It's Baby Time

I think it's safe to say I'm officially 'nesting'. We're so excited to get this baby in our hands that it's hard for me to think of anything else. I've rearranged and organized the house at least 10 times (not that there's really all that much house to organize :) I've washed clothes and blankets and all the necessities are in their place. We've bought a baby bath tub and a hamper for dirty diapers. I've packed my hospital bag. Twice. I've read all there is to read about labor and delivery and breastfeeding, yet I still find myself reading more. My goodness, it is indeed a time like no other in my life. At times I'm of course beside myself excited. At times I feel so completely out of control that it's hard to grasp. Praise God, He's the one in control. Do you ever look at your life and think "Wow, I really thought I would be so much older, so much more mature when I fill in the blank." Get married, move away from home, get a real job, have kids, etc. I thought to myself the other day that this just doesn't seem real. I've always dreamed of having my own family but I always thought I'd be "better" ya know? I mean I never thought I'd have kids until I was like 24. Then it hit me, I'll be 24 in March! Time flies and the Lord takes us through each stage of life that we think we aren't prepared for. He's taught me (and is still teaching me) how to be a wife and He'll equip me to be a mother. I'm thankful to rest in His sovereignty in these last days of pregnancy.

Just for a little update, I'm 37 weeks pregnant today. That's considered full term! Baby Boy's due date is February 24. Any guesses on when he'll actually come? I've thought this whole time that he'll probably be late. But if another Filipino tells me how low he's gotten and how it will be any day now, I may admit myself into the hospital for precautions ha! But really, Filipinos know a lot about pregnancy, labor, etc. Women here have a lot of babies! I'm thankful for their knowledge and advice (most days :)  But we did go to the doctor today and her prediction is that he'll be here in 2 weeks. 2 weeks!!! Of course that's just a guess and I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it's hard!  Maybe he'll at least wait until his Lola/Nana (my mom) is here.

We've already handed off some of the ministries we're a part of here and Josh will continue a few that I'll step back on. The Lord's timing in our ministry here was really gracious. We didn't hand anything over that we didn't feel like was ready and we're thankful for that. Nonetheless, as things have slowed down for me I wanted to share with you all a little of my daily activities lately. 

 

These little clothes have been my recent labor of love. And let me tell you, washing clothes here is actual labor. 

 

Seeing them hanging on the line was a pretty good reward, though. How cute are those little outfits? 

 

Thank you Mama and Mrs. Annette for sending these 'dress up' clothes :) 

 

We pray the little boy who wears these will love the Lord with all his heart. 

 

One of my favorites :) 

 

While I sort of detest this picture, my husband is right that my mom will be glad he took it. 

 

Again, not my best picture moment, but I love the rocker I'm sitting in. Josh and our friend Kletz brought it over from our neighbor's house for me to use for the rest of our time here. I can't wait to rock our sweet baby here. 

 

And these little devils are my latest nightmare. I'm excited about cloth diapering. I really am. I love what they save our planet our and our pocketbook. But holy moly they've taken a lot of my time already. From learning about how to use them, sorting through the jargon of knowing which ones to buy, and washing these crazy things 5 times before they become absorbent, I feel like I might be ministering to cloth diapers for the next few years of my life. Maybe I'll write a blog about diapers another time. 

 

At least they're cute :) 

I want to end this blog by sharing some ways you can pray for our family as our son's birth day draws near. These are things we are praying for ourselves and we would love your partnership in prayer. 

• Pray for a natural, healthy, and safe delivery. 
• Pray for my doctor to be in town. I really feel comfortable with her and pray that she's not on call in another province (she sometimes is). 
• Pray for a healthy mama and baby.
• Pray for clear communication (language and other cultural gaps) between us, the nurses, and the doctor. 
• Pray for the Lord to equip us as new parents.

 

Antonio - de Luna Wedding

This weekend we had the privilege of attending two of our dearest friends' wedding. Their relationship has set a wonderful example of Christ-called purity prior to marriage. We were thrilled to be there with other members of the community as well as a mission team that is here now from Savannah, GA. Welcome to the wedding compilation of Ruben and Shiela! 

The invitation said the wedding started at 9am. We leave home at 9:10 to make sure we're fashionably early. 

Culture here is that sponsors called 'ninongs and ninangs' support the new couple and provide funds and encouragement for the start of their marriage. These are some of the 'ninangs'.  

 Beautiful set-up for the ceremony

 

The attendants occupying themselves before the wedding started ha. 

 

Weddings are Jelay's new favorite pasttime. 

 The bridesmaids and groomsmen 

 

 The groom and his parents as they walk the aisle to begin the ceremony. 

 Each set of ninong and ninang walk the aisle to be seated in front. 

 Ruben and Shiela were blessed to have many godly ninongs and ninangs. 

Shiela's little brother was proud to be the ring bearer! He went so fast I could barely get a shot of him!

 

The glowing bride and her beaming parents

 

Proud papa! 

 

The train of her gown was beautiful 

 

Look closely..the groom is singing to his bride. Cue the tears. 

 

Saying their vows

 

The cloth and rope around them are common wedding rituals in the Philippines

 

Ninongs and ninangs were asked to come to the front to hear and/or give simple speeches and pray over the couple. 

 

And now you may kiss your bride! 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Ruben de Luna

 

International flavor at the wedding! 

