WOW! Has it REALLY been 3 months since I last blogged?!?! Where did the time go? Where have the pictures been????
1. September--Preparing for the US
2. October--Going to the US
3. November--Recovering from the US
It is a big deal to make an international trip, especially for a lady with three small children. Here are some of my random thoughts about these last three months and the pictures you missed:
1. September--It was quite a big deal getting me to the USA. The biggest barrier was Luke's paperwork. It is a LONG story, each day God provided for more miracles through trials like:
A. Error made on Visa--Redo it, send back to Manila
B. Typhoon Strikes Manila--Government offices closed
C. Package put on airline with Passport and Visa inside for Luke--Airline goes on Strike, package sits in cargo of airport
D. Alternate Airline does not carry cargo, Package stuck in Manila---time for us to fly!
E. God parts RED SEA and opens the way for me to fly, holding Luke's passport and visa in my hands 4:30 A.M. just three hours before I flew. WHEW!
So you missed all that because it was too intense and really a struggle for me letting go and surrendering that I might lose my plane ticket and my time with my family....not to mention all the planning and details I had to sort out (menus, help for kids, schedules, etc)...before leaving Nate and the 2 older boys without me!
2. October--Finally I see my family (well, my OTHER family...my heart was in 2 places!). I took maybe 1000 pictures in the US. I am almost too overwhelmed to even go back to blog those ones. It seems like a trip separate from the rest of my normal life. I got back and felt like it was a whirlwind "Did I really do that? Who was that lady wearing high heels, talking on a Blackberry and driving at 70 mph?" At the moment I really feel like leaving those pictures out of the blog. My emotions and thoughts about that are all a jumble.
3. November--Reunited with my OTHER family...Nate and 2 boys! Recovering from the trip, reconnecting with my boys and my man...and my computer breaks. No laptop, no place to unload pics. Good thing I had them backed up and all. Well, I finally got through that month...a funeral (pics below) and a ladies' retreat (pics ahead)...lots to plan and do. Lots of people to love and serve. So the month is over and I am in December now.
So, here's 24 pics to tell a tiny part of the story recently. I did leave out TONS of cute pics of our 3 boys, (sorry, Mom), but I don't want to overwhelm the general audience with those family pics (I do insert a few).
Elijah feeds Luke his first food, rice cereal. Luke wonders, "What is this funny thing in my mouth?"
Very SAD! I was pregnant with Malachi at the same time as Cindy (wearing black) was pregnant with Shalom Love Joy. Over Halloween weekend, she died (age 2) after a struggle with dengue fever and some breathing problems. I can't tell you the whole story, but I did share in this grieving with them.
Shalom Love Joy, age 2 (born just 3 days before my Malachi...so sad!!). Mom, do you recognize the dress? Emi was a jewel giving up this special treasure of hers (for Eunice's dedication) to share with the bereaved. My heart breaks. 
Emi and Elijah are in the taxi at the market ready to bring the flowers over. 
The body lays in a room of the home for about a week. The candles are lit, and many visitors come to grieve with the family. Meanwhile they look around for a place to bury their loved one, and try to find the money to pay the hospital bill. 
The 2 older brothers and the parents...
At the funeral, under a tent. The community gathers to love and support.
Pastor Brian (front right) prays. A tradition I had not seen before, the family holds balloons and then "releases" them as a symbol of releasing Shalom to the Lord. 
A "last look" at the body before she is buried. So sad to hear the moans and wails and crying of children and others. The most sad thing for me was to watch the girl's mother, Cindy. I can relate to her imagining if that had been Malachi! No, I can't even imagine it.
Very definitive...they actually put the casket in this "tomb" case, and someone from the cemetery comes and cements her in there. I held the mother and she said, "Sulod na sya" (she is inside now). It was amazing how much I was able to understand of the language and to be able to comfort the family was such a blessing to me (also emotionally draining!). Praise God for giving me the wisdom of words and actions to show love to this family.
And here is my Malachi! I cannot stop praising God for him! Well, if you ever get impatient with a 2 year old, just think of that funeral I went to and stop and praise God for your child. Or perhaps you have lost a child yourself--that has to be one of the deepest griefs a mother or father could ever experience...burying a child. I pray for you and my heart goes out to you, if that is your story. Please remember to pray for Cindy and her husband and boys, as they continue on without their precious Shalom Love Joy.
2 weeks ago I helped to lead worship at our day of prayer retreat. That was a refreshing day for me!!
So peaceful...all the flowers and the blue sky! I need to get out into God's creation more and spend time with Him in the garden.
Here I am in my hammock (with Luke!) spending time in my prayer journal (thanks D & E!). I could do this for HOURS!
Mrs. S, I put some of these on for you. Emi and I thought of ways to use the make-up you sent--have a ladies' retreat for the Cebuano ladies! 
Some of our young friends came to help decorate bookmarks with the theme verse for the ladies.
They helped make little "care packages" for the 30 ladies.
Here's Ruby with the boxes! We're getting ready for the first ever Cebuano ladies retreat.
Luke is now 6 months old! He is so peaceful and fits into our family perfectly! Elijah is teaching him the Bible!
We got our little Christmas tree out on Sunday, and the boys had fun putting on the ornaments!
Nate and our 3 boys! What a loving father he is! (Such serious expressions!)
Luke is growing so big! He is 6 months to the day in this pic.
Malachi has such a servant heart. He loves to wear an apron and help with the dishes. Sometimes he helps me find my shoes, sweep the floor or get the stroller over a bump. What a gentleman!
Here's the Filipino Christmas decorations for sale. Just when Nate and I were trying to find something to decorate for our Christmas concert tonight, these ladies came by our gate! (Mom, we laughed when we remembered: "Electric Fan REpair!"). How handy! These ladies are so creative and resourceful. The ones on the right (yellow and green) are made of plastic straws. 
