Monday, October 14, 2013

Little Patients

A couple of weeks ago as I was visiting with a friend on the porch I heard a commotion of kids.  I looked up to see a group of boys walking down the trail talking and laughing.  After a second look I noticed that these boys were carrying another boy.  They would walk a bit, stop and put him down, then pick him back up again and keep walking.  I thought they were playing some sort of game.  But moments later these boys were walking up my porch stairs still carrying their friend.  As they walked up the stairs his head was towards the ground as they struggled to get him up!

They soon explained that this young boy, almost 6 years old had cut his toe with a machete!  His mom wasn't home and they thought they should bring him to me to get a bandaid!

My friend and I couldn't stop laughing!  It was so funny and so cute.  The injured boy couldn't stop laughing. He thought it was so funny that his friends would carry him to our house.  And there was some embarrassment going on too!

Of course I got out my "wound cleaning kit" and cleaned up his toe and put a bandaid on it.  He didn't want a Dora bandaid, I wonder why???

Here is a picture of all these boys together as I fixed up his toe!


Expectations

I don't usually write personal stuff on how the Lord is working in my life but it has been on my heart to share some of what the Lord has been teaching me lately. 

Growing in our relationship with the Lord is often a painful thing.  I don't like pain, especially when it is pain related to feelings and thinking.  I can handle the pain of childbirth but I start to crumble under growing pains.

My wrong thinking in some areas has been growing over the last 18 months or more.  It all started with finding out that I was pregnant with Bea.  I have written about this before and how it took time for the Lord to work on my heart and accept this precious gift He has given me.  But an area that I struggled with from that point on was that having her "ruined" my plans. 

Many of you may know how much of a planner I am.  I like to know what is coming our way.  I like to plan ahead as much as possible.  This doesn't mean that I can't change my plans.  I do like to fly by the seat of my pants too!  The thing is, I tend to think that I am flexible and can go with the flow and change my plans as needed.  But I have realized though that it really isn't true.  As I plan for the future I will think of many different possibilities for the future.  I may have plans A through Z planned out and all are ok.  So if I need to pick another plan, great, I know what to expect. But what happens when His plan isn't any of my plans?  What happens to those expectations I have for the future?

What are those unmet expectations?
Specifically it is language study.  When we went on home assignment I was looking forward to our return to the village with our youngest baby being almost 3 yrs old.  The 5 older kids would all be doing school during the day and Jenna plays really good on her own.  Then with the arrival of Bea those thoughts of being able to be in language study started to crumble.  My only hope was to have a young lady come and teach the kids.  I had also been able to hire a nanny in the past to watch Jenna when she was a baby, so I could do that with Bea too.  God answered my prayers for a teacher and provided Lindy to come a teach our kids.  The kids have loved her and she is doing a wonderful job teaching them. 
Next I needed to find someone to look after Bea.  It would just need to be in the mornings.  At first it seemed we were told that many young ladies would love the job.  Soon though, the list of available girls dwindled.  Then finally a young lady was willing and able...but not till mid October.  I figured I could make it work.  I would hire my language helper to come in and help with the house work while my house helper looked after Bea.  (those 2 ladies are sisters, so it worked for them)  The plan was set. 
Day 1-my language helper couldn't come because she didn't have anyone to watch her kids.  Day 2-4 worked perfectly.  I had a great time getting back into language study.  Bea was happy.  All was well.  The following week it all came crashing down.  The daughter of my language helper was ill.  I figured I could work with it for a day or so.  Then the days just kept going by.  Now a week and a half later, my language helper still hasn't come back to work. 
Monday just kind of topped it all off for me.  I had hoped for a new beginning this week.  Then my house helper didn't show up.  She didn't text.  She didn't send a family member down to say where she was.  Nothing.  It took some inquiring to find out that she had gone to an engagement party the night before and the motorcycle had broken down and she couldn't return.  By the time I found this out I was super frustrated.  Why were my plans not working out???  I want to learn the language!  I want to be able to talk to people here and understand them!  Lindy is not here so I can be just a mother and wife!  By Tuesday morning I learned that my frustration was noticed by others.  But they didn't know why I was so frustrated.  It was then interpreted as anger towards my house helper for not coming to work.  That hit hard.  Still does.  I pains me to know that not only my family was feeling my frustration but the people in the village were seeing this as well.

His plans for me were not any of those A through Z plans I had made.  They were His plans.  My thinking was wrong.  I was thinking that I was letting Him have control of my days and future but when His plan wasn't one of my plans I became frustrated and disappointed.  As many know "when Mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"  Some days Mom was happy.  As things happened as I planned it made for a good day.  But when a day would work out different than any of my plans it makes for a crabby Mom.  I have often said lately that I feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster.  Some days are thrilling and some days are scary.  It's easy to blame hormones and circumstances for how I feel and put the blame on others.  There is wrong thinking.  If I am trusting the Lord in all that I do and trust that He knows what is best for me each and every day then I can be at peace and ride that road that He has for me.  It may be bumpy and it may be twisty but He has me going to the place that He wants me.

 Through prayer and reading His word and listening to Him I have been able to put some of the pieces together.  I have not been trusting Him.  I have been trusting in myself.  That's not easy to accept.

