Training Time

This past weekend, we had another training time with our tribal partners.  One of the first things we did was rejoice and praise God for the 9 people that the teams baptized recently!  Here is a little video of one of our praise and worship times:

During the training, we also tackled some tough issues like better time management and when to leave a group/area in order to focus more time on finding people/areas that are more open.  After studying through the Word and discussing the Biblical examples we have on these particular issues, they broke off into teams (or sometimes as couples) to evaluate what changes they need to make in order to apply what they were learning.  They also spent time praying together about those changes. 

 We were so encouraged with how seriously they took the group discussion times as well as the team times.  God really moved during this time, and we are excited to see what HE does as they are faithful to apply what He showed them.  Please pray with us for each time in the weeks ahead as they work to make some changes in order to become more effective.  

While the adults were working through these issues, the college students worked hard to prepare all our meals.  This was a huge help as it allowed the adults a lot more time for necessary discussions.  We have so appreciated the servant attitudes of these 3 young people!

Party Time!

We have been doing some serious partying here over the last couple weeks; Mikayla turned 14 (!!), and Ben turned 10.  Because Ben10 is one of Ben's favorite cartoon characters, he has been planning this particular birthday party for years.  Literally.

We were thrilled that our good friends were able to come down for a couple days to celebrate with us, and they brought some of the boys' best friends with them to surprise Ben.  

 We made a birthday banner and put Ben's face on the Ben10 character. 

And I made a Ben10 cake.  Now, before you get too impressed, normally I take the lazy route and just buy a decorated cake (dirt cheap here in the Philippines), but since none of the cake companies had a Ben10 cake, I had to step up. 

 One of the things Ben asked for was a "thing with lots of drawers so I can keep spiders".  Yes, you read that correctly.  So Mikayla and Zach bought a bunch of matches, glued the empty boxes together, and attached beads to the front of each box to make them easy to open.  Voila - an elaborate, high-tech spider caging system.  And I promptly designated it as a great OUTSIDE toy.

 We also got to enjoy some wakeboarding with them before they went home... 

 ...as well as a hike to the waterfall for a picnic.

 The beauty of His creation often takes our breath away.

 And no need to just observe His creation - slide right in and enjoy it! 

 We are so thankful that our friends were able to come help us celebrate Ben's birthday, and we are so thankful for Ben and the young man that he is becoming. 

But the party didn't stop there! After our friends left, we drove a couple hours down to a port town on the coast.  We enjoyed spectacular views of Mt. Mayon while we drove.

 Then we boarded a ferry to bring us over to the island of Catanduanes for a couple days vacation and to celebrate Mikayla's birthday with her friend.

 The seas were pretty rough, and we were all feeling a little worse for wear when we arrived, but we were still able to drive the last couple hours to meet up with some new friends.  We spent the first night at their house, then the next morning we drove a couple hours to this rustic little surfing resort.  

 While Mikayla and their eldest daughter knew each other from their recent adventures at Outdoor Ed, our families didn't know each other before this trip.  The adults enjoyed getting acquainted...

 ...while the kids explored the rocks off shore.

 The waves weren't great this particular day, but the kids still had fun doing a little surfing.

 After one night at that resort, we drove to another beach resort.

 This one didn't have any surfing, but they had a fun pool...

 ...beautiful views...

 ...a zipline...

 ...kayaking...

 ...rock climbing and snorkeling...

 ...and this pretty cool diving board into the ocean.

 Their little guy didn't have any fear.  After watching the big kids dive a couple times, he tried it for himself without any warning!  And did pretty well too.

 So thankful for a few days to relax with new friends, and for the opportunity to celebrate the life of our precious Mikayla.

 After 3 wonderful days, we boarded the ferry to head back to the mainland.  See Mt. Mayon peeking out of the clouds to welcome us back?