Bethy!

We had a wonderful visit from Bethy! So fun to see her. She arrived here on the heels of hosting the Jimmy Carter Work Project, with hundreds of volunteers helping at her Habitat for Humanity affiliate's LA work sites. She said the time was hectic, but all went really well. She was interviewed on the KTLA morning show one day. Any country music fans out there besides me? Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood worked at Bethy's site.

After all those long days and hard work, she was really ready for a
break. We planned to spend two nights at a rustic island resort in
the northern part of our island, but it stretched on to two more,
because a typhoon hit the area. We didn't have the typical "fun in
the sun" time we expected. Instead we sat under thatched roofs,
safely out of the rain, captivated by turbulent seas, while wind
howled all around us. It was a wild experience, being so close to the
storm. We spent the time reading, eating, relaxing and playing games.

The day we planned to leave, a mudslide blocked the only road south. And the next day when we actually did leave, the boat ride off the island was pretty scary for me. The ocean was still unruly. We finally returned to the city, damp and dirty. Hot showers and clean clothes fixed that.

Then over the next two days we celebrated Bill's birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lots of food! Presents! We flew up and spent a couple of days in Manila. Took in a play, did a little shopping. Bethy went out to visit her old stomping grounds, Faith Academy. All too soon, it was time to send her back to LA on the��plane again. Our mission pilot has been sick for some time, and��couldn't fly us into the tribe as we had originally planned. But we��had a great time together, and are looking forward to Next Time.