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Iloilo City is not as urbanized as Manila. It is much smaller, just over half a million people. We are considered in the provinces, and that means we lack many first world comforts and conveniences. However we do have several broadband services available in our city. All last year we did not have Internet service in our home. It was too expensive, and we found ways to manage without by going to wireless hotspots and Internet cafes. A new Internet service was made available for just P788 (about $13) a month. We signed up and we are so happy we did. It is not as fast as what is available in the States, but it is still pretty good, and I am able to share the connection using a wireless router, so Chris and I can both be on network at the same time. She uses it for homeschool and preschool planning. I use it to maintain our website, this blog, and email and communications. It is so nice to have high speed Internet in our home. It is a way to bring some of what we miss in the U.S...

Walking around the streets of Iloilo it feels like I never even left. Taking care of business, running errands, going to the store, working with the street kids and the missionary staff here, it feels like I am picking right back where I left off two months ago. This place is so familiar to me now, it just feels like home. There has been some adjustment. We had our first power outage the other day, plus the bugs are back in force, then there is the cold showers. All in all I am glad to call this place home. I am still a citizen of two countries, and yet I am glad to spend most of the year in this place, my home Iloilo, Philippines.

I am not sure when I will be posting this. Perhaps from an open wireless network I stumble upon somewhere, or perhaps not until we arrive in Iloilo. Either way, I begin this entry to pass the time recording our trip back home to the Philippines. First let me say that I am very much looking forward to returning home to Iloilo. Iloilo is home, and I am looking forward to walking into our house again. We have had a very full and eventful time in the States. We got to see so many friends, family, and loved ones. We also had some fun times going to Hershey Park, baseball games, and even Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Most of all it was great to spend quality time with family and friends. We had a quick flight from BWI to Newark. The sky was clear and we were able to see the New York City skyline as we landed. We could even see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Whenever I see the NYC skyline, I always notice what is no longer there. This is especially noticeable on t...

We are enjoying this taste of Fall like weather. In the mornings it is very cool, almost jacket weather. This is the calm (weather-wise) before the storm. Just three days to go and we will be home. Honestly, I am still very much looking forward to going back. Now my tune may change when the heat of the Philippines hits me like a hammer, and when I have to start taking cold showers again. We have been blessed to share about our missionary work with family, friends, churches, and fellowship/bible study groups, and doing so gets us excited about what God is doing in the Philippines. It gets us excited to be going back. Three days to go.