So much to say!

Wow, it has been such a long time once again since we have posted! So much has happened in our little world here in Calapan. First of all, summer has come early, and with that means you never really ever stop sweating! But, we are welcoming the sunshine and the thought of having the chance to head to the beach with our good friends John and Andrea Janzen and Joe Eapen. We are taking a bit of time off with them at our favorite beach resort, Tamaraw!! The girls are very very excited to have some boys around!

We are almost ready to pack up the small temporary clinic in our house to move to the larger temporary clinic next to the Ruel Foundation which is about a block away from us now. Up to this point, we have been doing prenatals and baby check-ups in this small room, waiting for the other apartment to be tiled and ready to move into. It was the staff housing.....until we got here! We are really excited to be so close to the orphanage and the community of friends we have there. We have 2 full-time Filipino midwives who will live at the clinic and call me when there is anything that is happening. At this point, we have delivered 3 lovely babies in their homes, and really seen a lot of trust in the community towards Ruel. It is really encouraging to be so well-accepted. The very fact that these dear women and families trust us, as virtually complete strangers, to help them through such an amazing time as the birth of their child, is shocking if I stop to think about it. We are just feeling so incredibly blessed to have the chance to start something new, and to be the hands of Jesus to these families.

In a couple of short weeks, we will be saying goodbye to our dear friends, Scott and Vicki Penwell. They are moving back to the US because they feel God is calling them back to take care of their parents. It has left us with mixed feelings as we have really grown close to them and they are some of the first people we have encountered that have lived their lives as we intend to, and feel called to. We are feeling very honored as they pass the torch onto us, here in the Philippines, with Mercy In Action partnering with Ruel Foundation, starting a completely new clinic in an area with such incredible need. We also feel sadness to say goodbye......we will miss them!