Garry's back in the air again this morning, and I'm sitting by the radio. I'm doing radio because Missy is hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner this afternoon. She's pretty ambitious to have 30 people over for dinner and we're looking forward to hanging out and good food!

After a lot of delays, it seems that the guys are almost done checkout flying. Garry said the weather is perfect this morning and Joel's gotten a lot of practice already. Next week he'll be back at this location to bring the missionaries to town. Each step of the checkout journey is amazing... seeing people become proficient at the ministry God has called them to is incredibly rewarding as well as fun!

Kevin and Kaleb just texted that they are headed out for a bike ride. I think they're quite thankful for a Saturday:). And a friend just stopped by the radio room with a beautiful cup of coffee, so I think I'll close for now and enjoy a chat with her!

Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends!

A list of things I'm thankful for would be far too long for this post as would be a list of people I'm thankful for. As I ponder life today I realize I am incredibly blessed and I am grateful for that. Thank you for the blessing YOU are in my life!

We are celebrating American Thanksgiving with some friends here this evening.... we're looking forward to some amazing food and a great time with Bob & Nancy and their kids! Their son Richard and our boys are great friends, which is a particular blessing after all the years that Kevin didn't have anybody around that was close to his age.

Garry and Joel went flying this morning, completing the second phase of checkout at one of our airstrips (yes, this is the flight that they planned to do on Tuesday). The boys and I did school and are very thankful to be done for the week.

BTW, I did bake cookies on Tuesday. And it was fun!

Garry and Joel headed out to the hangar under sunny skies this morning, but unfortunately the skies at their proposed destination looked quite different than they did here. They loaded the airplane, did some practice at our home strip, worked on a few projects, and now they're headed home in time for lunch. Tomorrow they'll try again.

I went out with a couple of friends for breakfast this morning. I love these women who challenge and inspire me. I love hearing their perspective and knowing I'm in a safe place. This morning was a bit sad because it was a goodbye of sorts for Judy, who leaves the country next week. I guess that constantly saying goodbye is one of the hazards of our calling.

The boys finished school in record time, and I'm considering baking cookies just for the fun of it. I should do something that has some holiday to it, but Kevin wants chocolate chip cookies this time. Kaleb is voting for another batch of peanut cookies, but we just finished the last ones, so I think Kevin will win this time.

This morning Garry went flying, so the boys and I did school. Garry and Joel were able to do a lot of flying at the last airstrip that Joel needs checked out on! (This is where they did all the work on the airstrip a couple of weeks ago, and the guys were waiting for the dirt to settle a bit before going in there.)

The flight was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was delayed by some issues with the airplane and then poor weather. When a flight is delayed multiple times it feels even better to get it done!

It's raining again this afternoon, which makes me doubly thankful to have the flight done!

In the meantime, though, the process of waiting and being delayed has been good. We have thought about things we wouldn't have considered if the path had been easier. We have taken time to ponder realities that would have escaped us otherwise. We have enjoyed some quiet times together that we would have missed if life had moved at the pace we had planned. We have seen God answer prayers we wouldn't have thought of praying if things had been different. Truly, we are blessed!

All this has made me once again think that when we ask God to make us comfortable and make our paths straight we sometimes miss the bigger blessings. Like the Israelites, we can have meat to eat with leanness of soul.

I finally got the photos from our weekend away... here are a few shots of the climbing wall, the pool, table tennis, and my fun coffee!

This morning started with Garry getting a quick phone call from Joel, who was preflighting the airplane in preparation to fly to one of our locations here in Mindanao. Unfortunately an important spring on the airplane is broken... which means he isn't going anywhere today. And probably we won't get the needed part for another day or two-- which is changing the plans for several flights. The checkout process is being delayed, which wouldn't make much difference if Garry wasn't scheduled to go to Manila in just over a week. Still, God knows. Beyond knowing, He has a good plan and He is working out that plan.

Maybe that certainty of God's sovereignty is what we are supposed to be grabbing onto these days in a new way.... yesterday my house helper told me that she's applied for another job and had an interview. She should know by Friday if she's going to go somewhere else to work as of next Monday. OK. It was all a rather strange thing, and I'm just praying that God does His will. The other job would have more future and better pay than working with our family.

My parents also had a somewhat interesting experience yesterday... a rather scary one considering where they live. And one of our co-workers had a bag and lot of valuables stolen at the end of last week.

I'm sitting here listening to Casting Crown's latest CD and I'm so blessed by it. Our future is truly in the past from God's perspective, all the questions and problems are already answered and resolved in His perspective!

I found my photos from our weekend away... and they are somewhere on my computer now, but not where I can upload them at the moment. Next time:).

Today Garry went to check out one of our airstrips where they have done significant work to improve braking and touchdown.

We have been so excited as we've heard from the missionaries how the whole village, and particularly the Church, have been working hard and working together to do this project!

They've done all the work by hand-- moving dirt to level the airstrip, hauling in gravel, and tamping down the dirt to make a firm surface. Talk about hard manual labor!

And the airstrip has turned out to be amazing! Garry landed there this morning and it is so much better. There were tons of people there waiting to hear what he'd think about the work they've done.

Our co-workers are gone for a few days, so I was by the radio today while Garry was flying. It was rather strange to be listening to static again after not having done radio work for a while. In another way it was like coming home and doing something I feel comfortable with.

We truly are blessed to be a small part of the Church planting effort here in the Philippines!

It's been amazing to have a couple days in a row of quiet... swimming, doing flips into the pool (that would only be Kaleb), climbing the climbing wall, long walks, badminton, and long talks as a family. Thank you, Jesus!

I have some more fun photos that I'll post when we get home and I can download them.

Today we also had a fun lunch with Brian & Bailey, Maycie & Dylan. They are headed out for furlough and this was goodbye for a few months. I'm happy for them. Still, the lump in my throat doesn't want to go away.

I'm sitting here listening to worship music and enjoying it to the fullest. I am reminded that God sees our future as the past and He deserves all honor and praise. Seeking His face is our highest goal. Leading others to His throne is our highest privilege. Knowing Him is the answer to all our problems, frustrations, and questions. Sitting at His feet is our greatest joy! Truly, He is good and He does good.

The road goes on... this in on the way from home to the city. It's beautiful, though I must admit that there isn't much of the road that looks as well-maintained as this patch does!

We are in the city for a couple of nights right now. We're enjoying some fun as a family, some time to reflect on all that God has done and wants to do, and some rest. It is good to be away from some of the norms of life at home!

There's a pretty nice climbing wall here (by our standards, anyway!), and Kaleb wants to spend some time trying to conquer that. Kevin's fun will be badminton. I want some good coffee, quiet (which I'm enjoying right now), and uninterrupted time with the boys. Garry is hoping for some quiet time and fun with the boys. We've all been enjoying the pool and hot tub.

As we ponder God's realities and life we enjoy considering all that God has done over the past weeks, months, and year. We are in such a blessed place! Yet the land of promise is not without its battles, its hardships, and its stresses. Freedom is never free and chains of darkness are not easily broken.