As I started to think through what God was giving me to do, I realized that He was giving me the desires of my heart.  I love being a mom.  I love having babies.  He gave me Bea.  I love being able to play with my kids.  I love being able to cook for them and bake for them.  I love being able to have a house in order when Chuck comes home at the end of the day of working hard at getting this language.  God was giving me the chance to do all these things.  I wasn't weighed down with teaching the kids.  I wasn't weighed down with language study.  I was just available to do what needed to be done.  Instead of finding joy in the tasks He had for me I just became frustrated.

I just read this from a friend, "God is more interested in who He wants me to be than in what He wants me to do."  She was talking about how John 15 goes with this.  As I took time to read John 15:1-11, I was reminded of what I had been doing and not doing.  I have been trusting in my abilities and not trusting and resting in Him.  As I abide in Him, He will bring forth the fruit.  How comforting it is to know by abiding I can know that His will will be done in my life.  I like verse 11, "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."  He gives me joy in the things I do for Him as I abide in Him.

Yes growing still hurts.  But I would not be more like Christ if I didn't go through this pain.

So for today I will walk with Him and do as He has laid out for me.  I will trust Him to know what is best for me and my family.  As He allows I will work on language study.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Cloth Diapering

I know that this blog post might not be of any interest to many of you but I am thinking that some of you young moms out there might be interested!
First let me say that I am not the tree hugger type.  I have used disposable diapers for my first 6 kids, except for a year or so with Eli and Hala.  The only reason I used them then was that I got them cheap, laundry was free at Bible school and we were broke!
And I don’t feel that I have to buy everything made in Canada. (Actually that would be impossible for me living in the Philippines!)
So why have I started using cloth diapers now???
When we moved into our village we were on our last baby, or so we thought!  We figured that burying a couple years’ worth of disposable diapers wouldn’t be too bad and I didn’t have the time to wash cloth diapers.
Then the Lord blessed us with little Beatrice!  And at the same time He was blessing us with co-workers, with one in diapers and one on the way.  I started to think of all the diapers that we would be putting in a hole in the ground over the next couple of years.  Then I spoke with Valerie, our co-worker, about her experience with cloth diapers.  She had been using them for years, even in the Philippines where the humidity is high all the time and she didn’t have a dryer.  So I started looking into what was out there.  Was it really affordable?  Were they going to dry when it can rain for days on end?  How does a baby’s bottom cope with extra fabric when it is 30C plus every day?
The first thing I came upon was pocket diapers.  I had used all-in-one diapers before but couldn’t imagine that they would dry on those very rainy days.  My research said that might be the case.  It turned out that Valerie was using pocket diapers.  From what I read and what Valerie told me, pocket diapers would dry well even in the humidity.  Having extra liners would mean that if the liners weren’t dry, you could still use the extras because the “pocket” dries really fast.  I started getting excited about the idea of using cloth diapers again.  But I wondered if it was affordable.  I looked around and started thinking that I should look for a local shop that sells different brands so I could go check them out.  In that search, I came across Glow Bug Cloth Diapers.  These diapers are designed by 2 ladies that are from Barrie, ON.  That’s where my parents live and is just 30 min away from where we lived!  I went to their website and read all about their diapers.  They were similar to many pocket diapers out there but they had done some of their own twists to them.  But the best part was the price!  They are just $150 for 12 diapers with 18 liners!  What a great deal that is!  And they have the cutest prints for boys, girls and now unisex!
So I decided to pray about it and talk with Chuck to see what he thought.
I figured that it would be easiest to teach one of the village ladies to wash them in our twin tub washing machine instead of me spending the time washing them.  It seemed like a great way to give more work to those who desperately want to work.  We do have a dryer and with finally having our solar system on the way it meant that when the weather was really rainy, we could get them dry in the dryer.
After finding a great sale on their website I went ahead and bought my stock of cloth diapers.  I got a great deal and I had 24 diapers for less than $250!
So what do I think now that I am using them???
They have been great!  The only time I have leaks is when I forget to change Bea.  And they are sooo cute!!!
We are still using disposables at night.  I was suggested to do that as the smell can be pretty strong by morning.
Valerie suggested after we got back to the Philippines to get another 12 diapers just to be sure we had enough.  Turns out that Glow Bug Cloth Diapers was having another sale on their newly released unisex prints.  So I ordered them and have loved them also.  They came with 200 flushable liners free!
I am still not an expert on cloth diapers but I do know that I like what we are using.
Lindy asked me the other day if I would use cloth if we were back in Canada now.  That is a tough question to answer.  If I was just starting out having kids, then I think I would use them as it would be cost effective to use them with several kids.  But with just one kid using them with the cost of liners, water, and electricity, I wonder if it would really save any money.
So there you have it!  The new thing I have found!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Growing Up

Time is going by so very fast these days. Last week the moment that made me feel like I needed a time machine to go back in time was when Sophia lost her first tooth!!!  In just 18 days she will be turning 6 years old!
Actually I was the one who pulled it out for her. It was very very loose. She showed me and then I grabbed a cloth and pulled! There were many tears.
After Sophia settled down and we carried on with our afternoon, Jenna was behind me and started sobbing. She said, “I don’t want to lose a tooth!” Oh the poor girl. She gets to watch her older sister do everything dramatically and instill fear in her mind! I then went on to tell her that she would be much older before she would have to lose a tooth. Then the tears continued as she told me “I don’t want to get bigger!”
These 2 girls are joined at the hip. There is almost 4 years between Hala and Charlotte and they don’t seem to have the same connection that Jenna and Sophia do. Jenna has been a little out of sorts lately as Sophia does school all morning. She plays a lot on her own and with Bea but she sure misses having her sister to play with all day.
Here is sad Sophia after the traumatic event.
This is her 2 days later.
And here are my 3 girls having a great time together!
Now we wait for tooth #2 to come out!  I expect it to be ready by the end of the week!

