Spring Break

So our spring break didn't look like your typical spring break, but we had an amazing adventure!

We started out by driving the looong drive down to Bicol (took about 12 hours because of traffic).  Our ministry partners, Joseph & Lorraine and their daughter, Dani, joined us on the trip.  Thankful to report that Dani did extremely well during the many hours in the car and on the trail!

The first morning in Bicol, we headed out into the mountains for a day with our tribal partners and visiting Agta villages.

 We all enjoyed taking turns with Dani. 

 The baby carrier that we have used for years came in handy once again!

 We love our team!

 Cute kids along the way.

(Notice what the little guy in red is holding?  Not something you see every day in the States. :) )

 For all of you who complain that I am too often behind the camera...

 This little one had an amazing smile!

 I had Ben pose in front of this house so you could get a feel for how small it is.  And notice how you can see right through the wall in the back?  These trips are always a reminder to be thankful for our many blessings.

 Ben wanted a turn carrying Dani.  We said it was fine...just not across the hanging bridge!

 The next morning we headed out early to visit another village.  How would you like to be the one to balance as you climb on to this wobbly boat while holding a baby?  No problem for Mikayla!

 Mikayla was a HUGE help with Dani!

 After the boat ride, we took the short hike up the hill to the village.

 As it turned out, the kids' program was getting ready to start as we arrived.  They have had more than 100 kids coming to hear Bible stories on Saturday mornings, so many that they had to divide the group into 2.  They asked Steve if he could share with the first group (the ones who were brave enough to stick around when the foreigners showed up).  Steve shared the story of Shaddrack, Meshack, and Abednego.  It was amazing how enraptured the kids were, not a peep or a wiggle from any of them!

 We only stayed in that village a couple hours, then we got in the car to drive a couple more hours south to where our other tribal partners are based.  We stopped to see the magnificent Mt. Mayon volcano on the way.

 The next morning we got up early to head for the hills once again.  We had hoped to be able to drive into the village, but we found out the night before that the road wasn't passable, so we had to hike in.  It was a steep 1 1/2 hour hike, and we took a break part way up to admire the view.

 Thankfully, our guide killed this creature in the trail before it got any of us!

 We were so blessed to be able to worship with this group of Agta believers for church once we arrived.  It is amazing to see what God has done in this village!  There is a church functioning there, and they are in the process of reaching out to nearby villages to bring them the Good News too!

 The kids had fun playing in the afternoon while the adults were in meetings.

 This little guy has an incredible story.  When he was 2 years old, he was run over by a motorcycle carrying 3 adults.  It ran right over his chest, and he appeared dead.  Our first short-term workers in this village (American college students) were there at the time, and they prayed over him then encouraged his parents to bring him down to the hospital in the lowlands. His parents really thought he was dead, but they did it anyway.  Part of the way down the mountain, the little guy woke up and started jabbering on about the beautiful place he had just visited where everything was bright, and there were happy kids with wings.  They arrived at the hospital, and the doctor checked him out but just told the parents that they were mistaken; this boy had most definitely NOT been run over by a motorcycle.  He is completely fine with no lasting effects whatsoever.  Our God still works miracles, especially in places where the Light is just breaking through the Darkness!  

 After that last day in the village, we headed back down the mountain to start the long trek home.

Incredibly thankful for this wonderful trip with our family and team! Is such a blessing to see what God is doing amongst tribal people in the Philippines!

Sweet 16! (And 12)

On February 16, Mikayla turned 16! Her daddy got her 16 roses for her birthday. :)

 Mikayla had 2 groups of people who she wanted to help her celebrate her birthday, and since it IS her 16th AND her "golden" birthday, we told her she could do 2 parties.

The first one was a "mystery dinner" with some friends from her class.  The students all chose items from a menu...but the menu was in code, so they didn't know what order they would get their food.

 So the food came out at random times...as did their silverware.  It made for a lot of laughs.  And we sang "Happy Birthday" when Mikayla got her dessert during the 3rd course (of 5).  

16 candles on a cupcake!

 Her next party was with a group of girls that has been an incredible blessing and encouragement to her.  So thankful for Godly young women who invest in one another like this group does.

