Merry Christmas everyone! In light of the number of serious (as my kids like to call them) blog-posts I've written recently, and to help us properly reflect on all that the Lord has done, this latest post will be filled primarily with pictures and videos. Hopefully they provide you with a glimpse into our new lives here in the Philippines, as well as give you an idea of what Christmas looks like in the tropics. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it's been to celebrate Christmas with the kids at CSC, along with Paul, Marlys, and all of the other missionaries and staff (though I'll certainly try my best when I write about it in my New Years blog-post which you can expect in the next few days). But, for now, let me just say this:
We are so thankful to God for all of you; for praying for us, partnering with us, and being a big part of what God is doing in Cebu. We love you all, miss you all, and want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
FIRST: Instead of a white Christmas, this year we're having a wet one. Tropical Storm Ursula hit the Philippines on the night of Christmas Eve, forcing us to cancel our Christmas Eve celebrations at the Shelter. Fortunately the storm was short lived, so festivities continued on Christmas Day! Here's a video of some heavy rain in Cebu.
SECOND: A couple of weeks ago, we made frequent trips between Cebu Doctor's Hospital and the Shelter (you'll read about it in our next post). Here's a little video of what Cebu looks like on the roads between those two place. In the middle of the video we go around a portion of the Fuente Osmeña, a large round-about that serves as a major landmark for visitors and locals alike.
THIRD: Here is a video of the Fuente Osmeña after dark. Not only is it covered in Christmas lights, but the center of this large round-about includes booths, food-vendors, and a large Christmas tree. This video was taken a couple of weeks before Christmas, so it doesn't even include all of the decorations that would eventually go up.
FOURTH: We'd been so busy at the Shelter that we were still trying to find very last minute Christmas presents on December 23rd! Here's a view from the roof deck of the SM City Parking Structure showing blue skies, a far cry from the frigid cold of a Minnesota Winter. In just 24-hours these blue skies would be filled with the rain, wind, and clouds of Tropical Storm Ursula (see above).
FIFTH: This coming February, a team from Central Baptist Church will be holding a camp for our kids. On our end, part of the prep work involves finding an appropriate venue, which this year will be Camp Bato, a camp run by the Evangelical Free Church just outside of Sibonga, Cebu. This is a brief video of our site visit to ensure that the camp can accommodate the activities that the team has planned.
Last but not least, here are a bunch of pictures of Christmas in and around CSC. While I have to be careful about including pictures of the kids that we serve, I can share these pics with you; pictures of our family as well as the families of other missionaries and staff.
Again, thank you all for your prayers, love, and support. Merry Christmas!!!
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:1-12
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