Hello friends!
I thought I would give you a taste of some of the normal creatures we share our lives with here in the Philippines.
#1--the amigas--in the local language "amigas" means "ants". No, these fellows are far from being our friends, folks. They annoy me and get to me every day. There is nothing more motivating to doing the dishes and taking out the "basura" than to see a trail of ants surrounding your crumbs. Get rid of the food crumbs=get rid of the ants. Tidy, tidy I have become!
#2--"la cucaracha"--that's right, the cockroaches! You do not want to go to the C.R. (comfort room) in the dark at night, because you might just step on a cockroach, and that is not fun in bare feet. When I turn on the lights I see something running to hide and sure enough, "we see you!". Nate grabs his shoe (or mine!) and stomps that thing out. I've become brave enough to do it myself when necessary, but I much prefer my hero to do it.
#3--geckos--those little guys with wide eyes are climbing the walls and sneaking around the house. Where do they come from? The good thing is they are not as gross and are not harmful. However, they do annoy me. One day I put the lid to the toilet down after having just sat there, and I screamed to find a huge gecko right behind my back and staring at me with wide eyes. I've learned to shake my towel out front and back before wrapping it around myself--obvious reasons--you don't want to be cuddling with a gecko (or a cucaracha!)
#4--termites--these are the WORST!!! I don't know if you could even bear my stories about those dudes, but they are so small and secretive that when you finally discover them you are like "OH NO!!!" Oh boy, those things get to my soul, I'm telling you! After many discoveries (what is the deal with cardboard?! You'd think it was chocolate!)....I have had to take a shower, clean the whole house, sweep everything, spray everything, and wash everything just to get myself to feel clean again. I just feel like my skin is crawling when I come upon a village of those termites living in an old box or in some wood. I hate those termites--I'm serious!
#5--one creature we HOPE we never see in our house is a cobra. Yesterday at school we heard a banging sound....come to find out our student's dad was smashing the head of a cobra with the bottom of the trombone case. I'm sure that's not the best thing to do with an instrument case, but he would rather kill that thing than get bit! I've heard stories of people finding those poisonous creatures in their homes, but I'm hoping I never have to tell one of those.
(I've already told you my rat story from a couple years ago--ewww!).
That's all for today. I hope you are glad you don't live with these creatures!
6.27.2007
6.25.2007
I Refer You to...
Some of you have been faithfully checking in on our blog. I'm so proud of you! Thanks for staying in touch!
I just want to say, sorry for the lack of photos lately (and updates). After all the many pictures I took when my parents were here I got into this "photo fast" for a while. I mean, once they left, what else exciting could there be? It's all the same to me now, but I know if you were here you would take lots of photos.
I will leave you with words today--and I will direct you to the photos I've been enjoying lately. I will refer you to two blogs that I have really been enjoying tracking with lately. One is the last link on this page--Rob in Israel. It is one of the Bible translators that my parents met when they were here. He is now taking a class in Jerusalem! It is so fun to see his pictures and learn about the place where the Bible is set through his blog. I refer you to that link to read his wonderful updates and see photos of Israel there. (Will I ever get to visit there?).
Secondly, I refer you to the blog link below titled"Ryan & Katie". It has been so fun to track with their story of adoption. They are such a great family and just got back from Russia. You can see I like travel blogs (you probably do too!). Anyway, since I don't have a lot to say today, I will refer you to share with me in journeying with those who do! Blessings!
I just want to say, sorry for the lack of photos lately (and updates). After all the many pictures I took when my parents were here I got into this "photo fast" for a while. I mean, once they left, what else exciting could there be? It's all the same to me now, but I know if you were here you would take lots of photos.
I will leave you with words today--and I will direct you to the photos I've been enjoying lately. I will refer you to two blogs that I have really been enjoying tracking with lately. One is the last link on this page--Rob in Israel. It is one of the Bible translators that my parents met when they were here. He is now taking a class in Jerusalem! It is so fun to see his pictures and learn about the place where the Bible is set through his blog. I refer you to that link to read his wonderful updates and see photos of Israel there. (Will I ever get to visit there?).
Secondly, I refer you to the blog link below titled"Ryan & Katie". It has been so fun to track with their story of adoption. They are such a great family and just got back from Russia. You can see I like travel blogs (you probably do too!). Anyway, since I don't have a lot to say today, I will refer you to share with me in journeying with those who do! Blessings!
6.20.2007
He is Like a Tree Planted by Streams
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers."
