CAR SHOPPING MICHAEL'S WAY

When we lived in the Philippines, we only had one car and it was Mike who drove us everywhere.  It worked just fine for us.  If I need to go somewhere without using the car there are different ways to commute there.  There's always the tricycle, the jeepneys, buses and vans and habal-habal which is basically a motorcycle that you hire the owner/operator to take you where you need to go.

This one here is a tricycle.  It seats 7 people:

 This is a jeepney and I think it seats 25 or more if the operator places a bench in the middle:

This is the habal-habal which I am not so sure if I would ride:

I admit the first weeks when we got back here in the States I sort of miss the tricycle especially when I need to go somewhere.  We were borrowing my in-laws' truck to go places but when Mike is using it and I'm stuck in the house that's when I wish there were tricycles right around the corner just like in the Philippines.

Before we moved back Mike had been doing some research on vehicles.  He decided we needed a vehicle with all wheel drive or four wheel drive, but not a pickup.  He owned a pickup since the early 80's and can only remember a few times that it was actually used as it was intended, as a truck.    Also, the cost of operating a pickup is more than a small SUV or sedan.  Looking at our finances, he figured out the year and model that we can afford to get.  He made a mental list of what we want in the car like miles to a gallon, the car's mileage, it has to be an AWD and so on.  And, he was very specific in the car's color, yes ma'am, the color is a big thing for him.  According to him it has to be a "tactically neutral color" (thanks John O'Conner) - whatever that means.  Some car salesmen get it, others didn't 😏😁.  But what he really wants is a conservative color, no gaudy gold or purple or neon green, etc..

So off we went car shopping one day and, as expected, as soon as we walked into the car lot we were greeted by a very young gentleman who looks like he's about Zach's age.  He was extremely accommodating and very friendly and, Mike thought, must have just started in this field.  He "borrowed" somebody else's desk and we were seated.  Mike told him what we were looking for and what we needed.  He told him the price range we want and gave the poor salesman a warning: that if he tries to sell us a car that is more than the amount he stated, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY ONE CENT MORE, that we will walk out.  I thought "oh boy, the poor guy."

It turned out there was a 4D AWD Subaru Forester available in our price range.  We test drove it and between Mike, JJ and I we agree we all liked it.  Back at the dealership we made our offer along with the request that a hitch for a trailer be installed in the vehicle.  We agreed on the price without the trailer hitch.  It would add another $1,000 to the price of the car which is more than what we know the installed hitch would cost.  They would need to fix a rattle under the hood and detail the car before delivery, so two days after, we came back with a cashier's check for the amount and after further inspection we drove it home.  We also asked the salesman to keep an eye for us another Subaru in the next week or two in the same price range as we will be buying another one.

Mike's Subaru Forester ("tactically neutral color," according to him):

 

We then found another Subaru sedan which we bought for my use.  It was priced way below our budget so Michael went ahead and have a trailer hitch installed in the Forester.

The Subaru Imprezza rides nicely and smoothly and its a/c cools quickly.  I drove it to Wichita and it did well on I-70.  We also took it to Scranton on country road and did well too.

So far we are happy with our vehicles.  We plan to drive them until they quit on us hopefully for another ten years, hahaha.  By then we should have saved enough to pay cash on our next purchase.  Debt-free living is the way for us and we like it that way.

Thank you all for following our journey to and back from the Philippines.  We love you all and God bless.

TO SCRANTON, KANSAS WE GO

Last week JJ and Flor where in Walmart and a lady asked JJ what type of candy he liked.  She was participating in a parade in Scranton Kansas and wanted to know what type of candy to throw to the kids.

The parade was on June 23 and since Scranton is only about 25 minutes south of us we decided to go.  I tried to find more information about the parade and found it was in part by the Lions Club of Scranton.  It appeared there was a biscuit and gravy feed from 6:30 to 9:30 with the parade at 10:00.

