The Merritt Family . . . a new adventure

Personal Proverbs

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

A bookstore with a gift certificate. Ah! Talk about being blessed!

A week before we flew back to the Philippines, that was my blessed

situation. I was actually getting ready to leave the bookstore when

I happened to see The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. On a

whim, I bought it. I'm glad I did. Rubin spent a year studying

happiness and approaching resolutions and goals in a new light.

One thing that inspired me was her list of "over-arching principles"

that she called her "Personal Commandments". They were to be

the anchor lines of her year study.

After reading her list, I thought about what my list would be.

I've had many "keepers," little nuggets of wisdom that have

helped me in times of decision, discouragement, or have

simply lifted my vision on the common day.

What would I put on my list of personal proverbs? What about you?

Here's what I have so far...

1. Be Shelley.

No matter how I'd like to run from myself at times, or at least change a few major and minor parts and aspects of myself, I am Shelley. I am who God has made me to be. My basic personality is what it is. My likes, dislikes. God in His all-wise sovereignty knit me together. He chose my looks, my ethnicity, my family, my time and place of birth. I am wonderfully and fearfully made. Even so, at times I am still tempted to insecurity and frustration with the ever-aging, ever-fallible woman in the mirror. May I be who He has made me to be. And praise God, He isn't finished with me! He is continually making me new and making me more like His Son, Jesus. I am Shelley, a child of God.

2. Every fear is an opportunity to trust God.

I heard this from Elisabeth Elliot years ago, and then I heard that she got it from Corrie Ten Boom. Perfect! From both of my spiritual heroes! What a blessing this truth has been to me. I don't think I struggled much with fear...until I had children. That's when fear became an ever-present darkness that threatened to overshadow even my brightest moments. I had to choose. Could I trust God? Would I? If we never feared, why would we need to trust? Fear is an opportunity. It gives me a chance to put myself into His loving, all-powerful hands. I've heard it said that every time we choose to trust, it's like dropping a gold coin into our Heavenly treasury. An even better mental image is that every time we choose to trust, we make our Heavenly Father smile.

3. Change every “What if...?” to an “Even if...!”

I heard this first from my sister, Kim. I love it! It goes hand-in-hand with the previous keeper... FEAR whispers "What if such-and-such should happen?" But FAITH responds, "Even if all the world crumbles, the mountains fall into the sea, and my worst fear of ____________ should happen, yet will I trust the Lord. Surely He will be with me and hold me through it all." Even if.

4. The final chapter hasn’t been written yet.

I have heard my Dad say this on many occasions. There is always hope. People will fail... fail miserably at times...including myself. Sometimes a person or a situation seems so beyond hope. But we are not the Author, and the final chapter has not been written yet. Even Paul was a murderous Saul. No one is beyond the power and hope of Jesus Christ. Let's pray and watch. Let's hope. And then pray some more.

5. Leave every place better than you found it.

I have no idea when I first heard this one. It is a simple truth that Israelite mothers probably told their children as they once again packed up and moved on during the 40 years in the wilderness. But it is large in my heart. It has compelled me to wipe bathroom counters, pick up trash off the floor, and just try to be a blessing as I go...and as I leave.

6. Be kind to every person.

Every person I come into contact with every day. Every single person. That's my goal. Every person wants to feel special. Every person wants to feel important and loved. May I show kindness and respect. But first I must SEE that person. Lord, give me eyes to see. Give me your heart of tenderness and kindness.

7. Fully listen to the person you are talking with.

Again, this one piggy-backs on the previous one. Oh, I'm ashamed to admit that so often I am not truly listening when someone is talking to me. Sometimes I'm thinking about what I'm going to say. Sometimes I'm actually catching snippets of another conversation nearby. Sometimes I'm thinking of how I need to hurry and do something else asap.

8. Wherever you are, be all there.

This one is from Jim Elliot. Be fully where I am right now. Listen to the one talking with me. Look at my children. Serve here in Manila. This place and this time. If you are single, be all there for Jesus. If you are married, be all there. When joyful and easy, be all there. When difficult, be all there. God has a curriculum for me, and He will not waste a single day, a single circumstance...if only I will be all there to accept and grow.

9. Thankfulness opens a window for God’s light to shine in.

I haven't heard this one put in these exact words. But I have experienced it many times in just this way. In the midst of the most difficult, frustrating, heart-breaking times, the simple act of stopping (and often getting on my knees) and thanking the Lord has truly been like a window opening and the Lord's light shining in from above into my heart. And in the good days, when I stop to give thanks, the same window also opens and light and a breeze from Heaven floats in.

10. Hold all things with an open hand.

Keep an open hand before the Lord. Let Him give me what He will. Let me take what He will. He will not withhold what is truly good for me. Do I believe? Do I trust?

11. Each day stop for a moment and truly see the clouds; each night before bed take time to look at the stars.

The glory of God is being declared everyday right above us. (Proverbs 19:1) It is truly good for my soul to take a few moments to really gaze upon the skies above me. "Every sky has its beauty," one greeting card states. Every sky shows a bit of His grandeur. Every star is numbered and named by Him. (Psalm 147:4) Even in the midst of Manila traffic (when I'm not driving), I gaze up at the clouds...notice the magnificent shapes, colors, designs...the Artist's touch...the way the light of the sun highlights the edges and breaks through in rays that will not be stopped. My view of God grows bigger, while my view of myself and others becomes rightfully smaller as I take time to look up and truly see.

12. Love can only be gratefully received, never demanded.

Love, friendship, affection, attention, a look, a hug, a call, being included... The list is long, and my cup is never full when I try to fill it with the love of man. But my family and friends were never meant to fill my cup. When the Lord fills my cup, love from others is a blessing that runs over and spills over to others. In my flesh, I become needy and demanding. By His Spirit, I can gratefully receive love from others as the amazing, mysterious gift that it is.

13. Choose relationship over convenience.

Once when my children were young, my grandmother died many states away. My Mom was going to make the long drive out to her mother's funeral alone. She didn't mind. She knew my busy schedule, my husband's busy job, our four young children, and all my "etceteras". But my heart wasn't at rest. Then a question came very clearly to me: "Years from now, which will you remember and which will matter--how difficult it was to go with your Mom or how glad you are that you went?" I knew instantly that no matter how inconvenient it might seem, I needed to be there for my Mom. Funny thing is--as my sister and I planned to go, my Mom's plans changed when her sister wanted the two of them to fly out together. I didn't end up going. But from then on, I had a new guiding principle...choose relationship. When weighing all the difficulties, pros and cons of doing or not doing something, choose on the side of relationship. Years from now, I'll always be glad I did.

14. Leave it in God’s hands. He is doing more than I can know or imagine.

I love the story of brothers Abishai and Joab in 1 Chronicles 19:10-13...fighting on two different fronts. In verse 13, Joab says, "Let's be strong and fight bravely, and may the Lord do what is good in His sight." I love that. Let's do all we can...and leave it in God's hands. He will do what is good in His sight. John Piper once said that in every situation, God is "doing a thousand different things that we cannot see and do not know." I often forget how big my God is.

15. “Take a picture with your mind” --in the special moments and the ordinary moments--and tuck them into your heart.

I don't know where I got this one, but I've always tried to stop and just capture the moment in my mind and heart. I have some precious pictures there. I've often pulled one of the kids to the side and said, "Wow...take a picture of that with your mind." Just tonight Drew was telling me about how he did that one time as snow was falling down upon his face. "I still remember exactly what that looked like," he smiled. This Christmas was our first one back in America in three years. One afternoon, my parents, nephews, and my children were all helping decorate my parent's house. Christmas music was blaring, opened boxes of holiday trimmings and ornaments were scattered about, my Dad was dancing around in his pajamas, kids were hanging up decorations, or asking where something should go, and my Mom and the children were joyfully singing along with the music at the top of their lungs. I suddenly just stopped and took in the whole scene. Tears stung my eyes. I took a picture in my mind...and tucked that precious treasure into my heart.

16. The best is yet to come!

What victors we are in Christ! He has won the victory! He has written the Story of Stories! He has given us a part of this amazing Story. He keeps us. He holds us together. He is the Author and the Finisher. He turns our trials into gold. He spins black threads into a beautiful tapestry. He has even given us a preview of the glorious-beyond-words future that awaits His children. Oh, sing my soul! He has been good to you. When I am down, I will raise my heart and hands with praise, knowing that the best is yet to come! When I am riding on clouds of peace and joy, I will sing with amazement, "And the best is still yet to come!" And when I lie on my deathbed, I will smile and put my hand in His, knowing that His footprints go before me...and the best is yet to come.

Rainbow Welcome

2012-01-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

We were finally at the end of over two days of traveling...three flights and one night in a hotel in Japan. The pilot announced, "We are now making our approach into Manila." Drew and I looked out our windows. The thick clouds broke, and the sun burst through. There below us lay the verdant tropical topography of the Philippines. Then we saw a rainbow BELOW us! I'd never flown above a rainbow before.

"We're flying in on the promises of God!" I said to Drew. He captured this lovely welcome from God on his camera.

How good is our Heavenly Father! How wonderful to know that we are truly traveling...living...moving...and having our being in His promises. And how good to know that His promises are always "Yes" in Christ. Amen.

Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be: "Ready for either."

--C.H. Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, Jan. 7

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

--Psalm 146:1-2

Destination Arrived!

2011-12-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

We have reached 100% in our monthly support and 100% in our special giving!!!

Isn't God so good? We are simply in awe of all that the Lord has done. I have seriously over-used the word "amazing" recently...(and I'll try hard not to over-use the exclamation point in this post)...so maybe I should just switch over to "awesome" for a while.

Amazing! Awesome! Actually, I need both words!

What can I say?

The Lord has absolutely blessed our socks off! We give Him all the praise and all the thanks!

Last night we had our first ministry team prayer meeting. Tears filled my eyes as Huy and I stood before this group of beautiful people and just looked at them. At the very beginning of this new faith journey, we started with prayer. We knew that the Lord knew those He would call to join our team. Our part was to pray and trust...and share the mission and the vision the Lord had given us. Only God could call people to join us. And He did! What an amazing moment to see that answer sitting before us.

What an honor to have such dear friends surround us and pray for us as a couple, as a family, and individually too. We feel very loved...by God and by all of you. We also feel ready to take off on our real flight now...back to Manila, Philippines, to our seminary, to the work the Lord has called us to do.

Right now I'm sitting among many piles, boxes, books, papers, bags, etc... a MESS, in other words. We are in those crazy last days before moving internationally. Only two days left before we leave, and we still have a 100 things on our to-do list. I honestly don't know how we're going to get it all done. But it always seems to be this way, and somehow, we always end up getting on the plane. We also are squeezing in a birthday party for Corrie on Wednesday night. Her sweet-16!

Our flight is 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5. We appreciate your prayers as we get ready to travel and as we travel.

I'll try to post again at 35,000 feet!

Love you all!

Huy & Shelley, Corrie, Drew, Karis, and Jace.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

2011-11-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

For several months, we have been praying that we would reach 75% of our support by Thanksgiving. Two weeks ago, we were at 65%.

As we drove down to San Antonio to spend Thanksgiving with Huy's family, we received one text and one phone call. Two more families telling us that they wanted to join our support team!

That put us at just over 74%.

On Thanksgiving Day, as we sat at the table with Huy's family and laughed and shared the delicious meal. We went around and shared what we were thankful for, as so many families do. Moments later, Huy's mom handed around envelopes--her Christmas gifts to everyone, since we wouldn't be together then.

In our envelope, she also included an amount to support our ministry in the Philippines.

Guess where her amount put our support level?

Yep...

75%!

On Thanksgiving Day.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever!"

Flight Progress Report!

2011-11-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

65%!

We are thanking God that we can report this number to you all! We have just reached 65% of our monthly support needs. We have been praying that we'll be at 75% around Thanksgiving. That seems a long way in a short time...but we have no doubt the Lord can bring that support in by Thanksgiving if He wants to. As His children, we'll continue to ask according to His will and then thank Him for His answers.

Thanksgiving is a good time to do that!

Thank you to each of you reading this. Prayer support is crucial for all that we do now and all that we hope to do in the future as we return to the Philippines. Thank you for checking in on our support levels. Thank you for being excited with us. Thank you for praying. Thank you for joining us on this faith journey. He who calls us all is faithful!

A young man once asked Elisabeth Elliot if it was easier to "live by faith" in America as opposed to overseas on the mission field. I love her answer. Here is what she wrote:

A young man asked me last night if it was easier to trust God here in this country, in this comfortable house, than it was "down where all the disasters were," meaning, I suppose, in the jungle. No, I told him, you live by faith wherever you are. The house was robbed last week--a small reminder that all that I am and have belongs to the Lord, to do with as He chooses. There are enough "disasters" anywhere to keep one trusting God. In the jungle there is the immanent presence of snakes, vampires, scorpions, electric eels, etc.--to say nothing of savages' spears. In Hamilton there are thieves, the possibility of fire, plumbing or electrical breakdowns, and hanging over us at all times threats of war, totalitarianism, secular humanism, economic collapse, cancer, not to mention the "small" emergencies which can bring our best-laid plans to a halt.
"I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life...neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow has any power to separate us from the love of God" (Rom 8:38-39 JBP). So wrote Paul, whose life did not represent a series of events in which we would say it was "easy to trust." It was not easy. It was necessary. A life free from suffering would be a life in which faith in God would be a mere frill. A human life, on the contrary, is one in which faith is a necessity. Only a fool tries to do without it.

--E. Elliot, A Lamp Unto My Feet

"Sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight!"

2011-10-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

We are praising God that we are now at 50% in our support-raising journey! Thank you for praying for us, and please keep praying! We are truly amazed at how rewarding and JOYFUL this whole support raising process has been. Our last two weeks have been jammed-packed with appointments. Nearly every evening we've met with friends, shared pictures and information about some of the incredible things that God is doing in Asia, and how He is working through IGSL. We've laughed, cried, shared meals, and prayed together with some dear Kingdom-minded friends. It's wonderful seeing them get excited about the real, tangible part they can have through their prayers and giving in what the Lord is doing in Asia.

Buk and Sharon, friends from our home church here, are true prayer warriors. Buk showed us the chair he sits in every morning for over two hours spending precious time with the Lord. He showed us the old, faded and crumpled sheet of paper which was covered with hundreds of names and prayer needs. He also showed us the bound notebook with hundreds more names neatly listed. Buk has prayed over these names for years. Faithfully. Every morning. For years. He asked us about our hair stylist that we asked him to pray for years ago. He's still praying for her to this day!

As we shared our ministry plans and prayer needs with Buk and Sharon, they spent time praying with us. With tears streaming down their cheeks, Sharon said, "I'll not be the same after this time together." She took the words right out of my mouth.

The very next day after this prayer time with Buk and Sharon, we received a phone call from a former boss of Huy's. He and his wife had been praying and wanted us to know the amount they felt led to give to the Lord for our ministry. It was such a LARGE amount. We were absolutely stunned. And this couple was so joyful in their giving. Huy told them that they were laying up much treasure in heaven. As Huy talked on the phone with this friend, there was much laughter. Huy heard the wife call out joyfully in the background, "We love you guys!!"

We immediately thought of Buk sitting at his kitchen table interceding for us. We knew his prayers had an important part in this support coming in. We called him to share this wonderful answer to prayer, and there was more joy bubbling up for all of us.

Every day lately we are blown away by this love and joy coming our way. This is certainly not how we imagined support raising to be!

In his wonderful little book, The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn says that the words fun, joy, exciting, and wonderful are common words that are heard from those who give much to further Christ's Kingdom. One CEO who gives half of his income to God's work each year told Alcorn, "My joy in giving comes from serving God in a way that I know He's called me to and realizing that what I give is impacting people for Christ. It's exciting to know that we're part of evangelizing, discipling, helping, and feeding the needy. It just feels wonderful and fulfilling."

Randy Alcorn said that the more we give, the more we will delight in our giving, and the more the Lord will delight in us. It's a crazy wonderful cycle of joy.

We are seeing it. We are feeling it. We are enjoying this flight!

Approaching Cruising Altitude

2011-09-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

We are now approaching cruising altitude in our journey--our letters have gone out, and we are enjoying meeting with many friends and have been encouraged by their enthusiasm and willingness to pray for us and support us as we minister in Asia.

God is good! As you can see from our latest graphic, we are now up to 40% of our monthly support needs. The next 8 weeks will be crucial in determining whether we will be able to return to Manila and begin our ministry at IGSL in January.

We appreciate your prayers!

This whole journey is completely new to us, and we are learning a lot. I recently shared some of what I am learning with some friends, and thought it'd be good to share it here:

"I'm learning to trust God in a new way through this. It's easy for me to get a bit obsessed and anxious about it...or feel like things should be done a certain way (i.e. "the way I think they should be done"). I'm learning that all money...all of everything... belongs to God. He can distribute it as He wills. I'm learning that prayer is more important than money. I'm learning that when I feel anxious, I need to simply whisper, "I trust you, Jesus" and he helps my heart get back to where it needs to be. I'm learning that delayed (in our view) answers to prayer make those answers even sweeter. I'm learning that it is humbling to receive and joyful to give. I'm learning that the Lord delights to surprise us with his goodness.

And I'm learning that the Lord delights in us too. Isn't that amazing? I find that so amazing. I don't delight in myself. I see my ugliness, selfishness, laziness, etc. How can he delight in me? But he does. And he delights to do good to us.

He gave me Jeremiah 32:41: 'I will rejoice over them to do them good.'"

Lift-Off!

2011-09-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here is our homemade graphic. (I had to enlist Corrie's help to get it into the right format. Teens are wonderful with technology, aren't they?) We thought this might be a fun and easy way to help anyone interested to track our progress and to pray us back over to the Philippines. So, here we are...taking off on this new "flight" of "Ministry Team Development" (aka "support raising").

We have lift-off! We are definitely in the air and on our way!

We have really enjoyed meeting with friends and family, sharing with them the vision and mission the Lord has given us to serve at IGSL in Manila. God is doing amazing things in SE Asia, and we are honored to be a small part of it.

We are excited that we won't be going back on our own this time. We know the Lord wants us to serve as part of a team...both at IGSL and also with supporters here in the States. We believe He knows exactly who He wants to partner with us, and He will move their hearts and minds to do that.

When we return to the Philippines to teach, mentor, serve, learn, and grow, it will be an outgrowth of our partnership with all of you. All that we are privileged to do, you will have done with us. We ask the Lord to let all of us walk in the good works that He planned in advance (Ephesians 2:10).

So, this is the start of our journey! Oh, Lord, please bring onto our team people you have chosen to partner with us. May they serve You by sending us...and may we serve You by going.

Here we go!

2011-08-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

Love. Travel. Family. Friends. Laughter. Food. Beauty. Refreshment. Reconnection. JOY!

We are having a WONDERFUL time back here in America! We returned in June and have spent most of our time in Kansas, Colorado, and Texas.

Here are just a FEW memories we've made: We've reconnected with family and friends, worshipped in our home church, held our new niece, rode 24 miles on a bike through the glorious beauty of Vail and Breckenridge, Colorado, rode whitewater rapids, laughed, sang worship songs and prayed with extended family out under the stars and beside a fire, made smores, viewed the world from 14,000 ft. on top of Pikes Peak, had long uninterrupted quiet times with the Lord, enjoyed many delicious steaks, rode wild rollercoasters at Six Flags, spoke in churches (Huy), had a "Roomie Reunion" with my three best college friends, went geocaching, visited waterparks, and (not surprisingly) gained a few extra pounds!

Now...Here we go!!

Our busy summer of travel and reconnecting is over. Corrie and Drew have started classes at a small Christian school nearby, and I'm beginning a new semester of homeschool with Karis and Jace. We are staying with my parents in El Dorado, KS.

Now we are focusing on support raising...finding those people whom the Lord is leading to join our ministry team. This is another great adventure of faith. We have met with a several couples already and are daily working to set up appointments. Getting together with these friends has been really encouraging. I can tell already that one great benefit of support raising is how it deepens friendships and strengthens relationships.

Since we're just getting started, we thought it'd be fun to follow the progress here on our blog. We are praying that we'll be able to return to Manila after Christmas and begin mentoring and teaching at IGSL in January.

We'll see if that is the Lord's timetable as well!

In my next post, we'll begin to follow the development and growth of our ministry team. Please tune in often to see where we are at.

