Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

We hope you will have a very Merry Christmas wherever you are in the world. Some of you may be drinking hot cocoa by the fire after a snowball fight while some of you may be sipping a mango shake at the beach and putting on more sunscreen. Wherever you are this Christmas season, we pray that you will remember the Reason for this season and spread the Good News of our Savior.

We miss you all this Christmas, but there is nowhere we would rather be than right here in the Philippines where God has called us to be. If you are with family this Christmas, cherish each moment together. If you are far from family, praise God for the family that you love and miss and for the friends and family that are with you. We are so thankful for our little family here and looking forward to a small family Christmas this year.

A Moldy Bible?

We had heard of Bibles that get dusty, but we have never had a Bible get moldy before now. We have had rain nearly all day every day now for more than two weeks. Since it is already incredibly humid here, the extra moisture in the air has caused mold to grow on everything in our home - including our Bible. Even things we use constantly - like our Bibles or salt and pepper shakers - have mold all over them. So you can imagine the extra shoes and all the clothes in our closets... And I don't even want to think about the things in storage upstairs. Can you PLEASE PRAY for some sunny days so we can get laundry washed and dried (we don't have a dryer) without it molding even more. If there was sun, we could also wash/wipe everything else down and put it out in the sun to kill the mold. Without the sun, nothing ever completely dries so it just molds worse. This may sound trivial to some of you, but it is definitely wearing on us. We all have colds too, and the mold growing in our home certainly can't be helping anything. Thanks for praying with us.

A Swim in the Water Tank

We have a water tank outside that supplies our water (not drinking water - we have to buy that). It often breaks down, and Steve has spent a lot of time working on it. Today when he was working on it, he dropped a tool inside. I thought you may enjoy some pics of his creative solution for retrieving it...

Don't worry all you grandparents out there (by blood or otherwise) - the water was not over her head, and we never cook with or drink that water anyway.

Some of you may have noticed the odd way that Steve is cocking his head in the picture. He woke up with an incredibly stiff neck on Monday, and it has been getting worse every day. He is in a lot of pain and can't turn from side to side well. Please pray with us that it gets better soon!

A Cowboy Sighting

Zach made some random comments last week about having seen a cowboy. This seemed odd to us because we have seen no such thing in the Philippines. Then we were driving through Manila yesterday and came alongside a truck full of large pigs. Zach got all excited and said, "Look, Mom! More cowboys!" We were quite confused and reminded him that those are called pigs. To which he replied that in the Philippines they are called cowboys. We were still quite confused until it occurred to me that the Tagalog word for pig is baboy (pronounced bah-boy). Mystery solved!

Fiesta!

We were able to attend our first fiesta (big party basically) last week. We went to the homes of our 2 helpers. Thought you may enjoy some pics.
Karaoke is HUGELY popular here. People rent machines for practically every occasion and then blare the "singing" for all the nearby subdivisions to hear. Some even spend the precious little money they have to own the coveted possession. Ate (pronounced ah-tay) Baby's family had rented one for the fiesta. In an attempt to fit in to the culture, Steve told Ate Baby that if she would sing one, he would do the same. And she did...so he did. While his wife cringed in embarrassment (he actually didn't do that bad), Steve sand Piano Man. Everyone loved it, and I think he made a lot of cultural points. I cheer his effort (and humility), but I have no plans to ever sing in a karaoke.

Checking out

Last night we went to the grocery store. We bought 4 hams - the largest they come is about 2 pounds, so we bought 2 for Christmas dinner, and we bought 2 for gifts for our helpers. We also bought 1 can of coke and 1 large bottle of disinfectant spray. Since we had fewer than 12 items, we got in the express lane to check out. After we had been in line several minutes, Steve realized that he didn't have enough cash on him, and this particular store charges a surcharge to use a credit card. So the kids and I got out of line and waited while he ran to an ATM. When he got back, we got back in line. Then Steve decided to take the older 2 to get a treat. So I continued in the line with Ben in the cart - until I was informed that carts are not allowed in the express lane (I don't know why). So I proceeded to unload 4 hams (in boxes), 1 can of coke, 1 large bottle of disinfectant, and 1 Ben. And I continued in line, rather laden down now. Then the cashier ran out of change so we all had to wait while she meandered off to get more (keep in mind all that I am still carrying - oh and Ben is now enjoying his freedom by getting in to everything because Mom's hands are too full to stop him). Finally the clerk returned and after many more minutes, it was my turn to check out. All went well at first; but unfortunately, the computer did not recognize the final ham. So the clerk called the supervisor - but the computer still could not recognize the ham. So they called for someone from the back to come up. And asked me to go ahead and pay for the first items so they could help the next person in line. Eventually the guy from the back came up to take away the offending ham and exchange it for one the computer could recognize. Apparently said ham was difficult to find because he was gone a LONG time... But at least Steve finally came back and could help me hold the bags of stuff and keep track of Ben while we waited. So to make a long story even longer, we finally were able to check out. I hope the hams taste REALLY good after all that!

