Woo Hoo! our first boxes arrive. . .

We decided that we would not send "a crate" over with our belongings. We felt that cost was too high and most of our stuff was not coming with us to the Philippines. We sold the majority of our big furniture and dispersed the remainder to family. So to get our stuff to the Philippines, we decided to use a Filipino mainstay - the "balikbayan box". This type of shipment is common for many Filipinos. Many Filipinos will leave their country to find employment and as part of the deal, they will send their families "balikbayan" or a gift sent to home. These boxes are delivered door-to-door from the US to the Philippines with customs taken care of by the shipper. (If I can avoid a governmental agency it sounds like a better deal to me!) So we shipped 10 boxes in mid-June and another 16 boxes in July. I wasn't quite sure about our choice at first because the place we left our boxes in America seemed "semi-seedy". It was a deal accomplished in the far corner of a shipping warehouse. Fears aside, our first 10 boxes arrived today. So far only one picture frame has been found broken. I am not sure who was more excited, Emily and Will to have a box full of their toys arrive or Ginger to have her house taking shape as she planned.

Backtracking just a bit

Now that I've got the computer operational, we can post some of the pictures we have taken.
Saying goodbye is tough and the aprehension on Emily's face is evident.

Filipino Drivers license

What could have potentially been a very bad nightmare was actually quite tolerable (but certainly not enjoyable). Ginger and I spent the morning obtaining our Philippines driver license. I have to say it was less painful than the first time I tried to obtain a drivers license in Greenwood, SC.

We had to go to a central facility in Quezon City to obtain our licenses. Since we did not know the way to get there, we had to hire a driver to help us. He drove us there in our own van which seemed odd to me but I was reassured that this was the way things worked.

Besides presenting the typical official documents such as passports and U.S licenses, we were required to obtain a medical physical and urine drug screen. And you guessed it, there are many medical offices surrounding the place just so you can obtain your required exams (at 300 pesos/person or about $5.45). The drug screen was done right there on the spot, while you wait. I didn't see them do the actual test so I am not sure it was even done. But he signed our form that we both passed without evidence of drugs (whew! what a relief).

Next was our medical exam or "medical" as the nurse kept calling it. This involved a BP check in which everyone that was in our group had the same BP measurement. There was also a weight check - I didn't ask how much you would have to weigh before you were disqualified for a license. Next was the eye exam. Knowing my eyes were not 20/20, I decided to invest in a little mental insurance and I quickly looked at the eye chart and memorized the 20/20 line just in case. Fortunately, with my glasses on, I didn't have any trouble with the vision test. If I had failed, I'll bet there was an eye doctor just around the corner ready to sell some glasses to me. Having "passed" our medical exam, we headed back to the license office where we . . .
handed in our forms then
sat down and waited then
took our picture then
sat down and waited then
paid in cash then
sat down and waited then
took our picture again then
sat down and waited then
picked up our completed license and headed for the house.
Did I mentioned it rained most of the time we were doing this.
Compared to trying to get a South Carolina driver's licence for our Kenyan friend when he came to the States, I would say this was a piece of cake.

It's a small world after all!

It is amazing to me how the world keeps shrinking. Through modern technology, we are able to communicate with our family and friends as if we were all in the same time zone. Emails come quickly and are so welcome. We have enjoyed hearing what's going on at "home" and getting encouragement from many of our supporters. We also have been able to use the internet to actually talk to our family. It is still wierd to be talking to some one at 11 am on a Friday and know that they are still living Thursday. Just this evening I talked to my Mom and Dad as they were beginning their Saturday. I on the other hand am going to take a shower because we will ususally not have water on Sunday until after lunch. The rains are still here and the weather is very cool. It almost feels like Spring.

Its raining! Its pouring!

I have always had an unnatural fascination with the weather. I can watch the weather channel for hours at a time. Our home page has weather displayed for Greenwood, Auburn, Pine Mountain, GA, and TayTay, Philippines. I also check the forecast on the internet or tv at least a couple of times a day. Therefore I have been watching the Philippines' weather since last fall. I knew that July was the rainy season. According to the weatherchannel.com it rains an average of over 15 " during the month of July alone. So it hasn't been any surprise that it has rained everyday since our arrival. The days are usually beautiful with bright blue skies until the rains come. They blow in, it pours for 30 minutes to an hour and they leave again. This happens once or twice a day usually in the afternoon. It isn't just a sprinkle; it is heavy sheets of water. Kind of like the old Morton salt ad-"when it rains it pours". Yesterday, the rain began while I was returning home from taking the kids to school. All of the sudden traffic just stopped as Jeepneys and trikes stop to pull down or put up plastic over their windows. They don't pull over or anything, they just stop where they are. Last night the rains came in again. In the U.S. we might not have even noticed, but here we sleep with the windows open. This rain came with gusty winds and Allan and I awoke to rain blowing on us in the bed. We shut the windows above the bed and returned to sleep, only to have to get up a little while later and lock the screen door in our room. It was banging in the wind. We finally had to shut the other windows because the fan was catching the rain and blowing it on us. The kids of course slept through all this since their windows face a different direction. They enjoyed the benefits of the cool breeze through their rooms. It is now 3 pm and the waves of rain keep coming. It stops for 30 minutes or so and then pours again. We did see the sun for about 15 minutes just before lunch, but our Filipino friend Dehl told us it wouldn't shine for long. She was of course right. After lunch, before Allan returned to the clinic, we did enjoy a 20 minute snooze on the lanai (screen porch). It was so cool and we enjoyed the sound of rain on the lanai's metal roof.

