Jonah...

Jonah is just something else...poor guy, all he wants out of life is to have a little fun & here we come and mess up his plan by bringing in situations like school, bedtime, church, etc where he has to put a lid on his energy...well, just like when you try to put a lid on a soda, with enough shaking, that soda is going to explode!

This morning, during church service, Paul was preaching a message and Jonah was doing his normal job of trying his best to have fun while having to also sit still and be quiet. (Not usually a task that is accomplished, but we try)~~commense the "shaking"~~In the middle of the message, Paul was giving Biblical examples of men and the condition of their hearts (Paul, Moses, Jesus, David, etc) and then he came to Jonah...the point to be made was that Jonah's heart was selfish and was not willing to be moved because of his hatred for the Ninevite people, so Paul is giving a brief overview of Jonah:

• Paul: "Where did God tell Jonah to go?"
• Congregation: "Ninevah"
• Paul: "But where is Jonah?"
• Jonah:(very loudly) "I'm right here"! *while also waving his hands at his daddy so that he would be sure to see him as well!

The congregation was roaring and it even took a minute for Paul to regain his composure after Jonah's proud announcement. ~~Explosion~~

God, thank you for my little man...thank you for the unexpected laughter he brings into our days. I know that you have a special plan for his life and I cannot wait to see how You are going to channel all his energy! Maybe that's why You made Him that way...He may just turn this world upside-down for Your glory! Lord let it be!

A Living Legacy...

This week the kids received their very first "care packages" from the states. As most of you know, they have each had their birthdays this summer and the packages were sent to help them celebrate. They were so excited! The boxes were made from Orange Juice containers and wrapped in brown paper, but you would have thought they were wrapped in gold...their faces were so sweet. They got everything from toys to Kool-Aide to fingernail polish to candy and let me tell you, we immediately had an order to have the Kool-Aide for dinner...Jared also requested that he be able to take his mac & cheese for lunch the next day! Success...the kids felt loved and cared for. Happiness! That is the best word to describe their feelings. Humbled! That is the best way to describe what I was feeling.

Central Baptist Church~Tyler, Tx; we are blessed by the ministry of this church...but here's what's the best part...my husband also received packages from this same church over 25 yrs ago! What a legacy! The hearts of the people there and their attention to those serving on foriegn fields is amazing and we are grateful to be a part of their ministry!

Searching...

For about 6 mths now we have been looking for a better alternative to posting pictures for public viewing. We want something that is easy to use (download, etc) and easy to view (thumbnails, etc). I originally chose to stick with slide.com because that viewer was popular to myspace (that is where all this "sickness" began) and I was familiar with it and knew how to get around their site easily...I like the way that slide.com is user friendly, however, I do not like that the pictures are all on a slide...you cannot view the individual pictures, use them for publishing, etc. So...the search was on. Just recently, Paul's parents were looking for a good blog server, so they were exploring the numerous possibilities on the web, through friends, etc and came across a server called multiply.com. We like the capabilities there so well that we have chosen to switch over to their site instead of both blogspot.com and slide.com. Now we can post pictures in the quality and functionality that we were looking for & because the site has a blog option, we can continue to keep in touch...it's just all in the same venue now! So...I am announcing that this blogspot will no longer be posted to, rather, you can check out our blogs and new pics at http://eberts4missions.multiply.com. The site still needs a little customizing, but I have already posted 4th of July pictures and pictures of a fun "photo-shoot" with our beautiful princess Sarah. Check it out & have fun! Thank you for your patience!!!!

Big Mommy...

This afternoon found Jonah and mommy outside playing and then a little "swing-time" together. While we were swinging, I was in one swing & I has started Jonah in the swing next to me. As we are swinging, I'm reminding him to move his legs "Out and in, out and in". He was doing a great job, so I said "You're doing a good job swinging Jonah"; to which he replied, "You are doing a good job too mommy". I had to continue..."I'm a big girl!" Jonah had another opinion..."NO, you're a big mommy!"

He cracks me up most of the time...Praise the Lord for a little laughter in the middle of our days!

New predators...

I have had several people email & ask about the rat(s) and if there are any other signs of their existence here at the house. Well, what I have recently found out is that the problem has, indeed, NOT been resolved, but rather, now that it's rainy season, it has increased!!!!! My mother-in-law has so wonderfully informed me that the glue traps need to stay out consistently now that the rain is here because they will enter the house seeking shelter from the storms. Oh Joy! I can't even tell you how excited I am about that! (not!)

