songs in the dark

We're sitting at dusk on a hot calm evening around the dinner table,

pasta all gone, stories about the day still being passed around.

Without warning everything goes black and still.

The eerie silence is pierced by a neighbor's loud comment, 

"Brownout!"  

It's brown, not black, because it's only a local power outage, 

as common as water outages are on this slice of the globe.

 Candles are collected,

and Elise washes dishes by their glow

as another neighbor begins to serenade the street with old 80's tunes,

carrying them just a little recklessly.
 But he does it passionately, like a mission of mercy to families robbed
of our evening entertainment through radio and TV.

We bake a batch of cookies by candlelight,

 thankful for our little gas oven,

while Mark collects a few flashlights

so we can play Ticket to Ride by their light,

though I'm sure the fact that I couldn't see the whole board 
is the reason I didn't win.

Even in the dark we're sweltering,

 so when the power surges,
and the blades of the fan begin humming in sweet ministry again,
we cheer along with the rest of the street
in a united celebration of electrical power.

“I am the light of the world. 
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, 
but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

traveling salesmen

She greeted me not far from my gate, bottles of shampoo piled in a box she clutched,

wondering if I would like to buy some?

Shampoo.  

Just what I was hoping to buy out on the street in front of my house.

Then again, maybe not. 

I'm ceaselessly amused by the items sold on the streets in this town.

Bottles of water, sunglasses, oranges, jewelry, stick brooms - 

I saw all of these being sold on the street just this morning.

The neighborhood corner (above) became a casual jacket shop for about a week.

It's gone now. Maybe next week they'll be selling stainless cookware.

But then, I guess could just visit this new neighborhood lot full of stainless kitchenware for sale...

Vendors (above) walk the streets daily from early morning til late at night,

 hawking food like rice porridge, sweet corn, balut and pandesal, or bread.

These venders (above and below) strategically park their ice cream carts

right outside of schools at the end of the school day.

Every American kid's dream;

an ice cream man at the school gate.

We've seen many like these sales guys above (and below).

They are selling...shoes.

Yes.  Shoes.

Bet you could get a good deal - 

though whether they have your size or not is debatable.

 Or need those shoes repaired?

Sit down and visit awhile as they get stitched at the side of the road!

No city would be complete without 

a street vendor of saint dolls.

Forget your mattress at home?

No problem! 

This guy has got you covered.

 Family movie night?
I'll bet you could find Frozen for 50 cents here.

Yo ho ho...yes, they are pirated.

And if you need a quick snack after all that shopping,
you can buy a bag of boiled peanuts (above)

or pick up a fresh coconut or a sweet pineapple in a bag

at a portable storefront.

Who needs Walmart?

top heavy

While we were out together this afternoon, (yes, he's home!)

Mark and I noticed this toppled cement mixer in front of a construction site.

 Oops...

...took out the wall, too.

To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. 

To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.

-Winston Churchill

caught by surprise

 We've lived in Davao since July of 2009, long enough to know this place pretty well.

How is it then that every time I leave our home,

I see new things that surprise me?

Enjoy a few glimpses of surprising elements of life in this country.

I only wish I was quick enough to catch the most amazing ones on camera...

a little boy watches traffic at a busy intersection

Recycling old TVs...it's an uphill job

Jacob had a pillow of stone; this guy's whole bed is just as soft

Somehow I think these guys have what they'd need to fix any radiator in town

Davao River at its best...the clouds were breathtaking!

Yes, the new city speed limits are pretty low...

Furniture Row.  This street is lined with furniture makers with their wares displayed for sale in the road

Make you feel like yodeling?

That's a mighty small lodge...

A shopper (in orange shirt) karaokes in the mall

Bags of ice water on a hot day

Who needs a mini-van?

Umm...are those what I think they are?

In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.
Leo Tolstoy

Have you seen anything that surprised you today??

This is post #600!  Thanks to all of you who stop by and visit us here!

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

fair trade

These beautiful ladies from church, 

and several more who aren't pictured,

Saturday crafting at our home

have been crafting and creating 

and enjoying time together since August.

 

a few of the crafts we've made

Our goal was to host a Christmas Craft Fair where we would raise some money 

for ministries of the Women of the Church.

And then Typhoon Haiyan struck, and the goal changed

to help those in greater need.

Last Saturday morning we opened the gates of our driveway, 

and held the first ever neighborhood craft fair.

We invited other local women to join us - 

women who cook and craft and create 

to supplement their families' incomes.

Above and below: vendors at the fair

It was such a fun morning!

An exciting chance to share talent and hard work with others in the community, 

and to raise funds to bless others who have so little.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people 

but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

2 Cor. 9:12 NIV 

May our thanksgiving to God overflow in all we do!

 

it's more fun

Election Campaigning - More Fun in the Philippines.

Very happy to see an American woman with a camera pointed at them!

Today is the last day of campaigning before the barangay (or district) elections.

Music, balloons, parades, posters, more music...it's like a party!

The parades included jeepneys packed with supporters,

'elf'' trucks transporting live bands,

motorcycles, trikes, and more 'elf' trucks, packed with excited supporters.

Everyone was in a happy, festive, and very friendly mood.

The slogan for the department of tourism...is it familiar?