Psalm 1.1-3
It has been amazing reading and listening to God's Word every day. I am saturated with His word and wisdom. Already I am on Proverbs 16, and I am learning so much! God's Word is just coming alive to me. I recommend everyone get the Bible on CD. You can just listen to it in the car, or on a run or while you do the dishes. That is what I have been doing, and it is amazing how much you can soak up each day.
I was also encouraged to meet up with two of my students the other day. They shared that they were studying Psalm 1 and have been reading the Bible this summer. We were able to encourage each other and share what God has been teaching us.
What has God been teaching you this summer? What are some verses that God is really speaking to you with? Let us meditate on HIs Word day and night!
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers."
Psalm 1.1-3
It has been amazing reading and listening to God's Word every day. I am saturated with His word and wisdom. Already I am on Proverbs 16, and I am learning so much! God's Word is just coming alive to me. I recommend everyone get the Bible on CD. You can just listen to it in the car, or on a run or while you do the dishes. That is what I have been doing, and it is amazing how much you can soak up each day.
I was also encouraged to meet up with two of my students the other day. They shared that they were studying Psalm 1 and have been reading the Bible this summer. We were able to encourage each other and share what God has been teaching us.
What has God been teaching you this summer? What are some verses that God is really speaking to you with? Let us meditate on HIs Word day and night!
6.16.2007
Prophets
Since I will be teaching Old Testament this upcoming school year, I have decided to make it my goal to read/listen to the whole OT this summer. I decided to start at the end and move backwards. Today I just began Jeremiah.
The prophets are some of my favorite books--they are becoming even more interesting to me everyday. Some people get confused about the message and think it is all about how angry God is. I am able to see even more just how relevant the message is for our day.
As I listened to Ezekiel I really heard God's heart for repentance. He does not like sin at all and is very patient with his people to repent. However, if they will not repent, there will be consequences and judgement.
So many of the examples of sin in the prophets are exactly what I am seeing and hearing about in our world today. People have put idols before them, like television, movies, sports, appearances...or like I earlier wrote about my own schedule. We don't think of ourselves as being a nation with a lot of statues or golden Buddhas, but we really do put other kinds of images before our eyes. And sexual immorality is a huge problem today--many people don't take marriage seriously! It grieves me so much to hear how carelessly people are giving themselves to someone else sexually without even giving thought to God--or as the prophet Jeremiah says, "without even blushing". Instead, I think we should heed the message of the prophets--to cry out to God and repent of our sin and the sin in our land. How much time do we really spend soaking in God's word? How much time do we spend praying? How much time do I?
I encourage everyone to spend some time every day reading God's Word. We cannot let ourselves be deceived or polluted by the world. We need to stand firm against the devil's schemes, or we will become just like Israel who turned from God's ways and hardened their hearts against Him. The consequences of living for ourselves are too grave to not think about. Let us purify our hearts and come before our God. Let us kneel before our Maker. Let us draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. (Disclaimer--I didn't bring my Bible over here to the internet or I would have shared more verses with you).
The prophets are some of my favorite books--they are becoming even more interesting to me everyday. Some people get confused about the message and think it is all about how angry God is. I am able to see even more just how relevant the message is for our day.
As I listened to Ezekiel I really heard God's heart for repentance. He does not like sin at all and is very patient with his people to repent. However, if they will not repent, there will be consequences and judgement.
So many of the examples of sin in the prophets are exactly what I am seeing and hearing about in our world today. People have put idols before them, like television, movies, sports, appearances...or like I earlier wrote about my own schedule. We don't think of ourselves as being a nation with a lot of statues or golden Buddhas, but we really do put other kinds of images before our eyes. And sexual immorality is a huge problem today--many people don't take marriage seriously! It grieves me so much to hear how carelessly people are giving themselves to someone else sexually without even giving thought to God--or as the prophet Jeremiah says, "without even blushing". Instead, I think we should heed the message of the prophets--to cry out to God and repent of our sin and the sin in our land. How much time do we really spend soaking in God's word? How much time do we spend praying? How much time do I?
I encourage everyone to spend some time every day reading God's Word. We cannot let ourselves be deceived or polluted by the world. We need to stand firm against the devil's schemes, or we will become just like Israel who turned from God's ways and hardened their hearts against Him. The consequences of living for ourselves are too grave to not think about. Let us purify our hearts and come before our God. Let us kneel before our Maker. Let us draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. (Disclaimer--I didn't bring my Bible over here to the internet or I would have shared more verses with you).
6.11.2007
Summer Sickness
We said good-bye to my parents a week ago. Yes, that was a sad day. I truly praise God for the time we had together and that they really got to come and do all those amazing things with us! We praise Him that we were all healthy and strong, and that they returned to U.S.A. safely.
