Creativity

Most cultures have some kind of native handicraft, like weaving, pottery, or woodcarving.  When I am asked about the handicraft from my country, I usually say that quilting is one of  the favorites.  I have done a little quilting in my time, not much.  But living in the tropics, we don't have much use for quilts, so my skills have languished.  Last year I got inspired to try making some quilted handbags.

I had so much fun with it! I can usually finish a bag in a few days--that's much better for me than starting into a project that will take months to complete! I have a lot of pieces of fabric that were given to me by our students. And, since we travel more often these days to visit our graduates in their ministries, I have been taking the opportunity to buy some small pieces of cloth from various countries.

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Last year I decided to make a special bag for each of my two discipleship group members who were graduating. It was really a hit, so I am doing it again this year. The pieces of fabric come from all of the countries where our group members come from. 

Most of our students stay for three years, and there is some turnover in the discipleship group each year, so by the time they graduate they have been "group-mates" with people from many different countries. The squares in this bag come from (left to right) Bangladesh, Nepal, U.S., Korea, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Pakistan and China.

I will be giving this bag away in about two weeks (and another one just like it that is not finished yet).  I'm sure they'll cry--but they will be happy tears!  I am glad to have discovered this way to bring together my culture and theirs.  It may look like a strange combination to some -- but to us it's a precious blend.

33 Years

Every year, during our IGSL Family Retreat, our celebration comes.  In the midst of 300 happy campers in a big dining room at the retreat center/camp, the three of us pull away by ourselves and  have lunch together, and remember the day we arrived in the Philippines.  We were all young and single and excited . . . and pretty clueless about what lay ahead.  Now we are old and married and still excited and hopefully not entirely clueless.  Last week, we did it again. Ron and James and I shared memories of the olden days, and thanked God for 33 years in the Philippines.  We are SO privileged to be here!

A Wonderful Way to Spend the Holidays

We spent our Christmas vacation enjoying Jim and Michelle and their two little boys!  What a precious gift from God -- we were so happy, and enjoyed every minute.  They left Sunday night to begin their ministry with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea.  They will be there for a five-year term, but we are determined to visit them sometime in the next year or so.  After enjoying this two and a half week visit, there is no way we can wait five years to see them again!

Danny turned two years old the day after they arrived.  He is really a talker, and kept us engaged non-stop with his sweet and entertaining conversations.

Baby Joshua turned two months old the day after they arrived.  He is a smiler and always rewarded us with grins and gurgles when we played with him.  He loved being held, and Grandma and Grandpa were happy to oblige.  After they reach PNG, Michelle will have to deal with fact that we have totally spoiled him!

Our babies (and Jim and Michelle too), we miss you like crazy already!  But we believe you are where God wants you to be.  We know that there are kids and parents and grandparents in PNG who will all be together in heaven because you are being faithful to help provide God's Word in their language.  So go with God, dear ones!  We are smiling through our tears.