Spring is in the air?

Spring has meant several new developments for me and this particular 
project.  First of all I'm dying to tell you all about my hut.  It's huge?.I 
have affectionately named it Caesar's palace.  The project bought it from 
our neighbors because they built a new nicer one right next door and it's 
been staying vacant.  When we moved in it was big?but the water was a slight 
connumdrum (who really knows how to spell that word?)  There was a faucet 
hooked up to a sink in a kitchen that had long since rotten away.  There's a 
spiget not too far away but the Georges said that as long as there was water 
hooked up we might as well use it.  Soooo?.they began plans to make a 
kitchen and have a running water faucet.  (those of you that think this is 
no big deal?.let me assure you it's a HUGE luxury to have running water in 
your home here).  Well, a couple hammers here and a few nails there and in 
very little time we had a kitchen with running water.  We were 
ecstatic?however?.The water now came in to our house and poured down a sink 
but had no where to go since the drain had not been finished.  We placed a 
bucket under the sink and every so often (several times a day) we had to 
haul out buckets of nasty grey dish water and dump it into the  jungle.  
Well, water is nice, and definitely a step up in life?but a drain was next 
on our wish list.

I'm proud to tell you that after several weeks of the bucket?we have now 
upgraded to a drain in our house!!  WHoo hoo.   Also, the Georges have 
recently purchased a shiny new gas stove/oven.  And so that means?they gotta 
put the old one somewhere?.Where better to put it than Caesar's Palace???  
Sooo?Becky and I are now the gleeful owners of a stove (with three burners 
and and oven!)  Before this we had been cooking outside with a charcoal 
burner (the old fashioned kind made of cement that you shovel 
mountain-made-charcoal into.) and one gas burner.  I know you must be 
thinking?.where's the fun in upgrading?it's more rustic to rough it.  Well, 
as it was we were getting up around 4:30/5:00 in the morning to start the 
fire and get the coals going so that we'd have our food cooked by the time 
we had to start work.  This was about ridiculous and we very much appreciate 
the upgrade.  Not to mention, bread, cookies, and various baked goods such 
as that which were all but naught in the mountains are now becoming a more 
frequent luxury.  (I never thought I'd learn how to cook and bake in the 
mountains of a jungle)

I wanna tell you about a contest that I've recently started in my head for 
the most adorable little kids that I teach in the school.  Third place goes 
to a little girl that I've had a special burden for for the last couple 
months.  She's an orphan whose parents died when she was young and has been 
raised by "friends" of the family.  Actually the new parents saw this as an 
opportunity to look good while having free servants to do all the extra work 
for them.  She's the youngest of 4 kids that her parents left behind and 
probably has the biggest smile in all of Kemantian.  Her name is Arlin and 
she's in third grade this year.   Her life is hard, and not having the 
luxury of a real mom to go to, she is forced to grow up all too quickly.  
She's dying for affection so much that she almost resists it.   One night a 
couple months ago she came up to me and started talking about her family and 
how she wants Jesus to come so she can go to heaven soon.  She and I had a 
little worship together just the two of us at her request.  She is 
struggling inside right now I can see it in her eyes?yet when she smiles the 
whole room brightens up.  Her face wrinkles and it's impossible to keep from 
smiling when Arlin is happy.  I pray every day that I can somehow be a 
blessing for her.

Second place winner is a little boy named Dyini.  He's got a heart of gold 
and a smile to match.  When he talks his whole face lights up and he's still 
got the voice of a little little kid.  He's smart as anything but the boy 
cannot be rushed.  I give him a test in math and tell him to finish in a 
certain amount of time and he just diligently works on it?singing away?until 
he's done?taking his time to make sure everything is right.  Now this is a 
very admirable trait no doubt...it must be nice to live life without that 
annoying sense of urgency.  You'll find Dyini whistling while he works and a 
grin on his face while he talks.

First place has to go to a boy named Kalbu.  He's in my fifth grade class 
and is the older brother of Arlin.  Also someone with a sad past, you 
wouldn't know it from looking at him.  He laughs so much that it's 
contagious.  The other day I had just given him a math worksheet and he was 
working on it?and when he got to the last one he started giggling as he 
finished it.  Then he handed it back to me with a grin.  I was sad to have 
to tell him that he hadn't gotten it right and he'd have to do it again but 
it didn't seem to faze him too much?he just laughed at his mistake and 
giggled as he fixed it.  I find it's unable to control my own laughter when 
he's laughing because it's one of those all out contagious laughs that few 
people have.  Neither him nor Arlin come to church on a regular basis and I 
pray that some day they'll be able to make that step toward Christ without 
restrictions from their foster parents.

I'd like to specifically thank you guys for all of the prayers that you've 
prayed for this project.  Since my email about the prayer requests and the 
trials that satan has sent our direction we've had a growth in church 
attendance, including people that have never come before in their life, 
people who were struggling spiritually are starting to realize that perhaps 
their answer is Christ.  And the school has had some donations come in to 
help it keep open at least for a few more months.  It never ceases to amaze 
me how God's timing is perfect and how he has the answers before we are even 
ready to know what to ask for.

The time on your knees is not wasted on this project.  We see the effects 
every single day and I know there's never a moment when our Angels aren't 
there at your request.  I would ask that you keep specific people in your 
prayers this month as they are harboring a special place in our hearts right 
now.  Arlin, the little girl with the hurting heart, and huge smile.  Nitu, 
a young boy with a heart of gold who's father never provided for the family 
like he should.  Mindan and Pliding (older woman among the orphaned 
siblings) who are married and have children of their own but kept from 
church because of their foster mother who forces them to work for her on 
Saturdays even now.  Pray that their husbands are strong enough to stand up 
for them and bring them to church.  Maliling, who has attended church out of 
the blue.  His family has been coming for a while now but he hadn't yet.  
He's recently suffered the loss of a young son, and is expecting a new baby 
in a few months.  Mislinda, is a 16 year old married girl that works in our 
clinic.  Last Sabbath her mother gave birth to a little girl, went into 
shock, and shortly thereafter breathed her last on the porch of our clinic.  
It happened so quickly that we barely had time to pray?but we did?.very very 
hard.  Sadly, the baby was the only one that made it.  Mislinda was not 
there at the time and she was pretty much the last to know that her world 
came tumbling down throwing a tiny baby, as well as 4 or 5 younger siblings 
to help raise with problems of her own young life.   Her grieving father is 
also close friends of ours.  Please remember all of these people in your 
prayers.

Amat-amat (little by little) God is faithful to see us through till the end 
when he comes to take us home.  I only pray for enough time to have all of 
our friends here in Palawan come with us.



"The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus"  Acts 5:?

My love,

Kiana