spring snow
The ‘little’ car is no match to 12+” of snow on glare ice.

We are mightily blessed.

Well – It’s been a while since I’ve written here. Not because I haven’t thought about it, but because I didn’t have the energy to figure out what or how to say what has been in my heart and mind. I’m going to briefly scratch the surface and try to catch you up a bit

  • There has been lots of healing from January and other issues in life. Maybe Someday {soon’ish} I’ll write more about it. I know I will, but I’m not done processing, but I do believe there is much to be said and I will be speaking out. It will be hard. I don’t look forward to it.
  • We’ve traveled overseas.
  • I have turned 40!

Let me take a step back a bit further – in August (or September) I wrote to my brother and told him my kids & I would like to help them. This was not a new tug on my heart – it’s been there since February of 2008 when we visited them in Arizona. Last year when Vince came home from the Philippines he said he wanted us to return – not for a visit, but to work.

So, last fall I talked to Zach & Jane and all I really knew was we were willing – it was crazy and only possible if it was God’s plan.

As it ‘coincidently’ worked – their partner family, who is also their next-door neighbor, was leaving for furlough and was agreeable to us staying in their home. I did the necessary paperwork to become supported, short-term missionaries from our church; and in February I sent out a prayer/support request letter. I really struggled with asking, I don’t ask or accept well. Something the Lord has been working on me about. In conversation with one person about the cost and whether we’d receive enough financial support to go – she said, “It may seem like a lot to you, but for a church family together it is not very much.”

I realized in that moment how often I put God in a box. Whether by thinking I’m not worth {it}, or thinking someone else could use {fill in the blank} more/do more good with the resources.

So, after 6 months of unemployment and a very hard, difficult, and lean winter; a time when it was difficult to buy groceries and gas. A time when there was no possible way I could ‘buy our way’ to get here, or even contribute financially – yet, by God’s amazing grace, provision, and mighty plan – my children and I are in the Philippines as supported, short-term missionaries.

After about three weeks enough money had come in, I started to realize we really would be coming. I purchased our airline tickets in mid-March and had 3 weeks to prepare, pack, and ‘finalize’ life in the states before we left. Those three weeks were insane! To top it off – the four days before flying we got more than 12” of snow!!! On Monday night I was stuck in our driveway, Tuesday I got stuck again as we got more snow (the original picture at the top) – we flew out Wednesday night….driving to the airport in falling snow. We spent 2.5 days travelling and landed to 90+* temps with 80+% humidity.

cousins together at last-girl power
The oldest three girl cousins together again at last.

We are warm.

… have not stopped sweating.

… are only cool when taking a cold shower.

I am learning how to:

share living spaces with Budiki (a small lizard)

be sweaty. all. the. time.

the value of cold showers. multiple in a day even.

sleep with two fans on me.

I have become a morning person. I go to bed by 8:30/9pm each night and am waking up 5:30/6 each morning. I love the breezes through open windows day and night.

We are here for two months to work alongside my brother & his wife. I will be spending time homeschooling the kids; we are working on a library; there will be time spent in different tribes working. During all of this – I am living in my ‘own’ house. A beautiful house, kept clean and running smoothly by a wonderful woman who is the house help. I have just spent the first week of my life with consistent help. As a single mom, I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it is to sit here on a Saturday morning – clean house & bathroom and all laundry washed, folded, put away.

girls bringing bday flwrs2
The three girls bringing in my birthday flowers.
My absolute most favorite flowers ever received - wild flowers in the Philippines for my birthday.
My absolute most favorite flowers ever received – wild flowers in the Philippines for my birthday.

We arrived the day before my 40th birthday. It was my first international flight, first time out of the country (I don’t count going through Canada travelling from Alaska to the lower 48), and it had been over a year since hugging my nieces and nephew.

God did this! He made it happen.

We are here to be a blessing and true to God’s nature, we have already been blessed.

The flowers are all from Jane’s yard or my yard – either way I’m seeing them with my own eyeballs every day.

I don’t know when I’ll update again, as the internet has been difficult to get ahold of and hang on to. Have a blessed day.

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