NEW BEGINNINGS

Well-I am feeling pretty racked with guilt right now because I have been so lame about writing on my blog.  The only thing I can say is it seems like the Rip Van Winkle effect has followed me to the Philippines--Ha Ha! I woke up and wondered what happened to the last month--errr-last two months now!!!!!   Ahhh-the joys of getting older! At any rate-- I am resolving, ONCE AGAIN, to do better.

One of the things that has spurred me on is actually an event in the U.S.--the birth of my 12th

grandbaby!  Olive Mary Drzayich was welcomed into Nick and Jess' family on June 9th.  She is their fourth child and weighed in at a whopping 5lb 13oz!! Baby, Mom, Dad, and siblings are all doing great! Needless to say--this has been the hardest event for me to miss thus far.  I'm so very thankful for modern technology that allows me to see her in "real time".  "Real time" also takes on a whole new meaning here in the Philippines with a 12-14 hour time difference! I was anxiously awaiting news of Olive's safe arrival--which I got on Monday the 10th!  I almost put the 10th down as her birth date until it dawned on me that she was actually born on the 9th in the U.S.!!! So hard to keep my days straight-ha ha.  Anyway--can't wait to get my hands on this newest addition to our family.   That makes 6 granddaughters and 6 grandsons for me!  Whoot!  Whoot!



In keeping with my title of "New Beginnings," I thought I would post a little bit about baptisms here.  We try to attend all the baptisms that are reasonably close to us.  We have been here long enough now that we actually know some of the people that are getting baptized.  At any rate, it's always a spiritual uplift.  It is tradition here to have the newly baptized person bear their testimony at the end of the baptismal service--and they all do it!!!  My absolute favorite baptism thus far was the one in Piddig.  It is a small branch that meets in the upstairs of a home-- so no font.  The baptism was preformed in the nearby river--so beautiful!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Getting ready to go to the river!  The baptizer, in white, jumped on a motorcycle, the baptizee, in white, got into a tricee with the sister missionaries, we went in a car--it was quite the procession!           

We walked along this wall and down a bamboo ladder to get to the river.

 It was truly beautiful!