Shawn's Visit

Shawn, a friend from our home church, just came for a visit. Even though our time was short (only 48 hrs!), we were so blessed by his visit.

Zach hanging out in a tribal hut
This precious old lady tugs at my heart strings every time we see her.

Ben made a new friend and had fun building things out of sticks and rocks. Just being boys!

It sometimes feels to us that we are not accomplishing anything when we are just hanging around with the people, but I really think that it is during those "down" times that God is doing mighty things in bonding our hearts to theirs.

One of the main jobs in this particular village is shredding down abaka fibers. It looks like the stalk of a banana tree when it starts, but when they are done (MANY hours of tedious work), it is a long, incredibly strong string tied end to end. It can then be sold to be used in weaving.

Shawn was such an encouragement to us in his time with us, and the people enjoyed meeting him as well. He did great in all the different places - and different foods. :)

So who else wants to come visit this gorgeous corner of God's creation?

those eyes...

hanging out in another village - check out the windchimes on the right-hand side. We are in the throes of helping them start a small-scale business to sell these at tourist festivals...pray all the details come together so that they can start making a living!

The kids have been learning a lot more Tagalog lately, and they have a blast in the village with the kids. They get absolutely FILTHY, but they sure have fun. :)

studying the Word together

this is where one of the churches meets - called a bahay kubo here

We had a GREAT time while Shawn was here, but his visit was cut short by a middle of the night call from the States that his father had passed away. Please pray for him and his family as they grieve this loss. Our hearts go out to them.

Everyday Sights

Everyday for us, maybe not for you...

man riding a carabao (water buffalo) through the village

street scene...

that little trimobile (motorscooter with a sidecar) is called a trisikel and is one of the most common modes of transport -- as are their man-powered pedi-cab alternative called a padyak

padyaks don't just transport people - here he is hauling a load of peeled coconuts notice the family behind him on the motor scooter - the most common family vehicle

a bangka out on the ocean

the infamous jeepney

their motto? "ALWAYS room for one more!"

the meat market...

just be glad they haven't figured out how to post smells on a blog

the vegetable marketthe fish market
a common meal served with rice

carabao (water buffalo) pulling a cart
cookstoverunning through the rice fields

a little sari-sari store...sari means variety...

they sell a little of this and a little of that

and are found on every corner

lots of different transportation options

firewood for sale, clothes drying
training fighting cocks just a house

Full Weekend

Thanks for praying for us this past weekend. Steve's SIX hour hike across the mountains with the guys went well (though he did have some good stories to tell of him sliding down the trail on several occasions - he said he had never seen anywhere as steep and slippery as that trail! At one point he was sliding down the trail with one leg in front of him and one behind him...great mentail picture there... :) ). Meanwhile, my drive around the mountains with the kids and the other people who couldn't hike went really well too. The teaching in the book of Romans was great, and he felt like he really connected with the group. He also was able to have some deep discussions and discover some more of the cultural barriers they are facing to clear understanding. Please be in prayer with us as we seek His wisdom in how best to address these.

Here are some great pics from his hike.

Thanks for standing with us in prayer. Thanks too for those of you who are taking the time to encourage us with a note - we sure need it!

A Few Requests

Hey there, everyone. Just wanted to let you know a few requests you can be lifting up for us. First off, this is a big weekend for us. Steve hiked 6 hrs from one village across the mountains to another village with a group of 8 guys to study the Word together with the group there. They are studying through Romans. The texts I have gotten from Steve are very encouraging, and we can't wait to see what God will do through this time. And he brought the camera so hopefully I can post some pics when he gets home on Monday. :) Pray too for the kids and I as we go it alone here and press on with school.

Another request has to do with an upcoming ministry opportunity. We will be partnering with an organization called Global Empowerment to work towards empowering a tribal church to send out some of their very own to bring the Truth to an unreached people group - hopefully right here to partner with us to reach the Agta people. It is a huge endeavor, and we desperately need your prayer. There are also some concrete ways that you can be involved in this project; if you want more details, just let me know so that I can send you some more details about what is going on.

Puppies, Puppies Everywhere!

The puppies are 5 wks old now and growing like crazy. There are 4 yellow ones and 3 black ones, and they are all as cute as can be.

The kids are having the time of their lives playing with these little guys - that's right all seven of them are male! What are the odds?!?!

Ok, now don't shoot us, but NO we are NOT keeping them - between us and our duplex neighbors, there are already currently 12 dogs in our yard!

We are just starting the process of trying to sell these cuties. If you know someone in the Philippines who is interested in giving one of these little guys a good home, let us know!

Human cuties not for sale. :)

Village Fun

We were recently blessed by a visit from my cousin Kenny. He is a great guy and was a real encouragement to us.

While he was here, we took a couple trips to some of the villages where we are working. Here is one of us in the concrete boat headed across the lake. This is actually the 2nd boat we have made out of ferro cement. (For more info, check out the post "Concrete Boat" in Oct 2007.)

We never tire of the beauty of God's creation.
We stopped at a waterfall for some little play time before going to visit our friends. I love the character in this pic.

All 3 kids (5 if you count Steve & Kenny) took a turn climbing behind the waterfall and jumping through it. Only the water level is way down so they were really more jumping beside it than through it this time.

warming up in the sun - that mountain stream is COLD

a little hut we saw on the hike

The kids with Uncle Kenny

and a quick family shot

Kenny took more pics during his time here, but they somehow didn't end up on my computer - will have to check Steve's. But thought I would at least share these for now.

Thanks for coming, Kenny!