‘Tis the season … for Christmas Carolers to serenade us every night.
This was new for me and John, but here in the Philippines, kids and
young people go door to door, caroling and banging on tin cans and other
scrappy instruments, singing slightly off tune, a mixture of English
and Tagalog songs, and they keep singing until you give them pesos for
their efforts.
We are going to spend our Christmas on an island this year, so no White Christmas for us. It would be a miracle to have snow. I appreciate the warmth, and though it is humorous to hear festive songs of Christmas Cheer peppered with phrases such as ‘dashing through the snow,’ when all around me is green and the temperature is a balmy 80 degrees, I smile. I’ve got my love to keep me warm.
The Ehelers baked up a storm, making holiday cookies, gingerbread
men, and walnut tassies, all of which were decorated and wrapped in
pretty swathes of cellophane, complete with Christmas ribbon and a
greeting card. We gave out batches of the festive bounty to our local
Purok leader, Eddie, and his family, the Barungai Captian Paulo, the
midwives and interns at the Bennett Clinic, and then drove through SBMA –
Subic Freeport – and gave plates to the gate guards and the traffic
directors, caroling loudly as we passed and wishing them a Merry
Christmas. We even gave a package to our baristas at the Subic
Starbucks, where they know us by name.
John, John, and Jason have been welding whenever the power is up high enough to do so. The surges are intermittent, so it is touch and go, but they are steadily progressing. I have added a few new photos to our gallery, A Day in the Life, so please give them a glance if you have a chance. They are currently constructing a very multi-purposed structure on top of the CR on the second level – generously funded by some of our readers back home. Thank you – you know who you are. The unique building will be a home for Joks and Jen, MIA’s tricey driver and his spouse, a Filipina midwife at the Bennett Clinic. They have two boys, Jasper and Kenken, and are currently renting a small home on Bennett Road. This new home will give them a larger living space. It will be a one-bedroom apartment on top of the CR (bathroom), complete with a kitchen and living area. The square footage is roughly 400 square feet, with a loft above. The house they are renting is smaller and has a tiny bathroom, which cuts in their living area, and is windowless and dank. This new home will open up more room for their little family, and the bathroom is just a walk downstairs.
There is also a toolshed being built that is attached to the CR and extends along the base of the house, doubling as a retaining wall on the second level. Formed out of hollow block, cement, and rebar, it adds a new dimension to the multifaceted building. Once this structure is completed, the guys will start work on two more cubos to be used as waiting homes for Aeta families who are near their due-date, as our land is a half-way point from their village and the Bennett Clinic.
They are welding the frames of the houses because steel is cheaper than wood here, and tiny wood-boring beetles, called bok-bok, eat the wood. The steel, when it has been coated with primer, is just as durable, if not more so, and the frames are lighter. John says he is going to teach me to weld … we’ll see how that goes.
Our schedule is full, and January has already filled up for us. We are, as usual, keeping busy. It seems there is no end to the amount of projects that come our way. I will be taking a disaster preparedness class in January, from the 2-6th, taught by the Penwells. John and I are both in good health and are looking forward to celebrating my 22nd birthday in just a few days, and Christmas, as you are well aware, is just around the corner. We will be celebrating with the Ehelers and the midwives here at the Mercyland. May you keep Christ at the center as you gather together for the Christmas season. Love to you all, and blessings of Christ be yours!
originally published on December 15, 2011
We are going to spend our Christmas on an island this year, so no White Christmas for us. It would be a miracle to have snow. I appreciate the warmth, and though it is humorous to hear festive songs of Christmas Cheer peppered with phrases such as ‘dashing through the snow,’ when all around me is green and the temperature is a balmy 80 degrees, I smile. I’ve got my love to keep me warm.
John, John, and Jason have been welding whenever the power is up high enough to do so. The surges are intermittent, so it is touch and go, but they are steadily progressing. I have added a few new photos to our gallery, A Day in the Life, so please give them a glance if you have a chance. They are currently constructing a very multi-purposed structure on top of the CR on the second level – generously funded by some of our readers back home. Thank you – you know who you are. The unique building will be a home for Joks and Jen, MIA’s tricey driver and his spouse, a Filipina midwife at the Bennett Clinic. They have two boys, Jasper and Kenken, and are currently renting a small home on Bennett Road. This new home will give them a larger living space. It will be a one-bedroom apartment on top of the CR (bathroom), complete with a kitchen and living area. The square footage is roughly 400 square feet, with a loft above. The house they are renting is smaller and has a tiny bathroom, which cuts in their living area, and is windowless and dank. This new home will open up more room for their little family, and the bathroom is just a walk downstairs.
There is also a toolshed being built that is attached to the CR and extends along the base of the house, doubling as a retaining wall on the second level. Formed out of hollow block, cement, and rebar, it adds a new dimension to the multifaceted building. Once this structure is completed, the guys will start work on two more cubos to be used as waiting homes for Aeta families who are near their due-date, as our land is a half-way point from their village and the Bennett Clinic.
They are welding the frames of the houses because steel is cheaper than wood here, and tiny wood-boring beetles, called bok-bok, eat the wood. The steel, when it has been coated with primer, is just as durable, if not more so, and the frames are lighter. John says he is going to teach me to weld … we’ll see how that goes.
Our schedule is full, and January has already filled up for us. We are, as usual, keeping busy. It seems there is no end to the amount of projects that come our way. I will be taking a disaster preparedness class in January, from the 2-6th, taught by the Penwells. John and I are both in good health and are looking forward to celebrating my 22nd birthday in just a few days, and Christmas, as you are well aware, is just around the corner. We will be celebrating with the Ehelers and the midwives here at the Mercyland. May you keep Christ at the center as you gather together for the Christmas season. Love to you all, and blessings of Christ be yours!
originally published on December 15, 2011
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