Hello!!

With just one week to go, preparations are now well under way and it's gradually sinking in. I can't help feeling that I'm bound to forget something...but I'm still very excited!

I'm convincing myself that I know what to expect when I actually get out there, but I'm aware that the culture shock and alterations in day to day life will be unfamiliar territory to me (whether it be the food, language barrier or poverty).

So with all these expectations, it's making me even more trusting and dependent on the Lord that, as Paul says in Romans 8:28, "All things work together for the good of those who love God" ... It doesn't come more comforting than that!

You may not be coming along with me on this missionary journey, but your prayers are the most encouraging support you can give. We are told in the Bible countless times that God loves to hear and answer genuine prayers! With this in mind, I would really value your prayers for me daily as I seek to serve Him in Manila alongside Cubao Baptist Church.

Please pray especially for:

• My last minute preparations - e.g. Finalising my Visa requirements, Taking the right things for the full 6 months, Transferring all my funds into the correct currency, Learning more about the country.

• The Flight - I'll be in the air for around 19 hours before eventually landing in Manila which almost certainly will mean jet lag and tiredness. Pray that I would recover quickly so that I can be active for work.

• Homesickness - It's inevitable (or so I'm told). So please pray that I would be kept busy enough to not feel isolated, and that regular communication would be possible.

I'll be sure to keep up contact and updates through my blog: http://www.offexploring.com/reubensaywell. I can't thank you enough for all the support I have received which have practically made it all possible.

God bless you!

Reuben