Full Circle

Last Wednesday, we visited a beautiful island about an hour away from Davao City by boat.  It was a beautiful day on Isla Reta, and the colorful hues of the water were absolutely gorgeous.  Resting on my towel in the sand next to Kate's, I had a sudden flashback to March 2013.  I'd gone home that weekend for Easter, and Kate & I had made a day trip to St. George Island.  She was considering three different assignments with Wycliffe/SIL and had shared with me some of the pros and cons of each.  One of them was in the Philippines in a city named Davao...

Reflecting on this flashback and being here in the Philippines now to experience Kate's world, I realized how grateful I am.

I am thankful for enduring friendships of many years.

I am thankful to be able to walk through life with friends and process decisions together.

I am thankful to experience joys and sorrows with friends.

I am thankful for friends like Kate who supported me and prayed for me during my time in Mexico.

I am thankful for my job in the U.S. and to be able to pray for and support Kate and others.

I am thankful to have the time and means to travel here to the Philippines to visit Kate.

I am thankful for the story God is unfolding in my life and in others, both in the past and still to come.

And I am thankful for the present and moments like these.

With Kate and others, on a Four Oaks Church mission trip in July 2007

St. George Island, March 2013: listening and processing time

on the way to Isla Reta, July 2014

Isla Reta, Philippines, July 2014