rabbit

Our friend Mike recently came home with a pet rabbit which is conveniently kept in our yard. This means we now have a garbage disposal for our old vegetables, and Ariel has a fun pet to go along with the menagerie of cows, chickens, and pigs she sees everyday. The video below was taken this afternoon by our neighbor, Kirsten. What a cutie pie!

oh, the beauty of being 2

Ariel and I having fun in front of the webcam this morning :)

Sacrifice

It's been awhile since I've posted. Major news is that my Thesis has gone to the printer and we just got back from a too short trip to the U.S. Before leaving for the States, Geoff and I daydreamed about all of the good food we would have (like Taco Bell, ha, good is relative in our scenarioJ). Going to Wal-Mart just to wander around. Seeing so many faces that we've longed to see. And driving on wide open roads! We were able to do all of these things and more. And, they were most satisfying (although Bell is not as good as I remembered it!). However, when we landed in Manila and felt the damp air and experienced the lively Filipino security guards smiling and joking with us (as we secretly pushed thousands of dollars worth of equipment past customs!), we both had a sense of, "Ahh, we're home."

There's just one catch. The sacrifice. Ultimately, being in the U.S. was nice. But there was nothing so overwhelming that it kept us from wanting to go back to the Philippines. In fact, we were greatly encouraged and our spirits lifted about our work after visiting with so many people who care about us. But when it came time to say goodbye at the airport, I watched Jim and Betty, Geoff's parents, saying goodbye to Ariel. And I began to cry.

Geoff and I have the opportunity to make decisions for ourselves and order our lives the way we want to. But Ariel and her grandparents don't have that privilege in their relationship. And that's the kicker for me. The very hardest part of being here is the sacrifice of relationship that they must endure. Our parents have and always will be supportive of our endeavors. And I know they're proud of us. But I also know their hearts hurt to see us go. Somehow, I feel responsible.

Is it worth the cost? I don't know. Only God can answer that. And I can only be obedient to what He's asked of me. But I love my parents. I miss them. And I'm sorry for the sacrifices they have to make.

So, with that said, here are a couple of pics of Ariel with her "G-Paw" (my dad) and her Nana (Geoff's mom) taken last week.

We love you G-Paw, Nana and Grandad, Mimi and Robin, Mawmaw and Pawpaw, Granny and Grandpa. Sincerely.

Betsy's here

Betsy has arrived. Most reading this will know who she is. But for those of you who don't, she's an incredibly cute and spirited 20 year old college student from Tulsa who grew up in Asbury's youth group. She was in 8th grade when I started my job at Asbury. (I won't say that makes me feel old because everyone says that and I'm not old anyway!)

Her arrival has sparked many new things. One, a change of seasons. It's been a dry one around here for quite a while. But God promises rain, and the slow shower of big wet raindrops has begun. I've come to love the daily sound of slow rain here, and the sensory experience of hearing and smelling those first few seconds of fat rain drops hitting the tin roofs aptly describes the emotional, spiritual, and mental experience of this time in my life. We've finally begun to settle in and know our way around. Ariel is growing more independent. My schoolwork is almost complete. The band is experiencing an explosion of performance opportunities. And I am easing my way back into a season of learning, composing, and performing music. Something I really haven't done since college. It's like being in that rain shower, taking a deep breath and smelling the earthy wet beginning of spring.

Betsy's arrival has also brought other things to the surface. I've realized that I hang around guys. A lot. In fact, most of play and work time in my adult life has been in mostly male company. Guys are great fun and quite weird. Which makes me laugh. But, in that environment, I forget to pay attention to the small things of being a woman. Then Betsy walks in. She passes by smelling of perfume. Painted nails, and clean hair. And it inspires me. It awakens something asleep inside. And I find myself taking a little longer in the shower.

Another blessing of her presence is the pair of fresh eyes she brings. She is seeing this place for the first time. She is experiencing the adventure of it. And feeling the reality of it's disparity. And as we talk about what she's seeing and feeling, it brings a balance to Geoff and I's cynicism and a hope of Glory that, in our hearts, had fallen under a shadow of the poverty we witness everyday.

So, all that to say...the rain has come. And it feels good. I'm looking forward to what the summer brings.

“I like big…and I cannot lie!”