Our close friends, Pat and Esther, planned to come too but we head there early because Mike wanted to go to the Lions' biscuit and gravy breakfast.  The Lions were not charging for the biscuit and gravy, but were taking donations.  As we sat down for breakfast, both Flor and I thought we could have been in Lebo Kansas 25 years ago at their community center with my grandparents and their neighbors.  In fact there was a lady there that was very similar to Fern from about 25 years ago in look, dress and manner of talk.

After eating, we went to the park where people were setting up various booths.  What was going on after the parade was day long events with fireworks later in the evening.  Bouncy houses were being set up that got JJ's attention.

One gentleman was setting up a home-made ice cream stand.  He had a John Deere stationary engine running an oversized ice cream maker.  He had the boxes of an old John Deere planter as dispensers for toppings.  This was all on a trailer being pulled by an old Minneapolis Moline tractor.   Mike enjoyed the set up because his grandfather Jesse used Minneapolis Moline tractor when he was farming and his grand father Harvey used John Deere.  And Mike does like antique tractors.

About 9:30 Pat and Esther arrived and we walked a block over to the main drag to wait for the parade.  There were the fire trucks, old trucks and cars and tractors.  And there was a contingent of Shriner's in their go-carts.  Of course there was a lot of candy thrown.  The kids loaded up on candy.

After the parade we walked back to the park and bought the wrist band for the bouncy house.  The kids then spent the next hour or so bouncing.

The fire department had a couple of old vehicles in the park that they were letting people beat on with a sledge hammer.  JJ wanted to beat on the vehicles.  He wore a fire helmet and safety goggles and went to town.  He was impressive in throwing the sledge at 9 years old.  After about 20 - 25 hits he did get tired and stopped.  He then announced that he wanted to be a fireman someday.

There was a family there that was smoking ribs to sell for lunch.  We had ribs with beans and cheesy potatoes and that was very good!

After eating JJ went back to beating on the vehicles.  After this time when he got done we headed home.

For something we did not have a lot of information on and unsure what was going on, we had a good time and the weather was perfect too.  The Lions Club does this every year to raise money and do something for the community.  We plan on doing it again next year.

Thank you for following.

THE WAVE EFFECT

In America, we have the “amber waves of grain.” When we settled down in Southern Leyte, I saw a beautiful sight once on our way home from Tacloban. I'll call it the “Pampas waves.” Mike, JJ and I were on our way home from a shopping trip in Tacloban City one afternoon. It was a clear, beautiful day as our vehicle meandered along the scenic mountain highway when I noticed the tall, flowering pampas grass that lines the highway. The white billowy flowers were nodding and swaying in the afternoon breeze as if they were gayley waving at us. I since looked forward to our trips to Tacloban just to watch the pampas flowers nodding and swaying in the breeze.

I missed the amber waves of grain in the Midwest and now that rainy season is almost over, I can't wait for the pampas grass to flower again. In the meantime, I want to tell you a different kind of “wave” that we have experienced while living in the Philippines. Even before we moved here, Mike and I already knew we will create a buzz wherever we go. And why not? Picture a tall American guy with a Filipina wife and a chubby little African/Mexican boy in tow. We knew this “combination” will surely raise eyebrows and from our experience, stares from people wherever we go.  Add to the fact that it is a rare thing that Mike and I are an "age-appropriate" pair.  This is what I learned from my observation: most foreigners that are here in the Philippines have younger wives, and not to put anybody down, most of their husbands are either old fat geezers or scrawny old men.  When we first moved here I noticed people gazing at my husband and even saying out loud "a young Americano," this to them was rare (an age-appropriate pair). Not that we are young, it's just that, compared to other foreigners who are married to Filipinas that these locals have seen, Michael IS younger. Having said that, we knew beforehand that everywhere we go we will stick out like a sore thumb.

Michael does the driving and he brought with him the Kansas farmers' trait of waving at everybody as we drive by. JJ and I wave too, especially at the children. We got stares from them at first – I think I know what they're thinking. They are thinking “they are waving at ME – oh my goodness” I noticed their expressions – timid, unsure why we waved at her/him, some hide behind their moms and peeks as we passed, others look at each other and then timidly smile back, still others wait until we have passed before they wave back.

