Another Way to Beat the Heat!

Have I told you we are in love? Will's new dog has stolen our hearts. He is so fun and cute! He is a little obsessive compulsive though. He really loves his ball. He has 2 of them-one inside and one outside. He almost constantly has one of them in his mouth. He really loves for you to throw it so he can retrieve it for you. Will loves this since the Nelsen's dog, Bonnie and his Nana's dog never really seemed to get the concept of fetch. Will would throw the ball and they would run away with it. WAGs on the other hand brings it back and places the slobbery thing in your hand to throw again. He can play this game for hours and after 2 months has yet to lose one of his balls. If only the kids were so careful with their toys!

Chasing a ball all day tends to make WAGs a little hot, so what does he do to cool off? Well...We have a fountain in our front yard--or what used to be a fountain, but until recently has just used by the dogs as a large water bowl. Last week, WAGs started sticking his head under the water. He has always loved a bath and the cool feeling he gets afterwards so I guess he decided to get that feeling more than once a week at bathtime. Soon this wasn't good enough though. If sticking your head under water makes you feel cool, surely getting your whole body wet would be better. So WAGs now takes time each day to sit in his "little pool". He loves it. The kids like throwing rocks the size of their fists in the water and watching him search and rescue the rock. He is so cute blowing bubbles. WAGs has certainly taken to water and probably wished we had a lake he could take a dip in each day. There are days I would gladly join him in his "little pool" if only it were bigger!

Go fetch WAGs!

Hot season #2

April and May are not only the hottest months here in the Philippines, but also the driest. The lack of rain causes things to be even dustier and dirtier than usual. Things begin to turn brown and leaves fall off the trees. A common practice here is to burn debris that falls onto yards and streets or even whole sections of grasses, not just in hot season, but all year long. Often the smell of something burning hangs in the air. All of this burning combined with the high levels of pollution causes a high percentage of people to suffer from asthma and breathing related illnesses.This is a common problem among many of our patients. One of the things I have had to learn to use at the clinic is the nebulyser. Inhalers are also a common treatment. I always love hearing Allan and Scott explain in Tagalog how to use the inhaler. The word for puff in Tagalog is boomba. I wonder if people find English words funny sounding when they are learning our language?

In another couple of months, the rains will come, and for a brief moment the air will feel cleaner. Unfortunately, it will rain and rain and rain then everything will begin to grow mold. We've lived through that season though so maybe we will begin to get used to the seasons of the Philippines.

"How's the weather?"

For us, the answer to that question is almost always "hot", just the degree of hotness varies. For the Filipino, it actually feels cold at times. Back in January, Filipinos and kids at Faith who have grown up here, were wearing sweat shirts while the Gilmers still wore sleevless shirts and shorts. It is now officially hot season though! April and May are the hottest months of the year here in the Philippines. This afternoon about 4, I checked the weather channel online, it said the temp in Manila was 95, but it "feels like 102". I will agree with that. While the temps rarely get above 96, the humidity, the proximity to the equator, and lack of central air make it feel just plain hot. So, how do people here deal with the heat? Well, as we drive through the squatter areas near our home, we see naked little kids running around and bathing in plastic tubs to cool off. Any sourse of water becomes a pool or sprinkler. Around the house, men and boys are without shirts, women wear loose house dresses or shorts and sleeveless shirts. (Although, when out in public, a Filipina always wants to look her best--this means pants or jeans for women regardless of temps.) Even though there is not a rain cloud in sight people carry umbrellas to provide relief from the sun.

For us, we tend to have our fans running all day. We also tend to take 2 showers, one in the morning and another just before bed. These days we rarely even try to get hot water to come out of the tap. The cold has a nice warm feel, especially in the evening. The other afternoon when Allan washed his hands at clinic the water was actually hot! The water at the clinic comes from a storage tank. Most Filipinos (including some missionaries and weathier Filipinos) get their water from a water truck that pumps it into storage tanks usually placed on the roof. We are fortunate to have a a deep well pump here in the neighborhood that usually brings water into our house. The clinic is too high in the neighborhood to get much water from the pump, which is why we rely on the tanks there. Since we have moved here, we have often had sporatic periods of low or no water. There seems to be little rhyme or reason to this, nor any warning. Sometimes the lower we go in our house (it's 3 stories) the more water we can get, so we can take our shower on the first floor. We also have water storage tanks on the roof in case we get desperate and choose not to wait for the water to come back on or don't want a bucket bath. We can flip a lever and the water from the tanks will flow out of the water taps in the house. We haven't used it yet, but I am sure sometime after a typhoon we will have to.

