faith comes by hearing

Esther is a sweet, soft-spoken Filipina Christian who loves to attend church, 

where she hears the words that equip her for every good work. (Eph. 4:11-12)

Esther was just 12 years old when she came down with a bad case of measles. The doctor urged her father to take steps to save Esther's sight.  But Esther's mother was also very sick with another disease, and since their family had very little money available, Esther's father had to choose which one of them would receive medical help.

He chose to help her mother.  Esther's mother died.  And Esther lost her sight.

So then faith comes by hearing, 

and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

Being blind, Esther is unable to read God's Word.  For her, faith literally comes by hearing.  That's why she loves to come to church, to hear the Word, and to be reminded of God's care for her.  And that's why it's so exciting for Esther to have received one more way to hear.  Last Sunday, the church gave an exciting tool to Esther; an Audibible.

Audibible is a hand-held audio player in a sturdy case, capable of holding hundreds of hours of high quality audio content.  The Audibible was designed and developed as a cost efficient, durable tool to meet the needs of those who do not or cannot read.

Because the Audibible is solar powered, it doesn't require any costly batteries to keep it powered.  

A solar-powered device works great in this sunny climate!  

Esther receives her new Audibible, enabling her to listen to the Word in Cebuano

Audibibles are widely used to distribute God's Word in the Philippines. This is a country where, despite a high level of literacy (officially 92.6%), most people do not read.  One reason for that is that most available books are written either in English or in the national language. I don't know about you, but if I didn't have literature in my first language, I wouldn't be reading much for pleasure!

In addition, the Filipino climate and conditions are unfriendly to books.  Heat, humidity, and frequent flooding cause warping and molding, and hungry termites destroy what's left.  (That's such a sad truth for those of us who love books!)

These tough Audibibles, available in many languages, are a fabulous way to distribute the Word of God to many people who otherwise would not, or in Esther's case, cannot read it. May much faith come by hearing!

*Many thanks to Amanda C. for your labor of love to package and send Audibibles this direction!

for the record...

Just for the record...

...we love the library.

There are no public libraries in Davao.

Government funding is not available for such a luxury,

and the climate, 

with high heat and humidity,

termites and mold issues,

is not a friendly one for books.

Here in the US, with the ability to go online and order materials to be sent directly to our local library branch, we are reveling in all of these amazing, free options for reading, movies, and researching.

In case you are wondering about those career option books...

we're definitely not looking for a job change;

Amy and Elise are just researching options for the future!

You can never get a cup of tea large enough 

or a book long enough to suit me
 - C.S. Lewis

Time to boil water for a cup of tea, 

and dive into a great book... 

impossibly wonderful gift

Another blessing in spending time with family and friends over the course of the past month is hearing the ways God is working in your lives.  I'm delighted to share this guest post written by my brother Carl, a man who seeks after God's own heart:
 

One of the most significant contributors to my view of God is Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. Ever since my first encounter with the book, its potent themes have haunted me continuously. I’ve never read anything else that portrays so piercingly what God’s love looks like when experienced, then faithfully expressed by a human being. 

 

My favorite passage in all of literature takes place near the beginning of the book, when the fugitive Jean Valjean is welcomed into the bishop’s home, no questions asked, but treated as a brother and an honored guest. Then, responding to the bishop’s warm hospitality by stealing his silver in the night, Valjean is apprehended by the police and summarily returned to the bishop’s home to face recrimination and certain return to prison. 

 

Then, in the most shocking, impossibly wonderful scene, the bishop declares to the police that the silver was a gift and he incredibly underscores the assertion by adding silver candlesticks to the “gift,” implying that Valjean had simply forgotten to take them with the rest. The remainder of the book then portrays Valjean’s thoroughgoing repentance and its fruits in the lives of others.

 

Of course Hugo’s work is fiction, but I find more truth here than in almost any factual account I’ve ever seen. I grew up viewing God as essentially angry and in need of placation, thus my need to repent to produce that effect. Hugo has helped me immensely in knowing that it’s the goodness of God that produces repentance, not the judgment of God (as Javert would have it). 

 

God’s movements of love, as mirrored also by the Prodigal Son’s father, not only precede repentance but are even performed in the face of absurd odds that they will ever bear fruit. 

 

In this emerging realization, I’m growing in gratefulness to and amazement of God. That holy magic of God’s love is intoxicating me.

Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant and patient God is with you?

