End of Summer?

Yes, it’s the end of summer! Summer is just beginning in the states, but around here, summer is wrapping up. Our summer begins in March (when the rainy season ends) and ends in June (when the schools year starts). The Mook family has enjoyed a great summer.

We kicked off the summer with the birth of our newest blessing, baby Tommy.

Soon after, we celebrated graduation at Leyte Christian College. We are so proud of the 2013 graduates.

We had beach day for Daniel’s 2nd birthday. He is becoming so big!

Our family went to the swimming pool with friends from church. We all had a great time. Tommy especially enjoyed spending time with Sister Gonzales. 

John Paul had his 4th birthday in May. We had a family party with cake and presents. Later that evening, we had movie night at the LCC campus with popcorn and Cokes.

Jesse has worked a lot these few months. He took a short business trip to Cebu Island. He made several visits to a local children’s home to learn more about Filipino orphan care. He has been in contact with several children’s homes around the country to learn more.

I spent much of my summer making preparations for our upcoming homeschool year.

Our house received a few much needed repairs. We had some plumbing and electrical work done. Our car is currently in the repair shop with a broken alternator. It seems that life has its share of difficulty no matter the geographical location. 

Of course, we are enjoying lots of family time. Evenings at home playing in the water hose, movie nights, making no-bake cookies, jigsaw puzzles, and snuggling with our little baby. Now we are looking forward to Hannah’s 9th birthday party coming up on Saturday.

We are so blessed here. Life is the same everywhere you go. There are problems to solve and opportunities for thankfulness. Leyte Christian College will resume classes mid-June. We are thankful for this wonderful summer and all the memories made.

What about you? What are you thankful for today?

Adventures in Teaching

Jesse and I joined the faculty at Leyte Christian College just in time to begin teaching the second semester of the 2012-2013 school year. I taught “Women of God.” It was a great experience.

Not many people know that teaching at the collegiate level is one of my life goals. When I was in my fourth year at Harding University, I wrote my life goals in green pen on an index card and tacked it on my dorm room wall. Most of the goals on that little card seemed terribly far away back then. As Jesse and I prayed about joining LCC, I was almost giddy to reach one of my (impossible) life goals.

The “Women of God” class was an overview of women from the Old and New Testament. I taught the 2nd year women. The class was only 13 students: a great size for discussion and group work. I was very spoiled to have a great group of girls. They all studied very hard and learned a lot during the semester.

I lectured on the big-name female characters: Eve, Sarah, Rebekah.

Even better, we studied the lesser known women: Jael, Abigail, Michal

We tackled harder questions. Questions that we don’t cover on a Sunday morning.

Who is the angel of the Lord?

Why is Delilah in the Bible?

What exactly is the “seed” of a woman?

Discussion classes are hard. Very hard. You must think critically and be brave enough to be wrong. The education in the Philippines focuses on memorization of facts, but does not focus on evaluating and utilizing those memorized facts. I want to push my students toward critical thinking. They were uncomfortable, but they did a great job.

I invited the class to my home to celebrate the end of the semester. We had cinnamon coffee cake, chocolate bundt cake, fruit salad, coffee, and Southern sweet tea. The girls were delighted! They deserved a special day after all their hard work.

What about you? How would you encourage critical thinking in college students?

Welcome to the World Tommy

Happy Birthday John Paul

Our fourth child is now four years old. How is that possible? Just yesterday, we were expecting our first baby and now we have six.

We celebrated John Paul's birthday with a family party at home. I served chili cheese dogs for lunch (best mom ever!). We had chocolate cake and presents. It was great.

In the evening, we hosted a movie night at LCC for the students. I made cheese popcorn. Jesse bought sodas. We watched Space Jam on a projector screen. Our kids had not seen Space Jam. Wow! They loved it!

We are so grateful to be settled into this new country, making special memories in this new place. God is so good.

How Do We Facilitate Effective Mission Work?

Mission work can be accomplished in any number of ways. The question becomes: what strategy is most effective for these people, in this location, at this time in history?

The Philippine Islands are a unique challenge. The gospel was introduced to the Philippine Islands about 100 years ago. Yet, we are still finding churches in need of leadership, ministers, and active members.

Let me introduce you to Leyte Christian College.

Main Building of LCC, during construction phase.

Jesse and I joined forced with this school just a few months ago. We are thrilled with their approach to mission work in the Philippines. This is an effective ministry with a bright future.

Leyte Christian College is a four-year undergraduate degree college. LCC is currently seeking accreditation with the Philippine government. We expect to earn accreditation by June 2013.

Leyte Christian College exists to:

• Teach the scripture to the students.
• Equip the students to interpret and apply the scripture for themselves.
• Train these students to share the gospel.
• Prepare the men to preach and evangelize.
• Prepare the women to teach women and children.
• Give these students an excellent college education for a better future.
• Send these students into their own communities to become local missionaries.
• Strengthen churches in the Philippine Islands through these students.

These are admirable goals that reach the need of this country. Every church would benefit from educated, dedicated ministers and members. Our hope is that these students will transform the face of the PI by bringing the light of the gospel wherever they go.

What do you think? Tell me your thoughts on college education as an approach to mission work.

The Story of Our Lives...

The story of our lives in the Philippine Islands...

Who moves their family of 7 overseas?
Who gets pregnant with their sixth baby soon after arriving in a new country?
Who lives in constant craziness as they try to make sense of the culture around them?

WE DO! Join us in our crazy life.