Cold,Dill Pickles, Bathtub and Hot Water

Thanks to all of you who prayed us home safely.  We left the Philippines at 9:00 Friday morning and arrived in Mississippi Friday evening, 22 hours later!  We are so thankful for God's provision of safety and also His help with our making our connecting flight in Japan!

Brrrr this central air conditioning is cold!! While it is warm here in Mississippi, guess it's going to take us a bit to adjust.  But, those dill pickles are just yummy! It's so funny the things that God gives you the grace to not even think about until you return.  Those hot baths are a real treat, but even more so is the hot water to wash my face!

Thanks for praying us home and we would appreciate your prayers for God's direction for our future.  We have already been approved to go to Mexico if that is where we feel that God is calling us, but are praying for God to show us where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do.  We will keep you posted and thanks again for praying.

Roaches on Steroids

We certainly have our fair share of roaches in Mississippi but this week I have been thinking of my best friend Bess who HATES roaches.  The roaches here are pretty good size, most of then 2 - 3 inches.  Steven always says they are on steroids because once a week a man comes by the house and sprays bug killer in all of the drains.  Steven's theory is that the roaches here eat that stuff and it just makes them stronger. I must tell you one thing I will not miss in the Philippines is the roaches and the ants!

Anyway Bess, last week I went into the kitchen to get something and as I turned on the light there was a huge, I mean BIG roach, right on top of my kitchen counter - disgusting! My precious husband will come and kill them for me but he was laying down and I didn't want to disturb him and besides the roach might have gotten away.  Well, he saw me and crawled onto the front of my drawer which yes, was open a bit.  I tried to kill him with my foot, but missed. The roach dived into the drawer that has some knives in a silverware tray.  I jerked open the drawer and that roach was trying his best to crawl under the knives which was impossible! Hum, got him - think quick.  He was just crawling, his legs digging, trying to get through that plastic tray.  So, I picked up the scissors and yep - I cut that sucker right in half!  And I just left the drawer open cause I didn't want to clean it out that night - dead halved roach and all.  Well, when I got up the next morning only the bigger half was still in the drawer.  My friends the ants finally helped in a worth while way by getting rid of the smaller portion which contained the legs. 

Then, I was cleaning out the cabinets in the kitchen.  I was up on a stool and picked up a tall wine bottle that I hung my angel food cakes on upside down to cool.  Yep, Bess, right inside that wine bottle was another Grandaddy!!  And he was trying to dig his way out of that glass bottle.  They might be able to see well but they are just plum stupid!  Gallant Steven came to the rescue and drowned that fellow - they can't swim either!

Last week I decided that the mattress on our bed was aiding to my back pain.  We had sold the bed and so were going to have to move to the floor this week anyway to get rid of the bed.  So, we made us a pallet on the floor with some firm pieces of foam - quite comfy and much better on my back.  Well, Bess, the very first night Steven and I are laying there reading and he jumps up quickly (which was quite a feat off of the floor) and swats the wall.  "What was that, I ask?"  Yep, a roach, the Grandmother! Now listen, I haven't seen roach one in our bedroom until we moved our bed onto the floor.  Thank the good Lord that I was tired that night and so went right off to sleep.

But the next night, I came into the dining room to cover my cake which was cooling.  As I was coming down the hall another Grandaddy entered from the kitchen into the dining room and he saw me.  He ran under the table and I was yanking chairs, trying to get to him. All I could think about was that guy might make it into my bedroom tonight!  I missed him as I think he climbed in between some wood pieces on the floor that hold up the table.  Oh no, he can get under my door! Feeling somewhat defenseless, I resorted to prayer as I asked God to keep the roaches out of my room!

And then this is the icing on the cake!  Yesterday I'm sitting at the table doing something on my computer.  There is a stack of napkins with the plastic still on them but the top open.  I looked up and could not believe my eyes! There crawling inside the plastic on top of the first napkin was a baby roach!!  I looked at Steven and said, "this is it, I can not believe this"!  And once again my knight in shining armor took care of that baby roach for me.  But what about all of those napkins?  And where is that Grandaddy that was under my table?  This is definitely a different kind of dependence upon the Lord than I am accustomed to,  but because I remember swiping a roach off of my head while sleeping last term, I'll keep praying for God to keep the roaches out of my room for the rest of the week!! Bess, I just know you are dying to come visit!!

A Precious Grandson Story

Last week we were talking to our Grandchildren via skype.  As you know we have 2 precious Grandchildren, Wyatt (3 years old) and Raney (22 months old) and another one due in November.  Anyway, we were talking to them about our coming home.  We asked Wyatt if he was going to come to the airport to pick us up.  He has an amazing imagination and preceded to come up with a solution.  He asked why doesn't that airplane just land in his driveway and we can get out at his house?  PaPaw tells him that his driveway isn't big enough for the airplane to land on. So Wyatt then said, "well my Daddy and I will go outside and dig our driveway bigger so that the airplane can land at our house." Aren't Grandchildren the best?  He loves my stories about geckos and always wants to hear the latest story.  What an unexpected blessing from the Lord to see our family again soon.  

