La Familia!

The very much anticipated day of August the 4th finally arrived, my brother, his wife, and their three kids FINALLY arrived in the Philippines for their pre-field visit. This is the brother that we always knew would want to come back to the Philippines as a missionary (I was the surprise sibling who decided to come back). We eagerly grabbed some balloons, a bouquet of flowers for my sister-in-law, and headed to the airport.
So. Much. Fun. We've had a blast reminiscing with my brother and showing his family the country that is such a key part of our family. While they're here for over two weeks, we only get to spend a few days with them as the purpose of their visit is determine what their roles will be at Home of Joy and not play with us the whole time.
But it's been SO good to get squishees, kisses, and extra long hugs.
Please pray for them as they seek the Lord on how He will use them in their areas of expertise. Home of Joy is an orphanage that is highly respected by the Dept of Social Welfare but could use some help in the area of behavioral therapy and getting the kids caught up developmentally after much abuse and trauma. (My brother is a behavioral specialist and my SIL is a Christian educator. Both trained at Biola.)
Here are some pics from their first three days:

Meeting at the airport!
(that is the string to a balloon around my niece's wrist)

Playing at the new pool of our alma mater, Faith Academy

A visit to the largest American War Cemetery outside of the USA

Holding the hand of mannequin wearing traditional Filipina formal wear