Quick report from the Philippines:
From day one, my Skype reports from the Philippines to Mary Esther have been almost hyperbolic. Pastor Minamida is doing a phenomenal job connecting with the FSL (Filipino Sign Langage) translation team and training them. They have said several times “oh, now we understand what Mark was trying to tell us in March.” As a Deaf translator with years of experience,combined with a sensitivity to timing and needs, Pastor Minamida has built a strong platform as both a change agent and a trainer.
At first, I was hesitant to try to do too much in just a week, not wanting to leave behind a demoralized team that tried to take the next step and couldn’t pull it off. But everything we have tried so far has worked. We went ahead and tackled the big issues, and have already seen the team with a new enthusiasm about the possibilities for making much faster and progress with a much better translation. Praise God, who does more than we can ask or think!!
(PS from an IM with Mary Esther: ” I should tell you about Sunday. Everyone at the Deaf church was so excited that Minamida is there and praying for him and you. They kept mentioning it. The whole church was behind it and excited about it. They were so proud of you—that was definitely the theme last Sunday.”) 
