Hope in front of the view from the hotel room in Manila.

Our dear friend, Khristina stayed one night with us in Manila before she left for the States the next morning.

It was so nice to see actual lanes in a road again after almost a year.. and medians...manicured medians! Oh, and street lights...the things we take for granted! : )

Kelly & Hope in a taxi in Manila, so excited to be there!

Hold on tight! Wow, was that wind strong!

We were bracing ourselves - the winds from the tropical storm were so strong - See the palm trees? 

Driving up to the Mall of Asia - the globe is beautiful.

Hope loved riding the big Merry-Go-Round inside the mall.

Mary Grace is Hope's Aunt..how appropriate that this is a cake shop! We love you Mary!

Good Bye for now, Manila. This is the view from the plane. Hope loves the window seat.

School time, 'on the go'. Hope loves learning, where ever she is, even if it is on the plane!

A welcome surprise was waiting for us when we arrived back in Davao! Our dear friends and supporters sent us a box from home and we were beyond thrilled!

Our friends packed this box so tight and so full of things that we can't get here, things that brought so much comfort and love to us! Thanks Ruth and Sheree and all the Ladies from the Tuesday night bible study!! We love you!!

We were all so excited about receiving the box, but when Hope found a beautifully wrapped present just for her! Thank you for speaking her 'love language' Sheree. That was so thoughtful.

Ahh, the comforts of home!

Just what Hope needed! Clothes! Thank you Thank you!!

 Hope inside the box, playing with the great things sent to her from wonderful friends.

                                 

                                      WOW!!  Sparkly pink play dough!! Thank you Jen and Joe!!

Hope

Many of you have been curious about how Hope likes living in the Philippines and have asked for more photos of her...these are for you. 

Enjoy!

One of Hope's favorite things to do here in the Philippines is to spend our Family Days (Mondays) at the beach on another nearby island. She decided to practice snorkeling in the shower. (bath tubs are not common here) She used a bucket!

Hope was thrilled that her 'practice' paid off!!

Hope and her Daddy.

Hope loves learning and has so much fun doing it. She is already reading.

Hope, Jasmin and Ethan playing in Hope's room.

Ethan and Hope. They are great friends.

Hope waiting patiently for the boat to be loaded and set for the islands!! This is a special day for us to unwind, refresh and have some fun. Hope loves the water and the sand!!

It's going to be a fun day!

View of the city as the boat made its way across the bay to the islands.