Hope to arrive in Houston on May 20.

Ron has made reservations to leave Tanjay, Philippines about 10 a.m. on May 19.  We will go to Manila from the airport in Dumaguete and from Manila to the Narati Airport in Toyoko by Japan Air, arriving in the late afternoon.   We will face the quarantine, testing at that airport.   We won't know what is involved until we get there.   I checked with a flight attendant who is from Japan and goes there often through this airport.   She is worried that we will face the quarantine ordeal but the only other way to get back to the U.S. in through Los Angeles and take another flight to Houston. We would be in coach going through LAX and we are hoping we will get business class on American since we are flying on buddy passes.    If all goes well with the quarantine/testing, we have an all-night stay in the airport until our flight leaves the next morning about 10 a.m.    There are some day rooms there but they close at 9 p.m. so they will not be of any use to us.   Our pilot friend who provided the buddy passes said we can go to the Admiral's Club and rest and have food.   According to the flight attendant, most shops and restaurants in the airport have limited hours when they are open.    We will have to go and see what we will face to clear that airport and get to Houston, hopefully on the flight leaving on May 20.   Since we are a day ahead in Asia, it will still be May 20 when we arrive in Houston.   My birthday is May 24th.   I will be suffering with jetlag so I told Ron I want a good pizza delivered to the RV that day.   I may eat a whole one myself!!!

We pray everyone is well and with the limited openings in the U.S. that the virus will not spike and cause more deaths.    We all know now bow to appreciate a normal day and be thankful when we have those again.   Be thankful when you have freedom to go to work and back to worship services but be diligent.  Don't take chances and be careless.   Take care of yourself and others.   God be with you.

Governmental quarantine check begins today

Ron checked and found that we may need a quarantine health certificate to leave the island.   The information from the Manila airport said U.S. citizens could leave at any time without proof of quarantine but we think it may be best to have it.   Four government women came today to ask questions and take our temperature.   Someone will come each day to check our temperature for 14 days and then they will issue us the certificate.   Since we have to go through Japan, we are reading that they are quarantining people from other countries until they can be tested   Maybe our health certificate would eliminate that hassle.   Ron said they are not using the quick testing that gives the results in two hours.   They said it could be 2 days to 14 days.   Each person is put into a cubicle and kept there until released.   That would be pretty horrible for 14 days...compared to being in a prison cell.   Keep us in your prayers.

The virus has brought many changes to our lives

What do we know about leaving the Philippines to return to the U.S.? Almost nothing! The restrictions on the Negros Oriental lockdown continue until April 30th. There are no new cases and restrictions seem to be lifting but no official word has come from the government.   It is thought that this island will be opened to normal operation by the weekend and everyone can move about freely. There are some who expect the airport and ferry to remain closed since they do not want anyone entering from Manila or Cebu where there are still active cases of the coronavirus.   That delays our leaving because we have to fly to Manila to get the fight to Japan.  To complicate matters, Japan continues to have cases and they do not have any lockdown restrictions.   However, I found something on the computer today that listed countries that were restricted from having passengers come to their airports and the Philippines was one of them.    We are hoping that we can obtain a certificate from the department of health here in Tanjay City stating that we have been under quarantine for more than 15 days but that may not work since we have to go through Manila to get to Japan as they still have active cases.    We run some risk in the airports, both Manila and Narita, Japan.   It appears we would have to stay one night in Toyoko which puts us at more risk from the hotel staff.   There are too many questions to give any specifics at this time.    We feel we will need to wait another couple of weeks just to see if things settle down more in this country and in the U.S.

According to Ron, once we get back to our RV in Alvin, TX, we will rest from the jetlag and see if we have escaped picking up the virus along the way.   When we can, we will drive to Tallahassee, FL to visit with Ike and Dee Etienne.    Dee has been our volunteer bookkeeper for five years.   She is doing a wonderful job dealing with expense reports from foreign countries using various different money systems and exchange rates.    You could not pay me enough to take her job.   I was a bookkeeper for a coal brokerage company once in Atlanta, GA and when I left there, I never wanted to be a bookkeeper again.   I am not that good with math and balancing much less all the things Dee has to face.

Ron will see if he can get appointments at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL and if so, we will go there next.    He is past due for a yearly check up on his robotic heart valve surgery.   When having an eye check up in Mountain Home, AR this past year, he learned that he has a mole on his eyeball and that eye is giving him a lot of trouble.   He wants to see a specialist at the Mayo Clinic about this eye problem.   Ron has had a lot of pain in one knee for several months.   He would like to find out if a shot of cortisone would relieve some of that pain.    We don't know if the Mayo Clinic will be free enough to book these appointments for him but we will find out soon.

Ron does not expect we will have any opportunities to visit churches this entire year.   Even when churches begin meeting again, social distancing may be practiced or small groups meeting at different times and it would not be an opportune time for us to give reports on the work in Asia.   We also expect many churches will be under budget with people staying home and not giving in the usual manner.   Ron and Jackie are developing methods of doing fundraising on-line with letters, newsletters and mailing out flash drives of the reports.    This will eliminate our traveling in the RV to visit churches.    We hope we can keep the income needed for our operation of the safe houses to care for the girls until the economy improves.

