Pajama Day

Okay, we did all get dressed but some of us would have liked to have stayed in bed all day. It seems there must be a virus attacking us. More of us are feeling ill. The good news is no one had a fever today. Trusting for a quick turn-around to complete health as tomorrow is Kid's Club. To add to the discomfort, we had running water today for only about an hour!

Thanks for all your prayers...
Lisa

Please pray for Annalise

Annalise has been sick for the past few days with a fever, headache, and abdominal pain. She didn't even finish her piece of the cake I made tonight. The thought of seeking medical care here is a bit scary so we are trusting that it won't be necessary. We appreciate everyone joining us in prayer for her.

Lisa

Back Together Again

Thomas returned home at about 9 this morning. We are becoming so Filipino we celebrated with food. We had a delicious brunch of pancakes, baked apples with cinnamon and sugar, and bacon. You wouldn't think in a town with pigs galore, bacon would be hard to come by, but it is. I just recently discovered a place in town we can buy it. The girls excitedly exclaimed, "It is in a plastic package." Yes, we were thrilled to have found honey-cured bacon vacuum sealed in plastic packaging with English labeling! It is quite a pricey treat so we cherished every last crispy morsel.

Another Filipino tradition is pasalubong, bringing home a gift when you have been away. Honestly, Thomas was quite busy with the purpose of his visit (that and being very sick) to even think about it. But my good friend, Lita, was thinking of his girls. Knowing that mangoes are my very favorite she sent some home with Thomas along with three pineapple and a bunch of bananas. It is a huge blessing as mangoes and pineapple are no longer available here in Bontoc.

We are all hoping to enjoy a peaceful night sleep in the comfort of our own beds.

Lisa

P.S. Thomas is still processing his experiences of the last few days. He is thinking about how he can possibly put it into words.

Whatever...Day 3

As I sit and reflect on the day, my thoughts all center on how blessed I am to have Thomas in my life. Truly he is a gift from God to me and our girls. I have had to endure only a few days without his presence. Tomorrow morning we will be reunited, but there are women out there who must endure day after day without their husbands. Some, like Teresita, are suddenly alone when death takes their husband. Others are forced to walk alone because their husbands just left. My heart aches for all those women, especially those who must parent on their own. So when these last few days I have been filled with loneliness, I said a prayer of thanksgiving for my husband and a prayer for those other women. My prayer is that God will be near and carry them through.

Lisa

Whatever...Day 2

I must be honest and say there were times today it was difficult to "think about such things." It is like when you decide to take up a new exercise routine. There is inspiration that carries you through that first workout, but the next day when your body is protesting, any excuse can cause you to slip back into just relaxing. But nevertheless when I determined to do it, this is what I came up with:

Alexie getting up and right away starting on her schoolwork while her sisters were still sleeping.

The peace and quiet of the morning.

Alexie mixing up pancakes by herself and helping to cook them.

Being able to fold and put away the laundry I had hung up to dry yesterday and washing and hanging another load before breakfast.

Smucker's strawberry preserves to spread on my pancakes.

Getting to taste a new fruit.

Alexie helping by doing some school with Annalise while I was away this morning.

Talking with a new mother and the memories her precious one-month old baby girl brought to mind.

Getting some extra exercise in the sunshine as I walked to town and back twice to attend ONE meeting.

Meeting with the local elementary principal today and the opportunity to start teaching value education to a class of 6th graders next week. Alexie's excitement to join this class.

The provision of a Bible-based curriculum guide for me along with a pamphlet and Bible for each student.

The times I turned on the faucet and water appeared.

Adriana's science experiment turning out like the book said it should.

Hearing "I am sorry." and "Thank you." from some of my girls.

Emails from friends, family and some blog comments too.

Keeping up with friends through their blogs.

A funny book to read, as I am rereading Cheaper by the Dozen

A text from Thomas letting me know he arrived safely.

Having Annalise read to me.

A reminder that all my girls are unique, no gingerbread girl cut-outs here.

Getting to chat with him tonight via the internet and hearing he was able to share with the village of Kakaby today and that he was invited to speak at Robuan's funeral tomorrow.

Thinking about how God ordered our steps and allowed us to visit Robuan a few weeks ago and present him with a photo album containing photos of his baptism.

Word that just last week Robuan had looked through the album with his wife and talked about his faith and how this is helping her now.

Annalise happily playing with magnetic letters as Adriana, Alexie and I prepared supper.

Leftover cake and brownies for dessert.

There's more but I better get some sleep. Being tired doesn't help me "think on such things."
Lisa

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