Our house is for sale! Actually, it isn't that exciting to know this place could be sold and we'd have to move-- again! But we are trusting God to work things out according to His plan. The owners need to sell the house, so we are praying it sells quickly (to avoid too many showings) for a possession date of September or later. Pray with us as God brings it to mind!

This weekend the boys are in another badminton tournament, so the weekend promises to be plenty busy. It's an adult tournament, which should provide some unique challenges and unique fun.

I finally did get the better of that cold, though it has left me a bit tired. Or maybe I was tired before I got it, but at any rate I've been trying to slow down a bit.... it's helping! I was blessed by several friends who brought lunch or took us out this week and by my hubby who is always ready to do something to make life a bit easier.

This week we were also able to go to a travel clinic that specializes in diseases normally found in foreign countries. We were impressed with the doctor who took care of us and are doing some further testing and starting on some medication for different things we picked up. On the way home we stopped for a coffee and I won a free coffee when I rolled up my rim... pretty cool, since that was my first coffee since they started that promo!

This morning we went to the library and enjoyed browsing around the shelves for a short while. It's just incredible to have access to so many books! The boys have been researching different things as well as enjoying some great fiction over the past weeks.

Garry is working in the city today and the boys and I are enjoying a quiet day at home. I caught a rather nasty cold this weekend and I'm trying to get the better of it. A friend just called and offered to bring some lunch by-- what a blessing! The boys are busy skating in the ditch across the road, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to go take some pictures to post!

Sometimes I feel lost....Swamped by the options. Humbled by the generosity. Lost in the open spaces and clear skies. Drowned by the choices. Amazed by the affluence. Overwhelmed by the opportunities. Intrigued by the constant push forward. Perplexed at the independence.... yes, lost.

You see, moving around as we have we no longer really "belong" either here or there. Coming "home" brings so many new experiences and new decisions. Our passion is hard to communicate in a world that seems foreign. We see our boys learning a million things about life here, yet they're only barely touching the surface.

Yet when we are "home" in the Philippines we are truly foreigners-- working on the outskirts of society in many ways. Isolated by our differences and welcomed because of our novelty. Forever standing out in a crowd.

And to think that we've been here for over 2 months! The number of ways we've settled in amazes me... and the number or ways we have yet to settle sometimes overwhelms me. Yet we are so blessed by our situation. It reminds us that one day we'll make a move that will require no adjustments or changes!

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon at our house, so thought I'd check in here. I've got a nasty cold and spent the morning trying to sleep it away. It isn't quite gone yet, but I do feel MUCH better! Then we went to Brenda's house for lunch-- she's amazing at making great Sunday lunches! Today it was beef stew and salad. And some amazing chocolate muffins with cream cheese filling for dessert... not telling how many of those Kevin enjoyed!

This is another of Kevin's carvings... a bird he hasn't added feet to yet, so he/she has to stay propped at all times. He's pretty incredible with his carving knife!

Garry's trip up north was amazing! He was so blessed by the people up there and so encouraged by so many different things. One thing we've been talking about lots since he got home is that God longs to bless us and pour out his love and grace on our lives. Yet when we try to "make life work" on our own, we stop Him from blessing us. He wants to be everything!

This week Garry has also spent a fair amount of time on Philippines stuff. Things seem to be coming together on many different fronts, something we are incredibly thankful for!

Kaleb is outside working on a snow fort and Kevin is waiting to get on the computer when I get done. I should really go boil some eggs for supper, so I'll close for now... I'm making a traditional Mennonite faspa, I think.... or maybe it only seems traditional to me!

This afternoon I got my blogger report and realized that some of you faithful ones are checking for updates. I really do intend to keep blogging while we are in Canada, though I haven't been very faithful to this point. Life, however, is beginning to fall into a semi-normal routine and I trust I will do better at keeping our blog up-to-date. So please, keep checking back!

Kevin and Kaleb have started carving with their grandpa. They're enjoying the opportunity to learn a new skill and spend time with Grandpa. Kevin made me this cowboy boot for my birthday. I'm pretty impressed! Kaleb is working on bird now and Kevin's busy with a polar bear.

This weekend Garry is up north with several other EMC missionaries. Several of the churches are having their missions conferences this weekend and Garry was glad to be able to participate. He called for a short chat last evening and it sounds like the trip is going well. I'm excited to hear the rest of what God has been doing this weekend when he gets home!

While Garry was gone the boys and I enjoyed junk food-- pizza, Pepsi, sandwiches, hotdogs. We thought maybe we should eat all the things Garry can't eat while he's gone so at least he doesn't have to suffer through watching us enjoy them. Between eating we've been busy relaxing, playing games, and spending time with family.

Kaleb had his first sledding accident since I last wrote-- he came down the hill the boys made in our front yard and his face was the first thing to contact the ice. He had a pretty good black eye for a day or two! It hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for sledding at all.

This past week Garry spent a lot of time on e-mail and the telephone with people from the Philippines. Several different things have come up that needed his attention as we look to the future of the flight program in the Philippines. He's been encouraged by his interactions over the past week and we continue to pray that God would lead clearly as we make plans for the future.

I thought you might enjoy this short video of the birthday gift Kaleb made for me-- a homemade gumball machine... which actually dispenses grapes instead of gumballs because they are more readily available in our house!