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

warp speed

I flipped the switch on the sewing machine and began to sew a sample line 

before stitching up the seams of a new kitchen curtain.

The machine hummed, and as I stepped on the foot pedal, it sprang into action,

whizzing out a startlingly quick line of stitching.

I knew something was not quite right, 

especially when I saw how irregular and frazzled the sample looked.

Had someone used the machine in our absence, and readjusted all of the settings?

I checked them out, making some minor changes, and tried again.

The machine whipped out another seam, just as fast and as messy as the first.

photo by Elise

Still puzzled by the warp speed and dreadful results, I decided to re-thread both the bobbin and the machine.  That would have to fix the issue.  But it didn't.  Once again, the needle flew across the fabric, and I realized all at once the real issue.

I was operating a 110v sewing machine on 220 voltage.

No wonder it was going so fast.

No wonder the light was so bright.

What a wonder it hadn't detonated.

I wasted no time in unplugging it and routing it through our transformer to regulate the voltage,

resulting, to my relief, in a perfect, normal-paced seam.

And it made me think of all the times when I'm just like that machine,

running at high speed, making a mess of things,

operating on the wrong power source. 
 

"...that you may live a life worthy of the Lord 

and please Him in every way: 

bearing fruit in every good work, 

growing in the knowledge of God,  

being strengthened with all power 

according to His glorious might 

so that you may have great endurance and patience,"

Colossians 1:10-11

no place like home

“The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.”
  - Charles Dickens

We've had much joy in returning to Davao;

in being back with our friends at church,

 with our co-workers and fellow expats,

 and with others in our community.

Even the old man who loads my groceries into the taxi at the local mall

greeted me with a beaming smile and a 'welcome back!' when he saw me again.

It was oh, so good to be back home in the U.S. for a season,

but it's oh, so good to be back home again in Davao, too.

♥

“Home is the nicest word there is.”
  - Laura Ingalls Wilder

march on

painting by Amy

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, 

but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.  

~Martin Luther

go for the goal

It's soccer season again for the high school girls,

 and Amy and Elise are enjoying the challenge of being back on the field. 

We are so thankful for their great coaches, 

and for this opportunity, even as part-time students, to be a part of the team!

praying together before a game

Because the Filipino school year ends in March, 

the soccer season is a short one for these young ladies.  

By the end of March all of the local competing schools

are out on summer vacation.

Amy on defense

That means it's an intense time of preparation and lots of games condensed into about 9 weeks.

Elise on defence

Both Elise and Amy have had some minor injuries this season,

requiring frustrating time resting on the bench.

But even in that there are important lessons to be learned.

(Like how to make a DIY ice pack! - 

Leave it to Amy to track down a way to make one out of common household stuff!)

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. 

Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, 

ambition inspired, and success achieved.
-Helen Keller

morning song

Rich tenor notes filled the otherwise silent morning darkness with a haunting lilt, the voice of a neighbor singing his pre-dawn M-prayer.  As I unlocked our gate to see Mark off on a trip out of town, I paused to listen.  The tune was beautiful yet desolate, a cadence chanted to God without any hope in His great salvation...

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness 

and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

Then suddenly, out of the darkness rose another song, loud and strong and sweet, and in surprising contrast, full of merriment.  It was the jubilant song of a small bird, perched on a power line high above the street, singing praise to his Creator.

For by Him all things were created,
in heaven and on earth...
Colossians 1:16a

a different bird I caught praising his Creator in Kirkland, WA

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! 

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150:6

antics

 The ant is knowing and wise,

but he doesn't know enough to take a vacation.

-Clarence Day

ants disappearing by the dozens into a hole in the floor - the hole is sealed now...thanks Mark!

Since our return to our home in Davao,

the ants have been relentless.

First they attacked the kitchen;

their appetites for our unopened, unguarded 

penne noodles and corn flakes was totally understandable.

I mean, it's a free lunch, guys!

But when I secured all the food carefully away in plastic bins,

the ants persisted, starting in on even more delicious entres,

like our paper napkins,

our rolling pin (maybe there were some vestiges of bread dough on it?)

and our ziploc bags.

Those bags are precious.  

And those crazy ants ate holes in the bottoms of them, 

so that when I popped them open to fill with leftovers,

the food fell out the other side.

Then the ants started eating Michael.

Or maybe more accurately, they infested his bed (again),

biting him in the middle of the night.

The whale is endangered,

while the ant continues to do just fine.

-Bill Vaughan 

ants gulping down Terro...the most effective ant poison we've found

 We did many a battle, with chemicals

and perfume (they hate it!) and rubbing alcohol on the walls,

 while sealing more holes

and using elaborate ant traps to keep food out of their reach.

this ant trap is keeping bread dough off limits...

So now, though we see an occasional scout,

life is fairly bug-free.

Except for our bulletin board.

They've been feasting on it for over two weeks now.

They eat into the background paper,
dusting the stairs below with white paper dust.

They bore into the cork, maybe to get at the glue behind it.

And though we've fed them dose after dose of Terro poison,

these ants just keep returning, with no sign of slowing.

They consume the poison, and then go back to the paper.

"It is not enough to be busy,

so are the ants. 

The question is: what are we busy about?"

 --Henry David Thoreau

My mind is boggled by their insistence in consuming my bulletin board.

(At least they aren't eating the photos of our friends posted there!)

I mean, if they have to eat something,

I'm happy for them to eat the bulletin board paper 

rather than our ziploc bags, or our food, 

or our children.

The ants remain unceasingly busy.

But is this obsession of theirs really worth all their work?

Watching them makes me wonder,

What am I busy about?

I'm not a huge Thoreau fan,

but he's got it right in the quote above.

What am I busy about?

Am I busy with what everyone else is currently obsessed, and investing time in?

 Am I consumed with the demands that seem so urgent, that scream for my attention?

Or am I being intentional with my busyness, 

focused on things of eternal worth,

things that will nourish and bless others and myself?

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; 

yes, establish the work of our hands!

Psalm 90:17

spammed

It used to be that when we craved a taste of America, 

the best option was the local McDo's.  

(That's McDonalds for those of you in the U.S.)

But then Starbucks arrived in Davao,
and walking into Starbucks actually feels a little bit like walking back into the U.S.  

Once in awhile that's a comforting feeling.

Mark and I found ourselves there the other evening on our date night to share a frappucino.

Waiting in line, we browsed the sandwich options in the display case.   

It was a reminder that though this might feel like America,
we're definitely still in a foreign country.

Spam anyone?