 

The girls 

 

The guys 

 

Greeting their guests to the reception. Look at those smiles! 

 

Beautiful reception meal of some famous Filipino dishes

 

I loved their cakes! 

 

Cutting the cake and making their toasts 

 

A common Filipino tradition at weddings is for the guests to pin money on the bride and groom during their first dance. They both had long chains of money down them by the end. Pretty great tradition ha!

 

We thank the Lord for this beautiful couple. Their friendship means more to us than we could ever express to them and we were honored to be a part of their special day.

We love you Ruben and Shiela. Congratulations! 

Reflections

Happy (belated) New Year! I hope 2014 is treating you all as well as it is us so far. Sorry I've done a poor job of keeping the blog updated since Christmas, but we truly enjoyed our holiday season and hope that you did too. We were blessed beyond measure to spend the first week of this new year with our family. Jeri (Josh's sister) and Jonathan (our brother-in-law) came to visit! We had the mission team from my church visit in November, but Jeri and Jonathan were our first family members to host and we were thrilled. We spent 5 days showing them our life here- the normal daily things like the market as well as special locales like the waterfall and the beach. It was so fun to introduce them to people here and to have them in our home, but there really are just no words to explain how special it is to have family around. We often forget how much we miss them. Nonetheless, I wanted to share with you a letter that Jeri wrote a couple of days after they left Maria Aurora. It was really special for Josh and I to read it. We've become so familiar with the ways of life here that we often forget how much of our daily life is not normal for Americans. I'm thankful for having Jeri and Jonathan here to remind us to open our eyes to the world and people around us, taking in as much of it as we can. I hope reading Jeri's reflections will help you have a better idea of this foreign land we live in and the people we've grown to love so much...

As an American it's easy to take life's luxuries for granted. Oftentimes I don't even consider them luxuries because they are so normal to me. A warm shower, a cushioned bed, space and electricity are a part of my daily life. I don't realize how much I enjoy these things until they aren't there. In a world where one can't control how many geckos will enter the room at night and a brownout (no electricity) is common, I am beginning to change my stubborn, jaded mind. At first glance, I pity the provincial Filipino life and what I consider to be hardships. When you have much it's easy to say 'how do they live like this? How do they survive?' in regards to someone with less in our eyes. From my skewed point of view I'm pretty sure God is showing me a group of people that have more joy and pure appreciation than seems obtainable in the States. Do not pity these people. They live each day to the fullest. They are hard workers, resilient, & resourceful. They may be small but man are they strong! When they laugh, they laugh loud and hard. It's contagious. They spend most hours outdoors surrounded by God's beauty. (Imagine living in a screensaver rather than looking at one on your desk under fluorescent lighting.)  Each day has pointed me towards God in some way. The Lord's Prayer has new meaning. "Give us this day, our daily bread" is quite significant when you don't have a refrigerator & freezer full of goods. The power inevitably will go out so it would be wasteful to stock up. On a side note, pandasol (a roll that tastes similar to a Sister Schubert but all natural & fresh) is literally baked each morning and available at local bodegas & bakeries. It's typically gone by 3pm. I know because Josh kept wanting us to try it but we were always too late once we remembered to get it.

When visiting the church here, we were overwhelmed by the warm, friendly welcome we received. People shook our hands and exchanged English greetings before and after the service. From what I am told and what I experienced in this area, Filipinos are an indirect people group, typically shy and don't display physical affection. Churches in America could learn from the greetings we received. I can't say that I've felt that welcomed in a new place by that amount of people ever.  Worshipping in a foreign country or in a different language always makes me consider heaven and what it will be like. Although we couldn't understand the words, it was evident these people love our God and maybe they see Him more than I do. It's not because He hasn't revealed Himself to me, it's because I haven't looked lately. I so quickly rely on my culture, conveniences, and independence in America rather than acknowledging Christ.

I realize I am only seeing a glimpse of what life is like here. I haven't fully lived it like they have. I will go back to my warm bed, AC, and out to eat at restaurants. I don't think it's wrong that we have so much and can afford to do those things. I just think it's more difficult sometimes to be as thankful because it's become common. Jonathan and I have been given much and I pray we don't take it for granted. I ask that you pray we remember who gave us everything in the first place. Time here with Josh and Autumn in Maria Aurora has been incredible-definitely a gift from God. We have sponsored them now for 3 and a half years. Many of you that have donated will never see firsthand where your money has gone. We feel unbelievably fortunate to have seen only a piece of it. I'm here to tell you, the faces, the lives, the investment is eternal. The students in the mission school will go on to reach hundreds, if not thousands more when they too move to different parts of the world to share Christ with the nations.

I wept as we left on the bus yesterday. I couldn't decipher why I was crying until now. I know I miss my brother, and I enjoyed time with him and Autumn but it was more than that. I'm proud of how God has used them, and I'm proud of their obedience and growth. I've watched Josh grow from a little boy into a man of God, and I've seen a woman who loves God with all her heart chosen for him. That's beautiful and worthy of tears in itself, but I've also been exposed to a world now that I don't want to forget. A world where life is simple, unconcerned with calendars & deadlines and more concerned with the people around them is reason to shed crocodile size tears. Want to stir the locals?, be the americano that turns red when she cries on the bus out!

*Thanks Jeri for providing the pictures and content for this blog :)