Our New Nephew!

Sunday, CST at 6:15p.m. in Omaha, Nebraska, our new nephew was born!! Jonas Ethan Caruso weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. Very healthy!!

It is a MIRACLE to see this new little person--and it is Sarah's and John's son! Oh, it is amazing. Thank you, Lord, for your blessings! Such great news!

This photo is just precious. PRECIOUS! Meeting their new little brother--Clara peeks over Peter's shoulder with delight: "Isn't he so cute?!" I can't wait to spend time with these precious little Caruso children!
I love this photo!! Peter and Uncle Micah in hospital gear. So cute!

I was SO surprised since the C-section was rescheduled on Friday to get an email yesterday from Micah! I just checked my email really quickly after lunch (Monday for Philippine time) and I got one from Micah titled, "Jonas is born!" I was thinking, "WHAT?!"

I opened the email and Micah reported that Sarah went into labor on Sunday at church and after several hours, they delivered her healthy boy by C-section!

When we say, "Lord-willing" it is for a reason! Truly the Lord knows the plans He has for us and he knows EXACTLY when and where each little person will be born.

Thank you for praying as Sarah recovers (she's doing well). Thank you for praying for this wonderful little boy.

Sarah and John wrote a post on their blog with an album if you want to see it (click the link to Caruso Clan to the left).

Praise the Lord!

Sarah's Baby...Not Yet

Hello everyone,

My sister, Sarah, was scheduled for a C-section on Friday. However, on Thursday the doctors tested something and found her boy's lungs are not fully developed. Therefore, they re-scheduled the C-section/delivery for March 3rd, a week from Monday.

Praise the Lord that there are tests that can help us to know the best decision for the health of Sarah and her boy.

Please pray for her this week, and especially on March 3rd that the Lord will deliver a healthy and fully developed baby boy for Sarah and John's family. Pray also for continued good health for Sarah and for her recovery from surgery in a week.

We praise the Lord also for our growing boy! He is now 29 weeks and weighs almost 3 pounds! He is kicking a lot and poking his little body parts up so we can see him moving. Our doctor's report yesterday was very good. A strong heart-beat, healthy body parts and active fetal movements! We are praising God for such good health for all of us! Thank you for your prayers for these two precious little baby boys!

Outdoor Education 2008

This year for the annual middle school outdoor education trip, Nate led a squad, along with the other students, to "Totally Taal" on Luzon island. They all flew to Manila and had several great learning experiences. The theme was to teach students how to live totally for God, how to make the most of every relationship--with others and with God, and to know more about how God has made each person special.
Here is Mr. Becker with his squad leading worship together at an outreach. They went to a local Filipino village to share the gospel using bracelets, basketball and music. Students were stretched in their faith to realize the importance of sharing God with others.
Here is one of the student leaders on Nate's squad. It is so great to see the growth of these students from year to year. This one I taught when he was in 6th and 7th grade, and now in 8th grade he is leading worship! Praise the Lord!
Their squad was called the "Kilmanjaro Kruisers". All the squads gave a fun introduction that first night together at base camp.

Totally Taal

Here's Mr. Becker's squad--the Kilmanjaro Kruisers. It was great to see them get to know each other, themselves more and God more. They had to do everything together, so they really learned a lot. This year I did not go because of the pregnancy, but Mrs. Templin filled in as the female leader.

The students took these boats across a lake to where a volcano, Mt. Taal, was there in the middle of the huge lake.
They hiked quite a bit to get to the crater here. Can you see the steam bubbling out of the earth? What a hot place! There were other places with bubbling mud and steam vents. It is a good thing the steam is being let out, or I would be afraid it would blow! Very hot and quite a marvelous creation.

There is a lake in the middle of the volcano and a small rock island in the middle of that. So you have an island (Luzon) in an ocean (Pacific) with an island (Mt. Taal) inside a lake (Lake Taal) with an island (small rock) inside a lake (crater lake). A unique wonder in the world.
Can you see the students like ants hiking around the crater lake? They had to learn about perseverance and helping each other. What a beautiful day to meet with their Creator.
If you wanted to see the really cool steam vents and bubbling mud you had to swim across a moat. One lucky student got to sit in a raft and carry a bag full of all the shoes. The others were just glad for a swim after a hot hike, even if they did get all wet.
That night as they worshiped God and learned more about Him, they enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Then they camped in these tents made from tarps. Thankfully it did not rain. Praise the Lord for this wonderful day.

Chicken Cooking Lessons

The morning at base camp was spent preparing for lunch. Each squad got two chickens. It was their job to kill it, clean it, prepare it and cook it. Then, and only then, would they have some lunch! These guys don't know what's about to happen!!!
After students would swing the chicken around by the feet to make it dizzy, they would put his little neck between a bar and the ground. Then simply pull up fast (make sure your feet hold tight or you will have problems!). There you have it, folks! Just DON'T LET GO or he will run around "like a chicken with his head cut off."

