We're Home!

We arrived home safely; thanks for your prayers for good health and safe travels. When we arrived in our little town of Iriga, we discovered that town center was flooded into a lake in our absence! We had a ton of rain while we were gone, and there was a lot of flooding in our area. We were told that the flooding in these pictures has actually receded several feet from its highest - our helper couldn't get home because she can't swim! As for our house, the yard flooded, and the water lingered on the threshold but didn't come in. Our kitchen flooded due to a leak in the roof, but it didn't do any damage.

It is funny to watch bicycles pushing their way through the water.
This is taken from the front windshield in the truck. This is the main street in town.
Here are some kids making the most of it and riding the waves caused by passing vehicles. :)

Please pray for for the families of those that died in the storms. Please pray as well for those whose homes were flooded and possessions destroyed. Other than sporadic rain showers, the weather has been sunny since we have been home; pray for continued good weather so the water can dry up completely and people can get back to regular life.

Hitting the Road

Just wanted to let you all know that we will be traveling for the next couple weeks. Our email access will be sporadic at best, but we will respond as soon as we are able - we always LOVE hearing from you! Thanks for your prayers as we travel for safety and good health. The first week, we will be at our annual home school conference where Mikayla will be doing her IOWA testing. The next week we will meet my sister and her family (yeah!) and travel up to the tribe we grew up in to touch base with the guys we did the training with in December. We will be home February 22. We will be in touch then. Bye! :)

Happy Times!

Just before my parents came, we received another package! This one was from our home church in Missouri, and it had lots of great reminders of home. We felt VERY loved as we pulled out all the books, cake/bread mixes and toys for the kids. We feel so blessed to have so many people at home who have partnered with us to pray for us, encourage us, and stand behind us. We could not be here without you all - THANK YOU!!!

For those of you who remember from my email last week, I just returned from a ladies conference in Manila. It was a great trip, and I had a blast connecting with some friends. A good friend actually came to Manila to meet me for the weekend while her husband watched their two small kids. We had an amazing time together, and it was a much-needed encouragement. Thanks for coming, Sarah, and thanks for letting her come, Marcus!!!

After the ladies conference, I also got to spend 1 more day in Manila with my parents as they had a layover coming from where my siblings live, heading home to the States. We had an wonderful day together, and I feel so blessed that I was able to have that extra time alone with them. God is good!

This week is busy with homeschool, ministry, and preparations to leave on Monday for our annual homeschool conference followed by some other traveling. Thanks for your prayers for a profitable week - particularly since we are all fighting colds!