Symanzik Family Update

We have experienced a great first Christmas in the Philippines. It was hot, 90 degrees plus high humidity.

We started our morning with opening stockings. Then read Luke 2 and did the advent candles. Opened gifts, played a bit of soccer and basketball, cleaned up and enjoyed a wonderful dinner with friends at their home.
Our kids are doing well. Thank you for all your continued prayers and gifts. Here are some pictures to share with you from our first Christmas here.

Ben with his new punching bag

Mikayla with her new guitar

Kirsten with her new dog

Good friend and good coffee

Gwapo bana - Handsome husband

Maayong Pasko ug Maayong Bagno ng Tuig!

Parol - Christmas Star

Poinseitta

Baking and Frosting Cookies

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Beth and I want to thank everyone for all of the prayers uplifted for our family. We have heard from so many of you who have let us know that you are praying for us. And we sure do appreciate it!

Beth and the kids have been adjusting well, though sometimes things are tougher for them. For me so far, the adjustment has been pretty smooth. Whether tough or easy, I know that God's grace is quite sufficient for us and that he will continue to see us through.

We have now been in Davao, Philippines for one month as of yesterday. Please continue to pray for us and our transition. We have been told that we will be in a time of transition for our first year or so. That is just normal.

Please pray that we will find a permanent house to rent soon. We are staying in guest housing now, and although it is quite sufficient and nice, I think that they whole family will be better settled once we are in a more permanent abode.

Please pray for our work here as well. I started working at my assignment two weeks ago and everything is going quite well. Although I cannot get specific on a public website, most of our readers know why we are here and I ask that you take our task to heart. I see the need even more now that we are here.

Please pray that God will be glorified in our personal lives. If God is not honored in what we say and do, what we value and love, and how we conduct ourselves when no one is looking, then everything else is a sham. Please pray that we will grow ever closer to Christ and that the light of Christ will shine through us to those who do not know him.

Thank you for your prayers.

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. - 2 Corinthians 1:11

As this holiday time comes we will be celebrating with a tree ( a little live one, it will get bigger each year!!!)....... I brought our stockings over from the states and we will hang those up.
We've done our shopping in the noisy, crowded malls here.
Christmas in the Mall

Christmas in the Noisy Mall

But what our thoughts are continually drawn to is .....the love of our
Saviour Jesus Christ and his blessing of coming to earth to save
us........the peace that only he offers no matter where in the world we
are celebrating His birth....................the love of family and
friends, and how richly blessed we are.
May His peace be your gift for Christmas.

Peaceful sky at sunset

Merry Christmas from us!

Bugs? Yes, we have bugs. Little ants like to crawl around in the house though I have declared chemical warfare on them in my kitchen!
We do have a gecko or two in our home that are our friends. All buildings seem to have geckos in them and people just let them stay as they eat bugs. I think ours are doing a great job as the little ants in the bedrooms have lessened tremendously.
We took some pictures of a horned beetle and a snail we saw outside!
Thankfully I've only seen one cockroach so far and that was at the market, not in my house!!!!!

Snail