So, we are now at about the halfway point of "summer" or hot season and so far it hasn't been too bad. Those years in middle Georgia and Augusta have prepared us well! The good news is while you are sweating this summer we will actually be a little cooler than most places in the South. Of course winter never comes so I'm not sure it is an actual win.

3...2...1... BLAST OFF!

Emily's teacher enjoys building rockets each year with his class. Even though he is the Social Studies teacher and not the Science teacher for the 5th grade, his class gets extra science and math as they learn about rockets. Last Saturday we got up bright and early to drive to a big field in Makati and shoot off some great rockets the kids had built. One rocket had a camera in the nose. We haven't seen that picture yet, but the kids can hardly wait for it to be developed. We drew a crowd of Filipino workers at the nearby construction site and the street cleaning crew. It was a BLAST!

We have lift off!
Emily is in the hot pink shorts

Mr. Kuiken and some of the class rockets

Field Day

This week was a short week for the kids due to Easter, so Wednesday, the last day of school for the week, was Field Day. The kids enjoyed the track and field events. Will continues to pick up some speed as he gets taller. He did well in the running events. Emily surprised me by being really good at the hurdles. She first ran individually over a set of lower hurdles. The next race was against 4 girls and they used higher hurdles (you can see them at the edge of the picture of Will running). Em's form was great and she took the hurdles with ease not knocking over one. At the last hurdle, she was in first place. Unfortunately that is where trouble arose and she caught a foot in the hurdle and took a tumble. The kids had fun, but it was HOT! I understand why they have field day in April and May in the US. It is a little hard to run bundled up in a winter coat, but here it is the hottest time of the year. We could have had this in January and still worn shorts. We did go to the Faith pool after school and enjoyed cooling off with the other kids and moms. It was a popular place.


Emily and Will take off on the long jump

Preparing for the shot put

50 years of Faith!

Faith Academy

located just outside Metro Manila

This year Faith Academy celebrates 50 years of educating the children of missionaries. This boarding school has played an important part in the spread of the gospel not just in the Philippines, but Southeast Asia as parents are able to provide a quality education for their kids. Today marked a special day in the life of the school that has become an important place in the life of our kids (who are day students). After many years of prayer, the school broke ground today on a new Auditorium/classroom complex. Until recently this event loomed far on the horizon, but thanks to a donation from a Korean Church in California, it is now becoming a reality. It will hopefully be completed in time for the 2007 graduation. Those of you who have ever sat crammed in a hot unairconditioned gym in July will be able to aprreciate that the school will finally have airconditioning not only for graduation, but school plays, band concerts, etc. Emily was thrilled that one of her classmates was chosen to represent the elementary school by swinging a sledge hammer in the demolition of a small maintenance building. The picture below shows her class on a back hoe at the ground breaking.

How old?

I always love the little ones who come to the clinic. The preschoolers are my favorite. They usually speak no English and therefore I am forced to speak Tagalog to them. Unfortunately sometimes my attempts at language with kids are met with a blank stare. In case your worried that my Tagalog is that bad, well it probably is, but Scott who is darn near fluent often gets the same blank stares. The babies on the other hand do not care what language you speak to them. They smile and coo at me in the way only babies can (except for the ones who scream as I try to take their temp). Last Friday, Allan had a sweet little baby boy come in for a re-check. He was one who really didn't want me messing with him. After all, I did rudely awaken him from a nap to weigh him and then pinned his arm to his side to take his temp. I tried hard to get his pulse-ox (oxygen level), but Allan said the measurement wasn't correct because the value would have meant he was close to death.
By the time the baby was seen by Allan he was awake and alert and gave me such sweet smiles and giggles. After his initial exam, I went with Allan to the "pharmacy" to help him fill meds. Most of the time Allan and Scott know exactly what medicine(s) they need and the filling of the prescription is easy, but sometimes they stand looking at the meds trying to decide what should be the course of action. This was such a case. Questioning Al about what was wrong with the baby, he replied "he probably has congestive heart failure." What I thought was a 5-6 month old baby turns out to be an 18 month old toddler. His condition, most likely combined with poor nutrition, has delayed his growth and development. It also explained the blue-grey color of his skin especially his hands and feet. It is a condition that probably could have been corrected through surgery in the US, but lack of health insurance and cash make even diagnosing his condition tough.