Earlier this morning, I did a little shopping after dropping the kids off at school. It was then I discovered what the cement culverts along the edge of the road are for. These are for the run off of the tons of rain water which has fallen in the last 12 hours. There are still big puddles and flooding on the street, but I guess it helps divert some. I would have thought the heavy rains would have kept the people off the roads seeking shelter else where, but kids were out in droves splashing and playing in the puddles. I guess kids are the same the world over. Emily and Will also wanted to engage in a little puddle jumping after school today.

Stuff takes longer

I think this has been true for most 3rd World countries I've been to - It takes longer to do everything. Even the small tasks of daily living take longer to accomplish. Sometimes I am not sure why it takes longer but it does. Even activities within our own house that are completely within our control seem to go slower. Big activities like shopping for food, buying electronics, or completing governmental forms seem to drag as if a ball and chain were tied around time itself.

Arrived Safely-Kids start school

We arrived safely and without difficulty early Saturday morning. Settling in over the past 4 days was made simpler since we were just here a few months ago. We still remember how to do those basic tasks of everyday life that can sometimes be difficult in foreign countries. We are settling into our new home, unpacking our bags, and establishing life here.

The kids started their first day at school today. Both are attending Faith Academy - the school for missionary kids that is located about 20 minutes from our home. Both were excited on their first day. Emily, of course, has a new friend as she always does whenever we venture to a new place. Will enjoyed his first day and talked mostly of his new experiences. We instantly bonded with Will's new teacher who is a fellow Auburn graduate. We'll have someone to cheer with us if we can figure out how to get a tape of an Auburn football game.

Leaving Greenwood

What a great time we have had with our friends during the past 2 weeks. But, like the unmentioned elephant in the room, is the fact that we would soon be leaving. Our goal was to minimize the traumatic goodbyes for the kids and for us but that was often difficult.

Ginger and I finished cleaning the house this past Friday. Together we locked the back door and left Greenwood for a few years. We painted several rooms and cleaned up the wear and tear of life from the house and left it empty. We pray that it will not be empty long because we want someone to buy it. Leaving the house unsold was not at all what we had planned or hoped for but we believe God gave us this schedule. Certainly every other detail of leaving this month has been met, even beyond our expectations. Some have said that the house not selling is "a test of faith" or "bad market timing" or "will sell as soon as we leave". Whatever the reason, it simply is . . . and we'll follow the path God has put before us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

The kids are having a final swim with some of their friends just before we left in the picture above.

The blessing of cut grass

I really appreciate practical help... My neighbor and friend who knew that I had already sold my lawn mower noted that our grass needing a trim. He volunteered to cut the grass as soon as the rain quit. Today the yard is cut. You have to love it when people see a need and jump right in to do it. Thanks to God for the generousity of His people in more ways than my family can count.

Moving in 26 boxes

Ginger and I have decided to write a book on "How to move overseas using only 26 small boxes!" The secret is to get rid of most of the stuff you own either by selling or giving it away. The past 2 weeks have been fast and furious disposing of junk and treasures alike. We just completed a loop around the Southeast delivering furniture to new homes - the house is now predominately empty.

Please continue to pray that our house would sell quickly.

Leaving Darlin' at her new home

Over one week has past since Emily left her cat at her new home. This is the "before" picture - before we actually left her. I promised Emily that I would not post her "after" picture showing the profuse tears and woeful face. I'm not sure many would consider leaving a cat for the cause of Christ very significant but to a 10 year girl whose cat has been her friend since 3 years old, it is a big sacrifice. Emily may wonder if Jesus thought of Darlin in Luke 14?

Luke 14:33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. To Emily, "everything" includes her cat too.

Will's verse

http://philippinemission.com/images/willsverse.jpg

While packing we found this picture hung in Will's closet. He never told us about - he just drew it and hung it for his own personal viewing. I hope the words of Isaiah 6 are becoming his own.

