks.

In a couple weeks, the middle school will go for the week of Outdoor Education.  The focus this time will be World War II historical sites.  Walter will be a squad leader of nine 7^th grade boys, and I will be the camp nurse.  Paul is also going as a senior helper and will probably lead hikes on the island amongst other duties along with six other seniors.  Pray that this will be a safe and enriching time for the middle school.  They will have a speaker every night.  Pray also for the preparation.  A lot of work goes into this week.

In Christ,

Cheryl for the Spicers

Half time talk

Thank you for praying for us.  We had our school break a week ago.  We stayed home and enjoyed the change of pace and being together as a family.  It was refreshing as this next quarter will be very busy.  Walter was able to catch up on a lot of work.

Basketball season is here.  Tryouts begin this week.  Walter will be the head girls coach for the varsity team.  It looks like the coaches and assistants are now lined up for the season.  Walter is feeling a bit overwhelmed, being new to “running the show.”  He has usually been the assistant or JV coach and enjoyed being under someone more experienced.  He has learned a lot during those times. 

 During our in service before school started again, Walter and his department were able to help the teaching staff at Faith Academy understand what it is like for child who has learning differences.  It was an eye-opener for them.  It will help them to understand the struggles their students have and how to help them.

 In a few weeks, Paul has the privilege to go to Malaysia for the Southeast Asia Honors Band.  It will cost him about $275 (registration, airfare and food – lodging is provided).  We are excited for him.  Pray for the needed finances for this trip, and pray also for our students to be a light to the other international schools.

 Thank you also for your prayers for us during the flooding last month.  Many families are still getting back to “normal.”  There is still some clean up and fixing or replacing items that were damaged in the flood.  There are some areas of Manila that still have some water.  Also, areas up north received damage to homes and crops.  This weekend, another typhoon came through.  Though it wasn’t as strong as predicted, it did bring additional rain and caused more damage.  Please continue to pray for the Philippines and those who have been affected by these natural calamities.  We might not understand why such things happen, but we do know Who is in control and Who holds our future.

 In Christ,

Cheryl for the Spicers

Flood waters outside our house

Saturday morning we woke up to heavy rain.  It had been raining the night before but had increased in intensity and had not let up.  We were told that our subdivision never floods, but our street began to flood with water pouring into it from a nearby creek.  We were fortunate that the water never went past the level of our car port.  We lost power halfway through the day and it was out until 5 am Sunday.  We had water until Sunday morning. 

Others were not as fortunate as we were.  There were landslides that caused deaths and damage.  The water rose high enough that some houses were flooded to the second floor of their house.  The roads were impassable for a few days.  They were using boats on the road to get around.  Abby was spending the night with a friend and they fought the flood waters in their house (their new floor was ruined) and were blocked into their subdivision until Sunday afternoon when they were able to get out by another way.  Major power poles were down.  We kept two of Abby’s friends until their parents were able to make it out to get them.  We are thankful our high school girls did not have any volleyball games Saturday.  The boys’ volleyball team couldn’t return to their homes after their game on Saturday; some just returned to their homes on Monday morning.

Please pray for the devastation here in Manila and for those who lost loved ones in the flood.  Power lines and water lines are still out in many places.  It will take weeks to get things back to normal here in Manila.  Many lost everything they owned.  We are fortunate to be close enough to Faith Academy with passable roads that we can take advantage of the water there.  Walter and Paul went with some other friends to help clean up other missionaries’ homes after the flood waters receded.  School was cancelled Monday and Tuesday for us at Faith Academy.

Ashley and some girls in A4J

We mentioned in our last email that we are praying for a ministry for our family.  Walter still teaches and coaches at Faith Academy, but we wanted to do something as a family with Filipinos.  Since then, we have joined the A4J (All for Jesus) staff.  The ministry runs from September to December on Sunday mornings.  For those of you who saw our power point presentation, it was one of the ministries that students get involved with at Faith Academy.  Ashley and I will be working with the Junior girls (ages 10-12).  Juliana is working with the Primary girls (ages 7-9).  Paul is working with the Junior boys and Walter is working with the Primary boys.  Next Sunday, we will have registration for 400 children living close to Faith Academy, dividing them into their groups and getting to know them.  The following Sundays, they will be participating in games, learning Bible verses, hearing a story in their language and working on activity sheets.  Students from a nearby seminary will be giving the lessons to each group.  We are excited to begin this ministry.  Each child will receive a t-shirt. 

This means our Sundays will be very busy.   A4J starts at 7:00 am, then we drive to our church at 9:30 am, and lastly at 3:00 pm Walter and I lead a Bible study (called the Truth Project) with some school staff. 

We were also challenged by the leaders of A4J to come up with at least 2 sponsors for a child attending A4J.  Right now, funds are low.  The cost per child for the year is P300 (which in dollars is about $6.40).  This pays for a t-shirt, snacks, photocopying of the material, and a Christmas gift at the end of the year.  Would you consider sponsoring a child?  If you would like to give, you can do that through our account at our NTM office, designating it to the Spicers for A4J.  Please let us know so we can keep track of who gave, plus to make sure that we receive that amount.

Please pray for us as we begin this ministry, that we would be a blessing to the kids and encourage them.  Pray that they would understand God’s Word and would have a personal relationship with Him and for the families of these children.  Also, pray for our Bible study that we would grow in our knowledge of God and that it would impact our lives and our relationship with God and all who attend.

 In Christ,

Cheryl for the Spicers