Cebu Weather

It's so HOT! I checked the Weather Channel online to see what the temperature was. It's 87 F(31 C), mostly cloudy, 81% humidity, and apparently "feels like" 101(38 C). Yes, it does. Now I feel validated. When I come out of my air conditioned bedroom to refill my glass of water in the kitchen it's like walking into a steam room. Yesterday Andrey and I spent time in our un-airconditioned living room working on our computers. We had at least 3 fans going to make it bearable. Maybe this will give some perspective to some of you who might not be enjoying the cold.

Furlough Summary

Sorry friends. As you may have noticed I haven't done a thing on this blog for at least 3 weeks. Sorry about that. We're back in Cebu after a fine month spent in the US and Canada. I'll start by giving a synopsis of what's gone on since my last entry.

We had the most FABULOUS time in Nova Scotia with Andrey's family until October 11. It was such a relaxing and refreshing time for both of us. A highlight was seeing an influx of relatives (including Andrey's last living grandparent, 85-year-old Grandma Loewen) come from Saskatchewan & Manitoba to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. While they were in town we surprised Marilyn with an early 60th birthday celebration brunch. She was surprised and entertained as we, with all the cousins, wrote and performed a rap for her - complete with kazoos, shakers, homemade drums and stick-on mustaches. Here's a shot of the occasion taken by our very own Uncle Allen (thanks, Al).

"Sixty schmicksty, she's still quicksty, our radiant hero nears 6-zero!"

We also spent some time at the numerous nearby beaches and took a trip to Cape Breton (see last post). Here's a great family shot (by Allen). (In fact most of our pics from this trip were taken by others since our camera was being repaired in Manila while we were away.)

After our time in Nova Scotia we traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to be with my parents for a few days prior to driving to North Carolina. In North Carolina we met the rest of my family members who came up from Tampa for a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The time with my family went exceptionally well and we were so blessed to spend time with everybody. We had a lot of fun. It was the perfect time of year to be in North Carolina. The weather was cool at night, warm in the day, and the leaves had just begun changing. We did some hiking, visited a few waterfalls, watched NFL, played games and ate really well. At the end of the week we stayed with dear friends Pam & Charlie Lee in Asheville until our departure on October 23rd. I'll post some photos of North Carolina and more from Canada soon.

Weekend in Cape Breton

Good news! This blog entry that I wrote weeks ago and thought I had lost has just been found! So here it is...
During our time in Nova Scotia we took a 6 hour road trip to nearby Cape Breton Island, which apparently is one of the most beautiful islands in the world - or so said a survey by Conde Nast Traveler magazine in 1999. It was a beautiful drive (and a comfortable one because we took the RV) with some amazing views. We stayed in Cape North (the very northern tip of the Atlantic Coast) in a small inn that used to be a general store in the late 19th century. From the back of the inn it was a short walk to the ocean. We took kayaks out to Four Mile Beach which we had completely to ourselves. Thanks Mom & Dad! Here are a few photos.

What I am thankful for in North America in Autumn

• Drinking water right out of the tap (the tap water in Canada tastes excellent, by the way)
• Not worrying about getting Dengue fever when I get bit by a mosquito
• Maple products, goat cheese, brie, fresh salmon, frozen berries, non-Asian pears, real orange juice, scones, microbrewed beer, fresh corn on the cob, cranberries, fresh pumpkin, chips without MSG, crackers without trans fat, prepared salsa in a jar, whole wheat tortillas, yams, turkey, tender beef
• Being able to leave food on the counter without ants crawling all over it
• Enjoying hot drinks and hot soups because it's cold outside
• Open space, trees, birds, nature, parks, lakes, ocean boardwalks...space!
• Sidewalks
• Clean air
• Cool air
• Very minimal sweating
• Not constantly feeling thirsty & getting dehydration headaches
• Only needing 1 shower a day
• Driving faster than 50km/hour (30MPH)
• Not getting stared at or laughed at (fitting in)
• Watching sports on TV during the day
• Family

Solidarity for Burma

We stand against the injustice in Burma and stand with the oppressed.

