First Week Together

Ragnar left bright and early to go to Manchester to meet Ryan, Kara and family.

From there they would be taking a train to the closest station to our home.

Abbi was sooooo excited to meet his newest granddaughter for the first time.

He loved holding her on the train for a good part of the journey, plus it looks like he continued to enjoy those cuddles with precious little Kandace Isabel!!

Omma also loved it when it was her turn!!

She was only 1 month old when I had to say good bye to her in Canada, so she sure has changed in the last 4 1/2 months.

The sun really did shine the first few days they were here, so we took advantage of it.

Here we are enjoying a picnic down by the beach.

3 generations of Niclasens working in our back yard.

Then on to the hammocks.

I sooooo enjoyed being surrounded by my treasure, gem, prince and angel!!

While Ragnar and Ryan were in the Faroes for a few days, Kara and I kept busy with various activities in the area.

One day we went to a petting farm where there also was a playground.

What great helpers - 'painting' Omma and Abbi's home.

Kandace's big brother, Noah.

And big brother Andrew.

Kandace in the same chair that her cousin Ellie used 6 years ago.

Early reader!!

13 Niclasens Under One Roof

An amazing time with all 13 of us together!!

Left to right - Craig, Elizabeth, Claire, Lydia, Rebekah, Ragnar, Liz, Selah, Kara, Noah, Kandace, Ryan and Andrew

We are so very, very thankful for the fun time we recently had as a family.  Ryan & Kara with their 4 adorable children braved the trip across the Atlantic.  Craig & Claire and their 3 precious girls joined us from Birmingham during the school break.  Omma and Abbi were 'tickled pink'!!

Two weeks of pushing swings; hide & seek; reading stories; brushing little teeth; going to kids attractions; 'girls' day out; 'boys' day out; going to church together; watching cousins interact with each other; cooking & cleaning with my girls.........

We loved every second of it!

Thank you Lord for giving us this fantastic gift!!

Catching up with Friends

We will always cherish the great times we had catching up with our friends when we were in the Philippines.

Most of our time was spent in the tribe, but we are thankful for the short visits we had here and there with friends in the city, both before going to Lenga, and after we came out of our village. 

We were so happy Char and Thea just happened to be in Manila when we arrived.  They were back up north the next day, so the timing was perfect.  Our little 'granddaughter' sure has grown up!

Our trip to the RP would not be complete without some time with Scott and Cindy. We caught them at an extremely busy time, but being the great hosts that they are, welcomed us with a cozy room, and some wonderful catch up times, when my jet leg cooperated.

On to Faith Academy and a few chats up with lots of friends there.

Good timing for a few minutes with Walt and Cheryl Spicer, along with their 3 daughters and Carrie Bamford.

Omma's arms can't stay empty too long!

A lovely evening with the Garcia family in their new home.

Cynthia has been our secretary in the NTM Office since before she was married, and now she is a Grandma!

Jun and Ami Fabra - coworkers in the Kankanaey tribe. 

Our time with them is always full of fun and laughter.

What a treat - not only yummy food, but the opportunity to spend the evening with Werner.  They were mopping the floors around us as it was getting close to midnight - should we have taken that as a hint that they wanted to close shop?

Baday brothers in Baguio - they invited lots of people in their home that evening - yummy Filipino food, followed by sharing.

The Banana Leaf was an ideal place to catch up with the Pazziuagans. It had been too long.

Peter and Kathy, our special friends that we worked with in the Philippines for many years, are now working at our Headquarters in Canada. Isn't it amazing that their time back in the Philippines coincided with ours!?!? We were so excited about that, and happy to have a couple days with them.

Many hours together over lots of coffee allowed us to share about our last couple of year's experiences.

How wonderful to be able to catch up with Sesil - an amazing friend who has taught me lots over the years.

Peggy has always called me her 'partner in crime' - I won't try to figure out if that is a compliment or an insult, but we sure have enjoyed lots of chuckles and merry times together over our many years together there.  Ragnar and Tim were roommates in Bible School back in 1975.  

Our last morning there, many of us gathered together for waffles, and ended up talking until after lunch time.  In some ways it felt like there were so many things to catch up on, and yet in other ways, it seemed like we had never left. 

 

We were so very blessed to be able to spend time with so many friends that we miss.  We didn't get a picture of all of them, but this is a good representation.  There were lots of others that we were not able to see because they work on different islands - we hope to catch them on another trip.

Fantastic Time in Lenga

We loved being back in Lenga. Our main goal in going to the Philippines was to spend time with the believers in our tribal village, while teaching them the book of Hebrews. We enjoyed every second of being there!!

Meal at the church our first Sunday back.

We were welcomed with tons of hugs, and reminded many, many times during our time there how glad they were that we do not forget them and come back to spend time with them when we can. I wonder if they know we enjoy it as much as they do!?!?

I think the believers in Lenga should write a booklet on how to be good hosts. They must be the best in the world!! From the second we arrived until the moment we left, they made sure we were well taken care of.

Beautiful spot at the edge of our village.

We continue to be amazed at the beauty of their rice fields. 

My walk thru rice fields, over the brook, among the pine trees and slippery slopes, leading me to our airstrip (which the water buffalos keep mowed), brought back many pleasant memories. I love that familiar path!

The airstrip.

Coffee, grown in their front yards was always brewing on their wooden fires, and on the few breaks from that aroma, we enjoyed smelling their freshly harvested rice cooking away. Various greens from their fields completed almost every meal, but of course what we enjoyed most was just being with them while hearing how their journey with God has been going the past couple of years.

Since they had arranged for us to have our meals with a different family each day, spending time with them, as individuals, in their homes was so encouraging.  It was wonderful to see there are several people who are anxious to be taught and others who are excited to teach them.How thrilling to see how they have been growing in their walk with the Lord and their desire to see others come to know Him too.

Sitting in circles with the ladies while some were pounding rice; climbing the hills to their gardens or walking to their rice fields, all gave me opportunities to catch up with their busy lives.

In some ways things haven't changed much since we moved in, in 1981. In other ways, we hardly recognize the village - cemented pathways, a road to the village, wooden framed houses with tin walls and roofs etc.

Even though there are many physical changes, that does not change the reason we went to live among them. We wanted them to have the opportunity to hear the best news in the world, and for them to have the desire to continue to pass it on - whether we are living in the village with them or not - or how quickly their physical living conditions develop.

We enjoyed our fellowship with them, singing lots, sharing with each other and studying the book of Hebrews together. 

It was exciting to see them growing - our trip well worth it.