 Does this mean nothing to you? 

Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Romans 2:4 (NLT)

-Carl Grant

world lit at the coffee shop

Amy and Elise are studying World Literature for school this year in conjunction with World History.
Mark and I decided that we would read all of their assigned books also,
so that we could more effectively discuss ideas and concepts together.

And we decided to make it all the more special by going out to coffee for our post-book discussions! 
It's been very fun to explore various coffee options in the city.

The spot below (Bo's at Abreeza!) is the quietest one we've found so far.

We've read a variety of books together, from C.S. Lewis to Shakespeare.

This week we finished the book

"Legacy of Sovereign Joy" by John Piper,

which highlights God's amazing grace in the lives of three key men of the Protestant Reformation:

Augustine, Luther and Calvin.

It was an excellent book, giving us unique insights into the lives of these three men of God, and challenging us in light of both their failures and their faith to see the hand of God at work for His glory.

Now we've moved on to John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" and I'm looking forward to some Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Joseph Conrad, Corrie Ten Boom and other great authors in this second semester!

I just love sharing great books with my family! ♥

What great books have you read recently?

********

     As a side note, while we were having our discussion this week, one of the employees of the coffee shop moved to open the inside blind just next to our window. As the blind went up, he peered outside through the window at us, smiled when he caught our eye, and waved a happy wave.  I was struck again by the friendliness of Filipinos, and by the contrast in America, where it would feel a little threatening, invasive, or just plain strange if a coffee shop employee was smiling and waving at me through a window.  I'm so privileged to live in a place with this kind of friendliness!

excellent free Kindle books

Today, on Amazon.com, 

the Kindle editions of The Holiness of God 
by R.C. Sproul
(eta: this book is now back to $9.99 - sorry if you missed it!)

and...

Randy Alcorn's excellent book,

Money, Possessions and Eternity 

are both FREE!  

You don't want to miss these!

balikbayan

Balikbayan means 'back home'

(I think!  Am I right, my Tagalog-speaking friends?) 

 Balikbayan companies in the U.S. and in other countries 

provide the means for Filipinos living overseas 

to send goods back home to family and friends living here in the Philippines.

And crazily enough, we benefit.

These Balikbayan companies still (unlike the Post Office) ship goods. 

And any given box of certain dimensions costs a flat rate to send, 

regardless of weight.

Mark carries in a heavy Balikbayan box

This is the way that we 

(with lots of help from both Mark's and Barbara's wonderful sisters back in the U.S.!) 

have been able to ship curriculum for our homeschooling, 

items for Mark's work, 

and even Christmas and birthday gifts 

at $65-$90 per box, in about 6-8 weeks.

(YES, that sounds like a lot of money.  

But comparatively it's a very cheap rate, 

especially when we're shipping heavy books,

or parts that are unavailable here.

And you can see that these are pretty big boxes!)

Of all expats, we here in the Philippines must be the most spoiled because of this option.

Just a couple of weeks ago our family received a Balikbayan box from

our thoughtful friends, L&J,

(♥ thanks again, to you, friends! ♥)

who wanted to bless not only us, 

but also the neighborhood kids who spend time here.

Michael carefully opens the box as we all watch

Every time a Balikbayan box arrives, 

it feels a little bit like Christmas!

It's pretty exciting for all of us.

This big box was full of special foods we don't have here,

some tools for homeschool and for Mark's work, 

LOTS of craft supplies! :hop: to share with the neighbor kids,

and other very thoughtful supplies and surprises.

 

We have every reason to give thanks,

and Balikbayan boxes are just one more reason!

created for work

Over the course of the past couple of years,
Mark and Michael have been doing a weekly book study together.
They have enjoyed two titles by Christian author Bob Schultz;
the most recent being the book "Created For Work."

The goal of the book is to provide boys
with tools for becoming young men of character, wisdom, and strength.

"It is better to trust in work than money;
God never buys anything
and is forever at work."
-George MacDonald

After one weekly study, Michael was inspired to begin some more demanding chores.
That's not always easy here; life is very different in this society.
But he began to take on the job of cutting our grass.
As you can see, though our yard is small,
so is his equipment.
No power tools going on here.

Michael also sent out emails to a few neighbors,
offering his grass-cutting services.
A couple of friends have hired him,
and he's been happy to have the opportunities.

On his last job, Josanne and GR joined him,
lending a helping hand,
and vastly enjoying watching their Americano friend at work!