Home sweet home!

I have been struck by the beauty of where we live all over again lately as the rain has brought new life everywhere. This was my view after dropping Theresa and Maiya off at the bus station early this morning.

Too Long!

It is already May 16th. I can't believe it. Just like my mother used to say, "time flies when you get older". It's true. My 9 year old, Maiya, she is noticeably getting older. She has started playing the violin and is amazing...It has only been about 2 and a half months and she has many songs she can play without a problem from memory. She has lessons once a week and recently got so excited that she started squealing because Jason brought out his little keyboard and played along with her...it sounded so good! For mother's day, I got egg's benedict for breakfast and a hotdog roast for dinner. Then, after dinner, Maiya got out her violin and we danced in the back yard to the tunes. What a great gift. The neighbors told me the next day that they could hear how happy we were:) And then there is Ayda. She will be 8 in August. She has taken on cooking and baking. She often makes scrambled eggs, fried rice or pancakes for breakfast for us all. She has a fine mouth for the better tastes in life. We have a lot of fun in the kitchen...that is if my patience level is on the higher side! She is the sensitive one. If I am a bit on edge, she is the one who asks me if I am mad at her or if something is bothering me. The other ones don't notice much. I could be crying and they would still have a full conversation without noticing:) Hannah. Sweet Hannah. She is almost 6. My little blondie with blue eyes. She loves life. She is the deep thinker. Always asking me about God and what I think about Him. She talks about her dreams where Jesus holds her in His hands. His hands are always warm, she says. What a gift to have a child that brings you back to the reality of life. She also has a thing for tickling and scratching. If my back is itchy, I know who to ask. Nasira. Well, it's official. She is 2 and a half and absolutely flaunting it. I just recently weaned her...about 3 weeks ago. What a process. It is a strange thought that she is my last. I don't know who this was harder on; me or her? It certainly isn't painless! At the same time she decided that she didn't need diapers anymore and hasn't turned back. She has maybe had a couple of accidents? All she needed to do was make up her mind. She will give you an ear full, too. Her speech is incredible. Full sentences all the way and nothing is left out. She has big smiles when she wants to. She finally is willing to tell people what her name is and how old she is when they ask. For a long time she wouldn't even pay attention if any one talked to her. We are preparing for rainy season again. But this time, we have walls! We have gotten a couple of big storms already but it has given me peace to know that we have walls this year and just might have windows in a little bit. Our beautiful bamboo has almost been fazed out...sadly we had to change our walls to cement block because of the crazy beetles that have been eating it and making a lot of dust. We have left it on most of the outside and cement blocked from the inside. It really is bitter-sweet. Bamboo was much cooler, it could breath so to speak. The breeze could freely enter, but so could the bugs and sometimes if it rains hard enough, so does the water. We have decided to move the location of our clinic. We have realized that we are out growing it already. We have been there for a year and 2 rooms just isn't enough anymore. We have had a steady 20+ births for the past few months and know that the busy season is coming by the amount of new moms we have coming each prenatal day...sometimes 6 to 8 new buntis (tagalog for pregnant woman), 3 times a week! I have been on call for 2 x 24-hr days a week and one Sunday a month...what cushie schedule. I feel spoiled! But, things have had to get changed up as of late, with a new building on the horizon. Jason has started this week with renovations and building. We are renting a house for the new clinic, much larger and more suitable for what our needs are. It has 2 very large bedrooms with 3 bathrooms. A large meeting area which we have been praying for in order that we could meet as a community at least once a week for church. We have been trading houses weekly between ours and the Penwell's, but neither of our houses are very accessible for everyone in the cmmunity. So, the midwives and interns will have their very own space, their own kitchen and bathrooms, which will be much better. At the back of the house, we are adding on quite a large addition that will have a Mercy In Action office, a large labor/birth room and a postpartum room. We will renovate 2 current rooms off the back into a waiting/intake area and a prenatal room. It is quite an undertaking, but we are excited about the growth and possibilities of more usable space.

Hello summer heat

We are well into summer here and life is hot! Along with the heat comes dry mountains sides which then produce large fires. Since we live in a grass roofed house we are all aware of fires. Two nights ago we arrived home to a large grass fire just on the other side of our fence. It was spewing ash and glowing ambers well over our house. We quickly made a hole through our fence and started hauling buckets of water to throw on the fire. The hill side is very steep causing us to trip and fall with our full buckets. Some neighbors came to our rescue and a few minutes later things were contained. Eventually the local police and rescue team came but things were finished by the time they arrived. Our kids were slightly traumatized so we spent some time with them talking about it and thanking God for our safety! Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Kara and Georgie

A big welcome back into our lives Kara! I used to babysit Kara back when I was 19years old. This is aging me of course as now she has come across the ocean to serve with us. She is also our monkey trainer, although she is often the recipient of her uncontrolled bladder. Keep up the good work Kara!!

Oh I almost forgot. The dog got ahold of Georgie and pummeled her through some wet cement and dirt. She looked pretty rough afterwards! Definitely worth a picture.

Our Wonderful Winnipeg Friends

We have just had the most wonderful time with our friends from Winnipeg. They came to visit and serve alongside us. They seriously felt like an extension of who we are and what we are trying to do. Mind you, since there are more of them maybe we are the extension.? We felt so blessed to have them as friends and proud of who they are as people, as they loved and were loved by our Filipino friends. Theresa and I kept saying"that's why they are are friends!" Thank you to WCV for sending such a wonderful team and leaving us feeling so loved and supported! A big thanks to all the families that lent us their husbands and fathers, mothers and sisters, and for all those people who did childcare for a few weeks while they were here! We are already missing you!

Love Jason, Theresa, Maiya, Ayda, Hannah and Nasira, oh and Georgie and Charlie.

Things Needed

I just thought I would post a few things that we are in need of at the clinic.
From time to time, we get donations from overseas. Sometimes we have a lot of supplies, and sometimes we are in need.
Right now, we are in need of a few select things.
There is a list of ongoing things we always need and use to the right of my posts, but the ones I am posting now are what we are low on or out of.
Thanks to all of you, our amazing supporters, friends, family, loved ones- you have made our clinic and life here in the Philippines an amazing adventure, making it truly wonderful journey for us to be able to serve......

Here we go,

Prenatal vitamins
Iron supplements
Portable baby scale
Standing adult scale
Uranalysis test strips
Glucometer strips
Batteries (9volt, AAA and AA, C and D)
5ml syringe
Blood pressure cuffs
Peribottles
Erythromycin Eye ointment

Jason has a few things on his mind with regards to tools and building, but that is an whole new category...will get back to that next blog:)

The falls