Friday, September 20, 2013

Treating the sick

I have been asked recently how things have been going with any medical work in the village.  If you remember this time last year I was in North Carolina at Equip International's Missionary Medical Intensive course.  So was it worth the time and money?

Most definitely!  The first day we arrived in the village the medical questions/concerns started.  It was actually the need for a sterile blade to cut an umbilical cord!  Thankfully I had one and I was able to help tie off the umbilical cord of a baby just minutes old and watch the father cut the cord.  The best part was being able to hold this little guy when he was less than an hour old.  Even before we arrived in the village I was getting texts from people with medical questions.  Chuck had asked me what to do for a man’s foot that was cut when he was in the village before I arrived too.  Almost every time someone comes to me I pull out my trusty “Village Medical Manual”.  It certainly has come in handy in finding a diagnosis and deciding on treatment.  I still don’t claim to be a doctor or a nurse.  There are many times that I still don’t have an answer or just can’t treat a person.  I still recommend that people go to town to see a doctor when it is something I don’t know how to deal with.  Then I also have my doctor friend in Manila who is just an email away.  I am so thankful for the training I had and help that I can get.  It has given me a new confidence to be able to help people with their needs.  But I still depend on the Lord for wisdom.

So what else has come my way in just 5 weeks???  I have seen 4 feet with “something” in them.  I have been able to treat 2 of them and recommended that 2 of them go to town.  I have seen a 1 yr old with pneumonia.  Treated 2 UTI’s.  I have seen an older man that has many problems far beyond my ability.  And given out a lot of antibiotic ointment for impetigo.  I have listened to many chests of babies that have had coughs.  I have given out medicine for many fevers and achy bodies too.

In all of this I was able to build new and better relationships.  I have been able to trust the Lord to heal those who are sick.  I have been stretched in my language ability.  I have learned some new words.  My favourite being the word for pus, “nana”!  Sorry Nana but your name means pus here!

Thank you for all who have prayed for me while we have adjusted to life back here with the Ga’dang people.  Some days are very stressful.  Please continue to pray for me and the Ga'dang people.

Here are pictures of a couple of my patients: (I'll keep the nasty looking toe to myself!)







Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Solar Installation Complete!

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to not have electricity? What if you had electricity but it was only “on” a few hours a day? How would you feel if you always had to take a flash light with you the bathroom in the night? Or to find your pj’s to get ready for bed?
Up until 3 weeks ago that is how we lived. The village we live in does not have electricity. When we first moved into the village we were the only ones with a generator. As time went on people started buy generators to use. The problem with using a generator is you need to have gasoline to run it, or diesel if that’s the type of generator you have. You would think that gasoline would be cheaper in the Philippines than Canada but that’s not so. It costs about $1.30 a litre. Plus we pay another 30 cents a liter to get it to us. We would use about 120 liters of gas a month. We needed to use our generator to charge a couple large batteries, to charge our computers, to run the modem for our satellite internet, to run our twin tub washing machine, to charge our cell phones and flashlights. Those are just a few things we would use the generator for. We also had some lights in our kitchen, living room, bathroom and office. We only used our generator for a couple hours in the morning to run the washing machine and charge up a few things. Then we would use it for about 4 hrs in the evening to continuing charging things and have lights for showers and eating dinner. The kids never had lights in their bedrooms, so they would use a flashlight when they needed to go in there…if their flashlight was charged, something they would often forget to do!
Throughout the 18 months that we lived in the village prior to our home assignment we would dream of the day that we would have solar electricity. So it became one of our projects for fund raising while we were home. It actually fell at the bottom of the priority list because the cost was so great. We estimated needing about $8,500 for the complete set up. As we were able to raise enough money for our other projects we started seeing money come in for the solar equipment. It was very exciting! We then contacted the Tech Center, a part of NTM, that designs and purchases solar equipment for missionaries. As we worked through the planning of what we needed we soon realized that it was going to cost more than what we had thought to get what we wanted. We worked on reducing the consumption of electricity so we could reduce the number of solar panels and batteries. Finally the best we would do was going to cost over $10,000 plus shipping. We continued to trust the Lord to provide the money.
While we were waiting to see if we would have enough money, we started talking about who would be able to install the solar equipment. The Tech Center sends detailed instructions for installation but it still takes time that Chuck didn’t have. One night we commented on the idea of how great it would be if a guy we knew from before that works at the Tech Center would be able to come and install it for us, it is one of his ministries. Within a couple days we received an email from this very guy offering to come install our solar system as he was planning a trip to the Philippines to do this kind of work. The trip was at his expense, we just needed to buy the solar equipment and have it here ready for him! We praised the Lord for his provision.
Then the Lord provided the money to order the solar equipment! What an exciting day that was for us. Then we just had to wait for it to arrive. We had heard that shipments from the US were taking unusually long to get to the Philippines. So we prayed that the stuff would arrive before Jason arrived to install it! And it did! About 6 weeks after the equipment was shipped it arrived at the flight center, all but the solar panels. But thankfully they arrived 2 weeks later.
Just days after we arrived in the village as a family, Jason, Jonie and Jordan arrived to install the solar system. This involved wiring our house for DC power and some AC power, and installing 8 panels and all the equipment that makes it all work. The batteries needed to be connected and grounding plates installed. Plus many other things. Jason planned for 12 days in here with us and finished in 10 days. He worked 12 hr days in the heat with a house that was still being unpacked and 8 kids under foot along with 5 adults.
The day we switched over to battery power was so nice! Then the next day the AC power was hooked up. How nice it was to be able to turn on a light during the day if it was too dark from a rain storm. But the best part of me…was the ceiling fan over the kitchen table! Chuck’s favourite part is having a light in his bodega (shed!)
The silence we have in the evenings now by not running the generator is so nice. Being able to turn on the fan when it is too hot to eat a meal without turning on the generator is even nicer. Sending the kids to their room to clean up after dark means a tidier house! All these things and so many more are such a joy to us. And it’s all because of the generosity of our supporters. Thank you to each one of you who contributed to this project. The money we can save now by not buying gasoline and paying to ship it in to us is a huge blessing.
We especially want to thank the guys at the Tech Center for their help in getting all this equipment together for us. And a very special thank you to Jason for his hard work and long days.
We are so blessed!

