Preschool...Round 2!

Yes, another school year has begun, and with it, all the fun and rain that generally accompany the start of a new year. I'm currently writing on our second “rain day” (like snow days, but warmer), and much of Manila is underwater with flooding. One news report said 60% of the city is flooded – yikes! The last two mornings we've gotten the alert at 4am that school will be closed due to rain. Fortunately for us, our house is in a subdivision that is sort of “uphill”, and my house actually stands about six feet above the road. So far in this storm, which has dumped rain steadily over the past 36+ hours, the water, electricity, and even internet have continued working. But, while we are safe and dry, I can't help but think of and pray for so many in this city who have no shelter and no place to go when this kind of weather hits. Please pray for the rain to stop and for the water to recede quickly.

In school news, our first two (and a bit) weeks have gone quite well. My two preschool classes are full, with 15 four year olds and 12 three year olds. We've spent our first days together learning the procedures of the classroom, and how to use our materials. When we started school last year, I'd put out all the materials, not thinking how important it would be to teach their use. This year, our shelves started fairly bare, and lessons began on using glue, water colors, markers, etc. I've done a big push in name recognition, so many of our activities have included the students' names.

Last Friday's fun included a fire drill at 8 am. Of course, it was a day with the three year olds, who have only had five days of school and haven't yet mastered walking in a line. During the fire drill, we had to keep all the kids together as we headed to the playground, surrounded by the entirety of the elementary division (152 kids), and then joined by the entire high school body as well. It was definitely a bit stressful, with 2/3 of the school watching us try to herd the cats...er, preschoolers down the stairs to sit on a line, all with the alarm continuing to ring in our ears. We made it though!

Here's hoping the rains are stopping and that we're back to school tomorrow. Never thought I'd say that!

Climbing a Volcano

One of the big tourist attractions near Manila is Taal, an active little volcano about 3 hours from my house. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Volcano). I've driven by it and seen the view from nearby ridges, but had never been on the adventure to climb to the top. The whole concept of Taal is a bit funny...there's a lake in the volcano, which is IN a lake, on an island, in the ocean.

The view from the top!

In June, my friend Mark and some of the young adults from his church in Ohio came back to Manila on their 5th annual Pour Out Love mission trip. Daniel and I were invited to join them for their team day, which included a trip up the aforementioned volcano. I figured Daniel would be old enough this year to make the climb, so we hopped in the car early on a Friday morning and headed south!

After a bit of a drive, we headed down the mountain, heading for the boats that would take us across for the climb. The boat ride across was pretty quick, and then we payed our fees, borrowed some hats (the climb is in FULL sun most of the way) and started our journey up.

Boys in hats

For the first 45 minutes, things were going ok. The guys took the lead, charging their way up and out of sight. A few of the girls hung back with me and the kiddo, as his short legs and my physical state meant we would not be the ones winning this race! All along the way were two youngish Filipino guys behind us on horses, trying to get us to ride a horse (for a significant fee, of course!). Every two minutes, the one kept repeating, "Very steep, very far.". It was VERY annoying, to the point that after saying no thank you a number of times,  I finally turned around and told him to leave us alone.

Of course, then the path actually DID get very steep, and I realized how far we were actually meant to walk. I sent the team on ahead, as Daniel was having a bit of a meltdown and I wasn't sure we would make the whole trek. After a bit we decided to push on, and then we met Raul (or Ruel...can't remember which!). He had two horses that were carrying some recycle-ables (sp?) down the mountain, and I convinced him to take us UP the mountain on one of the horses for a small fee (less than the annoying guys from before). He was super sweet, and we chatted in broken English for the next ten minutes on our way up.

Once we made it to the top and reunited with our friends, I discovered why people bother to hike up there. The view is stunning!

After some coconut juice and lots of photo opportunities we headed back down. Definitely a much easier way to go, though my knees were a bit sore afterwards. Once we were back at the car, we continued our adventure by going snorkeling and cooling down in the ocean.

Daniel's buddies: Evan, Kurt, & Kiel

The snorkelers

Contemplating life as a fish

The day involved something like 8-10 hours of driving (with a bit of getting lost on the way home), but it was definitely fun with some really great people! I'm a pretty big fan of Team Ohio - they are always a blessing to me and other missionaries, but especially to the various ministries they work with while they are here.

Keeping Busy in June

What else have we been up to? Well...

Daniel worked on his metal statue and tree climbing skills...

We hung out with some cool bird friends... (I recently discovered groupon & metrodeal, so we've gotten some good bargains for local zoos)

Heading to Cartimar included a train ride (hoorah!) and friends. Cartimar is a huge pet market in Manila. When I've gone before, I found some interesting "exotic" pets, but not quite as many this time. We did find some sharks though!

Daniel was invited to the advanced gymnastic class, which started in June. Its definitely more intensive with the gymnastic skills, but he's still having a fun time and its great to look forward to this as a weekly summer activity.

A nearby mall has some carnival-type rides in the parking lot. We've stopped a few times, and the rides were supposed to be gone at the start of June. Alas, they remain and keep adding new rides, so we stopped this week for the carousel.

