Getting Organized

We have been working hard together in Nate's office to get everything organized! We just worked four hours on the inventory and the filing cabinet. We haven't had time to organize since Nate first came to the Philippines, so there were boxes, papers, and who knows what. Since we stayed here this summer we were able to sort through all the music, lesson plans, resources, books, binders and papers. What a project! Whew!

We made labels for the instruments and a system in the computer for tracking with them. At one glance we will know who donated it, who has played it, what condition it is in, and who has it currently checked out.

I also organized the books for Nate--piano, strings, band, archives....it is becoming quite a wonderful music library! We are really weak on CDs and DVDs so if anyone out there wants to send us a collection we will put them on our empty CD shelf! We need to collect samples to use in teaching of all kinds of music. DVDs for teaching would be great--even to get kids into another world (example:symphony--we don't have that here so they could see it on DVD).

Anyway, this wasn't meant to be an advertisement but a praise! God has helped us prepare, and He has provided many resources for us to use. We even put a binder together with dividers in one for each class, so we are all ready to start our lesson plans. Staff meeting is tomorrow and school starts Wednesday! Thanks for praying for our first couple weeks of school--they will be exciting!

Teaching In the Philippine School

We were invited to teach today at one of the private Christian Filippino schools. It was our second time visiting one, but our first time teaching at one. We got all dressed up and had our lessons prepared. I was excited and nervous!

Nate taught music behind that wall you see, and I taught photography in this classroom pictured. We both integrated the Bible into our lessons so the kids would learn more about how to worship God with music and photography!

It was so fun to see their little brown eyes and to hear them all greeting us. They were so happy to have us visit and all thought it was funny when we greeted them in Cebuano. They were surprised we knew how to speak their language! We of course taught in English, which they also know, but it is always fun to use their language too.

When we left the school the principal walked us out, and many of the students followed her and waived good-bye. Their voices rang out "Bye!" I'm sure we will all remember that for a long time! Thank you, Lord, for the chance to share your love in a Pilippine school! May the students we met learn to worship you in everything.

Be Praying For Us...School Starts Next Week!

The title basically says it all here....I just want to remind you to be praying for us as school is starting next week! Nate and I are mixed with excitement and nerves, just as we are sure the students are also feeling.

Pray that we will receive God's grace (it doesn't have to be perfect for the first day!)
Pray that we will be healthy (not good to miss school or feel unwell)
Pray that we will get our seminary homework done (not too time-consuming as the two courses overlap for about two months)
Pray that we will be prepared for our classes and for our students (we love them!)

Thank you for praying, and praise God with us for such a wonderful ministry opportunity!

What We've Been Doing

Hello everyone! We haven't posted much these last few weeks of summer. School will start in a little over a week! Nate and I are dilligently organizing the office and music, preparing the instruments to check out to students, planning schedules and strategies and praying that God will give us grace as we teach our students.

We have also been busy taking three night classes with lots of reading and observations to do. We are learning so much about classroom management, which will be very helpful to us those first days of school. There is so much to learn about teaching styles and effective teaching methods. Taking these classes this summer was a great way for us to sharpen our teaching skills and develop new strategies. We are also learning about philosophy of Christian Education, which gives us much to think about! Don't worry-we tell ourselves--we don't have to be the perfect master teachers in one week!

Other than these preparations and studies we have been enjoying each other much and have been playing music in the home together. It is so fun to hear Nate practicing his trumpet or practicing the saxaphone. I often like to get out my violin and play while Nate is playing piano. We love to make music together and worship the Lord! That's about it for now--but thank you for remembering to pray for us as we prepare for school! School starts August 2 for us (staff report on July 31 officially). Pray for health and vision and grace. Thank you!

Treasures Termites Destroy

It's Sunday night here in the Philippines. We had a wonderful weekend of reading and playing instruments and having people over. Our home is finally coming together to where we can have company--so come on over for a visit!

Our dinner guests were actually translators and were telling us how they just got back from the U.S. They have had their stuff in storage for one-and-a-half years, so they just uncovered it. When they opened the room with all their cardboard boxes thousands and thousands of termites covered their possessions in a haze. When they lifted one box all the critters disappeared into holes. They have had the trouble of finding many things eaten, like a graduation tassel, pictures, cardboard boxes, etc. They also found that the sticky fluid that termites leave was left all over their stuff, sealing plates together and ruining picture frames.