Go Dawgs!

I bet you are wondering why the title of the post seems to be a cheer for our college rival. This actually started out to be an email to 2 of our dear friends and ardent University of Georgia fans, but I thought others might also like to see a picture I took at clinic last Friday.

Do you ever wonder what happens to all those clothes donated to Goodwill and the Salvation Army? Wonder no more- some of them obviously make it to foreign shores. Often, we see our patients and others out in the community wearing clothes that seem out of place. Friday one of our patients had on a Myrtle Beach t-shirt. I am not sure he even knows where Myrtle Beach is; let alone has been there. We have a picture that Larry Holmes took out in the tribe of a man wearing an Atlanta Braves t-shirt. I can honestly say this guy was probably not pulling for the Braves to win the World Series. I actually enjoy seeing little bits of home here and there on Filipinos and it usually makes me smile. Such was the case on Friday. After seeing the Myrtle Beach shirt, I took the vital signs and did a urinalysis for Casimira. It was a few minutes before I realized there was a UGA Bulldog on his faded red baseball cap. It immediately made me think about our friends Steven and Kathryn--well really Steven who loves UGA so much that his whole wardrobe is black and red. I was wishing he could see it. I was so thankful the Nelsen's camera was at the clinic and I could snap a couple of pictures to send him.

As is often the case, what began as a fun or happy moment at the clinic, did not end that way. You see Casimira is sick and can't afford the treatment he needs at a local hospital. Being the sole supporter for a wife and 7 kids, he doesn't feel he can even afford the blood tests that would enable us to treat him for a related health problem- tests that run about $5. Can you imagine not being able to afford a $5 blood test? People respond to the bad news we sometimes have to share in different ways. Some act like what they have been told was nothing more than having a cold, while others break down. It always breaks my heart when they cry. This was the case for Casimira. Caught in a situation that looks like a dead end, he sobbed. It is at times like this that I understand why Allan and Scott don't try to see 45 patients each during clinic. The clinic is about more than passing out medicine and bandaging wounds, it is about ministering to the emotional and spiritual needs of the soul. Casimira puts a face on our ministry here. Please pray for him as he struggles with tough decisions in the coming weeks. Also pray for us that we would remember that our clinic is about more than medicine.

Happy 11th Birthday Emily!

There were familiar sounds in our house Saturday night-- Sounds of girls giggling instead of sleeping. Emily had 2 friends over to spend the night for her birthday. 3 girls who come from3 very different backgrounds--Jaina is an MK(missionary kid) who is the child of an MK and has spent most of her life living overseas in Paupa New Guinea and the Philippines. Keisha is the daughter of a Filipino businessman who has grown up in the PI and is a new student at Faith this year. Emily of course is a small town southern girl new to the Philippines. It is amazing that 3 girls from such diverse backgrounds can be such good friends. They have bonded well at school this year. It hasn't hurt that 2 of them were new to Faith.

On Sunday morning we got up early, attended church and then went ice skating. Emily has been looking forward to this since we moved here. She says she is the only girl in her class who has never been. She was supposed to go skating for Jaina's birthday in February, but that was the weekend of the big coup attempt and State of Emergency so they stayed closer to home, much to Emily's dismay. So what was Emily's first birthday in the tropics?? Ice Skating! Who would have guessed?

Emily wearing a sweatshirt and jeans for the first time in almost a year!

Taking the scenic route

Here is a picture of a truck we saw on our way home from church Sunday. Some time while we were at church, it got stuck under an overpass walkway. As of Tuesday afternoon when I went to pick up the kids from school, it was still there blocking two lanes of traffic on one of the most heavily congested roads in our area.

On a different note- summer has arrived! The temps inside the house are hitting about 91 everyday. It will be interesting to see if they get even higher towards the end of April. Enjoy those last winter days and the coming of Spring while we endure the dog days of summer! I think we are going to cool off in the new Faith pool this evening after dinner. Aaahh what a treat!