"Not by might, not by power but by My Spirit."

Get an update: www.irrawaddy.org, http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/burma/

Sunrise over Porters Lake and the Promises of God

Yesterday I woke up earlier than anyone in the house (not a common occurrence). It was still dark so I thought I’d better get up and watch the sunrise since I rarely am awake and alert before the sun. I took the short walk to the lake and sat on a rock. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful except for the occasional car (there’s a main road just between the house and the lake). There wasn’t much wind so the lake was almost completely glassy, enabling a clear reflection of the trees on the other side. It is in nature and quiet and stillness like this that the presence of God is almost tangible. It brought me to tears because it is this feeling that I long for in Cebu but have yet to discover space to experience it. This lasted for about 5 blissful minutes… until the attack of the local mosquitoes. I thought, “no problem” because I was wearing long pants, socks, shoes and long sleeves and so there wasn’t any bare skin for the bugs to bite – or so I thought. As I struggled to regain the much-desired sense of peace by ignoring the annoying creatures, I soon found myself scratching several bites on my forehead and thighs. They bit me right through my pants! “Why did you create mosquitoes, God?” I asked. “I just can’t think of any good purpose served by mosquitoes!” In the same moment I wondered how many times do we ask God this question about things we don’t understand? Like the fact that Andrey and I do not yet have children after 3 ½ years of trying, waiting and hoping. And how is it that a homeless, mentally ill woman in Cebu has given birth to 15 children, all of which are in children’s homes waiting to be adopted? Why is a woman like that fertile when we, who can provide a stable, loving home are not? Where is the reason in that? What possible purpose could that serve? I clearly have no idea. Just like I have no idea why mosquitoes exist.

But I have a choice. I can either live according to what I see with my eyes or I can live according to the precious promises of God: “[The Lord] satisfies your desires with good things” and “Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord.” I have a choice to put my hope in the ability of my human understanding or I can put my hope in Jesus who is faithful, loving, compassionate, and wise. Someday I’ll ask him to explain to me the purpose of mosquitoes and the purpose of this time of waiting for children.

Family Times in Nova Scotia, "Canada's Ocean Playground"

It’s our 5th day in Halifax, well actually we’re just outside of Halifax in a town called East Lawrencetown where both Andrey’s parents (Lou & Marilyn) and Andrey’s sister & brother-in-law (Lisa & Mike) have houses. Aside from the joy it is to be with family, we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know this new place where our family members have recently relocated to from Western Canada. There is much to explore, as there are numerous bodies of water, trails and woods full of fir & maple trees in nearly every direction. Andrey’s parents live on a lake and Mike & Lisa live on the ocean. It is not a highly populated area so there is a lot of space, it is quiet and there is very little traffic. It is an incredible contrast from Cebu.
Some highlights from the last few days include: not being on an airplane; not needing the alarm clock and sleeping in as long as our body clocks allow; many home-cooked, delicious meals made by Marilyn; a gorgeous 12 km bike ride from Mom & Dad’s house to Mike & Lisa’s on the Trans-Canada Trail with Andrey on a warm, sunny day; an inexpensive round of golf (for Andrey & Lou) at a beautiful course on a hill with an incredible view of the ocean; sight-seeing and hanging out in downtown Halifax; warm but not hot enough to sweat, beautifully clear, sunny weather; and getting to know Mike & Lisa’s 10-week-old Springer Spaniel puppy named Stella. Cebu feels oh so far away.