We told them about our finding the other week--we moved the piano (on loan to us from a Korean family). We were going to do a routine annual cleaning behind the furniture when we found a pile of sawdust behind the piano. It turned out that the buk-buk (wood mites) were living in the piano and were eating a hole out of the back of the piano! What a discovery! What are we supposed to do about that (the Filipinos have a solution they told me about).

Well our guests told us that the Cebuano translation of the verse Matthew 6.19 actually uses the word "termites" instead of "moths" It truly is a vivid picture for Filipinos and those of us living here that things on earth are temporary.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy or where theives break in and steal.

Cebuano translation: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where termites and rust destroy..."

Certainly we must store up treasure in heaven!

One Year Anniversary!

We praise the Lord as we celebrate today one year of marriage!! We are so thankful for each other and for our families. Yesterday morning we got to talk to my family on the web cam!! They were all in Lincoln and we saw them live! Oh, it was so wonderful. Just a year ago we were all together in Omaha for our wedding. I remember that time with such a grateful heart knowing how long and far so many of our friends and family traveled just to be with us. I cannot stop praising God for our wonderful families and for our friends. Thank you, Lord!

We also praise God for providing all our needs and for allowing us to serve Him together in the Philippines. We had such a wonderful first year of marriage, teaching together and growing together in Christ. We praise God for that and thank Him with grateful hearts! Oh, we love each other more every day, and we know that many people have prayed faithfully for our marriage! May you continue to remember us in prayer as we begin our second year of marriage--praying that we will glorify God in our lives and that we will keep Him in the center of our marriage. Praise God with us for His faithfulness and grace this year!

"Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful. May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe, and the lives we live inspire them to obey. Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful."

Philippine School Observation

"It's obvious you're an American," one boy told me.
"I thought all Americans had blue eyes--you have green eyes," another boy observed.
"Are you rich?" a little boy asked me.
"I think I've seen you on TV," another student decided.

These were the quotations that stick in my mind from our recent visit to a local Philippine school. Nate and I had an assignment to observe some classrooms, so we thought we could get to know more about the Philippines by observing there. The kids were so fascinated by our presence, as you can tell from the above quotes. Wow, it was such an interesting experience!

I won't be able to describe all my observations here on this site, but I will say some of the interesting facts we did learn about this school with over 1,000 students!

--School starts at 7:10a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m.
--The school year begins June 5th and ends in March.
--Grades 1-6 are called "Grade school" and grades 7-10 are called "high school."
--Grade 10 is the last grade before college.
--Students stay in one classroom all day but the teachers rotate and come to them.
--The classrooms have open windows on two walls so air flows through and so does sound.
--The teachers and students all wear uniforms.
--The kids all bring suitcases on wheels and rest them beside their desks.
--Most subjects are taught in English, their second language.

After class the kids surrounded us and asked us so many questions. They were so happy to have us visit. One girl in class would raise her hand and answer a question. Then she would turn around and look at me to see if I noticed her answer. When she made eye contact with me I smiled at her, and she smiled and sat up even more straight. She was eager to do her best in our presence!

One boy told me about how he was in section C. It seemed he was telling me they group the kids based on their abilities to excel--so I don't know what section C was. I just told him, "Wow! So you must be very bright!" He shyly shook his head no, and I said, "No, I think you are bright-kaayo (very bright!)" He smiled from ear to ear and listened to every word of encouragement I could give him.

I'm sure both we and the students will remember the day we visited the Philippine schools!

Precious Peter's Collared Shirt

This time I'll let my Mom do the writing. She e-mailed me this story about Peter, my precious nephew, and I laughed and laughed. I thought you would like it (and I hope that's okay with my mom!). You know you must have a collared shirt to golf at my dad's country club--as Peter well understands....

Excerpt from my mother's e-mail:
That reminds me of a cute story Sarah has about Peter. You know how he is so proud to pick out a "collared" shirt whenever he goes golfing with Grandpa at Ironwood. Last week he was getting dressed to golf and he seemed a bit puzzled about his shirt. Finally he asked Sarah, "What is the collar?" It turns out, all his collared shirts had a logo of some sort embroidered on the left chest, but this time he ran into a plain but collared shirt. Sarah was trying to assure him that this shirt was just fine for golf, but he couldn't find the "collar." Sarah finally figured out the problem, and now dear, dear, precious Peter has an accurate definition of a collared shirt! You just never know what goes through a child's perception of the world.