Ron feels that we need to return to Thailand in the fall before the flu and virus season begins.   At our age, we don't know if we would survive such an illness.   If there are vaccines available we will definitely get the flu shot and, hopefully, one for the coronavirus.    He has been promised funding to build a safe house in Northern Thailand.   Ron visited there a year ago and met the Christians.  They have given permission to build a house on the church property and join us in the work of caring for vulnerable girls in their area.  In addition to building that structure, we will make a visit to each of our locations again and not return to the U.S. until the spring of 2021.

With many changes coming this year and next, please keep us in your prayers.   We are not getting any younger and the trips to Asia are difficult.   As soon as I have more information about our return trip to the U.S. expected before the end of May, I will post again.    God bless you all with more freedom to continue life and safety from the virus.

No News Should be Good News!

We are doing well.   We've been in the house for 28 days and have been out once to the orphanage for a Wednesday night devotional before the lockdown started for the whole island.   We were confined to the house two weeks earlier due to our age but the real lockdown started for others on April 3rd and was supposed to continue until April 18.   However, on Monday the government put out an announcement that the date would be extended beyond April 18.   They said details of the restrictions would be given on Friday so we are still waiting to see what the decisions are past the 18th,   Many people are out and going even though the rules are to stay in unless it is necessary to go for food or medication,   One per household is supposed to go even then.   Gigi and her sister-in-law were able to cross into Dumaguete to the big grocery store yesterday.   Gigi's brother's wife has a badge showing she is a relief worker for the government.   They were welcomed in without a problem.  Gigi was going to explain that she needed to buy food for children at their orphanage if they had any difficulty getting in.   We got a new supply of food and water also, so we are set for another week or more until they go out again.

We feel tremendously blessed to have a nice place to live and everything delivered right to us.   We wake up about  6 a.m. with sunlight in our faces.   We can't close the curtains because of the window air conditioner or we might be able to sleep later.    The activity on the street starts early so the noise is beginning as people are setting up their shops to open, sweeping the sidewalks and chatting.   Motor scooters start up and down the street and go all day and until the curfew at 8 p.m.   Some go after that.


We are watering the plants early in the mornings, having breakfast and starting our work on the computer by 7:30 a.m.    It turns out to be a long day.  The skies are a beautiful blue with no rain in sight so the days are very hot.  There is a constant breeze but the air is still very hot until the sun goes down about 6 p.m.  

We have no phone service but we have no one to call anyway.   Our kids are busy at the orphanage but they check messages on Facebook often and if we needed them, they are 15 minutes away.   We mark off the days and enjoy the freedom to rest when we need to or go fix a meal when we get hungry.   My blood pressure is certainly low and I have not needed any medication.    The days are stress-free.

Our visitor's VISA has expired but the government states that there will be no penalty for anyone stuck here due to the restrictions.    Whenever the airport and/or ferry to Cebu opens again, we will make flight arrangements to return to Dallas and on to Houston.    If we learn more from the news on Friday, I will post another report to give more specific information. We expect it to continue until the end of April.   In the meantime, we are just taking one day at a time.

One year ago, Ron was recovering at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN from the robotic heart valve surgery.   This was the week he was still in the hospital and I was making the trip to be with him each day from the Compassion House where we were staying.    It was still very cold there this time last year.   Ron has been doing fine this entire year and we are grateful to get that surgery behind us.   He is supposed to go for a one-year check up but that will be delayed until we can get settled in TX again.

We pray for everyone in the U.S. and have great sympathy to all who lost loved ones to this horrible virus or continue to suffer with the illness.   We hope the number of illnesses and deaths will begin to decrease considerably and businesses can start up again, providing freedom to everyone's lives again.  I have hope and faith that things will be O.K.  Normal may not return for some time but everyone will be thankful for some relief from the restraint and concern.

God be with us all.

Prevention methods continue in the Philippines

Fifth day of the quarantine in Tanjay, Philippines but from our window, you would not know it.   Many young people continue to go up and down the street on motor scooters.   Since more businesses are closed, we wonder where they are going.   People should not even be going to others' homes but many people are in the streets walking also.   I think the little sidewalk grocery-type stores are open for cold drinks, instant noodles, chips and snacks.  Most are wearing masks but no one is particularly worried about the coronavirus.    We were told they are cracking down on people who should not be out, especially at the markets since one per household is supposed to have a slip to show permission to shop.   The police never restrict anything here so people are not afraid of the police.    Last night, we had gone to bed when I heard a loud noise outside.   I came to the window of our balcony and watched a huge truck going slowly up the street. Walking slowly behind the truck were three or four guys in orange suits, boots and gloves with hoses from the truck spraying everything along the street.  The strong hoses were spraying the fences, gates, sidewalks and streets and everything was as wet as if it had rained.    I thought it might be mosquito repellant but that is usually a fog and not a wet solution.   Ronald told me this morning they have been doing this due to the coronavirus for about a week but mostly in the areas of the markets and places where many people would gather.   Now they are going down residential streets.    I think they are doing all they can to stop it here in the Philippines and for that we are grateful.  