And then there's the teenagers. Some will readily wave back, others will ignore us, still others act like the children – unsure why we waved and smiled at them. The other drivers that we passed along the way nod back, others smile and then there are those who ignore our waves. We kept doing the “wave” every time we are out and about for a while now.  One by one the children started waving back at us, at first timidly and not really sure.  Then one day as we were driving, a little boy (about 5 years old) ran across the street and excitedly waved at us.  Then the other kids followed suit and also ran and waved at us and by this time they lined the edge of the street and were all waving at us.  I don't know what made them do it but it felt joyous to me as we waved back at them.  Since then we have children line up the street to wave at us every time they see our car.  There was one incident where these kids were playing hide and seek (I think) and they all had to come out of their hiding place and out into the street just to wave at us then resumed their game once we passed.  That was a treat! 

We  have come to love these kids.  We don't know them personally or their parents.  I would like to someday.  In fact I want to one day get off the car and talk to them to really know them.  Then I'm thinking maybe at Christmas time I would do that with presents but we'll see what we can do.

After our first year in the Philippines, we started our feeding program and then added art sessions before the feeding, a couple of months after that.  I have come to know the kids and some of their parents.  I have come to love them like they are my own.  When we decided to come back to the States after my mom passed on, I asked our church to continue the programs with the promise that I will keep sending money to them to keep it going.  Twenty-five dollars a week is all that's needed to keep the program going.  Perhaps you, my reader, would like to help.

By the way, this article had been in my draft box since 2015.  I kept pushing it in the back burner for some time.  I hesitated to publish this but then I just couldn't delete it so here it is.  I pray you enjoy this VERY, VERY late blog.

Thank you for following.  God bless you all.

SIX 40-LBS. LUGGAGE

Yup that's right!  When the plane that took us to our final destination landed in Kansas City, we claimed six 40-pounds luggage in the Baggage Claim Area.  When we claimed a small part of my in-laws' living room to temporarily store the luggage, Mike and I both said, "here's our 30 years together all condensed into 6 suitcases."  We looked at each other and chuckled.

"It's actually liberating," Mike told Pat one day when Pat and Esther dropped JJ off at mom and dad's where we temporarily stayed.  I remembered that statement when we moved to a condo unit and started unpacking.  Most of what we brought back are what's important to us: family pictures, grandma's quilt, the boys' home school yearbooks, our wedding album and my wedding gown and Mike's barong Tagalog he wore on our wedding, Mike's awards/medals he received from the US Navy, the Precious Moments figurine that the social workers from TFI gave us when JJ's adoption was finalized, our "storied" Christmas ornaments.  And yes, our traveling owl nightlight made it back too.

When I had Joshua, I started collecting the Blue Willow place settings and we brought it with us to the Philippines.  I didn't think it would make it back to the States if we take it and I was willing to leave all of them.  But Michael insisted we take them back.  I let him pack them believing he is just wasting his energy.  Well, surprisingly, all of them made it - not one broken.  Little mementos here and there in our lives' journeys made it back too.

All these are reminders of where we've been, what we've been through in the different seasons of our lives....and where we will be in the next.  When I think about all the "things" we left behind I realized that those are just excess baggage that wear us down in our life's journeys.  They are not really important but only bog us down as we "travel" this road.  So Michael and I decided as we start another milestone in our lives - we will live "small" and "less" so we can focus on what the Lord requires of us. 

After everything was unpacked, we stripped the suitcases of every tags and labels and donated them to Goodwill.  That, too, felt liberating, like turning a page of "our book" and finding the next chapter.  "For I know the plans I have for you," saith the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you."  What a blessing and what assurance as we begin another chapter of our lives together.

Another of my favorite Bible passage is Psalm 90: 1-2 which reads "Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!  Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are|God, without beginning or end."