It all started with my saying, "My butt is tired," after having spent hours in front of the computer. It just so happened that it was Tuesday. The day of our language lesson and therefore a day filled with all of the language practice that we didn't do the rest of the week. So, naturally, since we had just learned the word for "tired" (kapoy), Geoff asked a Filipino friend for the word "butt" so that he could translate my statement (which, by the way, is "Kapoy ang akong laput.") Later that evening, Geoff and our friends Manny and Michael were traveling back from Agdao, a slum community where they had been hanging out with the teenagers. Geoff being Geoff, he began practicing his new words with Michael, also a teenager. Now knowing "butt" in Cebuano, it is naturally assumed that good practicing would include previous vocabulary such as "white" or "round" and ownership words such as "my" and "his". You can put the pieces together. Here's where it gets funny. The whole time they are in the taxi cracking up about Geoff's word combinations, Manny is watching the taxi driver whose face does not move a muscle. Absolutely no reaction at all. In fact, it is the lack of reaction that caught Manny's attention. Eventually, Geoff and Michael are let out, and Manny is alone in the car. The taxi driver turns to him and says seriously, "that American white guy…he is a missionary?!...What he is saying…that is not nice. He is naughty!" (Should note here that Geoff was also wearing a doo rag and his black utilikilt. You know, the normal Geoff attire.) Manny, being quick on his feet says, "Oh no, he is not a missionary! He has a band here. And for Americans, it's okay to talk that way." Taxi driver: "Are YOU a missionary?" Manny: "Yes, I am the missionary." HA! So now, somewhere in Davao is a devout Taxi driver who is earnestly praying for Manny to have the strength and wisdom to evangelize his friend, Geoff J And needless to say, Geoff has learned where NOT to say "butt".

What does that mean?!

Geoff and I are starting our foray into house shopping. Since we are foreigners, we are not allowed to buy. Only rent. Most rentals are not advertised, and they're gone within the day. Since there is no way we can scour these unknown neighborhoods alone, we are trying to work through a realtor, but we have no idea how the real estate business works here. This is just a little anecdote of day to day communication in our world. I see a listing online that looks interesting. This alone is unusual because 98% of communication is done face to face. But this realtor seems to be ahead of the game using well written English and an attractive website. She obviously caters to foreigners. So, I email her asking for more information on the house. You must know that Filipinos will only answer one question at a time, so no matter how efficient you are at attempting to clearly communicate what you need to know, if it involves more than one question, they will only answer the LAST one you asked. So, no surprise, the first email is returned with exactly the same information that was already listed on the website. Great. That really helps.

Now, on to email two. "How do your fees work?" Answer email…"The owner will be the one to give us, we are 3 agents for that house, but its okey, we do sharing here, gain more friends as well. Whenever you are ready, let me know." Great. I don't know what that means, and I still don't know the answer.

Third email with different wording of the SAME question…"Do you charge to show the house?" (This might seem absurd in American business, but you have to ask here, because you just never know what they expect.) The reply, verbatim…"No Sir, we do not charge you anything, BUT if you insist to give us, we will heartily accept it. Best regards."

What does this mean?!! First, I wasn't insisting. I was only trying to ask the right question in order to get a clear answer. Second, are you expecting me to donate to your "cause"? What IS your cause? Am I just supposed to give you extra money just because I feel happy that day? If you're not expecting it, why would you bring it up? Third, you are a realtor with a job! Not a convent, an orphanage, or someone dying of hunger! Or is it that this little extra something on the side will insure me that you will do your job well…...<sigh>……I just don't know what it means. Or what is expected of me. What in the world is she trying to tell me without telling me?

This happens everyday. Welcome to my world.

P.S. For those grace full (and grace filled) seasoned veterans of cross cultural communication, please don't hold my ranting against me!

Turtles and Ice Cream

Today was Ariel's 2nd birthday. It was filled with cake and ice cream, presents, and long talks on Skype with all of her lola's (Filipino for grandmothers). I read through her diary tonight. I started it when I was pregnant thinking that I would be one of those really cool moms someday that presented their daughter with a treasure of precious moments recorded over the years. A real "hallmark exclusive" in my make believe world :) It is amazing to watch her grow. Discover. Learn. And generally have a good attitude about it all. I've been thinking about how God must feel watching over us. How is heart must sing when I discover truth. Similar to my joy when, without my coaching, Ariel cocks her head to one side, smiles, and sweetly says, "Thank you!" when I've given her a piece of cheese or helped her with her shoes. It's hard to explain how the heart feels in these small moments. Most of the time I feel like I'm blundering my way through parenthood. I wish I had God's wisdom in teaching her things like He teaches me. I ask for it a lot. We'll see how He answers my prayer on the next season of parenthood...potty training! Ariel's big gift from us was a Turtle shaped potty. As soon as she unwrapped it, she sat on it with a huge smile and the whole room applauded. Tomorrow morning we'll see if she's as excited about riding the turtle as she was today :)