VBS at Casa Esperanza of Angels

The nine-member group from Texas completed four full days of VBS for the children.   I am sure they feel tired but contented that they brought so much joy to a large group of under privileged children.  Neighborhood children attended in addition to the 34 children who reside at CEA.   They had rotation of teachers for classes, and activities such as crafts, quizzes, games.   It takes a lot of work to conduct things for four full days.    

The children received certificates at the closing of the ceremonies.    Thanks were extended to everyone for their hard work.    

On Friday, they will all go to a nearby resort for a day of fun at a recreational park.    This will be another day of adventure the children have probably never had before.    They averaged 55 children each day which is an excellent turnout from children in the community.   Hopefully, it will result in some families from the community attending the worship services in the future.   

Then on Saturday, the Texas group will leave for Cebu and the long trip back home to Greenville, TX (west of Dallas).   It was a lot of sacrifice for these people to go and do this for the children and we are grateful for their loving support.   There is not much jet lag going but they will have to spend a week getting over it when they get home.

Ronald and Gigi will be tired from overseeing the entire week, making sure they have transportation to and from the hotel, meals and things needed for the day-to-day operation.   It may be a let-down to the children next week without things going on each day, but I'm sure they need rest also.

Thank you to the sponsors who support these children and make it possible for this home to exist.

Ron and I are doing well as we continue to work from home to oversee the Save Asian Souls' work.   It is expanding with an increase of girls added to our safe houses in Nepal.   We have two more safe houses opening up in Laos so we'll have an increase of girls in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, Laos soon.   As my workload increases, so does our age, but we are blessed to still be able to manage the work.

Wishing all of you a good summer with God's great blessings.  

Home again!

Ronald and Gigi have returned to the Casa Esperanza of Angels orphanage in Tanjay, Negros Oriental, Philippines after a two-month long fundraising and reporting trip to supporters in the U.S.

It is a very long trip from Cartersville, GA.   They left one night at 6:30 from the Atlanta airport to fly to Dallas.  At midnight, the flight left for Hong Kong.   It is a 16 hour flight.   If you can imagine spending two full work days in a tight seat without sleep, that is just the beginning of the experience.   After arriving and going through customs, they had 3 more hours to wait for the flight to Cebu, the island near Negros.   

There is a 12 hour time change to keep in mind.  They had been awake all day before they left Atlanta.  Add up the hours and you will come to between 30 to 40 hours before they get to bed.  Gigi can probably sleep some on the flights but Ronald, with his long legs, never gets comfortable but he never complains.   I've made many of these long international trips so I know for sure what I am saying. 

They got an early check in at the hotel in Cebu as they arrived about noontime.  Gigi said they slept 7 hours; Ronald went to a mall close to the hotel to get them some food and they went back to sleep for the night.   The day they left Cebu for their flight home, they had to check out of the hotel at 11 a.m. but their flight was delayed and they did not get to leave until 8 p.m.   It resulted in another full day of waiting in an airport for a two hour flight home.  

There is just no feeling close to the exhaustion you feel after one of these trips.  The body goes through the time changes and without sleep, it is very hard.   I am always so relieved when I get a message they are in the hotel and ready to get some rest.

I know why we don't have more foreign missionaries.  Raising funds for the work, the travels in the U.S. and back and forth to both countries in addition to the work when they are home is unimaginable for most people.    The quality of keeping things clean and in good order goes downhill while they are away and then they work very hard to get things back in shape.

About 4 more children were added this month so they have about 34 (?) kids now.   It is hard to keep up with the exact number.   There is a lot of responsibility on their shoulders as they train these children in all aspects of life as if they were raising their own kids.   It is especially hard as the children come from troublesome pasts and unraveling bad things they have already learned makes it twice as hard to deal with the problems.

Creekside church of Christ in Greenville, TX will send a group over in June to conduct a vacation Bible School.   There will be a lot of preparation getting everything in good shape for their visit.    They are looking forward to the visit and the children will surely benefit from the wonderful work they will do.

There are groups visiting all the time, donating supplies, bringing the children meals, snacks and gifts.

Here is a picture of students from their local college Stillman University (Business and Ethics Class) visiting CEA.   They brought many supplies and gifts they donated to this work.  

Pray for this work in the Philippines.   It is an excellent home for children as Ronald and Gigi do such a wonderful job.   Thank you to all who support this good work too!

Wonderful family weekend

Ronald and Gigi arrived about noon on Saturday.   We had a good lunch with them, Leigh Ann and Tatum.   It has been almost a year since we've all been together so it was a joyful occasion.   Ronald gave a report on Sunday morning to the congregation at River Road in New Port Richey.   Ron preached the sermon.   We had a wonderful potluck lunch after services.   After lunch on Monday, Ronald and Gigi left to drive north toward their condo in Carterville, GA.   They stopped along the way at Crystal River, FL last night.   They will be reporting to a congregation in Macon, GA Wednesday night.  They will rest a little and leave for the Philippines on May 6.   It has been a very busy two months for them.  

