Whatever...

is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

With Thomas away it can be easy to think about what I am missing but with this verse in mind, I've given some thought to my day and this is what I choose to think about:


we had running water for most of the day

we have two new tubs of water ready if we do not have running water

there is plenty of drinking water in the apartment

most of what I had planned for the school day was completed

Thomas was able to share God's Word with the Philippine National Police and the Jehovah Witness's that came to our door

I turned leftover oatmeal from breakfast into a delicious cake that we got to enjoy before he left.

Some of the girls quickly worked to fill Daddy's suitcase with love notes for him to find when he was away. Something they have learned from me.

We had a gigantic salad for lunch. The first salad in a long time as lettuce is a very rare sight at our market.

Our kind mailman gave me a ride home on his motorcycle concerned it was "too hot to walk."

Alexie and Annalise worked together and prepared tonight's supper. They worked so well together. Alexie was patient and Annalise was eager to do anything to help her big sister. The only thing I did was cut up some onion as the job was causing Alexie to shed so many tears.

a note of encouragement from my mother

an exchange of love texts with my Dear Hubby

a quiet house with all my girls tucked in bed

The truth is I think I could keep going with this list. It is amazing what you can find to think about in just a regular day on the calendar, if you're looking with this focus.

I highly recommend it.
Lisa

Praise and Prayer

We have been praying even more intensively about Kids Club recently as I have been very discouraged. Not many children were coming. Those that did come usually were not staying but coming in and out distracting others. I know God had spoken to me about this ministry and I needed to keep on and trust the power of His Spirit to work. Yesterday when I came to church there were six children sitting in chairs waiting for me. They asked to have Kids Club early so they could come as the time it was scheduled is when a few of them need to sell newspapers. I have learned the value in flexibility so we moved it up two hours and 11 children came and stayed. I also was blessed that I had five Filipino college students assisting me. They helped with games and provided some translations when the need arose. We shared some laughs, games, brownies, and God's Word. It was such an answer to prayer and an encouragement to me. Looking forward to what God is going to do next week...

Thomas is just left to travel about 14 hours so he can attend Robuan's funeral. There are many traditions surrounding death in the Philippines and we believe it is important for the family of Robuan and the rest of the village to remind them of the proclamation Robuan made in front of them all when he accepted Christ as his forgiver and leader and was baptized. Robuan struggled against old habits as he grew in his new-found faith. But he was a child of God because our salvation is based on the work Jesus has done for us, not the rules we obey.

This will be the first time we will be separated since moving here. It is never easy to do without him but add to it still adjusting to life in another culture and it becomes a bit more overwhelming. He'll be gone until Thursday morning. Please pray for safe travels and effective witness to the village of Kakaby and pray for the five of us staying home. I can't just slip a frozen dinner in the oven or take the girls to their grandparents or a friend's house for a distraction. To add to the adventure, for the last three days, we have often been without water. Thomas drew me a diagram of the different ways to adjust the valves in hopes that one out of the three will provide water while he is away. Hoping that we will not only survive while he is gone but will enjoy some special girl time together...

Lisa

Semester Break Celebration

In order to celebrate the semester break for the SSM students, the students and YWAM families traveled to Mainit to enjoy a day at the hot springs. The weather was beautiful, the pools were full (a first for us), and the food was delicious.

In keeping with our adage that life is school and school is life, the girls had an anatomy lesson provided by the young boys that are family of the pool owners.
Adriana and Thomas enjoyed the views provided from the top of the jeepney on the ride home.

It was a great day!

Robuan

Today I received a text message stating that my friend, Robuan, went to be with Jesus yesterday. Robuan holds a special place in my heart because the Lord allowed me to be part of Robuan's salvation and baptism during our time here last year.

He lived with his family in the village of Kakabay, near Naic. I am so glad I was able to visit with him once again when we were in the Manila area taking care of visas.

This was posted outside of his house. He and his family moved into a much smaller place when he donated his house to be the school for the children of Kakabay last year.
Robuan's baptism 09-2007
Visiting in 09-2008

Robuan only spoke Tagalog and I only speak English, so our friend, Jerry, would always interpret for us. I always joked with Robuan that one day, we would be able to share stories without an interpreter. I guess he wanted to get to that place first.

While I am confident that Robuan is in a better place and once again able to use his whole body, please pray for his wife, Teresita, and their family as they deal with the loss of a husband and father.

Grace,

Tom

I am thankful for...

Probably not what you were expecting! Seriously, last week Thomas was able to fix our toilet so it now flushes. Earlier this week when I was able to push a button rather than dump in a bucket of water to flush, I was very thankful. Maybe you don't believe it, but I really did pause and say a prayer. A Western-style flushing toilet is something I used to take for granted, a convenience that I didn't think much about (with the exception of the many years I have spent potty-training my four precious daughters where it is important that you know the location of every available toilet.) While traveling in the Philippines, the common variety is a squattie-pottie. Back home we didn't pack our own toilet paper when we were going to be out and about. I never paid to use the bathroom and there was soap and running water at the sinks. Sometimes the sinks even had sensors so I didn't even have to turn the water on. Not so much here.

Running water...I am excited when I turn on the faucet and water appears. Another thing I never thought about, it was just something I expected to be there every time I wanted it.
A nice hot shower...soon after we moved we were able to install heaters on our shower heads. But even with those, running water, and electricity, you are not assured of a hot or even warm shower. Most nights I spend several minutes trying to adjust the water flow so that it is able to heat. Sometimes nothing I do seems to be quite right so whenever I feel hot water showering down I say a little prayer of thanksgiving.
Electricity...sure there were a few times back home when we would lose power but usually only if we had experienced a severe storm and even then the power was most times quickly restored. Today we had another scheduled brown-out from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This time we were told on Monday to expect it. There have been other times we were totally unaware. After a few such experiences, we learned that if you hear a Filipino language coming from a loud speaker, it is best to ask for a interpretation. We also have a supply of candles at the ready. The good news is our stove top is fueled with gas so we are still able to prepare meals whenever a brown-out occurs.

Before I was thankful for many blessings and took the time to say "Thank you" to my Heavenly Father for them. Now my words of thanks come more often for a much longer list.

Lisa

A Box of Encouragement

Today Annalise walked with Thomas and I to the post office. Usually we find mail for other staff members to deliver, but not today. Imagine our surprise when there was a package with our name on it. The whole family was so excited to open the box, some jumping up and down in anticipation.

A big thank you to Norm, Criselda, Nick and Tanya! It is such an encouragement to know that there are people thinking of us.

Chicken and Dumplings

...because sometimes it's nice to have something other than rice.