Political unrest

A Note from Dr. Scott Nelsen, our partner in the Philippines . . .
You can pray for the Philippines, I suspect there will be significant turmoil ahead. Today, they just raised the rate of public transportation significantly (like40%) and everyone will be whacked with higher electric bills due to new taxes and rate adjustments secondary to the price of oil (much of our electricity comes from diesel powered plants). There hasn't been a raise in minimum wage for some time and unemployment is quite high. There are now some tapes being circulated which strongly point to election fraud committed by the president and many of her family members are being linked to illegal gambling operations. For the opposition, the time looks pretty ripe for making a bit of trouble. Finding willing protesters/rioters would be super easy. Things could get a bit sticky. We appreciate your prayers.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/06/11/philippines.protest.ap/index.html

Darlin' (Emily's cat)

Sometimes answers to prayers come with many tears. Tonight my residency program had its annual graduation pool party. We discussed with Doug and Tami Massey previously about adopting Emily’s cat Darlin’ and they agreed to do just that tonight. What an answer to prayer! But on our drive home, Emily realized she had only 2 weeks left with her cat and the TEARS began to flow. I mean BIG TEARS, sobbing tears, alligator tears. Ginger, of course, joined in. Even I could not keep the eyes dry at the broken heart of my daughter. There will be many more goodbyes in the next few weeks … and many more tears.

Our Testimony

It is a privilege to tell you our testimony, not because of anything that I have done but because my family and I stand as a testimony to God’s faithfulness – faithfulness to do what he has promised and to answer the prayers of His people.

Even before Ginger and I were married, we knew God desired for us to serve as missionaries sharing the gospel in other cultures. We thought at that time that I would go to seminary after paying off student loans and then go as the typical missionary church planter. As I grew as a Christian, I came to see that seminary and church planting was not what God has equipped and gifted me to do.

We settled into the American dream. I had a well paid engineering career, a wonderful wife, a new home, a baby daughter and a son on the way. Normal Rockwell could not have painted a rosier picture. For years Ginger and I lived with anticipation hidden away in our hearts that God would someday send us overseas.

IN WAYS I STILL STRUGGLE to understand today, God mixed my desire to serve Him in another culture with a desire to study medicine. It was hard for me at first to accept leaving my career in engineering and returning to school to study medicine but medicine seemed a perfect match for sharing the love and message of Christ.

Then came the HARDEST PART – to approach Ginger and tell her that I wanted to quit my job, sell our house, leave our friends and go to medical school and live for the next 4 years without and income. Her response was nothing short of miraculous - she felt the same way and was praying at that time that God would open MY heart to change

We entered medical school with this promise: Jer 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”

We made 2 commitments prior to entering medical school: (1) Ginger would not work outside the home because of our 2 young children; (2) We would not accumulate more debt than we could immediately pay.

GOD WAS FAITHFUL during our medical school years – no need went unmet. When I completed medical school, both commitments were fulfilled.

Through medical school we continued to seek Gods will and in 2001 our family went to Kijabe Kenya and served for 9 weeks at a large mission hospital. Kenya was a great medical learning experience and a time of spiritual growth for our family – it was our first mission experience together.


AFTER MEDICAL SCHOOL we moved to Greenwood, SC for me to complete my training in Family Medicine. While training in Greenwood, Ginger and I had heard of 2 physicians who also trained in Family Medicine at Self Regional Healthcare. These two physicians had joined together to create a new medical clinic just on the outskirts of metro Manila. The clinic was created to meet 3 needs: (1) to share the gospel of Christ, (2) to provide excellent primary healthcare to those who had none, and (3) to train other missionaries in basic medical care.

In a set of coincidences that could only be God’s providence, we were able to go and serve in this clinic for 6 weeks. After years of preparation and prayer, we are confident that God has prepared us to serve in the Philippines. We joined with Philippine Mission of Calvary Chapel Greenwood, the same mission organization that sent Dr Larry Holmes and his family.

Our Challenge to You!
John Pipers famous quote “Missions exist because worship does not” is true. God wants His name glorified throughout the WHOLE earth; the Philippine is where He has called us.
WHERE HAS HE CALLED YOU?
Seek God and find your part. God may want you to come along side our ministry and support us.
There are 3 ways you can help
1 Support us through prayer – this is a spiritual battle, fought and won in the heart of man. Without prayer, the physical care we can provide is useless.
2 Support us financially – If you are interested, please see our website for information on giving to this ministry. The funds we raise provide not only our expenses but also the operating expenses of the clinic. God’s people have been faithful to join with us in this mission. In just 5 months, we are almost fully supported.
3 GO! Find a mission trip with our church, or another group and see how God is working elsewhere.