Papa and Grandma

We had an absolutely amazing visit with my parents last week. Some good friends from our home church made it possible for them to come - the best gift we have ever received!

We had a blast just connecting with them. Here are a few pics from our time together.

We spent 1 night up at the wake boarding place we love so much. The kids had a blast showing their grandparents how they can wake board. They also got Papa to read to them and play a favorite family game "Rascals" with them.

Chilling in a cabana by the water. Sweet family time.Snuggles from Papa and Grandma.

"Look, Mom, no hands!"

They also went with us to our various weekly Bible Studies. It was good to get to show them the Agta villages and people. We had a good time. At the one village, we actually got to hike to a waterfall we have never been to before - it was gorgeous, but the battery died before we got there. Sorry! Just have to come yourself if you want to see it. :)

The top right picture was taken on the boat ride to the village. In the bottom left pic, Mikayla was learning how to tie a fishing net by hand. The other 2 are of my dad playing with the kids in the village - can you see Zach in the one?

Steve and I worked our tails off the week before they came so that we could have a couple of days of just lounging around the house. One day, we played games as a family all day long!

Just playing. Like Mikayla's new glasses? Just kidding - those are Papa's reading glasses. :)
They brought the book Heidi with them, and Papa and the older two spent every spare moment reading it together - they finished it during the week!

Steve and I also spent some time picking my dad's brain to answer some strategy questions we have had about the work here. His expertise and experience were a HUGE help as we work through some strategy specifics.
A picnic near our house. If you look closely, you will see that Steve has a gummy Life saver on his nose of all places! In the bottom pic, Papa is teaching the kids how to play Simon Says.
Mt. Mayon did not cooperate with us, so they never really got a clear view of the volcano. But we still had fun going to the "touristy" spots together on the way to the airport.
We are so very thankful for such a meaningful visit with my parents. It was medicine for the soul to connect with them and to watch them connect with their grandkids. We will cherish that time forever.

Church Planter Training

Thank you all for your prayers this past week as we hosted another training in our home. God provided Steve with the energy and clarity of mind to teach for 3 days straight in Tagalog - despite the meds he is taking for his back that make him groggy. The teaching went very well, and people really seemed to connect with the lessons. We are excited to see what God will do through these dear people. The logistics ended up working out for the cooking and the food, but it was a real challenge. By the time it was all said and done, we ended up having more than 50 people here!!! It was absolute chaos. A group of around 8 adults and almost a dozen more kids arrived for the final night and day so the last day was even more exciting than the previous ones (particularly since it was raining so all the sessions had to be inside, and we had no electricity!). All in all, it was more of an adventure than we had bargained for it, but it went amazingly well. Now to start into the MASSIVE clean up job... :)

Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement ~God really used them in a mighty way! Please continue to pray with us for these newly-trained church planters as they go out to plant churches throughout Bicol.