He is, indeed, our "home" ever since and we don't want to be anywhere but in Him.

We love y'all.  Thanks for following.

IT'S TIME TO GO BACK

A couple of weeks before our flight back to the States, I happen to watch a Discovery Science feature about UFO sightings by military and commercial air pilots.  On a couple of instances, these "thingy" flew close to the aircraft and another "followed" an American Airlines flight and apparently when the pilot reported it, he was fired from AA.  That got me thinking - what if it's true?  What if there really is such a thing or things?

I remembered years ago when the boys were little and we drove back and forth to Omaha from Andover, Kansas - we lived in Kansas but Mike's job assignment was in Nebraska.  We were a home schooling family so occasionally we loaded up the van with the books and headed to Omaha for the week and then drove back to Andover on Thursday so I can be at work the next day.  I worked 3 12-hour shift at Cessna Aircraft back then.  Mike then came home every Friday night and drove back to Omaha Sunday afternoon.  During that year, Chevy had a commercial of cherubims flying along - one on each side - a van on a highway.  I clung to that image in my heart as I drove to and back from Omaha and for extra measure I asked the Lord to add more angels to go before us, behind us, beside us, over and under our van for added comfort.  And because He is faithful, I believe in my heart that He did just that.

Now back to the Discovery Science show I watched.  If it is really true that some aircraft people saw what they saw then I have to do something on the defense.  I started praying that God would, once again, send His angels to clear the road for us as we travel from our place to Tacloban for our flight to Manila.  Then I prayed that, when it is time for us to fly to the States, He would send His angels to clear the skies for our aircraft to go on to our destination.  Once again, the image of the Chevy commercial years before came back to mind.  And as I settled down for the long flight, I was imagining angels, not cherubims, beside, behind, over, under and before our aircraft to take us safely to America.  No alien aircraft dare fly alongside us.  We have the heavenly hosts guarding us.

We were midway between China and Los Angeles when the aircraft experienced turbulence that lasted for what seemed a long time.  Starting to feel uneasy, I turned to Michael and whispered to him "we are over the vast Pacific Ocean are we?"  He nodded and I got to thinking, there is no other way but down if something happens BUT I know that even in the deepest abyss of the Pacific Ocean, God is there.  So I settled down knowing that God knows where we are or where we will be.  The rest of our journey was smooth, checking through customs in LA was a breeze and we were even ahead of schedule when we landed in Kansas City.  I know our church family -Joy In Christ Hinunangan- prayed for us for months and I thank them with all my heart for that.  And most of all I thank the Lord for sending His angels to go before us, behind us, beside us, over and under us, AND answering our prayers for a safe journey.  He is faithful indeed!

Thanks for following and let us continue to pray for each other.  For God does answer prayer!  Until next time --- God bless you and yours.

MARLON WANTS TO COME TO AMERICA!

Six months after my mother passed on, Michael and I both agreed to come back to the States. Marlon, my youngest brother who has a Downs Syndrome is living with us. Now that mother is gone he is the only one we need to take care of. He always told me he wants to come to America with us. I wonder sometimes if people with Downs Syndrome know how to dream, and here is Marlon letting me know he wants to come to America.

Well, let me tell you a little about Marlon. When he was born mother knows he has a disability. He looked different and had developmental delays. He couldn't do anything by himself, he has to be assisted to roll over or supported to stand up. He was almost like a rag doll – no strength in his muscles whatsoever. I was 11 years old when he was born. After his first birthday I remember us taking him to the beach, dig a hole in the sand deep enough for my little brother to stand up to his lower chest. Then we heap the sand back in the hole.  Watching for his cue that he's not happy about it anymore we would then un-bury him and take him for a swim. That was his “therapy” that we continued to do until his muscles gained strength.  The warmth of the sand acting as cast for his lower extremities probably did his muscles good.  He started to roll and crawl before his second birthday. Then he started to walk and we were elated. He had speech delays as well. He made sounds but never a word as far as I can remember. When I went off to college in 1977 he still didn't talk, he was 6 years old by then.