View of the lake from Lou & Marilyn's house Lisa & Mike's house on the ocean

Trans-Canada Trail
Bike trip

Views from the golf course

View from the Citadel of Halifax Harbour

Lisa & Stella

Epic Journey

I just have to give a detailed account of the events of the past 56 hours. Andrey and I are currently in the Detroit airport for a layover prior to boarding a flight to our final destination, which is Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were scheduled to be having this exact same layover, only a day earlier.
On Friday evening SE Asia time we flew from Cebu to Manila. We checked into a hotel, had a few hours of sleep and then left for the aiport at 4:30am. Our flight to Nagoya, Japan left on-time at 7am. About an hour into the flight we saw a flight attendant run toward the front of the plane. Not long after there was an announcement declaring the immediate need for a doctor in row 59. We were in row 66. Apparently, a 59 year old Japanese passenger had just had a heart attack and wasn't breathing and didn't have a heartbeat. Within minutes the man was brought to the floor and CPR was given. Throughout the 2 hours that followed, CPR continued, the defribulator was used, IV was given as well as a shot of epinephrine, and the plane was turned around for an emergency landing back in Manila. The passengers who were also doctors and nurses on the flight worked on the man as well as the many staff on board. I was praying like crazy as we could see all the activity going on very near to us. The attempts to revive the man were apparently unsuccessful since after we landed in Manila and he was finally transported off the plane, he still was not breathing on his own nor did his heart start. Although CPR continued as he was transported, we all assumed he didn't make it.
We made it back to Manila at about 10 am. For whatever reason it took about 45 minutes before the man was actually brought off the plane and to real medical attention. We assumed we'd soon be on our way.
Upon inspection, the mainentance crew found a problem. We subsequently waited on the plane on the tarmac for another 3 hours - 7 hours since we initially took off. At 2pm we were finally off to Nagoya, Japan. It was another 3.5 hours in the air. All in all we spent 12 hours on the plane for a 3.5 hour flight.
It was fortunate for the crew that the majority of the passengers were Asians (mainly Filipino and Japanese) because they handled the situation so well. Sure there were a few people who were clearly frustrated but all in all no one raised their voice or took it out on the crew. That is the good aspect of non-confrontational cultures.
We made it to Japan around 7:30pm. Our plane was the same plane that was to continue on to Detroit but we had to deboard so they could do routine maintenance before we took off again. Once we made it back to the gate, we thought all was well because it said they'd start boarding soon. However, after 3 hours of waiting and noticing the maintenance crew working on the engines again, we knew there was a problem. Ultimately our flight to Detroit was cancelled. There was about an hour of confusion and huffing and puffing and voice-raising (unfortunately done mainly by the few Americans in the group other than us). The Northwest Airlines staff had the large task of placing all 400 waiting passengers in a hotel for the night.This is where things began to turn around for us.
We were assigned to the Comfort Hotel which was only a short walk away. We didn't even have to walk outside as the hotel was connected to the airport. The Comfort Hotel was exactly that. Once we cleared customs, we were quickly on our way and checked into our room.
Okay so this is where a fascination with Japan began. Everyone is extremely orderly and clean and the staff we encountered were exceptionally professional and polite. They seemed to work in a very productive and efficient way. Not to put down other Asian cultures but I can just say from experience that this is so different to how things usually go in Thailand and the Philippines.
After a good night's sleep and after enjoying a good breakfast we boarded the flight to Detroit which was only about an hour late. Some people even clapped during take-off.
The flight to Detroit was about 11 hours long. We both were able to get some sleep.
So here we are on our last lay-over. We got to Detroit about 11:00 this morning which is where we are now. We have about 5 hours here before we get to board our last flight which will take us to Halifax tonight. Right now we're watching the Detroit Lions getting beat badly by Philadelphia. God bless America and NFL.
It feels great to be in our home country. Even though it's only been 5 months since we were in the US last, it still takes some adjustment. I like being in a familiar place. I like being able to strike up conversation with strangers and feeling like we're a part of the same club. I like American coffee. I like NFL on TV. I like having at least a basic level of understanding of the people around me. Okay, Andrey says its time to go to the gate so i'll sign off here without proof-reading so forgive the poor grammar. Also keep in mind i am quite tired and out-of-it.
We are thankful to be healthy, safe, and to have all our basic needs met. Let's hope the rest of the trip is uneventful.

