home sweet home

As we visit with many of you here in the U.S.,

we encounter lots of questions about where we live in Davao.

So here's a picture tour of our home!

Here's our house - the one right in the middle

Inside the gate is a carport (though we have no car!) and a small yard

We love our little patch of green in the front,

the birds that visit us,

and the flowers that grow...

Down the right side of our house is another small unit where a co-worker lives

Our driveway is a spot where local kids can come to work or to play

Here's our living room/dining area - all ready for our church Christmas Party last year.

And the same room from another angle - ready for a Thanksgiving feast!

Our kitchen is spacious and wonderful. 

Do you notice any differences from a typical U.S. kitchen?

In case you were wondering...

*No dishwasher

*No running hot water

*Lower kitchen counters

*Windows open all the time except in driving rain

*Small range/oven - not large enough for a cookie sheet!

*Most foods in plastic storage -to protect it from the ants

Continuing the downstairs tour, this is our office space

This room also has a window A/C unit, so we gather here every evening 

after dinner to read, work, play games, or watch a movie.

Lots of together time!

Also downstairs is our main Comfort Room

or bathroom.

Because we have an electric water heater in this shower,

it's the shower of choice.

And finally, our Master Bedroom is downstairs, too.

This room has about two more feet of width than what you see, 

and two feet of extra length at the end of the bed.

Michael's bedroom is upstairs

as is Amy and Elise's room.

The upstairs bathroom

This room gets soaked if anyone turns on the shower.

Another good reason to shower downstairs!

Upstairs is also a loft area where we sew, play piano, and use as workspace.

Mark calls our deck 'the best room in the house.'

After the heat of the sun has passed, it's a great spot to read,

meet with friends,

or have dinner.

Michael eats dessert on the deck while lightening flashes in the background

And the deck is also where we hang our clothes to dry after washing them in the machine

Thanks for visiting!

We'd love to have you come

for a real-life tour when we get back!