Symanzik Family Update

‎"Yet, emotions are our most direct reaction to our perception of
ourselves and the world around us.
Whether positive or negative, feelings put us in touch with our true selves. They are neither good nor bad: they are simply the truth of what is going on within us What we do with our feelings will determine whether we live lives of honesty or of deceit.
When submitted to the discretion of a
faith-formed intellect, our emotions serve as trustworthy beacons for
appropriate action or inaction."

Brennan Manning - Reflections for Ragamuffins page 298

2 Corinthians 1:5- 11 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ..... For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead...
On him we have set our hope....

This 9 yr old girl really needs prayers.

Her name is Flora Mae. On Friday (October 22) she and her 12 yr old brother, Rico, were left at the home of our friends, Dr. Sam and Sherri Evans who run Reach International Health Care and Training, Intl. They live across the street from us. Flora Mae has had a broken leg since last June, that now has a very serious, deep bone infection that can only be resolved through expensive orthopedic surgery. Social services is going to help, but to what degree is unkown. It's going to be a fairly big cost - money that Dr. Sam and Sherri don't have.

We understand this having been through that with Jerard. Here in the Philippines you pay up front for medical services. There is very little insurance. Basically, if you don't have the cash, you don't get treatment.

Flora Mae was being carried by people prior to Friday but now can walk by using the crutches that Dr. Sam and Sherri provided for her on Friday.
It will be a miracle if she'll ever walk normally again. If she does not receive surgery to remove the infection, it will progressively get worse and she could die.

We met Flora Mae and Rico this morning. As a family our heart goes out to these two precious children who have been abandonded by their parents, are in the care of some relatives way out in the province and were brought to Dr. Sam's clinic by DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development).
They are adorable, very sweet children who do not know their birthdays or even for sure how old they are. Rico has finished part of 2nd grade only and then had to stop schooling and Flora Mae has only had a little bit of 1st grade.

Please pray for Flora Mae - for the infection not to spread, for the funding needed for the surgery and medicines to be provided. If you would like to help in this, please go to Reach International's website and make a donation on line there. http://www.reachinternationalhealthcareandtraining.com/

Thanks for praying!

James is fond of saying, "That's my Lola" whenever he sees any pictures of Arlene.

Arlene is our helper and friend who has helped care for James and Jerard since we got them.
She is the one who stayed with the boys when we were back in the states two years ago. She also stays at our house with Jerard when we go away.
She is a wonderful Christian person and we are so blessed to have her as a helper and friend!

Indulge me as I share some more photos from our recent family photo shoot! The photographer did a great job. But don't worry, I won't post all 700 or so photos he took!!!!

Whenever a typhoon hits the Philippines we get lots of emails wondering if we are all right. Yes, we are. While the northern Philippines are hit by typhoons we usually experience nice breezes and some 'cooler' temps.
We are in southern Philippines and do not get typhoons because of being so close to the equator.

Our northern Filipinos in the Visayan and Luzon regions are affected by typhoons.

Please pray for those affected by the typhoon.