And please pray! :)

A Finish Line...A Starting Line

2011-04-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here we are...

....at the finish line.

Huy and I graduated last month!

What a JOY to stand with our brothers and sisters from all over the world and sing PRAISE to our Father God for these past three years!

What a JOY to watch Huy give the graduate speech and see him lift his hand at the end of his talk and declare it is all for the GLORY OF GOD ALONE!

I have tucked away into my heart many memories from all the graduation activities...the processional of students from each nation represented at IGSL...their flags waving...the students' bright and beautiful traditional clothing...the students'

beautiful smiles shining even more brightly...praying with joyful hearts...laughing with friends as we tried to securely pin on those crazy mortarboard hats!...singing onstage with the other PIM graduates...walking across the platform to receive our diplomas from administrators and instructors with whom we have shared life and with whom we are now truly friends and family.

Then, days later crying with my international sisters and their families who were leaving, returning to minister in their homelands.

Every moment of graduation week felt stretched taut, close to bursting with thankfulness to the Lord. It was the fulfillment of three years of prayers, hard work, life-changing experiences, and the Lord's blessing. When we came on that very hot day back in 2008, this day seemed far in the future. But the three years truly passed by so quickly.

It's been an amazing adventure.

As Huy shared in his speech, we haven't regretted for one second our decision to come here.

Here we are...

....at the starting line.

After weeks of paperwork, interviews, reference forms, and meetings, it just so happened that Huy and I became OFFICIAL FACULTY members at IGSL on the very day of graduation!

What an honor to be faculty here! What an exciting place to be! The Lord is doing amazing things through this seminary--in and through the lives of the students who come to study here, and through them onto countless other lives around the world.

So, we have enjoyed the view from this milestone. But not for too long. Our "To Do" lists are long, and the date of JUNE 9 with a red circle around it is fast-approaching.

June 9 is the day we will be flying back to the States!

Our plan is to stay in America until the end of December. Our whole family is THRILLED about our coming visit to our home in America!! The kids sometimes literally jump with joy as we talk about spending time with family and friends. We daydream and laugh about spending the holidays there for the first time in three years. We can't wait for a cold, snowy Midwestern winter....well, the kids can't wait for the cold and snow, anyway! :-)

We need to raise a ministry support team so that we can come back and serve here long term. This is our first time to raise financial support. It is a bit scary...but we're also excited because we have prayed. We have prayed and can see the Lord clearly leading. We know He already has a ministry team planned for us. It's going to be neat to see who it is and how God brings everything and everyone all together.

Another exciting development: We are now missionaries with Commission to Every Nation (CTEN). CTEN is an interdenominational mission agency with 215 missionaries serving in 49 countries. As we were praying about which mission organization to go with, friends of ours who are with CTEN recommended it highly. We checked out CTEN, talked with their leadership, and found them to be a very good fit for our family and ministry. As we went through the application process, both Huy and I, as well as CTEN's leadership, felt very peaceful about our family joining the CTEN family.

YOU all have not only shared this adventure and stayed in touch with us, but you have been an integral part of these three years! You have been a tremendous source of encouragement to our whole family. You have prayed for us and walked with us through the hard days and the joyful days. You haved asked about our children and have prayed specifically for them, helping them to adjust and grow through this time.

We thank God for each one of you who is reading this right now!

Thank you! Your love and prayers have carried us. Please keep us in your prayers. We've gotten used to living here; life has become pretty comfortable. But now, as He does from time to time in all our lives, God is calling us into a new chapter, a new stepping out of the familiar and comfortable, a new "stepping out of the boat".

We're stepping out. With our eyes on Christ, we are stepping out. It's a new starting line.

A fast-flowing current called "March"

2011-03-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

"The important is rarely urgent, and the urgent is rarely important."

This is a good statement. And I think I'll mull it over...later...when I get a couple of minutes to breathe! Like you, I'm sure, we've been pretty swamped here. Lots of wonderful things are going on here. It's just that they are all going on at once! I think a big undercurrent causing the
waters to flow so quickly is that we are in the last month of our last semester at IGSL. After three years of study and ministry, we now see graduation on our horizon...APRIL 2! It's quite exciting. You can feel the anticipation in the air every time you are on campus.

I'm at our school library now. I have a few minutes before we leave, so I thought I'd post a quick update to say hello and remind you that we're still here...and still needing your prayers!

Here's some of what's been going on lately with us:

IGSL Family Retreat. Last month, we went to the annual 3-day all-IGSL Family retreat. We had a wonderful time in beautiful Rizal Re-Creation camp!During the worship times, the talks, and our own times alone with the Lord under the huge, beautiful, swaying coconut trees, Huy and I again felt confirmation from the Lord that this is where He wants us, and that

He has been and is doing wonderful things at IGSL. What a blessing to be a small part of this school that is part of God's BIG, wild, amazing Kingdom story!

Speaking at a marriage banquet. It was fun for Huy and I last week to "tag-team speak" at a marriage banquet of a small church here. We performed a short skit, used video clips, power-point, and gave a "love language" quiz to the married couples. At the end, I challenged them with a question that has challenged me ever since I read it two years ago:

"What if God designed marriage to make us HOLY more than to make us HAPPY?" This changes our entire perspective. It's a great question from a great book by Gary Thomas called Sacred Marriage. It's worth a read...and a reread.

40 Days of Love Campaign Huy and I, along with a Filipino couple in our subdivision, are hosting a six-week study in our home called the "40 Days of Love". It's an outreach study. Huy and I put out tarpaulins and went door-to-door in our neighborhood, inviting everyone to join us. We haven't had a very good response, but it was fun meeting our neighbors and getting to know them better. We've already met for three weeks now, and around 10 people come each Friday night. Most of them are Christians who are already plugged into churches and small groups. But there are a few new friends who have joined. We watch a short video clip by Pastor Rick Warren on relationships and how to love like Jesus. Then we have discussion...and merienda of course!

A visit to a women's correctional facility. My small group joined another ladies group at IGSL and visited a women's prison a couple of weeks ago. My small group performed a Hawaiian dance for the ladies who came to the meeting. It was eye-opening to spend time with these women. The prison was crowded, but nicely organized and surprisingly clean. The women were so friendly and happy to have us there. No cameras are allowed at all. But I have some wonderful pictures in my mind and heart. Here's our small group doing a last minute practice before the visit

Small group retreat. Early tomorrow morning, my small group will go to Tanay, a town about two hours outside of Manila. The nine ladies in our ISG group will have a 2-day retreat together in a private home. Most of the day tomorrow will be a "Day with the Lord" where each of us will have all afternoon alone with the Lord. There will also be times of sharing, games, a movie-night, and of course some food...merienda! One other member of our ISG, Fely, and I are the two graduates. So ate Alice, our faculty leader, has asked us to plan and lead this retreat. We printed up our schedule and devotional guide today. I'm looking forward to slowing down and quieting my soul "like a weaned child" with my Heavenly Father. (Psalm 131)

Yearbook, Graduation Meetings, Song practices, and . . . You know how it is when you are getting ready to graduate. Activities left and right. The other day I was leaving one event and headed somewhere else, when a fellow-graduating classmate grabbed me and said, "You know the women graduates are performing two songs at the graduation ceremony and the graduation banquet, don't you? We are having practice upstairs right now!" So, now I'm attending practices when I can...and trying to learn Alto 1 part! Here's a picture of the IGSL 2011 graduating class:

We had a meeting of the graduating class this afternoon. At the meeting, they voted for Huy to be the "Voice of the Graduates" speaker at graduation. It's an annual tradition that the class votes for one student to give a short talk during the ceremony. What a neat honor. I was so proud of my hubby. Pray for him as he prepares his talk.

Book club. This year I started a book club. There are about seven American missionary ladies who have joined. I throughly enjoy our times together. We read a book each month and then get together for coffee, dessert, and great conversation. Last night we discussed John Piper's latest book A Sweet and Bitter Providence. It's a GREAT book! (And a quick, easy read.) The Lord is so amazing. How good to be in His sovereign hands.

Homeschooling and the kids. Yes, we are still doing four days of homeschooling most weeks! The kids are doing great. Corrie is attending a "Sadie Hawkins" dance and banquet at Faith Academy this Saturday. She asked Jay-Jay, a Korean classmate of hers, and is excited about the evening. Drew's still playing sports and guitar. Karis is sewing, playing with friends at IGSL, and doing all sorts of creative projects. And Jace is riding his scooter all over and is also now into trading and playing "beyblades" with all his many friends. He is always covered with dirt head-to-toe at night! He's all boy, alright!

Well, it's time to go. I'll close for now.

Love you all. Thank you for your love and prayers.

shelley, huy, and the kids.

Connecting...

2011-01-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

What a fun blessing and an encouragement our church back home in Wichita, Kansas gave us last weekend! Our Pastor David Welch skyped us live into all three of the services at our home body, Central Christian Church--the Saturday evening service and two Sunday morning services.

It was a brief interview. I've copied the video from the final interview done on Sunday morning. I hope you can view it. It was 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning Wichita time; 1:oo a.m. Monday morning Manila time...just fyi, in case we look a bit tired around the edges! :-) There was more to this interview, but Huy's sound got cut off when he was telling about what ministries we are involved with here. Huy's sound was cut off a bit in two of the three interviews. He said it was starting to feel like "Divine intervention"! :-)

It was really fun to connect in this way with our dear church family...to hear their worship beforehand and to share some of our journey with them. What an amazing time we live in that we can be on the other side of the world...living in "tomorrow" already...but able to see one another and talk and laugh across all that distance.

It seems more and more churches, mission groups, conferences, etc. are making good use of Skype technology. As a missionary friend of mine said, "It's sure cheaper than a flight back to the U.S. We could meet with mission committees for annual reviews. Oh, the possibilities are endless!"

We think it'd be neat for churches to do these kind of quick interviews with missionaries they support on a regular basis. It sure makes them and what they're doing more "real" and personal than just a picture on a wall or refrigerator.

Skyping is amazing, but it makes me realize how much MORE amazing PRAYER is! We pray, and the Lord's love and hand go instantly anywhere and everywhere, stopped by nothing, fulfilling the Lord's eternal purposes, helping those in need, comforting, moving, healing, changing hearts, moving moutains, advancing His kingdom...doing more than we can even ask or imagine.

THANK YOU, Pastor David and all our loved ones at Central! You have truly blessed our family. We can't wait to hug you all in person this summer. That's one thing we can't do via Skype!

New Year, New Adventures!

2011-01-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 2011 to all of you! Greetings and warm hugs from the Merritts in Manila!

I hope you've had a wonderful holiday season and are excited about what is ahead in 2011. In Christ, the best is always ahead! I'm so thankful to remember that the peace and grace of Christ is here today and will be there for us in every day of this coming year.

We've had a great Christmas break. We had many parties, activities, dinners, and lots of good food. In the Philippines, they start celebrating Christmas on September 1! So, it's a big and long season here. I like what Corrie's English teacher said: "In Narnia, it's always winter and never Christmas; in the Philippines it's always Christmas but never winter." :-) (I think C.S. Lewis would like that line.)

After Christmas, we were able to travel with friends to La Union, a city on the northwest coast. It is part of an area known for big waves and surfing. We had a fun time with our friends. The kids especially enjoyed all the NOISE and excitement that goes on in all of Asia on New Year's Eve! SO many fireworks!! Our friends and I also traveled to nearby Baguio, the "City of Pines" which--due to being over 5,000 ft. altitude and having deliciously cool weather--is one of the top vacation spots in this country. We enjoyed a relaxing day of picnicking, shopping, zip-lining, and eating (of course!)

Two days after returning from La Union, Huy started classes. Classes for Corrie (and our homeschooling classes) start up again this week. It's been a great break.

Below are a few pictures from our break. There are about 80 more on my Facebook page! :-)

2011 will be a big year for us. You all have been such wonderful friends and prayer supporters during this adventure of ours here in the Philippines. Thank you for reading our blog, commenting, sending emails and notes of encouragement, and especially for taking the time to stop and lift up our family to the Lord. He has blessed us greatly here.

As you know, we feel the Lord is leading us to continue on living, serving, and growing here in Manila. We are applying to join the faculty at IGSL. Huy will teach seminary courses, and I will continue to teach English and will also teach some PIM (Partners in Ministry) courses to the wives. IGSL is big on discipleship, which we love. So both of us will be leading small accountability/discipleship groups in addition to teaching. There will also be special ministry events, outreaches, ministry trips, etc.

Here are our prayer requests for this time. We really feel in need of prayer. This year is going to present a lot of opportunities to trust God in new ways. That's always a good thing, but also it can be scary and uncomfortable as we step out of this comfortable routine we've gotten used to here.

Here are our top three prayer requests when you think of us:

WHAT MISSION ORGANIZATION should we join? This is kind of urgent because we need to make a decision asap. We have been loosely connected with Campus Crusade for Christ for many years now. We love Crusade, but for a longer commitment, we're evaluating whether it's the best fit for us. (We're happy to fill in more details if anyone is curious; please email us anytime.) So please pray the Lord will give us clear direction on which group to join.

RAISING A TEAM OF MINISTRY PARTNERS. As soon as we know which group we will be with, we will begin the fearful task of raising supporters/ministry partners. It's really kind of neat how the Lord is starting to change Huy and I's hearts and minds on this. We always were happy to support some missionaries, but at the same time, we would say, "I'm glad we aren't called to raise support. I don't think I could do that." Well, here we are, getting ready to do that exact thing! And you know what...it's going to be really cool watching how the Lord brings together a team to join us in ministry. It's reassuring to realize that HE already has supporters planned for us...we just have to step out and see who they are. So please pray that the Lord will lead those He wants to be a part of our team and lead us in this process.

DETAILS. Soon it will be a whirlwind of graduation activities, travel details, busyness, and many decisions. Soon after graduating, Huy will travel to the U.S. first in April. The kids and I plan to join him in June, after Corrie finishes classes at Faith. We need wisdom as we make many decisions--our schedule in the States, how long we'll stay, our home here in Manila, school decisions for the kids while in the States and once we return here, what to do with Prince, our car, etc. while we're gone... I'm sure there will be other decisions too. So please pray for us to make good decisions and to walk through this time with peace and not stress.

Thank you again and again! Please let us know how to pray for you. And thanks for your correspondence. We treasure every note, post, email, etc. It's a gift to be included in your lives even though we are so far away.

Christmas 2010--New Year's 2011

Jace always loves to roll his window down and feel the air on his face. He doesn't get many opportunities, though, in Manila due to the heat and air pollution. So, he's loving this drive up to Baguio...cool, fresh air!

Beautiful Baguio!

Karis and Jace enjoying the waves of La Union, right outside our hotel door.

What the Philippines looks like once you leave Metro Manila!

Rice plants

On New Year's Eve, I randomly took this picture of the kids with their sparklers. Later I saw "J-O-Y" in it! How neat! What a great way to start the new year. We will rejoice in the Lord in 2011.

Adding to the joy a bit!

Outside our hotel room, I was able to enjoy a few moments alone with my Father, listening to the waves of the South China Sea crash against the beach wall. Other than the sound of the waves, it became very quiet and peaceful. The two of us shared this last sunset of 2010.

2011 looks bright.

A thankful moment

2010-11-29T07:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving, of course, is not a Filipino holiday here, so our day was pretty normal with classes and teaching. But we were still able to make it a special day...the kids and I baked cookies together, and they helped me make a special dinner of turkey breast, pumpkin pie, and some traditional foods. The kids had fun decorating the table, making place cards, and doing some special readings about the history of Thanksgiving during the meal.

At dinner, we also did what many families do--we went around the table and each shared three things we were thankful for. Before we started, I said, "Okay, we know that we're all thankful for the Lord, friends, and family. But what are three other blessings from God that you are thankful for?" We had a fun time of sharing and laughter as we went around the table.

When it was Drew's turn, he immediately said, "I'm thankful for running water, electricity, and air conditioning!" The other kids agreed wholeheartedly, "Yes!" "OH, yes!" "Absolutely!"

As they were giving thanks for those things, I instantly remembered a night about five years ago...

Huy and I were on a date back then, discussing the possibility of moving overseas. Huy said that if we moved overseas, one thing he really hoped and prayed would happen would be that the kids would become more thankful for the things they tend to take for granted. This has been a prayer of ours. As we sat there at our Thanksgiving meal, we saw that this was happening.

Never before had our kids even thought (on their own!) of giving thanks for water that runs in our faucets, for power that isn't out, and for air conditioning. But now, here they were giving thanks for these things with smiles and grateful hearts.

Rarely are spiritual victories announced with trumpets and banners....they often pass by quietly with no fanfare. We easily miss them. But the Lord opened our eyes, and Huy and I looked across the table at each other and smiled. We saw an answer to prayer.

And we gave thanks.

The Man-Child

2010-11-12T01:55:00.001-08:00

We have a blog tradition of celebrating and taking a look back when each child turns 13 and becomes a "teen"...a much-loved word by certain members of our family. (We did it with our first teen, and hence the family tradition was begun.)

NOW we are celebrating our oldest boy, newest 13-year old, and second teenager! This week Drew turned 13 years old. We are planning a party with two families, but have to wait until Huy and the other husbands return from a short ministry trip.

On Drew's birthday, we continued another tradition of letting the birthday boy choose which restaurant we should all eat at. Drew chose T.G.I. Friday's restaurant, a fun place in a mall not too far away.

Yes...they will sing a crazy Happy Birthday song and embarrass you here in the Philippines too!

A third tradition is that we go around the table and each share some things we especially love about the birthday child. As we went around the table sharing about Drew, I was doing what we mothers always do...playing back in my mind those sweet...bittersweet because the years fly by so quickly...memories from the past. I was sitting in the restaurant laughing and eating. At the same time, though, I was seeing Drew lying on that baby blanket in a square of sunshine on the floor. He was one day old. His little barely-6 pound body swallowed up in the diaper--the tiniest size we could buy...his little frog legs sticking out on each side. Corrie was standing beside him, just studying him. She was two years old and looked like she was trying to figure out where exactly this new little...person?...thing?...had come from.

(* I would insert some adorable pictures here if I could only download from my mind. But those baby pictures are in storage right now in the U.S. I'll be sure and get them for the "Drew Graduates from High School!" post that will be here oh, so soon...)

Drew wasn't really a beautiful newborn....and you know it's bad when the Mom says that! He looked like a little old man who was quite tired. He had hair only around the sides of his head...the baldpate of a retiree. His nose was somewhat smushed. We laughed and said he looked a bit like Pampa! (Sorry, Dad...only a slight resemblance!)

But he was adorable, and within a few days...or was it weeks...I don't know because I was already head over heels in love and had lost all objectivity... he transformed into a beautiful baby. We loved him with all our hearts.

The Lord had given us a son.

When I was pregnant with Drew, Huy read Proverbs to him in utereo. When we found out that the name "Drew" meant "wise and manly," we instantly knew what his name was to be. Drew was born in our bedroom, our first of three homebirths. It was an beautiful experience. So peaceful. So joyful. So miraculous and gentle. After my Mom bathed Drew, and the midwives did all their work and left, I went to bed. I looked at my new son before going to sleep. He was with Huy. It's a picture that I'll always always have in my mind: Huy was holding Drew in a brand new blue blanket. There was tiny, tiny Drew with the little knit cap on his head, tightly swaddled up in the blanket, resting peacefully in his father's arms. Both of them slept all night in that position.

Jace and Drew at Uncle Jaymes' and Aunt Lindsay's wedding in 2005.

As he grew, Drew had a round, Charlie Brown-head with little ears that stuck out. I used to flap them back and forth. He would laugh. He laughed and smiled at everything and everyone. And he made others do the same. When we carried him in the ubiquitous carseat carrier, we would hear laughter behind us. We would turn around and discover that Drew (who was facing backwards) had been smiling at everyone behind us, causing them to laugh in delight.

He still has a warm way with people and makes friends easily. Often we'll walk through a school or church and pass strangers (to us!) who smile and wave, "Hey Drew!" "Hi Drew, whattsup!"

Pampa and Drew have fun changing the tire on our van.

More pictures in my mind...more memories of Drew...

Tears have always come easily for Drew. Sad tears and happy tears. He has always had the softest heart of anyone I know. I wondered if he would grow out of that. But now I know that this is how his Heavenly Father has knit him together. I love that about him. We rarely ever had to give him swats. A look of correction. A stern word. That's all it ever took for Drew.

