Wisdom from a six year old

I woke up early this morning to get a head start on finishing my mini-thesis on Discipleship in the New Testament. Zach comes in and gives me a hug then leans up against me, just watching the computer screen. I can tell he is thinking, but I had no idea what about. Finally out pops the inevitable question.

"So what exactly is it that is so important about that?" he asks pointing at the computer screen. (Just the day before I had apologized that I had been so busy for so many days, but that I had some important work to do and I would be done in a couple of days.)

I tried to explain. "Well, what I am writing about is how they taught people to obey Jesus back in the times of the Bible."

He boiled it down very nicely. "So what you are doing is rewriting the Bible onto the computer?"

I tried to explain that "in the Bible all we have is stories, it doesn't give us a list of exactly how they did things...", and the irony struck me hard, since one of the things in my paper is about the value of Biblical stories. I changed my explanation. "You know what Zach. The stories tell us better how to do it. I have to do this work, because it is a requirement for the class I am in. I'll be done soon."

Praise God, we did just finish. It ain't as good as the stories it came from, but it should pass the class.

Story by Zach

Watch for the plot twist at the end... :)

Exciting Week

This has been an amazing week here. Yesterday, Steve got to the end of the evangelism story set with one of the groups, and it seems that several truly understood for the first time what Christ has done for them. There were about 20 in attendance, we will wait to see how many of them continue to come. This is the point when we normally will lose several people as they realize that what we believe is different from their age-old Catholic beliefs, and they chose their old way rather than the truth of the Word. However, there were several who really seemed to get it, and the chieftain's husband (pic below) was one of them - he was actually in tears by the end of the study, as were several of the ladies. Interestingly, for those of you who have one of our Agta prayer calendars, his picture is the one featured this month! So cool how God works. One of the old ladies said, "I have tried to follow God my whole life, but I have never understood this before. I finally understand now and have hope. Thank you for coming to explain this and for being patient with our confusion."

Also, this morning, Jose's parents were baptized! Unfortunately, the camera malfunctioned so we don't have any pics of it, but here is an old one of the two of them - some of you may remember them from previous posts or from visiting here with us.
All three kids have had nasty asthmatic bronchitis coughs all week. They have been taking turns doing nebulizer treatments a couple times a day. Well, Ben has also been "phasing out" his nap time, so I wasn't too surprised tonight when I saw that he had fallen asleep while doing his treatment! :)

And the winner is...

Scott Yale!!! Scott and Rebecca are friends of ours from several years ago (we rented their on-the-market house before we moved to the Philippines), but we hadn't heard from them in forever so were thrilled when we got an email from Scott with the answers to our blog challenge questions. Procrastination paid off for Scott! :) BTW, Scott, still waiting to answer to my email choosing your prize! :)

Here are his answers....

Okay guys, I just opened my email and I’m always up for a challenge (especially if there is a new car as the prize). Besides, I need to blow off studying for tonight anyway.

1. What state did Mikayla research for her presentation in Thailand, and why did she choose that state? Maryland; because Nevada is the land of sin ;-)

2. Why are even the unbelievers happy to see us come to their village? Because you are “different” (and I mean that in the nicest way!)

3. Why did the wife of one of the leaders in Ipil finally attend her first Bible Study? Stayed around after her prenatal check

4. What reason did the Agta believers give as to why believers should continue to share their faith in countries where it is against the law to do so? "what God says to do is more important than what the men tell you"

5. What Bible story did God use to challenge Jose about how he was dealing with the evil spirit who was troubling his son? Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8)

6. Just numbers – how many…hours north did Steve drive in a crowded vehicle?….Agta men traveled north with Steve to visit the tribe where Jen grew up?…Ilongot men returned with them to minister to the Agta believers?…years old is Mikayla now? 20hrs; 7 guys; 3 guys; 9 yrs old

7. What potentially illegal activity were we recently involved in that made us nervous as we went through a security checkpoint? Smuggling antlers

8. How did Jose apply what he had learned by Steve’s response to being flirted with? Tried to ignore the girl then switched seats.


Do I get to pick the color of the car or not?

fun times

I came out from working out this afternoon and was greeted by this unusual hair style on Ben. So should Mikayla pursue a career as a hair dresser?

Also, I almost forgot to post this pic of all the AMAZING goodies sent to us by the RAs and GAs and a few others at GVBC in Alabama. THANK YOU all for your generosity and thoughtfulness in this!!! Getting packages from home is such a great reminder that we are NOT ALONE out here and that you are standing behind us in prayer and support. Thanks for taking the time to bless us like this!

Win the Prize!

