Symanzik Family Update

Meet three children who attend the church we go to. Their families participate in the Cebuano service.

Jorecel, John Paul, JoeyStone

This picture was taken at a mall they recently went to with one of the workers from the church to purchase desperately needed shoes. Then they had soapao and coconut juice for a snack (merienda).

Each of these kids, like so many around us here, deal with struggles everyday - family struggles of mom and/or dad trying to earn enough that day to put at least rice on the table; educational struggles financially and academically; transportation struggles; housing....pray for these three and many others like them.

Thanksgiving holiday is coming up on November 22 for USA citizens.
In the USA turkeys are plentiful and not very expensive. Here it is a different story. A turkey or two will start showing up in some of the grocery store freezers towards the end of October.
Yesterday I purchased a frozen turkey that was around 13 pounds (6 kilos). Turkey for our family here in the Philippines is a once a year treat. It costs around $3.50 per pound!
Our turkey is in the freezer and will be cooked on November 22. We have invited a few friends over to share our Thanksgiving meal.
We will also be sharing our thanks to God for His abundant blessings, mercies and graces in our lives.

James is memorizing Psalm 118:1 "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever."

A great verse to know and meditate on.

Thankful for family, friends, turkey and much more!!!!

Mikayla turned 18 on Tuesday.

Here in the Philippines that is the legal age of adulthood and being able to drink alcohol.
We took her to a favourite resteraunt for birthday dinner and then had cake, ice cream and gifts at home.

She is a blessing and I pray she continues to grow in wisdom and grace, always seeking first Him and His kingdom in all the moments of her days and life.

James and I took a merienda to share with the highschoolers
to celebrate Mikayla's 18th birthday!


favourite chocolate cake with mocha frosting!


Enjoying family time at the resteraunt and at home.

November 1 and 2 are national holidays here in the Philippines for All Saints and All Souls days. The cemeteries take on a carnival type aire minus the rides. There are vendors selling food, candles, flowers, cemetery plots, phone service, toys. Many families congregate at the grave of their loved one(s) to have a reunion, share a meal.
A friend of ours rented a canopy to be over Jerard's grave for November 1 and 2. We spent time at the cemetery yesterday (November 1) visiting with friends.

Jerard's headstone


a Catholic mass at the cemetery in the morning

a makeshift cr (bathroom)

another cemetery near Forest Lake cemetery







busy vendor ally in evening at cemetery

James was hungry this morning. He had a merienda (snack), then says, "That was good mom but I still have two hunger bars left."

Knowing he was talking in MineCraft jargon I replied, "well, just play in safe mode til lunch and then we will fill you up so you have no hunger bars left."

Ben, Kurt, and James are really into MineCraft. As a father/son project, Ben and Kurt are working on developing a minecraft server of their own!

Ben, James, and a friend playing minecraft!