Family Fun

Just a quick post to get you all caught up on our family...

First, Ben and Steve went on Outdoor Education.  Those of you who have followed our blog know about this week-long camping adventure for middle schoolers.  All 5 of us have actually been on Outdoor Ed at some point or another: Jen as a camper herself then as a counselor in grade 12, Mikayla as a homeschooling camper, Zach and Ben as campers, and Steve went last year as the camp speaker.  This year, Steve was the leader for Ben's squad so he had 13 young men to ride herd on for the week!

This year, they visited Taal Volcano - a volcano located in the middle of a lake on an island, and the volcano itself has a crater lake that also has an island! They had a lot of fun exploring God's amazing creation and learning about the ocean and volcanoes.  They got to do a discovery scuba dive and swim across the sulfuric (and very hot) crater lake in the volcano!

Next up, Mikayla turned 17! Instead of a party this year, she asked for tickets to go see "Wicked" (a play based on the Wizard of Oz story). Steve and I went with her, and we had a great time together.

Next came another school banquet.  It was western-themed, and Mikayla had fun with a group of her close friends.

Our baby girl is growing up!

Ben asked if he could get a picture with his pretty sister. :)

Next up, Zach helped run a rugby clinic for elementary-age kids.  He had a lot of fun, and it was great to see him connect with the little guys and gals. Both Zach and Mikayla have been crazy busy these last weeks/months with a heavy academic load.  They have been working really hard, and we are very proud of them...but those things don't make for very interesting pictures!

Next up, Ben turned 13!  We now have THREE teenagers in the house.  O my.

My dad was in town on Ben's bday, so we had a family dinner and game night.

Ben had a lot of fun with that, but he is so social that I think he was a little disappointed not to do something with his friends...but he didn't know we had planned a surprise pool party for him the following weekend!  Happy birthday, BenJay! :)

Spring break actually just started yesterday, and Mikayla and I are headed on quite the adventure on Tuesday. Mikayla's rugby team is the best the school has ever had (champions in their league this year), and the team was approved to travel to Australia to play 7 games in 2 days!  I am excited to get to travel with this great group of ladies and coaches!

Thanks for continuing to pray for our family. This picture of Manila's skyline was taken from the kids' school. So thankful for the privilege to continue to serve in this place (even if, as Ben reminds me, it IS the smog that causes the beautiful sunsets!)