That reminds me of another Peter story. Last Monday I had Peter and Clara in the car and I was quizzing Peter about his weekend, etc. He reported that Sunday evening they had gone out to eat supper at the "Eyeball Restaurant." Hmmmmmmmm. Exactly where is the Eyeball Restaurant? Perhaps it's a new kids place, I thought. Or one by the optician's office? Or is there a picture of a big clown or monster with great big eyes? Or do you wear 3D theatre glasses? I was puzzled. He reported it was the one he had been to when he was a baby.....Hmmm again. "What did you eat there?" "Pancakes," he answered. "OHHHH! Was it the "IHOP" restaurant? The International House of Pancakes? They call that one the IHOP," I questioned him with a huge new insight. "Yes, that's the one," he affirmed. I dared not burst out into laughter, both for the sake of his precious sincere soul, and for the sake of not driving off the road. But my heart soared for the rest of the day. "Thank you, Lord, for these precious, precious moments!"

Parable of the Persistent Philippino

Nate and I were both sick sleeping upstairs in our bedroom. Nate just got a wisdom tooth out and it was not easy. I wasn't feeling well either and was resting.

I heard the doorbell ring once, then a pause...then again. I thought, "We're not expecting anyone, so it must be a stranger" (sometimes we get random solicitors at our door as I'm sure you probably do too). Then the doorbell rang again and again. I thought, "If it was someone we knew, they would text us..." so I stayed sick in bed.

Ding-Dong! Nate woke up, "Did you hear that?" I told him my thoughts and added, "plus I don't want to go down there with no clothes on!" We both layed back on the pillow.

After a long pause the doorbell rang at intervals persistently for at least five more minutes. This was out of hand! Couldn't they see we were not coming! This could not be an emergency or the person would text us. I didn't want to reward the person for their constant ringing, but I couldn't take it anymore.

I threw a sarong around myself and marched down the stairs. When I opened the door the head of a young boy about 9 or 10 was peeking under the gate of the carport. I thought it was one of the neighbor kids just ringing and ringing for fun and then running away like may day. I told him in Cebuano not to ring so many times and he should come back if he found no one answering.

He pointed to a bag that we had full of plastic bottles. He wanted the bag. "You want this?" I asked pointing? He nodded.

I opened the gate trying to keep my wrap on and gave the bag to the boy. He wanted to recycle my bottles and get the money in return. I felt kind of bad. Actually I didn't feel very Christ-like.

I really remembered the parable of the persistent widow just then. I went upstairs and read Luke 18 and thought how much I was acting like the callous judge, and how similiar this boy's persistence was to that of the widow who wanted justice. Truly Jesus was teaching me a lesson...but he was also reminding me about the power of persistent prayer.

I looked in Luke 11 also and read the story of the friend at midnight. I could truly relate to that one also. I am still reflecting on the lessons learned, but one of them that can encourage you is that we should really pray and not give up.

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11.9-10

Special Music

Today in church the message was about worship that results in generous giving. We were asked to "render a song" for special music. Well, the first song that popped into my head was one that I wrote (God gave to me) based on Mark 12 and the widow's offering. It would fit perfectly with the sermon (and later we found out the pastor was actually going to preach on that passage, but chose Luke 12 instead).

I was really nervous to share my song with the congregation because I have never really shared one of "my songs" with an audience before, other than my students. I was really thankful that God has provided this church that I can share my songs with. I truly have the desire to teach people God's truth through music! My prayer is that God will give me eve more songs to bless the church and my students with as I teach the Bible through music.

After the service I played the song on my violin for a postlude while Nate accompanied me. A little boy ran up to the stage and stood right in front of me watching my every bowing and every note. Then another little girl came running from the playground to watch and listen to me worship God with the violin. I am still learning to worship God with the violin, but it was precious to know that I am planting the seeds of worship in those little hearts that are so eager to listen. Praise the Lord with music, praise the Lord with singing, praise Him with the strings!

What God Is Doing

I'm really hungry to hear more about what God is doing in the world. I spent some time here looking for missions websites, but really some of the best stories are from actual people that we know who are serving God in many countries. Do you know any great update websites or do you have any contacts? I am curious...what is God doing in India? What is He doing in the Middle East? What is He doing in China? What is He doing in your life?!

"Let us encourage one another and build each other up in love..."

"This Is Our Procedure"

TODAY 10:35 a.m. I arrive at the Post Office with tape, scissors, packing materials and items to mail.

