Hodge Podge

Remember in that one post when I introduced the "new MKs" that we now have in Bicol? Since some of our new Bogkalot tribal partners have kids, our kids are no longer the only MKs here; there are some new ones to join them! Well, one of our dear friends in the States decided that she wanted to bless these new little MKs by getting them some gifts to welcome them. We had so much fun shopping for them and delivering the goodies.

We stopped in the 1st village and delivered the stuff to the first 2 families. The younger girls got coloring books, crayons & a doll. The boys got coloring book/crayons too then trucks instead of a doll. Then they got some balls and a badminton set to share.
The older girls got a purse, journal with nice pen and a shirt.

We had some excited kiddos as we headed to the other village where the other team lives (they left their own stuff behind). Here is a pic in the 2nd village of all the new MKs. A huge thanks to the family who blessed our new friends this way (you know who you are! :) ). I wish you could have been there to watch them open the packages, and I know that these toys will serve as a constant reminder to them AND their parents that there are people in the States praying for them as they press on in the work here.

On a different note, this past wkend was Steve's 33rd bday, and, at his request, we spent the day hiking around a mountain, discovering new waterfalls and rapids.

Freezing cold shower!

Beautiful

Brought the tubes to ride some rapids and "waterslides" :)

The boys are swinging on a vine

Steve disappeared behind the waterfall and suddenly popped out of the the crevice behind the rock

So of course everyone else had to try it too!

Breath-taking

We spend most of the morning "bouldering" - climbing up the stream over the rocks. We came to some interesting spots where this was one option to get up - watch out, it's slippery!!!

And this was the other option. I chose this one.

Happy Birthday, Stephen! I am so blessed to share this crazy adventure with you. We live a privileged life - front row seat to watch God working in amazing ways AND surrounded by such incredible beauty. I love you!

Just for Fun

This past weekend, our family spent a couple days in Manila. We had some important meetings (no pics cuz would be BORING, but the meetings went really well - tnx for praying!), then we also got in some great family time.

We got to try the imitation segways by the Mall of Asia with my dad.

We also got to visit a small interactive zoo. The kids enjoyed hanging out with Jenny the Orangutang (she was just wandering around - was a little unnerving when she would meander up and take your hand!).

We also got to try a "fish spa" for the first time. These little fishies come and nibble the dead skin off your feet. Is the weirdest feeling and practically impossible if your feet are very ticklish (Steve couldn't keep his feet in for even 10 seconds!).

There were several kinds of large birds to hold, and all the kids took turns holding all of them.

I love Ben's expression in these shots. :)

Zach is a lot more nervous around animals than the other two, but he got right out there and got involved too.

Don't you just love it when you wear the perfect shirt for the day's activities? And we thought Steve didn't take much time to consider his wardrobe...

Feeding the guinea pigs. Until the lone rabbit stole Ben's carrot.

Mikayla is our animal-lover and will not hesitate even a second to get up close and personal with any wildlife - even pythons! Crazy kid.

Ben always gets in line right after Kayla.

And once Zach sees that they are both still ok, then he will give it a shot.

So thankful for some wonderful family memories this past weekend!

Survey: Take Two

We have told you before that there are more from up in the Bogkalot tribe who are feeling God at work in their hearts about the possibility of them being the "next wave" who will be sent out to join the work down here to reach the Agta. Well, 4 couples came down to our area this past week to do a mini-survey and to participate in the Culture and Language Study Seminar (see next post). All 4 of these couples are asking God to lead their next steps and are willing to move down here and join the work as He leads. 3 of these couples are quite confident of how God is leading and hope to move down here in less than a year. Here they are arriving at their first Agta village to meet the people.

Learning how to show respect to the Agta.
They spent a lot of time just visiting and talking with the people. Notice the 2 ladies in the forefront holding little ones? Well, they came on the survey with nursing babies in tow. Survey work is tough on its own, but these moms had their work cut out for them this week! They were tired but encouraged when they left. :)

They met lots of people and saw lots of sights in the Agta villages they visited.

After visiting a couple villages, they got on a boat and headed across the lake to visit the villages on the other side.

Some more visiting time, then it was time for the language seminar to start (see next post).

Please lift up these couples/families as they ask God to lead them in the months ahead. For some of them, there are barriers that stand in the way for them to "go". Ask for clear direction and that they would faithfully follow wherever He leads.

And so it begins...

Ok, so those of you who follow the blog and/or our updates know that the Bogkalot tribe from way up in northern Luzon recently sent out some of their own down to partner with us to reach the Agta tribe. Some of their houses are done, some are not quite, and it is time to hit the books. As the first step in training these new partners, we hosted a language learning seminar for them. A friend of ours who has a lot of experience with this kind of thing came and trained them how to study language and culture in a simple way that doesn't require a high level of literacy.

After some of the group sessions, they broke into small groups to practice the principles with a language helper who speaks the language they are trying to learn.

We also had plenty of time for discussion in various-sized groups in between sessions. We have found that often this informal time is just as valuable (if not more so!) than the "official" training sessions!

Since there was only one tribal house and 35 people, a few of us ended up sleeping in tents for the night - which got exciting when some water buffalo decided to investigate and then stick around to visit in the middle of the night. :)

As usual, there were lots of beautiful children hanging out and watching all the activity (and they especially showed up at meal time! :) )

The culture and language study seminar was a huge success, and the crew is now both motivated and equipped to start the learning process so that they can eventually teach the Word effectively. Exciting days here!!!

Please pray with us for our brothers and sisters as they begin studying the Agta culture and languages (the 2 teams are each focussing on a different language). Pray for diligence and perseverance as they begin this important task.