Play on the Stage

Both Mikayla and Ben have been bitten by the theater bug. They LOVE to be on stage and perform with their friends (the other 3 of us just like to watch them on stage). Faith Academy has a phenomenal fine arts department, and we are so blessed that our kids can enjoy the world of theater.

Ben was JayBird in the middle school production of Honk Jr!

He did a GREAT job and had a blast.

 Mikayla had one of the leading roles in the comedic murder mystery Any Number Can Die. She played a ditzy blonde in a love triangle, so it stretched her just a little outside her comfort zone. :) It was fun to watch her shine on stage.

Thankful for the many opportunities that our kids have at Faith Academy!

Through Their Eyes

Another post from our tribal partners so you can see what life and ministry is like for them. These pics were especially touching because they are from a new area, where the light of the Gospel is just beginning to shine. It was good to see the faces of those that are hearing the good news for the first time. Won't you pray with us for them?

Thailand Trip

I had the incredible privilege of helping to coach Mikayla's soccer team this year, and we took the team on a trip to play in a tournament in Thailand. I was responsible for all the logistics, and this proved to be quite and adventure with 18 minors from 7 countries with various visa requirements (both for Thailand and the Philippines!). It was CRAZY but oh such a fun trip. :)

 Dinner in a Thai food court

 An outing to the "sticky waterfall"

 Here's our great team!

 We had the opportunity to have a day of ministry with a local Thai school, showing His love to them (mostly through smiles and high fives since we couldn't really communicate :) ).

 It was a young team and definitely a building year, but we still got a 3rd place trophy, and we were so very proud of the heart the girls showed both on and off the field.

 My greatest joy was getting to experience it all with this one. :) 

And I loved the way she signed the note from the team at the end of the season: "Thanks for being the kind of mom who I also enjoy having as a coach." 

 We had a long layover in Kuala Lumpur on the way home, so we headed in to the city to see the Petronas Towers.

 Added perk was that we got to have dinner with my brother and his wife, and Mikayla loved seeing her little cousin again. :)

So thankful for a great trip with a wonderful group!

Beach Vacay

 Wow, I have been remiss with blog posts this year! Sorry to all those checking every day to see if we updated... :) We actually had a computer crash shortly after the last post, and it took me a while to figure out how to get at my pics and edit them without my old programs. Think I have it more or less figured out now...

Over the kids' fall break at school, we took a trip down to one of our favorite family beaches. It was one of Mikayla's requests for things to do "one last time" her senior year. We had a blast soaking in some sun and enjoying family time. Unfortunately, Steve was laid up for a couple days with a horrible boil (12" across diameter...I'll spare you the pics of THAT!), but of places to be laid up, there are worse ones!

One of my favorite things about this year has been watching the friendship develop between these two:

 Love sunsets on the beach!

Lots of fun snorkeling and kayaking.

 Grabbed a few pics to remember our time together...

 Sure are going to miss this precious girl next year! She is such a blessing to our family, and it really won't be the same without her here...prayers appreciated for all of us as we process through this transition time together!

New Areas Opened!

First, I apologize for the glut of posts all at once. Between the whirlwind of travel over the summer, followed immediately by coaching soccer when school started up, I had gotten behind on posting. So now I'm shooting a firehose of pictures and stories at you!

As usual, Steve doesn't have a lot of pictures to show for the trips that he did in July, August and September without me (since I'm the photographer). However, he is currently on a trip where others have taken some pics that I have been able to steal off FB so at least you can get a glimpse of this trip.

Part of why Steve doesn't often take pictures is that a lot of his trips constitute mainly of meetings, so they don't make for super exciting photos. These pics he took at a meeting where he is a consultant to a board who are hoping to help churches in the Philippines work together more effectively to send people overseas to serve. We are excited to see how God uses this group!

This week, Steve flew down to Bicol to join a team from the States in helping our Bugkalot partners open new areas where they recently relocated. 

They are working together to survey new areas to find where the tribals in this new province are located. Our Bugkalot partners are with them, and they will be the ones to follow up on the doors that this team opens. They are traveling from village to village, finding out where the tribals are and sharing their testimonies to open doors. Much of their travel has been by boat, and some has been by 4 wheel drive.

 Thanks for praying with us for the people in this new area, that God would soften their hearts and give them an eagerness to hear the message of the Word. 

Spartan Race

So a Spartan Race came to the Philippines for the first time, and Steve and Ben were both able to join (the other 2 wanted to, but they couldn't because of their soccer schedules). They both ran with a friend, and it ends up that Stephen ran with Stephen and Ben ran with Ben. :)

The Bens ran in the kids' version (not as muddy or as difficult but also a LOT cheaper :) ).

 Go, Ben!

 Ben ended up getting 2nd place for all the kids!!

 Meanwhile, the Stephens didn't die on theirs, and they even finished it, so they counted that as a win. :)

Proud of my guys!