Family picture 2009

Fish Family June 2009

Graduation Day!!!

That long awaited day finally came...
They walked through the doors of the new auditorium as the first class to graduate there...
When they came back out the doors, they were forever changed...

Out of 70+ students 10 of them received Outstanding Awards in various areas... 7 of them received sholarships from Faith Academy's various scholarship funds.

They were congratulated as being a class with 9 students with a GPA of 4.0 or higher--- lots of leadership skills--- and a class that caused some of the least amount of trouble.

All of the students have a special place in our heart...

Most of them we may never see again...

The Long Anticipated Senior Trip!!

May 23rd we woke up bright and early and met on campus at 5am (!)...
We loaded 80+ people onto two vans and started off on our journey...
3 hours later and one bathroom break (plus coffee!) we made it to the port and began loading into 3 large "banka" boats....



After getting off the bus-- we loaded our luggage onto a van-- then walked down to the boats-- unloaded the luggage from the van-- rode the "Banka" boats for an hour-- then transferred 80+ people to smaller boats to get to land... :)

The students had a blast enjoying the sun and each other! Some of these pictures I borrowed from our class ;)

Our last night there we were able to enjoy dinner on the beach! Tons of fun!

One last "group" photo before we headed back to the "real" world!

Thanks class of 2009 for such great memories!!!

Seniors Ministry Day

May 22nd was the Seniors first day after their last day of school.
It was their designated "ministry" day. As a class we headed to a neighborhood called "Welfarville" (literally!)
We took about 10 vans and 70 students -- all wearing red shirts -- and spent several hours blessing the families of Welfarville...

Some of the activities included passing out apples (left) and painting a mural at the local community center (right).

Several of the guys played basketball with the neighborhood "pros" (left) and another group passed out lunch to over 100 kids (right).

Other activities included cleaning, photography, kids games, and more snacks....

We teamed up with a ministry center there-- working with their volunteers-- and donating all our supplies to their organization.

It was a great class experience and a great blessing to the neighborhood.

Girls Vasity Soccer Season 2009

The 2009 Soccer season has come to a close...
Here are some highlights of the last few weeks..

The last home soccer game-- Coach Fish honored the Seniors for their dedication and hard work...

After doing several fund-raising activities, surviving grueling practices, and playing numerous tough University teams-- The Varsity Girls are packed and ready to head to Japan for the DoDDs Tournament...

They played tough and gave it their all-- after 5 days of games, 8 games in all-- the girls came away with 4th place as well as the Sportsmanship award. The Referees noticed and appreciated the good attitudes of the girls whether they won or lost-- therefore they nominated our Faith girls for the Sportsmanship award.
Here they are with Coach Fish, their last night in Japan and their last night as a team-- after finishing team devotions...

Third season Sports Awards night-- Coach Fish is honoring the team for their hard work and godly attitudes, on and off the field. It was a great season-- filled with great attitudes and great achievements.

Here the Co-Captains are honoring Coach Fish for his Christ-like example and love for their team. They appreciated all he did for them and taught them... They gave him a painting they found of Faith's soccer field and Manila skyline... It hangs in our home now as I write this...

Thank you Captains, for your leadership as godly young women and your love for "Football"!!

Junior/Senior Banquet

May 9th was this years Junior/Senior Banquet.
As Senior class advisors we had the privilege of attending and enjoying the evening with the class.

The evening was fun and enjoyable. We enjoyed the slide show presentation with pictures of each student in the class--- good memories~!

Amy's 7th Birthday

April 30th was Amy's 7th Birthday. Such a big girl!
On the day of her birthday we brought a snack for her friends at school.
Here, she is helping me serve her friends, before they go play at recess.



We had a fun afternoon with Amy- took her to do some of her favorite things and the highlight of them all.... getting her ears pierced! :D



Happy Birthday, Amy!!

Varsity Girls Soccer Team

At last, a team picture!! :D

Introducing the 2009 Varsity Girls Soccer Team!!

