In the Gunderson family we believe in extended birthday celebrations, so we're still celebrating Aubrey's birthday. But more immediately, we celebrated my mom's birthday on the fourth.

Just as we were getting back from Puerta Gallera we decided to turn around and go up north to the beach in Subic with our friends the Ruetschle's. They were celebrating Aiden's birthday, so we got to go to Ocean Adventure with them.

We had a great time there. The beach was beautiful and Steve and Michelle, Aiden, Jude and Zephyr are the best of friends.

We spent two-and-a-half days there, but the day we left was my mom's birthday. We spent a few hours crowded into a van together, but spirits were good and we stopped for a really nice dinner on the way home to celebrate.

Today we went to church. Steve preached on loving your enemy from the Sermon on the Mount. Besides just being a moving passage, Steve handled it beautifully saying, as we came forward for the elements in communion, "May you be more" -- from verses 46-7:

"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?"


We are called to be extra-ordinary; indeed, to "be perfect, as our heavenly father is perfect" (48).


Following worship we went over to Steve and Michelle's house as per usual. Of course, the boys reserved their noisiest Sunday for the day we had grandma and grandpa along -- but it was all in good fun.

Tomorrow we get up early to leave for the beach where we'll celebrate Aubrey's birthday.

After a day of erands and this-and-that...


...(my dad comes on a vacation and I take him with me to meet with the accountant)...


...we had Jeri and Sara down for a yummy supper of squash soup.


So Aubrey got to show off his early birthday presents.


When he opened his microscope/telescope case he beamed so brightly. He said, "It's perfect; it has everything I need to be a scientist."



That, for a seven-year-old, the greatest of possible thank you's.

They got to see a great friend of ours, Delores, in Minneapolis on the way here. Delores stayed with us here in the Philippines for a few days earlier this year and she has a very special place in our hearts. She got to tell everyone here about how she knew me as a kid. For cosmopolitans that's a rare connection.

Just hours after their arrival here Deborah and I were scheduled to lead worship at Shepherd's Home, a home for solo mothers across the street. So, of course, we drug them along.

Wasn't long, though, before they were succumbing to jet lag and had to retreat to our guest room.

When the boys woke up in the morning it was to presents and surprises. Auden would very much have liked to hold out his reserve a little longer, but he was overcome by the sheer fun of having grandma and grandpa here.

Today, dad and I were working on our respective computers out in our bahay cubo (a small gazebo structure we've just installed on our patio) and my mom was inside playing with the boys and their new toys.

Grandma said,
"Auden, you know I think we could be friends after all. Will you be my friend?"



Very matter-of-factly Auden said, "Yep."

I was on the way to the airport to pick grandma and grandpa up when Deborah got a call that they were laid over in Tokyo, Japan and wouldn't be arriving until the following day.

After a moment or two of disappointment, I realized that that was the first concrete demonstration of the scripture verse we'd chosen for our first day together.

We've created a booklet of devotional readings for the three weeks my parents are here, and our first reading is from Jeremiah 29:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (11).

You pray, hoping that God has better plans in store for you than you have for yourself; it turns out, in this case, that in addition to just having an expenses-paid night in a hotel, coming in a day late saved them about $150.

They were scheduled to be here 22 days...and the tourist visa only lasts for 21. They were going to have to extend their visas for just one day.

But God works everything together for good.