We're Headed West

In just a few minutes we'll be heading for the airport. We're so excited that in just a few days we'll be in Canada and then later in the US with family. We're staying the night in Manila tonight. After a couple more flights we will eventually make it to Detroit where we will spend about 5 hours prior to our last leg that will bring us straight to Halifax, Nova Scotia which is known as Canada's ocean playground, by the way.
This trip comes at a perfect time. I've had two very frustrating days in Cebu experiencing a sudden wave of "culture stress." That usually comes when you try to accomplish too much in one day and you have certain expectations as to how it should go. At any rate, we are packed and ready to go. Here we come!

Ode to the Faja

Happy Birthday, Dad!

You're pretty great, you know that?
We'll soon be there with you to celebrate in person.
And celebrate we will.
We Love You!

Homesickness

Homesickness is one of the most tangible feelings. It's almost more of a physical feeling than an emotion. I feel it in my chest. I felt it as a kid when I spent the night at a friend's house. I've felt it while on long vacations. And I feel it when I'm adjusting to a new place. I feel it right now. I woke up with it this morning. I don't like it. It's not comfortable. It forces me to ponder my concept of home, familiarity, and what makes me feel at ease. What is home? What or where am I homesick for? I'm not quite sure to be honest. I miss Chiang Mai. I miss our friends there and the life we had. I miss the actual place - the smells, the sounds, the food, the ability to speak enough of the language to impress the locals. I miss the peace and contentment I felt during the 2nd half of our time there. I came to a place of accepting our Chiang Mai life and choosing to look on it positively. Once I did that it changed my experience. I grew to love life in Chiang Mai. I often recounted the many things to be thankful for there.We were blessed with some of the greatest friends! We all really grew close as we struggled to make Chiang Mai our home. Probably just before I got too comfortable was when the Lord closed the doors on Chiang Mai and clearly opened the door to the Philippines. With that came peace as we willingly redirected our lives to where God was pointing us. But now that we are fully relocated there is an adjustment that takes place to accepting this new place, this new life. There is some grieving that needs to happen. It's all sinking in that this is where we will be for the next couple of years at least, maybe longer. I realize it is important to walk through the emotions of that but at the same time I must again focus on what I'm thankful for. And we do have much. And I'll get into another sweet spot here in Cebu, I believe. It just takes some time. But for now I feel homesick and I'm not even sure what I'm longing for.

Manila Trip

Manila is very different from Cebu. I felt like i was in another world - or at least another country. This might have something to do with that fact that we barely left an area called Makati - which is the main business & shopping district in Manila. Needless to say, this is where people with money hang out. That description apparently described us because we stayed (although in a very cheap condotel) in Makati and ate all our meals there and did some shopping. At times it felt like America because we ate at places like Chilis and Outback Steakhouse, and enjoyed coffee at Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. There was even a Seattle's Best Coffee shop as well although we never went there.
It was a nice break from Cebu. The reason for the trip was to see Switchfoot in concert. It was put on as a benefit for IJM. The event was a success. Switchfoot put on a great show. We had great seats and we got to meet the band. One bandmember is from the Philippines so he was especially welcomed. We rocked out and sang loud! What fun.
Our friends from Cebu, David & Hilary joined us for the trip which was a real highlight since it gave us time to get to know each other better. We really value the genuine friendships that are formed as they make life so much more liveable when based oversees. The Lord is blessing us with friends just like he did so well in Chiang Mai -and in a seemingly short time as well so we are thankful.
I have no photos to share as we left our camera at the Canon service center in Manila for repair. It will be sent to Cebu in about a month so we'll be without it for a little while. That's a bummer but we hope to borrow some camera usage from friends/family while home on furlough so we don't miss out on documenting the good times.
Speaking of which, we begin the journey to North America in just 8 days. We'll be on the continent for a month with ~1/2 the time spent in Canada and the other in the U.S. We are REALLY excited about it! So to several of you... we'll see you soon!