When my parents left, we accompanied them to Manila and then planned to return here by land and sea. Here are some excerpts from my recent email to them:
...Saturday we had a slow day and I had a chance to go to Starbucks and read that book Dad gave me. That night we met up with some friends of ours who just had a baby boy at Christmas. It was fun spending time with them.
Sunday we went to a Catholic mass in the old city for a cultural and religious experience. It was really interesting. Later that night I started feeling sick, and that was the beginning of a week of sickness.
On Monday morning we were supposed to meet our friends, Micah and Rachel, at the airport, but I woke up feeling even more sick. I was so bummed! I slept some more and then forced myself out of bed to meet them at the mall for lunch. I could hardly eat a bite.
We drove with them in our NZ friend's car down to the Batangas. It was a couple hours. Thankfully I did not need a C.R. on the drive. Once we got there we stayed with their family and my former student, Christy, was really happy to see me. I felt bad because I had to leave the dinner table to go lay down. I slept 13 or 14 hours until the next morning.
I was disappointed about my sickness, which I still don't know what it was (in fact I am still recovering a bit from it). It was my stomache especially and I felt nasuea all the time. I was so weak and had no appetite. I hardly ate anything the whole week.
Nate and I kept plugging along and took a boat to a nice OSM guesthouse overlooking the ocean. It was so beautiful! We met some Vietnamese believers who go to seminary in Manila. They told us of the persecution in their country and the underground church. We also got to lay in hammocks and read, so that helped me a lot.
The next day, however, we left again at 5am and took a van/bus thing several hours down the next island to the dock at Roxas. It was the first day of school so we saw all the little kids walking in their uniforms down the highway (do they let kids do that?!). The road was rough and I tried to sleep on Nate's shoulder.
When we got to the dock I almost fainted. I had to get some juice and bread and then sat down by a wall and layed my head on my knees. I was a mess! The men in the town thought I was wierd I'm sure as they wondered what this white woman was doing in a heap by the wall. Nate bought us our boat tickets and after a wait and a walk we were on another boat.
The smell of the fish and the smoke was enough to get me reeling. I felt like I was so dizzy and I could not stand. Finally they let us up to the deck where I immediately slept on a bench and never really woke up. I was constantly sleeping. Nate said I was like a mute the whole day. I was a zombie trying to stay afloat!
When we got to the next island, we took a little Banca boat over to a famous island called Boracay. Lots of tourists come here for vacation. The sad thing was I couldn't enjoy it because I was sick! We walked up a hill in the hot sun and I just wanted to find a bed!
God provided a lady who walked by and told us about a cottage with an air con and hot showers for only 1000P. It was minutes from the ocean beach and it was just around the corner from where we were! Perfect! They showed us the room and before they even closed the door I was on the bed.
I felt so bummed that we were in a world-famous beach and it was beautiful, but all I wanted to do was go to the C.R. and lay on my bed. A whole day I slept in there. Thankfully, we decided to stay two nights. By the second day I was strong enough to go out to the beach and sit in a chair while I watched Nate swim. I was so disappointed that I could not swim with Nate or even play frisbee with him. I just sat and read. I was so weak.
After all that madness I asked Nate if we could just fly home. I just wanted to be home. We got tickets for Friday, that next day, and took a two hour bus around windy cliffs to the airport. We flew for maybe $80, so it was worth it. Otherwise I would have had three more days on a bus through the mountains!!
When we finally got home I was so glad!! We were so glad to be home--did I say that? Well, it was quite a week. We were so sad to say goodbye to [my parents], then to Victoria and Micah and Rachel. I got sick on our trip and then when we got home it was somewhat empty.
I have been resting constantly and trying to recover since we got back Friday night. I have only been out once, and that was to go to church on Sunday and to get groceries. I never even came to school to check email or to write you two. I was just so wiped out.
I'm so thankful that God kept us all healthy and strong while you were here!!! I would have been even more disappointed if my sickness had been while you were here. I'm finally getting better little by little. Pray that Nate and I will both be well and strong soon!...
When my parents left, we accompanied them to Manila and then planned to return here by land and sea. Here are some excerpts from my recent email to them:
...Saturday we had a slow day and I had a chance to go to Starbucks and read that book Dad gave me. That night we met up with some friends of ours who just had a baby boy at Christmas. It was fun spending time with them.
Sunday we went to a Catholic mass in the old city for a cultural and religious experience. It was really interesting. Later that night I started feeling sick, and that was the beginning of a week of sickness.
On Monday morning we were supposed to meet our friends, Micah and Rachel, at the airport, but I woke up feeling even more sick. I was so bummed! I slept some more and then forced myself out of bed to meet them at the mall for lunch. I could hardly eat a bite.
