Trip to the beach in Batangas

At the end (almost) of our time here we decided to have a short vacation to the beach. So we picked a beach side resort and headed out on the 7th for the 5 1/2 hour drive. I woke the kids up at 3:50 am to give them their Dramamine and get them dressed. Then I put them back to bed for another hour of sleep. Giving them the medicine went pretty well considering that it tasted horrible and they were not really awake enough to know what was going on. I think maybe their sleepy state helped with the bad tasting medicine. We left at 5 am along with Ate Fe, Pastor Ike and his wife Claris, Kuya Manny (who drove for us) and the Australian team- Elisa, Sarah, and Tyler with us. The drive went really well except Dan lost his breakfast in the van on the windy road to Batangas. We left the mountains and made our way to flat land with rice and sugar cane fields. It was so beautiful!

Here is our family in front of the cottage that we stayed in. It had four double bed sized bunk beds made out of bamboo. We even had aircon! We had to turn it off because we were getting too cold to sleep. The strings hanging down are the roots of a vine up above us.
Our group at the Punto Miguel resort. It is the "lean" season right now so we had the whole place and the beach (except the locals who were fishing and gathering clams and crabs) to ourselves. There was a Videoke machine there and I managed to avoid singing again. Clara and Paul each took a turn singing Happy Birthday. Paul just sang "Happy Birthday to me!" They were so proud to get a turn.

Here is a shot looking toward the ocean. The gray one the ground is a combination of coral and sea shells.

It was truly beautiful there!

The beach was filled with fishing boats and boats used to take tourists snorkeling.

Here we all are on a snorkeling outing. From left to right- Clara, Dan, Tyler, Kuya Manny, Pastor Ike, Claris, Sarah, Elisa, and Josh. The life jackets were great. They were one size fits all and way too big for the kids but they worked for snorkeling.

Paul and me ready for a good time. The resort and beach is behind us.

Paul is clinging to Elisa in the upper left corner. He was pretty afraid at first. Josh and Clara were ready to head out.

Paul was doing better after we took off the mask and snorkel that were WAY too big anyway.

Sarah giving instructions to Dan. He did really well. I wish that he could have worn his glasses! He was able to see a bit with out them but everything was really blurry.

Paul really did have a blast even though he does not look like it. He mostly just bobbed around while one of us held on to him and tried to look down.

Pastor Ike and Kuya Manny really just wanted to fish. They caught a few for their dinner.

We saw so many colorful fish, lots of bright coral, starfish, and a few jelly fish. Sarah and I each had a run in with small jellyfish. It only stung a little and left a couple small red marks on my arm. God's creation is astounding. I was in awe of the peaceful feeling of floating and watching the coral reef world. It was as if all the rest of the world with all it's cares and worries were instantly gone. The variety of fish and sea animals was incredible to me. I have to admit that my belief in Montana being the best place on earth has been destroyed. I am now convinced that there is no way to compare all of the amazing places and cultures that God has made.

We also spent two evenings looking in tide pools during low tide and spent some time walking up and down the beach looking for shells. We have way too many shells! Clara found a beautiful one that I did not check too closely. In the morning we found a very sad looking hermit crab hanging out of it. I felt so bad for him! He was pretty big and had been in my pocket for a while the night before. I can't believe he didn't pinch me when I put my hand in to empty my pockets!

We also celebrated Clara's fifth birthday while we were there. Ate Fe and Claris made her a pancake cake. She was so happy! I can't believe that she is five! She is asking me when we can work on teaching her how to read. I think she is wanting to try to catch up to Dan. For a few months we have a six year old, a five year old, and a two year old! Dan is not to impressed that Clara is only "one year less" than him and Clara is so proud.

Clara with a few of the presents that she received. She had a great breakfast party and then we went out on our second snorkeling trip. Not a bad birthday!

Now it is back to work for Josh. In the last week and a half he is hoping to complete Ate Fe's house and do prep work and pour the drive way. It is A LOT to do in the 7 to 8 working days left here. Please pray that the work goes quickly and is done with excellence.

We are flying back to Montana on the 22nd of July. It will be a 35 hour trip for us with four flights. Please pray for us to be healthy for the trip and for our safety.

We are beginning to realize how difficult it will be for us to leave this place and the family we have here. We have made so many friends and feel like we have become a part of this place. We have shared 6 months of our lives with them and they have done the same. We feel we are family here. As the name Rehoboth means " God has made a place for us". The love here is contagious.

From what we have been told culture shock can be worse when reentering your own culture. Please pray for us as we face re-adjusting to life back in the US. Paul had a very, very hard time dealing with the change when we came here and we are anticipating that it will be the same this time around. I am not sure how the rest of us will react. I think the kids are under the impression we are only visiting home and then coming right back. We don't know what God's plans are right now, but we will go where He leads.