One night when I was tucking him into bed, we started talking about heaven. Drew was about six years old at the time. We talked about how wonderful heaven was going to be. We were imagining what it might look like. I told him about the great gates made of pearl. I said, "Let's agree to meet there. If I get to heaven first, I'll try to meet you at those gates." He said, "Mom, you better stop...you're giving me happy tears!"

I know such a soft heart will probably feel more of the pain in this life. I pray the Lord protects his. It's a vulnerable gift in such a harsh world. But a young man who has Jesus in that soft heart will be a wonderful reflection of God's love.

Drew making his public statement of faith
being baptized by Daddy in February 2005.

A more recent memory... almost two years ago, the kids and I went back to the U.S. for a visit while Huy had to do a six-week ministry trip. It'll definitely make you pray when you have to travel to the other side of the world on your own with four children. As we left Kansas and boarded our first of three flights on our 24-hour trip back to the Philippines, my Dad privately encouraged Drew to "be the man of the family" and help his mom.

Drew--11 years old

Drew was amazing. I can get tears in my eyes still remembering that trip. He was only 11 years of age then, but he was absolutely the "man of the family" during that long trip. He helped all of us with our many carry-ons. He offered to help Jace and was plodding through the long airport corridors, loaded down with his little brother's heavy bags in addition to his own massive backpack. He had that sweet look of determination as he walked tall beside me. Throughout the long trip, he continually looked my way and asked, "How are you doing, Mom?"

During one of the layovers, we stopped for a meal. "Mom, go sit down. I put all our the bags by that table. Go sit down. I'll get everything." I thanked him with a big smile. "Really, Mom," Drew insisted. "Go ahead and sit down."

"But, Drew..." I said, "I have to pay for the food."

"Oh...okay," he smiled. He decided he would let me do that much.

I've always said that Drew is the one who will take care of me in my old age. I didn't realize he would start so soon!

Drew and I--Manila 2010

Sigh...so many sweet memories. I could go on and on....Moms can be like that. But I'll stop for now and pray for my young man...

Thank you, Lord, for this man-child...who is now more man than child. Thank you for the man you are building him to be in Christ. Thank you for giving him to us. May Your right hand rest upon Him. May You always guide his steps.

The kids--Fall 2005

The kids now--Fall 2010

Happy 13th Birthday, Drew-Bear. We love you!

More light on our path

2010-10-28T08:14:00.001-07:00

"We can only go as far as the headlights shine down the road."

This is what I've said many times since we moved here to Manila two 1/2 years ago. At that time the light shone far enough for us to know that we would be here until our graduation from IGSL in April 2011.

Traveling this road-this new adventure for our family-has been everything we thought it would be...and more. It has stretched each one of us in fun, exciting ways as well as in difficult and painful ways. It has widened our vision of the world, our Heavenly Father, and His kingdom. Coming here has often forced me to rely on the Lord more than I ever had to before. He became my only LIFELINE at times. And while that's never what we would choose in and of ourselves, it is always the very best thing to have to cling to Him. I know Huy and the kids would agree. We are closer to Christ and His heart. And we have also become closer to one another as we have walked this road together.

During these past few months we have really been praying about our next step...asking God for some more light on our path. Did He want us to stay here? Did He have a place of service for us back home in Wichita? Should we go to another country?

Now we feel that He has shone some more light on our path. After much prayer and also asking counsel from those whom we respect here as well as family, friends, and church leaders back in Wichita, we are now applying to join the faculty at our seminary, IGSL (International Graduate School of Leadership). If accepted, Huy would teach various seminary courses. I would continue to teach ESL classes and would begin to teach some of the wives' classes in their Partners In Ministry (PIM) program. We would also both be individually leading discipleship groups.

When we came in 2008, Corrie and Drew were not happy about the move. At that time, we said that we really wanted the kids to be a part of this next decision. Now, Corrie and Drew are the two of our kids who MOST want to stay. All the kids are doing very well here. They have all made good friends and really fit in well with life here. It's definitely become a second home to them. It's has been especially meaningful for them since they are half Asian...something they appreciate and feel even more now.

We are excited about this idea of staying--living and serving longer here in the Philippines. But I have to add that this seems to bring another wave of sadness to all of us. It's like yet another "tearing away" from our loved ones back home. It's like a pulling off of an emotional scab in a way. We'd gotten used to living away from our families back home, and the painful distance seemed to be conquered or overcome somehow. But now, the wound feels raw and tender again. It's strange to feel very excited yet very sad at the same time. There definitely is a cost to count.

Now we have many more decisions to make. Please pray for us. We need to decide whether to go full-time with a mission organization or to continue as only missionaries from our home church in Wichita. We need to decide whether to keep renting our current house (which we love) or to move closer to Faith Academy, where more of our kids will be attending as they get closer to high school. We need to decide how long we should stay in the States to prepare for this next term. We need to decide how to begin the process--and faith journey--of raising ministry partners/supporters....something that seems somewhat intimidating since we've never done this before.

We plan to be back in Kansas this coming spring, after we graduate in April. Huy and some of the kids will probably go first. Corrie's classes at FA aren't done until the first week of June. So, she and I will stay here until then.

Thank you for the countless times you each have mentioned our names to our Heavenly Father. He has answered countless times. He has taken such good care of us. We thank Him, and we thank you for walking this road with us.

Huy's ministry trip in September to the air force cadets at Fernando Air Base went very well.

Here's Huy sharing a message to some of the cadets at a Sunday morning worship service. And below is a picture of Huy sharing with the cadets at the school. The cadets were very open and many made decisions for the Lord during the week.

More recently, our family was invited to an international church outside of Manila, run by a Korean pastor who is a classmate of Huy's at IGSL. Here is a picture of us with the pastor and a family from Myanmar after the church service. Huy shared the message that morning, and I shared a powerpoint on the prayer needs of America.

We made many new friends--including some of these girls below from Nigeria who are studying nursing here in the Philippines. They have kept in good touch with us ever since this weekend.

And finally...here's a fun picture of Karis and Jace taking cover under a banana leaf. This leaf is from a tree right down the street from our house. It is taller than Jace!

All of us love all of you! --Huy & Shelley, Corrie, Drew, Karis, and Jace.

Summer 2010

2010-09-09T02:07:00.000-07:00

Has it really been FOUR MONTHS since my last post here? Wow. Hello! My name is Shelley, and I'll be your blogger today. Seriously, thanks for not forgetting about us! We had one summer break (on the Philippine school schedule that Huy and I follow) PLUS another summer break (on the American school schedule that Corrie follows), and somehow that came out to equal about one week of summer break since only one week overlaps between those two schedules. That, plus the fact that the kids and I continued homeschooling lightly made it seem as though we actually didn't have much of a break at all. But when it's "summer" year-round here, who needs a summer break, right?

We are doing very well. It is amazing that we are now in our THIRD year here in the Philippines! It sounded like such a long time when we came over, but it has not felt long at all. But when you look at pictures from when we first moved here, you can see how time has passed just by looking at our kids. (Probably by looking at the parents too!) The kids have matured in many ways during our time here.

Since I've not posted in a while and since we are beginning our third year, I thought this would be a good time to give you an update on each family member.

FATHER SAMA (aka "Huy/Daddy")

[Corrie has a love for all things Japanese and has taken to calling Huy "Father Sama", which the rest of us have adopted. "Sama" is an honorific title, she explains.]

Three days ago, Huy finished his first term of his last year of his MDiv program. (He's an awesome student, as all of us knew he would be!) His classes and papers keep him busy, especially his Hebrew and Greek classes. He enjoyed the theology class on "Christ and the Cross", a class on Christian movements in Asia, and a few others this term.

Here Huy is leading part of the biweekly "Night Watch" prayer time.

In addition to classes, Huy is part of a ministry team that is starting a new outreach at a place near us called "U.P. TechnoHub" a large technology park, a Philippine "Silicon Valley" full of IT businesses, offices, and condos, as well as many restaurants and stores for the hundreds of employees who work there, and for the public.

Above is the outside of TechnoHub, and below is the view on the inside area. Nice place. This is Feye, a member of Huy's ministry team. (She's also a very sweet friend of ours!)

This is called "marketplace ministry", reaching out to people where they work. Huy's team has been praying and preparing surveys that they will use in sharing the Gospel with the employees there. Please pray for this ministry. They hope to see a movement of new believers for the Kingdom!

As I'm writing this, Huy is not home. He left yesterday on a ministry trip. During each term break, all IGSL students go out in teams and serve somewhere in the Philippines. This week, Huy is part of team of 15 students and staff who are ministering to 800 Filipino Air Force cadets at Fernando air base in Lipa Batangas. This is an exciting opportunity. It was a bit of work to obtain all the needed official documents and permission to go onto the base and conduct this week of outreach. The Lord has opened this door!

Please pray for Huy and the team this week. He and his teammates will be giving talks on worldview, leadership, study skills. They will also be sharing the Gospel with the cadets, and using the film "Facing the Giants" to study principles of teamwork. They will also do some training for Christian cadets, teaching them how to lead Bible studies.

Shelley (aka "Mom")

This past year, I started praying that I'd be able to use my writing more for the Lord, and He has given me two neat opportunities to do that. Two articles I have written were published in an online magazine for women in ministry called "Women of the Harvest" (in the March/April 2010 and May/June 2010 editions, if you want to look for them).

Also, this summer I was asked to write some Sunday school curriculum for a multi-media publishing company here called "Church Strengthening Ministries" (CSM). I wrote 11 lessons, which will be published in December. They are for children, ages 10-12 years.

At IGSL, I'm still enjoying teaching ESL. Once a week, I tutor a young girl from Vietnam and have two classes with ladies from Laos, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and Sri Lanka.

Saturday mornings continue to be a special time for me as I go to the Malabon squatter area. It sounds cliche, but I am truly feel blessed by my time there. The kids are precious! I'm learning some of their names, and they are having fun reading with me and teaching me some Tagalog. We do a large-group song and story time with them, and I love singing the choruses with them almost always while having a young child in my arms and at least two or three others holding onto my arms and legs. I can feel some real bonds growing with the families and the children there. I'm learning firsthand that it takes a lot of t-i-m-e...consistency and plain old time...for friendships and emotional bonds to even begin to form.

Please check out the photo album of some of these children that I posted on my Facebook page, called "114 Precious Souls" .

A surprise gift from God is that I have become friends with a beautiful young family who live in Malabon. Arlyn and Arwin (I'm with Arlyn in this second photo) have three young children of their own and are also caring for a young niece.

Their entire home is a room not much bigger than our living room. They have no running water and no power much of the day. Almost every Saturday, after our group time with all the children, Arlyn invites me into her home. Just walking to her home, winding through the narrow alleys of that squatter community is difficult, even though I've done it many times. The things you see and smell truly assault your senses. I'm always so touched by their kindness. They never ask me for anything or complain about their situation. They want to serve and give to me, always fixing me a snack or a meal. I thank God for this special friendship. They love the Lord and are working hard to provide for their kids and have a brighter tomorrow.

Corrie

Here's a short video clip of Corrie's baptism at the end of last school year. (At Faith Academy with over 20 other middle schoolers.) Watching this almost always brings tears to my eyes. How we thank God!

Corrie is doing very well. We have seen a lot of growth in her life. Last April, she graduated from middle school, receiving four different awards during the closing ceremony. Many of our prayers have been answered. Now we have a HIGH SCHOOLER on our hands! Aren't teenagers wonderful creatures? The Lord is working. I'm so thankful that we are co-parents with Him!

Here is Corrie with her best friend, Christy, who is from Australia. They have so much fun together. (I love just hearing Christy talk!)

Corrie really enjoyed being a part of the spring musical "Fiddler on the Roof" (in her costume below), and our whole family went around singing all those wonderful songs for weeks!

I'm sure most of you know how difficult it was for Corrie and Drew to move here back in 2008. Well, the other day Corrie was pleading with all heart, "Please, please stay here in the Philippines! I don't want to move! I want to stay and graduate at Faith!" What a difference! Corrie has said many times, "Thank the Lord for Faith!" We do thank God for Faith Academy, and for all the administration and teachers who are serving the Lord by loving and teaching our children.

Drew

Drew is probably the one who has grown and changed the most physically. He's now more MAN than BOY. In the past year, it seems he has shot up a foot! He's now taller than Corrie, and getting ready to pass Huy and I in height.

Like Corrie, his attitude toward living here has also changed. The other night we were out in the city and, out of nowhere, Drew suddenly exclaimed, "I love the Philippines!" I asked him what made him say this and what he loved specifically, and he just shook his head, "I don't know. I just love it!"

In the past six months or so, he and Jace have made a lot of good friends with the Filipino boys in our subdivision. It's so fun watching them play basketball with the guys. They are starting to pick up some Tagalog words and phrases.

Drew, Karis, Jace, and I have started going out to the Gentle Hands orphanage every other week. They are able to hold the babies and play with some of the older children. Below is Drew playing a bit with Ryan. We have prayed a lot for Ryan. He was an abandoned baby who had a hole in his heart. The Lord answered many prayers, and Ryan was able to have the needed surgery on his heart and is doing great! He has gained weight and is a happy and healthy little boy.

A prayer request for Drew: He already has many friends out at Faith Academy and is very interested in attending there. We know he'll love it and do very well at Faith. We're just not sure on the timing and the funding. We are praying about whether to start him this spring semester (beginning in Jan.) or to wait until the following school year (if we are still here). Please pray about that with us. Thanks!

Karis

Karis had a great summer! She participated in a summer workshop where she had classes three times a week, studying drama, dance, and singing from professional artists here in the Philippines. It was a great opportunity. She received a scholarship, which allowed us to afford it. At the end of the class, the students performed three different musicals for the public.

It was wonderful! At the awards ceremony afterwards, Karis received the top girl award in each of the three catagories of dance, drama, and singing for her age class.

She is enjoying living here, but she often says she misses our family back home (as we all do very much) and she talks about missing the winter and autumn weather too.

Below is Karis with two of her best friends, Sarah from Sri Lanka, and Tryphana from Nepal. It was so cute--for a while, Sarah was teaching Karis Sinhalese language. Sarah is an amazing teacher for being only 12 years old! It was fun seeing Karis learning her friend's native language.

Here's Karis learning to feed a newborn baby boy, named Collin, at Gentle Hands orphanage.

Jace

This was Cookie, one of the sweetest guinea pigs who ever lived. And yes, I'm using past tense here. Poor Cookie. And poor Jace and Karis. A definite HIGH-HIGH of the summer was when Jace and Karis had finally saved enough money to buy two adorable guinea pigs--Cookie and Sunday. I am positive no guinea pigs were ever loved more than this pair. But...a definite LOWEST of LOWS was when both of them died just days apart and only a month after they were bought! It was heart-breaking seeing Jace and Karis' hearts breaking. There were a lot of hugs and tears shared during those days. Now right outside our house there are two little graves with stone tombstones with the names and dates of their beloved friends carved on them.

The kids haven't had much practice with newborns, so Jace is trying to figure out how to hold this little one at Gentle Hands. He did a great job with the babies and young children there!

Here is Jace and one of his best buddies, Ken, in our neighborhood. It's fun to be sitting at our computer, look out the window, and see them outside together--always up to something: riding a small 4-wheeler, skateboarding, playing basketball, or enjoying a snack together. Jace, more than any of the other kids, is interested in learning to speak Tagalog. He and I are trying to learn a few phrases everyday. (He's doing better than I!)

And now what . . . ?

You may have noticed that I said earlier this is our last year as students at IGSL, the seminary where we are studying and serving. "And now what...?" That is a GREAT question. That is a GREAT prayer need. That is a GREAT thing to blog about! Since I've taken so much space here, I'll save this for my next blog...which will come in a matter of days, not months!

Thank you for checking in on us. Thank you for all your love and prayers!

Increased Devotion...Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated Memorial Day 2010 today, and it was our most special one to date. We attended a memorial service at the Manila American Cemetery, located here in Manila.

What a beautiful and peaceful place. It reminded me of Arlington National Cemetery, except that the American Cemetery here is full of rows and rows of white crosses instead of the white headstones seen at Arlington.

There is that unmistakable hush of being on sacred ground when you are at places like Arlington or the American Cemetery. So much sacrifice. So much selflessness. So high the cost of the freedom I take for granted most days.

It is good to stand among the crosses and remember.

The American people and the Filipino people share a very special bond. And as you study the history and stand at the American Cemetery and learn more of our shared history, it is easy to see how that bond came about. It was forged by serving, suffering, living, and dying together.

I didn’t realize that Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor and the Philippines on the same day. From that day in 1941, the U.S. and Philippine troops worked together until the war’s end in 1945.

As you know, the WWII history is very rich here. There are many historical sites all around Manila that we are very much looking forward to visiting. Someone told me about a special little room in a hotel not too far from us that served as General Douglas MacArthur’s office while he was in Manila. It’s been made into a small but amazing little museum. We definitely must see that. So many little jewels like that abound here!

(There are several large war maps like this one above...all are mosaics, made of small pieces of colored tile. Very well done!)

There are 17,097 graves at the American Cemetery, most of those are U.S. forces who gave their lives for our country. There are also 570 Philippine nationals who served and gave their lives with the U.S. forces.

These stone walls above are engraved with the names of 36,286 soldiers who are “Missing in Action” and who also gave their lives in serving our country. The kids found one name (I'm sure there are many others) from Kansas on this wall—Orval K. Casson. After returning home, I searched online and learned a few things about Mr. Casson. He was from Junction City, Kansas. He was serving on one of three Navy ships that encountered a storm in the Philippine Sea, one of the largest typhoons the U.S. forces had ever seen. Over 800 servicemen lost their lives as all three ships were destroyed by 90 ft. waves and 160 mph winds. The tragedy became legendary and some believe it was the basis for Herman Wouk's novel, The Caine Mutiny.

Later in the morning, a headstone cross with “Kansas” caught my eye. This one belongs to Philip W. Prout. I learned later that Private Prout was from Morland, Kansas, a small town up in north Graham County. Pvt. Prout was serving here in the Philippines and died battling as the Japanese took over the Islands in May 1942. He was 38 years old.

Learning about Mr. Casson and Mr. Prout from Kansas was like reading about neighbors we didn't get a chance to meet...yet! The reality of all these white crosses and the people they represent became a bit more clear. And again, I felt the weight of their glory and their gift...and we felt such thankfulness.

The ceremony was very nice. It was moving to hear the Philippine Army Band play, to sing our National Athem together with a few hundred other expats, to hear the speakers, to see representatives from several nations present their honorary wreaths, and especially to hear Taps echo through the walls of all those names—so many sons and daughters, fathers, husbands who will always be felt “missing in action” in many hearts. It was moving to walk the beautiful, peaceful grounds and feel such a debt of gratitude to those whom we cannot personally say “Thank You”.

It was neat to be up close and see Mr. Harry K. Thomas, Jr. (seen here below), the new ambassador to the Philippines, just appointed by President Obama two months ago.

But the highlight for all of us was meeting a true hero. Rev. Kenneth Fuller.

At the close of the ceremony, they introduced a WWII veteran, Rev. Kenneth Fuller, to close the event with prayer. We tried to see him, but couldn’t. Then we understood why as we heard the voice of an older gentlemen announce, “I’m sorry I cannot stand for this prayer. But I’m standing up in my heart!” His voice just made us smile. It was so strong and full of life. Before praying, he said that this cemetery was special to him because he had “six buddies here.” Rev. Fuller said he remembered the place when it was bomb-shelled and torn apart as his division helped to liberate this area.

Then he prayed. He prayed loudly, clearly…his voice echoing across the grounds. His voice and words full of emotion, but at the same time, it was the voice of a victor and a joyful man. He prayed, and you knew that this man personally knew Whom he was praying to!

Afterwards, we introduced ourselves to Rev. Fuller, to thank him for his service to our country and to us. I could only say a very few words of thanks…tears immediately filled my eyes as he grasped my hand and looked at me so kindly. My heart was so full, and it filled my throat.

I said, “We’d be honored if you’d let us take a picture with you.” He quickly said, “Oh, I’D be honored to take my picture with you!” He took time with us and several other families who were also waiting to talk with him. What a dear, precious man! He was so gracious, taking time to meet our children and talk with us.