2013 School Year has begun

It's hard to believe that the school year has already begun for the kids. It's crazy to think about what grades the kids are in this year!


Elijah is in grade 11. He is working from home with the Independent Learning Center in Ontario. It has been a slow start for him as he is waiting on more books to arrive but once they come he should be able to move along without waiting on anything else.



Hala is in "grade 8". Many people ask her what grade she is in and grade 8 is what she tells people but she works at many different levels to be able to meet her special learning needs. It's one of the best things about homeschooling, we can use what best helps her to learn.



Kyle is also in grade 8. He just became a teenager! This is a more challenging year for him as the work load is greater. We are hoping that this year will help to prepare him for high school next year.



Charlotte is in grade 6! She just turned 11 yrs old and is growing like a weed. Straight up that is! I'm certain her legs account for more than 50% of her height!



Sophia has started grade 1! I can't believe she is old enough for grade 1 but she is. She is loving learning to read and is doing very well in math. She amazes me everyday with what she knows.



 Jenna is just 3 1/2 yrs old and wishes she could go to school. We are planning to try her out at the village "daycare" like Sophia did. It really is like preschool would be but maybe even more learning involved!




Bea is learning all she can from the environment around her. She doesn't miss anything. She loves to sit with a pile of toys around her to play with.  She also knows how to make a fuss so that someone will come and pick her up!



Chuck is back at language study full time. It was a process to get us all settled back in to life here but now the real work begins of language and culture study.  He is thankful to have a couple men able to help him in this process.



Shannon, that's me, has had plans to get started in language study again but with needing to organize the house and then having my house helper sick for over a week, well it has yet to happen. Now that she has returned to work I am seeing the beginning in the near future.



Now the most exciting thing about this school year is that I am not teaching the kids!!! We are so blessed to have Lindy Meeker here with us to teach the kids. She has taught them so much already and much of it isn't in the classroom! The girls are learning to knit, cross stitch, draw and sing! They are loving it. Kyle has been enjoying having someone work through his science curriculum and now they are working on some more writing skills.



What a privilege it is to have our kids at home with us all the time. And to have an amazing young lady here to teach them.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Friends

Earlier this week I listened to the kids tell their Grandpa Percy and Aunt Chelsea, via Skype, that they didn’t know what they would be doing that day.  But as soon as we finished talking I walked into the room to find the kids looking like this:
Over the last 6 weeks that we have been in the Guest House in Manila there have been so many kids passing through.  Our kids get to be friends with other kids from all over the world.  In this picture with our Canadian kids there is an American girl, a Filipino/American/Canadian girl and kids from South Africa.  Last night they were also playing with friends from Germany and more American kids.  What a great opportunity to get to know people from other countries.  And we are all here for one purpose, to see tribal Filipino’s come to know Christ as their personal Saviour!  How awesome is that!
In a couple weeks Charlotte and Kyle will get to spend a week at soccer camp with a friend and will get to make new friends from all over the world.  They are looking forward to a time of learning new skills and making new friends.
So as much as the kids say they don’t know what they are going to do today, I think they will find something to do with all of their FRIENDS!

Friday, July 5, 2013

Here comes the rain again...