15 players this year, one manager (not pictured), one GREAT Soccer Mom :D and also one REALLY great Coach :D

In the Philippines its either REALLY sunny or REALLY rainy- either way, bring your umbrella!!

Part of the Soccer team at a fundraiser- serving dinner...

They are planning to go to Japan for the DoDDS tournament (Department of Defense Dependant Schools). funds that they raised will help pay for their food, lodging and transportation costs while they are there...

Easter and Holy Week

Easter was a nice weekend for us. In the Philippines everything shuts down for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday. The week leading up to Easter is called Holy Week and is taken more seriously and with more customs/traditions/celebrations than the actual day of Easter.

School was out for us on Thursday and Friday so we enjoyed a four day weekend as a family.

On Easter Sunday we dressed up, went to Church and celebrated the day...

A Day with Daddy

Erin and Amy spent the day together a few weeks ago-- I don't remember all they did, but I know they went to a nearby mall, had some ice cream and on the way home- the van broke down :D This was BEFORE the van broke down...

Senior Seminar

Last week, the Senior class headed to Rizal Re-Creation Center for 3 days and 2 nights. Libby Stevens with Interaction International- led the class in the annual Transition Seminar for Seniors.
They had a great time-- lots of long talks-- about life and changes they will be facing.
We appreciate Libby and the valuable wisdom she brings to MK Youth.



The Senior Class of 2009 :)

Girls Varsity Soccer Team

This last weekend the girls played against the Philippine National Team.
It was a hot day, and many were tired but they put up a great fight and held their own. We played against the "A" team as well as the "B" team. We didn't win either one :( but it was great experience for the girls. The Coach from the other team enjoys playing the Faith girls, because he says we are respectable, well behaved, and have great skill! That's a great testimony.




Between the two games, we found some shade and had lunch. One of our seniors, Janine, led the team in a devotional and prayer time. Janine injured her leg at the beginning of the season- tore a ligament in her knee- and is out for the season. Since she is a senior, that finishes soccer for her for her High School career. She gave a great testimony about God has His best planned for you (as she is sitting there, with a brace on her knee...)



The girls divided up into smaller groups and spent a few minutes praying for each other.

Its a blessing and a joy to invest in the lives of these girls.
Pray for Erin as he coaches-- on the field-- and off the field...

Samuel's 9th Birthday!!

March 23rd~ Samuel turned nine years old this year!!







Here is Samuel with his Cheescake~Birthday Cake. (YUM!)
We love you buddy!

Paul's Band Concert

This year Paul began learning to play the Clarinet. This last March was Faith Academy's "All Bands Concert".




This is a picture of the 5th grade band, Middle School Band, and the High School Band, all together!~ Paul is in the front row... 2nd from the left... kind of hard to see though, sorry.



Here is Paul with a classmate. Black pants, white shirt and tie were the dress code for the evening. :) Don't they look sharp!!

Ladies Retreat at Rizal Re-Creation Center

After many weeks of planning and praying~ more than sixty women gathered at Rizal Re-Creation Center for a weekend of laughter, fellowship, and worshipping our Lord.
I was on this years retreat committee, along with several other wonderful ladies. We enjoyed seeing- so much- how God worked together all the little details and touched many lives in the process.
We were also blessed by these wonderful ladies (pictured below) who came from Colorado Springs, Colorado and Pheonix, Arizona-- to bless us and share God's love to us.
I was personally blessed by our main speaker- Mary- (light blue) as she shared wonderful, godly truths.
What a blessing it was to have these stunning women come and love on us!
Thank you~!!

Elementary Basketball

Here are a few pictures of Samuel and Amy playing Elementary Basketball.
Samuel has really come to enjoy basketball and we have enjoyed watching his games!
Amy is not sure- though, she loves the "social" aspect of it and being "a part" of something!














Paul opted not to do basketball this year, as he has become more devoted to soccer and is enjoying some Saturday mornings with friends.