During the service, part of President Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address was shared. And as we walked back to our car, reluctant to leave the silent white crosses standing so solemnly at attention, we knew what Lincoln meant when he talked about taking “increased devotion.” That's exactly how we felt.

Thank you, Father God, for those who gave their all for our country, for the lives we are allowed to live in the United States and here in the Philippines. Thank you for those who serve so selflessly. Thank you for those who lift our vision to that which is purer and higher.

May we always remember.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

-President Abraham Lincoln.

Penitencia warning: graphic pictures

2010-04-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

Good Friday 2010 was unlike any other we'd ever witnessed. This year we went with friends to Pampanga province in the Philippines (about 70 km outside of Manila) to observe the "Penitencia", an annual tradition of penance by some devout Roman Catholics.

The 40 young men--the penitants--who took part this year started early in the morning, meeting in a large open lot. They whipped themselves (self-flagellation) for about three hours.

The whip they use can be seen below...a rope with smooth wooden sticks attached. I even had the chance to try it on myself. It doesn't hurt much...at least not at first, but I'm sure it doesn't feel good at all after all those hours! You can see the effects on the men's backs--large, red, swollen blisters rise on both sides of their backbones.

In this short video clip, you can see and hear the self-flagellation. This sound rings in your ears for hours.

After several hours of self-flagellation, the men lined up when the "cutter" arrived. He quickly pierced their backs, which allowed the blood to begin flowing.

Once their backs were cut, the men began the 2km march to the small, local church. They continued to whip themselves, splattering blood all along the way. I walked the entire march alongside them. With the crowds and the narrow streets, it was impossible to avoid being splattered with their blood.

As I watched, I had many thoughts and conflicting emotions. I felt thankful for what our Lord did for us...like how I feel when watching the "Passion" movie. There was quite a crowd lining the streets of the penitants' march. I felt a bit like I was on the Via Dolorosa. I felt I could understand how someone might want to experience that kind of suffering just to experience first-hand a very small portion of what our Lord did for us...simply out of love.

But I also felt sad because many did it to seek forgiveness for their sins. Do they know the love, forgiveness, and freedom found in Jesus Christ and His blood already shed for their sins?

Many also go through this for a special prayer request. One man told me he did this 10 years in a row, asking God to heal his mother of asthma. "She was cured," he told me.

At various times during the march, the men would lie down on the hot pavement for about 5-10 minutes. As they lay there, some of their "supporters" would whip their backs or legs.

At the end of the march, the men reached the church, lay prostrate on the floor, and pray. Then they got up and went home.

I have been told that this practice is officially forbidden by the Roman Catholic church. I do not know for certain. I suspect this is true in that I did not see one single priest, nun, or church official during the entire day. However, I've also been told that the practice is still highly encouraged by the church here. I also suspect this is true, since I saw or heard nothing to discourage it.

There are big issues here...fundamental cultural differences, fundamental Catholic-Protestant differences. A Catholic I talked with online explained to me that while we Protestants see these kind of acts as an attempt to "earn salvation", true, believing Catholics see it "as an attempt to honestly imitate Jesus without reservation, to give up any material or physical treasure."

The Lord knows all our hearts.

I had a lot to think about that night as I took off my blood-splattered jeans and washed their blood from my legs and arms.

Touching Jesus

2010-03-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

I have been BLESSED. I have been able to touch the Lord.

The past three weeks I have been able to join a team and help reach out to children in one of the poorest squatter areas (slums) here in Manila. Early each Saturday morning, about 12 of us drive to Malabon, an area of makeshift shacks built on a reclaimed landfill (garbage dump). The shacks are all connected to one another with tiny alleys running in all directions...making a dark, dirty maze inside with people, children, animals, and trash at every turn.

Before we even pull into the large cement area at the squatter area, we hear a sudden joyous yell of the children who are already waiting for us. We park, open our doors, and there they are--waiting for us with eager smiles and open arms!

They love to have their pictures taken--"Picture! Picture! One more! One more!"

We stay at Malabon for about 2-3 hours. The team sets up an electric keyboard and speakers. Charity, the director of an orphanage here and the leader of our outreaches, leads the kids in loud, exciting kids' praise music in Tagalog. We sing along (I'm learning!) and lead in song motions. How I wish I could speak Tagalog, especially at times like these because the poorer children don't speak much English. But love, smiles, hugs, games, and laughter speak very clearly of a loving Heavenly Father. I pray that more and more I may speak our Heavenly Father's language more fluently.

The Filipinos like to use umbrellas to escape the hot sun. This little girl made her own umbrella with a stick and a piece of cardboard.

We sing fun songs with plenty of motions. The kids love it! And we even see the adults who are gambling at tables nearby singing along! Then Charity (who is fluent in Tagalog) tells a story from the Bible, and a few of the young workers from the orphanage usually act it out. We often play a song with puppets. This past Saturday, I "manned" one of the puppets, and we used the van windows for our puppet stage.

We have around 300 children attending. After the music and story, we divide the children into groups of 20. Each of us take a group, get them into a circle, hand out a coloring picture of a Bible story and two crayons per child. They color their pictures on the ground. Then we give out a small meal to each child.

These children are always so dirty, and have many health issues. Many of the little guys only wear a t-shirt. They are beautiful, sweet, and usually very happy kids. They are so affectionate, always wanting to hold our hands or touch us in some way.

I know I am the one who is blessed. I hope they feel loved and encouraged, but I know without a doubt that I receive much, much more than I could ever give. I know I am touching the Lord Jesus as I hug them, feel their hands in mine, and put my hand on their warm heads.

After passing out the meals, Charity spends another hour or more dealing with medical needs of the squatter families. And there are MANY. Tuberculosis is a deadly killer among the poor of Manila. The sad thing...but good thing...is that it is highly treatable when caught in time. The problem is that doctors and hospitals won't treat the poor here. Children from squatter areas are often seen as little more than animals in this society. But they are precious to their Heavenly Father. He is their Father and their Advocate.

The Lord has used Charity and her team to rescue many precious children. They have rescued children from drug-abusive homes, physically-abusive homes. One beautiful baby living now in the orphanage was placed into a box, put under the bed, and left to die. Other babies have been thrown out with the garbage. Many many children are on the street daily, forced to sell flowers or beg.

Every Saturday, I've been able to walk into the squatter maze and visit some of the homes. The children are so proud and happy to hold our hands and show us their homes as we wind our way through the maze. It is unbelievable that people actually live in these conditions. In the worst areas inside, every step I take SINKS down. There are yards and yards BELOW us of compacted, moist, garbage. Sometimes your stomach just lurches with the sights and smells.

Last Saturday, in addition to walking through the area, I took some simple English books with me and spent some time reading with the kids. Many of the children attend a local school in the area, but many more do not. They loved the books! I just sat down on the concrete and soon a small crowd of children were all around me.

I started reading and asking them questions, and more children joined us. Slowly but surely they crowded closer and closer, and before we got to the letter "Z" of our A-B-C book, I had kids all over me--on top of my legs and on my lap! It was great! They actually have a pretty good grasp of their ABC's. They loved the second book, an "I Spy" kind of book even more. I'm praying about how I can most help and bless these children during my time out there. I think a practical need they have is to learn more English and practice reading.

I already feel emotionally attached to many of the children. Several of them run and greet me with the biggest hugs, as though we've been friends for a long time. When it's time to go, it's hard to say goodbye. I often have tears as I tell them that I'll see them next week...and that I will miss them. As we slowly pull out of the area, the children follow our van and are still reaching up to our windows. I reach out, and we have more more hand squeezes and smiles before driving off. Precious.

We often think the Lord wants us to love the poor because they are poor and they need us. I think this is true. We are God's hands, feet, and smile for them. They can feel God's love in a palpable way.

I also think the Lord knows that we in our comfortable lives can become poor in our souls...and He knows that we need them.

sharing our love story!

2010-02-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to all you lovers out there--married and single!

I hope it's a special day of showing those you love how special they are to you.

This year for Valentine's Day, Huy and I were asked to share our love story with a church youth group and youth leaders here in Manila. The leader of the youth group is also a professor at our seminary, IGSL.

So last weekend, Huy and I wrote out the major chapters to the wonderful story of how the Lord brought us together...what we learned as we went through that story...and the important principles of how to have PASSION and also PURITY at the same time....(as Elisabeth Elliot wrote in her wonderful book of that title.) Huy and I made up a little power point with a few pictures, principles, verses, and a few books that really helped us back then.

There was quite a bit of laughter when we got to the picture above--our engagement picture. Most of the laughter was from our own children! Hmmm. It's funny how time changes things, isn't it? We were so proud of that picture nearly 20 years ago, and now it just makes people laugh! I think it's because time has changed us!

So, on this Valentine's Day 2010, I thought I'd share with you a brief recap of our love story that we shared with the young people last weekend:

CHAPTER ONE: FRIENDSHIP

Huy and I were friends for the first year. We shared how we met and our first impressions of one another. We told the youth group all the things we enjoyed doing as friends--working with Campus Crusade at the community college in town, working with the youth group at church, playing tennis, going for walks, attending concerts, hanging out with friends, and being involved in the new singles' group at our church.

We told the youth that friendship...friendship in Christ...is a great foundation for love to grow on.

Huy shared a wonderful illustration with the youth that he had heard back then. Huy said he'd heard from pastor Tommy Nelson that while you are running the race of life, you should run with all your strength for the Lord Jesus...run HARD after Him, keeping your eyes on Him. Then as you run, take a quick look around you and see who of your peers is also running hard after Christ. Nelson said, "If you see others running hard alongside of you, those are the kind of people you want to consider for marriage."

"DON'T just 'marry a Christian'," Huy told the youth group. "Marry someone who is running hard after the Lord. That will save you so much heartache later." Huy shared how, as he looked at who was around him, he saw that my heart to run after the Lord matched his. He knew he had found someone he wanted to pursue.

CHAPTER TWO: CONFUSION

As Huy shared his growing feelings with me...the famous "DTR Talk" ("Define The Relationship" talk), I told him that I only saw him as a good friend. He was hurt, but said, "That's okay. The Lord must have someone better for me." That was supposed to be the "end", but our friendship just continued on, stronger than ever. We spent even more time together.

Huy was sure in his feelings and desires for our relationship; I, however, was not. I thought falling in love ought to be a bit "explosive" and dramatic, more Hollywood-ish. But I hadn't felt my heels flying over my head with Huy. This led to much confusion for both of us, and put Huy in the tough position of trying to be the leader and pursuer while at the same time, waiting on me to decide the direction our relationship was to take.

During this time, I analyzed and over-analyzed. I prayed, discussed with my parents, sister, and friends...trying to discern whether this wonderful friendship could or should be more. But the more I analyzed, the murkier the waters became for me. I had no clarity or peace about any possible decision.

CHAPTER THREE: THE TURNING POINT

At this point, Huy read a very helpful book for him. It was Dr. James Dobson's Love Must Be Tough. Huy shared this book with the youth, telling them that he realized he was not acting out of self-respect in our relationship. He was losing respect for himself by placing me in the driver's seat of our relationship. Huy realized that he needed to be strong in the Lord. And to do that, he knew he had to end our relationship and trust the Lord with whatever would happen.

So, Huy broke off our relationship--including spending time as "friends". We both remember that night....we prayed together and even cried together. But I left with definite respect for Huy. I knew he was being a true godly man. I knew he was following the Lord, taking the lead, and making the right decision, even though I didn't like it. That led to the next chapter . . .

CHAPTER THREE: FIVE LONG WEEKS

The break-up lasted five weeks. Five. Long. Weeks. That time was a time for both of us to refocus on the Lord and give Him our hearts again. At the end of those weeks, Huy came over for a walk. We both agreed we had really missed each other. We prayed together at the end of the walk. Huy said, "How about if we date...and not try to figure it all out. Let's just date and enjoy spending time together?" It sounded good to me. "No analysis," I smiled. "No analysis," Huy agreed.

CHAPTER FOUR: GROWING AFFECTION

How fun it was to be back together! We thoroughly enjoyed dating again. And for the first time, I had peace and was able to just enjoy each day with Huy without wondering how exactly I felt about him or what God wanted for our relationship. I just left all my questions in the Lord's hands for Him to make clear in His timing.

And that is exactly what happened! Within just a few months, I knew my feelings were growing for Huy. I saw what an amazing man he was...what a fun friend, what a heart he had for the Lord and His kingdom. I saw how he cared for others. He always seemed to notice the kid in the youth group who was on the fringe, sitting alone. I saw Huy's love for others, his wisdom, and how he gave so much of himself to others, especially to me! And of course, I saw what a handsome guy he was, with his thousand-watt smile!

After the previous chapters, this chapter was turning out quite nicely!

CHAPTERS 5, 6, AND 7: PROPOSAL, YEAR OF ENGAGEMENT, AND THE BIG DAY

I won't go into these much, but it was a good time! We enjoyed sharing these three chapters with all their fun details! There was laughter about how my Dad grilled Huy for a few hours when Huy went to ask for his permission to propose to me. There were many smiles as we recounted the moonlit (with clouds!) proposal, the year of engagement, and the BIG DAY of our wedding.

We wrapped up our talk by sharing major points we hoped that the young people would take away from the evening:

RUN HARD AFTER THE LORD AND SEE WHO 'S RUNNING BESIDE YOU.

IN A RELATIONSHIP, CONDUCT YOURSELF WITH SELF-RESPECT AND HOLD ON TO THINGS LOOSELY. HAVE AN OPEN HAND BEFORE THE LORD. You don't need another person to make you "complete". If you are content in the Lord and loving life with Him, then if He gives you a man or woman to love, it's just icing on the cake. Wonderful! And no one wants icing without the cake!

SINGLENESS IS A GIFT. ACCEPT IT WITH THANKSGIVING. So many young people try to “wish away” or “pray away” their singleness. But I encouraged them to see it as gift, which it truly is. It’s a gift that all of us have at some point in our lives. Singleness is an exciting time in which you can serve the Lord in ways that married people cannot. Every season of life is a gift. Can we accept it as such?

WITH GOD’S HELP, BE PURE AND SAVE YOURSELF FOR YOUR WEDDING NIGHT. We talked about how sex is the entire process, not the final act of love-making between a husband and wife. And that process, as we all know, begins with heavy kissing. We challenged the young people to save even their kissing for the wedding day. It’s actually less frustrating to not kiss at all that it is to engage in heavy kissing and try to break if off after you already “stoked the fire”. We shared how our two oldest children have already made commitments to save their kisses for marriage. (Parents, check out "Passport2Purity" at http://www.familylife.com/.) We encouraged them to make this decision for purity now, not later.

COMMIT YOUR LOVE LIFE TO JESUS. Our love life is probably possibly the hardest area for a single Christian to truly trust the Lord in. We encouraged the youth to get alone with the Lord and hand over their love life to the Lord. And then to do it again...and again.

TWO WONDERFUL VERSES:

1 Corinthians 9:27 "“An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.”

This was my anchor during my single years as an unmarried woman.

Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." Isn't that a wonderful promise? I still marvel at His undeserved goodness to me! Favor! Honor! No good thing does He withhold from us! How I thank and praise Him. How we can trust Him always and in everything. He is so good to those who trust Him.

FIVE GOOD BOOKS: At the end of our talk, we shared several helpful books, which I cannot recommend highly enough to anybody. One is Dr. Dobson's Love Must Be Tough, seen above. Here are four others:

Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. The Lord used this book greatly in Huy's life. Reading it was confirmation and conviction on how God was already working in Huy's heart to leave engineering and move over here to serve God. Powerful book for anyone at any age!

Elisabeth Elliot's
Passion and Purity. Talk about a great love story! This is the first-hand account by Elisabeth of her struggle with singleness, trusting God with her love of Jim Elliot. So good! I heard of one gal who read this book 200 times!!

Alex and Brett Harris wrote Do Hard Things at the age of 19. It's an amazing book. I've read it about three times already, once out loud to our children. They were hanging on each chapter and very challenged to do something hard for the Lord, to not waste their youth. I need to write an entire post about these guys and their book. And I will soon! In the meantime, get this book! It's great for children, teens, adults...everyone. Check out their website at http://www.therebulution.com/

Not Even a Hint by Joshua Harris, big brother to the twins who wrote the above book. This little book is a very helpful guide in the fight against lust. He points out that first and foremost it is a heart matter. Just trying to follow steps won't help in this fight for purity. Loving the Lord is the answer.

Mamoo and Pampa

2010-01-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

A GIFT.

That was what we were given. My Mom and Dad, aka "Mamoo and Pampa" just recently headed back home after their visit here. Mom was able to be here an entire month, and Dad came for about two weeks. Their time here was a gift to all of us. We had an absolutely perfect visit. The only way it could have been any better was if it had been longer.

We did so many things! It would take me pages and pages to tell you everything we did together...and even more to show you the over 300 photos I took during their visit. (It was very difficult to choose which photos to post below!) How wonderful that my parents were able to come, see, and experience our life here in the Philippines. They said that they had had a good idea as to our life here, but coming here helped bring it all into clear focus.

They were able to see our home, our friends here (who are from all over the world), church, school, the traffic!, and the people and country of the Philippines. They were able to attend some of our classes, take part in fellowships, parties, small groups, a chapel, and worship times. We celebrated Christmas and New Year's together. We wrapped and opened gifts together, ate out, watched movies, shopped, sang, played cards and board games, rode the local "trike" form of transportation, visited Subic Bay and Mom met some monkeys there, and we were all wonderfully surprised to be able to see just-hatched sea turtles instinctively make their way to the ocean! They also were able to visit Faith Academy and see Corrie in her "natural habitat"! :-)

We also flew to another island for a week's vacation. While on the island of Palawan, we swung lazily in hammocks, sang hymns on our outrigger boat as we did three days of "island-hopping", snorkeled and saw amazing coral reefs, tropical fish (the "lion fish" we saw was awesome), and two sunken Japanese warships. We talked and prayed together, walked along the beaches, and ate delicious meals right out by the water.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something! But you get the idea, don't you? We packed a lot of life into our time together. Just being able to sit around visiting and laughing was a precious gift.

As we would made our way back to our hotel after one of our days of island-hopping, I often stood out on the prow of our outrigger, felt the ocean spray against my face, looked out onto the panoramic beauty that was all around me--the blue green waves, the lush green islands, billowing clouds, and the red-orange sunset that God was painting in the west. I would breathe in the fresh air, and then turn my attention to my family in the boat. I would let my gaze rest on each one of them, "taking a picture" in my mind, trying to capture a few of these moments together...of seeing my parents smiling and laughing with the kids--usually with their arms around one or more of them.

Beauty was everywhere.

Below are a few more photos which capture a bit of that beauty . . .

There are always tears at the airport...but here we had tears of joy as we welcomed Mamoo to Manila on December 22.

The first day of Mom's visit, we all joined a Christmas fellowship hosted by the Vietnamese students at IGSL. Mom read the Scripture for the devotional that Huy shared.

Kayaking with Mom and Karis at Subic Bay.

Jace and his new friend, an endangered sea turtle which just hatched. If the turtle can make it past the first few vulnerable weeks, it has a good chance of living up to 80 years!

Jace and Mamoo enjoying a calesa ride at Echo Park in Manila. We had a relaxing afternoon at the park--had a picnic, played badminton, and enjoyed exploring the large park.

A ride of another kind! Here's Mom riding the famous Filipino "trike", a very common mode of transportation for short distances. (Isn't my Mom quite the trooper!)

Drew and Mamoo at the nearby swimming pool. Mom wasn't missing the sub-zero temperatures and blizzards that were hitting Kansas at this time!

A couple of days after Dad came, we all flew to the island of Palawan for a family trip.

It IS an election year here in the Philippines...maybe that's why my Dad looks like he's getting ready to run for President!

It was a short (one hour) and beautiful flight from Manila to Palawan. Here we are flying over Taal Lake, which is right in the middle of a volcano.

This is the wharf, directly behind our hotel in Coron.

My wonderful parents!

We enjoyed four days of island-hopping. Each day, our tour guide, Jhameel, picked us up and took us to three or more sites for snorkeling in amazing coral reefs and seeing underwater ship wrecks, visiting beaches, lakes, and lagoons.

Here we hiked 100 steps up and then 100 steps down to Kayangan Lake, said to be the cleanest lake in the Philppines.

Here's the awesome view at the top of those first 100 steps!

