Kid's in a new world

Dear Family and Friends,

Time has gone by so fast as we left the place we have come to call home for almost 6 months and are now back in Montana. Living in an orphanage is something that you can not describe. It is the most amazing community I have ever seen. I know all orphanages are not the same. But here at Rehoboth, where God has made a place for so many children, the light on the childrens' faces tell the whole story. Living there, being a part of everyday life, our family has been intimately involved with the children, caregivers, and administrative staff. It is like any family. There are good times, hard times, but in everything there is love and a devotion to the One who has given it all for them. The kids get a lot of attention, but they still crave more. Hopefully we helped fill a small part of that and reaffirmed how much they are loved by Him. We had the highest privilege to see 3 children leave to go home to their own forever families. What a flood of emotions. We were sad to see these children leave who have been so close to us, and their friends there. But what incredible joy to see a child leave with parents that are committed to loving that child as their own. It is surpassed only by the reports and pictures of the same kids thriving in their new life and so much hope for their future. Truly amazing!

So with over 3000 bags of cement, 260 cubic meters of gravel, 230 cubic meters of sand, 15,000 kilograms of rebar, 7000 cinder blocks, 300 kg of nails, and a lot of other material, we have completed securing the front and back of the 5.5 acres. We also were able to build the footing of the medical clinic that intersects the perimeter wall. It was very big, with 2 slabs resting on the same footing. In addition we were able to prep and pour the 50' driveway into the property.

It is hard to imagine mixing and pouring that much concrete with a portable concrete mixer. It is so labor intensive. Hauling gravel, sand, cement, and water with buckets to the mixer and then mixed concrete is shoveled into buckets and placed! Amazingly hard work. It has been fun to sweat alongside so many people and see little by little a dream become reality.It has not been without difficulties or struggles. A typhoon, material scheduling and delivering nightmares, miscommunication, misunderstanding and so on. The same with any construction project. But God has been the builder and it has been accomplished in spite of all the difficulties and our weakness.

It was great in the last few weeks, to see how the short term jobs created there helped the community that Rehoboth is a part of. This only help strengthen what Rehoboth is accomplishing and show that they want to be a help to the community. A lot of the men expressed how big of a help the work was to them and their family. What a privilege to help build a place for abandoned children to be saved while strengthening the local families within the community through employment!

As for us, we are adjusting to the "culture shock of being back in the USA. 6 months is long enough to get used to another culture and bring into contrast the two cultures that you have lived in. Dan has been hit hardest with the transition back home. He really had great friends at Rehoboth and was learning a lot of Tagalog. He was even getting confused if Salamat Po (thank you) was English or Tagalog. He also loves to tell anyone we meet some of the words he has learned. Clara and Paul have gotten back into the swing of things here pretty well. Although if we mention "the kids" Paul automatically thinks we are going to see everyone at Rehoboth and starts naming his friends there. It definitely pulls at your heart.

Brita and I are adjusting to everything here again. I still have my job, which is a complete blessing from the Lord, and am getting used to not seeing my family as much as I was.

We don't know what God has in store for us in the future. I know whatever it is, we will not be bored. We have never relied on Him as much as we did in the last 6 months, and we have never seen his total sufficiency like we saw in the last 6 months. Please join with us in praising God for His goodness in helping us complete the task we were send to do. Walls were built, Relationships were built, seeds were sown in some of those relationships and kids that need love and a place to call home are one step closer to that hope.

I have attached a few pictures of the kids playing in the new property. It really hit me how much this project has impacted their little lives. Now they have a place where they are free to run and play in dirt and grass, to climb and explore. A whole new word has opened up to them. Their faces say it all.

We are so grateful for you prayers and support! We are so excited that you also get to share in this wonderful blessing with us. The hope and dream for the completion of Rehoboth is advancing in His time. There will be so much more to do in the coming years. As for us, we don't know what God wants us to do yet. We feel He has us here in Montana for now. Thank you again for your heart to reach out to the orphans of the Philippines.