A Christmas Play

Mikayla and Zach's school put on a Christmas play on Saturday. Mikayla was an angel, and Zach was a soldier. They looked adorable in their costumes, and they did a GREAT job in the play. They sang some Christmas songs with choreography - or at least attempted to do choreography. It was rather complex for the younger ones, and there was a lot of wandering aimlessly around stage. But all in all it was a huge success and a lot of fun to watch.

Here's some pictures of the big event. I bet you can't find Mikayla and Zach...

Pritong Pusit for Lunch

Today we had fried squid for lunch. How many pre-schoolers do you know that love squid? Thought you may enjoy some pics; we got a kick out of watching them dig in.

The First Real Injury

Thought all you squeamish types may appreciate a picture of our first real injury since we've been here (I did clean it up first though). While we have had plenty of bruises, scrapes, and minor burns, this is the first "real" one. Mikayla stepped on some wire that Steve was using to make a fence for Gizmo. I couldn't get a picture that showed how long and deep it goes because it kinda follows the crease of her big toe. As you can see, we are working very hard at keeping it clean (infection is a bigger concern here). She wears a dressing on it and socks and shoes all the time right now. Please pray with us that infection does not set in. We are watching it closely. Don't worry - her tetanus shots are current!

And the winner is...

Gizmo!

We are proud to introduce our new puppy, Gizmo B. Hagen. The "B." stands for Brownie - Mikayla's personal contribution and favorite. Gizmo was suggested by Dave and Bethany Jackson. Our second favorite choice was Brewster, suggested by Christine Hagen. Our family was divided down the middle for our favorite so we put both names in a hat. So Gizmo it is! Gizmo seems to suit him right now as he is so playful. We'll see if we're second-guessing once he gets bigger and settles down...

Thank you all for all your participation! It was great to hear from so many of you. And a special congrats goes out to our dear friends in Kansas City who are now expecting their first baby! Maybe we'll have to have a naming contest on our blog for their new addition as well!

Name This Puppy!

We need your help! We just got a new puppy, and we still need a name for him. Do you have any good ideas? He is a 2 month old male labrador (sorry, "Princess" won't make the cut).

The winner will receive a prize from the Philippines. We will ship you your choice of native coffee or a native craft.

To enter your suggestion, simply post a comment to this blog or email us at sjmhagen@juno.com.

Deadline for entries is Sunday, December 11. (Sorry for the quick deadline; this poor puppy needs a name though!)

Going to Church

Sunday mornings have looked a little different for us than they did in the States. We have been visiting several different "house churches" and Bible study groups that our teammates work with. As you can see from the following pictures, they look very different from your typical church in the USA, but they are functioning very much the same (ideally anyway). This one meets just outside a believer's home.

Filipinos love to sing, and the worship time was a wonderful experience. What a joy to be amongst God's people on this side of the world!

Because the group is small, they are able to divide into smaller discussion/prayer groups during the morning. These small groups also act out the Bible Story for the week for the rest of the group.


So what did the kids think of it? They loved it. They sat and worshipped with us for a while, then they went to mingle with the other neighborhood kids. Ben thoroughly enjoyed getting dirty again. Not every little boy is allowed to play in the dirt during church!

Mikayla participated in one of the dramas. Sunday mornings will be an excellent time for her to learn Tagalog.

Needless to say, it was difficult to keep track of the boys while we worshipped and they ran with the other kids. At one point, I zoomed in to take this shot of the boys clustered together. Then I sauntered over to see what they were so interested in. It was then that I discovered that they were all enjoying some kind of soupy snack (anything but sanitary, let me assure you). The Filipino boys were gladly sharing with our boys. One bite for them, one for Zach. One for him, one for Ben. So I may later report some illness that resulted from the events shown in this very picture! We take comfort knowing that we serve a God who we can trust to take care of our children - even in circumstances such as these!