The beach where we took Marlon for his therapy:

 

Mother takes him to church with her on Sundays when he was older. He is a quiet little boy, never bothering anyone during service – he is in his own world. Looking back I would have wanted to be in his “world” to see what it would have been like. Years later mom told me that one day Marlon suddenly raised his hand and said “pisaluk” --pronounced PEA-SUH-LOOK-- in Visayan. And for a while mom didn't understand what he meant or what he wanted. And every time Marlon uttered the word, mom would just repeat it to him. Until one Sunday at church – in the middle of worship and praise songs – Marlon raised his hand mimicking the song leader, who, with eyes closed and right hand raised to heaven was saying “Praise the Lord” and “Hallelujah” in between songs. Mom was watching Marlon who was looking at her with a big smile. Without skipping a beat still with hand raised, he said “Pisaluk” as if telling mom “this is exactly what I mean when I say “pisaluk.” Since then, whenever Marlon says “pisaluk” mom would echo “Praise the Lord” back at him. Marlon was in his twenties when he “talked” where he can be understood....Praise the Lord, indeed!

When my parents came to America in 1994, Marlon was left under the care of my sister and her husband who took really good care of him. Sandy, my brother-in-law, worked at a big school and office supplies store in Pampanga. One day he needed to bring home a box but Marlon laid claim to it. He started cutting and snipping the box into uniformed rectangles. When asked what he's doing he told them he is making checks. When he had a stack he would then tie the “checks” into neat bundles. He would examine the bundles making sure all four sides are uniform and tidy. He is always busy cutting, snipping, and tying his “checks.”

After 8 years Mom and Dad came back from the States and settled again in our hometown. Marlon continued his hobby of check making. Whenever he gets a box, he would carefully examine it, sniff it and touch each corners with his palm and then he goes to work. He would pile all his bundled “checks” and somehow knows when a bundle or two is missing. He brought a lot of “checks” with him when he moved in with us. And here too he continued his hobby of making “checks” so much so that it didn't take long to have stacks of checks in the house. JJ and I did a lot of pleading and coaxing before we can throw some of the bundles away to reduce the clutter.  I provided a large “balikbayan” box for him to put all his checks.


Last Christmas I gave him a box of colorful strings to tie his “checks” and he couldn't be happier:

Marlon, I found out, can be taught to do things. One day I told him that we normally do a lot of baking in America and it would help if he knows how since he wanted to come to America. I asked him if he would like to learn to bake some muffins for breakfast that morning which he eagerly said yes. It was a messy experiment but he did well, and yes, the muffins were tasty.

He loves to be around children. Maybe because mentally they are his level and he also likes to tease them. Well, he teases us adults too. He is very caring and very concerned for everybody's welfare. He loves to tag along with us when we do our Saturday feeding program for the children of Nasa and Talisay. Whenever we go on a trip, he makes sure everybody on the trip are accounted for before we could leave. He'll make a roll call every time.

Marlon loves to swim. He would spend hours on the shore among the waves. He would beach himself and let the waves beat on him. That seems to be his favorite pastime. When he comes home from the beach he would be sporting red eyes and even darker skin. And then he does it again the next day and the next. He seems to know when rain is coming or when there's a bad weather. He'd forecast it and lo and behold here comes the storm the next day or two. Our neighbors would be drying out rice on the street and Marlon would tell them to get ready for it is going to rain. Most of the time he's right. The neighbors wonder at how Marlon could tell...I don't. My brother is a gifted man. Where else can you find a person with Downs Syndrome who can speak Visayan, Tagalog, Kapampangan and understand a bit of English? And yes, even dream of coming to America!

I love you my dear brother, Marlon....and I can't wait for you to come live with us in America!

Thank you all for following.  God bless!