Ok, here is a challenge for you. I have put several new posts up this past month. Be the first to correctly answer the following 8 questions and win a great prize:

1. What state did Mikayla research for her presentation in Thailand, and why did she choose that state?
2. Why are even the unbelievers happy to see us come to their village?
3. Why did the wife of one of the leaders in Ipil finally attend her first Bible Study?
4. What reason did the Agta believers give as to why believers should continue to share their faith in countries where it is against the law to do so?
5. What Bible story did God use to challenge Jose about how he was dealing with the evil spirit who was troubling his son?
6. Just numbers – how many…hours north did Steve drive in a crowded vehicle?….Agta men traveled north with Steve to visit the tribe where Jen grew up?…Ilongot men returned with them to minister to the Agta believers?…years old is Mikayla now?
7. What potentially illegal activity were we recently involved in that made us nervous as we went through a security checkpoint?
8. Specifically how did Jose apply what he had learned by Steve’s response to being flirted with?

Email your answers to us at shagen@emailworld.biz . The first one to get all the answers correct will win the prize. Good luck!

Real Life Lesson

"If you are 10 feet from your house, you aren't married anymore." Steve has been given this rationale many times by men and women as to why adultery is ok. Staying faithful to your spouse is virtually unheard of in the Agta culture - it is just assumed that you cannot expect to do so. Obviously, this will be a huge challenge for the baby Agta believers as they begin to apply the truths they are learning in God's Word to their daily lives. While we have talked with them some about it, we have been waiting for the Holy Spirit to show them the Truth and convict them of it.

While Steve was traveling up north with the Agta church leaders, they stopped eat. At the restaurant, one of the waitresses kept "accidentally" bumping into Steve and trying to start up conversations with him. She was very openly flirting with him even though she knew he was married. Steve tried to just ignore her, but she was very persistent so Steve finally just told the guys that he was going to go finish eating in the car and to just come out when they were done. One of the guys accompanied him to the car, but the waitress eventually followed them to the car and continued coming on to Steve! She was trying to get Steve's cell number, and she was very forward with her intentions. Steve plainly told her that he is married and not interested, but she persisted so he just rolled the window up in her face and turned his back to her.

Responding this way to flirting is unheard of in the Agta culture - it is assumed that if a man is flirted with, he will be powerless to refuse; he is "just a man" after all. Steve's response made a huge impression on the men, and it became the topic of intense conversation repeatedly over the next week as they traveled together. Then on the trip home on the bus, one of the guys noticed a girl in another seat making eyes at him and coming on to him. He tried to ignore her, but she was persistent. You have to keep in mind that, even in a culture where adultery is so prevalent, this man had a reputation for getting around. However, later he told Steve that God reminded his heart of how Steve responded and what they had talked about -- so he switched seats with someone so that the girl could not see him anymore! Then he ignored her and went to sleep. This was a HUGE VICTORY in his life. Praise God with us for the way He is at work in his life and pray with us that he - and the others - will continue to apply the truths God is teaching them to their daily lives.

Mikayla's 9th Birthday

This is the 3rd post I did today to get caught up so be sure to check out the ones below this one too. :)

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Mikayla turned 9 years old yesterday! We had a great party at CWC, the wakeboarding place that our family enjoys so much.

Uncle Terry and Aunt Michaelle Buford joined us for the fun as well as Aunt Megan and the Buchanan family (the ones who manage the wakeboard place). We started off with some games - "Pin the Mikayla on the Wakeboard" (thanks, Aunt Megan!),

followed by Hyper Dash (thanks, Kendalls!),

then a couple rounds of Balloon Toss (check out Ben's face in the one),
Then the four kids (our 3 plus Takiah Buchanan) set out on a Treasure Hunt to find all of Mikayla's gifts. They had to figure out the clues for each hiding place then fetch the present from that location.
After they found all the presents, we took a picture then let her open them.
She got lots of fun jewelry and hair things and girly stuff then a teddy bear from Dad and Mom - with a hat for it from Uncle Terry and Aunt Michaelle.
She got Little Women from Aunt Megan since they had just studied Louisa May Alcott in school, and Mikayla wanted to read her book. Mikayla was thrilled, but the younger kids looked a little confused as to WHY Mikayla was so happy about this HUGE book. :)

Her grandparents sent her $ this year, and instead of buying her a present, we decided to give her the money to go clothes shopping. She is SO EXCITED to go do some shopping, and we may even go get a mother/daughter massage (don't worry, I will pay for my own!).

Steve and I got her an MP3 player to listen to music and audio books. Here she is enjoying her present in the sunshine. Our baby is growing up!

I was worried that Mikayla would not have a very good birthday since there were no friends her age to share the day with her, but she told us at the end of the day that it was one of her best birthdays ever! Happy 9th Birthday, Mikayla! We love you more than you know.