Election campaigns are definitely more fun in the Philippines.

by grace alone

As Amy, Elise, Michael and I pull heavy grocery bags from the trunk of the taxi, I hear the drum of footsteps on pavement.  John and Hassan, two young teen Filipino boys, spot us and come running to help.  They grab the rest of the bags and carry them in through our gate to the front door.  They hadn't been hired to help, but I find some cookies to share with them in thanks for their willingness.  When I bring the cookies outside, I find them totally at home in our front yard throwing darts at the dart board in the driveway.

'Salamaat, Tita Barbara!' they say, munching as they play.  Then John asks, 'Buy a coconut?'  And my mind flashes back to a day in March of 2012 when these same two boys lost my trust over a coconut.  They had borrowed my biggest, best knife to cut through the tough shell that day, and after they left I found my knife gone. I never saw it again.

I miss the knife, but the greater issue was that John and Hassan, boys who I'd known for several years, would betray my trust, and steal from me.  I wondered at the time if I'd ever see them or trust them again.

Today I find myself reflecting on how time has healed that wound.  John told me one day that they had broken my knife as they cut the coconut, and from what I understand, they decided that it would be better just to get rid of it.  My communication skills broke down about then, and I wasn't able to ask more questions, or to explain that they should have told me right away.

I still don't know the entire story.  I never will.  But then, how many times do I ever know the full story of a wrong done, even when it's communicated in my own language?  How many times do I interpret motives and actions by the limited information I have, without the grace to realize that there is a whole lot behind the scenes that I don't know about the situation? 

I tell John that I won't buy a coconut today, and he leaves with a smile and a wave.  I know now that John and Hassan didn't act maliciously toward me on the day they took my knife.  I'm pretty sure that it was an accident, and that they may not have had the moral framework to know how to honestly deal with such an incident.

It makes me thankful to God for His amazing grace toward me when I do Him wrong.  I'm grateful that, unlike me, He DOES know the entire story. And His grace covers over a multitude of sins.

What does His grace look like?

It looks like a lender who feels compassion toward the debtor who owes him an enormous sum.
It's not justice. 

It's not unusual patience to wait for the check for damages.  

No, he feels compassion - big enough to extend thoroughly undeserved grace; 

to cancel the debt. (Matthew 18)

That’s me.  The one with the huge debt that’s been cancelled.  And I incur more debt every day as I sin against God.  As I put my desires before Him.  As I neglect to do what I know is right to do. As my wrong attitudes fester deep inside. As I fail to love others as myself.

“God...made us alive with Christ…in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace.”  

 Ephesians 2:4-7

How, in the face of His unprecedented compassion toward me, 

in the shadow of such incomprehensible grace,

 could I refuse to show grace to others? 

Oh, but just like that man of Matthew 18, I find a way…

When I have unrealistic expectations of my dear husband.

When our children once again fail to read my mind.

When I hear about the movie their friend went to see.  How could any good parent allow such a thing?

When a promise is not kept.

When someone upsets my plans.

When the persistent street kid at my gate keeps calling and calling and calling.
When I make a judgement without knowing the whole story.

Only as I receive His grace, distributed from His incomparably rich store, will His grace overflow in my life. Hassan and John's friendliness and willingness to help us with the groceries today is entirely a result of grace. Oh. may my life bear more fruits of grace.

“O to grace how great a debtor 

daily I’m constrained to be; 

let that grace Lord, like a fetter, 

bind my wand’ring heart to Thee..."

    

 Truly by grace alone...

holy ground

Or maybe more accurately, hole-ly ground.

That's a pretty big hole.

Whatever you call it, just don't fall in.

These photos, all taken within walking-distance of our house,

provide very good reasons for why Mark does NOT go running 

in this town after dark.

the one less traveled by

Mark begins many of his days with an early morning run.

In fact, he's often up and out the door by 5:45, 

before I've peeled myself out of bed.

And on his 3-7 mile runs through the streets of the city,

he gets to see a different side of Davao than this non-runner will ever see.

He explores new and different routes all the time.

Mark loves seeing the city come alive in the morning;
the bustling market, the uniformed students walking to school, the maize steaming in huge cans,

chess games outside of bamboo houses, and chickens and dogs all over the place. 

Lately he's taken a camera with him,

holding it by his side to take photos

so that people won't be intimidated by the lens.

The following are a few shots

from a runner's view...

Down a foot-traffic-only road

A cart-load of pomelo in the market

Early morning along the Davao river

(Mark hopes to take the ferry that crosses this river on a run some day)

A neighborhood pick-up game of basketball

Weighing ginger root in the market

A makeshift home - complete with television (!)

A road-side gas station 

(the Coke bottles are the perfect way to measure a liter of gas)

Tin roofs and bamboo walls

A trio of guard dogs

And nearing our home again, a pig truck.

(We hear these trucks pass our house occasionally -

 all the squealing makes them unmistakable!)

Mark loves the interactions along the way,
the startled smiles as Filipinos see a foreign guy running past their homes,
or a "Hey Joe!" and a "Maayong Buntag" (good morning) shouted out.

Are you a runner? Come for a visit!
Mark will take you for a run on a road less traveled by
so you can see for yourself the heart of this city.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

-Robert Frost