Good morning! How are things going for you? Here in Manila life is somewhat hectic-- this huge city always feels a bit like that for me. The traffic is incredible and there are more people than you can believe could occupy such a small area. Garry has been pretty busy at the government aviation offices, but we've also taken some time to take the boys to badminton and do a few fun things. We have another week here, but our schedule is quickly filling up.

The work at the government offices has been pretty complicated. They are going through some major changes and many things are very unclear at this point. We are praying that God directs the guys to the people who can help them accomplish the paperwork that they need to get done-- getting our new pilots mechanic licenses and also renewing the certification on our airplanes.

We're really enjoying our time with the 4 aviation families that are here. God is doing neat things in our team as we seek Him. We love the spirit on our team-- the desire to work together to bless the field through aviation and whatever other means we can.

The boys have been trying to do some school, but every time we travel I'm reminded how hard it is to fill your mind with information while experiencing life in a different context, living out of suitcases, and being out of routine. They've been playing quite a bit of badminton and have had some amazing opportunities in that. Kevin also had an interesting conversation with a doctor at the chiropractor's office-- the man was telling Kevin how all religions are the same, the Bible is unbelievable, etc. Kevin's answer-- "What do you have to say about the power of God to change lives?"

Happy Birthday, Kaleb! It's been fun to be back in Palawan and we're enjoying celebrating Kaleb's birthday here... and no, no photos yet!

It's wonderful to be back at our old home... yet it has its moments. There are so many things we want to do, and yet each one has a bit of the old and a bit of new involved in it. Garry's been at the hangar a bit with Ben and they've had lots of time plan and brain storm besides "business" meetings as couples. Well, we have accomplished a lot-- and we have enjoyed catching up on one another's lives!

Kaleb is enjoying playing with Ty. Kevin is enjoying seeing his badminton friends a little, though he hasn't gotten many good games yet. Kevin's trainer is mostly the same, but he's busy. We had dinner last night with friends that worked in a remote location when we lived here-- and now they're settled here in town and we're visiting. I am looking forward to getting together with my Palawan prayer partner tomorrow. I'm anticipating coffee with a couple of friends. Lots of places still look the same, but there are a lot of new places also. Thursday evening we plan to have dinner at our old house, where good friends now live. "...You gotta face the clouds to find the silver linin'..." Yes, life often feels a bit like that.

Good afternoon! We are LOVING the rain here in Mindanao! It's been raining nearly every afternoon for the past week, cooling things down a lot and allowing us to have power more often. I remember earlier in the year when I was very tired of the rain because I missed the sunshine.... but for now, I'm enjoying it.

We came home Monday after an amazing weekend away-- white beach, nice pool, and a JET SKI! Ok, so the jet ski was only half an hour, but just Kevin had enough fun to make it worth the rental:). We didn't go very far from home, so it wasn't a big deal to go away. Mostly we just swam, relaxed, read, and enjoyed being together as a family. Thank you, Jesus!

This is a "get ready" week... get ready to head to Palawan and Manila. We are looking forward to some time with Ben & Suzy and other friends in Palawan. Garry is preparing quite a bit of stuff for the trip and I'm working on putting in a solid week of school with the boys and getting things organized to go. Since we'll cook for ourselves in Palawan today we cooked and shredded some chicken and also made some extra tortillas.

Tomorrow, Thursday, Elias and his family head for Germany. Pray for safe and uneventful flights for them as well as strength. We are excited to hear the good news from the doctors in Germany!

Brian is doing a bit of flying this week, so Bailey has been monitoring the radio from here at our house. It's been good to have a bit more time together again!

It seems that nearly every day I have a plan for a post, but none of them get written. One was going to start, "Today Zoila left..." and another "Sometimes you'd like to just take a LONG trip anywhere..." and another "We said goodbye to Richard & Carmen..." or "Little baby Pruett finally arrived!" and one more was destined to be, "I really should wash my curtains..."

But having come up with all those posts, today I'm not quite sure what to say. We are getting back into a school routine this week, and it feels pretty good to all of us. We had a great week with Brian and Katherine and their family, though we would have enjoyed far more time with them. We are trusting G

od with them for His perfect time for the helicopter to ship from Arizona to here and to begin providing flight service for our missionaries.

An update on Elias: the family left here on Thursday and plans to spend the next week in Manila before heading to Germany. Elias is worried about having to go back to the doctor once they arrive in Germany. Amazingly enough, his biggest fear is another needle-- I think he's a bit young to comprehend that he's been through brain surgery! It looks like he'll need therapy to help him regain use of his right side, but beyond that nobody knows what will happen next. We are praying in faith for total healing for the little guy-- that his MRI would be clear and no further treatment be necessary.

Tomorrow we are headed to the city! We're actually going to the beach for a couple of nights. The past weeks have been really intense for us and for the boys, and we're looking forward to some swimming, sleeping in, and walking on the beach!

In just over a week we head to Palawan and then Manila. We're looking forward to some time with all our partners, catching up on their lives, talking program business, and making some plans for the future. God has given Kevin and Kaleb an incredible gift-- they can enter two badminton tournaments while we're traveling! This is a special gift to two boys who would just as soon stay home, all things being equal.