Many of you already know that Ted and I are traveling to the Philippines this spring.  We will travel this year with a team of volunteers.   LSS of WI and Upper MI, Inc Adoption Ambassadors helps older children available for adoption a chance to find a family.  The kids are between 8 and 14 years old and each month they come closer to reaching an age when they will no longer qualify to come to the US with a priority orphan visa.  We are grateful to have an opportunity to become advocates for them and I am smiling as I think of meeting them, spending time with them, and then introducing them to others who may answer their prayer for a family.  

There is a corner in our house that is growing in size.  It is filled with small gifts known as "pasalubong" in Filipino tradition.  Roughly translated this is "something meant for you when you welcome me back".  It is a way to share our regional heritage or culture with family and friends.  And in our case it is a way to bring a bit of Wisconsin with us.  

We are thinking of past trips - and images that come up are of the jeepneys, the traffic, the views of Manila Bay, but mostly the smiles of those we have come to know as friends.  Hopefully this trip will renew old friendships, and provide us with new ones.  But our prayer really is to make a difference in the life of the children that we meet - and our "pasalubong" as we return home to Wisconsin will be the stories of the children that we meet.  

Thanks to all who have made this program a success in the past, and possible now.  Special thanks to the monetary support provided by many and the in-kind donations that will fill our suitcases and bring smiles to the faces of many!

From the Hotel during a previous visit