time flies

I can't get over how quickly the weeks pass me by and I find I've not written anything down.  Not only have I not posted on this blog, but I have not journalled either.  I worry that I won't remember all of this.  Some of it I hope to forget, but most I want to remember.

Good news on the dog front.  Last week as we walked down the street in the evening I saw 'our' dog, Cherry.  She was with her other family.  They live right below us, but behind a tall bamboo fence (with a hole in it).  Her name is Shelby, they do not have plans to eat her.  Thank God!  The man is British.  At first he was put out that I was calling his dog Cherry and that she was uber excited to see me, but when I pointed out our 5 boys he understood the draw to come visit us daily.  She is sporting a lovely red collar.  Funny thing is that she rides on the man's scooter, right up at his feet!

Post typhoon the beach was a mess.  Fish washed ashore in big clumps of seaweed.

Ha Ha!  This pic is of Ethan's 10th birthday present - he chose to go helmet diving with man.   EQ reported that it was the most awesome thing he's done in his life!

This is beach mess post typhoon.  The big fish is a terra bat fish.  There are pipe fish, a puffer fish, and others that I can't identify.  

One of my 4th grade girls, K.  Aunt Sally and Uncle Tom - thanks for keeping her in school!
K is holding up a bottle she filled with pipe fish. 

We get lots of blue coral. 

The resort folks dig holes and bury the beach mess.  

Another of my 4th grade girls.  Isn't she gorgeous?

A nudibranch on the beach.  Seth caught and released it.  It was my favorite beach find of the day.

Many of the tourist who come to Boracay are Korean - they make me smile.  

Perhaps "Land of Pirates" would have been a more manly monicker?  

Me working on numbers at the feeding site we have 'adopted'.  We try to feed about 90 kids here each week.  Today we had to cancel because there were no funds.  Money is tough here.  In the ministry it seems to be misspent - to my eyes that is.  We find ourselves struggling over many aspect of this ministry.  We are sure in our support of some things, and disgusted by others.   

We need about $30 more US dollars donated each month to be able to feed these 90 kids a healthy meal and vitamins once each week.  More money would mean basic meds and bandages.  If you can help let us know and I'll give you the address to send donations to us.  

Gumby

Flexibility.  We all know what it is, but most of us press through our days stiff, unbending.  The rush of a day puts us in motion at speeds too high to take note of a person's needs, at least the needs of the nameless around us. 

As we meet more people on this tiny island, we are tested in our ability to absorb or shrug off.  Like a sponge I soak up too much and it makes me heavy. 

People here eat dogs.  I feel like that's okay if it's a mean dog, or perhaps it was bred to be dinner.  But we have this dog that has adopted us; Yo named her Cherry.  Man and I feel in the dark of our minds that she is likely being fattened up by the workers down our hill - the guys who one day appeared to be scraping a pig in preparation for the grill, but it turned out to be a dog on closer inspection.  These men work hard 10 hour labor weary days.  They have taken down a nice, 2 story concrete house by hand and carried it away in buckets.  Now they are building a 5 story resort/condo building in its place.  All concrete and rebar.  In their flip flops, shorts, and t-shirts, no safety glasses, no ear plugs, no hard hats. 

And I feed this lovely black dog each day when she comes to our home.  Fattening her up, perhaps hastening her death.  And I feel sick about it.  What can I do?  Buy her?  To do what with her...and of course then she would be replaced with another fattened calf. 

We already have one temporary dog.  Our landlord's dog Buddy spends many of his dog hours with us. 

The dogs, like dogs the world over, praying that I drop dinner!

A Tokay Gecko we see often.  He's about 10 inches long.  

Someone in our area has horses.  I can't imagine where they are kept but we've seen them being ridden down our street a few times.  I am surprised at how healthy they are. 

More to write and show but the computer is almost dead - and I need to go to sleep.