Our second trip to the village was to be a week long, with the goal of getting some maintenance done on the houses before our families moved back in.  The area had been experiencing a lot of unusually dry weather so the trail remained dry enough for certain vehicles to get into the village.  We decided to take advantage of this and hire our neighbouring village friend with the truck to haul in some building materials such as plywood, and some of the Eastons’ belongings such as their mattresses and appliances.  (Mattresses in particular are best not hauled in by water buffalo and sled in the midst of rainy season.)  My tribal friend, Gaton also came out to accompany us back in.  It sounded like a grand plan, so we went forward with it.  Then it happened…
As mentioned, the weather had been unusually dry up to this point.  Normally we would be getting into rainy season here, which generally means you can count on a good down pour every afternoon by around 3 or 4 pm.  This wasn’t happening this year.  But the day Dennis and I travelled north to begin our trip into the village a low pressure system developed to the west of our island, Luzon and the forecast was promising lots and lots of rain for the coming week… while we were in the village.
We loaded up the truck as planned that morning but as is often the case here, plans never go quite accordingly.  By the time it was all said and done, it was 2 pm before we actually got on our way to the village.  Although (technically) we were the ones who hired the truck, there’s always a number of people from our village and surrounding area looking for the opportunity to either send cargo on the truck or catch a ride themselves.  Such was the case this time and as we moved along, pausing at various points in town.  The pile on the back of both stuff and people, seemed to increase with each stop.  As we left town and headed into the hills we could see some wispy clouds to the west but nothing looked too ominous just yet.  I could see though by the way our driver friend kept looking at the load and the sky and shaking his head that something was going to happen.

After about an hour we reached the last leg of the journey, ‘the Junction’ as it is known by the locals.  It is at this point where we turned off the main road (it certainly isn’t a ‘main road’ by North American standards, but that’s all relative) and started down the trail towards our village.  Normally in the midst of dry season this leg of the journey can take about 45 minutes, provided there’s no stopping and the trail is still in decent shape.  As we climbed the first hill, I quickly noticed it must have rained at least once since our 1st trip as the trail was showing evidence of water gouging and wash out.  I confirmed this with the driver who said it had rained just 4 days earlier, and he glanced out the window yet again at the now quickly darkening sky.
I too, had begun to notice the clouds begin to build in from the west as we made our way from town to the Junction.  I’m always amazed at how quickly weather can change here in the tropics. You can go from a bright, sunny day to pouring rain in a matter of minutes, but fortunately we’ve learned some of the tell-tale signs that indicate something is about to change in the weather.  (Even then surprises do happen!)  I texted Shannon to start praying for the rain to hold off until we arrived at our destination.  As we drove down into the first valley along the trail I started to hear a distant rumbling and saw the occasional bolt of lightning in the now black horizon approaching us.
We lightened our load slightly at the bottom in a tiny settlement of 4 houses, and I jumped out of the truck briefly to take a better look at the sky and see who was getting off.  The driver motioned to me to get back in and on we went.  It was a good thing he was driving and not me, as the long climb back up out of the valley was interesting to say the least.  The trail was showing significant evidence of recent rain storms as we cradled and/or swerved around deep crevices, all the while climbing upward and around several tight corners.  I could see the driver focusing intensely as he gripped the steering wheel and swung it back and forth and we careened from one side of the trail to the other.  We both knew that if he stalled out on the hill or got stuck in one of the wash out trenches we were done for and the ride was over.
The top was a welcome sight for us as we could now see our valley just beyond the next ridge.  It also brought into view a now very, very dark and foreboding sky, ready to let loose on us at any moment.  Thunder rolled around us and every few minutes lightning would strike.  We just needed to get through the next valley, over the hill and down into our village and we would be safe and dry.  Would we really make it down the still dusty and rugged trail before the sky gave way?
At the top of the next ridge we stopped again to unload more passengers and cargo.  This village was the last one before our final destination, but not our driver’s.  He was from this village here and was hoping to make it back there again today.  I began to seriously doubt whether or not he would actually do it, or if we would even make it to our village in time as the wind suddenly picked up and I could literally feel the temperature drop.  He hurriedly dealt with the ones being dropped off, mumbled a few words and we were on our way once again.  The trail was rough enough, but it felt so much more now as we hastily bounced and jostled our way down the hill and across the valley.  We were almost there… and then it really happened!
We were only about a 5 minute ride from our village when the skies finally gave way and the rain came gushing down.  So close, and yet not quite there!  We soon stopped driving as the road became too slick and soupy.  The one working wiper on the driver’s side also couldn’t keep up with the torrent of water flooding the windshield and so he couldn’t see where he was going.  We were also getting soaked inside the truck as the side door windows were stuck open and the handles missing.  I happened to be sitting on the outside and Dennis was in the middle so you can guess which one of us took the brunt of the downpour.  Our driver hopped out and yelled at Gaton over the deafening roar of the rain, who had been riding on the back of the truck with the cargo, to go to a house we had just passed to borrow a tarp so we could cover the cargo.  Dennis and I figured that by this point though, everything was likely soaked through, including our bags with clothes and other personal belongings.  Too bad!
Within 20 minutes the rain slowed to a drizzle and the sun began to peek out from behind the grey clouds.  Gaton found a tarp and arrived back at the truck shortly after Dennis and I left to walk the rest of the way into the village.  It was only 1.5 km but the previously dusty dry trail was now a series of slippery little slopes covered with gooey muck that both clings to your footwear and makes you feel like you’re sliding on ice all at the same time.  We finally arrived and as we walked through the village to my house, greeting people as we went, we were met with smiles and chuckles.  Everyone could tell we got caught in the rain and then the mud as they looked us over.  We obviously stood out as we were a soggy, muddy looking couple of white guys.  But we made it… almost unscathed!  (The truck also made it the rest of the way to the village the following day, once the trail dried up a little.)
As I say all this it reminds me of how ‘fluid’ our plans have to be as we work for the Lord here in the Philippines.  We make our plans as we move forward, trusting Him to direct us.  Proverbs 19:21 tells us that “many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”  How true this is as we seek Him each day.  Our number one desire in all that we do should be to allow Him to fulfil His purpose through us.  I may not understand at this moment what His purpose was in allowing us and our cargo to get completely soaked that day, but I can at least stand in awe at the beauty and majesty, and the awesome power of God that I saw as we drove along and observed the storm moving towards us.  I can and certainly am very thankful for the distance we did get to with the truck.  We had considered waiting an extra day, but we are very thankful the Lord gave us the insight and worked out the details so we could hire the truck to go when we did.
To Him be all the glory!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Bea is 4 months old!