Does this boy look like he feels bad for the bird?
After you stick the chicken in boiling hot water (no head), the students had to work hard to pluck all the feathers off. You don't want to eat feathers for lunch do you? Then help out with the tedious task.
I will spare you the photo of the intestines being taken out. There is Mr. Becker and his boys cooking their two chickens. Wow, these guys are cool.
It turned out yummy! "We're good cooks" they thought. One girl had to run away crying, but Mr. Becker had to teach her that is how we get all cooked chickens. Yes, we do have to kill them first.
How many girls do you see in this photo? Exactly. Well, that memory will go down with them forever!

Happy Birthday, Nathan Daniel!!

Today, Feburary 2nd, is my wonderful husband's birthday!! I love him so much. His name, Nathan, means "gift of God." Truly, he is a gift of God to me! I praise God for him every day! He is so special and wonderfully made.

If you want to wish Nate a "Happy Birthday" just leave a comment below. He will love to hear from you!

Also, please pray for him this week (Sunday-Friday) because he is leading the middle school on outdoor education. Pray for health, safety, wisdom in leading and spiritual opportunities with others. Pray also for me as I will remain home for the first time--our longest time apart! Thank you for your prayers!

Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you!

Student Baptized

For our date night last night, Nate and I went to a baptism service! How exciting! The most wonderful part is that one of my students was baptized. I taught him in 6th and 7th grade Bible class, and now he is 13. In chapel he stood before his peers and declared his faith in Jesus and his desire to follow Him the rest of his days!

I don't remember the last time I went to a baptism service. We should have those more often! I know there is also one on Sunday at our church, so it is baptism weekend. I know some of my students have been baptized since I have taught them, but this was the first time I witnessed it! Oh, my heart rejoiced and my eyes spilled over. Praise the Lord!!

I pray that many more students will follow the Lord, whether in ministry, a calling, in baptism, in salvation, however. Just follow the Lord Jesus! Thank you, Lord, for Your salvation!

It's A .......!!

My apologies for the lull in Becker blogging! I'm sure you've all been busy too. Where does the time go?!

Here is a photo of me today at 24 weeks! Sorry about the background in the picture. I was too embarassed to go outside my office to take self-timed photos of my baby belly. Everyone and anyone feels completely free to go ahead and pat my belly and stroke it as though they are touching the baby, not me! I'm told this is common, but you have to realize it is even MORE so in the Philippines! (I won't add too many details!). It is nice to know our baby is so loved by the community and that everyone wants to reach out to touch the baby.
I'm sure you've seen these types of photos before, but for us this time it is OUR baby! How exciting to see! God's creation is absolutely miraculous. When I see this teensy person with a heart beating and everything, I can't help but praise our Creator God! This was taken in November, but I like it because you can see the whole body. (Can you recognize the head on the right, face, ribs, heart and legs? Amazing!)
When I saw our baby's face, I screamed out "Hello baby! Mommy is here!!" and it seemed like the little person was looking right at me smiling! How fun and special those moments! (can you recognize a face here? Don't answer that! I know I'm a proud mommy!).
I wasn't expecting to find out the gender that day (or else I would have had Nate come with me!), but our child turned and opened up to show us his male part! It's a boy!! The doctor shouted the news and I almost cried with joy! Oh it is much more fun to pray for HIM specifically by gender. I'm sure when he is 16 he will not want to know his mom posted his little parts up here on the internet, but I hope he will understand how happy we are!

Another great fact is that my sister is ALSO expecting a baby boy (Feb 22!), and we are expecting a boy on May 10!! So, we are overjoyed at God's creation inside both of us, and our mom is equally thrilled to have her two daughters with child at the same time. Baby boy cousins are expected soon!

Thank you for praying for us and for our boy! Please pray for continued health and great growth. Praise God for the wonderful pregnancy so far!

Christmas Day

We celebrated Christmas by inviting one whole Filipino family to our home. You see the precious grandmother, then there are three siblings (one our house-helper, another our language teacher, and the other their brother). All the rest you see are the kids and spouses of the three siblings.

They told us that it was the first time they ever had a family reunion! I couldn't believe it, but it was true. How wonderful to be a part of bringing this family together to celebrate Christmas together.

It was a GREAT blessing that God provided a family for us to celebrate with! We were filled with joy and contentment even though we were an ocean away from our families.
Here is the kids table with the food. We planned for the Filipino favorites--rice, roasted chicken and mangos served with Coca-cola. They loved it!
At the adult table I also prepared two American dishes for everyone to try (and for my wonderful husband and I to eat). Nate's mom's famous broccoli casserole, and the traditional American recipe for green bean casserole. They tried the dishes but thought they were gourmet and unique.
After lunch we sang Christmas carols together, just like my family usually does at "Sing For Your Supper" on Christmas. I played my violin, Nate sang, and Kuya Bobong played the guitar. Nate was sweet to bring from school a bunch of percussion instruments for the kids to play along with, like tambourine, shaker and triangle.
Next, they took turns reading the Christmas story in Cebuano, their own language.

