on the road

We finished up our time in Seattle with more good byes,

thankful for the opportunity to spend time with so many we love.

Then on July 31st we began our journey south.

We experienced just a little bit of adventure in northern California

as our alternator gave up the ghost on a barren stretch,

but with the help of a good Samaritan

and a convenient garage, we were quickly on the road again.

 Near Sacramento we attended a baseball game for the college team of Barbara's nephew.

It was a perfect slice of Americana...an high scoring game with amazing fireworks at the end.

Proud of you, B!

We also spent a night with Barbara's eldest brother who taught us how to eat artichokes.

 We had so much fun looking at old photos, we totally forgot to take any new ones with you guys!

But we left with great memories...thank you, C and D!

Then we trekked on further south where we spent the fourth of July weekend

with more family, more fireworks, and more great memories.

For pictures of some of the crazy fireworks Barbara's brother helped Michael to set off in his driveway on the 4th, check out Elise's newest photos here.

THANKS, S, B and W, for a great time with you guys!

We also had some special fellowship with a local supporting church here in town yesterday; 

we are encouraged by such love among the people of God.

Today we turn eastward, continuing our cross-country journey,

looking forward to how God will continue to lead in the days ahead...

holy week

Here in the Philippines, the week before Easter is referred to as Holy Week,

and special church events and worship times are often scheduled 

in Protestant churches.

 We had the joy of spending part of last week at our church Holy Week Retreat.

Can you pick us5 out of the group photo above?

 Meals for the whole group were prepared in the little church kitchen.

 Kuya Ojie and Harold (above) are preparing camote, a popular Filipino vegetable, for dinner.

 Inday helps with dinner prep too.

What a great time to fellowship together, and to bless the people of God!

Michael, Amy and Elise join with a group of other youth in prayer

It was special time to focus on the Word,

to pray and worship together,

and to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Easter,

the resurrection of our Lord!

"If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; 

if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? 

The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching 

but whether or not he rose from the dead."

-Tim Keller

happy new year!

Happy Chinese New Year, that is!

It's a big event pretty much anywhere in Asia.
In some countries there are fireworks all day and night long.

Here in Davao it's mostly an excuse for a party,

a day off work, and some very colorful street dances.

I found myself in the middle of this one today while out with a friend!

sleeping on the job

The New Year begins here with lots of noise right at midnight;

car horns honking, spoons banging on metal gates, flares rising in lieu of banned fireworks,
pots and pans clashing in symphony with store-bought noise makers.

But once the burst of celebration quiets, the whole city seems to be lulled into a few days of sleepiness.  Businesses close, store shelves lie unstocked, and much of the normal city activity comes to a halt in recognition of the beginning of the New Year.

Down the street, even the local builders take time off,

and only the 24-hour guard remains,

making sure that what has been entrusted to him is well protected.

This New Year is a gift from God.

May I intentionally guard these days that have been entrusted to me,

 alert to opportunities to glorify and enjoy Him!

“God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, 
but by its being rejoiced in.”
-Jonathan Edwards

happy to be His children

The month of December is usually filled with celebrations;

opportunities to rejoice in the gift God gave in sending His Son to this earth.

But being so full, the celebrations often fly by without record.

So here, for the record, are a few of our memories of Christmas 2013.

Clockwise: - Kuya Ronnie and Michael happy to be celebrating together again this year.

- Elise and Amy share a piano and flute duet at the church Christmas party.

- Mark and Elise win the 20 questions type game!  Great teamwork, guys!

- Neil and a friend sing a beautiful Christmas carol duet for us, accompanied by Vic on the guitar.

L-R: A sweet handmade gift from a sweeter friend, 

feasting at the Church party; 

Michael and AJ give two delighted little girls a ride on the table as they set up the room for the feast!

Clockwise: Games at the high school Christmas party; 

 Enjoying an Italian dinner at the high school Christmas party; 

an Agdao Violin Institute benefit concert; 

a staff Christmas celebration with our co-workers.

Clockwise: - A Christmas Eve home celebration of Lessons and Carols

 - our traditional Christmas cookie feast on Christmas Eve

- stockings on Christmas morning (with candy canes!  thank you, A and J!!) 

- a delightful Tolkeinish Christmas surprise from Michael to his sisters

- father and son tinker with their Christmas R/C motor kits

- Elise helps prepare Christmas brunch.

We missed out getting lots of other photos... like our Christmas dinner with a co-worker, 

and Christmas night movie and snacks with friends.  

But we treasure the memories, and rejoice in the reason for all of our celebrations.  

We are so happy to be His children!

Oh, God...
help us rightly to remember
the birth of Jesus, that
we may share in the songs
of the angels, the gladness
of the shepherds, and the
worship of the wise men.

May the Christmas morning
make us happy
to be your children.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

gathered to give thanks

Wishing you hearts full of thankfulness this Thanksgiving!

 I'm thankful today for helping hands in the kitchen; for the joy of cooking with my daughters!

For the beauty of cherry pie...isn't it fun?

Thank you, Elise!

 And for water-color painted name tags.

Thank you, Amy!

 Thankful that though we live in another country where Thanksgiving is not a holiday,

and where our kids still had classes at school, Mark still had work, and Amy and Elise still needed a glass of Gatorade after a basketball practice that lasted til 5, yet we can still celebrate.

Thankful that even here, without the usual trimmings,

we feasted on this amazingly special treat of a moist and delicious turkey!

Thanks so very much, C family...and especially to Abigail(above), and to her sister who combined skill to prepare it.  

That turkey was fabulous!

Thankful for the full bounty of the feast; 

just about every dish traditional to our memories of Thanksgiving...

(and even a few new ones, like the root beer float, Yuri!)

And thankful for a very international group of thankful friends to celebrate with us.