I don’t know where the last 4 months have gone.  Time goes by too fast some days.  Maybe it is age, or perspective or something else but I remember when our first 4 kids were young that the days seemed to go by so slowly.  Now I feel like I just want to slow the days down so I can enjoy my family more.
Yesterday was Bea’s 4 month birthday.  We didn’t do anything special other starting the day off at 5 am and saying good-bye to Daddy as he went to the village again to get our house ready.
Bea is a very serious baby.  She knows how to laugh but she holds it in as much as she can before laughing, or she gets mad and cries!  She is not very cuddly, and I wish she was :-(   I enjoy those rare moments that she falls asleep in my arms.  She is already sleeping a solid chunk anywhere from 8-11 hrs at night.  Plus she naps twice a day for 2 hrs each nap.  I am so thankful that she sleeps so well.  It has been a huge blessing to me as we get settled back into life back in the Philippines.  She is already a TV junky!  She loves to watch a movie with the other kids, although not for as long as they do!  She is also becoming attached to her pink blanket that she sleeps with.  She pulls it up to her face as soon as she gets it in her hands.  She has her favourite people, Mom, of course, Dad, Kyle and Hala.  I am sure Eli will become a new best friend again when he gets back here.  I love getting to know this little person that God has blessed me with!
Today I decided it was time to get out the “big” camera instead of my iPod and take some pictures of this sweet little girl.  Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Going Before Me