Here's another kind of view--Huy Merritt, the crab killer! We had wonderful lunches everyday on these tours. We should have counted how many crabs Huy ate!

Ready to snorkel! All the kids snorkeled like pros!

I love this picture of Jace! Just living in the moment. A blessed child.

Lunch at Malcapuya Island, one of my favorite places that we visited. The sand was SO SOFT! It felt just like flour! This is also the beach in the family photo below.

As we headed back to the hotel one day, I saw some local children out in their little boat.

We often boated for an hour or more as we visited various islands. There were just amazing views everywhere.

My Mom!

Nothing beats the beauty of children!

After we returned from our trip, we had a get-together with a few friends at our house.

Both Huy and I started our new terms at IGSL. Dad joined Huy for one day of his classes, and Mom joined me for my PIM ("Partners In Ministry" classes for the seminary wives) classes. She sat in on my two new classes--"Biblical Counseling" and "Understanding the Church". My classmates all introduced themselves to Mom and made her feel very welcome.

After class, Mom also joined the small group I'm in. It was a good day to join us, as we met in a coffee shop and enjoyed tasty treats along with wonderful fellowship. It was a very special time of laughter and a few tears...we are women, after all!

The dreaded days came...we took Dad to the airport one day, and my Mom the next. This time there were tears of sadness as we said goodbye. But as we drove away, our hearts were full. Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you, Lord.

Maligayang Pasko!

2009-12-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

MALIGAYANG PASKO from the Merritt Family!

Our greatest gift this year came via JL Flight 745 on December 22...Mamoo arrived!

My Mom has been here for two days, and it's already made this one of the best Christmases ever! We are having SUCH a great time with her! Dad had to stay behind to take care of year-end business, but he's coming too! He'll be flying in on January 6.

Mamoo has hit the ground running here. We're keeping her very busy, and she's just doing wonderfully! She hasn't even struggled with jetlag. I'll share all about our adventures with her in my next post.

But for tonight...Christmas Eve...I just want to send you all our love and appreciation. Everyone of you reading this is a true blessing to our family. Thank you for loving us, staying in touch with us, and for lifting us up in prayer, asking for God's grace. Looking back on 2009, we are overwhelmed with how good the Lord has been to us. He has protected us countless times, taught us so much, given us direction and wisdom, convicted us, and has continued to be patient and forgiving towards us.

I'm typing this at midnight...right now fireworks are going off in our neighborhood. I can also also hear the sounds of families in the neighborhood gathering for "Noche Buena", the traditional feast here in the Philippines. Families gather at midnight to eat, celebrate and bring in Christmas. I can feel the joy, excitement, and love of family in the air tonight.

Christmas seems to bring me a touch of heaven and also more of a longing for heaven. I recently read an article by Joni Eareckson Tada called "A Christmas Longing" in which she talked about that exact thing. I'd like to share the last part of her essay with you:

On this side of eternity, Christmas is still a promise. Yes, the Savior has come, and with him peace on earth, but the story is not finished. Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world.

Every Christmas is still a "turning of the page" until Jesus returns. Every December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to . . . home.

When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longing, even Christmas longings, each Advent brings us closer to his glorious return to earth. When we see him as he is, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that will be "Christmas" indeed!

Talk about giving Christmas gifts! Just think of this abundance . . .

You do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus to be revealed. (1 Cor. 1:7)

And carols? You're about to hear singing like you've never heard before. Listen...

Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns." (Rev. 19:6)

Heaven is about to happen. The celebration is about to burst on the scene. We stand tiptoe at the edge of eternity, ready to step into the new heaven and the new earth. And I can hardly wait.

I can't wait to sing "O Come, All Ye Faithful" as I gather with my friends and family to worship the Lord in heaven. I can't wait to give him the gift of my refined faith, the "riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18). On bended knee, alongside kings and shepherds, together we will praise him and sing "Glory to God in the highest" (Luke 2:14)! And for eternity, we will follow the one who is "the bright Morning Star" (Rev. 22:16).

Christmas is an invitation to a celebration yet to happen. If you've got a Christmas longing, you're about to be satisfied, too. Just hold on and say with me . . . Maranatha! Come Lord!

Merry Christmas!

May you celebrate today and may you accept the invitation to the celebration yet to come!

All our Love,

Huy & Shelley

Corrie, Drew, Karis, Jace

and Mamoo Crawford!

Huy and Drew do ministry together! (Part 2)

2009-11-21T03:49:00.001-08:00

Thanks for praying! Huy and Drew had a wonderful time on their ministry trip. A former classmate of Huy's who graduated from IGSL last year is the pastor of a new church plant in the city of Las Pinas, south of Manila. The 7-month old church reaches out to those in the local squatter area. Currently they have about 100 people attending.

Huy was the team leader of this trip. His team consisted of two classmates from the Philippines, one from Sri Lanka, and one from Malaysia....and two incredible young men--Drew and Ezekiel--who joined their Dads on their first ministry experience. Both boys did such a GREAT JOB and had fun too. It's so cool to see God using them at their ages of 12 and 13!

During the ministry weekend, the men led several seminars for leadership, evangelism training, and witnessing outreaches. Huy led a special "True Love Waits" seminar for the youth of the congregation. Huy said that after the seminar he had an amazing Q & A time with the young people (in the picture here below). They were asking very good, hard, and personal questions. He felt like the main teaching was actually done during that time.

Huy also had a chance to share the Gospel with these four young men after this question and answer session. All four prayed and gave their hearts and lives to Christ!Drew and Ezekiel didn't just sit around and watch their Dads work. They were very involved in serving the Lord! We are all so proud of them! Here they are singing a special song during one of the meetings.

The boys also led an outreach to the children in the area. Drew performed some of his card tricks for the kids.

After doing some card tricks, Drew and Ezekiel shared the Gospel with the children using a new tool called the "Evangacube". The man in the green translated for Drew and Ezekiel as the children here didn't speak much English. The children listened well and prayed afterwards. We don't know how many children made decisions for Christ. But how wonderful that Drew and Ezekiel were able to share God's love with these little lambs who are so precious in God's eyes.

Overall, the team reported that 27 official decisions for Christ were made by those in the church sessions and during the witnessing outreach time.

After the weekend of ministry, Huy's team spent a "Day with the Lord" in nearby Tagaytay (pronounced "Ta-GUY-tie"), a beautiful city in the Philippines, popular for its cooler weather (due to higher elevation) and its lovely view of volcano Taal located right in the middle of Taal Lake, seen here below. (Taal volcano had many serious eruptions in the 18th Century, and also erupted in 1911, killing 1,344 people.)
Here are the men of the team as they relax in Tagaytay: There is Rex, Huy, Sarath (Ezekiel's dad), Ronnie, and John.

...and these two handsome young men below with big hearts for the One True Living God. The Lord is using their lives already, and who can say what amazing stories and adventures in Christ lie ahead for them?

Huy and Drew do ministry together! (Part 1)

2009-11-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Drew that I took this morning, right before he and Huy headed out the door for their first ministry trip together!

Huy takes part in a few ministry trips each school year. Usually the students go out to various locations and minister with their small (ISG) groups. Huy's ISG group will be on a four-day ministry trip this weekend in the Laguna area of Luzon, about 3 hours or so (depending upon traffic) from Manila.

One night at dinner, Huy mentioned that it might be possible for Drew to join the team for this trip. A few days later, we were all excited to learn that it was a "GO!" Drew and Ezekiel, another boy about Drew's age from Sri Lanka whose father is in Huy's ISG, joined the men today. Both boys were very excited about doing real ministry with their Dads. Also, Drew and Ezekiel are becoming good friends and really enjoy being together. It was so fun to see the beaming smiles on Drew and Ezekiel as they climbed into the back of the van this morning, surrounded by all the luggage!

For many months now Drew (and Jace) have been really into cards--tricks, displays, flourishes, etc. Several times when we've been shopping in the mall, our boys have been surrounded by 8-10 store employees, watching them perform all their card tricks!

Well, now this "talent" will come in handy! One thing they are planning is for Drew to put on a card show, displaying some of those tricks for the kids in the squatter area, where this new church is located. Drew and Ezekiel will also share the Gospel with the children in that area.

Huy and the other men will be doing leadership training, evangelism training and evangelism, and various seminars, including a "True Love Waits" seminar that Huy will teach to the young people of that area.

Please pray for my "men" the next few days. Please pray that the Lord will use them both to shine the Light of Christ in that area. Pray for Drew and Ezekiel as they step out of their comfort zones for the Lord. How wonderful for them to minister right alongside of their Dads!

I look forward to showing you more pictures and telling you how the Lord answered all our prayers when I post "Part 2" next week!

Thanks so much!!

King over the flood

2009-10-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood... Psalm 29:10

One week ago, Sept. 26, Manila and its neighboring provinces experienced the worst flood in over 40 years. Typhoon Ondoy, (international code name "Ketsana") poured more than a month's worth of rain in six hours, submerging 80% of the city. More rain fell on Manila than what fell on New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. It swept away homes, businesses, and people. The official death toll in the Philippines stands at 293. I could write pages and pages. What a week it has been. I have been amazed to see...
...all the devastation...cars upended, mud, trash, dead animals, so many homeless, mud, and more mud.

...the resiliency of the Filipino people...even in the worst of times, they still smile, especially the children! They roll up their sleeves and work hard to rebuild their lives. They look for the silver lining in the very dark storm.

...the way everyone has come together to love and serve...the beauty of seeing so many working selflessly side-by-side.

Above is a video montage of news photos taken during the flood.

For us, personally, our home was not touched by the flood waters. But the flood was actually nearby. It rushed down our street for a few minutes before receding. And friends in our subdivision about a mile or less from our house were flooded. While we were extremely thankful to have been spared, we felt so badly by all the suffering around us. We were aching to dive in and help out in the relief effort. Every morning, I woke up and just prayed that the Lord would show us exactly what He wanted us to do that day, and that we would be a blessing, a help to those in need, be His hands and feet in a small way.

The city of Manila was absolutely trashed. The flood waters had just stirred up everything. Everything. And everything was ruined, tossed, mixed with mud, and left in heaps everywhere. People had to dig through what used to be their homes and possessions. Trash heaps lined the muddy streets.

The first few days we helped two families who are friend of ours at the seminary. Both their homes were flooded in the first floor. They lost so many valuable items--numerous books, refrigerators, microwaves, computers...all appliances. They were so gracious and loving, even in their own pain.

One thing we were able to do for one of the families was simply go through one of their files. It was full of all sorts of paper documents. We spent an afternoon carefully peeling the important papers apart and lying them out to dry. There was no room in their house or yard for more things, so we tried laying them on our hot car hood, turning them over and over as the sun and heat dried them. It was amazingly effective!

One day we went to a house that was in an area that had not only been flooded, but an oil company had a leak, so the homes (and even dogs!) in that area were covered with oily dirty residue. It was so awful. Thankfully many people were there to help out. This was the home of an American missionary who is the librarian at Faith Academy. Our family took the room below and simply scrubbed these four walls. Actually, this photo was taken by someone immediately after the waters receded. It wasn't quite this bad when we arrived, so some work had been done before we came. But still, it was awful. There was little running water to even work with. So, the kids took turns running for water and scrubbing.

It was hard to see any progress....but as we kept going...scrubbing and rinsing...scrubbing and rinsing, we finally saw the oily film getting lighter. It was hard work, but actually fun to do as a family.

Lines of people waiting for help like these were seen in many places . . .

Later in the week, Huy joined his classmates at IGSL and did some relief work. They went to a school that was turned into an evacuation center. They put on a program for the kids and shared the Gospel. They also bought goods and put together some relief packages. While he was there, the kids and I went to Corrie's school. Faith Academy had a work day, and 200 students and parents showed up and went all over the city doing relief work. Here is the group gathering on campus before breaking into many teams and heading out for the day.

Drew and Corrie left me and went with Corrie's 8th grade class. They returned to the neighborhood that had the oil spill. Below is the house their team worked on. (Again, I don't think it was that bad when they arrived...)

Here are Corrie and Drew's team outside the house before diving into their work...

The "littles" and I stayed at Faith Academy and helped put together relief boxes that local churches would be able to give out. Jace worked hard...for about 20 minutes maybe...then he took a break that lasted the rest of the afternoon! :-) Karis worked almost the whole day with me. (She's always such a great little worker!) For a while she measured out 2 kgs of rice into bags, to be placed into the boxes.

Then she helped organize the various supplies...

....and helped me fill boxes.

All the relief work came to a quick halt on Friday because another BIGGER typhoon was headed right towards Manila! Typhoon Parma had grown into the largest category, known as a "Super Typhoon" with winds of over 200 km. As you can imagine, the city of Manila became tense. The government was taking extra precautions. The streets and stores were crowded with people making preparations--buying food, gas, candles, flashlight, batteries, etc. The Christians were also busy P-R-A-Y-I-N-G. Some were also fasting and holding special prayer meetings. We were all praying that the Lord would have mercy on our battered city. So many were still suffering and had only really begun digging out of the mess.

We prayed and waited. Friday night the rains came heavy. It rained hard throughout the night and into Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon it let up. Reports showed that Parma had weakened, sped up (which is wonderful because they were afraid it might stall out over our island, thus increasing the rainfall), and veered to the east, nearly missing our island altogether!

I'm writing this on Saturday night. We know that the most northern part of Luzon received a harder punch from Parma. But we also know that the typhoon DID weaken and DID move away from Manila and the entire island!

A missionary friend here wrote an article detailing the path of the typhoon and how it changed course and weakened in the final day. At the end of his article, he wrote: "In layman’s terms, all but one of the models now agree that it will weaken as it hits the very northeastern tip of Luzon, and slow down and continue weakening, then eventually veer to the east and die in the western Pacific. Is this a coincidence, or has God answered our prayers? I am going with God."

Me too! I think we have just witnessed the hand of God showing us His mercy. We are so thankful! I know many of you joined us in praying for this. Thank you! And thank you ALL for ALL of your prayers. We have felt completely SAFE, BLESSED, LOVED, and at PEACE. Please continue to pray for the Filipino people who have lost so much.

So, next week the clean-up will continue. All our schools will resume classes. Life will go on. But there will always be storms of many kinds in this life, won't there? Let us accept them with God's grace and help. We will not have such storms in Heaven. These are our opportunities to trust Him and glorify Him. In order to do so, we must be sure our lives on built on Christ, the only Solid Rock.

Several times today I've thought of that children's song, "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock"...

Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the wise man's house stood firm.

So, build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
And the blessings will come tumbling down.

a great start on a new road

2009-09-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

In my ISG small group, each of us has shared her "Life Story" or "Life Map". For many weeks, we took turns...each of us talking, sometimes for over an hour, sharing all the various twists and turns, ups and downs, seasons and chapters...all the ways the Lord has led us to the places where we are at present.

Each person's life is such an incredible journey, isn't it? Sometimes the slightest turns in the road can lead to amazing places you never dreamed.

One month ago, Corrie, our firstborn, turned such a corner in her life story. She went to school for the first time ever! She put on her school uniform, packed her lunch, loaded up her backpack, hopped on the van, and attended classes at Faith Academy.

Faith Academy is a wonderful school for around 500 missionary kids here in Asia, and particularly in the Philippines. We have homeschooled Corrie since she was 4 years old. All last year we thought and prayed about Corrie attending Faith Academy. And now she is officially an 8th grader there.

I have nothing but POSITIVE to report! Corrie is thriving, growing, learning, and loving it there! She loves all her classes and is doing well in every one...although studying "Density= Mass/Volume" in science and doing calesthenics in P.E. aren't her favorites! (But I'm so glad she is...she certainly wasn't getting those things as a student in the Merritt Academy!!)

She has already found a neat group of friends, both Korean and American girls her age, who are just what we've prayed for--friendly and fun!

Just the other day, Corrie came home and was telling me about a crazy volleyball game the girls had in P.E., and how they had all laughed and joked during the game. Corrie said, "Mom, I'm kind of surprised at myself...at how outgoing I can be!" In just one month, she is already blossoming right before our eyes. Everyday when she gets home, we sit down together, and Corrie goes through the details of her seven classes with me. I treasure those times. She has yet to have a "bad day". . . and we know those days will certainly come. But what a great start!

This picture was taken by Corrie's Bible class teacher. Corrie is in the front row wearing the blue jacket.

Thank you all. I know many of you have had a special burden for Corrie ever since we moved over here. From the start, moving overseas to Manila has been tougher for her than the rest of us. Several of you have prayed for her on a regular basis. And I know many of you have also prayed with us in this decision whether to send her to school. Thank you.

Please don't stop praying for Corrie. She is so intelligent, so gifted. Our concern and biggest prayer request continues to be for her heart. As with all of us who grow up in Christian homes, it's easy to have great amounts of head knowledge, yet lack the heart for God and spiritual truth. Corrie can recite chapters of the Bible by memory and give great answers to theological questions. But, as we told her recently, we wish more of that were moving down into her heart.

It's the longest 12 inches in the world isn't it? From our heads to our hearts...

But a big and loving Heavenly Father holds Corrie in His hands. He is the engineer and director of the train she is on. He is writing her life story. He knit her together. He knows her days from first to last before one of them came to be. He even loves her more than we do! Amazing!

I know that Corrie will always mark going to school as a turning point in her life. The road stretches open before her leading to many exciting possibilities. Who knows where the road will go? What her life story will be? We know who knows, and we are excited to be a part of this adventure.

In closing, I'd like to share one of my favorite quotes. Casper Ten Boom, a godly Dutch watchmaker in Holland who gave his life in WWII protecting the Jews, used to tell his daughters:

“When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight.
When Jesus keep you tight,
He leads you through your whole life.
When Jesus leads you through your life,
He brings you safely home.”

One of those daughters was Corrie Ten Boom, after whom our own dear Corrie is named! She is being held tightly by Jesus. He will lead her all the way.

I pray you also feel the Lord Jesus' hand holding you tightly.

God's iPod

2009-08-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

It all occurred in probably less than five seconds, but I'm sure I'll remember it for the rest of my life...

Huy and I were in traffic...around 8 p.m....dark and rainy...bad traffic...five lanes of cars just stopping and going...like a slow-moving parking lot...not unusual for Manila. Our 2-hour trip had become a 4-hour trip, and we were on the highway finally getting close to Manila. This was, as I said, highway traffic...no pedestrians around, as are common everywhere in the city.

Our AC recently broke down in our vehicle, and we had our windows halfway down to give some ventilation as well as help our windows to not fog up as much. They were still fogging up, however, and I was wiping the front windshield with a big towel. It was peaceful, just visiting, waiting, and listening to music together. We were finishing up an entire day of celebrating our 16th anniversary. We'd spent the day on the beach, doing much of the same thing...except for wiping the windshield, that is! We had read books, talked, prayed, and walked along the beach together. A blessed day, for sure.

Now, as we were almost home, I was picking out songs on my iPod, looking down at my music list. All of a sudden, several things happened simultaneously...I heard Huy yell loudly, and as I looked up, a hand came through my side window and ripped the iPod out of my hands. I looked out and caught a glimpse of a young man, around 13 years of age or so, trying desperately to get free of my towel that he had inadvertently grabbed along with the iPod. He flung it away and vanished.

Huy looked confused. "Why would he want to steal a towel?"

I was so stunned. I just stared at my hands and the unplugged wire that had connected the iPod to our car tape player...I was just realizing what had happened.

"Hon, he took the iPod!"

We weren't even in the outside lane of traffic. It was raining and dark. There were no pedestrians that we could see on this stretch of highway. I suppose all of that made it an ideal situation for the young thief.

It's amazing the thoughts and feelings that run through your mind after such an event. It was so shocking and a bit violent. I felt like crying. I felt frustrated that somehow I wasn't able to even realize what was happening and react in order to avoid it. I also felt compassion for this young thief...so wishing I could talk with him and give him my iPod along with some headphones, explaining to him that such things aren't our true treasures. (Don't admire my attitude too much...I know I can borrow Huy's old iPod anytime!)

"One thing's for sure," I told Huy, "that was God's iPod."

Our young thief gained an iPod. But he's also gained some prayer partners he might not have bargained for...as well as the Hound of Heaven pursuing him. I've decided to "name" our young friend "Zach" after another thief in the Bible to whom the Kingdom of God came. We'll probably never know this side of heaven the "rest of the story", but what a glorious, fun story it will be! Please say a prayer for "Zach"...and again anytime this story comes to your mind. Thank you.

