Let me begin by saying our holiday at the beach was not filled with rest or relaxation! Over the two weeks we were in the Philippines we hopped six different flights and nestled our heads in six different hotels. WHAT was I thinking....that this would be fun?!?
As you can tell from the Festival pictures in Naga City we had an amazing event. The kids and I were so blessed to be a part of God on the move and to watch our daddy in action. I do hope the Festival and the Operation Christmas Child remain in their hearts for years to come....
I will admit I was a bit anxious about our beach adventure. I had a recommendation of a hotel from a friend here in Osaka but by the time I got around to booking it was already full....so I picked a random one online..... To get to Boracay you fly into Cataclan (very small airport) and then take a boat to the island...thankfully not far, as the 'child' life jackets that were provided were merely adult jackets wrapped around the kids a couple of extra time (yeah I tried not to think too much about it - the only thing that kept me from panicking). As we strode up the ramp (two two-by-four pieces of lumber from the boat to shore) the sun was setting. We got in a jeepney that drove for about 15 min then stopped in a narrow unpaved alley where we then walked for another 5-10min to our hotel. Ummm, basic is probably the best description. It was clean and the window air con unit did it's job but the room was small with a mattress thrown in the center for 6 people and the bathroom.....it did have a toilet but you had to use a bucket to flush.....so yeah basic. Not exactly the retreat we were looking for...
The one redeeming factor was the sweet family next door. They had two little girls Lili and Noa's age and in the morning we all sat on the porch as they shared their coffee and sweet buns with us.
Chad gathered us up the next morning all decked out in our swimming attire and settled us on the beach in front of......yup you guessed it 'Starbucks'. (Can you believe they planted a Starbucks on an island in the Philippines only 7km long?) As we played with the local kids making sand balls and splashing away in the turquoise sea - poor Chad had to 'pound the pavement' to find us a more suitable place to sleep....it being peak season on the island this was no easy task. BUT my husband, who is nothing but persistent found two great hotels....only they each had two nights open. So we moved to a place farther down the beach for two nights then the last two nights we stayed in an large apartment on the mountainside overlooking the sea. It worked out so nicely as the last two days were kind of rainy due to a typhoon so having more space was a luxury.
Noa loved the whole beach experience. She was amazing the whole trip....eating whatever we had on hand (especially sand and seashells - full of nutrition I hear) sleeping happily on beds near us or cots if they were available....snoozing on boats and planes....what a dream baby!
One afternoon Chad and Nykolas took a boat out fishing and the girls and I went shopping. Then another day we all went 'island hopping' which turned out more to be a boat ride with a bit of snorkeling. Poor Nykolas had an ear infection and felt miserable on our island hopping adventure and wasn't able to take part in the snorkeling, poor boy.....but those girls (even though again their life jackets were too big) jumped right in and eagerly watched all the amazing life beneath the waters while Noa and Nykolas snoozed.
This morning in school I was helping the kids memorize their Bible verse "And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" We were discussing what wonderful means. One of the many overused English words and therefore sadly depleted in meaning.....wonderful....full of wonder. One evening we were walking at sunset as a family, the kids were splashing away in the sand and water.....the tide was out, the sun was turning the sky amazing shades of orange and pink, there were boats gently rocking with the waves and on the other side of the island God painted in a perfect bow reaching from our island to the next a vibrant rainbow. WONDER~FULL! Forever that moment in time will always remind me of our God and this description of his son.....
So maybe it wasn't restful or relaxing but it was refreshing and chocked full of amazing memories......what a life we live!