Star Gazing----again

One of the things I like to do here at night, is to step out on the balcony and look at the small twinkling lights of the city of Albang across Laguna de Bay and the star above. If I have alot of energy, I will even take the winding staicase up to the roof and see the whole expanse of the sky. Being so close to a mega metropolis we shouldn't be able to see many stars, but if you remember from my post about Orion, there is a hill that blocks the city of Manila from view so on a clear night, the stars fill the sky. (Ok it probably isn't like being on the prairie in Kansas, but it is as good as Greenwood, SC.) As I stepped out on the balcony last night, the sky was beautiful. I looked up trying to find my friend Orion. He wasn't there. I don't know if he is gone for a while or is just coming out at a different time. It was as I turned SW toward Alabang that I saw it for the first time---the Southern Cross. Thanks to the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song from my childhood. It is the only constellation I know that is in the S. hemisphere and can't be seen from the US. After the Orion post, our good friend Rob emailed us and asked if we could see the Southern Cross. Of course this meant I had to go online and research if we even had a possibility of seeing it. The answer was yes--it is visible anywhere below a latitude of 20. Since we are at about 13 degrees that includes us. So there it was--a cross in the sky. It was beautiful and bright sitting just above the trees. The main line from that song kept running through my mind-- "When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you understand now why you came this way." It was such a good reminder to me that we are to be like that cross shining forth in the night sky; a beacon in the darkness of the Philippines to lead others to Christ. Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the frustration of learning Tagalog, the visible physical problems of our patients, and the dailyness of life that I forget our main goal and purpose in all of these things is Christ. While the medical work we do here is valid and fills a big need, it is only a temporary bandaid. Christ can heal those we come in contact with from the disease of sin that eats at the soul. So I guess I have a new friend in the sky, a visible reminder of why we have come this way. It would be so much easier to pack up and head "home", but Christ has called us to shine in the darkness, to guide those on the seas of life toward His port of salvation.















Here are some images I got off the internet of the Southern Cross

Spring Break!

Like most kids in the US, many of the kids at Faith Academy long to go to the beach for Spring Break. Fortunately, we are surrounded by beaches here in the Philippines. We have been on Spring Break for the last week (In actual fact it is summer from now until the end of May) and we took our first trip to a Filipino beach. We decided on Puerto Galera on the Island of Mindoro. This is a popular place with a lot of the missionaries who live near us because it is 1.somewhat close and easy to get to and 2.relatively inexpensive. We left home at 5 am last Tuesday to drive to Batangas. In Batangas we caught a banka(boat) to Talipanan Beach in Puerto Galera. Talipanan Beach is quiet cove with a few "hotels" and 3 restaurants. These are not high rises or condos, but each has 10 or so rooms. We stayed at the Bamboo House. A very tropical looking place. We enjoyed eating on the porch and swinging in the hammock. Our room was nothing spectacular. Definitely not a 4 star place- I'm not sure it was even 1 star. Probably not the accommodations we would take our parents to. We had 2 small beds and a bathroom with cold water. The shower was a shower head that wet the whole bathroom and with the sink next to it, it was the water source for both shower and sink. Since we didn't spend much time in our room I guess this was OK especially since the price was only $10 a night.
Outside was a gorgeous beach filled with smooth rocks and blue green waters similar to the beaches off Destin, FL. Behind us the land was lush and green and became mountainous. With just a few hotels, we felt very isolated in our own little paradise. This meant we had to eat all our meals at the 3 restaurants and we were tired of their fare by weeks end, but we did enjoy pizza at the authentic Italian place run by an real Italian--Luka.
The ocean water was clear and not too rough so the kids enjoyed frolicking in the surf. This is the South China Sea and surprisingly a little nippy. Just off shore, there were a couple of rocks home to some tropical fish. We made our first ventures into snorkeling there. On Wednesday, we went with another family by small banka to snorkel on a large coral reef. It was like swimming with the cast of "Finding Nemo". We saw clown fish, blue tangs, striped angel fish, Moorish idol fish, butterfly fish, and many others that we don't know the names of, plus anemones and coral. Some of the highlights were: a baby octopus, an eel, a snake, a couple of different starfish including a blue starfish. We decided we love snorkeling. I knew Em would like it, but the snorkeling award goes to Will who took to snorkeling like a duck takes to water. He caught on to breathing through the snorkel quickly and we had to watch him like a hawk as he showed no fear in following wherever the fish led--even out to the deep sea.
There were many other families from Faith there so the kids enjoyed having friends to swim and play with. Emily's teacher was also there and Em enjoyed talking and swimming with him outside of school. We returned home Saturday very tired and not too pink. We learned the first day that our regular plan for sun protection would have to be stepped up a notch. At 13 degrees above the equator, the sun is much more brutal than in Georgia. We learned quickly to reapply sunscreen often to our pasty white bodies. Still everyone has a patch of burn in strange places that were overlooked or rubbed off on day 1. After the first day we also took to staying inside or in the shade from 11:00 until 2:00 or 3:00. All in all it was a great trip. If you would like to see more pictures, you can check them out on our website at http://www.philippinemission.com/SpringBreak2006.html
Ginger

The crisis has passed!

