Plans Change but Things Still Happen.

I had planned to fly to our Isnag village last week, but the pilot was not able to get the necessary license in time so the helicopter had to stay on the ground. With the trip to the village postponed, I decided to make a trip to our newest mission outreach and see how the Christina and the Talbots were doing. Here is an update on my trip.

The trip started out with a ride in a very crowded van.

But we were not as crowded as some vehicles we saw along the way.

The second leg of the trip was in a small red truck.


I finished the trip with a beautiful 2 hour hike to the small village where Christina Canapp and the Chuck and Shannon Talbot are working.

I found the team hard at work learning the Ga’dang language. At first I thought that Chuck was trying to learn about panhandling, but as I listened to the lesson I found out that he was trying to learn how to say, “this” and “that.” Actually it is a bit more complicated that that. In Ga’dang he has to learn this near me, that near you, that not near either of us, that sort of far away, that very far away, and that in past time. Good luck, Chuck! The Lord has provided Chuck, Shannon, and Christina with great language helpers.

Christina is working hard on language too. After her language session she took me on a village tour. It was great to see how the NTM team is making good relationships in the village and how eager the people there are to teach them their language.

Even Jenna has a language helper!

I was hoping that I could be an encouragement to the team, but instead they were an encouragement to me. It was great to see them doing so well.

My trip home was the reverse of my trip in except that instead of riding in a little red truck I rode on the back of a flatbed truck all the way to town.

I arrived home safely and am planning my next attempt to go to our Isnag village in two weeks.

The Reunion

In 1994, we moved to the Philippines to teach the children of missionaries.

Students at the school in 1996

Matt along with his fellow students

Ruth giving a book report

And we had lots of fun times with our new friends.

Erin holding Carrie

Carrie, James, Rachel, Charles, & Toby

Carrie and Sarah at age 5.

Sara now lives in Australia, but last month she and her sisters came back to the Philippines for a visit along with Toby the blond boy in the picture with the puppies.

Toby helped make the picnic fun for everyone.

Matt and Erin married and now serving as missionaries here in the Philippines. It was a real pleasure to have a couple hours with my former students. I am pleased to say that they can all read and do math without taking off their shoes to count higher than 10. Thank you, Matt, Erin, Rachel, Ruth, Sarah, and Toby, for taking time to visit us. We really enjoyed seeing you again.

“Do I look unintelligent?” The Fetcher

This sign was not hanging at the school our children attend, but still, as a fetcher, I feel saddened. I do my fair share of fetching and I hate to see my fellow fetchers discriminated against. I am getting lots of practice fetching.

For example, if Carrie stays after school to help with a bake sale, I have to go fetch her when she is done. Would you buy a cookie from this girl?

And, if Thomas has to stay for a tennis game I have to go fetch him too. The only difference between a dog fetcher and me is that someone throws the ball for the dog to fetch. I, in a manner of speaking, throw the kids out and fetch them too. I keep asking myself why.

This sign made me happy.

No more eye doctor appointments. Just look up your age on the chart, if you can see the chart, and then see what grade you need. By the way, the sales person saw me taking a picture of his chart and told me that it didn’t really work that way. While I was in the hardware store looking at a shelf, the sales person came up to me and told me that the shelf was an instrument for putting things on and gave a demonstration. I had a cup hook in my hand, so I said, “You mean that I could put this hook on the shelf like this?” and put my hook on the shelf. The clerk was happy with how quickly I had learned the proper use of a shelf. I am wondering if I look like an unintelligent fetcher.