It's also interesting that in our homeschool, the kids and I had just memorized Luke 12:22-34. We had a great discussion with our kids on the way to church the next day, telling them what had happened and about what and where our treasures actually are.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Joy of a New Friend

2009-07-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

What a fun morning I had yesterday! I was able to introduce some of my young friends from Kansas to some of my young friends here in Manila.

Back in Wichita, the kids and I were part of "Central Homeschool Family Ministry" (CHFM), a wonderful homeschool coop which held classes once a week for homeschoolers. Our kids absolutely loved the classes and friendships there, and we still keep in touch with friends there.

Last spring, CHFM had a class on World Missions. A friend of mine who taught the class asked what the students could do for us here. As she and I brainstormed, we came up with the idea of having her students write to the young students here--the children of our seminary students who have their own school here on campus, "Achievers International School" (AIS), with consists of around 25 children from many SE Asian countries in a small school, similar to CHFM classes.

So, yesterday I popped into the AIS classes (with a handful of letters written by the kids in America), and was immediately greeted by young voices saying, "Good Morning, Ate Shelley!" in unison...what a sweet sound! I briefly explained to them that some American children, friends of ours back in Kansas, wanted to be pen pals (a new term for them) with them, and then I passed out the letters from America.

Did I mention how fun this was? Such joy shone from their smiles and eyes as they quickly opened the envelopes and held up pictures of children their own ages who live on the other side of the world. I listened to their voices and laughter as they dove into the envelopes as if they were Christmas gifts.

All of a sudden, as I was standing there amidst the joyful chaos...seeing pictures of dear children I know and love from America in the hands of dear children I now know and love here in Asia...I was deeply touched by the wonder of it all . . .

. . . the wonder and privilege of being a part of the Lord's family...the wonder of connections through Him that are deeper and surpass miles, borders, languages, and cultures...and the simple wonder of having a new friend.

What a small, beautiful world.

Trusting in the Silence

2009-07-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

One of the classes I'm taking at the seminary is called "Communication in Ministry". Our assignment this week is to give a 5-minute talk on some turning point in our lives. I just wrote my talk tonight, and thought you all might enjoy reading it. Blessings to all of you as you trust the Engineer. --shelley.

Turning Point: Trusting in the Silence

From 1987-1990, I lived and did mission work in Taipei, Taiwan. I was single, and it was such an exciting time in my life. I was teaching English everywhere to children 3 years old to college girls to a lady over 60. I was involved in a ministry to young adults that grew from 15 people to over 100 people in three years. I was leading Bible studies, working in a trading company, sharing Christ with people, learning Chinese, experiencing another culture, and thoroughly enjoying it all.

Everything was going well, but I slowly began to sense that the Lord might be moving me somewhere or making some kind of change. I really hoped to stay in Taiwan longer. I felt like God might want me to go back to America. I applied to be a student in an intensive Chinese language program in Taipei. I prayed, “Lord, if I don’t get into this program, I’m going to take it that You want me to go back home.” I remember the day I got the letter saying that I was not admitted into the program. “Wow,” I thought. “God wants me to go back to America.”

I had no idea why God wanted me to go back home. My pastor in Taipei told me, “Well, maybe God has a man in America for you to marry.” I said, “Maybe, but I’m happy being single.” I wasn’t hoping for marriage. I had no direction from God. But I just felt certain God was leading me back to America.

So, I left Taipei, I shipped boxes of my things back to America, I packed my suitcases and bought my ticket for home. I left so many things I loved in Taipei: my friends, my ministry, my language studies, my Bible studies, the exciting city life, the Chinese culture. And I cried so many tears saying goodbye. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
And I went back to my home with my parents in America. I had no job. I didn’t even know where to start looking for work. I felt so out of place. Everything around me seemed so trivial and unimportant. I cried easily and often. And the worst thing of all is that God seemed so very far away. He had always seemed so close to me, and now when I needed Him the most, I couldn’t sense His presence. I couldn’t hear His voice. I couldn’t see what He was doing. I prayed and prayed, asking Him to please show me which way to go, but I felt nothing. I saw nothing. I felt like the Lord had brought me back and just dropped me without any explanation.

One night I was talking and crying with my Dad, and he said, “Shelley, sometimes it is darkest right before a corner. Keep trusting. I think there is a corner coming…and then you’ll see more and have more direction. It will be brighter. You have to trust and wait.”

So, I did. I decided to trust God even if I couldn’t see Him, hear Him, or feel Him. I knew I was still in His hands. I just took things one step at a time. I began to look for a job, and I got a job as a news reporter at a radio station. In church, I saw one Asian in our whole church. I quickly noticed him since I had just come back from Asia. His name was Huy Merritt, and he had just moved to our city the same month that I came back. He and I became friends and began leading a Campus Crusade for Christ group at a local college. We also started working with the youth in our church. We started going to a new singles’ group together. We started taking walks and playing tennis together.

We fell in love, and well...that's a whole new talk! But in 1993, we were married.

Corrie Ten Boom says that when you are on a train and it goes through a dark tunnel, you don’t jump up and run all over the train yelling, “Where are we going? What is going on??” No. Instead, you sit quietly in your seat and trust the engineer who is driving the train. He knows where you are going, and He will take you safely to your destination.

That’s exactly what happened to me in 1990. I went through a dark tunnel. I didn’t know where I was going. I couldn’t see out the windows. But I learned to sit quietly and wait for the Great Engineer to drive the train and lead me on in the journey. I came through the dark tunnel and saw that it had been a turning point. Now my life was going in a new direction, with a beautiful view out the window. How thankful I am that He is in control!

Huy's summer adventure

2009-06-25T01:58:00.000-07:00

Hello! Shelley and I recently celebrated our one year anniversary in the Philippines. I praise God that He sustained and granted us the grace needed as we transitioned from my engineering job and living in the states to attending seminary full-time and doing ministry here in Manila. It has been all that we prayed it would be and much, much more.

While Shelley and the kids were back to the States for a visit during April and May, I had a team internship with the school here in Manila. One of the requirements of the seminary is that all students attend a team internship between the first and second year. The school groups us into teams of seven and puts us in a situation with people from other countries and cultures in a ministry setting so that we learn how to minister as a team, resolve conflicts and trust God to work through us.

Most of the teams work alongside churches but our team was the first team ever to work on the college campus for their internship. My team consisted of 3 Filipinos, 1 Malaysian, 1 Vietnamese, 1 Krygstany, and myself. Here is a picture of our team:
For five weeks, we ministered on two college campuses in downtown Manila. Since it was summer, there was not the normal number of students on the campus, but we still had an opportunity to do one-on-one evangelism and classroom evangelism to larger groups. I was able to do a “Success” seminar using my corporate background and used that as a platform to share Christ with the students. We also concentrated on mentoring, training, and encouraging the existing student leaders so that they would be refreshed to start ministering when school started up again. In this picture I am conducting a training session on "Having a Vision for Making Disciples". We really saw God open doors that only he could do. One of the schools was Philippine Christian University. Trust me when I say that the only thing that was “Christian” about the school was its name. The administration wanted to know why we wanted to come to a Christian school to share the Gospel since they were already “Christian”. I later found out that there were professors and deans that were openly gay and professors who taught that the Bible was not to be believed because it is not true. Hey…that reminds me of a number of the universities in the States! God, in His sovereignty, granted us open access to the campus, and we were able to share the Gospel with many students. God is awesome! Some of these students who made decisions are involved in ongoing discipleship and mentoring. Below is a picture of our team on campus with some of the student leaders that we mentored at PCU. Our team really bonded throughout the internship. Yes, we had conflict and miscommunication, but God used it in each of our lives to help refine us and equip us to better serve Him. Overall, it was a great experience working with the college students and getting to know my teammates on a deeper personal level.

After the internship was over, I was ready to have my family back in Manila. The 7 weeks that Shelley, the kids and I were separated were the longest time we had ever been away from each other. Thank you to all of our friends and family back home who made Shelley and the kids’ visit such a great one. I know that they all felt refreshed after the long visit.

Please pray for us as we start our second year of school and ministry. Thanks for all of your prayers and support this past year. Please keep it up! --Huy

HELLO FROM MANILA!! We're back and beginning our second year!

2009-06-03T21:53:00.001-07:00

Hello Dear Friends!

Thank you for checking in on our blog. The kids and I have just returned from our two-month visit back in the States. What a WONDERFUL visit we had with family and friends! Huy had to remain in Manila for a 6-week team internship, during which he and a team of other seminary students lived together in another part of Manila and did ministry on two college campuses. He slept on the floor of their small apartment--(he said he felt something on his foot one night, and kicked a big cockroach across the room!), shared a bathroom with four or five guys, lived without air-conditioning during the hottest months of the year here, shared the Gospel, and did student leadership training, and had a great time with his team! (Here's Huy and his team below having some fun.) Our next post will have to be written by Huy about this time!

Since we wouldn't have seen much of Huy during those six weeks, we decided it was a good time for our first visit back home. We had an amazing time too! I have used the word "perfect" so often as I've talked about our visit with Huy, that he laughs everytime I say it. So, I'll try to be more creative with my adjectives here! But seriously, "perfect" seems to just be such a...well....perfect word to define our visit. Our weeks back home couldn't have been scripted any better.

When we arrived at the Denver airport, an instant lifetime memory was made as I watched the kids drop their luggage and run into the arms of "Mamoo and Pampa". We all just silently hugged and cried with joy for several minutes. (And here is my Mom (aka "Mamoo") later with all her grandkids at once, although Drew got buried behind Mom)...

Our weeks were full with all the things you'd expect: time--real, live, face-to-face, unhurried time--with my family, reading out on the deck in the early morning coolness, soaking up the spring sunshine with a cup of hot coffee, eating out with so many friends, the kids seeing their friends and having many sleepovers, games late into the night, family BBQs, visiting relatives, college roomies coming in for the weekend, making special foods, enjoying a great steak at the Outback, movies, cookies, sitting out under the stars, unhurried conversations... ...watching my Dad teach Drew how to shave (no, Drew didn't need to at all!) and how to change a flat tire (yes, we did need that!)...meeting with our church's missions pastor, speaking at my Sunday School class, worship, tears, laughter, favorite restaurants, driving through the Flint Hills and appreciating its glory in a whole new way, stopping to watch Canadian Geese landing on a pond... ...walks out to the El Dorado Lake Dam and sitting in the tall grass counting ladybugs with Karis, holding so many new precious babies, finding out that our children's (our our) precious friends, the Pressnell children actually saved snow for our kids to see!...(Isn't that one of the most thoughtful things you've ever heard of?)...and prayers and hugs....and those are just the first things that pop into my head! It was perfect. Our time was a gift from God.

The kids reconnected with friends, and the friendships were all just as solid and close as when they had left. What a blessing that was for the kids. And I think that really helped them in returning to Manila. Below is Drew sharing about our life in Manila with his old AWANA class.

Corrie and Karis baking cookies with cousin Anna, a vacation tradition!
We returned to Manila on May 30. The trip was long and tiring 24-hour, three flight affair, but went very smoothly...amazingly smooth for a Mom alone with four children, 10 pieces of luggage on an international trip. That was definitely an answer to many prayers.
During our visits with everyone back home, many of you told me that you read this blog on a regular basis. That just amazed and blessed me!! Thank you! While back in America, I was obviously busy and felt very connected to loved ones. Being back in Manila, I once again realize our need for prayer support and emotional connection. This blog helps us connect with you all and helps us pray for you and you for us. The Lord is our lifeline, and you all help us "hold the line" through your prayers.

On our first flight (of three) back to Manila, I wrote the following in my journal:

"There have been so many treasures, so many gifts from God, so many countless blessings on this trip. I've tried to stop and savor the moments. I've tried to memorize the scenes, faces, laughter...and I've tried to capture the days here in this journal. I've tried to store these treasures in my heart to take back with me that I might take them out in days and weeks to come...and look them over with a smile or maybe a tear, but always with a full heart of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for His amazing love and goodness to me. It's so rich, and I know I do not deserve an ounce of it. But I thank Him."

Our last week in America was spent in a vacation home my Dad and his brother recently bought in Colorado Springs, something they've wanted to do for probably 30 years. They just bought the house; it had practically no furniture, but my folks, my sister and her kids, and our kids, and I all went there and "camped out" in the new home for the last part of our visit before heading back to Manila.

What a GIFT those last five days were! The busyness of being in Kansas was over, all our special goodbyes and hugs were said, and our family had this wonderful buffer time to relax with family, play volleyball, hike, play games, and sit on the deck breathing in the cool pine air, hear the wind gently whisper through the pines, and gaze upon Pike's Peak.

The day we arrived was a stormy day, and the clouds obstructed the view of Pike's Peak. It was as if it were not there at all...only a plain horizon. It was really amazing to look out and know that the huge, majestic Rocky Mountains were actually there, but to see nothing. Nothing.

"What a great metaphor for life," I thought. There are two realities, aren't there? But one reality is greater, if I may put it that way. One reality is that there are cloudy days when my faith is certainly faith, not sight. It seems there is nothing there. Not even God. It's just bland, colorless, shapeless, empty, hard. But the reality is that there are Rocky Mountains behind those clouds! They are there, and the new morning will reveal them in all their glory. And they are huge. And they are there, no matter what my situation tells me, my feelings tell me, or my eyes tell me. They are there. And they are beautiful.

A homeschool field trip with eternal fruit!

2009-03-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Wow! I honestly thought it had been only two weeks since my last post...and then I just now discover that it's actually been one month already!

The days have been very full and fulfilling. We had company from America (via Taiwan)--our dear friends, the Millers! May and I have been friends since my time in Taiwan, back in the late 80's. Her four children and ours have been friends since birth. We had a great week together! (I put photos of our visit on my Facebook page.)

Now both Huy and I are busy wrapping up our third term at IGSL. Huy is MUCH busier than I because my PIM class is nearly over, and the TESL class I teach concluded last week. Huy, however, has papers, tests, meetings, etc. up to finals week the first week of April. This afternoon he blew in the house, dumped his school books, changed clothes, grabbed a snack, downloaded some info for his Bible study with the Globe engineers, kissed the wife, and flew back out the door, headed to the Globe office. When he gets home after 9 p.m. tonight, he'll have homework until well after midnight. But he never complains about the busyness because he is truly loving everything!

Last week two friends, their children, and my kids and I packed into a vehicle and headed to Manila Harbor where the MV Doulos ship is anchored for the month of March. The MV Doulos is a missions ship, which has traveled the globe since 1977. They have a bookstore on board, and seek to promote intercultural understanding, literacy, peace, and Christianity.

Last Thursday we spent the afternoon on board the ship for a "student day" they were having. We learned about the ship and also the countries of a few of the crew. Here is a man from Tanzania telling the children about his country.
And here is a couple from Brazil sharing about their country's flag, and what each color on the flag represents, and sharing about what life is like for many Brazilian children. After this group time, we were able to browse through the bookstore on deck; then, we really enjoyed a tour of the boat. Our tour guide (on the left) is from Germany. She guided us through very narrow hallways and showed the main parts of the ship to us. Very interesting!The day we were there was extremely HOT. After our tour, we had to wait for one of our friend's tour to conclude (since tours had to be done in small groups). As we waited on the top deck, I walked over to the railing, hoping to find some air movement. I had just walked over there, when a young Filipina girl came over to me. "May I ask you a question?" she smiled. "Where are you from?" Her English was wonderful! She enjoyed making friends with English speakers, and somehow guessed correctly that I was from America! She said that I looked like Celine Dion...which I have heard before. (Not a bad thing at all! Just wished I could sing like her!)

As we talked, I learned that her name was Jannina. She's a 13 year old student with dreams of studying in America. (A dream of so many here.) As we talked, I asked her if she was a Christian, if she had Jesus in her heart. She quickly said, "Yes!" but just as quickly added, "Well, I'm not sure. Sometimes I think I do, but other times I don't." Wow. What an open invitation for sharing with someone! I said, "Hey, I have a little booklet here with me...in English...about being a Christian...how to know if you are a Christian. Would you like to read through it with me?" She was very excited to do so. As we read through the booklet, right there on deck, she would just read it out loud on her own. As we went through the booklet, Jannina said that she had never heard John 3:16 in her life! That amazed me. I don't think I've ever talked with anyone who has said that.

When we got to the part of personal decision and prayer, Jannina happily said that she wanted to pray and give her life to Christ. She was very enthusiastic and happy to pray with me. We had a wonderful visit. Drew snapped these pictures as I exchanged information with her. The kids had been complaining about being so hot and tired...and bored. Afterwards, I asked them wasn't it all worth it just to have that opportunity to share with Jannina ? They had to agree. What an incredible blessing for me! I'm so thankful. I find it difficult whenever we have times of going to public places and sharing with strangers. But after my wonderful time with Jannina, I'm honestly praying, "Let me do that again, Lord! Bring someone else to me!" And I'm looking for natural opportunities to share.

Thanks for praying for us!! Below are some specific requests we have right now. (Please send us your requests! We love to hear from you and pray for you too.)

Pray for Jannina...for the Lord to be very real to her now...for her to grow in her faith.
Pray for more sharing opportunities for both Huy and I!
Pray for Huy and his ministry team as they get ready for their 6-week ministry internship in April and May.
Pray for Huy as he finishes his third term, with all the papers and tests coming up.
Pray for the kids and I as we prepare for our coming visit back to America!! :-)

love from all of us to each of you,

shelley for the fam.

Friends and Ministry

2009-02-26T04:59:00.000-08:00

One morning when I showed up for one of my classes in the wives' "Partners In Ministry" program, Lusi, a friend from Bangladesh in this photo with me, came over and handed me a package. I was so surprised and touched to open it and find that she had given me one of her traditional Bangladeshi outfits, which I am wearing in the picture!

I asked her what this outfit is called in Bengali, their language. She said, "We call it 'Three Piece'." I had her repeat this a couple of times before I realized that it was really "Three Piece" because the outfit is made up of three pieces. That just made me laugh! Here I was expecting some exotic name! :-) So, here I am wearing the traditional "Three Piece"! What a sweet gift from a very sweet sister in Christ!

We are continually feeling tighter bonds of love with all the students here at IGSL. Just a week or two ago the entire IGSL family went on a three-day retreat together. We went to a Christian camp in Laguna, in the mountains a bit about three hours drive from Manila. It was a wonderful time!

Last year, they went to the same camp, and everyone said it was quite cold. Well, this year was extremely HOT! The temps were easily around 100 degrees. We were sweltering with just a few fans keeping the heat at bay. Thankfully there was a swimming pool, which the kids LOVED, of course!

Here is Huy with James during the retreat, a friend from Thailand. James has been a huge blessing to our family, esp for Drew! James is very gifted musically...and for about a month now, while I'm teaching my TESL class, Drew pops over to James and his wife's dorm room, and James teaches him guitar for over an hour! Drew is loving it!

Karis with friends from Nepal and Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). These three girls are so sweet. Everytime they spot me on campus, they yell at the top of their voices: "ATE!!!" (Auntie) and run and practically attack me with hugs! I sooo love them!!

Elizabeth from Myanmar, one of "my girls"!

Drew has become good friends with Ivan, Elizabeth's older brother. They often play soccer together every week after Drew's guitar lesson.

It's a family affair! This is C-Te, Elizabeth and Ivan's mom! She was one of my ESL students for a while last fall, and is one of my classmates in the wives' program. She could hardly say two words in English when she and her family arrived, but she has learned so much and is doing wonderfully! They are such a sweet family. Her husband is classmates with Huy, and he's helping Huy with a new Bible study (see below).

Every good retreat has lots of good worship and teaching times . . .

. . . and game times! Here's our man, Huy, up on a chair with a bull-horn, leading us in a 10-group activity of "photo scavenger hunt". Here are just a couple of fun photos my team took:

(Soon I'll put more photos on Facebook, for those who are interested.)

Some of the families we've gotten to know are wrapping up their studies here, since they've been here for one or two years already. It'll be sad to say goodbye to them.

It's hard to believe one school year is already nearing an end. We feel as if we're still "new" here...I find myself saying out of habit, "Yes, we're new. We recently moved here..." but then I realize that this May marks ONE YEAR for us living here. We're not new anymore!

