presenting the class of 2014

Graduation - Thursday, May 22nd

Congratulations, Amy and Elise...

we are delighted in each of you...

profoundly thankful for both of you, 

and for the wonderful people who have impacted you here in Davao.

 We're so excited to see what God will do in the coming months and years of your lives.

 May you never know an hour apart from Him,

and may His goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your lives.

 CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2014!

"You'll travel where my arms won't reach
As the road will rise to lead your feet
On a journey of your own.
May my mistakes not hinder you
But His grace remain and guide you through;
This is my prayer for you.

Take His hand
And go where He calls you to.
And whatever comes, seek Him
With all your heart;
This will be my prayer for you.

Father, hear my ceaseless prayer;
Oh keep them in your care."

From: A Mother's Prayer
by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty,
and Fionan de Barra

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!

 

once upon a time it all came true...

Once upon a time...

there was a little six-year old girl

in a loving Filipino family who wanted to go to school.

Far away, on the other side of the world, 

there was a young American family 

of a daddy, a mommy, and two 3-year old girls.

They wanted to share God's love.

Through Compassion International,

that little Filipino girl's dream

and that little family's love

came together,

and Abegail started school.

One day, ten years later,

God sent that very same family,

now with two 13-year old girls

and a 9-year old boy,

across the world to work

at the opposite end of the very same country 

where 16-year old Abegail still went to school.

After many years of hard work,

dedicated study, and God's goodness,

Abegail graduated this month from college, 

with a 2-year degree in Information and Communication Technology.

And today we met for the very first time,
 this very same family, and this very same Abegail,

to celebrate God's love

that made all of this

come true.

at the airport with Abegail, her father, and the Compassion program director

We headed to the beach, a quiet spot to get to know one another.

Three beautiful young ladies

The trip was a series of firsts for Abegail;
her first time to fly in an airplane,
 first time to take a boat ride,
first time to hold a starfish,
and first time to meet Americans.

Abegail's first time to snorkel

Abegail is beautiful, inside and out.
When she expressed thanks to us for partnering with her
to get an education, she gave the credit to God -
right where it all belongs.

Compassion International has not only worked to minister to Abegail's material needs,
but more importantly to her spirit,
guiding her toward a knowledge of God and His Word,
and she's quick to acknowledge His goodness in her life.

lunch together on the beach

What a fun and wonderful day it was! Thanks be to God for such an incredible privilege.

 God bless and keep you, Abegail,
all the days of your life.

at dinner together at the end of our day, when Abegail presented us with a box of photos of her and her family

Would you like to have an amazing true story of your own?
Consider partnering with Compassion to sponsor
a little child who has the potential to become a young woman or man of God...
you never know how God might work!

the order of the day

Jane Austen

 from Pride and Prejudice:

"I should like balls infinitely better,' she replied, 'if they were carried on in a different manner; 

but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting.  

It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made the order of the day.'"

 

It's prom season in the US,

but that means banquet season here in Davao.

 This was Michael's first year to get to attend, 

and he was a good sport to pose with his sisters before they set off on their separate ways.

 

The guys had a back massage line going...

how did you get at the front of the line, Michael?

Try all you want guys,

these two ain't no angels.

Meanwhile the high school met for a masquerade banquet,

though the masks didn't seem to get much use...

Lots of games and laughter,

food and skits,

friends and memories,

and...oh yes, conversation

were the order of the day.

having a field day

The soccer field at the local international school 

was teeming with people early Friday morning for Field Day,

the annual pre-Spring Break event for elementary and middle school students.

Michael's favorite event is always the 1k. 

He had some tough competition from the other 7th & 8th grade boys 

(you can see that Michael on the right in his red t-shirt 

wasn't exactly the longest-legged man on the track)

But he still managed to come in first. (Way to go, Michael!!)

(He wishes they'd figure out a way to do a 5k,

but a student got lost out in the neighborhood a few years ago(!), 

and the on-campus options are pretty limited.)

The three-legged race was more of a challenge,

being paired with a friend who is a little bit taller...

photo thanks to Mrs. Shiel

The morning ended in an all-school relay

and Michael carried the baton over the finish line first for his team,

with his good friend J right behind him...

Way to go, guys!!

Michael with friends of all ages...

 The morning was a gift from God,

with bright sunshine,

great friends,

and strong, healthy bodies in competition

to the glory of God!

Every time I step on the field 

I will give everything I have...

-Tim Tebow

serious fun

This morning the local Filipino homeschool group

joined us for an aeronautics workshop

taught by Mark

(my intelligent and creative husband)

The kids had a great time experimenting with airflow

and Bernoulli's Principle,

watching movies of airplanes being built in fast motion,

and experiments with aerodynamics.

Then the older students branched off to make a variety 

of paper gliders to fly

(even the parents made a few!)

While the preschool students made their own fun,

learning the names of the parts of an airplane,

making roto-copters,

and watching them spin from way up as high as we could go!

The preschool grand finale was to make edible airplanes,

with a banana fuselage, graham cracker wings, a cookie tail, and

candy windows.

How sweet it is...

Okay, this one didn't quite look like an airplane,

but it was still some serious fun.

Thank you to the Homeschool Network 

and all of the wonderful families who attended today. 

 We were blessed by you!