Well, let's try.

 I am going to attempt a new way of posting to possibly get more in.  I'm sorry if pictures don't line up with the description.  Well, so here goes nothing....

August has been filled with hard work and fun.

Jun is doing lots of maintenance at the farm in Palayan which is about 30 minutes away from home.  Twice this month I've been able to join him to see the work and progress.  This day Jun was using the weed whacker to cut back the grass.  It's a lot more work than just a lawn mower, but it's what they do here.

It hard to see the second bunch because everything is so green around here, but these are two of Jun's banana trees yielding good bunches!

Close up of one of the currently 6 bunches growing well right now.

Last fall after visiting some of Jun's friends in Leyte we were able to bring back a bunch of pineapple tops to attempt growing.  Of about 100 only about 20 have survived.  They also keep getting overgrown by the vines and weeds!

We have saved hundreds of papaya seeds and Jun is hopping at least 20 will survive.

There is cassava both close to harvest and still very young.. It takes about 3 months and grows to about 6 feet tall.

Jun is master of mixing crops to make the most of the land.  Here you can see the corn growing up around the banana trees.  There are also some coconut trees, guava trees, and even some mung beans somewhere.

We have also been able to go swimming a few times but no pictures because salt water and electronic devices don't mix well.  We tend to drive there, swim for about 30-45 minutes and then drive back all wet because there is no public restroom to store stuff or change in.  It is a good and free way to relax our muscles from the physical work and stress build up.

It has also been about a month that we have been going to Restored Heritage on Friday for a class.  To end the unit on food we made our own deviled eggs and tuna salad.  This unit did a lot with compare and contrast so we followed two recipes of each and I even made an additional one that mixed tuna and eggs!  They were also required to write out a recipe for me that included an ingredient list and the procedure.  It was quite enjoyable and now I have some additional Filipino dishes to try.

(If this posts well I will add photos from their presentations...and maybe a couple recipes they shared!)

July was here, but then it left.

(This is one of the communication pieces that I haven’t figure s out well on the iPhone, plus the program updated and has some flaws,  like I cannot preview the page or adjust photos.  Sorry for errors!)

It has been nearly six month and often I still find it hard to believe I’m married.  Sometimes I think no one has ever lived a life like mine.  Then I remember Ecclesiastes and “there is nothing new under the sun.”  It’s my own translation from memory, but that’s the idea.  That and there is a time for everything.  I’m doing a lot of adjusting but so is everyone else in this world.  We aren’t the first cross-cultural couple.  We aren’t the only missionaries to get married after living in the field.  We aren’t the only ones not able to do what we want because of COVID restrictions.  We aren’t the first to understand just how hard relationships are to keep alive.  We aren’t the first to have failed expectations.

Just like everything else there is also the list of positive aspects in our lives as well.  We aren’t the only ones who God has provided for both physically and financially.  We aren’t the only ones who have the opportunity to stretch new ministry muscles.  We aren’t the first to enjoy simple pleasures like running water and free drinking water.  We aren’t the first to have regular access to fresh fruits and vegetables.  We aren’t the only ones to have people coming to ask to participate in our ministry programs.

Some days I feel like I’m failing at everything.  I begin thinking things like... I’m a bad missionary.  I hate that I’ve given up so many comforts.  I’m failing as a wife.  I’m lazy.  Nothing works right.  Internet sucks!  People just don’t understand me.  I’m just stuck here.  Those days are rough, very rough.  But I get over it.  I remember I’m doing what God has called me to do.  While I’ve given up things they are just things.  No one is a perfect spouse but I’m trying to learn to do better.  It’s just some things that don’t work the same as they did in the US and I am still adjusting.  The internet really does suck, but again it’s just a thing.  The language and culture barriers exist, but both sides are working at understanding.  I’m not really stuck here.  I’m choosing to stay where God has placed me.

Financial Update:

We have 16 regular partners (including 2 churches) who donate every month or quarter.

We have set a goal of adding enough to be receiving $1500 monthly from our current and new partners by 2021.

We are approximately 85% of the way to this goal!

We are still looking for another 4 or 5 regular partners so let us know if you are interested.

Communication update:

We still have a stack of about 45 letters to go out but international mail to the US is still not being accepted.  Once they are sent I apologise for how long it has been in coming!

We will be trying to get a newsletter out this month via CTEN’s printing.

I usually can get email at least once a week sometimes more often (try Juagdanenglish@gmail.com)

My Samsung phone died and we haven’t replaced it yet so some tasks are taking a lot longer because the iPhone doesn’t work as well with the internet or my computer.