FYI

I just wanted to let you know that I posted some pics of the kids at play in a post entitled "Play Time", but it ended up buried under some other posts. So if you are one of those who is checking our blog regularly, I don't want you to miss that post by thinking it is all old stuff down there. You can find "Play Time" by clicking on the link in the right column or by scrolling down this page until you find it. Enjoy!

Our Neighbors

God has blessed us with some wonderful neighbors. They have all been very friendly, often brining us gifts such as bananas from their garden or merienda (afternoon snack). They are all devout Catholics, and we are praying for opportunities (once we can communicate more clearly) to share Christ with them. Right now, our prayer is that they will see Christ in us and be drawn to hear more. The picture below is of us with Matt, Menchi, Juan Miguel, and Gabby. They joined us at the beach for a day last week.

Kuya ("big brother") Panching and Ate ("big sister" pronounced ahtay) Ludi have been very generous and hospitable. We have visited in their home with them many times, and they have come to ours as well. The kids call them Lolo and Lola (grandfather and granmother). Ate Ludi works the garden next to our house.

Mang Tibo is a dear old man (89 years old!) who works everyday in his garden on the other side of our house. He and his wife Ate Juning have also been very kind to us. Steve helps Mang Tibo in his garden whenever he gets a chance. Mang Tibo just recently started asking some spiritual questions of the husband of one of our language teachers (he's a pastor). Ate Ludi has expressed interest to me in studying the Bible once I learn some more Tagalog. Please pray with us that they would continue to be interested in spiritual things and that God would be able to use us to draw them to Himself. Before it's too late.

Steve's New Toy

When Steve first started talking about getting a motorbike, I was suspicious that he just wanted a new toy. But his reasoning was sound, and we found the exact one he wanted at a great price (from some colleagues who are returning stateside). So we went for it! And it has already proved to be a great asset in getting around the city quickly. Motorbikes are not subject to the same traffic laws as other vehicles, so we can now just go around the stopped traffic. It has already saved us a lot of time. We also anticipate that it will be a huge ministry asset once we move to our more remote ministry location next year because there will likely be places passable only by motorbikes or on foot.

Needless to say, we draw a LOT of attention when we drive around town this way. But so far, it has been worth it for all the time saved.

And a note for Grandpa J - don't worry, we all ALWAYS wear long pants and socks and shoes whenever we go anywhere! And Steve and I both just bought nice helmets. We just didn't bother putting any of them on to pose for the picture. :)

Taal Volcano

Steve recently took a little field trip to the volcano that is located 1/2 hour from us. There is a lake there called Taal lake. In the middle of the lake is the cone for Taal Volcano. Inside the cone is another lake, called Crater Lake. So he drove to the shore of Taal Lake. Then he took a banka (small boat) over to the cone. From there, he rode a horse to the top of the cone to look down inside.

Here you can see the the volcano sticking up in the middle of the lake. Down through history, eruptions from Taal Volcano were responsible for the destruction and relocation of our city, Lipa City, 4 times. Everyone is fairly confident that the city is far enough away now to avoid further destruction.
This is taken from the rim of the volcano. You can look down and see Crater Lake, and you can also see Taal Lake beyond the other side of the rim. I (Jen) actually swam in Crater Lake many years ago. It is warm (in places, TOO hot to swim in) and very sulfuric. Taal Volcano is very active. It was actually evacuated earlier this year for fear that another eruption was imminent. You can see smoke rising out of the ground inside the rim.
There are also places in Crater Lake that are at the boiling point. Here, you can see the bubbles that are forming in the water.
Steve thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Taal Volcano and wants to bring his family next time. Any objections from the grandmas? :)

Play Time

I thought you may enjoy some pictures of the kids at play in their new neighborhood. One of their favorite new games is called picu (peekoo), the Filipino variety of hopscotch. Our kids have turned into little monkeys; they climb everything in sight. I don't know who is influencing whom, but their little friends are also getting in on the action - even painfully quiet and shy Gabby.

Tricycles (motorcycles with sidecars) are one of the most common modes of transportation here. So they also have miniature tricycles for kids. We bought one for the kids, and they love to drive around our neighborhood together. Zach also enjoys driving Ben around in it.

While our independent little Ben enjoys riding in the sidecar, sometimes he would rather be in control of his own destiny on this little trike. You can also see our truck behind him.

Some former colleagues here left this little car behind, and the kids love to play on it - all the kids in the neighborhood, that is.

Ben has his own personal sand (dirt) box inside our front gate. He loves to play in it, and all the dirt on his skin often makes it difficult to tell him apart from his friends.