Anniversary Celebration

So last month we celebrated three years of marriage. To celebrate, we took a trip to a resort on Samal Island. We had visited Ilihan Beach Resort, and we decided it would be worth the difficulties of getting there. Overall, it was not very difficult, but it definitely was a new experience for us. And generally speaking, I do not like "new" experiences when I am in charge, yet at the mercy of others (or dependent on them). So it was challenging and stretching, but absolutely worth it!

Interesting Tidbits from Today

Today I ate lunch with some of the volunteers from the Wednesday night ministry. We ate at a Filipino restaurant named Penong's. You can get unlimited rice with many meal options. Today we had barbecue chicken with rice and some kind of soup. You can get a similar meal at several other local restaurants.

The guys took a jeepney to get there while the girls all rode in a car and had arrived first. A few minutes after the guys arrived, four girls got up together and left the table. I thought, "Wow. I guess it's not just American women who go to the bathroom in groups." Now in all fairness, they may have just gone to wash their hands, which is common as many Filipinos are accustomed to eating with their hands. But still, they went in a group. And I'm not saying anything is wrong. I simply noticed that a common practice in the US also occurred here in Davao. What I do not know is if it is common here too, or if today was just a kind of coincidence.

Update

So what's going on? Well, it's late. I'll be awake again in about 6 hours. So I'll keep this brief, but I wanted to write something.

Last week on Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to share. Well, Ezekiel 33:11 had been on my mind for a little bit. And the verses that follow are a very close parallel to Ezekiel 18. So I ended up sharing from chapter 18, about how each person is accountable for his own choices. It was a little difficult, first because someone had to translate for me, but secondly because I was just developing a cold and it was a little hard to speak clearly. But it worked out okay. I tried hard not to let my own words get in the way of anything God wanted to say through His spirit.

And now tomorrow I will be spending the day with some of these boys and leaders at Hagimit Falls. I'll be up early to see Christina off to day shift, and then I'll pack my stuff. I'm looking forward to spending time with these boys, but I fear the whole language barrier thing is going to be a bit of a problem. But I won't let it dampen my spirits. It will be a good day!

Let us not forget~

A Mother's Job Description

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the Motor Registration office, was asked by the

counter clerk to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the counter clerk, "do you have a job or are you just a ...?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mum."

"We don't list 'Mum' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the clerk emphatically. I

forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our

own Medicare office.

On my mind- when life isn't rosy

Living in a foreign country or place changes you—or at least it should.

I know it changed me before and is changing me now. My farming community suburbia of Lancaster, PA has rudely shifted to the gray shades of cement, homes behinds walls/barbed with the bustle & noise of an almost sleepless city.

~(a few times) I came home from a clinic shift at 6:30 am to encounter a man sleeping on our apartment steps. It had rained quite hard during the night, and I'm sure the covered open garage-like structure of the apartment complex kept the rain off him. Did I wake him up, invite him in for a meal or wake him up and tell him to leave? Well, neither...I actually didn't quite know what to do, I turned the key quietly, glanced nervously at him, gently stepped over him and closed the door.~

The Price is Right

So let's play a game. Shall we?

Yesterday I went to the local market to buy a few things (pictured below). How much money do you think it all cost, in approximate dollars? Your guess should include the cost of a motorbike ride to the market and a trysikad ride home from the market, which is probably about a mile away (about a 5 minute ride).

¼ watermelon, 2 avocado, 3 oranges, 10 tomatoes, 1 papaya

Update

So what's new with us? Well, for starters, we have been happily married for three years now! Last week we celebrated our anniversary by spending two nights at a resort on Samal Island. After I process my many pictures from the trip, I'll post some of them and talk a little about the resort. It was really nice. It reminded us of camping more than being at a resort, which suited us just fine. It was nice to see some greenery and hear some animals again.