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We are all safely back home in Iloilo. We are starting to get settled back into our Filipino routine. It is always bittersweet to leave one home for another. It is, however, good to be back in our home in Iloilo. We are almost over jet lag, but this always takes time, having to endure some pretty rough days. Also some of you may not be aware of this, Chris and the kids flew on a different flight than I. I flew on air miles, my tickets was very cheap. Because of this, they had a completely different flight plan. So that means Chris flew with all FOUR of our kids on the way back to the Philippines. Most of you know already that my wife is absolutely amazing. Praise God that all things worked out. We met in Hong Kong, then we were to fly to Manila together. Her flight was delayed so we had to overnight in Hong Kong instead of Manila, but this was a blessing in disguise for several reasons, not to mention that the airline paid for the hotel. Chris and the kids also got bulkhead seating on ...

Number 815 from the Stuff that Christians Like : Becoming an expert on Africa (or whatever country you recently visited) after a 6-day missions trip. “Please tell everyone that our streets are not chock full of lions.” That’s the sentiment a reader in South Africa wanted me to share. Apparently, he felt like Christians in America sometimes believe Africa is very similar to the Disney movie, “Swiss Family Robinson.” Remember that one? They lived in a tree house and ate coconuts and zebra. They had monkey butlers and were constantly worried about wild animals and/or pirates. Although the pirate phenomenon is making a spirited comeback, I’m almost positive some of us have some backwards opinions of Africa. But you know what’s even worse? People who become experts on Africa after a 6-day mission trip. This is the time of year when they start coming back from trips and regaling us with their tales of massive missionary magnitude. Soon they will return from a short hop overseas. How do you s...

Even though we now have about a week left in-country, the the other day Chris, the kids, her mom, and her sister and her kids got to do one more amusement park visit to Hershey Park.

In the Fall of 2003, about six months before we left for the mission field, I was driving with my then four year old son, Eric. Our family had already made the decision to make the leap to full time missions, departure date was June of 2004. He was asking me about this next big thing in our family's life. He asked about his friends. Eric has been blessed with several lifelong friends--they are all still really close. He asked, "So when will they (his friends) be moving to the Philippines?" Of course I told him that we were the only ones moving, that his friends and their families will remain in the Untied States. This was a cold dose of reality for him, realizing that his life-long, best friends would not be with him in the Philippines. With that realization, he began to cry . . . and cry . . . and cry. He did not want to leave his best friends. Here we are again, getting ready to return to the Philippines, and the goodbyes are starting. Tonight Faithy started to get sad,...

From a letter of John Adams to his wife: "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.- I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by Solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfire and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." Happy 2nd of July, on this day in 1776 the unanimous vote for the declaration of independence from the empire of Great Britain was voted and agreed upon. On that day, according to John Adams: "the greatest Question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps, never was or will be decided among Men. A Resolution was passed without one dissenting Colony 'that these united Colonies, are, and of right ought to be fre...