Josh, Brita, Dan, Clara, and Paul McKenzie

Our family at Rehoboth
More Family Pictures

Just hangin out

We burned that grass when we started in April, this was taken in June! Everything you see behind the kids is Rehoboth property! What amazing plans the Lord has for this place! So much of the children's world has been opened up by being able to play, explore, and grow vegetables at the new property.



Sand is so fun!

These pictures were before final cleanup, but the kids loved it just the same.

An of course the newly aquired goats in the backround.

We were blessed by these children so much more than we could have dreamed. We really miss being "Papa Josh and Mama Brita"

James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

It's about love.

We are back in the USA

Me and the great crew who finished the driveway before we left.

Hello everyone!

It has been crazy the last week as we pushed to get the driveway poured before I left. Because of the rains, we had to wait until the day before we left! So we started at 6 am and finished at 8:30 pm. To be honest it was a horrible day to pour concrete. It was very nice until lunch with only a few showers. Our tarps protected the driveway and we were able to continue. However, as the day wore on, the rains continued. We were at a point where we needed to finish the driveway, there was no turning back. In the end we had a very wet and tired crew, including me, as I was the gravel shoveler, but we finished the driveway. The concrete is 6" thick with 12" thick trenches on the edges, so it will be a very durable, long lasting driveway. We even had a dog walk through the concrete sometime in the night to match the paw prints we have at the existing home driveway. Oh well. We are happy that it was accomplished and a big thanks to the hardworking concrete crew who worked tirelessly to get the job done! Here are a few progress pictures.

Yes! A finished driveway!



As we prepared to leave the next morning, it was very emotional. After you have spent 6 months of your life in a community like that, building relationships and close friendships, it is hard to say goodbye. Dan took the leave especially hard. There were many hugs and many words of encouragement. I would like to write more about our leaving but this is only a quick update. More to come!

Some of the staff as we prepared to leave.

This was the guy picture, but teacher Marivic was one of the guys!

After we said goodbye, we stayed in Manila for the night and caught our flight back home. After 33 hours of travel we made it home Wednesday night at midnight.

This is how we all felt, and are still feeling now!

It is a weird feeling to really want to go back home, and yet feel like we are already missing our "other home" at Rehoboth.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and support! We could not have done anything without it. We will be posting more about the kids at Rehoboth, along with a glimpse of what this expansion means to these precious children soon.

Tropical Storm Molave

There will be no work on the driveway today. It is frustrating, but there is nothing we can do. So today will be a paper work day for Josh and a day to just enjoy the storm. We now have three sick kids. Paul is on the mend and Dan and Clara woke up with croupy coughs this morning. The good news is that with this storm we easily have 100% humidity, so we don't need a humidifier. Also we still have electricity so I get to have my morning coffee.

I just had to post the result of our cold, wet day in the rain. Notice the plywood on the old gate column to the left. This was the breakroom where the workers could take cover from the rain. It's not easy to tie rebar for a fifty foot driveway in a tropical storm, but they did it. We just need to do some finishing touches, elevate the rebar, and wait for a sunny day to pour the concrete.

July 16

We woke up this morning to clouds and then fog rolling in. The rain followed soon after the fog and it has been raining steadily ever since. Even so, the men got to work at 6 am. I felt so bad for them as I was taking this picture. It can't be fun to be squatting down putting rebar in place in the rain. It looks like the rain is here to stay through our departure date next Wednesday. There is another tropical storm near us that is killing all hope of dry weather. Still we are praying that we can have a long day of pouring concrete tomorrow, Saturday or Monday.

This picture of Clara and Paul is from two days ago. We had come over to the work site to see the new little retaining wall along the right side of the driveway.

I have been working on packing up our things for the trip home. I can't believe how little time there is until we leave! It is going to be so hard to part with our new friends. Paul went to the doctor yesterday and we confirmed that he has a double ear infection. He started having a fever and cough on Friday the 10th. On Monday morning he woke up without a fever for the first time since he got sick. Then that afternoon it shot up to 103.6 F. Yikes! It was high all afternoon and evening and he was complaining of ear pain. He has had several ear infections before, so I was not surprised. I am so glad that we were able to get him on antibiotics right away. Air travel with a two year old, with a double ear infection, equals misery for him and every one around him!