10:36 a.m. I get everything out of my bag, spread it out on a counter, and begin carefully wrapping and packing everything.

10:45 a.m. I carefully seal 3 packages closed with packing tape, leaving no corners open

10:55 a.m. I carefully write the addresses on the 3 packages and write neatly "fragile," "careful," and "do not bend" front and back

11:00 a.m. I approach window #5 and wait behind 4 people holding my 3 packages

11:03 a.m. I ask the lady at #5 how much it costs to mail my 3 packages to the U.S. Lady: "Do you want express mail?"
Me: "What is the difference in price?"
Lady: "You'll have to go to window #22"

11:05 a.m. I walk past all the windows until #22. Lady at # 22 points me to window #19

11:07 a.m. Lady at window #19 weighs my packages and gives me the price comparison for express mail, air mail, or surface mail.
Express and air mail cost about the same.
Lady at #19 says: "It's better you send it express mail"
Me: "Is that window #5?"
Lady: "Yes, down there..." points

11:13 a.m. I proceed to window #5...again. I wait in line behind 2 people.

11:17 a.m. I reach the front of line #5.
Me: "Can I send this express to the U.S.?"
Lady at #5: "I will have to inspect first."
Me: "You mean I have to open the packages?"
Lady: "This is our procedure."
Me: "I can't just tell you what the contents are? I spent a long time packing them."
Lady: "This is our procedure to inspect."

11:20 a.m. I withdraw my position in line and get out my scissors. I carefully re-open the 3 packages and unwrap everything inside

11:30 a.m. I wait in line behind one person at window #5

11:32 a.m. I display the contents of my 3 packages to the inspection lady. She nods and gives permission to re-wrap my packages. She fills out an inspection form.

11:35 a.m. I step out of line #5 again. I get the packing tape and carefully re-pack and re-tape my 3 packages, thinking all the while about the procedures.

11:43 a.m. I get in line #5....again.

11:45 a.m. Lady #5 "I'm going on my break now--he will help you."

11:46 a.m. I move to window #4 and the man hands me 6 forms to fill out.

11:47 a.m. I step to the side and fill out the 6 forms.

11:52 a.m. I approach window #4 to send my 3 packages.
Man at #4: "You need to pay first."
Me: "Do I pay here?"
Man: No, you pay at window #11"
Me: "So you'll keep my packages here?"
Man: "Yes, you will pay at window #11"

11:54 a.m I walk to window #11. Lady at #11 directs me to window #10.

11:55 a.m. Lady at window #10 reads my forms and creates stamps with a machine. She types the amount into a calculator and shows me my bill. I pay the bill.

12:00 p.m. Holding my official express stamps and forms I approach window #4 and submit all of them to the man.

12:01 p.m. Man #4 takes my packages one by one, places an express sticker on the front, places my stamps on front, stamps 3 carbon copies of my 6 forms and puts them in the proper piles, tapes one copy of form on to the back of my package #1 covering my "careful" labels. Repeats all steps for packages 2 and 3.

12:09 p.m. Man #4 hands me 3 carbon copies of my forms and puts my 3 packages in a pile in the office to be delivered.

12:10 p.m. I walk down the stairs of the post office....reflecting on the post office procedures.

First Annual Badminton Tournament

We are having fun being substitute parents. It is a lot different for me always needing to be responsible for two other people. Thankfully Nate and I can share that responsibility. We are learning our views on parenting as the girls ask us questions like, "If I eat this asparagus, then can I have ice cream?"

Karen, the older girl, asked if we could have a badminton tournament. I have never really played a game before, but I was proud of her for coming up with a fun and productive idea. So yesterday we spent the whole day making double-elimination tournament brackets for the 12 players, borrowing the rackets from the school, reserving the 5 courts at the local badminton facility, and we even made an official certificate for the Badminton Champion Award!

Finally at 3pm we all met at the badminton courts and organized the tournament, using the official rule book as our guide. Everyone seemed to have a great time playing, especially Karen and Mr. Becker. I got out early of course, but in the end it was down to 5 or 6 players. Karen and Mr. Becker faced each other in a very intense match. Neither of them wanted to lose, but Mr. Becker won the match! Someone else won the tournament, and we gave the official ceremonies. I think the best part of it all was seeing Karen come out of her shell and really get into something she enjoys. Oh, I think I am becoming a proud mother!