As we begin this next chapter of our ministry amongst the Ga’dang people, we could see a number of uncertainties ahead.  During our last term, I was able to establish some great relationships with people living in the closest town on the border of our tribal area.  Some of those people were a huge blessing to us over and over as they helped us, especially in the early stages when we were setting up our home in the tribe.
During much of our last term, we only had land access to get us and our supplies in, and therefore relied heavily on 2 different groups of people.  Our supply buyer, who was based out of the city where the NTM helicopter is, could drive our supplies out to the trail leading into our village.  This involved leaving the NTM center at 5 am and driving 2 ½ hours out to this meeting spot.  We would hire local Ga’dang guys to go out with their water buffalo and sleds to meet them and bring our supplies from there back into the village.
The other person we relied on a lot was my friend, Elias.  Elias is a young Christian man, originally from one of the surrounding tribal areas who now lived and worked in the town located near our tribal area.  He owned a small multi-purpose vehicle (aka a multicab) and so his job was to shuttle passengers from one part of town to the other.  From very early on, Elias began driving us and/or supplies from town out to the trail leading to our tribal village.
The beauty of having a friend like Elias was that he was always available and had many connections to others.  If we needed him to pick us up last minute when we hiked out of the tribe, or needed some supplies taken out to meet the tribal guys and their water buffalos, he would drop everything and do it.  If his vehicle wasn’t big enough for our cargo, or if the trail into our village was dry enough to get a vehicle all the way in (it did happen once in while) he always seemed to know of another guy with the appropriate vehicle to do the job.
Elias was committed to helping us in any way he could.   So much so, that, if he had someone else bringing our supplies and/or us, he would ride along and accompany them, even though he wouldn’t get paid for any of it.  He especially enjoyed it when he was able to ride all the way into the village to visit us.  It was his way of being a part of our ministry there with the Ga’dang.
While we were back in Canada for our home assignment this time, some changes happened.  First, our supply buyer went home to Australia, as well as several other of our support personnel based at the NTM flight center, leaving a significant hole in man power.  The new supply buyer is not able to provide the same service of driving us and/or supplies out to the trail.
Also while we were away, our helipad in the tribe needed to be relocated.  In order for our helicopter pilot to be able to fly onto our new helipad, he first needs to be checked out and approved by a senior pilot from the NTM Aviation training center in the U.S.  We had plans for this to happen in July, but just last week we were informed that the helicopter is now down for major repairs.  It won’t be up and running again for at least 2 to 3 months.
Finally, my friend Elias moved back to his home area, located an hour away from the town he was in before when he was helping us.  I lost contact with him while we were in Canada, and he changed cell phone numbers (a very common occurrence here).  Needless to say, I had no way to get back in touch with him again.
I’m explaining all this so you can understand how the Lord went before me last week as I made my way into the tribe for the first time since we arrived back in the Philippines 3 weeks ago.  My new co-worker, Dennis, and I travelled from Manila, north to the NTM flight center and then I continued over to the town near our tribe on my own.  (He would join me the next day.)  I wasn’t sure how this was all going to happen or even if we would be able to make it into the tribe.  Not having any of our previous set up made it feel like we were starting all over again from scratch.
For those who know me well, this kind of situation can be very intimidating for me to say the least.  I am thankful that the Lord helped me recognise this fear immediately and that I needed to give it to Him to work it out, so I did.  What followed only could have been orchestrated by Him.
Upon arriving in town, I went straight to the terminal where the ‘mulitcabs’ and drivers gather to get passengers and talked to several of the drivers there about Elias.  This is how I found out he had moved away.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t convince any of them to help me by taking us out to the trail, so I started asking around to various people I met, including some friends I knew from our time when we lived in this town several years ago.
By the end of the day, I was getting concerned, to say the least about how we were going to get out to the trail.  I was exhausted, emotionally, mentally and physically.  I went back to my hotel room that night and prayed long and hard about what we should do.  Then it happened.
The following morning, I walked out of the hotel and stood by the road, waiting for a jeepney or multicab to pass by so I could catch a ride.  I was going to go out and try again, talk to more people and see if I could convince someone to take us out to where we needed to go the next day.  I was bracing myself for getting out of my shell and being the kind of person that is really, really difficult for me to be.
As I stood there for a while many vehicles passed by, all of them full of passengers.  I was beginning to rethink my plan of how to get to where I was going.  Then I sensed something inside me telling me to go over to a group of men with tricycles (motorcycles with sidecars) to talk to them.  I knew that mode of transportation wouldn’t work for getting to the trail but maybe they would know someone who did have something.
I approached them and explained my situation, and sure enough, one of them had several friends with vehicles available to hire.  So off we went, this tricycle driver and I, to find me a vehicle.  After several stops and questioning different people, we ended up at Noni’s house.  Noni had a van, which I hadn’t thought of (I was only thinking of jeeps and trucks).  He readily agreed to take us the next day and we settled on a reasonable price.  Later that night, as I went to bed I half wondered if he would really show up to take us.  Oh me of little faith!
With the ride now settled, I was free to inquire about future possibilities and look into finding out exactly where Elias was now living.  It was great as I was able to gather information, talk to several others who may be able to help us in the future, and visit with some people I hadn’t seen for a long time.  Finally I arrived at the open market in town where I figured I would have the best chance of finding out about Elias’ whereabouts.
Before we left for home assignment, Elias had taken us to this market to meet his wife and new baby.  She was working at his aunt’s stall, and so he wanted to introduce us particularly to their new baby, which he named after our own daughter, Jenna Lee.  We felt very honoured when he asked me after his daughter was born if he could use Jenna’s name.
So here I am, standing in the market looking around at all the vendors and stalls (there are a lot!), wondering where Elias’ aunt could be.  Maybe she didn’t even have a stall here anymore and I wouldn’t find out anything.  I prayed a quick prayer asking the Lord to direct me once again and decided I would pick one and then move around, asking if anyone knew of Elias.
I approached the stall where a lady was sitting (I had never actually met Elias’ aunt), and asked if she knew of a guy named Elias So and so, and that I was looking for his aunt who had a stall there in the market.  “Oh, of course”, she said, “I’m Elias’ aunt!”  Of all the people in the market that day, and all the stalls I could have approached, the Lord directed me right to the one I was looking for!
Come to find out, after we left for home assignment, Elias had changed jobs, but it didn’t work out so he moved back to his home area an hour away in the mountains.  I was able to get Elias’ new cell phone number from her as well and I texted him right away to let him know we were back.  Later that night he called me up and we had a good time catching up on what’s happening in each other’s lives.
During our conversation I was reminded of how much of a blessing Elias has been to us, and his belief and commitment to helping us in any way he can.  “Any time you need help”, he said, “Just let me know and I can get to town within the hour to do what I can do.”
It’s a reminder to me that as missionaries serving the Lord here in the Philippines, we are not alone.  His Body is functioning here as well, and there are local members of that Body ready and willing to work alongside us in taking the Gospel message to those who haven’t heard it before.  To Him be all the glory!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Arrived in the Philippines 2013