I know you have all been concerned about us in light of our recent post. You will be comforted in knowing that the terrible situation in which we have found ourselves for the last 6 weeks has been rectified. I am not referring to the current political mess, which is still simmering just below the surface, but the current milk crisis I refered to in my recent post about shopping. This crisis now seems to be passed. Yesterday, at the Santa Lucia grocery store, after at least a 6 week deficiency, there was a whole section of Harvey Fresh skim milk. The kids were so thrilled! I bought 10 - 1 litre boxes just in case a shortage should arise again any time soon. You can do that with milk that just sits on a shelf and has an expiration date somewhere in the next decade. In case you are wondering Harvey Fresh is imported from Australia where they also process and sell fresh milk. No milk cows here means no fresh milk in the PI. While this is not tragic for me, Allan and the kids long for a glass of "real" milk. This milk is ok in cereal and baking, but no one in our family just fixes themself a glass to go with their chocolate chip cookies or cake.

Will's new friend

Will is an animal lover. His 3 favorite animals have always been elephants, donkeys, and dogs. I remember as a little guy he used to tell us when he grew up he wanted to be a farmer and raise elephants. For as long as I can remember, he has been asking for one of these animals for a pet. Since we knew we would eventually be moving overseas, we have promised for years that he could get a dog when we got there. (notice we didn't just say pet because I really don't want a donkey and who can afford to feed an elephant) Well we have now been in the Philippines for 7 months, so it was time to make good on this promise. The Nelsen's dog Bonnie was pregnant and since Will loved her he had decided he would love to have one of her babies. Unfortunately, she did not carry them to term. So this weekend Will made a new friend that I hope will remain for the next 15 years or so. After waiting patiently for 9 long years, he is now the proud owner of a puppy! It is a 3 month old male that he has named....... WAG's Buddy. That stands for William Allan Gilmer's Buddy. We just call him WAGs. So far he seems to be a great dog and we are all in love. Will is beyond ecstatic!

WAGs

Will and WAGs romping in the yard!

More about shopping!

Ok I know I promised to tell you more about shopping, but instead of talking about it, I have been doing it. Last Friday I had to go on a mission for my Mom. Em's birthday is coming up and she wants my Mom to send her Bubble bath--"good bubble bath" Since bubble bath doesn't really fit well into a Global Priority Mail Envelope, I took up the task of seeing what I could find. This was easier said than done. After shopping at many places I finally found a small bottle at a store similar to Bath and Body works. The cost for 5 oz. bottle of rasberry scented bubbles--$12. OK so maybe not. The next place, where I found some, was a strange little store. It was about the size of your bathroom--OK so maybe not your Master bath, but the one in the hall that the kids use. There were shelves down each side with an asile only big enough for one. The outside wall of shelves had glass on one side so you could stand in the mall and browse. This store seemed to carry toiletry items imported from the US. But they only had one or 2 of each item like maybe they had bought some sort of odd lot. In the window of this store I saw 1 bottle of Mr. Incredible Bubble Bath--from the Disney movie a few years ago called The Incredibles. My guess is in the US they are currently selling Chicken Little or Narnia Bubble Bath. The price for this collectors item--$10. At least the price was going down and the bottle bigger. This bottle was probably about 24 oz. Finally at a store called Watson's I found what I was looking for-- 36 oz of Bubble bath for less than $2. Of course it may not be what Em calls "good bubble bath", but it will have to do. By the way, she thinks Mr. Bubbles produces the largest volume of bubbles; so if you ever come to visit and want to make her day just bring her a bottle or two of Mr. Bubbles bubble bath.

