Symanzik Family Update

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers' arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Kurt's birthday started with friends singing songs of blessing to him about 5:15 this morning! This is a Filipino custom and it is a real blessing!

We invited them in and they sang some more.

Then we served muffins and coffee to them.
What a great way to begin the celebration day!

A word of caution when buying imported food items here....check the expiration date.

I purchased a box of cereal the other day at the store and brought it home for the kids. I don't buy cereal to often due to the cost.
It had slipped my mind to check the date on the box.

As best we can tell the cereal is at least 3 years old....and stale!!!!

(Kirsten and Ben are still eating it...they say it's ok!!!!)

We arrived in Davao November 22, 2006.

Now, today is our 2nd year here.

We are glad to be here and we thank God for our family of supporters who make it possible for us to be here.

Psalm 126:2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

During a water break, the optometrist who came to SIL to offer free eye exams said to me "My nose is bleeding. All this English I need to speak is making my nose bleed."

"My nose is bleeding" is one of the sayings used here to say something is difficult!