But, something that is NEW...and EXCITING....is a study that Huy has started to lead. For about six weeks now, he's been leading a Bible study with 7-10 businessmen at Globe Telecom in Manila. They meet each Wednesday night. These men are electronic engineers, something Huy understands well! Huy is enjoying getting to know the men in this group. Roughly half are Christians already, and the other half are either new believers or young in their faith.

Here's Huy at the study this past Wednesday. They are going through a book--Good to Great by Chip Ingram, studying, and discussing related Scriptures. Huy's prayer is that those who aren't believers will come to faith in Christ, and those who are believers will grow in their faith and begin to reach out and begin their own ministries of sharing and discipling others around them. Thanks for praying for Huy and this study!

We are always so encouraged by all your comments and emails! It's great to know that so many of you are praying for us and checking in on us. We love and miss you all. God is blessing us, and we are thankful to be here. It's truly a privilege.

Three Simple Truths

2009-01-30T04:12:00.000-08:00

Recently I was writing to a lady who is had just arrived in another country for mission work. She was struggling with many things—cultural frustrations, difficulties, griefs. I was sharing with her some thoughts that helped me when we were new here and going through those first difficult months. At the end of my email to her, three thoughts quickly came to my mind. I closed with those thoughts: “You are loved. He sees you. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.”

A day later…on my knees in prayer…silent before the Lord…He brought those three thoughts back to my mind. Now they were for me. He loves me. He sees me. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Very simple. But they become very profound as I take time to think on them. How thankful I am for these truths. Since that day in prayer, these three thoughts have been constantly on my mind. And now I’m passing them onto you. May you know that these are true for you. I pray that God blesses you with these three sentences as He has me. May you sense the presence of your Heavenly Father.

He loves you.

The Lord says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

The living God, the Almighty Creator who flings burning stars and unseen galaxies into space, knows me…and loves me. He has drawn me with His cords of lovingkindness. All that He has allowed, all that He has brought, withheld, ordained…even His very Son…all are His cords to draw me to Himself. Draw me nearer, Lord.

He sees you.

Hagar gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me…" Genesis 16:13

This just captivates my mind and heart. He sees me! He sees me on my knees. He is watching me. He knows me. He is the God who sees me. This humbles me to silence… and soon I’m brought to confession and repentance. Then I can only bow in worship. “Oh God Who Sees Me, I praise and thank You!”

I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26

No accident, luck or happenstance determined that I am sitting here in this country, in this house, in this century. We are exactly where we are supposed to be. Our sovereign God is in control. I might not be here tomorrow or next year. I cannot say. But I can say that it is His will that I am here now. How thankful I am to be in His hands.

I immediately think of what Jim Elliot, the missionary who was speared to death in South America, said: “Wherever you are, be all there.”

May I be all here. Now. Today.

Celebrating Corrie Elisabeth...our first TEENAGER in the home!!

2009-01-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

Corrie- "A handmaiden"

Elisabeth- "Dedicated to the Lord"

Corrie Elisabeth Merritt--a gift from God, a handmaiden dedicated to the Lord

Corrie- June 2008

Corrie-January 2009

The above two pictures amaze me! Look at the difference in Corrie. She has changed and matured so much in the eight months we have been here. She is turning into a beautiful young woman literally right before our very eyes!

Earlier this month, Corrie turned 13 years old. We have our first teenager in the home! And we're not scared at all. We are enjoying this "Age of Opportunity" as the pastor and author Paul Tripp describes the teen years. (The book by that title is very good!) It is our privilege to lead, guide, train, and enjoy Corrie. She is a joy to all of us...most of the time! :-) She is human, she has very human parents, and she has siblings...so, of course, there are times that are certainly not joyful. But overall, we have really appreciated Corrie--her unique personality, gifts, and willing attitude.

So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to celebrate our firstborn and ask for some special prayers for her. Corrie Elisabeth came into the world with very inquisitive, searching eyes. She seemed to study things from the start. Friends would comment that she has "such a serious expression!" And that is part of Corrie's personality. She is a thinker, an amazing writer, and a very gifted artist. Her favorite things consist of: her laptop, email, a sketchpad, several notebooks, pens and pencils, a good eraser, and at least two big fat novels to devour. She is also completely in love with music, which seems to happen to most at her age, doesn't it? She loves groups like Relient K, David Crowder Band, Switchfoot, Falling Up, and movie soundtracks to Narnia and HSM3.

Moving to the Philippines was especially difficult for Corrie. Our hearts broke as she grieved leaving her three close girlfriends along with extended family in America. Our first two months here were very tough for her. Now, she has adjusted very well. She said some of the different foods here are "growing on her". She's no longer sad or upset about being here and knows that the Lord has a purpose in it. I know that one of the things He has done is bond her and her sister and brothers even closer together. They are all truly best friends.

Corrie has met some neat girls her age, but they don't see each other very often. She has been praying specifically for a really close American friend here. We are praying for that as well, and trust God to give her the right friends in His time.

We would appreciate your prayers for that. In addition, we are praying about sending Corrie to a wonderful MK (missionary kid) school here. Faith Academy has around 500 students and has been educating MKs for over 50 years. It has a very respected reputation. At FA, Corrie would have lots of opportunities for such classes such as orchestra, drama (which she loves), and computer. She also would meet some really neat girls her age, many of whom are Americans.

Three other positives: Corrie would be challenged more academically than I am doing so at present with homeschool. She would be forced off her bed and away from her computer, which is her most common position. And she would be pushed out of her comfort zone and off onto her own adventure--her and the Lord. We honestly never thought we'd send any of our kids to school. But we've always said we'd take it "a year at a time, a kid at a time" and see how God led. Being here is brought up a lot of additional factors to consider.

So, these are some very big PRAYER REQUESTS for us and Corrie right now. We just want to do what is best for Corrie. We want the Lord's will above all.

Faith Academy offers a bit lower price to missionaries, but the cost is still very high...nearly as high as private Christian schools back in the States. So, that is something we need to look at and pray about as well.

Huy takes the kids one-by-one on a date each Saturday morning. I love seeing him have that special alone time with each one of the kids. And I've noticed that more and more that Corrie kind of "hangs" onto her Daddy, hugs him, leans back against him, or drapes her arms around his neck. She seems to need his affection even more lately, and I think that is wonderful.

And as for her and I, I cherish the walks, talks, and times I have alone with her. Often in the evenings, Corrie will peek her head into my room, "Wanna read, Mom?" and she'll bring her current novel into my room, we'll lie on the bed together, and she'll read out loud to me, practically acting out all the characters in the book with such wonderful voices! I love those times together. I also absolutely cherish the times that she shares her fears and thoughts with me and asks me to pray with her.

Thanks for celebrating Corrie with us! Thanks for praying for her! Above all, please pray that she will have a heart for God. That, of course, is our most fervent prayer for all our children.

We are so thankful to have this girl/young woman. Corrie is such a gift to us.

I'll post just a few of her recent sketches here below.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CORRIE, WE LOVE YOU!

(Corrie put the final stroke on the picture above at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2008-January 1, 2009!)

A Great Start to 2009!

2009-01-06T04:13:00.000-08:00

We were so honored to be invited to the Vietnamese Fellowship Christmas party the day after Christmas. It was put together by the Vietnamese and Laos students at IGSL. It was really a neat day of eating, visiting, and games. We were there most of the day. Before we left, they told us that that was the very first time they'd ever spoken English at their get-together! We all laughed, but I felt so humbled and touched that they would do that just for our family. They are all truly very giving and gentle people.

I can't let you see more of them because we have to be careful not to expose them much online due to the situations in their homelands. It was amazing to sit and listen to them tell us first-hand the joys and trials of their churches and lives back home. They face many restrictions and even persecutions for their faith there. And their faith is vibrant and joyful. They are generous and love to laugh. Right now, they enjoy the freedoms they have here in the P.I., yet they are eager to get back and serve the Lord back home, even though it's not so easy or comfortable. We are honored to be family with them and hope we can visit them in Vietnam someday.

It was neat for the kids to be there as well. Back in the U.S., they don't think too often about the fact that they are 50% Vietnamese. But they talk about it much more here, and especially did so on that day of the fellowship. They are definitely richer because of this!

Below is another lovely family who have become dear friends with us! This is Monayam and Boby and their son. They are from Bangladesh and had us over for a meal the week after Christmas. It was so delicious! Corrie got sick the night before and had to stay home. So, I was forced to eat her portion of the meal. :-) After the meal, Boby made us some delicious Indian Chai. It was great again to sit around the table and listen to the stories of how they came to Christ, and how Christ brought them to each other and here to IGSL!

Here in the Philippines, New Year's Eve can be summed up in one word: FIREWORKS! They start warming up a few days before that night, but that night there are nonstop firecrackers from around 8:30 pm until 1:00 a.m. Even now, nearly a week later, we still hear a few go off here and there.

In certain parts of Manila, it can be a spectacular sight. But in our part of the city, we have heard that it becomes so smoky, you soon can't even see across the street, and the smoke gradually seeps into your home, even with all the windows shut!

Therefore, we thought (as many expats do), that it would be a good time to leave Manila. So, we spent two days in Subic Bay (where we went for one day last September). You can see in the first picture below--taken on the drive there--that Jace was all ready to hit the beach!

Swimming was even more fun this time because we brought goggles/mask with us. The water was more clear, and it was amazing! It was like swimming in a tropical fish tank! We saw the exact fish that are in the "Nemo" movie! They were there with other fish that almost looked like they were lit up with neon.

A family from Kazikstan joined us. They are Dina, Nurmat, Daniel, and Nurmat's mom, Appa. They are a part of Crusade's staff there in Kazikstan and are students also at IGSL right now. They have become great friends of ours here. Dina and Nurmat's English is wonderful. Appa is working so hard to learn English, but she is just starting. So, it was fun to hear a lot of translations back and forth between English, Russian, and Kazik. Often, Appa would just speak Russian or Kazik straight to us, so sincerely that I felt I could understand her. And it was always touching to hear them pray in their native languages.

The monkeys were even more prevalent this time! They came right to the beach, climbed the trees next to us, climbed around the hotel building, and searched for food right nearby. It's always fun to see them. Sometimes they made us laugh as they chased each other, jumping from one tree to another, or when Mommy Monkey (in the below left pic) grabbed the tail of her baby and pulled him right back to her when he was trying to escape! Several of us got a good laugh at that. I said I wished Jace had a tail like that!

Another fun thing is that the restaurant at the beach will just pull out a table onto the beach and let you eat in your wet swim suit and sandy feet...and enjoy the ocean breeze! Corrie thought their strawberry drinks were pretty enjoyable too!

It was hard to believe that it was December 31 and January 1! Back home in Kansas, temperatures were bitterly cold, and here we were splashing and playing at the beach!

At midnight on New Year's Eve, Dina, Nurmat, Huy, and I sat out in the darkness on the beach outside our rooms, watched some fireworks in the distance, heard the band at the hotel crank out some 80's tunes, felt some sprinkles on our face, cuddled up in the cool breeze (almost chilly!), and shared our hopes for the coming New Year.

We then spent some wonderful minutes in prayer together...closing up 2008 in His Name...and commiting the New Year of 2009 to His care. As always, all our hopes can be summed up in the prayer that we would love Him more; that our souls would be more satisfied with Him.

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Psalm 62:11

We are in His sovereign, loving Hands. We should be the bravest and most hopeful of all people! Let us go into 2009 with His joy! All is well and all shall be well! Amen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas 2008 Highlights

2009-01-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures from our Christmas here . . .

We enjoyed many meals with good friends . . .

The shopping in the crowded malls wasn't quite as enjoyable...esp in the days right before Christmas. The crowds were unbelievable! It was hard to walk, and we had to stand in line and squeeze in just to get on escalators!

We spent a wonderful Christmas Eve with Ron and Alice Watters! (Amazingly they still like us after having us live with them an entire month last May when we first arrived here!) On Christmas Eve, we ate out and went to their home afterwards. . .

Ate ("Older Sister") Alice fixed us a delicious dessert!

Kuya ("Older Brother") Ron read the Bible story from Luke 2.

We sang Christmas carols. We said we'd "just sing a couple" . . . but that's like trying to eat just one or two potato chips...you just can't do it! We probably sang at least ten carols. It was great!

Then we all opened a few gifts . . .

This seemed to make Huy pretty happy!

Back home on Christmas Eve, our kids got their stockings. Among other small gifts, they were so happy to find some of their favorite American snacks in there (which they don't get very often).

The next day finally arrived . . . CHRISTMAS MORNING!!

Suddenly everyone is very helpful! Gifts are sorted and handed out . . .

Ba-Noi Thuan (Vietnamese name for "Grandma-Thuan, Huy's Mom) and Ong (Grandpa) Thao were so kind to send money for Christmas. The kids loved having some extra pesos to spend! Thanks Mom and Thao!

Jace got a play drum set. After a few minutes of his happy "playing", Corrie asked Huy and I, "Now, why did you think that gift was a good idea??" :-)

Later that afternoon, we joined an international Christmas dinner party at the home of two teachers from IGSL. Here everyone is listening to Dr. James Huculak share a devotional . . .

We looked at the Biblical accounts of Christ's birth and the reactions and emotions of the main characters. It was very interesting to note that these emotions listed here were the main responses felt by those people. We discussed the Lord rarely works in ways and methods that we expect, and how we often have these same emotions when He works in our lives.

Somehow that is very encouraging. I guess it reminds us that HE is God. We are not. He is in control. We are not. He alone knows what He is doing. And He is doing amazing things even when it seems He is not. Even when our emotions are negative. Even when we don't understand.

Oh, may we trust Him more!

It was a Merry Christmas!

(Highlights from our New Year coming next. )

Merry Christmas from the Merritts 2008

2008-12-20T03:15:00.001-08:00

Hello! Merry Christmas from the Merritts in Manila! This is our Christmas card this year. I wish we could mail it to you snail mail. But it has been quite a process just to get some pictures taken and this posted before Christmas...not due to being overseas, just due to having four kids and a busy schedule! :-)

Here in the Philippines they l-o-v-e Christmas! They start celebrating the season in September! But even though we have heard "Let It Snow" playing on the radio for quite a while now, somehow it just doesn't feel like Christmas when you're on a tropical island in SE Asia.

We haven't had Christmas weather, our decorations, our friends, or our traditions from back home, and we're so missing our family at this time...but we are realizing anew and again that when we have Jesus, we truly have all we need. We are celebrating because we need a savior, and God sent His own Son for us. I cannot imagine life without Him. He is our Hope. Our Light. Our Life. Our Peace.
As I said, they love Christmas here. So far, we've already been to five Christmas parties, and we have about five more special parties/dinners yet to go! It's been a lot of fun. We've sung carols, played games, worshipped, and eaten a lot of good food!

Christmas letters usually update loved ones about the past year. But that's what this blog has been about since last May. So, I won't reiterate all of that! But we do want to say THANK YOU to each one of you reading this for your love, support, and prayers. It's truly been a wonderful year for us...not that all the days are wonderful or easy, but being here is very rewarding and fulfilling. We've not only appreciated, but needed your support this year. (And still do!)

We are in the midst of a grand adventure that is so much bigger than our small story. We know we're more focused and involved in His kingdom than ever before. There have certainly been tough times of adjustment. We've all been stretched and have grown because of it. We've definitely grown even closer to one another through this time. We've seen amazing things, heard incredible stories, and met beautiful people...and all because of a baby born in a dirty stable that first Christmas. So much for which to be thankful!

For Huy and I, we've just finished up our second term at IGSL. Huy is doing very well and enjoying his classes. This term his classes were: Greek I, Leading Small Groups, Church History, Spiritual Formation, Church Health, and Transforming Leadership. Greek was a big challenge for him, but he's slowly getting a handle on the grammar and really enjoying it more and more. He'll have two more terms of Greek and then the challenge of Hebrew awaits!

I'm slowly getting a handle on teaching TESL instead of just ESL. I'm teaching a few students how to Teach ESL themselves. It's cool because my students plan to teach in China, Thailand, and other countries that are more closed to the Gospel. I'm also enjoying being in the wives' program at the seminary. This past term I took the "Personal Spiritual Growth" class. It was a great encouragement and a special time of sharing with the other wives. We've both also enjoyed being in our small "ISGs" (Iron Sharpening Groups) every week.

Every year in our Christmas letter, the kids have written and decorated their own panel, so now I'll let you get a close-up look at each child and hear from him/her.

Hello, Peoples!! Corrie Merritt here, age 12, 13 come January. This past year has been...definitely an experience. Living in a different culture is strange and not having any friends is only one of the numerous challenges my family and I were faced with here. But we managed to get through it, and we look forward to this April when we get to return to America. That is definitely something we are all excited about! It's strange to be in weather fit for summer during the winter over here, and I long for the cool weather back home.

Something exciting that happened to me this year was having one of my short stories published in an online newspaper and starting a series with characters I have grown to love. I may not have friends, but my characters are always there with me. I really feel as though I've grown and matured as an author this past year, and I have been making speedy progress on my difficult, but workable laptop. I'm learning more about computers as well, and I know quite a few things that even my Mom doesn't know!

Wow. Just last week, it seemed, I was celebrating Christmas back in America. Now, I sit around the Christmas tree with my family in the Philippines. It's amazing how time is simply flying past, which means that before I know it, I'll be on a plane heading back to my true home in America.

I can't wait!! Ciao!! ~Corrie E. Merritt

Hey! This is Drew. I'm 11 now. These past 8 months have changed my life. It's a different culture here and different weather. It's been hard to be away from relatives and my cousins. Not having many friends at first was also tough. But there are some good things too. Meeting new people is interesting. Now I have a few good friends. We swim and play basketball together sometimes. The beaches are nice here. And when Dad and Mom get breaks at school, it's nice too.

A funny thing I saw here once was a man sleeping in a hammock on the back of a big truck in the middle of traffic! I was weirded out!

We're getting used to our church here. It's really big. The people are friendly. There is a good pastor, and his messages are pretty good.

It's amazing how fast time is going by. I'm looking forward to visiting the U.S. this April and seeing all my friends and family!

Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This is Drew, signing off!!

Hi guys! My name is Karis, and I'm 9 years old. Christmas is soon and I 'm so happy! It's hot all year around and in some ways that's good and in some ways it's bad. Like the good thing is that we get to swim and other fun stuff. But it doesn't snow here, but that is how God made the world. More and more presents get under our tree. But Christmas is about Jesus' birth and that's why we should be happy. Well merry CHRISTMAS! And have a Great new year. BYE!

'Sup Man! This is Jacey. I'm 27 years old (-20). What I usually do in the morning is wake up, brushy teeth, and then I turn lazy for around 20 minutes or so. Then I go eat breakfast (some eggs aren't that good at all). Today my Daddy took me out for breakfast at our Taco Bell in Trinoma Mall.

Living here in Manila...is...boring! The things that are good about it--the SWIMMING POOL! Oh yes, our car is awesome! (Twice that!) Inside the car I get the awesomest seat. Corrie somehow always wants to sit in the back with Drew.

Christmas is my second or third favorite holiday. I'm excited about...well...I'm excited about the presents! I'm excited about the part when my family opens the presents I got for them. Let's have some more holiday spirit! Good-bye!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Huy, Shelley, Corrie, Drew, Karis, and Jace

The Glory of the Not Yet

2008-12-07T04:14:00.000-08:00

Driving into our subdivision is always a special moment. Upon passing the gate, I enter the subdivision at the top of a high hill. At the top I am afforded a wonderful view. I can look out over mountains and clouds, which are beautiful on clear (read: not smoggy) days. The hill then weaves and wends back and forth down to the bottom.

About a week ago, as I was making this steep descent at night, I rounded a corner and was instantly captivated by beauty: The moon was full. But I could not see it. The moon was gloriously bright. But I could not see it. The moon was amazingly beautiful. But I could not see it. I knew these facts were true even though they were not available to my eyes. The full, luminous, beautiful moon was covered with a dark cloud. Nevertheless, the glory of this moon was bursting forth from every direction. I was immediately enthralled. The dark cloud itself was transfigured into an image fit perhaps for our heavenly home. The darkness of the cloud was more dark than dark. The edges of the clouds were outlined, as if with shining gold. The moon’s rays glowed and shot out as though nothing in all creation could hold them back. I just stopped and beheld this awesome moon. I thought I could wait forever to view the moon that would soon appear once the cloud had passed. However, this beauty was breathtaking in itself.