Sometimes we find the oddest things from the US in the stores. Last week at the Supermarket, I saw these beautiful hand painted bowls in the picture at the left. I really liked the bowls on display, but what really drew me was the box they came in said "Southern Living at Home". For those of you who aren't familiar with this, it is a home shopping party like Tupperware or Pampered Chef. They were so cute and less than a dollar for 2 bowls. The color was close enough to go in my kitchen that I couldn't resist. They also had a platter and serving bowl in the same pattern for less than $2. I knew if I left these there my sister-in-law would be appalled so I bought them too. We have beautiful cabinets in the kitchen with glass doors so my knew purchases look nice on display. I wonder why these few chosen items were on sale here. They said made in China so I am not thinking they were seconds. They are for sale in the current catalog so they aren't discontinued. I will probably never know why.

We often seem to have some strange items here. About the only salad dressing we can find is Kraft fat free. I know this is not because Filipinos are trying to cut back on fat in dressings. I am not sure the average Filipino even eats much salad. My guess is they weren't selling well in the US and they had a few too many. For a while, we also had Carb-well peanut butter on the shelf. The Atkins craze has not hit here, after all you would have to give up rice, so I am not sure why it is for sale here. During November, some stores started carrying a Sam's size box of a popular baking mix. Without naming names, it comes in a yellow box and youi use it to make bisqui... I mean biscuits. I of course purchased a box of this. After all I used it often at home for pancakes, waffles, and being a good southerner-biscuits. Obviously there was areason for the supply here. Someone must have accidently dropped the whole container of salt into the mix. I have tried a couple of different times to make something with it, but the taste is always too salty and terrible. I guess I my mom always says--I will just have to chalk that one up to experience.
So if you are ever wondering what becomes of today's hot new item that disappears from the selves a few months down the line--wonder no further. The extra stock has been shipped somewhere else so that 3rd wourld countries can enjoy it as well.

"Walang stock, Ma'am"

If there is one thing we have learned to count on here, it is not to count on stores having what you are looking for. Just because you bought vegetable shortening at a store before, doesn't mean they will have it today--even if you just bought it last week. That was one of my first experiences with this phenomenon. It took me months to find shortening after running out the first time. I think sometimes this occurs if it is an item which is imported and not commonly used by Filipinos. Many Filipinos do not have ovens or bake so why would they need shortening. Other times there must be a problem in production. There was a time when we could not find Coke Light (Diet) at any store. Those who know me well know of my addiction to diet coke. I had to switch to Pepsi Diet during this crisis. It wasn't too tragic as they both taste different from American Diet Coke. We finally discovered Pepsi Max as our favorite. Unfortunately it is now--"Walang stock"--out of stock.
In the 7 months we have lived here, I have developed some items of brand loyalty. I still buy Heintz ketchup which tastes the same as US heintz(this wasn't so in Kenya). I also always buy Best Foods Mayo. We like Hellmans in the US which is made by Best Foods and this is very similar in taste. I just have to make sure I pick up the "Real Mayonnaise" as opposed to the "Mayo Magic". The jars and coloring are exactly the same except the words. Believe me the taste is not the same.
We have taken to certain brands that are new to us. We like the Knorr seasoning--it is similar to say sauce, and any sauce by Lee Kum Kee. There are many items that I have not established a certain brand that I buy everytime. A lot of times this is because I either #1. didn't purchase this product in the US or #2. none of them taste like what we are used to. Milk falls into this #2 category. The milk we buy is all UHT or shelf milk imported from Australia. It can sit on a shelf in our pantry until opened. None of it is great. The kids like Harvey Fresh though so we have been buying that until...... you guessed it--"Walang stock Ma'am". We found 9 boxes about 3 weeks ago and bought them all. They are all gone now and still none to be seen at any of the stores where we shop. Last week I bought 3 different brands for everyone to try and give their opinion of. Cowshead was the new milk of choice. Yesterday when I went to the Supermarket, guess how many they had?--One! You just have to laugh about these things and accept it as just the way it is. I wanted to tell you more about shopping here, but I have gone on long enough. I want to tell you about products imported fromt the US. I guess I will tell you about that tomorrow.
Happy Shopping!

