James and Jerard will be 10 months old tomorrow!
It has been amazing to see how they have changed in the 8 months we have had them.
We thank God that they are both healthy and doing well!
James is very mobile and we are having some baby gates made to help 'baby proof' the house.
Jerard is starting to roll over on his own....3 times in the past 4 days or so! It's good to see him showing more interest in his world, vocalizing more, staying awake more!!!!
Yearly, the Kadayawan Festival is held here in Davao.
"Kadayawan", a Dabawnon expression for anything that is excellent and that brings great fortune. It is derived from the aboriginal word "dayao" which means good or "madayaw", things that are of great value or is profitable, superior or beneficial.
Kurt, Mikayla, Kirsten, and Ben went to see some of the tribal dancing the other night.
Today Ben, James, Jerard, and I went with Filipino friends to a park near City Hall with native huts set up in them.
This weekend is the big weekend of celebration and dancing.
Scenes from last year's Kadayawan celebration...
Read more about Kadayawan at http://kadayawan.com/?page=home
There has been unrest going on in Mindanao.
Official reports are that fighting is 2 hours away from Davao.
Colleagues report it's closer than that.
Pray for the peace of the Philippines.
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On a personal note, we are 'safe' in Davao. Security is good and the mayor is very committed to peace and safety here.
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From BBC News Website..........
"Extra troops have been deployed in the southern Philippines, a day after separatist rebel raids on several towns left about 30 people dead.
Hundreds of Muslim rebels attacked towns in Lanao del Norte on Monday, looting shops and burning houses.
A spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said a renegade commander was to blame for the attacks......."
To Read article go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7569664.stm
James 4:15..."If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
Prior to getting the twins we had planned on furloughing the summer of 2009.
Then after getting the twins we weren't sure when we'd furlough due to adoption issues.
But now, after weighing all the pros and cons of and praying about various furlough times, we've decided the summer of 2009 makes the most sense. Otherwise, with the adoption process we'd probably have to wait til the summer of 2011. We didn't want to wait that long to reconnect face to face with our friends/ supporters, and family.So our plan, God willing, is to fly to Michigan the end of May 2009.
Then we will enjoy time reconnecting with our friends/supporters, family...; enjoy some family vacation time...etc...., and return to the Philippines the first week of August 2009.
We won't be able to bring James and Jerard with us on this trip since they are still officially our foster sons. It is hard to take foster children out of the country.
Please pray with us for the right family / individual to stay at our house while we furlough to take care of the boys. We have a some possibilities already of people to ask.
Please pray with us as we make plans, knowing full well, the final plans are all in God's hands....and that's just where we want them to be!
Proverbs 16:3 & 9 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.............
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
It is normal for most missionaries around the world to spend most of their time for the first year or so on the field just learning the local language. In our case, this was not required for various reasons. One can get by using just English here.
But one cannot really get to know the people and the culture of the Philippines just speaking English. I can "get by" speaking only English but I cannot "excel".
I have asked myself the question, "How do I properly live as a Christian with and among the Philippine people?" I am convinced that the answer for me starts with learning to speak a Philippine language. Here in the Philippines, it seems that nothing says, "I appreciate and respect you as a person" quite as well as taking the time and effort to learn to speak in the local language.
For example, by learning the Cebuano language I am stepping outside of the natural Christian "ghetto" that we foreigners can so easily find ourselves living within. Instead of mostly associating with people like myself, I start getting to know Filipinos at a deeper level as I try to speak Cebuano and as they patiently help me learn. I develop new friendships and new involvements with people I would have never known by only speaking English. I start to understand more how Filipinos think, what they believe, what struggles they have, and how to better share Christ with them.
So for me, learning to speak Cebuano is synonymous with speaking words of blessing. I learn Cebuano because I care about the people that speak Cebuano and I want them to know that they are important to me and especially to my God.
