We May Not Come Home!

Ron was really upset that we got trapped here in Tanjay, Negros Oriental, Philippines because he felt he needed to return to fund raising after being in Asia since the middle of November.  But, the more we learned of the spread of the virus in the U.S., the shut down of everything and the majority of the churches going to on-line services, we began to realize we could not do much there.

We were the only guests at the hotel the entire time we stayed in Melanie's Garden Hotel.  When we checked out they were closing the hotel to guests until further notice.

Staying in place here is just fine, especially since Gigi's family has come to our rescue.

Gigi's aunt, Anita, who has been my friend on Facebook, lives in CT.  She offered us  her house while we are here.   She also owns the restaurant where they gave us the surprise anniversary luncheon last week.   Gigi's sister manages that restaurant and one of the workers lives here in the house to keep it clean and care for the plants but it is a big house and we hardly see her.   She comes in after we go to bed and leaves each morning.    We have the upstairs master bedroom with two sitting rooms so it is like a suite in a five-star hotel.  Ron loves the small room with a couch where he can lean back and work on his computer without having any back pain.

There are window air conditioners so we can keep this small living area cool enough during the middle of the day when it is very hot.  It is in the 90's each afternoon with about 65% humidity so it does feel hot about 2 p.m.   We are staying very comfortable.   There are two balconies from our sitting rooms.  

  Beautiful tropical views of the plants and trees!

The stairs and upstairs floors are very beautiful wood floors.   The downstairs is very spacious with a large living room with beautiful white tile floors, two dining rooms, kitchen and a full bath.  I could not post all of the pictures to give a complete tour of this beautiful home.  

Ronald stayed here for a month before they married while they were planning the wedding.  That was seven years ago, last September.   The first time he came to meet Gigi, he stayed in the same hotel where we were staying before moving into the house.   All of this has a very special meaning to our families.   

One of Gigi's sisters got us an internet connection and the other sister presented Ron with a cheesecake with blueberry topping.   Ronald and Gigi stocked our fridge so we have everything we need.

Now, we are wondering if we will ever come home!    What do you think?  

We are very grateful for Gigi's aunt's generous offer to allow us to use her house while we are confined to the island.    When they closed the airport and ferry service to other islands, they said it would be for 30 days but I am sure that depends on how things proceed with virus outbreaks.   They have closed the mall, which housed the big, nice grocery store in Dumaguete, the larger town about 40 minutes away.   All public things have been cancelled and a curfew began yesterday from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m.    The local bus service has limited hours and accepts fewer passengers.  There is less traffic on the roads with fewer people taking pedicabs.  What a difference we see since we arrived March 11th.   

Ron went to a couple of small stores this morning to get a few things.  They are well-stocked and we see no hoarding or panicking.   The island is isolated from anything coming from other ports so food shortage could be a problem if this lockdown continues too long.

We are well-situated to ride out the storm of this virus wave so please do not worry about us.   We are not around other people very much so we are probably safer than we would be in the U.S.  

The best part of being here is the time we can spend with Ronald and Gigi and the children.   We will go there tomorrow morning for services in the tent.   The house father will present the sermon tomorrow morning and Ronald will conduct the service on Sunday night.   They accepted a new boy this week so we will get to meet him tomorrow.   Ron will preach next Sunday.  

We will continue to go out to the orphanage each day for awhile.  Ron is having a morning Bible study with Jessica, the social worker.   She is a very nice person.  She wants to help train these children to be responsible adults and give them a good life.   Along with the house parents, Ronald and Gigi, we are confident these children will be given a wonderful life.   

Schools are closed.  The children said they missed school so Gigi is starting their summer activities on Monday.   They have a complete schedule with Gigi, the house parents and the social worker, taking turns and conducting classes and activities.   They will be learning Bible stories, songs and verse memorization, coloring, crafts and classes on various subjects and things of interest to children.  I think the children will thoroughly enjoy the program and not miss school.   Gigi's experience of being a teacher for 21 years will pay off to provide the children with a better education than they would even get at school.