the winds of change

Allan and I recently discussed how we think the family is adjusting to living here in the Philippines. Everyone appears to be happy, but if during the current political uprising they were to throw us out, I am not sure there would be many tears. So I was a little surprised yesterday with a comment made by Will. I was trying to catch a few headlines on Fox News. The Fox News channel is a live feed from the US and often there are strange things on during our day (the US night). This was definitely true on Saturday afternoon. The guest of this news interview was the head of a group that would like to form a Christian nation in South Carolina. The words at the bottom of the screen read--"All Christians to move to South Carolina". I know that if Em had been here, she probably would have headed off to pack her suitcase. Thank goodness she was off swimming at a birthday party. During this story though, Will came into the room to chat and after a few minutes noticed these words on the TV. His response--"Awww, do we have to move back to South Carolina? I haven't spent enough time with Lawrence and my new friends yet." I was so surprised that I couldn't even answer him. This wasn't Idaho or Nebraska--places he's never been, but his former home state that he loves. I guess that tells us more than anything else that Will is adjusting to life here. I felt a little torn-- of course I was very happy that he is happy and content a world away from "home", but also a little sad that one day that will no longer be his "home". He will return to the US and long for a place that currently seems to us a little strange and different. I just didn't think it would begin to happen so soon.

Top 10 things to do during a State of Emergency or coup attempt

10. Brush up on your small arms identification skills
9. Drive through roadblocks with a wave and a smile to the guards
8. Learn new Tagalog words for political instability
7. Review your favorite verses in the Bible about God being in control of everything
6. Setup your email to auto-respond with “Yes, we are OK”
5. Write a blog about fun things to do during a coup attempt
4. Make sure you have enough coffee in the house to outlast a coup attempt
3. Pray for your country because real lives and livelihoods are at stake
2. Minister to the poor of metro Manila as always

and the number one thing to do during a State of Emergency or coup attempt . . .
1. Send your kids off to their friends and enjoy a date with your wife

Why can't Tagalog be more like English?

Why can't Tagalog be more like English ? ! . . . Adapting as a missionary means, among other things, learning a new language. For the past few months, this has been our struggle. Learning, trying, misunderstanding, mis-speaking, and often provoking laughter at our expense. This is my first experience learning a new language. What I am learning is that language involves much more than the direct interpretation of the words said - - in my mind, I knew this to be true. I certainly have been told this in our preparation for missionary service. But now . . . now it is more than "in my mind". It is a daily part of life, trying to understand more than what words are being spoken but also what is meant by those words. In the few months of language study, I have gained some grammer skills, a moderate amount of vocabulary, and even some cultural viewpoints. Now, with a basic sentence, I can generally "reverse-engineer" the sentence into an English sentence. Whether that English sentence means the same as the Tagalog sentence is a completely different thing.

Scott tells the story of a fellow missionary who was studying Tagalog at the same time as him. This missionary's favorite quote was "Why can't Tagalog be more like English"? I am learning the answer: Because it simply is not English and sometimes you just can't state the same thought in English terms.
posted by Allan

Are the stars out tonight?

This time last year, the kids and I were studying astonomy during school; in particular stars and constellations. One thing I miss about homeschooling is teaching the Science and Social Studies. I think I always learned more than the kids. Before our space xploration, I could find the little and big dipper, but that was about it.
One cold night in February, we took a family outing to the planetarium at USC in Columbia. While the planetarium show was great, afterwards they opened up the obsevation tower and telescope. It was a clear cold South Carolina night and so we saw all kinds of planets and stars through the telescope. The professor then took us out on the observation deck and showed us how to find different constellations. It was then that I was introduced to a new friend--Orion. There he was in the sky, the mightly hunter. I enjoyed seeing him throughout the spring. Unfortunately, seasons change and Orion moved to his summer home while we moved to the Philippines.
The stars shine in the Philippines too, but with pollution and lights, the stars aren't very visible in Metro Manial. Thankfully we are outside of the city and we have a hill blocking most of the city lights from our house. Often the sky is deep and dark and the stars are bright and beautiful here. Some evenings I enjoy going out onto the balcony or the roof and looking at the stars. It was in late December that I saw my friend again. There in the night sky, bow raised in the hunt was Orion. Being in the northern hemisphere, I shouldn't have been surprised to see him, but I was. I was more than surprised, I was overcome. It made me feel closer to home to think that the same stars lighting up the sky here tonight will soon shine above my parents house in Pine Mountain, GA. So if you find yourself outside on one of these cold winter nights, look up. There is a friend of mine up there. When you see him, pray for us and remember we aren't too far away from you.
Ginger