...and all that jazz...

There have been so many things running through my mind lately that I have wanted to share, but it seems that time has managed to get away from me in that area. I am going to attempt to be a bit organized in this post so bear with me!

Full Sentences:

God gave me the understanding and the courage to finally speak a full sentence in Tagalog in front of a group of people! What Joy! The best part about it was that I totally surprised Paul with it at the birthday lunch on Friday...the look on his face was priceless!

Sunday Praise:

Paul drove into Manila Saturday evening so that he could have the opportunity to preach at the newest church plant in Cavite City Sunday morning. He called with the results and they had 30 in attendance and 10 visitors accepted the Lord as their Savior! What a blessed day! The church recently had to re-locate; please be in prayer for them, the place is smaller, but has land for building in the future! The kids & I were at the house "transportation-less" so we decided to have a praise day. We took God up on His word when He said that where 2 or more are gathered, He will be in the midst of them...He was here and we had a wonderful time. Rachel insisted that we take up the offering and made sure we had an activity and a snack...one day she will be a wonderful pastor's wife I think! Jonah remained true to himself and had a hard time sitting long enough for the story. Maybe he will make a good preacher so that he can be the one speaking! LOL

Help!:

We have received confirmation of our sweet friend coming for a long stay. Karissa will be staying with us from the end of February until the end of May! We could not be more excited for the help, but are most excited for what God will show her while she's here. We would ask that you would join in praying for her during this time, but also for mom & dad who will send their youngest half way across the globe that day! {Love ya'll!}

Sunday night terror:

Ok, this is really not so bad, but since I haven't shared any critter stories in a while, I thought you might get a kick out of this one. Last night I am sitting in the office alone...it was late and quiet until...Until I hear this crazy sound {why is it that sounds are worse when you're alone?} coming from the patio area. Crackles...banging...scratching! My first thought was that maybe there was a rat digging through the trash can...we had to get a locking lid because they were actually taking the lid off to get to the trash, so this would not be a surprise. Well, I moved into the bedroom to see clearer, you would have just laughed to see me peeking through the curtain with the bedroom light off...ridiculous! No rat!?! Where was that noise coming from then? The kitchen? I went out the door {softly, quietly so as not to scare whatever it was} tip-toed around the corner thinking maybe the rat was up on the counter feasting on my late night snack {bag of chips}. No rat!?! What was that crazy noise that now had my heart pumping? Oh, good grief! It was only the dogs eating! The sound from them chasing their loose food around the inside of their metal bowls and the bowls banging against the wall of the house was echoing through the patio area! What a relief! Heart be still...much laughing at self!

Monday Mystery:

Ok, here's where the actual critter comes into play. After my excitement searching for strange sounds, I went into the kitchen for a drink before bed; low & behold, there was a little rat stuck on a glue trap {I had just laid it out a few hours earlier}. I tried to ignore the sad struggle; I figured I had had enough drama already, so I went on to bed! [BTW: I dreamed of rats last night!] This morning I went into the kitchen to start breakfast & peeked beside the stove to see if the little guy had given up the fight....NO RAT! NO TRAP! I thought maybe he was a strong one & had maybe dragged the trap as far as he could before getting free, so I checked the hallway, under the cabinets, but nothing! Where in the world is the rat, but the bigger question is where is the trap? If anyone out there has an answer for that one...I would love to hear it!

That's all folks...For now, I believe that I have shared all the latest news in our part of the world...the good, the bad, and the weird! That about sums up our life in just a few words! No wait, there is another word....Blessed! In all of what is handed to us, I can honestly say that we are most blessed! **Thank you Lord, I wouldn't trade this life for any other...thank you for the contentment!