Elijah is 4 Months!

New Building and Little Missionary

Praise the Lord for providing for the building of a new performing arts center! We are so excited to see how much the music program has grown these last few years. Soon the auditorium will be finished (Lord-willing) and we will have our first performance in there!
When we left for furlough this was just grass. The principal and builders worked hard to surprise Mr. Becker when we returned! Here's the band room all finished and brand new. Lovely! (A student walks to put his trombone away before school).
You can see it is half finished. The other side has a vocal and drama room--a major improvement from the kitchen I used to teach in!
Here is Mr. Becker, the chapel coordinator, and his son, the new little missionary! Nate is using Elijah as an example to teach about the Father's love for us! "Lessons learned from the life of Elijah Samuel." The students loved to meet the little Becker Baby that they prayed so much for.
Last week Elijah was baby Jesus and Nate was Jesus on the cross. Look at these two! What a pair of actors!

I was Mary in New Testament class--guess who was baby Jesus! He even let out a cry at the perfect time--what a dramatic family.
Jesus, Emmanuel--God with us! What a message to declare!
Thank you, God for your Son, Jesus, (and for our son, Elijah!).
My husband acts as my son, Jesus dying on the cross. "He was still her little boy" plays on the CD as I cry over my son's death.
Ohhh!! A kiss from Mommy! "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49.15-16

Cebuano Ladies

Now that I am home more, I have the chance to get to know the Cebuano ladies in my neighborhood better. I'm still getting better at the language "hinay-hinay" (little-by-little). Here is Elijah's friend--they were both born May 8th! Maybe they will have to celebrate their 1st birthdays together!
Elijah was trying to shake hands with his new friend, but the ladies laughed and said he was trying to do a boxing move for fun like the national Filipino sports boxer Manny Pakaw (sp??--sorry people I'm not a boxing fan).
On Wednesday afternoons it is fun to have the ladies over for Bible study. My friend and helper, Emi, is the leader so we prepare the study together. It is funny to learn more cultural differences. For example, in the U.S. most people offer a drink when you first come in. I did that same thing by serving the ladies some juice, but later I found out they thought it was "bag-o" (new) to have the drink before. So the following week I served the drink after.

Also, I thought I would try to provide a snack they liked, so I had a Filipina lady make something Filipino that they are used to. Later I found out that they were curious what kind of food they would eat at the "Americana's" house. The next week I made banana muffins and they loved them! The bowl was empty after that meeting. Lots to learn about hospitality and cultures!
It is great to see the ladies study the Bible in their own language. They say when they hear it in their language it is like a "bull's eye--right to the heart."