VBS 2018

Flor planned Vacation Bible School at our church, Joy In Christ Community Church in Hinunangan, for the local kids. She enlisted the help of the church members and the youth.  Several weeks before VBS they went house to house to enlist children who want to attend and then they got busy to prepare the handouts that will be needed as well as improvising the badges for the awards.  They made copies, cut, pasted, sew, etc., etc..  Flor improvised a lot of the games materials since the church doesn't really have any games equipment of any kind.  Months before she had asked church members to start collecting empty 14oz. cans, soda bottles, boxes [large and small], any shiny/metallic wrappers and other stuff for craft.

The VBS materials used was Agency D3 and they practiced the songs and moves for several weeks prior to VBS. We want to thank First Southern Baptist Church, Topeka, KS, [fsbctopeka.org] for providing the materials. First Southern had used the materials in 2014 and they passed it on to us last year.  Flor translated it in Bisaya, the local dialect here.

They started the daily VBS with the opening song, Agency D3 that became a hit.  But the kids' favorite among the songs was "More Than Just a Good Man."

Flor then tells the kids the agent's assignment that day and that they need to listen well to their teachers so they could report to her what they discovered and the evidence they learned at closing time.

The kids then break up into small groups. Since it is a one room church, the youngest group, taught by Sister Jocelyn, stays in the building:

Another class [Pre-teen] taught by Sister Deborah is in the shed outside the church:

The third class [8 to 10 years old] carries chairs through the coconut trees and down the road to our store and holds class on the store porch.

After their lesson they play games on our driveway.

The youngest class push their chairs to the side and the teacher set up their game:

Lorenz was there during the 8-10 years old class' game time and was playing in a big box.

And then they return to their small group to finish up their craft project. We want to thank the folks at Midway Wholesale, Topeka, KS, (link  MIDWAY WHOLESALE), our FSBC Sunday School class for providing art supplies used for the crafts.

The kids then return to the church for closing and snack. Flor talks with them about what they learned.

The kids then recite memory verses.

They have a closing prayer and thanksgiving for the snacks.

Then everybody's favorite, snack time....

Lorenz got his drink before everybody else.

There was a closing ceremony on Saturday, April 14. A lot of the kids had dressed up for the ceremony. Some parents were also in attendance.  One little girl had worn a pair of pink snow boots.  It looked like a prized possession of hers.

They had some of the crafts finished during the week on display for everyone to see.

Flor and JJ had a post-closing discussion.

We had lost electricity and we would not have music to go along with the Agency D3 songs. Flor discussed it with some of her help.

The closing was started with prayer

Flor gave the welcome remarks to give the parents who were present an idea of what their kids learned that week.

The help was reluctant to do the Agency D3 songs without music. So, the opening songs were kid's praise songs that almost everybody knew.  Good thing Pastor Teddy was also there to accompany the kids with his guitar.

The classes all had presentations.

There were various awards where the kids earned badges.

JJ got a best in attendance award (like he had a choice).

JJ's class put on a skit about Jesus being nailed to the cross. JJ was the guy with the hammer.

Picture time allowed for pictures of the classes

Then everybody has to be in the picture too.

Before the snacks were served, Flor handed out little mementos for the helpers as a way of saying "thank you" for all the help.

Marilou, Lorenz' mom, for helping with the youngest class:

Sister Amapola for helping teach the pre-teen class:

Our pastor, Pastor Teddy Jualo for transporting kids to and from Nasa.  And playing his guitar:

Richie JR for helping with games:

Ms. Jezliah for teaching the 8 to 10 years old:

Sister Deborah for teaching the pre-teen class:

The two energetic youth, Kang-kang and Bajoy for helping Ms. Jezliah's class:

A group picture of the entire staff.  Sister Jocelyn [second row far right] was the teacher for the youngest class:

Snacks were served by the staff. Pancit, bread and juice.

...and it would not be Filipino without a dog involved.  Lorenz' puppy decided to make an entrance and socialize.

Thank you to all the people that made this VBS possible.  To God be the glory.

Thank you for following.  We love y'all.