Thursday, April 27, 2017

Boodle Fight


Boodle fight! What in the world!?! Yeah, we didn't know what that was either, but soon found out. The kids had a fun day hanging out with the social workers and then they treated them to what they call a Boodle Fight. I mean, what kid wouldn't love to eat with their fingers with food spread out all down the table. They use big banana leaves for the table clothes and just line all the food down the middle of the table. You find a spot and dig in using your fingers! It was a fun experience for Mady and Carter. Isaac had nothing to do with it lol!! There sure were lots of smiles though!! 

(yay for internet working well so I could upload some pictures! Life is more fun when you can see what we are experiencing :) )












Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Schools Out for Summer!!

It is really strange for us as we sit in the middle of April and everyone around us is talking about what they are doing for summer break. As y'all know, summer in the states is June through August. Typically schools are getting out for the summer in early June and returning again for another year in late August or Early September. Here, our summer runs from April to June. This is our hottest time of the year so it makes sense that the kiddos are not sweltering inside of a classroom all day. We enjoyed graduation day on April 18th and were so proud of the preschoolers and 6th graders that walked across the stage in their cap and gown. Children of Hope school only goes through the 6th grade. 7th grade though 12th grade then goes to school at one of the christian schools in Cebu. We are excited for the "summer" activities to start up such as soccer camp, basketball camp, or swimming lessons. Each of the kids aged 10 and above get to pick one fun activity to participate in during the day for the summer weeks. Isaac, Carter, and Mady are looking forward to picking fun activities to do along side the CSC kids too! It will be hard for Isaac, Carter, and Mady,  I am sure, to stay focused on their school work. They will not finish the year until June 9th. There will be a little overlap in summer breaks but not much. Please continue to pray for the kiddos (and me) as we finish our school year strong! God bless you all!!

A few prayer requests...
-School: We (our family) are on an American school timeline. Please pray that we are able to balance everything during these summer months here while participating in the fun and also getting done what we need to get done with school.

-Summer Activities: That we will find the things to do with the kids at CSC to help keep them busy. As parents, we all know that the beginning of summer is awesome and great but as the summer goes on, it gets harder to find fun things to do for the kids to keep them busy.

-Health: We have been doing great! Continue to pray for health and praising God with us that we haven't had many "big issues".

-Safety: Always. We thank God that so far we have never found ourselves in a situation where we felt unsafe. There is a little unrest around us though so keep praying for safety. Thanks!


**I have been trying for a few days to add some pictures. Our internet has not been working the best lately so no pictures today. Sorry.











Monday, April 3, 2017

It's raining today...


I love a good rain. I love the smell of rain. This morning as I woke out of my morning slumber, I heard the rain on our roof. Pitter patter, pitter patter. It's a great sound, so relaxing. One of my favorite things to do when it is raining out is to curl up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee and a good book and listen to the rain. Rain is a good thing. It helps to water our gardens and make things greener around us. Here the rain is warm. I like the warm rain much better then I do the cold rains in Wisconsin in April. I can imagine the cold, cold rain that a lot of you will feel this April. This morning Jake and I sat out in our “garage” area with our cups of coffee in hand listening to and watching the rain come down. We have gotten into a beautiful habit of starting our day together outside with coffee in hand sitting and either talking about what our day looks like or just sitting there soaking in the sun. Today as we were just sitting there in our own thoughts watching the rain come down I couldn’t help but think about all the hundreds of children and people we see on the streets everyday. Where do they go? We weren’t sitting in a little sprinkle this morning. We were sitting in a down pour. It rained harder this morning then any day that I remember. It was coming down in buckets. Our garden was flooding and as we sat there under our garage roof I couldn't help but think of the little ones who would likely get swept off their feet if stuck out in this down pour. Where do they go? How do they protect themselves from the rain? So many questions and no answers. I would never have thought about the homeless and the children less fortunate sitting on my couch in my warm house in Wisconsin. I am thankful for the Lord opening my eyes and my heart. As hard as it is to see the poverty and the disparity each and everyday here, I am thankful. I am thankful I get to see it… Now, what am I going to do to help… Keep praying for us as we pray for you. Love you all!