Praises & Prayer Requests: August 22, 2025

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Many of you have prayed for our dear friend/coworker, Boris Bergen, over the last 20 months since his cancer diagnosis. A few weeks ago, the doctors in Germany informed him that there was nothing else they could do to treat his very aggressive lymphoma. Boris and his family made a trip to the Philippines, and we were able to spend some time with them, and through tears say goodbye to Boris knowing his time on earth could come to an end soon. This past Monday, the Lord took him home, at the age of 39. He leaves behind his wife, Valentina, and three children: Zac, Phil and Zea. They are all back home in Germany, grieving the loss of their beloved husband/father. Boris was an energetic, outgoing, always healthy guy who loved life and lived passionately for Christ and the Great Commission. He was an awesome dad to his kids and a wonderful husband to his wife. Please be praying for the gaping hole that is left in his family and in our team.

Our house construction continues on, with interior walls being built in the first few days of August. This week was the framing in of the eaves and next week we’ll get the ceiling started. We are so thankful for the Lord’s provision through His body allowing us to dwell among the Umajamnon people in their tribal setting. Thank you to each of you who have prayed and given generously, both monthly and via special gifts, to help make this ministry dream a reality.

Lord willing, we will be living full time among the Umajamnon by the first week of October in our newly constructed home. Please pray for the installation of our solar panels to go smoothly and for everything to work well. We also still need to build countertops, shelving and cabinets and install sinks in the kitchen and bathrooms, as well as lay tile throughout the house. Thank you for praying for these details.

We aren’t yet sure when our official “Culture and Language Acquisition” will begin, but probably sometime in November once our kids are feeling settled in this new location (another prayer request), we can nail down a routine and we can train some locals to become our “language helpers.”

We praise the Lord for many weeks of good health (though I’ve been sick the last two days) and for safety on the road as I have traveled countless hours between our city and the tribal location over the last five months.

Please be praying now for those who will help us with language and for the hearts of those who will hear God’s word taught once we reach the needed proficiency level in the Inumajamnon language.

Ministry needs:

• By the grace of God we do not have any financial needs at this time, but would certainly appreciate your prayers for the things written above and anything else that the Lord places on your heart in prayer.

With love,

The Phillips family