Initial Survey Report

I thought you all may enjoy an initial report from Steve's brief survey down to Bicol. We hope to do a more in-depth one later once we are able to discuss his findings in more detail. Thank you for praying for them this past week; they arrived home tonight safely with a lot of stories to tell. Most of the time down there was spent talking with and visiting people. They spent quite a bit of time with local pastors, seeing how we can partner with them to reach the Agta people. They also spent a lot of time visiting different Agta groups (there are about 170 groups settled throughout the region) and talking with their chieftains about the possibility of us coming there.

We still don't know yet for sure where will be most strategic to locate, but a few options are rising to the top. We will most likely be in a town very much like this one below, very near to the most beautiful and volatile volcano in the region. There are many active ones in Bicol, but Mt. Mayon goes off about once every 5 years (some say 8). Last one was in 2001 - and it is certainly seems due now. It was giving many signs of readiness while Steve was down there. I just hope it goes before we move there, then it will hopefully be quiet for a while... Steve, on the other hand, wants to be there to see it go.

Here is another pic of Mt. Mayon. Steve is standing with Roland, a local pastor here in Lipa who accompanied them on their trip. He is also the husband of Jen's Tagalog teacher.

It is an absolutely gorgeous place - the prettiest Steve has ever seen. It is a peninsula only about 15 miles wide at its widest point, so there are LOTS of picturesque beaches. It is beautiful, but also very much in need of Christ. Please continue to pray with us for the people in Bicol - particularly the Agtas.

First, I want to thank all of you who dropped me a little note after our last post. It was an encouragement to know that there are people out there reading our posts who care about us. It is easy to feel alone and forgotten on this side of the world. So - please drop us a little note as often as you think of it. Even just those 1-liners are an encouragement. You can either make a comment on a post (it's GREAT to get feedback) or email us at sjmhagen@juno.com .

Secondly, Steve's trip to Bicol is going well. He has "texted" (the popular and economic mode of communication here) both evenings he has been gone so far. He is overwhelmed at the vast amount of info they are gathering, and it sparks many more questions. I am just as anxious as you to hear all about it when he gets back. :)

Third, I thought you may enjoy some random pics. The first one is of a basket vendor who came through our neighborhood recently. We bought a hammock/swing from him that the kids are enjoying in the back yard. The other pics are from a trip we took to a nearby resort with the medical team that was here a while ago. First, we all rode on a carabao (water buffalo) cart. Lunch was served at the foot of a waterfall - literally. The water was about calf-deep, and the food was delicious. After lunch, the kids enjoyed playing in the waterfall with one of the young guys who came with the team.

First Trip to Bicol - Please Pray!

Steve leaves tomorrow morning early (March 20) for our first survey trip down to Bicol, the area where we will be locating once we complete language study. It is a short trip this time (4 days), but we are praying to start getting some answers about where will be most strategic to locate and what will be the best strategy for reaching this people group as they pose some unusual challenges. We will get into all that later, and we will hopefully have pics for you once he gets back (our camera is broke so he is going to try to borrow one). In the meantime, please pray for safety, health (despite potentially questionable food/water situations), and that he would be able to accomplish a lot on this preliminary survey. A co-worker here and a national pastor will accompany him. Please pray also for me and the kids as we hold down the fort here. Thanks for your prayers, and could you do me a favor? If you are reading this (even if it is after his trip), could you post a comment to this blog or send me an email (sjmhagen@juno.com) to let me know? I am beginning to doubt how many people are actually keeping up with our blog - if this isn't working, then I will need to figure out another way to keep you informed. Thanks!

Ben's Birthday

Our little whirlwind of activity turned 2 yesterday! As I think back on his rocky beginnings in the hospital, I praise God again for this crazy little guy. We love him so much!

We ordered a plain cake from a bakery nearby, and added our own personal little touch. Since "car" is one of his few words, it only seemed appropriate to make this a car birthday.

Here's the car multi-level garage from the grandparents. He LOVED it and squealed with excitement most of the afternoon (until his sister tried to take it apart and broke it into pieces - we are hoping to be able to go to a nearby city to buy him another one tomorrow).
Daddy's balloon art is always a favorite activity.
A very happy and chocolatey birthday boy!

Christmas in March

We had Christmas in March yesterday when FOUR packages arrived from friends in the States. The Mothers of Preschoolers group from our church in Missouri sent us a big box full of goodies, and some new friends (I don't know that we have even officially met yet) from a partner church in Kansas sent us 3 great boxes too. What a blessing and encouragement their thoughtfulness was to us. We have told you that language learning has its "ups and downs", and lately it has been "down" so these couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you all!!!