The children in the Philippines are already out of school so they need to return.   They have a group from Greenville, TX going to prepare Vacation Bible School for the children in early June.   The children will return to school by the end of June for another year.   The school system changed the times of school terms this year.   Many activities are planned for the children during their summer vacation so Ronald and Gigi will be very busy for the next two months.

We have some visitors planning to come see us in June and July but we are not planning any trips away ourselves.   We have settled in to home here with a routine that works well with us.   

I hope everyone stays well and enjoys a good summer.    Thanks again to our friends and family for the encouragement and prayers you continue to provide us. 

Easter Weekend

I have not had any unusual news to report and that is good because we are doing well.   Our health is stable...not great but good.   We have some sleepless nights and tired days but overall, we are in good health.   Ron is swimming every morning and his mobility to get around and take care of himself is about the same as it was a year ago.   

Ron will see a mobility specialist in St. Pete the first week in June.  We will find out then if there is anything we need to do differently.    

The condo pool is heated until May 1st.   I hope weather will be warm enough by then to keep the water warm.  The water is now at 89 degrees but the nights are still cool and the breeze is crisp.  I hand Ron a towel to dry off as soon as he comes out of the water.   We go early before others come to the pool so he has plenty of room to swim as it is a small pool.  He looks forward to his exercise and it is a break from the computer work for me to go with him and be sure he is safe.   

Ronald and Gigi will arrive about noon on April 26th.   Leigh Ann and Tatum will join us here for lunch.  It has been a year since they were here so we are excited about their visit.   I will prepare a good salmon lunch and salad for all of us to enjoy together.   On Sunday morning, Ronald will present a power point report about our two mission works to the River Road church of Christ in New Port Richey where we now attend. 

Ron will deliver the sermon that day.  Afterwards, there is a potluck lunch with the congregation.  Ronald and Gigi will stay with Leigh Ann but we expect them again for lunch on Monday before they return to Atlanta that afternoon.   I think they will return to the Philippines the first week of May.  

As the school year ends soon, Ronald and Gigi will bring in a few more children to live at Casa Esperanza of Angels as they expand their work.    They post many pictures and their newsletter on Facebook.

We continue to work nearly every day on the computer, keeping up with the mission work requirements. I help with the Philippine Mission work in addition to our work in Asia.  

Save Asian Souls continues to add a few girls to our program.   A new safe house in Laos will be ready to add 14 girls in a few months and 20 very poor girls in Nepal are being added to our program.    In total, we probably care for 320 girls on a regular basis, providing housing, food, clothing and schooling for them.  They are all under the care of a local minister (and his wife) of the church.  We need more sponsors for the girls.   A few girls leave after they graduate from high school but our number of girls remains above 300 all the time.  

The church building for the group that left the Baptist church in Nepal is almost completed.   I think about 20 people were converted from that group and our supporters gave money to build them a building for worship.   They were meeting in a hen house after leaving the other group.   I know they will be thrilled to have a new place to worship.   I will have a picture to post soon.

Have a nice Easter weekend, praising our God for the sacrifice of His son for our deliverance from sin and giving us the hope of heaven!   May God bless all of you!   

With many thanks to our family, friends and supporters.  

Ronald and Gigi have arrived!

 I got a message a few minutes ago that they have landed in Atlanta.   It does not seem like it's been three months since they were in the U.S.  I know they have had a very busy time at the orphanage and need some rest.   They will enjoy their new condo for the first time since they had just moved into it before they returned home in early December.  

We did not get to see them on their last two trips so we are excited that they will visit us this time before they return home in May.    

Although Gigi is able to sleep a little on the plane, Ronald is too uncomfortable in a small seat and cramped leg room so he's been awake for more than 30 hours before he can get to their condo.    

I remember how exhausted I felt when we arrived at the Atlanta airport after one of these long trips.  One time, while we were waiting for our luggage, Ron said, "Are you ready to go back?"    I gave him a look that caused him to say no more.  One time when we got back, I fell on the couch when we first arrived and he was saying we needed to go buy food.  I was asleep when he left and did not even know when he got back home.   The trips are so exhausting.  I feel for Ronald and Gigi as they make each of these trips back and forth to the Philippines.   They are truly sacrificing (as we did) to do this mission work.   We are proud of them and know God is pleased with their efforts.

They will be visiting congregation to give reports on our work, renew Gigi's VISA/Green Card and have dental work done while they are here. 

Their weekend to come to Florida will be April 26-28.   Ronald will give a report at River Road in New Port Richey on April 27th.   Ron will be preaching.   Afterwards, we will have a potluck lunch at the church building.    We will enjoy our family being together that weekend. 

Please pray for their safety as they travel around for two months.

We are doing fine with mostly warm weather now.   I am always a "happy mama" when my kids are home and safe.

Enjoy daylight saving time change and spring weather coming soon.    God bless you all!

I can't believe it!

Checking temperatures across the U.S. and seeing the weather news of the Polar Vortex, I wonder what happened to "global warming?"    I guess the "warming" part didn't work so we changed it to "climate change" and that takes care of it whether it is too hot or too cold.    It has surely been a very cold winter this year and we are even happier now that we are in Florida than before.    While we've had some cool weather, we surely cannot complain.  