Meanwhile, we included Nate's family tradition using the nativity set. Each person gets a piece of the nativity. Then when that character is read in the story the person adds it to the scene. Very special that our guests participated in this family tradition of ours.
Then for the presents! I think this was one of the most fun times I have ever had in opening presents. We did my family tradition of taking turns choosing a present and giving it to someone to open. Then the Filipinos were hilarious as they chanted for every present, "Gisi-Gisi--Gisi!", which means "tear it, tear it!" Once the gift was revealed they would all cheer, "Wow! Oh!! Yay!" It was so fun!
The fun continued outside after everyone helped clean the wrapping paper. We had an ice cream bar in our carport--a very special treat. Not only did they get ice cream but they got to decorate their own bowl with sauce, sprinkles and cookies. Yummy!
I had to include this one of Klint! He's thinking, "Where's Mom? Maybe I will have another cookie!"
In the afternoon we used a borrowed projector and the laptop to project a movie on the wall of our bedroom. Since there is air-con in there and a cozy bed with curtains to darken the room, it was a great place for a movie theater! It was so funny to me to see everyone piled into our bed and around the room.

Once everyone left we were both filled with joy and gratitude. We had such a fun day and really were blessed by God in so many ways, especially for this adopted family that we had filling our home. Thank you, Lord, for your Son Jesus and for this family of yours that extends all over the world!

Foundation Day

Here we are on foundation day at church posing with the roasted pig. I think they roasted four of them that day. These pigs are the specialty at parties and important events. They eat almost every part of the pig. The skin is like a special treat for Filipinos (for us it is very fatty and tough). I think the Filipino kids are influencing the way I posed for this picture.
Our whole church gathered on Sunday night to celebrate the many years God has been faithful to us. Members and visitors from both the English and Visayan services attended. The kids kept surrounding us, especially Nate. Nate is so good with kids and makes them laugh so much. He also interacts with them in their language, so the kids love to teach him new words.
There were several dance numbers and songs of praise to the Lord. How wonderful to celebrate God's goodness with the Filipino people. We love them and we love our Lord together!
Daghan--means many. There were many people there packed in. By the end of the night I was wishing I had more fluency in the language, but I'm still thankful that we are learning hinay-hinay (little-by-little).

Dedication

Here's Imi's family last Sunday at her church. Imi has worked for us over one year helping us clean and with laundry one day a week. We have really gotten to know and love her and her family! She is one year younger than I am, and she has four kids! She and her husband dedicated their two youngest to the Lord last Sunday. We were there the day her newest boy was born in September.
Here is Erica wearing the new dress we gave her. She looks like a princess! I think it is the prettiest dress she has ever worn. How fun to have chosen it and then to see her wearing it looking so cute! (She NEVER smiles for pictures and I have only seen her smile once since I have met her!)
Imi and her husband asked us if we would be the ninongs for Erica and Edgar Jr. Ninongs are really important in the Philippine culture. They are like godparents in the Catholic church, but we are still trying to figure out how to be good ninongs. Basically we think it is just to be a support to the kids and help the parents to show the kids the way of the Lord.
Here is us with all the other ninongs. "It takes a community to raise a child!" It was great to be so immersed in the language and culture that day. It was also great to hear the truth preached even in a little neighborhood church like this one. We pray that Imi's kids will come to know and love the Lord serving Him always.

New Shoes

These are Nate's old basketball shoes. As you can see, his feet broke through the ends of them so his socks are showing. Not good. He had to miss basketball last week because he had no shoes to play in =(
The reason for this crazy picture is that the local-made shoes only go up to size 10 normally. They are cheaper than the imported ones (as you can see) but we could not afford to buy the imported ones at the time, so Nate settled with this cheaper pair that was smaller than his size.
We praise the Lord for some wonderful gifts from our parents and grandparents, which allowed Nate to buy two pairs of new shoes for Christmas, just his size! What a difference! He feels like a new man! The imported shoes cost more, but they have lots of selections and even have half-sizes.

Now Nate doesn't have to miss playing basketball anymore. Instead, he will be the best player on his team!
Nate was thrilled to be able to also afford a pair of new soccer (futbol) kleets, shin guards and soccer socks. He had been playing with the guys in basketball shoes (see photo above!), and it gets slick out there sometimes. Plus, other guys with kleets would kick him in the shins and do cool running stunts.
Now Nate can play like a champ in his new gear! Praise the Lord again for such wonderful and useful gifts.
Nate is getting ready for his "big game" as I call it. I can't wait to watch him play!
What a star! (I thought my dad and grandpa would appreciate the fact that Nate is modeling his Nebraska shirt here!).