Tribe to Tribe

While the older kids and I were in Thailand (see post below), Ben stayed with friends in Manila, and Steve traveled about 20 hours north to the village where I (Jen) grew up. 7 of the Agta tribal guys went up there with him (all crammed in our little vehicle!) to help him with a training he did up there and to see a thriving tribal church in action. It was a GREAT experience for all our guys that went, and they grew leaps and bounds in their faith as a result. THANKS FOR PRAYING!!! Unfortunately, I accidentally brought the travel camera with me to Thailand so Steve didn't get any pics of his trip up north. Sorry! :( However, 3 of the Ilongot tribal guys from up north returned to Bicol with Steve and the Agta guys to spend some time encouraging the baby churches in the Agta villages. Seklab, Danny and Mr. "T" (no idea how to spell his name - any help, Dad?) had a great time down here and were a huge blessing to the Agta people they ministered to while they were here.

The 3 men spent 2 days each in 3 different villages, sleeping and eating with the people and taking every opportunity to teach and disciple.
The final day of the week they spent with us. They had a debrief session with Steve where he asked for their insights into how the Agta churches are doing and for suggestions on what they still need from us. During this time, they also said they are interested in continuing to partner with us to reach the Agta!!! They are planning another trip down here in the fall while we are in the States, and they hope to bring more people next time.

THANKS FOR PRAYING FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP!!!
Another cool thing they got to do on that last day is talk via Skype to my parents - their mentors for many years. They talked with them for almost an hour, and they were able to ask my dad many questions they have had on their hearts. They were so blessed by this opportunity to talk to my parents, and it blessed our hearts to see them connect over the miles by way of the computer.
We praise God for all that He is doing amongst the Agta people and now how He is using the Ilongot tribal people to build His church down here.

Oh - one funny story before I sign off on this post - just as Steve and the guys were getting ready to leave the village 20 hours north to drive ALL THE WAY home, my best friend's husband came to give Steve a cherished gift. Aglen had killed a deer just before Steve arrived up there, and it had a nice rack of antlers. Aglen decided that he wanted to honor Steve by giving the antlers to him. Well, when they cut the antlers off, they also keep most of the skin attached to it, and it had only been about 10 days (in the tropical heat) since it had been skinned. So not long enough to completely dry up, but PLENTY long enough to WREAK. Steve graciously accepted the gift (no way to turn it down and maintain relationships up there!) and headed back to the car for the trip, wondering what ON EARTH he was going to do with this rack since he was nearly retching just carrying it, not to mention riding 20 hours next to it in a cramped car over winding roads! As he arrived at the car, all the tribal guys started exclaiming over the stench and saying there is no way that thing can be in the car with them- which Steve was glad that he was not the only one that felt that way. Still, there was no way to return the gift either... Couldn't attach it to the top of the vehicle because it is probably illegal for him to even HAVE this rack since those animals are probably protected... His solution? He wrapped it in plastic and attached it to the undercarriage of the car! Then drove all the way to Bicol with it riding under the car. While we were in Manila, we were stopped before going into a mall parking lot (routinely done) to check our car for bombs. The guard used his mirror to check under the car for any bombs - I was wondering what on earth was going to happen when he saw the antlers wrapped in plastic attached to the underside of the car. Thankfully, the guard was just as thorough as they always are with these checks and never saw the large set of antlers wrapped in plastic under the car. O - Steve has been home 1 week now. On the way home from Mikayla's bday party yesterday he said, "You know, I really need to get those antlers out from under the car at some point." My response, "THEN what will we do with them?"

Thailand Trip

The first week in February, Jen, Mikayla, Zach, and Megan (our long-term volunteer) traveled to Thailand for our annual home-school conference. It was the first time for us to attend the one held in Thailand so it was a new group of kids and moms. We all had a great time making new friends as well as reconnecting with a few old friends. We also had a blast with the volunteer group from Green Valley BC again as they came to do the kids' program and love on all of us.

Zach with his new friend, Andrew.
Mikayla and Emma became best buds too.

Mikayla and Zach got an opportunity to present the Bible verses they have learned this year to the whole group - great chance to practice speaking in public!

Along with the other 3rd-12th graders, Mikayla prepared a "float" on one of the States. You had to choose a state other than your home state, and by the time I emailed to "claim" a state, the only 2 left were Nevada and Maryland! Mikayla chose Maryland, and she and Megan worked hard on the research project and creating a float to show what she had learned. Then all the kids presented their floats in a parade around the big room.

It was a long trip, but we had a ball!

The volunteers brought LOTS of goodies from the States for us to enjoy - including SMORES for the bonfire on our last evening together!
We had a lot of fun, and we were very encouraged because both Mikayla and Zach tested very well in their IOWA basic skills tests. It is good to know that we are on the right track, and that they are keeping on par with their classmates in the USA. Thanks for your prayers - we had a GREAT trip!