For those of you who just love the "evidence" of this fact, I am going to tell you about 2 rats that we found recently: One evening around 10-11 pm, we heard this horrible banging sound from our bedroom, so I ran out to see what picture or shelf had fallen off the wall or which child had fallen out of bed, etc. Paul's dad ran out of his room wondering what in the world we could be doing in the house that would be making such a racket...after much searching and total confusion, then it hits us...there had been a rat heard down in the wall, so we had previously placed some glue boards up in the ceiling to try & catch it up there. Come morning, we sent a worker up to check the trap & sure enough, we caught a BIG one! The racket had been him jumping around trying to get off the trap and the glue board was banging the floor each time he moved. (gives me the heebie jeebies!) The other time was when we returned from our trip to Manila and while combing Sarah's hair for school the next morning, Jared walks into my room with his hand behind his back saying, "Guess what we did while you were gone". He then proceeds to pull out the following to show me that they had, in fact, caught another rat & that "...we killed it mom, it was so cool..."! Nice!

I have been waiting to download pictures to tell the story of the "new predator" we found hanging around, so here goes...Paul went down to the camp office one morning back in mid June and shortly after he was there, he calls & says for me to send Jared & Sarah down on their bikes because he had something really cool to show them. Off they went...they were so excited. When they returned home, they were even more excited than they were when they left. One of our "neighbors" had been down fishing in the small lake the evening before & had found a 7 foot python. He killed it & gave it to one of the camp workers the next morning wanting to inform them of his find. Paul had called the kids down to see it & they thought it was the coolest thing they had ever seen....I, on the other hand, do not like the idea of that snake (or any snake for that matter) being that close to my house! (about 1/4 mile) Just after lunch, we were preparing for Sarah's birthday in the camp kitchen, so I went over to the garage to take a picture of this thing. I hate to tell you, but I only have a picture of his head because the camp workers had eaten the snake for lunch that day!!!! I told them that they can eat all the snakes they want as long as they keep them away from my house! Can I get an "amen" to that one!?!

I have to tell you that I just crack up at the interest many have had over our little rat sagas, but to be honest with you, it is truly a blessing to me to be able to share the events of a normal day with you all. It makes me feel so connected to family and friends...it makes me feel that maybe I'm not out here alone, but that I have brought each of you here with me through my stories! Thank you for your interest in our lives...and thank you for your prayers! Much love to you all!

Stars and Stripes Forever!

This past week America celebrated yet another year of her Independence...the remembrance of the day when those great, courageous men signed the Declaration...giving us our freedom that we so greatly benefit from day after day...How often we take this occasion for granted! This past week would also mark the first of many "4ths" for us to spend in a different country, it caused me to stop & think of times past...thanks be to our Lord that we have had the opportunity to come from such a country...a country who's main values were founded on the Word of God, and a country that is, still, a "sending" country. It is because of those freedoms that we are able to be here in the Philippines...thank you!

God is so good...we were invited to spend an evening with a couple of other BBFI missionaries here; I have since learned to accept them as our new family! We had such a wonderful time...we ate grilled hamburgers and hot dogs with potato salad, and, yes, even the apple pie! We also had husbands and daddies to help illuminate our night with some fun fireworks. Granted, we celebrated on the 5th here, but it was good ol' 4th of July in our hearts! The kids made some good new "American" friends and had such a blast. The kids and I got together the night before and made "red, white, and blue/stars & stripes" T-shirts so that they would be in proper attire and then set out to make red, white, and blue star cookies for the next evening's dessert...what

fun!

I have included our family pic from our evening together, the others will be posted as a slide show...and for those of you who asked, pay close attention to the "new do"! Hope you all had a great holiday back in the good ol' US of A! Love to all!

Benefits...

Ok, so I've been away from my WONDERFUL hairdresser for a total of 3.5 months now and let's just say that I have been way over due for a good haircut. Not to mention the fact that with the new humidity-stricken atmosphere, I was needing a little "thinning" out before people started to mistake me for someone out of the mid-80's...don't get me wrong, I'm from Texas, and I can tell you that once upon a time, I had the big hair, but today, that style is just not gonna cut it! Last week I was able to ride into Manila with Paul and while he was teaching in the afternoon, I spent the day at the MegaMall!!!! There were several items on my list for the house, the kids, school, etc, but once the list was complete, I was on the search for a hairstylist!

I definately believe that salon prices are top on the "fringe benefits" list of being in another country. Here's how it all turned out:

• Haircut & style...including a head, neck, and back massage ...P280
• Eyebrow wax & thredding (that's a whole other story) ...P225
• Grand total in US dollars ...$10.95
• Shorter, cooler new haircut~below budgeted cost ...Priceless!!!!

I think it's wonderful that God chooses to bless even in the small things like haircuts...thank you for letting me share the excitement of my little blessing with you!