Some have asked if we will continue to use this blogspo to post upon and our answer is yes even if God does indeed lead us to Mexico.  This blogspot has lots of history, it was begun in Manila by the 3 of the address, Lindsey, and is where full time missions began with us so we think it is indeed fitting that we continue with this blogspot, kinda a memory/dedication to the Philippines which will always have a special place in all of our hearts!  More than likely the next time we post it will be from the USA.  We are rapidly packing and sending "stuff" out the door as we leave next Friday.  Until then - 

Street Outreach to Jolly Cruz

Pastor Topher went with Steven and I to check on Jolly Cruz.  Jolly (for those of you who have not heard about him) was in our home for boys (ABP2) when Lindsey came in 2002.  When we all arrived in 2005 Jolly was still in ABP2.  He was always one of Lindsey's favorites.  Shortly after we arrived Jolly returned to the streets.  Unfortunately he is addicted to Rugby (the glue used to glue the soles on shoes) which is very addictive and kills brains cells.  We bought all of these boys Jollibee spaghetti, chicken and rice.  They ate it with a passion, as they were so hungry.  We also took Jolly a bag with bananas, and peanuts in it.  While Jolly says he is tired of living on the street, he is still using rugby.  Please pray for Pastor Topher as he ministers to these boys.

Pastor Larry and His Family

On the way to Larry's home we passed a parade.  Right above the man's head is the saint that they are carrying.  There were a whole line of them in the parade.

One of my favorite places in Philippines.  It's a beautiful deep river.  They are working on the bridge so I had to take it from the car window.  

Pastor Larry has 8 children.  His wife's older brother died this morning and so Emily and the 2 oldest girls have gone to the province for the funeral.  We took some things that needed a home from the guest house, towels, sheets and toys.  It was like Christmas come early for the kids. We were blessed to watch their faces.  These kids are some of our favorites.  We've watched them grow up and will miss them alot.

Easter in a Different Culture

Many of you have heard us speak of the many superstitions in the Philippines, some left from the Spaniards many years ago.  Today is Maundy Thursday.  As Steven and I were walking today, many vans and cars loaded for travel passed us. When I went to the store for a few things this morning, the traffic was already light and there were very few people in the store.  And I was shocked to notice that the mall was totally closed today.  Tomorrow on Good Friday, the Filipinos feel that because of Jesus Christ's death on Good Friday that there is no protection over them. So, they stay in their homes and don't travel anywhere. Steven and I are going about 1 hour and 30 minutes South to visit one of our favorite pastors, Pastor Larry and his family who has 8 children.  We can't wait to travel almost alone on the roads.  Normally there are so many people everywhere, that this time of the year really makes us feel rather alone, it's so different and strange.  And then when Saturday morning dawns, it's back to life and business as usual. Everything will be open on Saturday and yes, even on Sunday.

My Prized Rights

For it has been granted to me that for the sake of Christ I should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake.  Philippians 1:29 

Christ offers me the inestimable privilege of sharing with Him in some little measure; in the edge of the fellowship of His sufferings.  AND it's not a waste but God wants to transform my life from an ugly useless branch to an arrow, a tool useable in His hands and for the furtherance of His purposes (John 15).

Am I willing for the whittling, sandpapering, stripping processes necessary in my Christian life so that my life will "bear more fruit"? "My willingness will be a measure of the sincerity of my desire to express my heartfelt gratitude to Him for His so-great salvation." Helen Roseveare Can I see my minor sacrifices in the light of the GREAT sacrifice of Calvary where Christ gave it all for me? Can I see the cost as minimal compared to the reality of the gain? Do I accept His right to demand my willingness to pay such a price in order to enter into the privilege and joy of being used in His purposes? Can I give Him my heart and let Him love through it whom and how He wills, even if this seems at times to break my heart?

I confess that as I have pondered these thoughts and questions, I have seen how much I have not surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ.  God has shown me multiple prized rights that I am holding onto, some with a death grip. The biggest is my right to not suffer or hurt.Yet, where did that come from? Jesus Christ should have NEVER had to suffer and yet He have up His right to suffer for me. What about my right to self-defense? I confess that it's really hard for me to not defend myself even when I know that if I defend myself it's only pride. And often if I don't defend myself directly to someone then I criticize and tear them down behind their backs.  And yet there were times when Jesus Christ was given an opportunity to defend Himself and He didn't even utter a word. What about my right for self-pity, self-justification, self-vindication?  This Easter season God is showing me just how many rights that Jesus Christ willingly gave up for me.  I found myself wondering, who do I think I am when my Lord willing surrendered His rights and suffered far more than I can every possibly suffer? I see clearly how easy it is to allow SELF to rule my life, to be blinded by my pride and how far I am from where I long to be.

Scotts March 2009 Update

Dear Supporters:

Life has been busy here and I (Deborah) have had back problems so sitting at the computer has been challenging.  Please pray that God would heal my back.

Steven has been working to close out the bookkeeping. The current bookkeeping system will end April 30 and the Ministry Directors will begin using a different method of bookkeeping (much simpler) May 1.  The office has been moved to the top floor of ABP2 in San Pedro. We have a delightful team here now from Maryland and when they depart on Saturday we will begin the task of closing out the guesthouse.

So what's next for the Scotts? Well, we will leave here on April 24th to return to the States. We continue to feel that God may be calling us to Mexico but are still praying for confirmation. We haven't had much time for communication about Mexico as we have been focused on our work here.  We are planning to visit Mexico with Andrew Lamb sometime in May or first of June.  If we continue to feel that God is calling us in this direction, we will do some language study in Mexico July through the end of the year. We were scheduled to study language in the Philippines for a year when we arrived so we are thankful that God revealed His plan before we got too far along into studying Tagalog. And we're also thankful that Spanish is supposed to be much easier than Tagalog!

We have been diligently and earnestly seeking the Lord tp show us where He wants us to serve Him and what He wants us to do.  We only desire to be in His will and so please pray that He would continue to open and close doors to reveal His perfect plan for our lives.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 We praise the Lord that He knows how to order our lives better than we do.  We are thankful that He can see the future where we can only see the present.  We are also thankful for the strength, good health, peace and rest that He continues to provide.  We thank you for your ongoing support and look forward to sharing with you God's direction for our lives as He unfolds His perfect plan.