And then it happened.  I recognized a word!  A whole word!!  Something stood out to me from all the foreign babble and I knew what they were talking about!  Here is what it sounded like to me:

“Kslkdjokj lkjoiu, lkhjoiuhdskweois qouizkhjdi,  DOOR dlkuowkzakjsdu sdkjuk.”

I was so excited!  It was a very triumphant moment to recognize your first word.  Pretty sure I strutted back home.

PS: By the way, I’ve added the option for you to comment on each article, if you’d like.  We are listening!

Joy holding red rice

We tried another new food this week and we’re totally hooked.

Our househelper, Joy, is from a province that grows red rice.  She is young and far from home, so we thought it would be a nice gesture to buy some.  We looked all over and could not seem to find it anywhere.  There was one more store to try, and just when we’d almost given up, there it was!  A 5 kilo bag of red rice.  You should’ve seen the look on her face when we brought it home.  Totally made her day I think!

So, the rice really is red.  Not only is it beautiful to see and deliciously fragrant, it also tastes amazing!  We have it several times a week now.  Yum!

Well, you can imagine my delight and amazement when we found a tiny health food store in the local mall! I could hardly believe it. I practically had to resist the urge to go and hug one of the cashiers! This may sound really silly to you, and I guess it is, but when you are in a place where everything is strange, something familiar can mean a whole lot.

I took my time looking around. It was almost therapeutic. They have tons of great stuff and most everything is very affordable. There were a few wacko priced items though, like pure maple syrup. A small bottle costs about 45 bucks!!! We were bummed, but at that price, we’re okay with not eating pancakes for awhile. Anyways, walking through the store finding more and more favorites, I just kept getting more and more excited. But we’d been specifically told that whole wheat flour is hard to get so I really didn’t dare to hope for that one. Then Caleb called me over and pointed to a shelf with not only whole wheat flour (in my favorite brand) but whole wheat pastry flour too! I exclaimed (a little too loudly by the way), “Oh, they have my flour!” Caleb thought I was crazy but obliged me with this picture so I could share my happy discovery with you all.  God is good isn’t He?

When we left America we knew our status.  We knew where we fit into society as a whole and were very comfortable there.  Every need like clothing, food, etc. was well provided for but we were not big spenders.  At least from our point of view, we were more frugal than most.

17 hours later we arrive in the Philippines.  What has changed?  Well, nothing on our end but everything around us is radically different.  Most people here live quite simply and many live miserable lives due to abject poverty.  No longer are we the frugal ones.  Now, compared to all the watching eyes around us, we are wheelers and dealers!  Daddy Warbucks.  Cash Cow.  Mr. Moneybags… you get the idea.  It is an awfully strange feeling and one that neither of us like at all.

This contrast between us and all those watching is especially evident now as we are setting up our house.  We are buying the big items like furniture as well as the hoards of smaller things like trash cans, laundry baskets, etc. to set up our home.  It messes with our heads to buy a crib, dresser and shelves for Daniel’s room and then walk outside to see an lady dressed in rags holding a dirty little baby begging us for money.  I’ve been to lots of other developing countries short-term and known that I had more than the average local, but it is sooooo different when you are here to stay.  This is our home now.  Our new country and our new people.  I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but it feels sooooo different and unsettling.

You want to help everyone, especially those you make eye contact with, but how can we help an entire city?  So what would the Lord have us do?  Would He have walk around in guilt and tears all the time?  Would He have us harden our hearts to the human suffering just to spare ourselves?  Would He have us give away everything and live on the street?   I think the answer to all of these is no, but perhaps it is some mixture of them all.  *Sigh*  We are falling on Him and asking for His wisdom with how we spend the resources He has given us and how we are to feel.  Back home we found the balance and could walk before Him with a clear conscience, but now it is time to re-evaluate.  It is amazing how every single comfort zone is being challenged here.