Ron has been swimming in our heated (outside) pool at the condo for the past month.   We went down to the pool at 9:30 this morning so he could swim before rain moves in this afternoon.  The exercise seems to be helping.   He's sleeping and eating well after he works out for an hour in the pool.    I go to watch him swim and take my break in the warm sun.   If we go early in the day, there are usually no people at the pool.

We've had our yearly checkups and everything seems okay.  Next week, I will be at the dentists' office to get a crown and filling.   I have endured a lot of dental work due to my dry mouth condition.   God made our systems perfect and when something does not function right, it affects other things.   No saliva for 40 years will surely result in tooth decay.

We still enjoy Leigh Ann's visits every weekend.   We usually put a puzzle together every Sunday afternoon.   Some recent ones were very difficult.   

Ronald and Gigi will return to the U.S. on March 4th for a couple of months.   They will renew Gigi's VISA/green card status.  Ronald has some dental work to complete.   They are looking forward to the first two weeks living in their new condo in Cartersville, GA.    They barely got things moved in before they returned to the Philippines last December.    At the orphanage, they never get a break with 30 kids and the many things that are going on all the time.    They will visit more congregations on this trip and plan to come to see us.   It has been a year since we have seen them so we look forward to their visit.

Our work continues on about the same...caring for approximately 300 girls and being sure they have an opportunity for a good life, a chance for an education and biblical teaching.   Quite a number of girls are baptized each year and become faithful Christian girls.    One girl in Nepal just left the safe house to marry and her new husband is also a Christian.    It is rewarding to us and the girls' sponsors to learn about their success in life.

We have a new safe house to open in Laos soon.   I'll have pictures and details about this new addition on my next post. 

A group of 20 people were recently baptized by one of our church of Christ ministers in Nepal.   They were all from a local Baptist church but upon learning more about the New Testament pattern of worship and becoming Christians, they left that church.   They are meeting in a hen house, on property belong to one of the members.    Ron has raised money to begin construction for a simple church building so they will have a better place to meet for worship.   I hope to have pictures of this to post next time also.

We appreciate so many checking on us and sending best wishes to Ron.   Thank you for your concern and prayers.   

Inauguration Day in D.C. ; Winter weather in U.S.

January 20, 2025...a new beginning with another government being sworn in today on a very cold day in Washington, D.C.    With each beginning, whether a birthday or the first of a new year, we renew our hope for things to be better but more importantly, according to God's will.   We pray for God's blessings on our new leaders that they will have God's will in their plans for this country so we can remain a nation under God.  

The winter has been unusually cold with Florida having the coldest winter in 15 years.    It has not reached freezing in Dunedin but it is cold in January.    The chill of 40's at night has brought us days of wind but not much rain.   It is definitely sweater weather and no beach days so few tourists are in town.  

January is tax letter month so I have spent the past two weeks preparing letters to send our donors.  They are ready to go out and I hope to have the process finished by the end of this week.    I was without internet two days last week but it has been repaired and working well again.   In addition to not having internet last week, our hot water heater had to be replaced.  We do not appreciate things enough when things are working well.   It is only when we have no internet connection or hot water that we realize how our lives depend on these things.

New girls have moved into the latest safe house established in Nepal.   

They have received new clothing as they come with hardly anything except what they are wearing.    

The rented rooms are nice and their beds look great with thick comforters to keep them warm.   

Some of these new girls are really young but there are a few older girls that can serve as big sisters to help care for them.   Some older girls finished school or got married in other locations so their sponsors will be assigned to these new girls.    It is a cycle of new girls coming for our oversight while others move on after a few years with an achievement of education and biblical teaching.     

We are thankful for our faithful supporters helping us care for these 300 or so girls.   We had a very good year in 2024 and anticipate another good year in 2025.     

Ron and I have been well without flu or cold so far this winter.    We begin a new healthcare plan this year with a change in our coverage.   Tomorrow, we have our first check ups with Dedicated Senior Healthcare Clinic in Clearwater.   They want regular check ups but with Ron continuing with his specialists, I'm not sure how often we will need to see the doctors in this clinic.    We will see how it goes and if we are impressed with their level of care.   Ron will see his Parkinson's Disease specialist again on Feb. 19.

We signed up with L A Fitness center under the Silver Sneakers' program.   Several days a week, our schedule permitting, we go to the center and Ron swims for about 30 minutes.   The heated pool is still cold, according to Ron and other swimmers.   So far, I have just helped Ron with his swim vest and made sure he gets in and out of the pool safely.   I can sit and wait until he's ready to get out and then dry him off quickly as he is cold when he gets out.   He endures it because he thinks the exercise is helping him with his mobility.   

According to our weatherman, February will be warmer in Florida and we could have some days in the 70's.   That will be great, if it happens, so we can return to our heated pool here at the condo.  

Looking forward to an early spring and wishing my blog followers a blessed life.