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In about two weeks I'll be driving around in a minivan. We leave for the States on Wednesday July 13, arriving in Baltimore the evening of the same calendar day. We were able to secure a vehicle from a service that offers deeply discounted vehicle rentals to missionaries. I have nothing against minivans. It's really the best vehicle solution for us now that we have SIX PEOPLE in our family. However, the minivan does not fit the image that I have of myself as a world traveler/missionary/adventurer for Christ. At least a minivan is better than this other family vehicle option: To our Stateside family and friends, we are looking forward to seeing you soon. Just twelve more days until we leave.

-nine camps -with twenty five partnering churches -at eight different locations throughout the Western Visayas -ministering to over one thousand children This is what we have been up to these past few weeks. This year's Summer Camps were special for our family in that our children played a bigger role in doing the actual ministry of the camps. They have been campers in previous Summers, and Danny was a camper at the first camp at the Sonshine Center. For the other camps Eric, Faith and Danny worked as assistant counselors, helping with crafts, games, dramas, and even helping lead assembly. Watching your children do ministry, having them learn that they can be used by God, even at a very young age (Danny is not yet five years old), is quite frankly A-MAY-ZING. These pictures (below) are of our children being missionaries NOW:

For us in the Philippines it’s summer, and summer means Camp Sonshine Summer Camps. This year we're expecting about one hundred kids per camp with ten camps in all. I will be attending nine of these as an assistant counselor and as a member of the skit team. Here I am taking a bow with the rest of the skit team. My sister Faith will attend about three or four of these camps as a volunteer throughout the summer. Please offer your prayers for the kids and for my family throughout the summer and may God bless you.

I think it is no secret that Gabriella will probably be our last baby (but then you never know). Four kids feels complete, especially now that we have had a boy, then a girl, then another boy, and then another girl. Was it really one year ago ? Of course it also turned into a difficult time for us as Gabriella's first week of her life was spent in the NICU . Now one year later Gabi continues to grow into an amazing little girl. We had her first birthday Filipino style at Jollibee.

Today we had an amazing outreach at the San Isidro relocation village. Building on the continuing work of Mike and Jude Kelly and Natalie Mattes , we held a hygiene clinic for the families who live there. The message was simple, wear shoes, and stay clean by washing your hands and feet. We talked about the importance of cleanliness especially as it relates to preventing disease. After our teaching, we put this lesson to practice, and washed the kids' hands and feet. Remember Jesus did tell us to do this: [Jesus] got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ...

Waaaaaaaaay back in 2008 I posted this job annoucement about the soon coming Starbucks here in Iloilo. Then we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally the wait is over. Its about time. Our haul for today. Mango passion fruit shake. Strawberries and cream. Caramel frappuccino, she should have got decaf, the LAST thing Faith needs is caffeine. We visited on their grand opening. Surprisingly it was not at all crowded. I'm thinking we will probably go here way too often.

Go To Nations missionaries Nate and Abegail Shuck have had a dream to build a children's ministry and a church in Calajunan, the Iloilo city dump area. This dream is currently being built, and is starting to come true. Today Eric, Faith, and Danny did some work at their ministry/work site, helping build this dream. The work was not easy, but it was totally worth it. You will get rich when you're digging a ditch when your reward is in Heaven. Next week Eric will return to Calajunan as an assistant counselor for Camp Sonshine. Not "future" missionaries . . .