December 4 - 6th Weekend Happenings

The girls participated in a Middle School and High School Band Concert on Friday evening. It was very well done!


Kirsten playing bells.


Mikayla with Jeen and Kristi after the concert. She plays
clarinet in the High School Orchestra.

Today, Kurt, Ben, Mikayla, and Kirsten helped with a Christmas party for over 300 local children from a poor area near here.


Many of the kids at the party. It was held at the covered court
of Faith Academy.


Kurt and Ben set up the sound system.


Michael, Amy, Trea, Mikayla, Elise all ready to help with the
party. Kirsten was our family's photographer of this event
today. I stayed home with James and Jerard. James was
running a 103.5 fever. Thankfully it is down to 101 now.
The kids served water and snacks to the kids at the party.

Cookies

James helped me roll out sugar cookies the other day while the older kids were at school! We are preparing for the holiday season.


We invited some of the other moms with young ones to come over for a time of playing.................


and cookie frosting!


James' favourite part was eating the frosting!


Jerard was a bit overwhelmed by the noise and activity, though he enjoyed eating the cookies!

Glimpses of Life in the City

These pictures are from an on-line local newpaper.
They show various aspects of life in Davao.


This young girl is washing carrots at the local market.


This frail old woman is lifting her trash into a dumpster.


This vendor is selling imported fruits for the holiday season.

Amazing......

A colleague pointed out today that some people groups this Christmas will celebrate the holiday understanding its true meaning for the first time due to getting the scripture in their own language and/or seeing the Jesus film in their own language.
What an amazing thought!

Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Our Thanksgiving Week

Our week has been filled with activities and sick kids.

For 3 or 4 days James and Jerard were running temperatures. James' got quite high. They were both started on antibiotics and have improved tremendously since then.

Ben was also diagnosed with an ear infection and is on antibiotics for that as well.

We had planned a weekend get-away this weekend since the kids have a four-day weekend, but with illnesses running, we postponed it for a month.

On Thanksgiving day we hosted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for about 22 people. It was also Kurt's birthday.


The Birthday guy - Kurt!

Two of Kirsten's Korean friends joined us for the American Thanksgiving meal as they'd never had one before. They liked all the food!

Here are some pictures from our week!


Mikayla is playing on the girls High School Basketball team. Their team won this game!


James loves to wear hats.


A picture of the photographer!


Kurt was serenaded on his birthday morning by some of our Filipino colleagues!


Kirten and Ben setting up our Christmas tree. We put it in the hallway again this year to keep toddlers from dismantling it to much!


Mikayla putting a decoration on it. She commented it still doesn't really 'feel' like Christmas due to the heat. Some of us do miss snow around this time of year.


Kirsten helping James put an ornament on.


Finished tree!


Mikayla and James washing Bear.


Kurt and Ben playing lazer tag.


Chaim, Ben and James playing computer games.