We are back! With ants in my computer

It took us 19 days to get the internet service connected in the Mission Home! But it is done, we are connected! We surely survived without the internet, but we have very concerned family members ready to call our mission organization to see if we are OK, despite the fact that I have already warn of a long absence. I guess it is just a bit unusual, as far as our U.S. and Hong Kong families aree concerned, to take 19 days to receive internet service.

I am grateful that I am reading the news again, I am grateful to be able to reply email and do research on the internet again. However, I have a new problem, after we moved to this house, my computer start to have tiny ants crawling out from the ventilation slots. MacBook is known to have a heat problem, this must be what is forcing them to come out. I am eager to go back to Hong Kong and have the Apple people take it apart, they might actually find an ant community in there.

I love living in this "new" house, it is spaceous, even with 15 people in the house, we still have lots of space for kids to run around, what a great house for ministry.


The great room


Another view of the great room


The kitchen


Kioni's bedroom - she is sleeping in the tent, which she loves, and it also prevent mosquito bites.


The Spare Oom (see Narnia) - Kioni's homeschool and playroom

Giving the Mission Home a face-lift

We will be moving into the "Mission Home" within a week or so. There four painters working on the walls and cabinets, two ladies working on the floors, and an electrican came in earlier this week to put up some lights. The house was purchased by our mission organization almost 30 years ago, and it has not had a major face-lift since. Dan has a background in civil engineering, and he also has 10 years of experience with the Air Force in managing similar projects, working on this project is somewhat "right down his alley". However, we found out very quickly that the Filipino way of working is, of course, very different from what we are used to. From buying paint, or I should say, be able to find paint, to the concept of "work" are all quite different.

Dan's student in seminary, a wealthy Chinese businessman Teddy Uy, waived the contractor fees, while finding the best workers for us. We are thankful for Teddy. We still have to pay for all the material costs and the workers, but any penny saved is good.

Since we want to cut down on the cost and make the money go as far as possible, we are not asking the stores to mix the paint in a machine for us, which is common practise in the U.S. to ensure that you get the right colour. Doing so here is extremely expensive. Therefore, we use the Cebuano way, the painter drizzles the needed colours into a gallon of white and eye-balls it to the colour that we want. So far they have done a good job. Though that means every batch of colour is different, so they will have to mix enough to finish the paint job.

We anticipate a pause in our internet accessibility and home phone usage for a short while because of the move, therefore, don't panic if you have not heard from us for a few weeks.


Doors lined up for a second coat of paint


A lady sanding the floor in one of the bedrooms


Saw dust covering the furniture


The study having a major make-over


Sanding dust everywhere


The wooden panels from the study (chic in the 70s) from one of the rooms laying in the front yard.


Our helper, Maris, supervising the painters while Kioni watch, she is fascinated by the roller with the long pole.


The painter mixing the paint colours by drizzling the needed colours into a bucket of white paint, no measuring is needed, quite skillful, eh?