Geography Club

Alayna and Annalise with their friend Kaia.

Geography Club is a monthly activity with our homeschool group. Last school year we participated faithfully. This year we spent time learning about places not from books from the library or websites but from first hand experience. Needless to say this prevented us from making the monthly gatherings. Then when we arrived back home our lives seemed hectic as we tried to cover all the other school subjects and do the work we need to do to prepare to leave again. But as our homeschool friends chose to study the Philippines made the time to participate. The girls spent weeks researching and blending this with their experiences to write about life in the Philippines. Thursday, it was great to gather and share what we learned and eat some Filippino food. The girls shared only some of what they had written. Many of you may have questions about the Philippines or wonder what our girls perspective is. So coming soon to a computer near you will be a blog of their very own...Any suggestions for a blog name?

All Things Work Together For Good

A few weeks ago Adriana broke her glasses. Of course had she been sitting doing her schoolwork as she was supposed to...So I called the place we got them from and found out they were under warranty for just a couple weeks more. We knew she needed a new prescription and had already scheduled an exam with our regular optometrist. Just pay the copay $24 for frames, $15 for the lens. Call back and it seems her frames were discontinued and we need to come pick out new ones. Adriana got to chose the frames she wanted and in the end we got the complete pair of glasses for $16.85. Nice.

Some of you will remember we asked prayer because we wanted to rent a floor of a building in Bontoc. Even after negotiations with the owner, the rent remained too high for us. A week ago we were told an American couple was renting the place and are planning to conduct church meetings in the top floor. Obviously God had a plan for what He wanted there. We are excited to see more believers reaching out to the Philippines and look forward to talking to them. Before we were not aware of any other Americans in the area. We are still trusting that God has just the right place for our family in Bontoc. He just hasn't told us yet...

Dear Noah

Today Annalise asked if she could send an email to her friend, Noah. I agreed and sat and typed as she spoke. I tried to type exactly what she said without prompting or correcting. What resulted was a summary of her perspective on our transition.

I hope someday she and Noah will be able to forgive me for this intrusion on their privacy.

Dear Noah,

The Bible is great to us. God is always with me.

When we will go to the Philippines I will see people I made friends with already. I will make some more friends in the Philippines.

There is red ants that bite in the Philippines.

I will be there for 2 years. When the 2 years are over, I will be 7. When I come back I will see you at church.

There are a little bit of dogs there.

At lots of the orphanages, some of the children cried when we left.

In the Philippines, I might see a big palm tree. There are palm trees with coconuts in them and they climb up the coconut trees to get the coconuts down.

There is beaches that have trash in them.

There is trikes. Trikes is where there is a motorcycle or a bike with a tiny thing that you sit in and they drive you where you go.

I will see you at church.

I love you,

Annalise

Ice Fishing

Saturday was beautiful. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the 20's. I took Adriana and Alayna ice fishing. We had a great time. I did not actually fish, they did. It was a good thing I had not planned to do any fishing myself because they kept me busy. They brought in 32 keepers.

Several times while in the Philippines, I had fun describing what ice fishing was like to my friends who had never seen snow, let alone walked on a frozen lake. So this video has been in my mind since we were leaving Bontoc.

Enjoy...

Grace,

Tom

Cinderella

Yesterday I was listening to the radio and heard for the first time Steven Curtis Chapman's lastest song Cinderella. If you wonder what Thomas is doing, he's busy, as his dance card is filled.

http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/thismoment.htm

Push play to hear for yourself and those of you with little girls at home take the time to dance...

Lisa

Pay Attention!

We are reading Clementine by Sara Pennypacker.

Then I got busy working on my project so I wouldn't have to hear any "Clementine-pay-attention!"s.

Except I did anyway. Which was unfair because each time, I was the only person in the whole art room who was paying attention. Which is why I could tell everyone right in the middle of the Pledge of Allegiance that the lunchroom lady was sitting in the janitor's car and they were kissing. Again. No one else saw this disgusting scene, because no one else was paying attention out the window!

And after that, when it was my turn to pass around the stapler, I could tell everyone that the art teacher's scarf had an egg stain on it that looked-if you squinted-exactly like a pelican, which nobody else noticed.

"Clementine, you need to pay attention!" the art teacher said one more time. And just like the other times, I was paying attention.

Yes, we understand this quite well. Seems we have a Clementine living with us. It’s great to read about and laugh, because quite honestly the reality show we’re living in isn’t always so funny. Sure she’s paying attention to what’s going on out her window and creates stories in her mind but that doesn’t get her math done. You guessed it… rough week of school. I’d schedule a parent-teacher conference but I spend enough time talking to myself!

Lisa

Happy Heart Day!

Hearts, flowers, candy, hugs and kisses, and messages of love...gotta like a day like this! I always like these kind of surprises. Made me think of a Valentine's Day when Thomas and I were in college...

The doorbell rang and standing on my parents' front step was my beloved. He had driven all the way from Ohio to deliver his Valentine gift to me. Homemade cherry cheesecake.

I am so blessed to have him in my life. This is just one of many special memories of the last 21 years we have been a couple. Yes, we are high school sweethearts. Looking forward to what awaits us as we continue to take this journey hand in hand...

Lisa