Friday, May 16, 2008

The days are going by so fast

Sorry it's been a few days since our last post. What can I say, the time is going by so fast!
Last Sunday we worshiped at Valley Cathedral Church. It was like a dream. It was so great to see so many friendly and familiar faces. It brought tears to my eyes as children came up to me and fought to sit on my lap as the saw and remembered me. So many friends we've been able to reconnect with...what a blessing!
The last few days have been cooler in temp. It's been raining off and on, so that helps a lot!! I've found that even though it's was nice to have air conditioning last time, it seemed harder to become aclamated to the heat. Here we are in the middle of summer in a house with no air conditioning and I seem to have adjusted so much better!
Well, we're about to watch the movie "Enchanted" so I better get going. Anna's invited a friend over and we're going to spend the evening watching the movie! :-) What can I say, we feel so at home here...and we're not at all ready to leave.
Pictures to come in next post.
Love to you all from the Philippines!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Short check-in

Today was another HOT day!! I personally think it has been the hottest so far. We rested most of the afternoon...it's what happens when it gets so hot here. :-)
Tomorrow we will go to Valley Cathedral Church. I am excited to go there because that is the church we attended last year. It is also the church that is next to the Children's Home that we stayed at. There will be a lot of great friends we will be able to connect with again.
Next week we will attend several Bible Study groups in the area. This week I have spent most of the time adjusting to time and heat. It seems that with 2 weeks it is only time enough to adjust to the heat, time and barely get started!!
Well, not much else to share at this point. I enjoy hearing from those that visit our blog.
Pray all are blessed!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Pictures, pictures and more pictures

I was surprised when I was able to connect to a wireless spot here in their house tonight...SO, I decided to take this time to post some pictures. They are pretty much all self explanitory. We have taken hundreds already and we're on day 3. hahaha! I hope you enjoy!















Wednesday, May 7, 2008

We are hot, but having the time of our lives!

After 13.5 hours from Seattle to Taipei; 8 hours in Taipei and another 2 hours from Taipei to Manila we finally arrived. :-)
The plane ride was great (except the inevitable bouts of turbulence). Anna and I slept most of the trip to Taipei. Once we arrived in Taipei I was faced with entertaining a 5 year old for 8 hours in a place that had NOTHING to do. We spend $20 eating a sandwich, small dessert and bottle of water. After that, we took many long walks up and down the terminal. I would have to say the highlight of our time there was the pedicure we gave each other! :-) We wanted to have pretty toes for our time here.
Although our time there was long, it was amazing to be there again. It brought back a lot of memories. Our gate was just one over from the one our team spent hours at. I could just picture all of us taking up a section...all wearing our red shirts. :-)
Once we arrived in Manila I was thankful that God helped us through the Immigration and customs. I knew there was nothing to worry about, but I was still anxious that I would have filled the form out incorrectly, or I was doing something wrong. After all that time traveling, I didn't want to be told I had to return home!
Our dear friends Lorna, Kenneth and Krizzia met us outside the airport in Manila. Wow, the memories came flooding back as we stepped outside. I was so overcome with happiness! The smells, the rush of people, the cars, everything! I was reminded instantly of my love for this country!
We have spent the last 2 days recovering from jetlag. Anna spends most of her days with Ate Krizzia. This is Lorna's daughter who is 16. They love each other so much and you will always find them together. I have been relaxing and enjoying my time here with my family in the Philippines!
Yesterday Lorna and I took a tricycle to the market. I had forgotten how much people stare. I am several inches taller than most, white and overall larger than most. It is uncommon for "foreigner" to be here, especially in the heat of summer. I had several people say hello and several men calling after me saying, "very beautiful woman." Lorna and I were laughing!
Oh and the Mangos!! They are delicious!! If you have never tasted a mango in the Philippines, then you have never tasted a mango!
We are so happy here and are already sad as each day passes. :-(
The time here is so short!
Well...that's about it for now. I'll write later as more happens.
Love to you all!

Friday, May 2, 2008

2 more sleeps..

That is speaking Anna's 5 year old language. :-) We sleep 2 more times before we get on the plane to the Philippines!

She got her hair braided last night so it should help keep her cool while we are there. The part she likes the best is that I don't have to do it while we're there. She asked me again this morning, just to make sure. "Mom, you don't have to do my hair today? and you don't have to do it while we're in the Philippines?" I think she so cute.
Here are two shots of her new hair!
















Today I also finish my assignment at my current job. To put it simply, my job is to fill in for different companies in their accounting departments. I have been with this particular company since January, so I am sad for the coming end to the assignment. :-(
I also finish my first block of classes tomorrow. Wow, no wonder I seem to be an emotional basket case at times. I have several major endings and one new beginning all at one time! This is enough to drive anyone crazy!
One thing I've really struggled with today is asking myself this question..."Am I being genuine in my complete faith and trust that God will provide?" I know that He has always provided and I know that taking this trip is what He wants us to do, but in my flesh it's hard to not look at my watch and say, "alright, it's the 2nd of May and I need money for rent and daycare...is today the day?" That is when I started asking myself if I was believing He will provide, or REALLY knowing and trusting He will provide, without a doubt! This is where I think I need to connect my head with my heart! I haven't come up with an answer yet...I'll keep you posted. ;-)
Well, that's about all for this Friday. Keep me in my prayers...today is a struggle.
Thank you for stopping by.
May you be greatly blessed!