The Word of God is an amazing thing and truely it is alive.  You can read a verse your whole life and then suddenly God will use it to teach you something new for that day.  Here is one that we love right now…

“For you are my rock and my fortress: therefore for your name’s sake leade me, and guide me.” ~ Psalm 31:3

Our prayer is that we might find peace and a balance in our new home, for His name’s sake.

The busy schedule has been good I think.  It has kept us preoccupied which helps to distract and dull the sadness of leaving family, friends, and everything familiar.  Right now Caleb is off at a meeting so I’m here alone with Daniel.  He is tucked away in bed, all my chores are done, so I decided to treat myself to a song on itunes.  Knowing that my emotions are raw just below the surface should have prompted me to buy a happy, upbeat song.  But no.  I went for a melancholy one about leaving someone you love.  You know the one by Peter, Paul & Mary, “Leavin on a Jet Plane”?  Well, many of the words hit just a little too close to home.  I played that thing over and over and just sat on the floor crying.  Pitiful, right?  I guess it’s good to finally have time to process.

It is times like that when I ask the Lord to remind me why we are here.  He is gentle and faithful to do so.  After I had my good cry and turned that song off, I remembered that it is indeed a privilege to serve God in this way.  Thank you Lord for the renewed strength and prospective.  Just the same, I think I’ll steer clear of that song for awhile!

Caleb was helping in some of the areas that were totally devastated.  Nothing left except debris, mud and dirty, hungry people.  People kept asking them, “Do you have any water?  Do you have any food?  Please help us!  My family needs help!”  Caleb spoke quietly as he told me of their desperation.  These people who already had so little now have nothing at all.  I think it was hard for Caleb to come back home to a hot meal and a dry place to sleep that night.

BELOW: Everything is soaked and filthy.  Notice the debris on the power lines!  The water was so deep.

ABOVE: The squatters who live right on the river were hit especially hard.  Much is still underwater.

BELOW: Behind this collapsed wall were many poor people’s homes.  There is simply no trace of them now.

Today, Caleb and a bunch of other missionaries went to two houses and helped with the massive cleaning effort.  Besides the water, mud, trash and dead things, there was an oily film everywhere.  I guess this black oil was from all the cars that were underwater and some tanker trucks that had tipped nearby.  Well you can imagine how difficult this all was to clean, and how little was able to be salvaged.

The missionaries who live here had spent two days on their roof, along with about 100 other people who’s houses had totally washed away.

BELOW: One home after tons of cleaning.  You can see the water level mark on the door.

There are two more storms, of this same magnitude, that are brewing as I write.  We pray that they do not come here.  Thank you all for your concern and prayers and we’ll keep you posted.

Getting from “Point A” to “Point B” is quite the adventure around here.  Sometimes it is fun, other times it is exhausting, hot, scary or long, but usually a mixture of them all.  Boy did we take for granted hopping into our clean private car and driving anywhere we pleased!  We also have a new appreciation for the hardworking Filipinos that travel hours to work each day.  It is not easy and yet they always have warm smiles ready.  “Conviction” anyone?  We take regular helpings!

This trike ride was our first, but I’m sure it won’t be our last.  It was actually pretty neat flying down the roads, as long as you didn’t let your mind wander to safety issues.  Daniel thought it was great fun anyway.  We think it must have been funny for people to watch us unfold ourselves out of that tiny sidecar, like circus clowns pouring out of the mini car.  Oh well, people are staring anyways, we might as well give them a show!

You know that saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side”? Well, this is a phrase that keeps running through my mind as we are here in the Philippines.

At home in America, especially in California, being tan is so important. People go to tanning salons, buy fake tanner and lay out for hours to get that golden tone. But here? It is the exact opposite! People buy whitening soap, lotion and toner, they get lightening spa treatments and they carry umbrellas to hide from the slightest ray of sun. Funny, huh? The light people want to be dark, and the dark people want to be light. Human nature is the same everywhere I guess.

So, you won’t catch me using any whitening soap for fear I may turn clear altogether! But, if you are pale like me and want lots of admiring stares everywhere you go, the Philippines is the place for you!