July 14

After several days of rain we have had a bright sunny morning. I am so thankful for even a few hours of sun for the workers. Here is the driveway that is being prepped for concrete. The plans call for the concrete to be thicker on the edges so they must dig down a bit. In addition it looks like we will need a small retaining wall on the right side of the driveway to hold back the dirt. There is so much to do! We are praying for God to allow this to be done quickly and for it to be done well!

The new bridge to Ate Fe's house is a lot like traditional Filipino bridges. Ate Fe is pleased with it!

The living room of Ate Fe's house has paint, a ceiling and light fixtures. Now it just needs tile!

This is one of the completed bedrooms. They have come a long way! We are all so thankful for the tile! It makes it feel like a home.

The bathroom tile will soon be completed. Once the tile is finished on the walls then the tile will be put in place on the floor. When that is done Ate Fe will move in! She will still need to eat her meals at the orphanage until the kitchen is completed. The kitchen will need to have cupboards built, tile and a completed paint job. Finish work can take so long! It is hard to be patient!

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.

Happy 4th of July

Tonight we had fried chicken from Jollibee, apples, oranges and apple juice. We took it to the picnic table at Rehoboth and had a picnic in the twilight as the bats were coming out. Then after we cleaned up the meal we were surprised with bottle rockets! What a treat! As we waited for them to be set up Josh and I sung a horrible rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. The first bottle rocket was stuck too firmly into the ground and it exploded right where it was. The middle two went up and exploded in the sky and the fourth flew away from us into the grass and exploded there. It was great. I did not even know that they could be purchased here. Since they are illegal in Montana it was my first experience with bottle rockets. I can see why they are illegal. Anyway it was so great. They kids were not to terribly impressed but the rest of us cheered and applauded. I have to admit that I was sad to be missing all the fun of the 4th. Now it turns out that we did not miss it at all.



Happy 4th of July to everyone and thank you to all that have made out freedoms possible!

Finishing Strong

Well I have been working on a post for awhile now and still don't have it finished. But I had to post some pictures from today. We have a smaller crew than the 20-35 we had for the past 3 months. So with 6 hired workers, Kuya Eric, and myself we are tackling the remaining works. Specifically final grading of the soil, pickup and bagging of the excess gravel and sand, and general cleanup.

I needed more workers but the budget is getting a little tight, so I recruited these workers for room and board! See below.

This will be a slotted concrete drain cover. The wall goes over this 4 foot culvert. This area sees a tremendous volume of water from the road. Going over the culvert saved a lot of money versus dropping the wall down into the ravine.

Here Brita and Dan are cutting up a cement bag. The 3" by 4" rails need reinforced fiber concrete for strength. This is our version of fiber concrete.

We also have a new supervisor and can be very hard to please. I don't know if Kuya Eric's work meets her approval or not.

There is work at the house and the Australian work team headed by Elisa is taking the project by storm. They are painting walls and adding a ceiling, and tile! I am in awe of how so many people from so many countries join together to support the tremendous work Rehoboth does.

Sarah, Fe, and Elisa varnishing the door.

Can you really have this much fun and be painting? I think it is staged!

Sometimes a paint can is all you need.

Sid doing some sanding in the bedroom.

Tyler working hard with Kuya Eric and Kuya Rommie

It really struck me the last few days how amazing God is. We have a house that needed to be almost completely demolished. Then it was built back up. It is not much to look at on the outside, but it's being transformed on the inside first. That is how God deals with us. He doesn't care about how good we look on the outside, or what others say about what we have done. He tears down all the old broken parts in us and rebuilds us from the inside out to make us beautiful and holy. I want to be just like this house, not much on the outside, but bursting with beauty and love on the inside!

My other post will come soon!