Americans, Japanese and Filipinos...

together with hearts of thanks,

unified in the One Who deserves all our thanks!

...gather us from among the nations, 

that we may give thanks to Your holy name 

and glory in Your praise.

Psalm 106:47

richest mom in the world

How rich I am

to be a mother.

And not just any mother,

but the mother of these precious three...

Three who rose early to love me by making a delicious Mother's Day breakfast.

Later in the day Mark whipped up his famous bean burritos 

while Elise and Amy baked and decorated chocolate delicousness.

(Michael was off winning the battle on the Ultimate Frisbee field.)

And because there must be some license to brag just a little on Mother's Day,

here's a quick glimpse at what these three of ours have been up to lately...

Amy

Reading, writing, playing flute, digital drawing,

baking, crafting, but mostly water-color painting!

Elise

 Photo shoots, poster design, power-point design, 

note card and newsletter design...all to serve others.

And to unwind?  

Piano, cooking, reading and college researching...

Michael

Hundreds of daily push ups, sit ups and dozens of chin ups, 

Ultimate Frisbee,

maintaining and flying an r/c plane with his dad, 

hanging out with friends, sound man for the school musical.

2002

 You've come a long way guys.

Thanks for making me

the richest mom in the world.

finished

It's 6:15 a.m. as I fill my teapot with fresh water for my morning cup of tea.  It's strangely quiet outside, at a time when the streets are usually alive with Pandesol (bread) sellers, recycle collectors, students on their way to class, vendors shouting their wares, jeepneys  and motorcycles rumbling by.  Not today.  It's Good Friday, and everything in the city has come to a grinding halt.  Malls will be closed, jeepneys will be parked, schools are out and the streets are quiet.

A main street at midday - all but deserted.

Until I hear the notes of a song, a recorded tune that seems to be getting closer.  I curl up on our couch nursing my cup of tea with a view of the street outside our gate so I can watch what is happening.  That's when the silent masses of people begin to pass our home.  It's a strange sight, but I know immediately what it is.  It's the local barangay (neighborhood) observation of the Stations of the Cross.  In the midst of the crowd slowly passes a small van with a loudspeaker positioned on top, playing a song, then a mini exhortation about the Cross of Christ, followed by numberless rounds of 'Hail Mary's.

Filing past our house

 And the people keep coming.  There must be over 200 people, silently filing past, heads bowed in devotion.  I sit here in pajamas in the already stifling morning air, wondering about my own level of devotion, and feeling some shame.  After all, I'm not out there, remembering His death, or setting apart a special day to observe His suffering.

But there's a fundamental difference between us.  These men and women sincerely believe that today, Good Friday, is a day when Christ is literally dead.  God's back is turned today, and there is no deity left to protect or defend mortal man.  They march in silent fear.

Some of these people may go so far today as to 'crucify' themselves as penance for their sin.  They will use anesthesia to numb their hands before actually being nailed to a cross.  These same men and women take communion with fear and trembling, believing that in the blessing of the bread, it actually becomes the literal body of Christ, and the cup becomes His literal blood as He is sacrificed once again for their sin.

But this cannot be the same Christ who suffered on Calvary.

...just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,  

so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, 

will appear a second time, 

not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:27-28

Our Savior died once, satisfying God's wrath against sin.  Could we imply that Jesus' death wasn't enough?  Do we need to take on the pain of crucifixion too as penance?  Or should we insist that Christ suffer again and again, believing that what He did 2000 years ago could not fully atone for our sin?

For Christ also suffered once for sins,

 the righteous for the unrighteous, 

that he might bring us to God.

1 Peter 3:18 

 Jesus Himself said, "It is finished!"  And He sat down next to His Father.  

His sacrifice is done for all time. 

So on this Good Friday morning, I can rest here on our couch with my cup of tea, 

because He completely finished the work. 

 Thanks be to God!

there and back again

We are officially back in the Philippines again,

battling jet lag,
joyful to see 'old' friends,

bunking at a guest house while we
clean up our home before moving back in!

New Year's Eve at Mark's sister's home in the Seattle area

ended with games up to the stroke of midnight

(okay, for some of us...others of us read books!)

 New Year's Day more family joined in the games,

 and we enjoyed a delicious celebratory meal

and scrumptious dessert together!

(Thank you, Mandy and Mom!)

January 2nd we left frosty Seattle,

saying final good byes at the airport,

and beginning our 29-hour journey back to Davao.

The trip was long but smooth,

except for a bit of intestinal trouble.
But now we are here,
healthy,
safe,
and so very thankful for all of your prayers along our way!

2013

Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead; 

I hoist sail and draw up anchor, 

With Thee as the blessed Pilot 

of my future as of my past.

from The Valley of Vision; Year's End

January Calendar painted by Amy

Happy New Year From our Home to Yours!

-us5 earthen vessels

Thank you for your prayers for us in our upcoming travels!

where did it go?

November flew by...

where did it go?

And the first week of December is almost past.

But the memories from November are fresh...

Memories of my sister and brother-in-law's special visit to Savannah,

when we explored Fort McAllister,

Michael mans a cannon

...and beautiful Jekyll Island together.

Yes, we saw a 'gator in the Jekyll Island swamps!

Memories of time outside, playing, working, 

savoring the fall temperatures and foliage.

photo from Wikipedia

Memories of college trips

 to explore options for fast-approaching college years...

Photo by Kay

Memories of time with friends.

Amy takes a shot

And memories of Thanksgiving, riding out to the field to shoot the big artillery

after savoring a simply scrumptious turkey dinner.

Elise aims

Michael's turn

Photo by Kay

All too soon it's gone.

but we treasure the remembering...

A pleasure is only full grown when it is remembered.

-C.S. Lewis