Why Do Roosters Crow?

Who needs an alarm clock when you have a rooster sitting on the fence outside your window? Normal alarm clocks have a snooze feature that usually waits 9 minutes before sounding again. Well, this rooster really wants me up, because the time between his call is only 23 seconds. Why does he keep crowing!?

Since Sunday and for the next two weeks, Nate and I are "Substitute parents" for two girls whose parents are out of town working on a Bible Translation project. I will tell you those other stories later, but the main reason I say that is because our new neighbors have a rooster that seems like he is sitting right by my pillow! I don't think 4:40 is THAT early normally, since our alarm is often set for 5:15 on a school night. However, this is summer, and I went to bed after 11:30p.m. last night. I need my sleep as a new parent of two!

I looked up my question on google and wikipedia, and if you can trust those sources it seems that roosters crow to mark their territory similar to what dogs do in their own way. One site said that normally there is about one hour in between each crow, and sometimes people hear it more often than that. But don't you guys think that 23 seconds is a little too often? What is the deal? If anyone cares to comment or enlighten us on this early persistent alarm clock, please do so. Look at the bright side, if the rooster hadn't woken me up, I wouldn't be able to blog for you.

ENDNOTES: Cockfights are common in the Philippines.
It's common to see cows sitting on the road, little chickens wandering through the neighborhood and other "Farm animal activities" right in the city limits.
Most roosters I've heard call out "KOO KOO KOOOOOO KOOO" (4 & 1 2 [3 4]--rhythm for you musicians---mid mid high low).
The rooster outside our window calls out "KOO KOO KOO KOO KOO" (1 & 2 & 3 [4]--slide down at end--Sounds like the major arpeggio trumpet call usually followed by "CHARGE!")
You know the rooster crows too much when you have time to analyze the rhythms.

Vacation Pictures

We always got rooms with two twin beds! Don't worry, folks, we're not brother and sister...we're husband and wife!
"Where to, Captain Becker? I will follow your commands---right, left, right, left"
When hot and hungry we stop at fruit stands for fried bananas or fresh pineapple
Hot and thirsty--biking 135 kilometers in one day!
Us Boating--We rented boats and got to borrow the fishermen hats too!
The island where we went...beautiful volcanos and coastal views
Us at the cross at the sunken cemetery

Our Vacation Adventures

We’re back from our 6 day adventurous vacation, so here’s a couple pictures and a few stories for you.

Sunday: We took a bus north for six hours to a city neither of us had been to, packing our bikes below the bus. This bus ride was like a crazy rocket ship barreling around the curves so fast, I got so bus sick! I don’t really want to describe this crazy ride further, but I hope we never have to do that again!

When we finally got to the costal city, we rode our bikes to a mission housing unit, where we slept on two twin beds pushed together. This was the way all our beds would be for the rest of the vacation, but it was much better than hammocks outside!

Monday: We biked 95 kilometers (or 55 miles?)!!! This was my longest bike ride ever in one day, and we praise God that the beautiful coastal road was paved and flat. We also praised God that we weren’t allowed to go on the other trip we planned, because that was actually a HUGE mountain that I never would have made it up!

We really stood out as we biked since we are foreigners, but usually the dialogue between us and the locals we passed was like this:

“Hello! Hi, Joe!” (they always call Americans “Joe”).
“Maayong Hapon!” we would reply.
“Oh! Ha ha! Maayong Hapon Pud!” they laughed in joyful response because we surprised them with words from their own language.
The only other part of the monologue with the locals was when the males would call out to me how beautiful I was and how “guapa” I was. I finally found out what it felt like to be a movie star (not that fun), but the reason for this attention was because women are never found riding bikes here and white women are not seen often in those parts. So put a white woman on a bike and you can see where we got all the attention from (I was sweaty and sunburnt, so I am sure I was not as gorgeous as they all told me I was).

Monday Afternoon: We took a ferry boat to a little island off the north coast. We biked around the coast looking for a place to stay for a couple nights. My prayer was that it would have air-con, would be between x & y amount, and would be by the beach. All prayers were answered! Of course our room was like a dorm room with five single beds in it, but we had the place to ourselves and the air con and beach! Praise the Lord!