Greetings from the Philippines!
Don’t you love the new pictures of us???  We had to redo our pictures for immigration, seeing as we have all changed so much!  You can’t wear your glasses or smile.  Makes for some fun pictures!
We arrived in Manila at midnight on Thursday night (Friday morning) almost 2 weeks ago now.  We were expecting to be hit by the heat as we did the first time we arrived in the Philippines in 2005.  But it didn’t have that same feel…until we woke up Friday morning and went outside!  The humidity really hit us as we ventured out of our air conditioned room!  It is still hot season here in the Philippines but the rains have started again.  Last evening we were able to feel the breeze as the rains began.  It felt so good.
We had very uneventful flights.  Our first flight was delayed by just over an hour but the flight time was reduced so we were only 15 min late getting into Hong Kong.  We were disappointed to learn before we boarded our flight in Toronto that they wouldn’t allow Beatrice’s infant car seat on the plane.  They said it wouldn’t fit!  We had purposefully purchased her seat so that we could put her down during the flight as we knew that we wouldn’t get a seat with a bassinet.  After Chuck explained all this to the ladies at our gate, they asked another lady to move, she was supposed to be sitting with us.  So that gave us an extra empty seat.  Bea and I, Shannon, were able to have 3 seats all to ourselves!  I later shared the space with Charlotte so she could lie down and sleep better!  In the end Bea slept only for a while on the seat and spent most of her sleep time in my arms.  But we are praising the Lord that she slept most of the flight and when she was awake she didn’t fuss too much.  We are also praising the Lord that Bea didn’t throw up.  She has been our spitter upper of a baby, usually in the evening and usually it is a lot that we can’t catch!  Thankfully she spit up on her Aunt Christina before we left and then kept everything down for the next 36 hrs!  Thanks Aunt Chrissy!
On our second flight from Hong Kong to Manila, they allowed the car seat but wouldn’t let Bea in the car seat for take off and landing!  We landed right at midnight and took our time getting off the plane.  We went through immigration with no problems also.  Once we collected our mountain of luggage, we headed out through customs to find ourselves a ride to the NTM guest house.  Thankfully the time of night meant that there were not very many people, so we were able to get two vans to take us and all our stuff.  We arrived at the guest house around 2 am and quickly turned on the air conditioning and found our pj’s and headed to bed.
We were all awake by 5:30 am which isn’t too bad.  The kids did great getting over their jetlag.  After just a couple of days here the kids were going to bed at their usual bedtime of 8 pm. Chuck and I have struggled a little more in staying awake into the evening.  By 8 pm we were fighting to stay awake and then waking at 5 am.  It is better now though.  I was a little worried about switching Bea around.  I have heard the stories of trying to get a baby to switch their days and nights around, and they were never good stories.  I expected the worst!  But she is doing great.  Each day from the beginning we were able to keep her awake for several hours at a time during the day.  She didn’t want to wake from her afternoon nap but a bath helped to wake her up.  Then she was ready for bed for the night by 7 or 8 pm.  Each night she has was sleeping a little longer before waking up for a feed.  Then she was goes back to sleep and wakes between 6 or 7 am to start her day!  I am feeling so blessed!  Now for the last several days she has been sleeping 10 hrs straight at night!  That’s an amazing thing for many 3 1/2 month olds!
We have been out a couple times around the city and are amazed at the changes that happen in just a year.  This city just keeps growing.  We are excited about some of the changes and look forward to some things that are still in progress! (2 of our favourite stores are being rebuilt just 10 min from the guest house!)
Thank you for all your prayers for our travels and adjustment to life back here.
Please continue to pray for us.  Here are some prayer requests for the upcoming weeks:
1.  Pray for Eli as he is still back in Ontario finishing his semester of high school.  He is staying with Chuck’s parents.  He flies over with Chuck’s dad and his cousin on July 6th.
2.  Pray for our continued adjustments to the time and the heat.
3.  Pray for Chuck and Dennis as they left today to head north to our village.  They are needing to work out some new plans for land transportation to the waiting shed as the mission vehicle is no longer working. They have a second trip to make later this month.
4.  Pray that they find the right people to help make things go smoothly.  Over the next year there will need to be a lot of supplies brought by land to the trail head as we plan to build the Easton’s house.
5.  Pray for our generators to arrive in the next 12 days or less.  They will be needing them to do the work on the house the Easton’s will live in for this next year.
6.  Pray for Shannon and Valerie and the kids as we stay in Manila while the men are gone.
7.  Pray for our families as they adjust to life without us nearby.  We miss them already.
Thank you again for your prayers and support of the work the Lord is doing among the Ga’dang of the Philippines.
Some fun in the Manila rain with friends!

In Christ,
Chuck & Shannon
& the kids

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Homeschool Teacher


We are very excited about a young lady that is coming to homeschool our kids this August for 6-9 months!!!
Let me introduce you to Lindy Meeker.
She is from North Carolina and was homeschooled herself.
We are looking forward to getting to know her much more this year.
Please pray for Lindy as she prepares to come to the Philippines at the beginning of August.
Pray that she would be able to raise the financial support that she needs to come.
Pray that she would fit adjust well to our crazy family!!!

Jelly Bean Turns 3!


On April 6th our little Jellybean turned 3 yrs old!  Where has the last 3 yrs gone to?
As I look back at pictures from last year when we first arrived back in Canada, I can see such a change in Jenna.  She has grown so much.  And not just in size but in personality too!  She never went through the “terrible 2′s” but has become a “tricky 3″ yr old.  I think her little world has been rocked a bit by the addition of her new baby sister.  Her lasted trick is while playing a memory game.  She is very good at finding matches all by herself but while playing with someone else, she will point to the wrong card so you will pick it up but not get a match.  Then at her turn she will go straight for the 2 correct cards! She is quite smart for just 3 yrs old.
As the sun finds it way out again here in Ontario, we are seeing more and more of the red in her hair.  This makes her mommy very happy!
We were very happy to celebrate Jenna’s birthday with all our family.  Here are some pictures of her fun day:
Made by Aunt Christina
She loves to wear dresses.