annual thanksgiving and school closing

April is over but it is always a busy time of year for us here.  The end of March into the first week of April is the school closing season and preparations for summer break.  Precious and Mickaila ended the year well and both received at least one ribbon.  It is also this same time of year that we go into full preparation mode for the annual Church Thanksgiving.  A couple of highlights before the real story.  In January a couple of the young people from our church got married.  Precious was a brides maid, Faith was a flower girl and Jonah and I where sponsors.  It was a beautiful wedding celebrating the wonderful couple.  In February our young people also put together and wonderful event for all the local young people from five different villages.  It was called a hearts party and a wonderful time to share the real love of God in a month when we are all so focused on the human side of love.  ( sorry no pictures from this event).  The end of school year here is a time of wait and see.  Kids some days come home and say no class the next day they are getting home later than "normal".  It is a rough time for someone like me who likes to know what is going on and what to expect but I am learning to live with it and just roll with it.  Our school closing was scheduled for April 4 in the morning.  It was supposed to be a half day program this year but as expected it became an all day affair with an hour lunch break in the middle.  They start with the grade six graduates and recognition of the kindergarten students that had an outstanding year.  The afternoon they go in order from grade one to grade five.  Every grade has at least one song and one dance presentation.  They then recognize the students from each grade that had an outstanding year and hand out honors medals and ribbons for various things.  Precious Finished the year with High Honors ( ended the year with a 95 or above) She was second in her class.  She also received 5 ribbons.  Most inquisitive, most kind, most loving, most considerate and best in reading.



 

 Our family after the wedding

 Precious with all her medal, ribbons and certificate

 Precious with a friend Jeagan

 My cute Marah

 

 

Thanksgiving is the time we celebrate all the things that the church accomplished in the last year and look forward to the year ahead.  There is a service with a guest speaker and a big potluck lunch after for the whole community.  The men of the church also divide into four teams and play a basketball tournament.  The day of the Thanksgiving they invite men from the community to join them for the afternoon and they play a few games with a prize for the winning team.  

 Jonah's team this year

 JoJo one of our favorite young people

 Mickaila and her ribbon

 

 

Mickaila  got a ribbon for cheerful soul award.  She is enjoying her summer break and is also working with a tutor in math to help her be more ready for next year.  The parents are encouraged to put the ribbons on there kids.  I like that the kids are recognized for their hard work and I think it encourages the kids to try hard and do well.  

 Precious receiving her awards

 Mickaila with her ribbon

 Our family picture plus one

 

I am proud of my girls and their desire to be involved in the church and its activities.  Faith signs backup with the worship team and likes to dance.  Precious enjoys dance and quite often dances with the young people for special programs.  

Faith Precious and Mickaila in a dance for the thanksgiving

Missionary life

Four years ago we left the US as a family of four and we enter this new year with the promise and hope of being a family of six.  Many if not all of you know that we have been trying to adopt one of the boys that came to us as an orphan 3 years ago.  Well we have finally made some progress in that but also is a regression of sorts.  We found out the end of last year that our paperwork was sent to Cebu but was never actually processed.  Our local social worker did not process the paper work he just sent it.  It has been sitting in Cebu for months with nothing happening.  We have been in touch with a social worker in Cebu and she is now working on the adoption with our local social worker, so progress.  We found out though that since so much time has lapsed we have to start all over from the beginning with the whole process.  Mark as many of you know has a twin sister, Marah.  While talking to the social worker in Cebu she suggested that to make things look better for the Filipino government that we should adopt both of the twins.  This is something that Jonah and I have talked about and prayed for but have never really heard an answer.  When the social worker in Cebu told Jonah that it seemed to be our answer.  So we start the process all over and will be adopting both the twins.  The first step is to try and find the birth mother.  This will be done with news releases that the local social welfare agency is looking for her and she will have one month to reply if she fails to reply within the one month the Agency will declare the kids to be abandoned  and will be cleared for adoption.  We are praying that the process will go smooth from here on out. 


Since the twins are living with us now that leaves only two kids at the orphanage.  We are looking to make some changes in the ministry in this next year to reduce our budget.  The house parents currently do not have a home so for the next year they will stay at the orphanage and still provide care for the two that are living there but the two kids will eat their meals with us.  During this time Jonah and I are looking into what it would take to become licensed foster parents instead of spending all the money to hire a full time social worker and license the orphanage.  During this transition over the next couple of years we are also looking into working with our local church and the denomination as a whole to focus more on outreach and starting bible studies that may lead to more church plants.  Outreach was a big focus of the church years ago but they got busy with other things and it was kind of put aside.  We love doing youth camps and other possible camps that focus on different populations of people. 

This is all that we fill God calling us to right now but only he knows all the details.  We are listening to his voice and trusting that he will lead the way.

Pray with us in these years to come that God will make his way clear and that the adoption with go smooth from this point forward.

Thanksgiving and giving Tuesday

 

 

 

 

 

We celebrated American Thanksgiving here this past week and I am sure that most of you celebrated with family and friends back home.  Thanksgiving is a time to think back on all that we have to be thankful for.  What are you thankful for?  Most people I know would say they are thankful for God, family, a home and several other things.  Now I want you to think what it would be like to not have that family, that home the knowledge of God and your faith.  Life would be much more difficult and it would be harder to find things to be thankful for.  Well it is only with your prayer and financial support that the kids we serve can have these things to be thankful for.  

