Tuesday, April 2, 2019

March 2019 Summary

Kangaroo Book Club

Swimmy by Leo Lionni was my lead story which shows teamwork in action. It was translated into Cebuano, the language language of many of the children.  Our craft depicts a key picture from this book. For those not familiar with the story, "Swimmy" the small black fish teaches other little fish to swim together with him as the eye resembling a very large fish - for protection against the many big fish in the sea who like to devour small fish.




Owl Babies by Martin Wadell. Showed siblings sticking together and their love for their mother.





Dramatized with props and puppets: Benny's Pennies. Pat Brisson. Hebrews 13:16 - Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."








Before and after storytime, we interact with neighborhood 
children and books. "We" includes club volunteers -  
adults and also some middle school students from
 Faith International Academy.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


FIA Chapel
March 13th

Bible BEE wanted us to consider how God wants us to BEE Diligent -           2 Timothy 2:15 - "Be diligent to present yourself to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed."

Bible Bee called shared Proverbs 6:6 - “Go to the ant, you sluggard!  Consider her ways and be wise…”   

I had been delighted to receive these two cute ants at our staff Christmas gift exchange...immediately knowing they would be used to sometime visualize this scripture. This chapel was the first "some time".



I showed two videos to help students understand the meaning of "diligence" - a word not used often these days.

How to Explain Diligence to a Child (raw dinner) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ay66-9iaS0 1:39


What is Diligence - For Kids (Cartoon drawing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9vzEgsOC64 1:48


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Community Service Club


For Benny's Pennies, an extra character was needed, so I 
played  Benny's  Mom with two short lines. Afterwards, 
I mentioned that this story and the  Farmer's Hat story
 were good illustrations of the verse "look not only 
to his own interests,  but also to the interests of others."
 (Philippians 2:4) I encouraged the children
to also look out for the interests of others.

The last story books presentation of this school year by high school students from Faith International Academy at Wireless Elementary was March 29 (different public school calendar). It included: Benny's Pennies, Who Took the Farmer's Hat and Owl Babies


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Quarter Break

There were other places where I would have preferred to spend this year's spring quarter break, but most of it was in Manila. Four days were taken up with medical testing and appointments at St. Luke's Medical Center, a part of the Mayo Clinic network. My mammogram was benign, with indication of post surgical distortion but gave no instructions for follow-up. My oncologist I've seen three years at St. Luke's and the gasteroenterologist he referred me to for other issues both called for endoscopy and a colonoscopy, but technical details disqualified me from those tests during this week. (I am in process of scheduling those tests in Davao.)

One positive feature of this week was staying at the SIL Guesthouse again. Glad to get some much needed rest in evenings and the last few days of the week plus enjoy tasty meals that I didn't have to plan/cook/cleanup. As in previous years at this guesthouse, I cherished opportunities to get acquainted and fellowship with other missionaries - to hear about various aspects of Bible translation and other ministries in the Philippines.

Blast from the past. A friend on hearing I would be at the SIL
 Guesthouse  told me to go to the Dairy Queen for me (at a
 nearby mall). The banana split on the menu called my name,
 but I opted for the "dilly bar" a childhood favorite to minimize
 sugar and calories.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


66th Birthday

From Faith International Academy I received pink roses, chocolates, and my fav snack - trail mix. I so cherish the hand made cards from students; there was jewelry from my housemate. Along came invitations from two friends to take me out for a meal...Saturday's lunch at a Korean restaurant was delish. 

Appointment with a gastroenterologist about scheduling an endoscopy and colonoscopy; referral to a cardiologist for clearance for those procedures 

to undergo those test, included an EKG - passed with flying colors. Glad to get that out of the way. 

One lady in my Esther Care Group at church hesitantly asked my age, though I get that question a lot here. I told her that sharing my age is a praise report and thank to God for giving me 12 and 16 years more than my parents had (neither reached 55). 

The common practice in the Philippines is for the celebrant to provide the food for a birthday celebration. I choose the lowest sugar content of two ice creams (one new to me here is purple - ube) and some little chocolate cake bars. Glad I had no problems sending leftovers home with others. 



###################################################################

Trying to apply for Social Security while abroad has been extremely frustrating, hitting multiple barriers and blocks. I have a plan B and Plan C suggested by a Wycliffe Senior Benefits Team rep if needed. Taking it one day at a time, one step by step. My fav response to peaks of frustration is belting out or in my heart singing in my heart singing "This is the day that the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it."