 Mikayla requested mint chocolate brownies for this party, and it was a big hit.

 There wasn't a plan or agenda for the party.  The girls just played a few board games...and spent a lot of time laughing together. :)

 Then on March 1st, Ben turned 12!

He requested taco salad for his birthday supper, and this is one big taco salad!

 No birthday cake for Ben this year, he wanted one giant glob (no bake cookies that are normally in normal cookie size pieces, but I did it in one giant mound this time).

 We didn't really do a party this year, but Ben was thrilled that Papa was here to celebrate with us!

So thankful for our kids!

Village Visit

Those of you who have been following what's going on with our organization know that we have been going through some massive changes.  One of the changes for us personally (besides losing more than half our colleagues here in the Philippines) is that we have a new supervisor.  He came to the Philippines recently to visit the works here so that he can more effectively offer guidance as we proceed.  We are so thankful that he is taking the time to understand what's going on BEFORE he starts to give input!

Steve and I traveled down to Bicol to help him get a glimpse of what God is doing among tribal people in the Philippines.

(Another man from within our org who traveled with him, but since they both travel and work in secure locations, I will protect their identities in this post.  The first 4 pics were actually taken by one of our visitors.) 

 We did a little hiking with them, and they both enjoyed getting to venture out into the  more remote areas.  Looks like Steve is "going tribal" in the pic below since he is hiking barefoot.  He left his hiking flip flops in a village up north on his last trip.

 They got to experience LOTS of different kind of transportation!

 Beautiful views from up on the mountain!

 The pic below is cool because you can see part of our group at the bottom of the picture, but if you look at the top, you can see the rest of the group ahead of us on the trail.

 Lunch with our tribal partners.

 Sweet time of fellowship and testimonies with our tribal partners.  We really sensed God's presence as we shared our hearts during this time, and He used our new supervisor and our friend to challenge our partners to take bold steps as HE leads.

We are not sure exactly what the outcome of this time will be, but we are encouraged by the fact that our new supervisor took the time to come and see what God is doing, and we are excited to see what the future holds.

Outdoor Ed & Banquet

The boys recently got to go on "Outdoor Ed" with their Middle School.  It is a program that has been going on for MANY years now (I actually attended when I was in Middle School!), and the boys had a blast camping with their friends for the week on the island of Corregidor (and learning all about WWII and survival skills).

 They especially enjoyed exploring all the WWII tunnels. This is the biggest one on the island, but the smaller (read: claustrophobic-inducing) tunnels were even more fun.

 All the kids were divided into "squads" with their classmates, and they traveled to different camp sites with their group.  This is Zach's group - see him towards the back on the left side of the bridge?

 Ben had a lot of fun playing in the old cannons.  I love this pic that a friend took of him.

 On the 2nd day of Outdoor Ed, Zach took a fall while playing basketball, and he hurt his arm.  It had already been bothering him from a fall off a skateboard the previous week, and it was a lot worse at that point, so he had to go for an xray.  Turns out, he broke his arm!  Since it was a small, rural hospital, he ended up with an old-school plaster cast that he had to maneuver with for the rest of the week.  The hardest part for him though was that the trip to the hospital took him away from his squad for a day, and he missed 1 night of camping on the island.

 The day after the boys got home, Mikayla had a banquet at school.  Here's a pic of the 3 of them just before her banquet.  See how clunky Zach's cast is?? It was soooo heavy, and it started falling apart pretty quickly after he got home (in fairness, not guessing it got much TLC during Outdoor Ed!).

 The theme for the banquet was "Swingin' Sadies", and it was decorated like a 50's diner.  Mikayla had a lot of fun with her friend, Isaiah.  (Photo cred to his mom, Kristi!)

 The day after the banquet, I left to join Steve in Bicol for a ministry trip (pics and info in the next post, see above this one).  Since our time was so tight after Outdoor Ed before I left, Zach had to put up with the plaster cast for a week.  However, as soon as we got home, Steve brought him in to get a new cast.  Zach was thrilled (sooo much lighter and he can kind of play guitar with this one), and I was too (this one's not leaving bits of plaster everywhere he goes).

February has been busy for us so far (more posts to come), but we are so thankful for the safety God has given and the things that He has done.