Fried chicken and spaghetti.
WE MADE IT TO THE PHILIPPINES!!!!! We are still pinching ourselves to make sure we’re awake and not dreaming. After the first day, I asked the kids where they’ve seen God’s goodness, to which Nehemiah replied,
“I’ve seen God’s goodness being here in the Philippines with our good friends the Myers. I’m so glad He made it so we are all here together.”
AMEN and AMEN! We have certainly seen the LORD’s goodness and kindness in having such kindred spirits to begin this journey with. And we have been having such a grand time acclimating to the Philippines culture the past few weeks. The staff at the guest house have been such gems and took such good care of us.
Some fun highlights:
jeepney rides (the local transportation) and no seatbelts!
fried chicken (or chicken on the bone as our children fondly call it) and plenty of spaghetti at every food joint around here it seems and to our boys’ delight!
mango floats (a layered dessert with sliced mangoes, cream, and graham crackers - our new family favorite!)
learning how to pay in Philippine pesos
exploring the urban concrete jungle of Manila
palengkes (wet market - stalls selling fruit, veggies, fish, meat)
Krispe Kremes and mangoes galore!
And now a plane and van ride later, we have made it to where we will make it home for the next couple of years or so! We made it. BIG SIGHS of happiness and relief.
Here are a few prayer requests:
In the next few days, we will be looking at a few places to call our next home. Please be praying for the LORD’s provision and discernment. Many times, the places will need quite a few renovations done and whatnot. Once we decide on a place, then begins the hard work of fixing it up as well as filling it up with the bare necessities and furniture to make it livable! We need your prayers friends!
We will have to make a trip back to Manila in a few weeks to finish up our visa process since an essential document was delayed in getting to us. This has added additional costs that we weren’t quite expecting so just prayers for His wisdom and provision in all things.
Please pray for the LORD to prepare our minds and our hearts, including the boys, for learning the language and culture here - Visaya. We are aware it will be challenging but are also eager to start. Much wisdom and grace is needed to pace ourselves and prioritize, to get the long list of things needed to get done as well as find time to rest and process, and to soak in all the sights, smells, and sounds around us as we take it one day at a time and work heartily unto the LORD.
We see His goodness, friends. We pray you do too each day wherever you are at. He is so full of kindness and grace, and we are so thankful to be a part of the work He is doing amongst the least reached nations in this world!