That's about all around here at the moment. More to come soon!

Bike Riding

While there are definitely some things to accomplish work-wise on my agenda this summer, that does not necessarily translate into "Oooh fun!" for Daniel. So in order to keep from watching endless hours of tv or griping at each other for whatever reason, I've been trying to figure out at least one activity/out of the house thing each day.

On our second Saturday, Daniel pretty much mastered riding a two-wheeler. This has been a great large motor activity to occupy our mornings, as the pool and playground at school are closed for summer repairs.

A bamboo history museum disguised as a flag in a park we found one afternoon.

 

 

Here's the first day and then a week later. Still working on the brake thing!

So far in June...and Court!

May 31 was our last day of the Faith Academy school year. We said goodbye to our preschool classes and then prepared for many other goodbyes in the coming days. This year we have had to say goodbye to some special people in our lives...its been a tough few days.

We headed out one evening last week with some friends as a thank you (from me) for watching Daniel after school all year. It was also a fun night out to say goodbye to some of our besties - the Quick family.

Our first stop was SlappyCakes, a new-to-us restaurant in Eastwood City, not too far from home. 

The big draw? Make-your-own pancakes, with an electric griddle in the middle of the table. Buy some bottles of batter, toppings and mix-ins and you're ready to go! Kids had a great time (the adults did too!).

Next we moved on to bowling. Hurrah for bumper lanes and excited kiddos! 

The fab three. So bummed they won't all be together this year...or the next...or the next. Being a missionary kid stinks sometime, especially when your parents and their friends are not all on the same furlough schedule.

One June 13, Daniel and I headed to the courthouse for our first (FINALLY!!!) court appointment. We were super blessed to be first on the docket. Unfortunately, we had to wait nearly an hour past start time before the judge even showed up. All 26 cases were announced, with lawyers popping up each time to give appropriate statements. After about 15 minutes of that, our case was presented. Our lawyer read a list of submitted documents, Daniel and I stood up, I signed a paper, we heard our next dates assigned...and onto case number 2! All of it took less than five minutes. Our next court date is Sept. 5, and then number three will be on Oct. 10. I'm hoping we will actually be finished with court at the end of the Oct 10 date. 

Thanks for all your prayers and support. I'm hoping to send a few more formal letters later in the summer, but if anyone wanted to join our financial & prayer support team, please check out the link on the right side. Its super easy to give online! 

Love,

Kim & Daniel

The Quotable Kid...

Daniel (In the car):  Mom, I'm going to talk to myself now.

Silence...

Me: Did you say anything to yourself?
Daniel: Yes!
Me: But I didn't hear you.
Daniel: I was talking to MYSELF!
Me: Well, what did you say?
Daniel: I can't tell you. It's a secret.

It's Hot...a poetic reflection on April & May in the PI

It's Hot  

It's hot! 

I can't get cool, 

I've drunk a quart of lemonade. 

I think I'll take my shoes off 

And sit around in the shade.

It's hot! 

My back is sticky, 

The sweat rolls down my chin.

I think I'll take my clothes off 

and sit around in my skin. 

It's hot!

I've tried with 'lectric fans 

And pools and ice cream cones. 

I think I'll take my skin off 

And sit around in my bones. 

It's still hot! 

-by Shel Silverstein

BIG DAY #1

Just a little update to let all you pray-ers out there know that June 13 will be our first court date for our adoption case. Unfortunately, I have a judge who traditionally processes cases very slowly, but the upside is she is pro-adoption and there shouldn't be any reason for the case to be held up or denied. Please pray that June 13 will be a very positive day all around, as we meet the judge and present our paper work. Pray for my nerves, as I've never actually been in a court room (that I can remember, anyway), and for Daniel and I as a family to make a great first impression on the judge.

Additionally, we are about to enter our last month of the school year. We've had a number of preschoolers leave early because of family plans/furloughs, so our numbers are low. Fear not though, excitement is still high, as the kids continue to learn, play, and mature. It is so fun to compare friendships, play choices, and the general feeling of each day to what it was like at the beginning of the year. These kids are really growing up! I will be very sad to pass on our older group to kindergarten next year, as they have been a delight. I look forward to our younger group moving up and to be able to continue to see growth and change in each of their little lives next year.

In PE, we have just finished one of four weeks of our second swimming unit. It really is my favorite unit to teach, because I love the water and love instilling that into the kids. It helps too, that its HOT season and its a great way to cool off! We do have a few that are quite nervous in the pool, so please pray that they would be comfortable enough to relax and learn some of the skills I am teaching. Most of our students love to learn in the pool and make things easy.

hanging out with some new friends

 

Best buddies: Daniel, Trina & Ezra

Meeting some of the "locals" (a carabao) at a recent fair.

Anyone looking for something to do this summer? We'd love some visitors! Come experience the beauty of the Philippines, the islands and it's people!

How can I be praying for you? Please email and let me know! Audblsmile@aol.com