Continue to take care of yourselves in the U.S. so we can see an end to this horrible disease.  God bless you all.  

Casa Esperanza of Angels' Summer Program begins

Because schools are out due to the corona virus, Casa Esperanza of Angels has begun the planned summer activities for the children.  The House Parents, the Social Worker and Gigi Brown will handle different classes. We have tutorials, Bible story classes, Math, English and crafting classes.  

We also teach other topics such as personal hygiene, good manners and other life learning lessons. We have film showings and games so the kids won’t feel bored. 

So far the kids are enjoying their classes very much.   

Today, April 6, we learned that there have been no new cases of the virus reported on the island of Negros Oriental.   Two earlier cases should have recovered by this time.   While this is good news, we are still on stay-home lockdown until April 18.  If the ban is lifted, activities on this island can begin to get back to normal but the transportation to Manila or Cebu may still be cut off due to cases continuing to increase there. 

It is in the 90's in the Philippines with high humidity so the theory that the virus may die down with hotter temperatures and humidity as is the case of the flu, does not seem to be the situation at this time.    We also know that the virus continues to spread in Laos and Thailand, which are also very hot countries.

The house on the left is identical to the first house for children except the floor plan is slightly different.   This house is being financed by Save Asian Souls and it will house teenage girls that are at high risk for traffickers.   These girls are sold to brothels of Japan after being promised good jobs as nannies, cooks or housekeepers for wealthy families.  

The roof is complete and the ceilings and walls on the inside are now being finished.   The work will slow for a few weeks as workers returned home and cannot travel due to the lock-in restrictions.

A young minister has been interviewed to come work at Casa and we are hopeful he and his wife will live here to be the house parents for the teenage girls we admit to this house as well as the spiritual leader for the orphanage.   

We have been very blessed to have spent some time with Jessica, the social worker.   She is very nice and caring.   It has been a privilege to get to know her and realize how much she cares for the children.   

Ron and I also spent some time one-on-one with Renante and Erlyn, the house parents. Ron explained the sober commitment we have been given to mold the lives of children into productive human beings that will serve God.  We challenged them to be committed to serving God in this job as it is one of the most important things they could do with their own lives. We talked about "parenting" and gave them some grandparents' tips for handling children that we had to learn by the school of hard knocks.  They really seemed to appreciate the encouragement.

We are blessed in so many ways we can't count them.   Our blessings are as numerous as the stars in the heavens.    Continue your prayers for others and include us in your prayers also.  

The rest of the story...our family is safe!

Our daughter and grand daughter are safe in Florida and working from home.  We keep in touch nearly every day.  Technology can be used for good or for bad and for us it is very good.   Knowing that we can chat on Facebook or write detailed emails to each other daily, keeps the distance between us immaterial.  We also keep up with relatives and friends in the same way and know everyone is well and safe.

We could not have done our mission work that we started in China in 1998 without the internet.  Before we had access to communication, a missionary had to be in the field continually.  The nature of our work has permitted us to manage it from across the ocean and still accomplish what we want to do.   Without this ability, our work could not have been done these past 22 years.  

We thank God daily for our many blessings, for blessing our work, for blessing those who work with us and those we are able to help.   Praying that God will bless all of our family, friends and supporters during the coronavirus crisis that has spread all over the entire world.    

Are you concerned about your neighbor?

Tomorrow in the Philippines (April 3) is the day when there is supposed to be a two-week shutdown for people to stay home as much as possible.   Here in the islands, it is common for people to go to the market to buy a little each day.   We see a man across the street going out each day to get what he needs.  The really blessed people, like us, can stock up with enough food and water for a two-week period.   After today, no one can go to Dumaguete, the main shopping center where most everyone goes to buy food.  The little stores along the streets will have drinks, noodles, chips and snacks but little else.

This afternoon, a group of young adults (boys and girls) were walking up and down both sides of our street, calling "Hello" at each house's door or gate.   They had sacks of rice to give away to those who wanted it.   A pedicab was following along with huge sacks of rice and the young people would fill smaller bags (maybe 2 pounds each) for each household.    They were outside our gate a few minutes ago.  I wanted to get a picture of them but thought it would be rude and they might not want recognition.  

They are doing this in the middle of the afternoon.   It is 91 degrees with a 58% humidity with only a slight breeze.   We are very proud of these young people for thinking of others and wanting to be sure they have enough to eat during the shut down.   I hope there are a lot of good deeds being done for others in the U.S. during this difficult time.

The Philippine President is not easy-going with his words.   He says the lockdown will be enforced and they will just "shoot them dead" if people do not comply.    Typically, people here are just like those in the U.S. who do not like rules enforced on them so there will be many who will continue to go out.