We drove with them in our NZ friend's car down to the Batangas. It was a couple hours. Thankfully I did not need a C.R. on the drive. Once we got there we stayed with their family and my former student, Christy, was really happy to see me. I felt bad because I had to leave the dinner table to go lay down. I slept 13 or 14 hours until the next morning.
I was disappointed about my sickness, which I still don't know what it was (in fact I am still recovering a bit from it). It was my stomache especially and I felt nasuea all the time. I was so weak and had no appetite. I hardly ate anything the whole week.
Nate and I kept plugging along and took a boat to a nice OSM guesthouse overlooking the ocean. It was so beautiful! We met some Vietnamese believers who go to seminary in Manila. They told us of the persecution in their country and the underground church. We also got to lay in hammocks and read, so that helped me a lot.
The next day, however, we left again at 5am and took a van/bus thing several hours down the next island to the dock at Roxas. It was the first day of school so we saw all the little kids walking in their uniforms down the highway (do they let kids do that?!). The road was rough and I tried to sleep on Nate's shoulder.
When we got to the dock I almost fainted. I had to get some juice and bread and then sat down by a wall and layed my head on my knees. I was a mess! The men in the town thought I was wierd I'm sure as they wondered what this white woman was doing in a heap by the wall. Nate bought us our boat tickets and after a wait and a walk we were on another boat.
The smell of the fish and the smoke was enough to get me reeling. I felt like I was so dizzy and I could not stand. Finally they let us up to the deck where I immediately slept on a bench and never really woke up. I was constantly sleeping. Nate said I was like a mute the whole day. I was a zombie trying to stay afloat!
When we got to the next island, we took a little Banca boat over to a famous island called Boracay. Lots of tourists come here for vacation. The sad thing was I couldn't enjoy it because I was sick! We walked up a hill in the hot sun and I just wanted to find a bed!
God provided a lady who walked by and told us about a cottage with an air con and hot showers for only 1000P. It was minutes from the ocean beach and it was just around the corner from where we were! Perfect! They showed us the room and before they even closed the door I was on the bed.
I felt so bummed that we were in a world-famous beach and it was beautiful, but all I wanted to do was go to the C.R. and lay on my bed. A whole day I slept in there. Thankfully, we decided to stay two nights. By the second day I was strong enough to go out to the beach and sit in a chair while I watched Nate swim. I was so disappointed that I could not swim with Nate or even play frisbee with him. I just sat and read. I was so weak.
After all that madness I asked Nate if we could just fly home. I just wanted to be home. We got tickets for Friday, that next day, and took a two hour bus around windy cliffs to the airport. We flew for maybe $80, so it was worth it. Otherwise I would have had three more days on a bus through the mountains!!
When we finally got home I was so glad!! We were so glad to be home--did I say that? Well, it was quite a week. We were so sad to say goodbye to [my parents], then to Victoria and Micah and Rachel. I got sick on our trip and then when we got home it was somewhat empty.
I have been resting constantly and trying to recover since we got back Friday night. I have only been out once, and that was to go to church on Sunday and to get groceries. I never even came to school to check email or to write you two. I was just so wiped out.
I'm so thankful that God kept us all healthy and strong while you were here!!! I would have been even more disappointed if my sickness had been while you were here. I'm finally getting better little by little. Pray that Nate and I will both be well and strong soon!...
6.01.2007
Vacation to the Sea
This was the vacation of a lifetime! We each got one of those little huts, and we were neighbors. Our view was beautiful and the weather was perfect! Thank you, Lord, for this special time.
I got to spend time with each one I love. Me and Dad loved the pool that overlooked the ocean. 
Nate and I got to play around in the ocean and explore the sea with snorkel masks.
Mom and I look lovely in our Polynesian flowers, don't we? Of course we do. I love you, Mumsy! Tonight we will fly together to Manila, so pray for us all as we travel. Praise the Lord for a wonderful two weeks together! A gift from God and answer to prayer that will never be forgotten.
Vacation to the Mountain
Tuesday we went up to the mountain where the cool breeze blows. On the way up we stopped at a fruit stand to introduce my parents to the famous "Durian" fruit. They have a saying, "Smells like hell, tastes like heaven." My Dad wasn't too sure about trying this!
They worked up their courage and had a taste at last. I can't post all the pictures, but imagine the two of them trying this strange fruit for the first time. They're really Filipino now!
Up on the mountain we enjoyed relaxing and seeing God's creation. We got to play catch with the football, walk around the woods and read in hammocks. What a fun day!
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