Among the many things we are training Bruiser to do, playing kangaroo is by far the most impressive.
Bruiser has been at Darren’s parent’s house the past week because we both have been out of town. We are going down to Hemet tonight to pick him up! We missed the little guy.
One of my students showed me this website by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). It’s pretty cool. Check it out and play! Not only is rice being donated, but you are improving your vocabulary!
Melissa, you will love this!
I have more pictures, but I think you get the idea. We ended up moving all of our shoes from in front of the door. We thought it best for all parties involved that we just remove the temptation from him.
(Bruiser is now 10 weeks going on 11. He is getting bigger and heavier by the day.)
I just received another e-mail update again from a very trustworthy family friend (who is also a Medical Doctor). This aid effort is a very unique opportunity, because as you will read below, funds are distributed to churches and then the churches are helping their communities. Here is the update I received:
The first truckload of supplies from Ethnos Asia will move through Pa’an District across the Thai border and should reach Yangon in 2-3 days. All relief from here will go to churches for their distribution, with E.A. supervision. E.A. is blessed with adequate communication, so we can track the progress and try to be sure that we don’t ship a lot of stuff that will be confiscated! Also, E.A. has been able to deliver some funds, purchasing some roofing materials, food and mosquito nets where most needed. But prices there are rising rapidly as supplies dwindle.
At the moment I have enough medications to treat 2,500 persons for malaria, various forms of dysentery, diarrhea with dehydration, and infections, the most common life-threatening illnesses in this disaster situation. What I now have is about the maximum I can personally carry in. I hope to increase that to a supply of pharmaceuticals necessary for 10,000 persons, to be delivered by colleagues here (or on a subsequent trip if I must courier supplies myself).
Things are likely to move unpredictably here, so I may suddenly be out of access to e-mail or any other form of communication. Your continuing interest and prayers are appreciated. Contributions that probably have the best chance of any organization of actually getting 100% to reliable Christian workers can be sent to: INCOR, PO Box 531, Kent, WA, 98035.
I am sure that by now there are few who haven’t heard about the cyclone devestation in Burma (Myanmar) and the dire need there for aid. According to BBC News:
“Since the cyclone struck on 3 May, aid agencies already in the country have started relief efforts with supplies they had available and by buying from local sources. But they warn that supplies will run out unless more aid is allowed into the country. Christian Aid’s Burma expert Ray Hasan said: ‘Partners are telling that there are outbreaks of disease already. There is no time to lose.’
One of our close family friends made us aware of an opportunity to help in the relief efforts through donations. He is a very trustworthy man, and we have full confidence in his recommendation. He wrote the following in an e-mail earlier this week:
“If you would like to help I can guarantee that contributions through INCOR will have optimal effect with minimum delay, and will pass through Christian hands to the final beneficiaries. Contributions to INCOR, P.O. Box 531, Kent, WA, 98035-0531 will be forwarded 100% to Ethnos Asia and promptly onward to Christians in need inside Myanmar. Please just mark ‘Burma relief’ on the memo line of any contribution check, for which you will receive a tax-deduction receipt in January 2009.”
Disasters and epidemics, as horrific as they are, provide opportunities for Christians to be the hands and feet of Christ. And where one cannot physically go, they can always give.
Matthew 25:35-40
We had a girls’ night at Deb’s place in Fullerton this past weekend. I love her place; it’s super cute and has a lot of character! We had a lot of fun just catching up and reminiscing!
Deb and I were roomates in 2006 before I got married. She gradauated a semester early and I had just got back from China and was finished at CBU as well. One of my favorite memories with Deb was the morning of the night that Darren proposed to me. Darren had the whole day planned out starting with a romantic breakfast at my place. Of course, I invited Deb to join us, which was totally not unusual. I love that Deb was a part of our special day! It cracks me up how clueless both Deb and I were about the proposal.
These are many girls that I love dearly in one room! I am blessed with such wonderful friendships.
P.S. Look at Kim’s cute belly!
So we finally took the first step to having kids…we got a puppy! He is a handsome golden retriever with big paws. His name is Bruiser. We just brought him home yesterday and he is a little over 8 weeks old. Bruiser loves to play, sleep, pee everywhere and sleep. Oh the life of a puppy.
I just got finished with a class of about 25 mangy high schoolers. The thermostat read 86 degrees.
Mangy high schoolers +broken air con = No fun!!!
I love how God uses times like these to reveal the ugliness of my heart that is so easily hidden when everything is going good and I am comfortable. Being uncomfortable is not an excuse. Yet, God gently reminds me that I can choose my attitude and I’m accountable for that choice.
For those of you who may not know, Darren was born and raised in the Philippines (This little tidbit of information will help you see why this was such a momentous occasion)…
We were with our friends, Ryan and Sarah, the other day searching for a unique, hole-in-the-wall restaurant that none of us had been to before. We were driving down Mag and passed the point that we never drive past (Tyler). Sulu Grill and Video was spotted and we ended up checking it out. Wouldn’t ya know, it ended up being a Filipino restaurant. Darren had the biggest, school-boy grin on his face I have ever seen.
Darren ordered all the food for us and it was all really tasty, except the flaky, charred fish thing. Darren and Ryan were selfish and each ate a fish eye, which left Sarah and I without any. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the dessert, but before I had thought of it we were almost done with it. It was unlike anything I have ever seen. Did you know that Filipinos put weird things in their ice cream like beans and cheese?
Sulu Grill & Video: We will be back!
 | Deb on Free Rice |
 | juxtaposeevents on Shoe Fetish |
 | liz howeth on Shoe Fetish |
 | mimsies on Shoe Fetish |
 | Leslie B on Shoe Fetish |
