joanna in the philippines

Hey everyone! Well, I have been here at Aritao for a few days now, and it has been such a special time already. My days have been spent laying around, sleeping, trying to get over jet lag, and playing with babies! It has been such a blessing to be able to spend lots of time with my sister Sarah and her husband Markus, and their two kids Levi and Emma. They are so precious, and I enjoy every minute! :) Also, I have played a lot with Thea, who is 4, and Koi, who is 2. They are the two children I came here to look after and help while their parents did language study in the tribe. Thea is such a sweet girl. We have had a great time already talking about the tribe, the things i should expect, all the things she has learned, and really, just talking in general. She is a very smart girl, and knows things way beyond her years. We also have played princess, made tents to play house in, and have built houses (and dog houses) out of big legos. :) I enjoy being with her. Koi is also a fun boy! He is such a cutie, and likes trucks, Bob the builder, Dora, and he loves to jump on the trampoline. :) He just started talking more, so its fun to listen to him have at it! Levi, my nephew, is also so much fun! He just runs arounnd and smiles all the time! He is such a happy boy, and always has the biggest grin on. He LOVES cookies, and dont get him and Koi going on cookies! ha! But already I have been learning some norweigan words, because Levi speaks both that and english. So, its a mix between the two, and auntie Joanna has caught on quick! Ha, the first night I was there, he was scared of me (okay, and the next day too :)), and he kind of hid behind sarah when he saw me. But when Sarah showed him our family's prayer card that had my picture on it, his face just lit up like he knew who i was! I guess Sarah and him spend lots of time looking at those pictures!

Well, it's been fun so far. Pray for Thea and Koi's parents though, Don and Char. Char has gotten sick, and Donovan is still recovering from typhoid fever. Thea too has been sick the past day or so... it just seems that it is one thing after another. They were planning on flying into the tribe on Friday, but because of sickness, they wont be able to. So pray that they will all get better so they can get in there! So, as of right now, I am not really sure when we will head into the tribe, but I am having a blast here in Aritao... so I'm cool with whatever! Thanks for writing me everyone, i love hearing from you all, and I will try to write more often. Also, thanks for your prayers! My stomach is feeling better and it hasnt felt sick since the first 2 days! Praise the Lord! Well, I should go find the kids... they're all in the living room! Have a good day (or good night, I guess :))!