Tuesday: THE REAL VACATION! This was one of the best days we have ever shared. It was like a second honeymoon. We woke up at our leisure, ate breakfast for two, then rode our bikes to a waterfall. The island is made up of seven (?) volcanoes, so any biking from the coast will basically be UP. Nothing could compare to the falls I told you about before in the mountain, but these were lovely nonetheless. They were thin, but tall; graceful and serene. There was a cool pool below with inner tubes to float in, and this was free. We compared it to our honeymoon in Hawaii where we had to pay $$ to get in, and when we got there it was so commercialized and with little kids swimming around. Here we had the falls basically to ourselves, and we appreciated the realization that we were in the middle of many people’s dream!

After enjoying a swim at the falls we coasted down the volcano at record speeds to take a nap at our beach house. Then we prayed again for a place to have lunch: my requests were that it would have mango shakes, be by the sea and be a place we both liked. God was so gracious in giving us such wonderful gifts! Nate’s back tire blew right by this little sign that said “Jasmin’s by the sea”. We rode down to the lovely private open restaurant right by the sea! They had mango shakes, mashed potatoes, cordon bleu (very rare menu item for us here), and healthy water to drink. We enjoyed every minute, then went down to relax in the hammock they had swinging between the trees. While Nate later got his tire fixed, I just stayed in the hammock and read from John.

After enjoying the sunset on the ocean, we biked 2.5 kilometers up the volcano to a natural hot springs, where we soaked our weary bodies and relaxed our muscles. What a great day that we will not soon forget!

Wednesday: Another wonderful day of resting, relaxing and exploring! We decided to find some local fishermen to rent a boat from so we could experience the ocean by ourselves. The neighbors by the place we were staying rented us their boat for only $1/hr!!! This is a wonderful place! They even let us use their fisher hats. I was having such thrills out on the ocean with my Captain Becker!

Later we biked around the volcano that erupted in 1951 to see a sunken cemetery with a huge cross in the ocean. We again asked some guys to row us in their boat across to the cross, where we climbed up the rusty interior to get a view from the top. We ended the day at another hot springs, this one very natural running right into the ocean. We sat on the rocks at sunset as Nate read to me from a missionary biography. Thank you, Lord!

Thursday: We woke up at 4:15 a.m., biked quickly at sunrise around the island back to the ferry port with not a minute to spare! We biked about 135 kilometers that day (80 miles?), even more than on Monday! This time it was not as flat, but the coastal scenery was just as beautiful. We passed rice fields, coconut groves, all lined with the beautiful green mountains and peaceful ocean. We stopped along the way to buy fried bananas, fresh pineapple, and plenty of cold beverages. When we had about 40 kilometers to go before our goal city, my knees basically started totally fading out (not to mention my gluteus maximus!). I didn’t think I would ever make it, but I kept singing “You are my strength when I am weak…Lord, to give up, I’d be a fool…”. I ended up biking the last 30 kilometers by standing up and keeping my legs straight. We were so relieved to finally reach our twin beds in the “Luxury hotel”. Nate arranged for dinner to be brought to me while I took a shower and rested my weary legs. What adventures together! I’m so thankful that Nate was patient as my leader, waiting for me even when he could have raced ahead. I’m thankful God protected us the whole way!

Friday: We went to a museum with our language tutor’s brother in another northern city. Then we had the most crazy bus experience again as we regretfully boarded the unlimited stop bus. That means that what is about the distance from my home town of Omaha to Grand Island, Nebraska took us NINE HOURS on this unlimited stop bus! I could have gone to Europe on a plane in nine hours or less. I have very few complaints about our vacation, except this one thing. I really wanted to get home! Finally, we made it home in the dark safe and sound.

We praise the Lord for giving us these adventures together with him and with each other. We praise the Lord that today is our 11 month anniversary!! We praise the Lord for these wonderful experiences getting to know the local culture and being able to experience God’s beautiful creation. Thank you, Lord!

Trouble Posting Photos

Sorry, Folks, only a few of the photos I wanted to post in those last four entries would post, so I will try to add them later. Maybe in the morning. Hope you enjoy the stories, even without the photos. Oh, and we will likely be away from the internet the next 5 or 6 days so if you don't hear from us that is why.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occassions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6.18

Island Biking--Day Two Adventures

We said goodbye to Joel and thanked him again for his hospitality. He would not accept any payment from us, and we realized that he truly treated us like family.

The view we saw that morning was gorgeous! I felt like we were truly at the ends of the earth, on the opposite side of the island where not many travelers journey. The path was right on the edge of the ocean, and the locals made me laugh when we greeted them. They always laugh because they are surprised we speak their language. We made several conversations in the villages when we stopped for water and enjoyed the very interesting places we never knew existed.

