This is our new home. Reality is setting in a bit. The picture below is our resident ants feeding on a cockroach...the ants are much smaller here than western ants, so they move REALLY fast and are EVERYWHERE. We were advised to just eat them if they get into your food and shake out your clothes before putting them on. Mmmm.

But then there's the beautiful aspect of our home, too....it attracts moths...beautifully HUGE moths that are the size of you face!

But then there's all the work that has to be done in our place before even attempting to move into it. Whew. Feeling overwhelmed today.

Our apartment is HUGE, but very dirty....many insects reside and need to be "taken care of", much of the furniture is musty, dirty, and smelly from sitting, many of the lights will need replacing, some of the toilet seats will need replacing and the walls are pretty rough....some of the window screens need replacing, too. There isn't any water, so we had to buy a pump today, so we're getting that installed. So you asked, "why the overwhelming feeling, Bethany?" Because the start-up costs are far more than we were told and money is getting very tight already....the cost of cleaning supplies alone put us over $80.

We were told to hire women to help clean the place and hire men to put in the water pressure tank....we had to buy cell phones (instead of a landline), the list goes on of crazy costs.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and God is still showing up. We have been able to stay with our directors, Matt and Krys, until we get our place set up, our new and old friends here are giving us great advice on who to use to help out as well as where to purchase things, we're healthy and happy to be here, we're clean!...sleeping well....and loving our new city.

There are things to get used to, though....like the ants crawling out of my keyboard on this computer as we speak....the incredible hot weather that makes you feel like you've wet your pants all day long!...the heavy diesel fumes that get lodged in your chest on the roads....

But the Filipino people are BEAUTIFUL, friendly and smile all the time...they always say hello and call me "ma'am"....the shanty towns are colorful and I look forward to visiting people in the market....we've been to the mall...it's HUGE and has quite a bit of imported items.....like Millet and Quinoa! It's air conditioned, too, so that is a blessing.

The people here LOVE their processed foods and MSG....it's clear as soon as you get off the plane....but the fresh fruit is amazing and the avocados are the size of cantaloupes! We wake up every morning to the crazy sounds of native birds and insanely barking dogs that sound like something BIG is eating them....it was jarring at first, now I just want to own a gun. :)

Yes, God has been faithful and we've been told of some of the opportunities we have to serve this country and have been moved to tears. This is definitely where God has called us for such a time as this. It has been hard, but it already feels like home.

Please continue to pray for us...we really need God's continued provision in our finances and our shipping is having trouble getting here. It is still stuck in Vancouver and we really need that stuff ASAP. Tim's mom has been working on it for us, so that has been a huge blessing. Please keep us updated on all your lives as we do so love to hear what's going on. Many blessings to you all!