Spring 2020

Ok, so we don't really have "spring" in the Philippines, but somehow we still think of this time of year that way...

In February, Taal Volcano blew. School was cancelled for several days as ash fell on the city of Manila. The middle school was preparing to spend a week of "Outdoor Education" camping on the volcano a couple weeks later, so they obviously had to make a last-minute change.

Zach was asked to model for a new company opening in the Philippines. Not sure how the pandemic will affect it, but it was fun to watch him try something new.

 And another banquet. The kids have so much fun dressing up and hanging out with their friends.

 On March 12, Zach left with his class for their senior trip on another island. Sadly, their time got cut very short as it was announced that night that the city of Manila would go on lockdown, and flights would not be allowed into the city on March 15 - the day they were supposed to come home. Everyone scrambled and worked to get the 62 students and chaperones new flights back to Manila on Saturday. At the last minute, several flights were cancelled, and Zach ended up with a group of 11 who did not have tickets. But God worked mightily, and by the end of the day, with only a couple hours to spare before the lockdown, every single person was back home. 

Sadly, this dramatically affected their senior trip, with the snorkeling outing cancelled and much time/energy given to trying to figure out the new plan. We were thankful though that they were able to go at all and that they all got home safely before the lockdown started on March 15, 2020.