Things I saw: unique houses, a 3.5 foot snake (dead in the road, thankfully), a little boy riding a water buffalo through a ravine, breathtaking views from the summit overlooking the ocean, our city and the mountain behind. Thank you, Lord! All of this was shared with my wonderful husband, Nate, who journeys with me on bike!

The last adventure of the day was when Nate's tire blew. We had brought with us a tire patching kit, but the Lord provided again another local Filipino man who stopped immediately on his motercycle to help us. The place we stopped was conveniently located beside someone's balay (house), and the person who stopped to help us was so willing to give us the time I never seem to have. Again I learned to love others as myself.

While the men worked on the tire, I sat in the shade with the neighbors. They offered me fresh buko juice (coconut juice). A guy climbed a tree, cut down a coconut and carved a hole for me to drink the juice from. I was thankful because I was almost out of water, and I was so thirsty! I was also thankful because I had been needing a break really badly from the heat and the riding (just before that I took a dip in a pool of water with the water buffalos--I was desparate to cool down!). God provided everything, from neighbors, to shade, to men that helped repair the tire. We finally made it together back across the island and to the ferry. When I got to the shower at home and layed in my clean clothes in my soft bed I had more thanksgiving in my heart than I had in a long time. We really did make it home! The whole bike trip almost seemed like a dream, but it will stick with us for a long time! Thank you, Lord!

Island Biking--Filipino Hospitality A Blessing

We saw a place on the map called "Jim's Beach Place", so we kept asking the locals where it was. When we finally got there, we saw a guy named Joel, who was working on construction of this little hut. He said if we wanted we could put our hammocks up on the posts in his hut, and we could even use the C.R. He was so inviting and hospitable, I was really struck by the generosity he taught us.

Joel not only let us sleep for free on the property right by the ocean, he also slept near us in the hut to "bantay" for us (keep watch). Then when he saw us eating chips for panihapon (dinner) he was surprised that we had no better food to eat. His wife came out from the house and invited us to their front porch for homemade dinner!

It was so peaceful listening to the waves on the shore, eating dinner by kerosene lamp. They brought us a huge plate of rice, the staple food here in the Philippines. They also showed their incredible generosity when they offered us this fish soup. I tell you, I looked at the soup with the two little fish staring at me from under the water and I knew I had to ask Nate once more to be my fish-eating hero. When Joel kept telling us that this "isda" (fish) was fresh we knew that he had gone out to sea just to catch it for us. What sweet hospitality, offering us everything they had. I learned that I don't have to wait for everything to be perfect before I have someone over for dinner or for the night; I just need to offer what I do have with a generous heart of love.

Island Biking--God Provides Guides For Falls #2

Next we rode BACK UP the huge hill, or rather walked our bikes up. We cut across the island on bumpy roads and got to see the really rural areas of the Philippines. Everything seemed so simple. It seemed we had stepped back in time again to a place with no electricity, farmers, simple living and cooking over fires. We were so happy to buy some fried bananas from the local people.

We saw on the map that there were three caves and another waterfall on the East side of the island. That was our destination for stop #2, but it was very vacant over there, and we were not sure where to cut across from the road. God provided for us again!

After locking our bikes to each others and stashing them in the bushes, we began to trek on a small pathway. I was startled to hear someone coming and then saw two Filipino men appear from the forest carrying huge knives. We were not afraid, though, because we know that those knives are the useful tools the local people use to do practical things. We spoke to them in the local language, and they decided to become our guides to the caves. I was so glad and knew God provided for us!

The first cave was REALLY dark and small--a hole at the bottom of the cliff. Our impromptu guides told us it is very dangerous in there because there are *****. I didn't know that word, but I tried to act out the motion for bats. I'm pretty sure he meant there were bats in there.

Then they took us to waterfall #2, which was WAY off the place that the map marked it. Good thing we had our guides, or else we would have been searching for hours. I saw a HUGE worm thing on the path, glad it was not a snake. Then the guys jumped in the falls for a swim, and I opted not to get wet again since it was almost dark. These falls were pretty, but they were not as tall or mighty as the ones in the mountain we recently visited. There were also lots of misquitoes and red ants, so I told Nate, "I don't think we should sleep here tonight; it will be so scary!" We did return to our bikes in search for a place to sleep for the night.