I thought, “This is the beauty of the ‘Not Yet’.” This is the beauty of our faith. This is the beauty of promises that we believe, but wonder as we wait with an aching heart…teardrops falling upon the sacred pages…painful prayers with clenched fists. We live in the “Not Yet”. It is darker than dark sometimes. We hurt. And we look at ourselves and feel so discouraged, not just that we are losing hope in ever “arriving” but even at making progress at all!

Our God is there. But I cannot see Him. Our Lord is present. I cannot feel Him. Our Creator loves us and has a grand, grand purpose that He is weaving. I cannot comprehend it. But there is a light that cannot be held back. It is bursting forth from our clouds. It is outlining them in heavenly gold. It is creating a beauty fit for heaven. Oh, there is so much beauty! And I can’t even see it yet.

Oh Lord, may Your brightness shine out from my darkness. There are so many “Not Yets” in my life. So much incompleteness, doubts, failings, painful in-betweens, forced waitings, silences from You, strippings, strivings-and-not-reachings. Sometimes it is just dark. Discouraging. May these only be clouds that display Your golden light hidden, yet unable to be held back. May Your “He Is” make our “Not Yets” beautiful…because You are beautiful.

Thanksgiving Day 2008

2008-11-29T04:24:00.000-08:00

Our first Thanksgiving Day away from home...

We spent the afternoon and evening at Shawn and Jessica Ransom's new home. We didn't even know them before showing up at their front door! They have a new beautiful home, and said they feel so blessed that they just want to use their home for the Lord and others. So, they invited about six families...actually, I think they just invited a few, and then the word spread, and they kept saying, "Great! The more the merrier! Tell them to come too!" True hospitality!

We only knew one couple, but it was great to meet all the others...and to hear all that they are involved with here in the Philippines. Some are training pastors...others teaching theology...others are helping the children of women who are in prison.

The food (as you can see from the pics) was wonderful. There's something about having all the traditional foods that just comforts the heart and makes you feel that connection with home.

And, even better than the food, were all the kids who were running around...all over the house! There were teenagers banging out a pretty good beat on a drumset downstairs...preteens playing football on an XBox...little ones playing with toys...children throwing grapes in the air and catching them in their mouths (that would be Drew!)....kids coloring on papers, playing with games...and just the general, wonderful chaos that children bring to holidays that is an essential part of any such get-together!

It was a blessed day. We ate a lot, visited, laughed, and played some games together before rounding up our crew and heading home...with leftovers in hand, of course!

We have so much for which to be thankful! This family lives up on a hill, with an amazing view of the Manila skyline.

I like this picture that I took from their balcony/porch. It was a lovely ending to a lovely day.

The NEXT day was Thanksgiving in America!! It was another treat to call home and laugh with family during their Thanksgiving!

We love and miss you all. By the way, we are thankful for each of you.

You are a gift!

just saying hello!

2008-11-20T02:51:00.000-08:00

The months are flying by for us, even though it remains perpetually summer here! Many days, the temps still hang around 90 degrees, sometimes with a heat index of over 100 degrees with the humidity! (And this isn't even the hot season!)

But today was a bit cooler--although still muggy and in the upper 80's. It's amazing how you acclimate to the weather. There have been times when I've been a little chilly when it is in the 80's and rainy! (But I do tend to be pretty "cold-blooded" by nature, as you know!)

I don't have any special reason for this post today...just wanted to say hello and send some recent pics. I want to stay connected with you all. The swimming pics were just taken about two days ago. I'm amazed at how the kids are growing. You Moms know just how I feel!

Here's one of Karis from last week...blowing a big bubble with her gum!

On a date night with two couples who are also students at IGSL and good friends of ours. Beth and Raymond are from the Philippines, and Normat and Dina are from Kazakhstan. The guys had lost a game of charades at an early get-together, so they had to plan a date for us as our prize. So, this was the prize night! We had a great evening!

Here's our WONDERFUL helper, Malou, making lunch! I've had several friends email or call me and say, "I don't know how you do everything!" I have one big answer: MALOU! She lives with us five days a week and cooks and cleans...and just helps us survive! Cleaning here is a full-time job. We all wear flip-flops all day indoors, and if we don't, our feet get so dark and dirty...and that is with Malou sweeping AND mopping the floors everyday! So, if I had to do all the cleaning, I doubt I'd get much else done. Malou is such a sweetheart.

Having a helper is very much a part of the culture here. And for security and times we need a Tagalog speaker, it's a wise idea as well. We Americans value our privacy, and I wasn't sure I wanted a stranger living with us most of the week. But it's truly been nothing but a blessing! I don't know what I'd do without her. She's not a stranger at all now. It's fun to have her around to laugh at the kids with or roll our eyes and shake our heads when they fuss, fight, and complain.

Our school had a soccer clinic recently. Drew decided to try it out. This is his first and only (so far) time to try soccer. He had a really good time, as he always does with anything sports-related!

And lastly, below is a 20-second clip from our time at the pool two days ago...

We are thinking and praying for you all. Thanks for checking in on us and praying for us! We miss you all! Enjoy those autumn temperatures and colors! Love to all!

Good for the Soul

2008-11-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Several years ago, we had a new puppy, Cisco. He, of course, needed to be taken outside every couple of hours. This was during the winter. I remember taking that cute bundle of black fur out to our backyard at night. It was so very cold. I remember my feet crunching on the icy snow…Cisco gingerly exploring the ground, sniffing here and there. I remember every night looking up at the myriad of stars above…for some reason, the stars always seem extra bright and clear on cold, winter nights. I remember feeling the frigid air fill my lungs and then seeing my breath vapor white in the black night. It was so still, so quiet. Somehow, the greatness and nearness of God seemed to be in the very air about me. I remember thinking, “This is good for the soul.”

Since then, that phrase has stuck with me. Often I’ll experience something or think of something, and then it comes to me, “This is good for my soul.” I’m sure the list of things that are good for our souls is endless. But just for these few moments, I’d like to think of some things that are good for my soul…

God’s Word…living and active, strengthens me in my inner being
Prayer on my knees…especially when I don’t feel like it…I always get up off my knees blessed
Frustrations of all shapes and sizes…time to live out my Christianity
Taking time to really look at the clouds… “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands…
Body aches, pains, sickness...makes me realize how very frail I truly am…and to focus on my eternal home
Being overlooked, under-appreciated, not noticed…enough said
Being seen, appreciated, noticed with love…enough said
Living in a foreign land…this world is not my home…where is my citizenship?
Hugging a child, hearing a child laugh, just looking at a child…they are all beautiful
Being served and receiving, instead of giving…so humbling…so good…
Worship with songs of praise
Worship with dirty hands of service
Saying, "I'm sorry."
Food and rest…refreshment from above
Short nights and long days…running to the Living Water
Late-night talks...full of deep thoughts and laughter
Old books
Fasting…the hunger makes me feel so weak, so needy…so empty…
Laughter
Tears and the tragedies of this world…we are not home…sin is real…this world is fallen
Unanswered prayers…or at least the ones that seem unanswered…builds my faith
Answered prayers…builds my faith
Stillness

And, of course, in light of Romans 8:28…everything is good for our souls, as the Lord brings it into my life. Yet, somehow, it is good to think on some of the specific things and ways through which the Lord works on my soul. He is the Potter. I praise you, Potter! I love you, O Lord my Strength!

“Be at rest, once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7

A FAR COUNTRY

2008-10-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

There are many blessings to traveling to faraway places and living in a foreign land. One of which is that it allows one to see life from an entirely different perspective. Familiar things are turned and twisted, viewed in a different light. Everyday experiences are done in completely new ways. This can certainly be aggravating, perplexing, and frustrating at times. (But, of course, even that is good for the soul!)

As we climbed aboard the huge jet to fly over oceans, mountain ranges, and many countries…and now, as I weave through the flowing maze called Manila traffic, I know that I am a foreigner. This is not my home. I am far from my home. These are not my roads. That is not my food. I do not understand how things work here. It feels so strange. It’s good to be here, yet it does not feel like I belong completely.

And I realize anew that I am in a FAR COUNTRY…this world. I feel my heart cry out for my true home. I see more clearly that this world is not my home. I feel my soul cry out for my real home. I feel an evening breeze trace my face, and the stars beckoning to me. I feel my heart cry out for intimacy deeper than anything on earth can completely satiate.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “If I find in myself desires which nothing on earth can satisfy, the only reasonable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Lewis also writes: “Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

I love David’s heart in the Psalms. He longed for heaven. He longed for God. I love Psalm 38:9 where he writes, “All my longings lie open before you, Lord.” That deep cry, that longing in me is open before the Lord. Even more so, He placed it there. May it cause me to continue to run to Him, the Living Water. And as I sigh in this foreign land…this world…may I lift my head and my heart…and smile with the joy of a child looking forward to that planned holiday at the sea!

"The Far Country" by Andrew Peterson

(The whole CD, of the same name, is great.)

Father Abraham,

Do you remember when

You were called to a land

And didn’t know the way

‘Cause we are wandering

In a foreign land

We are children of the Promise of the faith

And I long to find it

Can you feel it, too?

That the sun that’s shining

Is a shadow of the truth

This is a far country, a far country

Not my home

In the dark of the night

I can feel the shadows all around me

Cold shadows in the corners of my heart

But the heart of the fight

Is not in the flesh but in the spirit

And the spirit’s got me shaking in the dark

And I long to go there

I can feel the truth

I can hear the promise

Of the angels of the moon

This is a far country, a far country

Not my home

I can see in the strip malls and the phone calls

The flaming swords of Eden

In the fast cash and the news flash

And the horn blast of war

In the sin-fraught cities of the dying and the dead

Like steel-wrought graveyards where the wicked never rest

To the high and lonely mountain in the groaning wilderness

We ache for what is lost

As we wait for the holy God

Of Father Abraham

I was made to go there

Out of this far country

To my home, to my home

Muddy Shoes

2008-10-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

Five days ago our family had the opportunity to help out at an orphanage here in Manila, and also walk through the squatter area next to it. We had an amazing time. The 40 children in this home are all from abused, neglected, or abandoned situations. Below are some pictures we took that day, along with what I wrote the day after. (Don't miss the video at the end of some little guys singing during the evening devotions! They are singing about "Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains by the power of God!" It is priceless.)

Muddy Shoes

I notice the mud on the back of my shoes. I notice how they do not even notice. It was home. It was what they lived and breathed. We walked along the muddy trail…winding through the Asian thickness of tangled trees, huge palm leaves, and then…a small, squatter home here…and there…a struggling fire waiting for someone’s dinner…clothes, always clothes, never-ending clothes hanging out to dry. Home.

The children run up behind me, laughing and giggling…hoping I’ll snap another picture of them, and let them see the magic of themselves on the camera screen afterwards. They come close, eagerly accepting hugs, giving high-fives…wanting another picture. Who can resist those dark eyes and broad white smiles shining forth from their dark faces? Can a thousand pictures ever capture their beauty?

We walk through their poverty…their mud…their home. My eyes strain to see more, to travel down into the dark alleys and tin-covered shanties…my guide tells me we cannot walk through; it might not be safe. But my thoughts continue to travel where my feet cannot go. I try to imagine this as home. What must that be like?

As before, a thought returns: What if He called me to call this home? What if He wanted me to live here to share His presence and love with these beloved ones? Of course, Yes! I answer far too quickly… "Yes, Lord, I would go!” It’s easy to answer when it’s not even a dim reality.

And the second thought also returns…It was a reality. He did leave His perfectly clean, perfectly perfect glories upon glories…turned His face away…left His riches…slipped on our dirty skin that cracks, bleeds…bones and body that ache…tangled hair…tiny stones in the food…friends that kiss and betray… He bent over and entered our shanty world. Our home.

We walk on down the muddy hill…past curious faces…the little ones always bouncing at our sides…more pictures…and back into the orphanage. We sing some songs, share more hugs, and read stories with the least of these, who like our Master, had no place to call home.

Then we drive home. Beautiful big clean home. We shower. Dirt flows down into the drain. We thank God for our blessings. We climb into clean sheets. And somehow, I know I am richer.

They in their poverty are so wealthy; having nothing to offer, they have given so much. And I see my own poverty…having everything to offer, I have given so little. We are but dust on this muddy sod.

It all finds meaning in You. Thank you for calling this home. Thank you for making Your home in the shanty of my heart.

Day of Fasting, Prayer, and International Food & Fun

2008-10-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

Two days ago was the "Worldwide Day of Prayer" at IGSL. Classes were cancelled for the day. Everyone was encouraged to fast and pray for God to work in countries all over the world. During the day, rooms were set up with power point presentations educating the students and Crusade staff about continents and various countries and their specific prayer needs. Then time was given for prayer before students moved onto the next room to pray for another country. Huy gave a presentation on the continent of South America.

That night was a festival of sorts. Each country represented at IGSL, (which is around 20 countries) set up a booth for their country, wore traditional clothing, and served a food item from their country. There were also great performances given--a special Filipino dance, Thai dance, a performance on a stringed instrument called a "Komuz" from Kyrgyzstan, Kung Fu performance from China, as well as a TaeKwonDo-like performance by the Korean students, songs from India, and many others.

I made up a special worksheet for our kids to fill out as they visited 2 to 4 booths. They filled out questions on the location, major religion, sports, and an interesting fact about the country. They also had someone from that country write "Jesus Christ" in the native language and sign the paper. It was fun watching the kids go around to the various booths. They even tried some interesting food items!

Our little USA booth was a bit pitiful actually. Huy and I rounded up a few American items from fellow missionaries here, since we didn't bring anything very interesting...just our kids, some clothes, books, and luggage...when we came! We had some American cookies made by the helpers of an American couple here, and they were snatched up in minutes!

But what a special day and evening! It's so wonderful to feel that bond in Christ through all the various languages, foods, traditions, and cultures. What a colorful, creative Father we have! And it's so amazing to see how He is working in all the world reconciling men to Himself through His Son.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’" Revelation 7:9-10

Quick Prayer Request

2008-10-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I'm just sending a quick prayer request for Karis. She had another fainting spell a few days ago. Many of you know (and prayed) about Karis right before we moved over here five months ago. Karis had two such fainting spells. At that time, her doctor had many tests run on her--blood work, EEG, cat scan and an MRI on the brain. All came back totally clear and fine. We were so thankful and felt complete peace with the move.

A few days back, Karis, rushed up to me in a bit of a panic, "Mom! I feel like I'm going to faint!" As soon as I started to pick her up, she fainted in my arms. She was white as a sheet! But in only a few seconds, she was already coming to.

I called her pediatrician back in Kansas that night. He looked her past tests over, and told me he feels quite certain that it is "Vasovagal" syndrome. This is what he thought it was before as well. I still need to study it more, but basically I think it's just a tendency to faint! Somehow the brain doesn't get enough oxygen for a moment and causes the body to go vertical quickly in order to restore that.

After talking with the doctor and reading on vasovagal a bit, we feel at peace. We are HUGELY THANKFUL for the fact that Karis can tell when she is about to faint. That is especially important here with our tile floors which have concrete beneath them.

So, we just want to share this with you all and ask for your prayers. Please just pray for her protection. Pray that if she does faint, that she'll continue to realize it and lie down quickly.

Thank you very much!

love,

shelley for the fam.

a day at the beach with our little monkeys

2008-09-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

AFTER our busy two weeks of ministry trips, we thought it would be very nice to take the kids to a beach...and for all of us to get OUT of Manila for the first time since we arrived five months ago! MANY people have told us, "Manila is not the Philippines! You have to get out of Manila and see what the Philippines is really like." And it's so true! Once we left the city, we were treated to beautiful views of lush, green mountains, terraced fields of rice patties, with an occasional thatched roof home out in middle, nestled under some coconut trees. It was so peaceful and lovely.

As we approached Subic, we were treated to a wonderful suprise--MONKEYS!! There must have been about 20 monkeys right alongside the highway--on the ground and in the trees next to us. Another family stopped their car, as we did...and the monkeys seemed to actually enjoy the attention, coming very close to us and watching us with the same curiosity that we had about them! It was really fun to see them upclose and personal.

After visiting with our ancestors for a while (JUST KIDDING!!!), we went on to Subic Bay, which probably sounds familiar to you because it was a large U.S. naval base for about 40 years, after WWII. There is a lot there to see, but we just spent the day playing on the beach...kayaking, building sand castles, swimming, having sweet conversations while walking along the shoreline, or sitting on a large rock while the waves gently rolled in.

Eating at a restaurant that served yummy American food was just icing on the cake! It was our first family day out of Manila and our first beach outing. It was a gift.

Two Mission Trips--117 decisions!

2008-09-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

We had a two-week break between the first and second term...and it simply FLEW by!! Huy went on a 5-day mission trip with his ISG group...seven men in all. They went to a city called Turlac, which is three hours from Manila. They ministered mostly at Tarlac State University, a large university there. They conducted seminars on how to get better grades, have a balanced life, etc. and used those as a platform for sharing the Gospel. (The school administration approved them being there.)

It went very well! Huy gave one of the main talks on "How to Have A Balanced Life", in which he shared the Gospel. There were around 60 students who attended that talk. Afterwards 19 students said that they had made a decision for Christ! At a moment's notice, Huy was also allowed to share the Gospel to an entire class in their room. Huy said that throughout the week, the students were very open and receptive to discussing spiritual things with the team.

The team also worked with a small church there in Tarlac, doing visitations, services, etc. It was exciting for the team to see the attendance of the church double after their week of work on the campus and visiting!

Overall, Huy's team (pictured above) shared the Gospel with 150 people and saw 50 decisions for Christ!

Two days after he returned home, I left on a 2-day retreat with the other seminary wives, as part of our "Partners in Ministry" program. We stayed in a hotel in Manila, about an hour away. During our stay, we went through five seminars learning about Crusade's "4 Spiritual Laws" booklet, evangelism, and follow-up. On the second day, Saturday, we split up into teams and went out into the area. We spent about three hours in area malls, sharing the Gospel.

In this picture, I'm sitting with "Ate" (older sister) Elvie, a beautiful 70-year old lady who is in my small group. She and I are in one of the training seminars.

I was the leader of a group of four ladies. We went to two malls and were able to share with about 10 people total. Sometimes we shared individually and other times in groups of two. It went very well! My very first conversation was with a 25-year old woman named Jasmine "Jazz". She was shy but friendly. We went through the "4 Laws" booklet, and she prayed to receive Christ with me. We had a very good conversation.

I think Jazz might have been a believer already...not sure...the Lord alone knows her heart. But she seemed encouraged by our talk and spurred on to walk with Him more closely.

After all the 30-40 women who attended our seminar returned to the hotel, the statistics were that the Gospel was shared with 133 people, with 67 praying to receive Christ! Campus Crusade is very committed to follow-up and discipleship of new believers. So, there will be good efforts made to follow-up on all those who indicated decisions for Christ.

Here are the seminary wives (Partners in Ministry) after our evangelism time, as we are wrapping up our weekend together.

Perhaps many of these people were already believers. Perhaps some were only praying the decision prayer to be polite, which is not uncommon for Filipinos. But--perhaps there were some who truly made heart decisions to follow Christ. God knows. We pray that there be eternal fruit from both mission trips! We were stretched out of our comfort zones a bit, and blessed to be able to just have conversations about who Christ is and what it means to be a Christian.

And by the way, maybe some of you don't know that during his sophomore year at Oregon State University, a stranger asked Huy if he could go through the "4 Laws" booklet with him. They read and discussed it together. Huy told the guy that he wasn't ready to pray to receive Christ. The young man (we have no idea who he was) gave the booklet to Huy, and they said goodbye. About a week later, Huy noticed the booklet lying around, read it again, and decided to give his life to Jesus. He prayed there in his room alone. The rest, as they say....is history! That was the time Huy came to Christ. His entire life changed from that day forward.

So, we know first-hand how God can use a simple Gospel tract!

It's great to do random sharing of the Gospel. But the experience made me realize how much more effective it is to share with those whom we have some sort of relationship. I want to be more intentional about that.

Thank you so much for your prayers! You are a part of all that we do here. Prayer is hard, selfless work. I don't understand how, but God chooses to use it and work through it. Thank you for helping us and blessing us through your prayers!

After these two outreaches, we took the kids to Subic Bay beach for a day. It was great fun. I'm going to post some fun pics in a couple of days. So, check back soon!)

We love you all!

shelley and huy.