 

 American Thanksgiving in Philippines

 

 

Every year for Christmas We try to take our three orphan kids on a little get away and do something fun.  Last year we went to Cebu and gave them each a budget for a new outfit and a toy.  This is always something extra and cost some money but it is something we do to make the kids feel special and give them a chance to see more of their country than their little village.

 



 At the port coming home

 

 Breakfast in the truck on the boat to Cebu

 

 School kids

 

 

With your help we also are able to provide all of our school age children with an education.  They can learn and earn an education with the hopes that they will be able to have and provide themselves with a better life than they would of had if not living with us.

 



We have to keep them contained somehow.  HAHAHA

 

I close by asking that you would prayerfully consider how you might be able to be a part of our ministry.  We celebrated Thanksgiving and then I am sure some of you went black Friday shopping and maybe even some of you used cyber Monday to spend money.  I am asking you to consider supporting the kids we care for and help us provide them a nice Christmas get away again this year.  Consider the Lucas Shelter For Children as you consider what you can give on giving Tuesday.  Thank you and God bless.



Birthdays and fun

June and July is birthday months here for our family.  In a month and a half time there are at least 6 birthdays to celebrate.  Four of them are Jonah and the kids and the kids.  The others are extended family and friends.  For our kids we only do one big party a year and they have to rotate.  This year Precious had the party and the rest of them get cake and a dinner with a couple of families nearby.  The big party is at the beach with all there friends and family and we have a lechon baboy (roasted pig).  I can not seem to find pictures from her party this year.  Mom fail.  Mark and Faith we had dinner with the orphanage and there aunt, uncle and a couple of cousins.  Jonah does not get much for his birthday because he is to old for them, hahaha.  For Faiths birthday dinner she wanted a mix of filipino and American food.  Jonah had to go to the big city that day so he ordered a few pizzas and we had roasted chickens with rice.  

 

 Roasted Chicken

 Birthday girl

Pizza

 

 

Two days a week Faith goes to a friends house to tutor her in two of her classes that are in Tagalog.  That leaves me with just Mark so I have invited the two little girls from the orphanage to come and play with Mark and thought we would spend an hour or so with them to learn some shapes.  Last week we worked on the triangle and this week they are learning a star.  They are not into tracing them yet but they are loving coloring them.  They make one mark with the pencil and want to show me.  I take that opportunity to ask them what shape it is.  I ask them at least ten times everyday.  By the end of the week they know the shape.  It is fun to have some quite also.  When done with their work they have a snack and watch tv for a little while before they are sent home for lunch. 

Gianne working on her triangles

Mark coloring his triangles

hardest job in the world

Bold statement alert!!  Being a mom is the hardest job in the world.  I am sure not everyone will agree with me on this and that is okay.  This is my opinion though.  I have been realizing a lot lately how hard it is to be a mom.  With the job of mom comes so many more titles and they are all work.  I am not complaining (well maybe a little) but Being a mom is hard work.  It is exhausting physically but also emotionally and sometimes I think that is harder.  I am mom to three wonderful children and love them dearly but wow.  I knew being a mom was hard when I had my girls then my son came along and the hardness seemed to reach a whole new level.  It is hard in different ways.  My girls are emotional and while that is difficult, when I am not in the mood and need space they are old enough know I can tell them to go take some quite space and time and I will talk to them in a little while.  The little boy though is so energetic and curious that he is always into everything.  He also does not always listen well.  I am sure that is in some fault mine as a parent in not always being so consistent but He is also young still and testing the waters.  I am not just mom but I am also a nurse to all the owies that come with young kids.  I am supporter to all my kids but mainly my oldest who is in school and keeps trying new things.  She is trying sports and anything else that she is asked to join.  She knows she can say no and if she does not like something she will either stop or not do it at all.  She likes to know that she is supported.  I am teacher to all of the kids in that we as parents teach them right from wrong and how to behave, but some of us that homeschool are teachers to our kids. We are dishwasher and housekeeper.  I am discovering that dishes and housework is a never ending job.  I can do dishes three or four times a day and there are still always some dishes in the sink.  I also sometimes sweep three times a day and there is still dirt on the floor.  Beyond that We are also wife, cook and whatever else you can think of. 

 

 

I have to admit though that no matter how difficult it is being a mom I do not always like those post that say how much a mom should make if it where a paid position.  I am okay that it makes people think about everything that a mom does but we do not become moms because of the pay.  The blessing we get from watching our kids grow and learn is all the payment we need.  There are some days when I am watching all the kids at the playground and trying to now where they all are and what they are doing I feel like a glorified baby sitter that does not get paid nearly enough.  I am blessed beyond measure to be able to do the work the Lord has sent me here to do but there are certainly days I would love nothing more than to lock myself in a room and lay in my pajamas and just read a book the whole day long.  That is not possible here for me but I still find the strength to keep going and carry on being mom. 

 



 

 

Precious ten years old

mom Precious and Faith

Precious, Faith and Mark 3 of the 4 loves of my life

Faith and Mark

Faith is almost 6 and Mark is 3.

 

I am blessed to be mom to these three kids and love them more than I ever thought possible.  God bless to all the moms out there and may God always give you the strength love and patience you need on a daily basis.

 

Also a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PRECIOUS.  LOVE YOU!!!!!